Chapter 103 Stunning
The number is not large, but it is not small either.
They were all people with close relations with the royal family, so the seats of the concubines were slightly separated from them and there was no need to avoid suspicion deliberately.
The concubines arrived at Hanguang Palace one after another, and everyone changed into a palace dress.
Xu Lanshan didn't come.
Her performance was the third one. She wore her hair in a double-ring flying fairy bun and changed into a long, flowing water-sleeved dance costume. It was inconvenient for her to appear here, so she went directly to the waiting stage.
Seeing this, the concubines became curious and started talking about it, thinking that she was really going to perform.
Lian Guipin still resented being interrupted by her at noon, and now she sneered and said bitterly, "She's just being stubborn! I want to see how she makes a fool of herself later!"
Concubine Lin smiled gently, "But honestly, Concubine Chen is truly very beautiful. Even an ordinary dance is extremely pleasing to the eyes. No wonder the Emperor likes her so much."
Concubine Lian snorted heavily and said disdainfully, "Didn't she boast that she would stun everyone? She's so shameless with just an ordinary dance!"
Concubine Deng laughed and sighed, "But who can blame the Emperor for liking it?"
Concubine Lian was annoyed: "The Emperor likes it, the Emperor likes it! It hasn't even started yet, and you know the Emperor will definitely like it? I don't think so!"
As soon as she spotted Concubine Bai, Concubine Lian called her over and looked her up and down: "Aren't you always on good terms with that bitch? What is her plan today?"
Noble Lady Bai could only smile and say, "Your Highness, I don't know either... Noble Lady Chen said it was a secret and didn't tell me, but she said she would definitely perform again."
Concubine Lian snorted disdainfully at her, "You're so useless!"
Lady Bai lowered her head and quietly left.
She was really afraid of Concubine Lian.
Fortunately, today is the Emperor's birthday, so even if Concubine Lian is arrogant and domineering, she dare not act arbitrarily.
Soon, Emperor Yuan Yong and the Empress arrived with the Empress Dowager, and all the royal family members and relatives followed.
The concubines, palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly knelt to welcome the emperor.
"Greetings to the Emperor! Greetings to the Empress Dowager! Greetings to the Empress!"
Emperor Yuan Yong helped the empress dowager to sit down, glanced at them and smiled faintly: "Everyone stand up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Hanguang Hall was extremely large, with the throne, the empress dowager's, and the queen's seats at the top, and seats for each person per seat below. There was a large open space in the middle, covered with a carpet with a red background and gold and silver threads embroidered with large blooming peonies and auspicious clouds, which looked luxurious and splendid.
The Empress Dowager and the Queen started the conversation, and everyone followed suit, wishing the Emperor a long life with auspicious words one after another. Emperor Yuan Yong was very pleased.
The palace maids poured wine and the concubines and royal relatives took turns to toast. After a long period of lively laughter, the palace banquet began with singing and dancing performances.
In addition to the singing and dancing programs rehearsed by the Shengping Office, Xu Lanshan was not the only concubine in the harem who performed in front of the emperor today. The first program was Concubine Yu playing the piano.
Before entering the palace, Concubine Yu was already a famous talented woman, especially good at playing the zither. She was also beautiful, and her slender hands plucked the strings of the zither, and the lingering music was melodious and pleasant. All the concubines felt jealous, thinking that it was no wonder that Concubine Yu had been favored for many years and still was, she must have some skills.
Almost all of them had learned to play the qin, but none of them had better skills than Concubine Yu.
With the example of Concubine Yu, no one dared to try his hand at this and only add to the joke.
After the piece was finished, Emperor Yuan Yong praised her profusely: "My beloved concubine, your zither skills have become even better than before. My beloved concubine is thoughtful and I am very pleased. I will reward Concubine Yu with a pair of Luanque (Luanque) beak-beaded golden hairpins."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Concubine Yu was overjoyed and kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace. She raised her eyes and smiled sweetly at Emperor Yuan Yong.
The second program was a birthday dance arranged by the Shengping Office. It was quite standard, but lively and festive, and everyone watched it with great interest.
Whenever there was a need to perform, Concubine Lian would become extremely unhappy.
She has been mediocre in these areas since she was a child, and has only dabbled in them a little. Even if she performs, she is not outstanding. If she doesn't perform, she can only sulk by herself.
Concubine Lian drank several glasses of wine in a row, waiting to see when Xu Lanshan would make a fool of herself...
The second program finally ended, and the concubines were all excited and waited intently.
Although Emperor Yuan Yong still looked indifferent and lazy on the throne, he couldn't help but feel full of anticipation: Lan'er said she would give him a surprise, well, I wonder what kind of surprise it would be?
The Empress quickly glanced at the Emperor and saw his unconsciously clenched hands. She felt a sense of understanding, yet also a slight pang of sadness. On the one hand, she hoped that Concubine Chen would be favored, but on the other hand, she felt a little depressed because Concubine Chen had received something she would never be able to obtain in her lifetime.
The Queen Mother smiled faintly and glanced at everyone, feeling somewhat curious. It was said that Concubine Chen was the most versatile and the best at pleasing the Emperor, so today she wanted to see what she would do.
The royal relatives and clan members attending the banquet naturally did not know about the lawsuit, but almost everyone noticed the difference in the atmosphere and noticed that the expressions of the ladies were different from before.
Everyone's curiosity was piqued: What on earth... happened? Could the next show be different?
The music began to play, its lingering and lively tune lifting everyone's spirits. "What is this song? How come I've never heard it before? It's so beautiful!"
This music alone makes people look forward to the upcoming performance.
When Xu Lanshan, with her hair combed into a high bun with double rings and a light cherry blossom-colored dance costume, waved her long sleeves and floated in the air like a fairy using the red silk, everyone was stunned and gasped.
Xu Lanshan, clutching a red silk ribbon in one hand, effortlessly stepped onto the air, twirling gracefully in the air. The wind blew her dress and hair, making her look like a fairy ascending to heaven. Her graceful and elegant figure, dancing to the music like a fairy, was so captivating that one couldn't take their eyes off her!
Then she gently loosened the red silk and landed lightly on the ground with her long sleeves waving.
With a tap of her toes, she danced like a butterfly, her slender, snow-white neck lifted slightly. Her figure was incredibly supple, her waist barely slender enough to fit in one hand. Every movement was breathtakingly beautiful, almost breathtakingly beautiful, one almost worried her waist would break, unable to bear the weight. Yet, for her, each turn of movement was effortlessly graceful. The flowing sleeves encircled her, as if they came alive, further accentuating her graceful and graceful beauty.
They danced to the tune of songs, as stunning as flying swans and spirit snakes. Everyone was captivated and held their breath, unable to take their eyes off them.
When the music stopped and the dance ended, everyone came back to their senses when Xu Lanshan bowed down and congratulated the emperor on his longevity in a sweet voice.
The concubines all had complicated expressions. Even the most picky Concubine Lian, when she looked at Xu Lanshan, felt a mixture of emotions in her heart and was speechless.
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