When Li Rong heard this, she turned around and saw the carriages of Concubine Rou and Hua Le.

The two were carried on a sedan chair, covered with fox fur, holding a warm stove in their hands. They looked elegant and noble, showing how much they were loved.

Li Rong couldn't help but smile when she saw the two of them.

"It turned out to be Concubine Rou and Sister Huale."

Li Rong said as she looked them up and down. Hua Le did not salute her, so she did not salute Concubine Rou either. The three parties showed a tacit understanding of not following the rules. After a while, Concubine Rou laughed first and reminded Hua Le, "You didn't get off the sedan chair to salute when you saw your sister. Who in the palace taught you the rules?"

"No need," Li Rong raised her hand to interrupt Hua Le's move to get off the sedan chair, and said directly, "Since Your Highness Hua Le doesn't have me as a sister in his heart, there is no need to perform these empty formalities. Your Majesty, do you have anything else to say? I'll take my leave first."

Having said that, Li Rong waved her hand and led Pei Wenxuan towards the main hall.

As soon as the two of them left, Hua Le turned to look at Concubine Rou and said angrily, "Look at her, mother, how arrogant she is! You are a noble concubine after all, and she doesn't even greet you when she sees you..."

"Didn't you greet her?"

Concubine Rou smiled, but she didn't really care. She just said, "Qiong'er, no matter what people say or do, you have to pay a price."

As she spoke, Concubine Rou raised her hand and patted Hua Le's hand, saying gently, "Remember this."

Pei Wenxuan followed Li Rong and left. He thought that Li Rong must have angered Hua Le, and couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your Highness, why do you have to argue with them?"

"If I don't tell them, they won't bother me anymore?" Li Rong chuckled. "The result will be the same anyway, so I might as well be straightforward."

"Your Highness, did you notice the girl standing next to them?"

Pei Wenxuan suddenly mentioned someone else. Li Rong thought for a moment before she remembered that person's face.

That person was elegant and dignified, and was indeed a beauty, but Concubine Rou was too beautiful, and when she stood beside her, she seemed a little outshined. One had to think carefully to recall what she looked like.

Li Rong was somewhat surprised that Pei Wenxuan mentioned her. She turned around to ask, and then she heard Pei Wenxuan say, "It's Xiao Wei."

That is the niece that Concubine Rou has always wanted Li Ming to marry to Li Chuan.

At the last palace banquet, Concubine Rou tried her best to make Xiao Wei stand out in the perfume selection competition so as to give Li Ming an excuse to arrange a marriage. However, her plan was disrupted by Li Rong. Now, nearly half a year has passed, and she is still staying in Huajing.

Thinking of this, Li Rong couldn't help but frown, turned to look at Pei Wenxuan and said, "What was the method you just mentioned that could help Chuan'er out of trouble?"

"A monk recently came to Huguo Temple. It is said that he knows everything about the past and present and can predict the future."

When Pei Wenxuan mentioned this, Li Rong understood. She hesitated for a moment. Seeing her silence, Pei Wenxuan could not help but ask, "Your Highness, are you worried about something?"

"This monk is a liar."

Li Rong directly exposed him, but Pei Wenxuan didn't care: "Is there any alchemist in this world who is not a liar? It is because he is a liar that he is easy to use. No matter what, he was indeed famous in Huajing in his previous life and had many followers."

"But he was eventually driven out of Huajing."

Li Rong frowned, Pei Wenxuan reminded her: "That was what you did. If you hadn't torn his skin off with your own hands in this life, he would have been a master. Let him predict that Your Highness would not be able to get married within five years, and then incite this matter among the people and let it spread. Now that the Shangguan family is almost controlled by Your Highness, they can't have a Crown Princess, so they won't let anyone else. The infighting among the various factions in the court, this prophecy can become an excuse for them to use, so that within five years," Pei Wenxuan raised one hand, "Your Highness the Crown Prince will have no worries about marriage."

"This is still risky." Li Rong tapped her palm with her fan and said slowly, "I'll think about it."

As the two were talking, they walked into the main hall. Many ministers had already arrived in the hall and were greeting each other. After Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan entered the hall and had just sat down, Li Ming came in with his people.

