The strings of the zither broke, and Ge Yuanhui retracted his bleeding fingertips.
There was deathly silence all around.
This was the most embarrassment she had ever experienced in her smooth life.
At this moment, everyone was watching and no one dared to speak.
Prince Cheng looked at her with contempt. He thought that although Ge Yuanhui was a member of Prince Gong's party, she was at least well-known and had talent and beauty known to everyone. He had seen her several times since he was a child and had heard of her intelligence and beauty.
I just didn't expect that I would make a mistake in such an occasion. It seems that this good reputation is just a rumor.
Gu Shichong's face darkened. He really didn't want Ge Yuanhui to be his princess, but she was his cousin after all and a member of his camp. Regardless of their closeness or interests, he was very dissatisfied with Ge Yuanhui's abnormal behavior today.
What happened to Ge Yuanhui? Why was he in such a bad state today?
However, despite thinking so, he still felt that he had only broken the strings of the harp that attracted the phoenix. As long as his mother pleaded for mercy, it would not be a big deal. At most, his father would just give him a few words of advice.
Not only him, but also Concubine Ge and other members of the Ge family had not noticed the terrifying wrath that the emperor had unleashed against Ge Yuanhui.
Ge Yuanhui froze, his hands trembling slightly.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Ge sighed secretly, thinking that the daughter that the Ge family had spent all their efforts to raise was so useless. She was actually shocked by this situation.
She quickly stood up and bowed to the emperor, "Your Majesty, perhaps it's because I haven't played the zither for a long time, and the strings are a bit old, so they broke suddenly."
After that, he reminded Ge Yuanhui: "Yuanhui, confess your crime now!"
After a moment of daze, Ge Yuanhui stood up and saluted with somewhat flustered steps. Her forehead was covered with sweat, like dewdrops hanging on the foil of a hibiscus flower.
"Your Majesty, I have been disrespectful. Please forgive me!"
Concubine Ge had no idea what Ge Yuanhui was panicking about. Her usual manners had gone nowhere. Her every move and demeanor, which used to be noble and dignified, now seemed a little petty.
But Ge Yuanhui was so frightened that his heart ached.
It was she who tried to grab an insignificant credit, and ended up getting herself involved in Concubine Song's attempt to create auspicious signs and deceive the emperor.
But the emperor didn't ask for punishment or conduct an interrogation, leaving her no chance to defend herself.
Then again, she couldn't argue. Once she admitted that she had falsely claimed credit, it would be no different from deceiving the emperor.
Now she felt guilty and the sound of her piano became disordered. The emperor originally believed that the palace flowers were repaired by her, and now he was afraid that he would be more certain of his suspicion.
Would Your Majesty in his heart accuse her of both the crime of colluding with Concubine Song and disrupting the Qionglin Banquet?
She didn’t know…
The emperor looked at Ge Yuanhui and remained silent.
After hearing what Noble Consort Ge said, Consort An sarcastically said, "I never thought that the Noble Consort would cherish the Yin Feng Ti zither personally gifted by His Majesty. She didn't even notice the aging of the strings. Could it be that she has been keeping it at the bottom of the box, letting it gather dust and rust?"
"An Zhaoyi, it's not your turn to interrupt!"
Ge Jingyang, who was at the table, vaguely felt that something was wrong. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Hui caught a cold before leaving home today and is not feeling well. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
But suddenly the emperor called out, "Ge Yuanhui."
Ge Yuanhui's body froze: "Your servant is here!"
The emperor just frowned and pointed: "The foil on your forehead..."
Ge Yuanhui subconsciously touched his forehead. Fortunately, the floral foil was still there, and the scar underneath was not exposed.
"Your Majesty, I simply wanted to add a touch of uniqueness to my ordinary makeup, so I applied the floral foil on my forehead."
Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly said in a deep voice: "Dressing like this, your aura is frivolous and totally unbecoming of a lady of noble family or a member of the royal family!"
Ge Yuanhui's breath was choked, and Concubine Ge was also confused: Why is this dog emperor going crazy today!
Before anyone could comprehend what had happened, the Emperor erupted in rage: "You were born in the Duke Dingguo's mansion, frequently visiting the harem. The Imperial Concubine and the Empress Dowager constantly mentored you, and I love you dearly. You should be dignified and self-possessed, setting a good example for the ladies of the imperial court. Yet, you've imitated those low-class women of the common people, dressing in such a frivolous manner, and even tempting other women from the imperial court to follow your example."
Although they didn't understand why the emperor suddenly made a fuss and was upset with Ge Yuanhui's dress, the ladies who had been serving him just now didn't care about ruining their carefully prepared makeup, and all lowered their heads quietly and wiped the floral foil off their foreheads.
Ge Yuanhui was stunned. She had never heard a harsh word in her life since she was a child. Wherever she went, she heard compliments and flattery. How could she have heard such harsh accusations?
Her eyes turned red with humiliation and her lips trembled unconsciously.
The good reputation she had accumulated over the years made everyone in Huajing believe that she was noble and extraordinary, flawless, and no other woman in the world could compare to her.
Now... he has been labeled as a frivolous person by the emperor.
Looking at this scene, Xue Zhiyi was also a little dazed.
To be fair, although Ge Yuanhui's dress is ostentatious, it is not excessive. Moreover, her dress is ostentatious only because she is very beautiful, which makes the floral foil look a little gorgeous.
The customs of Dayong were not so pedantic that they could not tolerate even a flashy woman.
The emperor did make a big deal out of nothing, but perhaps he was just trying to scare the enemy.
In her previous life, she knew that the emperor was very wary of Duke Dingguo. After all, he controlled an army of 100,000 in the northwest, and was the main force against the Northern Di after the Yueling Pass tragedy. He had a concubine in his harem and two princes under his command.
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