The dancers enter the hall and dance, the bells hanging on the strings around their waists sound softly while stepping on the silk and bamboo drums.
Different from the dance music of Nanliang, the dance and music of Beijiang always seem to have a chilling chill. The music is solemn and gentle, and there is a rare feeling of tenderness and tenderness.
Xie Hengwu sipped the wine in his cup and looked at the dancers in trance.
Empress Dowager Cui rolled her eyes indifferently, with a smile on her lips: "The Ai family has heard that the emperor likes beauties very much."
When Xiao Yanzhou heard this, he looked at Xie Hengwu who was enjoying the singing and dancing, and said softly: "It's because Gu's lax discipline is why the queen mother hears these gossips."
Empress Dowager Cui smiled slightly: "The national temple is quiet and there are people talking to relieve boredom, so the Ai family is not boring. What's more, the affairs of the emperor's harem are the affairs of the Ai family."
Xiao Yanzhou said nothing and only looked sideways at Xie Hengwu.
Feeling the gaze beside him, Xie Hengwu looked at him and said obediently: "Your Majesty, would you like me to pour wine for you?"
Xiao Yanzhou thought of the folk tales that Zhao Quan had collected for him.
The men inside are all extremely indulgent towards women. Since this statement is so popular, I imagine that all women in the world would like this.
So Xiao Yanzhou pondered for a moment and said unhurriedly,
"Just let Zhao Quan do it." He held her cheek with his palm and rubbed it gently, "If Aheng feels bored, you can leave first."
This was said in a conniving manner, and she did not take Empress Dowager Cui seriously at all.
Mrs. Cui indeed looked at her with a vague look, and the princes below also listened more or less, and secretly looked at the people sitting there, as if they were watching a play.
Xie Hengwu understood what Xiao Yanzhou had brought her to do.
It turned out to be a living target!
Her expression did not change, and she seemed to be angry and resentful: "Your Majesty, I have really embarrassed my body. I think this song and dance is novel, how can I be bored?"
As she said that, she covered Xiao Yanzhou's hand and raised her eyes to look at him with a frown on her eyebrows: "Just let me stay a little longer."
The beauty's voice was delicate and soft, and her deliberately painted eyes were flowing with a hint of charm. Xiao Yanzhou's throat tightened, he lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze and said yes.
Hmm... He originally thought that Zhao Quan was deceiving him, but from this point of view, it did work.
Xie Hengwu thanked him with a smile and raised his wine bottle to toast him. Xiao Yanzhou actually drank a glass of wine as well.
King Cheng raised his eyebrows with interest in his eyes.
Although he didn't know the seventh brother very well, he also knew that after the seventh brother ascended the throne, the people around him came and went, namely Zhao Quan and Huo Heng.
As for the woman, he had never seen her before.
Whether it was a sudden enlightenment or another plan, it was very... abnormal.
Prince Jin still looked indifferent, concentrating on the food in front of him, frowning from time to time and finding fault with the waiters beside him.
King Qin's eyes dimmed and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Empress Dowager Cui took in everyone's reactions and lowered her eyes thoughtfully.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone was a little tipsy. The king of Jin was weak and exhausted, so he left the table first.
King Qin squinted his drunken eyes and suddenly said: "It is rare for the Queen Mother to return to the palace, and ordinary banquets are too boring."
Queen Mother Cui looked at him: "What do you think, King Qin?"
The King of Qin chuckled, stared at Xie Hengwu and said, "I do have it, but I don't know if Your Majesty is willing to part with it."
Xie Hengwu's heart skipped a beat, and he had an ominous premonition.
Xiao Yanzhou narrowed his eyes and sneered: "Why, King Qin is not satisfied with the lamp Gu gave you and wants something else?"
It was okay not to mention it. When the matter was mentioned, King Qin's face suddenly darkened.
It was clear that he was the one who should ascend to the throne back then, Xiao Yanzhou was just lucky.
He sneered: "I dare not be dissatisfied with your Majesty's gift. It's just that when the late emperor was still alive, he once said that filial piety is the first of all virtues. Today's banquet to welcome the Queen Mother naturally puts the Queen Mother first in everything, isn't it?"