Li Ming led the concubines from the harem behind him. Shangguan Yue sat side by side with Li Ming, and Concubine Rou led the others behind him. When Li Ming came in, everyone knelt down. After Li Ming asked everyone to stand up, he said a few auspicious words according to his usual habit, and then announced the start of the meal.

The New Year's palace banquet is a must-have event every year. Those sitting in the front of the hall are all dignitaries. Everyone is acquainted and not shy. After a while, the scene becomes lively. Led by the old ministers, familiar officials begin to visit each other, which can be regarded as a social occasion.

Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong sat on one side. Both of them were not welcome in the court, especially Li Rong, so no one came to talk to her. Pei Wenxuan accompanied her and chatted with her while eating melon seeds.

The two of them observed the other people at the palace banquet. The old men were divided by official positions, talking and chatting in their own circles, while the young people were mostly divided by family backgrounds, each in their own circles.

A humble family like the Pei family now has real power in the court, but their names are not recorded in the family tree. They are considered the new nobles in the court, so they don't have anything to do with either side. Some of the Pei family members with high official positions can only talk to the upper-class circles reluctantly, while some of the Pei family members with low official positions stay in the circle of humble families, and seem to be at ease.

The men were in the main hall, and the women were mostly in the back hall. Apart from the empress and the imperial concubine, Li Rong was the only woman in the entire hall, which seemed very awkward.

The two stayed together for a while, and then they saw someone jogging over from the back hall and echoed something in Li Ming's ear.

Li Ming listened for a moment, then laughed and scolded: "Little girl just likes to show off."

Even so, Li Ming still ordered Fu Lai, "Let the dancer go down, and bring Hua Le over."

Li Rong was not far from Li Ming. When she heard Li Ming's instructions, she couldn't help but look sideways.

After a moment, she saw Hua Le holding a jade flute, walking up from the back hall, bowing to Li Ming, and saying respectfully, "Father."

Compared to Li Rong, Hua Le is much more docile. She is gentle and coquettish, which is what Li Ming thinks a daughter should be like.

As soon as she arrived, the hall gradually quieted down. Then Li Ming smiled and said, "I heard that you prepared a piece of music and you want to perform with Prince Su to celebrate the New Year for me?"

"Yes," Hua Le smiled, holding the flute, "It was Brother Cheng who came up with the idea. He said that at the beginning of the new year, he wanted to bring good luck to the emperor. He wanted to perform a sword dance for the emperor. On the one hand, it was to celebrate the success of the northwest war last year, and on the other hand, it was to show the world the masculinity that my Great Xia should have."

"He's only eleven years old," Li Ming said disparagingly, but his face looked very happy, "Is he going to be a man now?"

"Father," Prince Li Cheng, who was sitting next to Concubine Rou, said proudly, "My swordsmanship improved greatly last year. My master said that although I am young, I am not inferior to any adult man."

"Oh?" Li Ming asked curiously, "Can you beat your brother the prince?"

If it were an ordinary family, Li Ming's question would not be a big deal, but in the royal family, when Li Ming asked this question, everyone's face looked unhappy. Li Rong had a smile on her face and her eyes fell on Li Cheng, waiting to see how Li Cheng would answer. Li Chuan looked calm, as if he had not heard anything, and maintained a calm attitude.

"Of course you can," Li Cheng immediately replied seriously, "My prince is good at studying, but I am different from him."

"Did you hear that?" Li Ming laughed and turned to look at Li Chuan, "As an older brother, if you don't work harder, your younger brother will look down on you."

Li Chuan smiled slightly when he heard this, bowed respectfully and said, "Father is right. Cheng'er will definitely be a brave general in the future, guarding the border of Daxia and promoting the prestige of our country."

Although Li Chuan acted childish in front of Li Rong, he was a prince since he was a child, so he was not unfamiliar with such occasions. He knew very well how to resolve the embarrassment caused by Li Ming.

But he still had some youthfulness in his heart. When he replied, he couldn't help but stab Li Ming. He almost told Li Ming directly that it was too stupid to become the emperor, so he shouldn't waste his time.

