Si Wan was wearing a long red dress. The hem of the skirt touched the floor and swayed as she walked, making her look charming and gorgeous.
She sat in front of the piano stand, and everyone's eyes were focused on her.
Everything fell silent.
Then she saw her slender fingers gently brushing the strings, and the beautiful and circling sound of the piano filled the entire hall.
Si Wan can be regarded as the most talented woman in the capital. Not only is she talented, but her appearance is also unparalleled.
Just sitting there is enough to make people feel relaxed and happy, forcing out the colors around her, leaving only her shining brightly at this moment.
The sound of the piano was lingering, and the onlookers all around fell into silence.
Someone praised in a low voice, until the song ended, the applause was deafening.
"Okay, great."
Si Wan stood up slowly, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed to the person above him.
"My daughter has shown her disgrace."
The emperor had an unclear meaning in his eyes. He smiled and looked at Duke Zhen Guo, who was sitting not far away, and said.
"Ai Qing has a good way of raising a daughter. She has raised a good daughter. She is worthy of being Xin Ran's favorite disciple."
After hearing the emperor's words, the Duke of Zhen hurriedly walked out of his seat and stood beside Si Wan, clenching his hands to thank him.
"Thank you for the honor, Your Majesty. This is my daughter's honor. I just try my best to teach my daughter. I don't expect her to become a talented person, and I just don't make people laugh."
These were modest words, and the emperor smiled.
Seeing this, other officials did not forget to echo the emperor's words.
"Master Zhen Guo is so humble. Who doesn't know how aloof and arrogant Xin Ran is. It's hard to even meet her on weekdays. To be able to accept Miss Si as a disciple, Miss Si must be special."
"That's right, Miss Si is both talented and beautiful, and Lord Zhenguo is really lucky."
The Duke of Zhenguo had a smile on his face and felt happy in his heart.
This daughter is indeed up to date and will definitely be of great help to him in the future.
In his eyes, his daughter is just an object waiting to be sold. The more outstanding she is, the higher the price she can fetch.
"Miss Si is indeed a rare talent, thank you."
The emperor issued a reward. This was the first reward since the palace banquet began, and it was of special significance.
The father and daughter were so surprised that they knelt down to express their gratitude.
The two of them stepped aside, and the queen, who had been silent until now, spoke.
"The emperor is right. Miss Si's talent is indeed rare. I only heard about Miss Si before, but now I know that seeing is better than hearing a hundred times. This rumor is also wrong. Miss Si is even better than the rumors say. Lord Zhenguo is indeed good at teaching his daughters, so Mrs. Lu San, who is also a disciple of Xin Ran, will not disappoint us, right?"
She drew everyone's attention to Si Ning.
Everyone looked at Si Ning who was eating.
She got up late today, ate something in a hurry and went to the banquet. Now her stomach was growling with hunger.
Lu Hanxiao placed the plate with pastries in front of Si Ning and motioned for her to eat something first to fill her stomach.
As soon as Si Ning put a piece of red bean cake into his mouth, he was called upon. He quickly chewed it twice and swallowed it. When he was about to get up and go forward to reply, his arm was grabbed by the person next to him and a teacup was handed over.
"Slower."
Si Ning was stunned for a moment, and when he met the Queen's stern gaze, he stopped, took the teacup in his hand, and took a slow sip.
After all the snacks were in his stomach, he walked forward in a leisurely manner.
The queen looked worried and said sarcastically.
"It is said that talented people tend to be arrogant. Presumably Madam Lu San's talent is not inferior to that of her sister, right?"
In addition to belittling Si Ning, these words also tried to sow discord between her and Si Wan.
It goes without saying who Si Wan is.
The song she just played may make her reputation even higher.
The names among the people are actually not important, the reputation in the palace is what these ladies want to compete for.
Obviously, Si Wan didn't have to fight for it, he had already gained the fame.
Even the emperor looked at her with special eyes, and she would definitely be rich and powerful in the future.
But Si Ning and Si Wan were different... they were born as concubines.
If Lu Hanxiao hadn't been unconscious at the time, such a good marriage would never have happened to her.
This is a good thing and a bad thing. If she is just a concubine, even if she is a fool, she will be laughed at at most by the ladies in the capital. It is not painful or itchy, and no one will continue to notice it in the future.
But with her current status, it was absolutely impossible for her to just say that a concubine had never learned anything like music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
She was so embarrassed at the palace banquet that even the Duke of Zhen Guo would not recognize her as his daughter, let alone whether the Ning'an Marquis Mansion could accommodate her.
The queen waited with evil intentions to see Si Ning embarrassed.
Si Ning has a reputation as a fool, and it is nonsense to say that he can play the piano.
Not only did she think so, Zhen Guogong and Si Wan also thought the same.
Si Ning left from the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, and she was half-assed. How could the two of them not know this?
She knew it but still deliberately referred to Si Ning as Xin Ran's disciple, wasn't it just to see her make a fool of herself?
The two of them were used to flattering someone, first lifting her up, then throwing her heavily to the ground, making Lu Hanxiao hate her, and finally divorcing her, so that Si Wan could marry her.
Otherwise, the emperor might be suspicious if the Zhenguo Duke's mansion sends two daughters.
The two of them were making plans in their minds when they saw Si Ning slowly squatting down and replying to the queen's words under the gaze of everyone.
"The Empress is very complimentary. Si Ning started enlightenment later than her sister, so naturally she cannot compare with her, but she will try her best. If she doesn't play well, please forgive me, the Emperor and the Empress."
Queen, "How can Xin Ran's disciple not play well, unless..."
The emperor interrupted her, "Well, I just want to be happy. It doesn't matter whether you play well or not. Mrs. Lu doesn't have to worry about it."
Seeing this, the queen said nothing.
Si Ning said yes and went down to get ready.
Duke Zhenguo looked at Si Ning's retreating figure with cold eyes.
He really regretted it. If he had known that Lu Hanxiao would wake up one day, he should never have married this daughter to her.
Si Wan also stared at Si Ning's figure, gloating about her misfortune. When Si Ning messed up everything later, what should she say to make up for him and show her generosity as a sister?
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Lu Hanxiao.
I saw that his eyes were also following Si Ning, his expression was indifferent, and there was no hint of happiness or anger.
He summoned his entourage and whispered a few words, and the entourage hurried out without knowing what he was doing.
Someone soon moved up a square fence, similar to a screen, but without any patterns embroidered on it.
Everyone was confused about what was going on, and someone came forward to report to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, Mrs. Lu wants to turn off the lights, but do you want to refuse?"
If it's a dark environment, what if there are assassins? Naturally, you have to ask the emperor.
The queen was the first to object, "What nonsense? How dare the emperor do such nonsense here?"
The emperor stopped the man and said nonchalantly.
"It's okay, it's okay."
Then the field fell into darkness, and everyone was worried. The darkness was the most unsettling thing.
But it was only for a moment, and the surroundings of the palace lit up again, but it was not all bright.
Soon a candle lighted up in the middle of the enclosure, attracting everyone's attention.
