Wei Yinshuang understood better than anyone the meaning behind exchanging jade pendants.
The Prince Qin has taken a liking to her and wants to choose her as his consort.
How can this be? Everything she arranged hasn't even started yet.
Wei Yingshuang's face turned pale, and she looked to Empress Dowager Wei for help.
Empress Dowager Wei was also caught off guard by the Prince Qin's move. She did not expect that the performance was only halfway through, and many young ladies had not yet performed, yet the Prince Qin had already chosen Wei Yinshuang.
Of course, she couldn't possibly send her niece to Beili for a political marriage.
Empress Dowager Wei smiled and said, "Prince Qin, this gift is too precious. How could Shuang'er dare to accept it? How about we wait until all the young ladies have finished their talent performances and then give this jade pendant as a prize to the best performer?"
Prince Qin laughed heartily, “Your Majesty is overthinking it. I have plenty of these jade pendants. Look, there’s a whole tray of them.”
Standing behind the King Qin, a maid from the Northern Li Kingdom unveiled a tray covered with a red cloth, revealing a whole tray of identical jade pendants.
"This is merely a small gift I presented to Princess Fengxi because I admired her dancing. Since the princess dares not accept it, then so be it."
After saying this, Qin Wang reached out and took the jade pendant from the tray, casually tossing it to the palace maid of the Great Chu standing behind him, "Here, this is for you."
The palace maid dared not accept it and was so frightened that she immediately knelt down.
The Prince Qin chuckled, “In our Northern Li, everyone acts and speaks with great dignity. We’ve never been so petty. Here, take this.” The Prince Qin handed the jade pendant to a Northern Li maid.
The maid accepted the jade pendant, knelt down and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your gift, Your Highness."
Empress Dowager Wei was so angry at the sight that she felt a lump in her throat but couldn't vent her anger.
This Prince Qin was clearly just playing a trick on people, but he didn't specify who the jade pendant was for, or who the Princess Qin would be. It was just his own imagination, and Empress Dowager Wei couldn't do anything about it.
"Your Majesty, please continue. If I am pleased, I will reward you with more jade pendants." Prince Qin appeared quite indifferent.
However, the jade pendant given by the Prince Qin had already been given to a maid, which made Princess Fengxi lose face. The young ladies from noble families who performed later were even more hesitant, afraid of being given a jade pendant by the Prince Qin. If they didn't accept it, they would offend the Prince Qin. If they accepted it, they would lose face and might also displease Princess Fengxi.
When it was Su Muyao's turn to perform, she was a little nervous, just like the other young ladies from aristocratic families.
Su Ruojin noticed her nervousness and whispered to her, "Don't be afraid, your older sister is here."
With Su Ruojin's words, Su Muyao calmed herself down and stepped forward to play a piece called "Battle Soul".
Mu Yao has been playing the guqin well since she was a child. Her song "Battle Soul" perfectly captures the determination of soldiers on the battlefield who fight to the death to protect their country. Every string and every note she plays seems to recreate every battle on the battlefield, condensing the heroism and tragedy of the battlefield into every note.
When the music ended, the entire audience fell silent.
Clap clap clap!
The king took the lead in clapping, and the other officials at the banquet naturally followed suit.
"Very good, very good, Miss Su, you played well. Here, reward her." The Prince Qin waved his hand, and a maid carried a tray with a jade pendant to Su Muyao.
Su Muyao remembered what her sister had told her before, "Muyao, just play well and don't worry about others. If the Prince Qin really rewards you with the jade pendant, then take it. I think the jade pendant is of good quality. If you don't want it, bring it over and let Fifth Brother sell it. The money can be used to build the Cigu Hall or to hold free clinics. Don't miss out."
Everyone was watching Su Muyao intently, waiting to see what she would do.
Su Muyao stood up, bowed gracefully to the Prince Qin, and accepted the jade pendant, saying, "Thank you, Prince Qin."
"Hahaha, good, good, good! Great Chu finally has a girl who isn't coy, just like our Northern Li."
Upon hearing the King's words, many of the officials and daughters of prominent families present looked at Su Muyao with a different kind of expression.
Some daughters of prominent families breathed a sigh of relief. Did this mean that the Prince Qin had taken a liking to Miss Su, and that they were safe?
Wei Yingshuang looked at her with sarcasm, thinking, "What a shameful adopted daughter, so shallow, she dares to want such a jade pendant."
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