"You say Lu Yuan is stupid, but I think King Zhao is really shrewd. He kills two birds with one stone. He has done both good and bad things."
Zhang Cang continued, reminding Lu Shizhi to pay attention to the reactions of the Zhao officials present.
The ministers of Zhao State could not help but show resentment on their faces when they saw Zhang Ao personally tasting the medicine for Liu Ji, with a respectful posture as if he were inferior to others.
This group of Zhao ministers are almost all disciples of the old Zhao King Zhang Er. Zhang Er spent his life as a knight-errant, heroic and generous, and behaved in the style of his benefactor, Lord Xinling. Therefore, over time, a large group of heroes from troubled times gathered around him. .
This group of loyal veterans, who were willing to work for the old King Zhao, also became Tuogu's ministers. According to the rules of the old disciples, they continued to fully assist his son Zhang Ao.
Although before Zhang Er's death, he repeatedly told Prime Minister Guan Gao, Zhao Wu and others not to try to make enemies of the Han Emperor, but the ministers were mostly from rough backgrounds and did not have Zhang Er's far-sightedness, so they only regarded the old King Zhao's last words as Just trying to make ends meet.
Their outlook on the future situation still remains at the stage when all the heroes of the Warring States Period coexisted. In their eyes, the more than ten years of Qin Dynasty's dominance of the world was just an anomaly in the turbulent times of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of more than 500 years. lasting.
Seeing that after the death of the old King Zhao, the young master actually served the emperor so humbly, the Prime Minister could still maintain his noble appearance, but Zhao Wu and other military generals had long been unable to control their anger, and all of them had thick eyebrows and frowned. The lock seemed to break the back molars.
"I said, this won't be another Hongmen Banquet -"
Lu Shizhi looked around and wanted to laugh.
"Not to the point, not to the point of,"
Zhang Cang picked up the wine, smiled and looked at each other from a distance with Chen Ping, Xia Houying and others, raised their glasses and drank together, murmuring in his mouth,
"Even if there is a Hongmen Banquet, it is not today.
In my opinion, today's good show is not a gathering of heroes, but a beauty trap. "
"What kind of beauty trap? Where is the beauty?"
"Just calm down and watch the show."
Zhang Cang slightly nuzzled his mouth towards the seated King Zhao, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
***
Seeing that the emperor was refreshed after drinking the medicine, chatting and laughing as usual, and that he was no longer in serious trouble, Zhang Ao quietly winked at the yellow door beside him, and the man immediately ducked and quietly disappeared outside the palace.
After another cup of tea, the Huangmen led several young women in white short tops with narrow sleeves, embroidered thin blouses, and long black skirts around their waists, and quietly walked into the hall.
As soon as the group of women entered the palace, they attracted everyone's attention.
Not only do they dress differently, they also don’t wear the most popular high bun or chignon on the back of their heads. Instead, they pull a low bun close to their scalp, which is shiny and smooth, and highlights their pretty faces. .
With sharp eyes, Lu Shizhi saw at a glance that the hands of these dancers were tightly folded into their sleeves, and occasionally a cold light flashed past the cuffs, as if they were holding some sharp blade.
Behind them, there were seven or eight elderly musicians holding small flat drums, each wearing a green hat, and they lined up in three rows at the door.
“You still say it’s not Hongmen Banquet?
Why are you dancing and taking your dick with you? "
He frowned and asked Zhang Cang.
"Not really,"
Zhang Cang glanced at him, as if he thought he was ignorant.
"Even if I don't think about you, I won't let His Majesty put himself in danger."
Seeing that the dancers were ready, Zhang Ao leaned over and said to Liu Ji with a smile,
"This is a sword dance specially prepared for you. It is considered a specialty of Zhao. It is said that it came from the Gui and other tribes in Liaodong and is rarely seen in Han.
It's just that I have some concerns, lest this dance scares the Holy Master. "
"Why?"
Liu Ji squinted his eyes and looked at the group of nodding women not far away. Their clothes were solemn and concise, their expressions were solemn, and they looked different from the delicate and pretty of ordinary women. They had a unique style.
"It is a sword dance. As the name suggests, when dancing, the dancer needs to hold two short knives in both hands——"
"Ahem, what's the harm? I'm still worried that my own son-in-law might rebel?"
Liu Ji put his hands on his hands and laughed, looking very interested.
Everyone at the table laughed, and Zhang Ao nodded slightly to the drummer, and the show officially began.
***
The drums sounded loudly and slowly, and the dancers scattered in all directions like a flock of frightened birds. With a "swish" sound, each of them shook off a short knife from the sleeves on both sides.
Although everyone present was well prepared, they were still shaken by the flash of swords and took a breath. However, as the dancer's slender wrists kept turning, the sword blades circled in circles on the backs of their hands. Light and chilly.
The sound of the drums became more and more intense, and a woman in black clothes quickly jumped out from among the rotating concubines. The hem of her skirt spread out and flew like a black cloud.
Everyone couldn't see her face clearly, but they felt that she was dancing a pair of short knives with red silk tassels in a gorgeous way, stabbing, flicking, or circling, like a fairy from the Nine Heavens, or like the Shura God of War, with a murderous aura in her majesty. .
They danced like this for an unknown amount of time, and then the drums suddenly stopped. Everyone's minds were captured by the momentum of the sword dance, and the whole place was silent, as if there was no one else.
In the silence, the woman in black clothes slowly turned around, licked her black temples, tucked up her clothes, slowly raised her feet wearing fine white silk stockings, kicked the hem of her skirt lightly, and put the two handles in her hands The sharp knives struck each other hard, and the sound of gold and stone echoed around the hall for a long time.
At this time, everyone present could clearly see that the woman's black skirt was actually embroidered with shining golden threads, including cranes fluttering about to fly.
Everyone was impressed by her calm and restrained aura, and there was a chorus of admiration.
Only Lu Yuan, after seeing the woman's face clearly, let out a low exclamation, turned his head suddenly, his big eyes full of incredible sadness, and stared at the husband Zhang Ao beside him, as if he didn't recognize her. He is average.
Zhang Ao didn't pay attention to the queen's questioning at all, he just looked forward to the emperor's reaction with a smile on his face.
Liu Ji has always loved beauties, and also loves music, singing and dancing. He often plays drums and harp with Mrs. Qi on weekdays. He was already fascinated by the sight and cheered repeatedly.
“This sword dance is really majestic, soft yet strong, a bit like a war dance.
Especially the leading dancer, she dances well and has great charm. "
Hearing the emperor's praise, the woman swung the swords violently, held them firmly in her hands, and bowed to the ground again. Fang slowly raised her head, and saw her long eyebrows on her temples, her almond-shaped eyes slanting, and her beauty with a trace of Such heroic spirit is thrilling.
"Zhao Ji, Your Majesty is complimenting you. Why don't you express your gratitude quickly? Come and hold a candle with Your Majesty again."
Zhang Ao smiled and said to Liu Jida,
"This woman's surname is Zhao. She is one of the beauties in the harem. She is very accomplished in sword dancing.
Her mother, Zhao Yu, was Chen's nurse when she was a child. Not long ago, she was summoned to Luoyang Palace to serve Mrs. Qi's little prince Ruyi full-time. "
Liu Ji suddenly realized it and nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, that seems to be the case. It turns out that there is such a great chance in it. Isn't it a coincidence?"