Li Ming heard the sharpness in Li Chuan's words, and his face immediately sank. Seeing this, Concubine Rou hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, don't just talk. The child has been preparing this gift for so long, you should take a look at it."

"Yes, yes, yes." Li Ming got the stage, turned around, and ignored Li Chuan, saying with a smile, "My dear ministers, Princess Huale and Prince Su have specially prepared a grand dance to celebrate the New Year and have fun with you. Let's go," Li Ming looked at Huale, "little lark."

Hua Le saluted towards Li Ming, then walked to the side of Prince Su and went on stage with him.

Li Cheng went on stage, unbuttoned his coat, revealing his martial arts outfit. This martial arts outfit was what Northwestern soldiers wore when practicing martial arts, implying that he was a Northwestern soldier at the moment.

Then he went to get the sword and made a sword flower on the stage. Li Ming immediately clapped his hands and shouted, "Good!"

Li Rong smiled and tapped her fan, watching with great interest. Everyone was attracted by the stage. It must be said that Li Cheng's sword flower was extremely good. It was obvious that he had a natural talent in this area. No wonder Li Ming was happy.

Pei Wenxuan went over to fill Li Rong's glass with wine and whispered, "Your Highness, are you unhappy?"

"What's wrong with you?" Li Rong turned around and chuckled, saying in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "You would have to pay to see this on the street, but now you don't have to. Why don't you just look at it a few more times?"

Pei Wenxuan knew that Li Rong would not let anyone off the hook, so he smiled and said nothing. After Li Cheng finished making the sword flower, he received a lot of applause. He puffed out his chest, looking very proud.

Hua Le stood on the side of the stage and said to Li Ming: "Father, the song I am playing today is 'Pingchuan Ruzhen Qu'. This song has been lost for a hundred years. I have only found half a volume of it after searching ancient books. Some time ago, I happened to hear Minister Su playing this song for my brother Cheng, so I wrote down the second half. Today I am presenting this song to you, and I hope you like it."

Li Rong felt tired of this kind of humility that secretly showed off her amazing talent.

She turned her head and whispered to Pei Wenxuan, "Why haven't they started yet?"

"Be patient. I guess there is something important that I haven't said yet." Pei Wenxuan patted her hand. As soon as he finished speaking, Hua Le said, "But I only have the flute. Without the accompaniment of the piano, it would be too thin. If Minister Su doesn't mind," Hua Le turned to look at Su Rongqing who was sitting at the table with a calm expression, "Would you be willing to accompany me and dedicate this song to my father?"

Hearing this, everyone looked at Su Rongqing, and Pei Wenxuan subconsciously looked at Li Rong.

Li Rong noticed Pei Wenxuan looking at him and returned his gaze in surprise. While everyone was staring at Su Rongqing, the two of them stared at each other quietly.

Su Rongqing didn't say anything, Hua Le forced a smile and said, "Minister Su?"

Hua Le's call finally woke Li Rong up. She finally understood Hua Le's purpose tonight. His real intention was not to drink, but to Su Rong Qing!

With Hua Le's status, even if she was a princess, it would be difficult for her to marry into a high-ranking family. Concubine Rou and Hua Le knew that Hua Le would not be able to marry into a high-ranking family under normal circumstances, so they chose an abnormal way.

Now, the best unmarried partner who is not rejected by Li Ming and comes from a noble family is Su Rongqing, who is clear about her intention to inherit the Su family.

Li Rong was a little surprised at Hua Le's appetite. He didn't follow the usual path and went straight to Yunxiao.

But she couldn't possibly leave Hua Le to marry into such a high-ranking family, so without waiting for Su Rongqing to answer, Li Rong immediately stood up and said directly: "Sister, why bother Minister Su."

As soon as Li Rong opened her mouth, everyone looked over. Pei Wenxuan stared at her with a somewhat cold expression.

