In the next few days, hunting was in full swing, and countless wild boars, elk, wolves, etc. were captured. According to the rules set by our ancestors, any young ones that were hunted would be released again to avoid destroying the law of life and reproduction in the forest.
When the hunting period is over, a banquet will be held on the spot.
It was already nightfall, and the bonfire was so bright that it was as tall as a person, almost half-lighting the sky. Played by by the wind, the bonfire tilted slightly and danced happily, with light and shadow floating on everyone's faces.
The princes and ministers were sitting in rows. During the banquet, cups were exchanged, and there was a lot of chatter and laughter. The palace servants took care of everything such as roasting meat and adding wine.
In front of a roaring bonfire, dancers and musicians performed one after another for entertainment. In the past, the lonely forest was constantly singing and dancing, and the dancers in various colorful costumes graced the scene.
However, few people will always pay attention to those long sleeves dancing like water waves. They are all chatting and laughing with the people around them, and only take a distracted glance from time to time.
Despite this, no dancer dared to slack off.
Concubine Shu only used a few pieces of venison before she put down the silver chopsticks, took a mouthful of tea, covered it with a handkerchief, and spit it into the spittoon brought by the maid. She took another towel to wipe her hands and said leisurely,
"What do you think of this dance, sister?"
The two of them were both concubines, and it was not a palace banquet. No one was alone, so they sat naturally close to each other. They only spoke in ordinary voices, and they were not drowned out by the orchestral sounds.
Ruan Yuyi really didn't expect that she would talk to her, and was startled for a moment, "Why did the empress say this?" She didn't think that Concubine Shu would ask sincerely.
Concubine Shu casually handed the scarf to the palace maid beside her, "These actors raised in the palace are used to perfunctory people. They do the same thing every time without any change. I think Your Majesty will be tired of seeing them."
"I have long heard that my sister's dancing is one of a kind, so why not present a song so that these actors can learn a lot about her."
The firelight reflected the brightness in her eyes. She held the corners of her lips and decorated them gracefully and luxuriously, but there was no smile in her eyes. It was as if she couldn't hold the light, and it filled up and passed away again and again.
This was said wisely. While holding Ruan Yuyi in his arms, he secretly belittled her like an actress. She was good at dancing, but she was a palace concubine, how could she show her face like this in front of all the ministers.
Her heart sank, but her expression remained unchanged, and she spoke lightly, trying to change the subject of the conversation, "I don't know who is talking too much and misinformed. Your Majesty is really ridiculous."
Concubine Shu felt that she had been humiliated a few days ago, and now she was unwilling to give up easily. "Whether it is good or bad can only be known after seeing it. Your Majesty, what do you think?"
She drew out her voice and looked sideways at Xintei.
Jiang Huaiyang seemed to have a few words with Prime Minister Li next to him from time to time, but in fact, he still focused his attention on Ruan Yuyi. Although he was engaged in two tasks, he did not see any confusion when talking to Prime Minister Li.
As Concubine Shu finished speaking, Ruan Yuyi also looked at him. Normally, no one would be happy for his wife and concubines to appear in front of others, but he has always been unpredictable and obsessed with political affairs, so he doesn't seem to care about these things.
He put down the wine cup and said quietly, "What Concubine Shu said is true."
There was something in her heart, and there was disbelief in her eyes when she looked at him.
It's funny to say that when she slept with him last night, perhaps it was rare for him to show tenderness to her, which actually gave her the wrong impression, as if they were just an ordinary couple, just talking under the lamp.
His cold words dragged her out of her few fantasies. She lowered her eyes and suppressed all the emotions in her eyes.
In the firelight, he didn't notice anything strange about her.
Through the slight drunkenness, he vaguely recalled the dream of the past. The high lamp fell down and the candle flame licked the gauze curtain. They ignored it and lingered until death. So he said this out of nowhere.
"Ling Ling seems to have been slacking on your dance practice lately. I don't think I can take this opportunity to see if you are regressing or making progress." He opened and closed his lips and settled the matter in a few words.
A chill ran down her spine.
Yes, the person in front of her was an emperor, she realized it so deeply. Not to mention asking her to dance in front of everyone, even if it meant taking her life, no one dared to say a word.
Now, she just realized that there was still a trace of luck left in her heart, and she subconsciously searched desperately for traces of the "Prince's Son" of Shenghe Temple in him.
But that was just his disguise. Now that the cold-hearted emperor had taken it back, she was forced to face the situation in front of her.
She was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled, her voice was as soft as water, but she kept pumping like water, "My concubine's dance is not in vain, what do you want in exchange for it?"
She is wearing a golden skirt with falling plum blossom patterns, and a matching hairpin in her hair. She is a young lady with a scorching complexion and a fragrant jade.
Seeing her asking for the new emperor so straightforwardly, the maids standing beside her couldn't help but sweat.
There was no anger on Jiang Huaiyang's face. Instead, he asked slowly, "What do you want, my concubine?" He repeated the word "concubine," as if he was deliberately teasing her.
She didn't expect that he would agree so easily. She was stunned for a moment, the tips of her ears were red, and she just said, "It won't be too late to talk to Your Majesty when we get back."
He asked the musicians to stop playing.
She got up, walked to the bonfire, and bowed.
When everyone looked at each other in confusion, wondering what the Ruan Cai man in the palace was going to do, they heard the new emperor's cold command, telling them to close their eyes.
Although it was just a careless sentence, no one dared not to follow it, even for fear that if they closed their eyes too late, the new emperor would gouge out their eyes with the next sentence.
Not far away, Jiang Qi raised his eyebrows, and Shi Shiran also closed his eyes.
Her hands that were holding the hem of her skirt loosened slightly, but she couldn't suppress the shame in her heart, and her face was still red, as if it had been freshly applied with fine powder.
She went over the movements in her mind and then danced gracefully.
What she is wearing today is the wide sleeves, which look like light waves when they are opened and closed. The golden threads embedded in the fabric are particularly obvious under the firelight, outlining the shape of plum blossoms, blooming or closing, all of them are lovely and fluttering.
The middle disciple made him even more angry.
Such a description of posture is something that cannot be found in the human world, and is something that must be avoided by both men and women.
Jiang Huaiyang guarded against the outside men present, but ignored Concubine Shu.
Since no one was watching, Concubine Shu only half-closed her eyes, and all of Ruan Yuyi's dances fell into her eyes.
Her heart moved. It was said that those rumors first spread from the Holy River Temple, and she only heard them from the maid who was out shopping.
But now that I have actually seen it, I just feel that the people who spread the rumors are really short of words, and their descriptions are not half as good as those who saw it with their own eyes.
Concubine Shu's expression darkened a bit. Her father loved singing and dancing, and several of the aunts in the house could dance.
She had been in contact with him since she was a child, and she had inevitably developed a feeling of admiration. She also mentioned to Rong's father that she wanted to learn dancing. But he was coldly rejected. Only later did she realize that what they wanted was a daughter who could take over the power of the harem, and they would never
Take into account what is in her heart.
Even now that she is one of the four concubines, her family is still eager for quick success and persecution.