Everyone looked at Li Shun with surprise, doubt, curiosity, or dissatisfaction.
The Emperor's smile faded slightly as he stared at Li Shun and spoke slowly, "I wonder what Lord Li is laughing about? Do you think the dance just now wasn't very good?"
"No, Your Majesty. The dance just now was indeed very good, but I have seen even more amazing dances. I brought them here specifically to perform for Your Majesty." Li Shun stood up, smiled, stroked his mustache, and then bowed slightly to the Emperor.
"Oh? Is that so? Since you're so kind, then let them in." After saying this, the emperor glanced at Laifu beside him, and Laifu gave a wink to the eunuch standing guard to the side.
The eunuch ran out with a hunched back, and soon a group of dancers walked in through the palace gate. The dancers were dressed rather scantily, revealing their slender waists and navels. They wore short red gauze tops and wide red gauze trousers with the bottoms tied tightly. They were barefoot, showing only their fair and delicate feet.
Some of them resembled the Persian dancers Qu Qingxi had seen before. Those dancers wore veils, revealing their bright and charming eyes. They walked from the palace entrance into the palace with light steps and graceful figures, completely different from the dances performed by the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) earlier.
As the music began, the dancers swung their serpentine arms, their eyes instantly becoming alluring and captivating, drawing the attention of many in the audience.
Most of the women in the Ling Dynasty were reserved and gentle. This was the first time everyone had seen dancers dressed so provocatively, performing such alluring dances.
The women present were somewhat disdainful, cursing inwardly, but most of the men stared intently at the dancers, wishing their eyes were glued to them.
Qu Qingxi had to admit that they danced beautifully. Every move they made was like a little fox in the mountains, charming and captivating. Not to mention the others, Qu Qingxi herself wanted to glue her eyes to those graceful figures.
Beautiful and sexy, Qu Qingxi loves her so much.
Just as Qu Qingxi was engrossed in watching, her hand, which was resting on her lap, was suddenly touched.
Qu Qingxi turned her head in surprise, only to see He Liufeng looking at her with an unhappy expression.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Qu Qingxi asked, somewhat bewildered. She moved slightly closer to He Liufeng and spoke in a low voice.
"It's alright, have some tea." He Liufeng pushed the teacup in front of Qu Qingxi. Seeing Qu Qingxi looking at him with a puzzled expression, he added, "I noticed you haven't eaten or drunk anything, so I'm just reminding you. Don't worry, I had someone bring this tea over; there's nothing wrong with it."
How could his princess still be interested in those women? He's such a grown man sitting next to her, and she's staring straight at other women.
Although the dance was beautiful, the Emperor's expression was not good. The people from the Imperial Music Bureau had just finished their dance, and Li Shun took the opportunity to criticize the dance they had brought, which was clearly a slap in the face to the Ling Dynasty.
The dance ended quickly, and the ministers, coming to their senses, gradually realized the problem.
Li Shun clearly did this on purpose. Now how are they going to turn the tables?
Many of the ministers' families have come today. The emperor glanced at the crowd below the stage and decided to have one of the ministers' daughters perform a piece, whatever it was, as long as it could outshine the dance they had just performed.
The Emperor glanced at the Empress. He was not very familiar with the talents of these ministers' daughters, but the Empress should know something about them.
The Empress understood the Emperor's gaze, nodded slightly, glanced at the elegantly dressed noble ladies below the stage, and was about to speak when a clear voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Mingxiu wishes to perform a dance to showcase the profound heritage of our Ling Dynasty." Ren Nuanyun stood up and bowed to the Emperor and Empress.
The Emperor and Empress exchanged a glance. The Empress was somewhat displeased, but thinking of the Crown Prince, she felt it was better to embarrass Ren Nuanyun today, so that she wouldn't have to do it herself.
If Ren Nuanyun makes a fool of herself today, the Crown Prince's fondness for her will likely diminish considerably. With this in mind, the Empress nodded in agreement, "Since Mingxiu is willing, then go and make the preparations."
Ren Nuanyun nodded in agreement, then followed the palace maid to leave and change her clothes.
The Crown Prince looked at Ren Nuanyun with some concern. She was pregnant, how could she perform a dance? The movements in dance are not small and could easily hurt the fetus in her womb. Although the Crown Prince wanted to dissuade her, Ren Nuanyun had already spoken, and the Empress had agreed to it, so the Crown Prince could only swallow his dissatisfaction.
Ren Nuanyun returned quickly, but as soon as she appeared, everyone was instantly amazed by her appearance.
Wearing a brightly colored dress adorned with a hundred birds, her hair styled in an elegant updo, and embellished with golden hair ornaments, her lips were like cinnabar, and her eyes were full of spirit. From afar, she looked like a fairy descended from heaven.
The music soon began, like pearls of all sizes falling onto a jade plate, a cacophony of sounds.
Ren Nuanyun danced to the beat of the drums, her sleeves fluttering and folding, displaying a grand and beautiful presence.
With her graceful dance moves, Qu Qingxi realized that Ren Nuanyun was performing "The Dance of Rainbow Feathers".
Watching Ren Nuanyun's dance, Qu Qingxi thought of a line from "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River".
Graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a swimming dragon. Radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, luxuriant as spring pines.
Qu Qingxi had interacted with Ren Nuanyun before, and Ren Nuanyun simply didn't have such a supple waist and agile limbs. So the only explanation was that the system was helping her.
Moreover, the brightly colored bird-patterned dress that Ren Nuanyun was wearing should also have been provided by the system. The dress changed colors constantly with Ren Nuanyun's movements, which was quite beautiful.
Everyone present was stunned by what they saw; they never expected that Princess Mingxiu could dance such a beautiful dance.
Even the Emperor and Empress were stunned.
The fifth prince of the Zhou Dynasty and the generals also sat up straight, staring at the dancers on the stage.
The hall was bathed in a soft yellow light, and Ren Nuanyun seemed to be enveloped in a faint halo of light, making her look absolutely beautiful and exquisitely unique.
As the song ended, Ren Nuanyun stopped and looked up at the Crown Prince's position, slightly out of breath, with a thin layer of sweat on her jade-like neck.
The Crown Prince was already stunned by the scene before him. He stared blankly at Ren Nuanyun, who seemed to be glowing, speechless. He knew that Ren Nuanyun had many surprises waiting for him, but today's performance was just too amazing. She could actually dance such a beautiful dance.
Suddenly, the system's voice echoed in Ren Nuanyun's mind: [Host, the male lead He Qi'an's affection for you has increased to 98%. Please continue your efforts.]
Ren Nuanyun smiled. Very good, we're one step closer to 100%.
At the same time, Qu Qingxi also heard the voice. She glanced at Ren Nuanyun, then at the Crown Prince. The infatuation in the Crown Prince's eyes was too obvious, no wonder her favorability towards him was rising rapidly.
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