As soon as Gan Qiongying finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The music that had just started stopped abruptly, and the musicians all lowered their heads to check the strings. Princess Duanrong's shout had been so sudden that several of them had almost broken the strings.
Li Hua, sitting in the men's section, was shocked. His fingers curled up and his heart was pounding. He was afraid that Gan Qiongying would cause some trouble, but seeing that the Grand Princess of Huian looked normal, he felt a little relieved.
Zhongli Zhengzhen also looked at Gan Qiongying. He didn't know what Princess Duanrong was up to this time, but he assumed that Gan Qiongying was just like usual, looking for an opportunity to pick a fight with Wen Xueling. He poured himself a glass of wine and watched from the sidelines.
All eyes on the field were first focused on Gan Qiongying, and then on Wen Xueling.
Wen Xueling stood frozen in place, her face and neck flushed and burning red.
After calming down, Wen Xueling moved her stiff legs and took a difficult step out of the encirclement of her dance partners. Once in the open space, she immediately knelt down and bowed.
"Your Highness, Xue'e's leg is fine."
Wen Xueling's voice trembled, but she spoke quickly: "This dance is called Magu Offering Longevity. It was specially rehearsed by Xue'e for the Grand Princess's birthday banquet. She only hopes that the Grand Princess will have a long life and good health."
She raised her head, waiting for permission, and bowed again to Princess Hui'an.
How could Gan Qiongying let her have her way so easily? Before the Grand Princess could speak, she quickly replied!
She smiled and said to Wen Xueling, "Princess Xue'e is really thoughtful."
She smiled gently, like a caring older sister: "But dancing with an injury might cause future problems. Your aunt is always kind and loving towards the younger generation. It's good that you've thought of this. You should rest."
Stay put!
Gan Qiongying sat beside the Grand Princess Huian, leaning towards her with an expression full of admiration for her elder. She said in a coquettish tone, "Aunt, Princess Xue'e has fallen and injured herself. Duanrong wants to ask for a favor for her so that she can dance again after her leg injury has healed."
Princess Hui'an didn't really want to watch any dancing.
She thought Duanrong was about to make a foolish move by speaking out suddenly. She knew that Duanrong had targeted Princess Xue'e many times, but she never expected that Duanrong would be pleading for her today.
Parents always view their children through a filter as thick as bulletproof glass.
Princess Hui'an, thinking of Duanrong's determination to apologize during the day and considering Xue'e's injuries at this moment, spoke up to dissuade her, taking it as a sign that she had finally become sensible.
A smile appeared on her face, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief. She nodded in agreement with Gan Qiongying and said, "I appreciate Princess Xue'e's kindness. Since you have an injury on your leg, it is the most important thing to heal it first."
Wen Xueling was really unwilling to give up; she had prepared for this dance for a long time.
I've been learning this dance for many years!
Gan Qiongying could actually understand her quite well, because this part of the plot was arguably the most epic part of the book.
Wen Xueling's dance today will captivate the world and even make five of her lovers fall for her at the same time.
Therefore, Gan Qiongying would never allow her to jump.
Even if she can't dance, let's see how she still captivates the world with her dance!
She'd better leave on her own. If she doesn't, Gan Qiongying will take off her outer robe and go up to her and give her a "My Heart Only Has You, Not Him" cha-cha-cha!
Let these people see what an epic troublemaker really is.
Anyway, her persona is that she's crazy, so just treat it as entertaining her parents.
Filled with resentment, Wen Xueling stood there in her dance costume, refusing to back down.
He subtly put his hand behind his back and beckoned to the crowd with his finger.
A maidservant suddenly pushed aside the servants maintaining order and swiftly passed through the musicians, then knelt down beside Wen Xueling with a thud.
"This servant, Liuli, greets Grand Princess Huian and wishes her a long and healthy life!"
Everyone was startled. Gan Qiongying saw Liuli clearly, and her eyelids twitched.
The plot has already fallen apart like this, how did they manage to force their way out?