Li Rong did not dare to look at Pei Wenxuan. She walked directly from behind the small table to the stage, not giving Hua Le any chance to refute or change the performer. She smiled and said, "In fact, Pingchuan Ruzhenqu is not completely lost. It's just that many masters are unwilling to teach ordinary disciples. Coincidentally, I once studied with a master. Sister, do you need accompaniment? I will help you."

As she spoke, Li Rong sat gracefully on the ground in front of the guqin. Her red dress was eye-catching in itself, and Li Rong was also extremely beautiful with an extraordinary demeanor. She did not hold back her aura, and when Hua Le stood next to her, it was as if she was a maid standing behind her, making it almost impossible for anyone to notice her.

Hua Le realized that everyone's eyes were not on her, so she subconsciously took small steps to move closer to Li Rong. She knew where her shortcomings were and didn't want to stand out too obviously in contrast.

Li Rong saw Hua Le secretly moving to the side, she raised her eyes and said with a smile: "Sister, move a little further to the side."

"Um?"

Hua Le was a little confused. Li Rong raised her hand and pointed to the edge of the stage, saying elegantly, "Take a few more steps and get off the stage directly. It's okay to leave Sister to perform alone."

After Li Rong said this, there was a faint laugh around them. Hua Le felt a little embarrassed and forced a smile, "Sister, you are joking. Let's start."

Hua Le said this, turned his head and put the jade flute to his lips.

Li Rong lowered her eyes, raised her hand and plucked the strings, and the tense opening melody came out.

Li Cheng held the sword, took a starting stance, then shouted loudly and began to perform to the rhythm of the music.

Concubine Rou had her own unique way of getting to this position. Although she came from a poor family, Concubine Rou had good taste. For example, the Pingchuan Rujinqu was chosen to suit Li Ming's taste and it really showed a person's ability to control the instrument to the extreme.

The song starts off very tense, and then gradually becomes more intense, with the melody rising all the way without a break, as if someone is slashing at the enemy with a sharp blade, fighting to their heart's content.

A person's music often represents all of that person's moods. The music chosen by Concubine Rou was correct, and Hua Le's skills were barely up to par. Without comparison, Hua Le was pretty good. But now that Li Rong was here, everything was different.

Li Rong learned this piece of music on the battlefield.

In the previous life, Li Chuan led many northern expeditions and Li Rong had been to the frontline in person. This piece of music was given to her by Su Rongqing at the frontline. She had played this piece of music on the city wall to boost the morale of the soldiers. Compared with her level, the sound of the Chinese music and flute suddenly seemed thin, weak and boring.

Hua Le also noticed the problem, and she couldn't help but panic. This panic made her breath disordered, and it became increasingly difficult for her to follow Li Rong's piano playing.

Li Rong's piano sound became more and more passionate, as if the fight had reached a critical moment, and at this time Hua Le's low voice could no longer keep up, and could only follow with great effort, making the piano sound a little lonely. It was clearly the best time, but there was always something missing.

It was at this moment that Su Rongqing stood up silently from the crowd and walked straight towards the team of musicians closest to him.

Pei Wenxuan, who was sitting in the row opposite him, also stood up and walked towards the musicians on his side.

Su Rongqing took off his coat as he walked, then came to the big drum, put his coat on the drum stand, and whispered, "Borrow it."

As he said that, he took the drumstick from the drummer and smashed it down!

The drum sounds and Li Rong's piano sounds mixed together, dense drum sounds, passionate piano sounds, for a moment, Li Rong seemed to be back in the days when she was playing the piano on the city wall, accompanied by Su Rongqing playing the drums. Li Rong looked up in surprise, and at this moment, the rapid and cold sound of the erhu suddenly interrupted.

The sound of the erhu was much slower than the piano and drums, and seemed out of tune with them, but it was precisely because of this incompatibility that it was more clearly distinguished from the original tone.

Li Rong raised her eyes and saw Pei Wenxuan sitting in the musician team opposite her. He was pressing one hand on the erhu strings and pulling the bow with the other hand fluently and powerfully, looking at her provocatively.

Li Rong saw the musician beside him holding his suona tightly and heaving a sigh of relief. She knew clearly in her heart that

If we hadn't been able to get the suona, perhaps what's playing now wouldn't be the erhu.