Xiao Yanzhou knew that King Qin had no good intentions, and he was even more impatient with King Qin using the late emperor to suppress him. He turned his face sideways, half of his face was covered in shadow, like a jade-faced Rakshasa.
"what do you want to say in the end?"
The King of Qin laughed and said: "There is a musical instrument in the southern Liang Dynasty called the harp. When played, the music is clear and calm, like broken jade from Kunshan. Unfortunately, no one in the northern Jiang Dynasty can play it, so I have only heard about it in rumors."
"Now that the beautiful Xie family has come from Nanliang, why not ask the beauty to play a konghou for the Queen Mother, so that I can enjoy the blessing of the Queen Mother and have a look."
Konghou?
Xiao Yanzhou frowned and subconsciously glanced at the person next to him.
Xie Hengwu was about to lift the wine bottle, but his movements froze when he heard this.
The konghou is indeed the best in Nanliang, but this music belongs to the court and elegant music, and there are even fewer people who are proficient in it, and not everyone can do it.
Defending them no matter how embarrassing they are is something Xiao Yanzhou has seen before.
"Does the King of Qin think that lonely people are just like the concubines of a pedant for entertainment?"
Xiao Yanzhou's eyes were indifferent, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the cold armrest.
This was a sign of his displeasure.
Xie Hengwu blinked, surprised that he defended himself.
The King of Qin was not timid and retorted: "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. Playing music for the Queen Mother is an act of filial piety. How can it be compared with a Jiaofang performer? Could it be that Your Majesty thinks that the Queen Mother is not worthy of listening to a beautiful woman?" Qu?"
The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became tense, and the servants all around lowered their shoulders and lowered their eyebrows, not daring to express their anger. The frivolous smile on King Cheng's face faded, he stroked his chin and looked away.
Xie Hengwu's mind was slightly disturbed, and he was about to get up and accept the matter, but his hand was pinched by someone.
She lowered her eyes and saw that Xiao Yanzhou's palm was wrapped around her. The force was not strong, but it had a meaning that could not be rejected.
Xie Hengwu raised his eyes to look at him again. The latter was still looking at King Qin with a cold face, the same as before. It was completely impossible to tell that he was holding his hand at this time.
She pursed her lips and continued to sit in her seat.
Xiao Yanzhou obviously didn't want to have a verbal dispute with King Qin anymore. For him, the best way to solve the problem was to deal with the person who caused the problem first.
Without waiting for him to speak, several Yulin guards walked from Xiao Yanzhou to King Qin.
"enough."
A majestic female voice sounded, and the Yulin guards also stopped.
Empress Dowager Cui frowned and scolded: "What kind of noise is there in the main hall?"
Xiao Yanzhou drooped his eyelids and half-covered his eyes with long eyelashes, looking cold. Hearing that Queen Mother Cui was finally willing to speak out, he agreed.
"What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true."
It's just that this echo was so yin and yang that it made Queen Mother Cui almost unable to breathe.
She closed her eyes, turned to Xie Hengwu, and said softly, "Don't worry too much. If you don't want to, you don't have to play. It's not a big deal."
Xie Hengwu responded with a chuckle.
Queen Mother Cui's words clearly blocked her way.
As long as she doesn't play the konghou, it means she is unwilling; even if she really doesn't know how, others will only think it is an excuse to cover up her unwillingness.
Being alone in a foreign country and being accused of being arrogant is not a good thing.
What's more, Xiao Yanzhou's "favorite" is still very uncertain, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.
"The Queen Mother is joking. It is the honor of my life to be able to play music for the Queen Mother. I dare not refuse."
Xie Hengwu stood up and greeted the Queen Mother, and then spoke softly.
She looked calm, but in reality her palms were sweating.
Because...she just broke away from Xiao Yanzhou and got up.
Queen Mother Cui's face softened slightly when she heard this, and she smiled and said, "It's rare for you to have such a heart."
Xie Hengwu said softly: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, and all the princes, please wait a moment while I go get ready."
Empress Dowager Cui nodded in agreement. Xie Hengwu secretly looked at Xiao Yanzhou while he was going out, and saw him looking at the wine bottle with a heavy look in his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.