A maid suddenly barged into the birthday banquet. Wu Mei stepped forward and was about to have someone pull her away when the maid, who called herself Liu Li, raised her head. Her face was swollen and bruised, and her cheeks looked so swollen that only a thin layer of skin remained, as if it could be punctured at any moment.
Gan Qiongying felt sorry for her. What did this full moon eat to grow up like this? How could she have such a strong hand?
"This servant deserves to die, but as a servant, I should naturally serve my master with my life." Liuli's face was so swollen that she was unrecognizable, but she was still quite eloquent and did not delay her accusation at all.
"This servant simply cannot bear to see her mistress being bullied so badly by Princess Duanrong! Yet, because of Princess Duanrong's domineering and arrogant nature, she has been unable to plead for help several times!"
"This servant has heard that the Grand Princess Hui'an is of high moral character and wise mind. I beg the Grand Princess to consider that my princess is far away from home in the capital, alone and without any relatives to protect her, and to do her a favor!"
This maid is quite eloquent.
Gan Qiongying sat in her seat, propping herself up on her arms and looking at her. It has to be said that there was a reason why Duanrong fell for Liuli in the original plot.
No wonder Wen Xueling had to humble herself and plead to save this little girl's life.
Gan Qiongying remained calm and listened to her rambling nonsense.
Princess Hui'an's expression darkened. How dare a mere maid disrupt her birthday banquet? Where was the dignity of the royal family?
Although Princess Hui'an was kind and compassionate, she was, after all, a matriarch of a feudal society whose power had been corrupted by the imperial authority. How could she allow a mere maid to offend her?
And she had just forgiven Duanrong. Now Duanrong had really made a mess of things. How could she, an old woman who had been in power for many years, not be able to fix it?
But with her there, watched by so many people, it was impossible for them to ignore the maid's story and kill her.
Princess Hui'an then gave a cold look at Wen Xueling, who was standing next to her maid pretending to be pitiful, and asked, "Since you are here to plead for your master, I will appreciate your loyalty and allow you to tell me your story in detail."
"Thank you, Grand Princess!"
Liuli said, "This morning, the princess's carriage, carrying birthday gifts, encountered Princess Duanrong's carriage on the official road. The carriages were driving just fine, but then..."
Liuli recounted what happened that morning, embellishing the story. It must be said, she really does have some skills.
Every word and sentence, though not explicitly mentioning Duanrong's intention to harm him, is itself a testament to her deliberate intent.
After recounting the events, Liuli kowtowed again and said to Grand Princess Huian, "Princess Duanrong wanted to beat me to death. Without allowing me to explain, she ordered her maid to slap me until I was dizzy and said she would beat me to death or strangle me."
"Thanks to the princess's kind heart, she couldn't bear to see me die without knowing why, so she begged Princess Duanrong for mercy, which is how I managed to survive."
At this point in Liuli's speech, the room erupted in discussion.
Although the voice was very soft, it was enough for Gan Qiongying to hear clearly that it was all about her.
Moreover, based on her past domineering behavior and ruthless methods, these people all assumed it was true and believed the little maid Liuli's words.
Liuli even knew how to leave blank spaces. After pausing for a moment and waiting for everyone to start discussing, she kowtowed to Princess Huian again to apologize, expressing her deep sorrow for her mistress's pitiful state, and saying all the nice things she could think of.
The injuries on her face are irrefutable proof.
Gan Qiongying could imagine that if it were really Duan Rong, she might have already lost her temper before even finishing the conversation.
It would be too lenient to have the maidservant killed on the spot; in a moment of impulse, she might even take matters into her own hands.
This further confirmed his tyrannical and arrogance, and then he completely ruined the Grand Princess's birthday banquet, incurring the Grand Princess's disgust.
Looking at it this way, the plot actually makes perfect sense.
Unfortunately, the dignified woman sitting at the banquet now is no longer the same as she used to be.
She was Niohuru Duanrong.
Gan Qiongying showed no anger whatsoever after hearing this brilliant frame-up against her.
Princess Hui'an looked at Gan Qiongying, who scratched her head and said somewhat awkwardly, "Aunt, we did meet on the way here."
As soon as Gan Qiongying finished speaking, the discussions at the banquet immediately grew louder.
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