Although the whispers among the crowd were very faint, they were clearly audible to the martial arts practitioners and Xie Lingqin, down to the last word.
Xie Lingqin slightly raised her eyes and glanced around. Her gaze met Li Qingyu's. Li Qingyu was standing beside Minister Li and his wife, appearing dignified and proper. However, the jealousy in her eyes betrayed her.
Xie Lingqin smiled calmly and then looked away.
"Xie Lingqin."
Nan Fenghuang suddenly patted Xie Lingqin on the shoulder.
Xie Lingqin looked at her.
Nan Fenghuang was still wearing a red dress today, not as bright as fire, but with her extremely bright face, bright eyes and white teeth, she truly had the softness and straightforwardness unique to southerners.
"You dressed up like this for Yu Qingyi?"
As soon as Xie Lingqin spoke, Nan Fenghuang's smile vanished. "How boring. Can we not mention him?"
"But I see that you have such a lovely smile, you seem quite happy that I mentioned him."
"Is there?"
Nan Fenghuang patted her face and looked at Nangong Feng, who was still wearing a mask, and asked, "Second brother, do I have one?"
"Yes... I guess so."
Nangong Fengdao.
Nan Fenghuang immediately curled her lips, "Second Imperial Brother, you are truly boring."
Nangong Feng touched his sleeve, seemingly a little embarrassed.
"Miss Xie, the Second Prince, and Princess Nan."
Zhuidamu and Anshangning walked over, greeting them with smiles.
"What a coincidence." At this moment, Yuwen Xian also walked over from behind. He was obviously dressed up today, and he looked to be in good spirits.
However, no matter how good she was, she couldn't get Xie Lingqin's special attention.
"It's getting late, let's go to the palace together."
Xie Lingqin didn't even look at Yuwen Xian, and addressed the people around her.
"That's true. If you don't go to the palace soon, Li Qingyu's glares will practically kill you."
Beside him, Yu Qingyi appeared at some point and whispered something.
Xie Lingqin rolled her eyes at Quan and said seriously, "Yu Qingyi, please have some compassion for women."
Yu Qingyi...
Looking up, he met Nan Fenghuang's furtive and sinister gaze.
"I, I didn't..."
Yu Qingyi seemed about to explain, but then realized why she needed to explain, so she immediately stopped and turned her head away.
Xie Lingqin glanced at him, then at Nan Fenghuang, who was so angry she was practically grinding her teeth, and pressed her temples.
Forget it, I'll just mind my own business.
Today's wedding banquet is being held in the Ziwei Hall, a special venue for such occasions.
From the most honored to the least honored, from host to guest, every seat was arranged meticulously.
"I heard that this banquet was organized by Consort Xian; she must have worked very hard," Xie Lingqin said casually with a smile before taking her seat.
The emperor is on top, the host is on the right, and the guests are seated.
Xie Lingqin was separated from the Crown Prince by the residences of the Marquis of Zhongyong and the Prince of Qing, and directly opposite them were Nan Fenghuang and An Shangning.
As everyone took their seats, the eunuch announced that the Emperor had arrived, and everyone rose to pay their respects.
Then, light singing and dancing began, and the music of the piano started.
Only after the Emperor announced the start of the banquet did he loudly laugh and say, "Gentlemen, as you all know, the purpose of this banquet is to celebrate the daughter of the General's Mansion, Xie Lingqin, who is the daughter of a meritorious official of my Northern Rong. She is virtuous, dignified, and beautiful, with a wealth of poetic talent. Naturally, I cannot treat her marriage poorly. Today, all the young men sitting in the hall are handsome and dignified. If you are interested, you must use your best skills to win her heart."
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the noise and chatter in the hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and almost all eyes fell on Xie Lingqin in an instant.
There was exploration, there were surprises, but certainly no eagerness to try.
After all, did the Emperor truly intend to bestow a marriage upon her? Everyone present was an official of the third rank or above, and every one of them had given their sons a lecture on this matter.
Even though they were attracted to Xie Lingqin's beauty, they dared not make any rash moves. Instead, at the same time, they all looked at Xu Yiran and the Crown Prince sitting below the Emperor.
"Your subject is willing to play a tune on the zither in public."
In the grand hall where a hundred people had gathered, the man's voice was loud and clear, even more captivating than the music of the zither. The bright pearl seemed to gleam, as if it had been coated with a light luster.
The Emperor narrowed his sharp eyes slightly, but did not stop her. Instead, he glanced at Xu Yiran intentionally or unintentionally.
However, Xu Yiran sat there without making a sound.
At this moment, Tingfeng brought up the zither, and palace maids cleared away all the food and wine in front of Yuwen Yao.
It was a blackened Jiaowei Qin (a type of Chinese zither), and as soon as it was put down, it seemed to blend into Yuwen Yao's unique temperament, becoming one with him.
Everyone says that the Crown Prince is omnipotent, wise and resourceful, and exceptionally talented, but he is shallow in his understanding and has few notable achievements.
Everyone held their breath and watched as the man's slender fingers touched the strings.
The zither begins, its low notes gently rippling through the heart like clear water.
Phoenix Seeks Its Mate
He poured all his love for her into that song at this moment, gentle and melodious, each note a perfectly poignant expression of deep affection.
This was also the first time Xie Lingqin had seen Yuwen Yao play the zither.
Not to mention the exquisite beauty of his music, its lingering notes captivating the ear, his dignified bearing alone was enough to make her unable to look away.
Moreover, the faces of those young girls in the main hall were flushed with desire, their expressions revealing a hint of spring...
"Tingfeng, is there still a zither?" Xie Lingqin suddenly whispered to Tingfeng beside her.
Tingfeng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."
"Bring it here."
"……yes."
Listening to the wind, one could sense a hint of excitement.
"Xie Lingqin, the Crown Prince is giving you face by confessing his feelings to you. Just listen and don't spoil the mood of the whole hall."
Seeing this, General Xie whispered a rebuke and frowned unhappily at Xie Lingqin.
He admitted that Xie Lingqin was indeed not the good-for-nothing he had previously thought, after all, she had such a talented mother.
However, if she could still play the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he would rather believe that the sun would rise on the horizon.
Meeting General Xie's displeased and disdainful gaze, Xie Lingqin simply smiled and did not say anything more.
At this moment, Tingfeng brought up another zither, which was entirely dark green, and placed it in front of Xie Lingqin.
The Emperor, seated at the head of the table, also noticed the commotion, but his brows furrowed, and he remained silent.
Yuwen Yao's zither music still lingers, its melodious strains captivating the listener, inviting them to close their eyes and savor the emotions conveyed in the music.
"hit--"
Xie Lingqin plucked the strings of her zither, and a long, resonant note burst forth, instantly disrupting everyone's delicate appreciation. They were jolted awake, seemingly displeased with the one who had abruptly shattered the flowing, emotional atmosphere.
"I'm sorry everyone, it's been too long since I played the piano, and I'm a bit rusty."
Xie Lingqin smiled apologetically.
But the people in the hall looked at her with complicated expressions.
Just look at that posture while playing the zither...
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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