She secretly thought bad.
This definitely pissed him off.
But what can she do... Not to mention the Queen Mother, any of those princes can easily crush her to death.
In the struggle between big people, if she doesn't pay attention, she will be shattered into pieces.
Xie Hengwu narrowed his eyes, and his figure disappeared into the dusk outside the hall.
After a while, several eunuchs carried the harp into the palace together. Xie Hengwu followed behind and sat down on the board arranged in the palace.
She first tried to pluck the strings, and the sound of music flowed down like water, and the lingering sound seemed to be still flowing in the temple.
She raised her eyebrows slightly.
Unexpectedly, the harp imitated by Beijiang is 70% similar to that of Nanliang.
The konghou is difficult to learn, and there are indeed very few people who are proficient in it.
But she happens to be one of the very few.
In order to cultivate her as a useful chess piece, the Hou family spent a lot of effort and even invited old musicians from the palace to teach her such difficult musical instruments.
Xie Hengwu lowered his eyes, stirred with his fingertips, and the sound of music flowed down, like broken jade from Kunshan and hibiscus weeping dew.
Everyone was suddenly stunned and thought they were in a fairyland.
The red candles in the hall were burning high, illuminating everything around. But people feel that everything around them is dim, and all the light is concentrated on the beauty in the middle.
The beauty's head is slightly drooped, clouds and misty hair are stacked on her temples, and her slender jade fingers are flying between the strings of the piano. After being carefully made up and wearing a harp that resembles fairy music, she looks like the mysterious goddess from the Nine Heavens falling into the dust, giving people a hazy and unreal feeling.
Sitting on the seat, Xiao Yanzhou rubbed the jade ring on his finger, his eyes dark and unclear.
He still wanted to protect her, but he didn't expect... that she would be so capable.
He's quite troublesome.
He clenched his fist, and the feeling from when he held Xie Hengwu still seemed to remain in his palm.
After the song ended, no one seemed to realize it.
King Qin's face looked really bad now.
He deliberately wanted to make things difficult for Xie Hengwu so as to save Xiao Yanzhou's face. Who would have thought that the married princess was not just a vase with all appearance?
The purpose of making things difficult was not achieved, but instead made Xiao Yanzhou happy, which made King Qin very unhappy.
After a few moments of silence in the palace, Empress Dowager Cui raised her hands and said with a smile, "Okay, the Ai family has opened their eyes today."
"The Ai family used to wonder why the emperor favored you, but now I understand. With such a talent, who wouldn't like it?"
Xiao Yanzhou's expression moved slightly and he responded: "Mr. Xie is indeed good."
Somehow, his tone was the same as before, but to Xie Hengwu's ears, it sounded sinister.
She thanked her bravely, and heard Queen Mother Cui continue to say,
"Come here and let the Yi family take a closer look."
Xie Hengwu followed the instructions and knelt down beside Queen Mother Cui's seat. She raised her face, but lowered her eyelashes, not looking at Queen Mother Cui.
The latter smiled with satisfaction: "The etiquette is not bad."
"The Ai family sees that you are in love with each other, so I will give you this hairpin as a reward."
With that said, Empress Dowager Cui took off a gold hairpin with pearls from her hair and put it on Xie Hengwu's head.
Xie Hengwu touched his hair and couldn't help but panic: "The Queen Mother, this..."
"This is a reward from the late Emperor to the Ai family. You can keep it safely."
In front of all the princes, Xie Hengwu could not brush the Queen Mother's face, but said helplessly: "I would like to thank the Queen Mother."
"Good boy, go back."
Queen Mother Cui's smile never diminished, and her eyes could be described as kind.
Xie Hengwu agreed softly and returned to his seat next to Xiao Yanzhou.
Xiao Yanzhou had a good look, and his expression was indifferent. He didn't even glance at her, as if he didn't even notice that she was sitting next to him.
But just now when she was sitting down, she clearly felt two eyes, as if they were glued to her body.
Who else is it if it's not Xiao Yanzhou?
She lowered her eyes.
Sure enough, he was angry.
