The invited guests took their seats one after another. With the arrival of the Queen, the banquet finally began. Along with the Queen were the eldest princess and Qi Wan'er, the youngest eighth princess of the Liu Kingdom.
The eighth princess was the daughter of the late emperor and the younger sister of the current emperor, and was deeply favored by the Empress Dowager.
However, due to her weak constitution in childhood, the national teacher predicted that she could not get married before the age of eighteen and had to live far away from the imperial city.
So the Empress Dowager reluctantly sent her to Huai'an, thousands of miles away. It was not until the end of the year, when the eighth princess turned eighteen, that she was brought back to the palace.
The Queen came from a prominent family in Huai'an. The residence, food and daily life of the eighth princess were almost all arranged by the Queen herself. And the Crown Prince had been studying in Huai'an for many years, so he had a deep affection for the eighth princess.
Therefore, compared with Concubine Yu of the Li family, the eighth princess was closer to the Queen.
Hearing that her sister - in - law was going to choose a wife for her nephew, she came along to join the fun.
"Sister - in - law, which family's young lady have you taken a fancy to?"
Since entering the banquet hall, the eighth princess's eyes had been darting around, picking and choosing among the young ladies, but she hardly found any that she liked.
Hearing the eighth princess's eager inquiry, the Queen couldn't help laughing.
"How could such an important matter be decided so easily? Besides, we also have to consider our son's own opinion."
Although she had a few candidates in mind, she couldn't tell the eighth princess, because she had carefully considered their family backgrounds, hoping that they could help the Crown Prince in the future.
But such hidden thoughts must never be known to the Empress Dowager or even the Emperor, otherwise, it would become a handle for Concubine Yu and others.
It would bring troublesome problems to the Crown Prince!
Hearing this, the eighth princess wrinkled her nose, and her eyes fell on a seat in the ladies' section. Her eyes sparkled:
"Sister - in - law, look over there! That girl with the snake - coiled hair bun. I think she is the most beautiful and worthy of Yu'er!"
"Princess Eighth, watch your words and deeds."
The Queen helplessly reached out and pressed down the eighth princess's finger. Looking in the direction she was pointing, she saw Yun Xi sitting there eating. Her eyebrows frowned slightly.
"She is the daughter of the prime minister. She was just conferred the title of county princess by the Emperor for her meritorious service in disaster relief. Although she is extremely beautiful, she has a weak constitution and may have difficulty having children. She is not a good match for our son."
The Queen felt sorry for Yun Xi, but she had her own considerations. Moreover, there were rumors in the folk that Yun Xi was entangled with the King of Xian.
Yun Xi was very smart. Although the Queen could take her as an ally, she couldn't tolerate the future Crown Princess being criticized for her conduct.
So, even though she knew that the Crown Prince was in love with Yun Xi, she still excluded Yun Xi from the candidates for the Crown Princess!
To avoid further questions from the eighth princess, the Queen said to the eldest princess on the other side:
"The spring scenery is just right today, and it's a rare opportunity. How about asking the young ladies from the girls' academy to show their talents? It will also liven up the banquet."
Hearing this, the eldest princess immediately nodded with a smile.
"Sister - in - law's idea is excellent. I'll arrange it right away."
So, before long, a list was drawn up.
All the young ladies on the list were talented and voluntarily wanted to show their skills. Those who thought their talents were mediocre and were afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of everyone didn't sign up.
As for Yun Xi, who only cared about the various snacks in front of her, she was naturally not on the list.
This once - a - year matchmaking banquet made all the young ladies from noble families try their best. And this year, since the Queen was choosing a wife for the Crown Prince, the young ladies showed all their skills, hoping to win the favor of the Queen and the Crown Prince.
Even Yun Ni, whose talents were not very outstanding among the female students, couldn't wait to take the stage and dance a water - sleeve dance. As she twirled and jumped, she did have a bit of charm.
Wei Xueming, who was always known for her modesty, didn't sign up voluntarily at first. The young ladies were secretly relieved and grateful for her low - key behavior.
Because Wei Xueming, known as the number one talented woman in the capital, would surely outshine everyone else once she made a move. At that time, their proud talents would be instantly eclipsed in comparison with hers!
However, as the most highly regarded female student of the eldest princess, how could she be ignored?
After all the people on the list had shown their talents one by one, the eldest princess looked at the ladies' seats and said with a smiling face:
"Xueming, didn't you just create a new dance routine some time ago? How about dancing it in front of Her Majesty the Queen?"
The eldest princess was very enthusiastic about dancing when she was young and was also very good at it. But since she and her husband had no children for a long time, she passed on her skills to Wei Xueming.
Wei Xueming was gifted and had a soft body. Coupled with her hard work, her dancing skills were almost unrivaled. Finally, even the eldest princess admitted that she was no match for her.
But Wei Xueming still didn't forget to ask the eldest princess for advice and often asked the eldest princess to comment on her dance steps.
This humble attitude made the eldest princess very pleased, and she was also proud of Wei Xueming's achievements.
Although the eldest princess's tone was a question, she didn't allow Wei Xueming to refuse. She got up gracefully and respectfully, with a gentle voice:
"Yes."
Under everyone's gaze, before long, four drums, one big and three small, were carried to the center of the banquet. The big drum was placed flat on the ground, and the three small drums were supported by wooden frames and scattered around the big drum.
Looking at this scene, Yun Xi couldn't help smiling faintly.
This Wei Xueming had clearly come prepared to show off at the palace banquet, but she still pretended to be modest and reluctant.
It must be tiring to maintain such a mask all day long.
Just as Yun Xi buried her head in her food again, Zhen Bao beside her tugged at her sleeve:
"Yun Xi, look, that bad guy is coming!"
Zhen Bao pouted and glared at the gentlemen's section. Yun Xi followed her gaze and happened to meet Qi Rong's eyes.
At this moment, Qi Rong was wearing a black brocade robe, with a cold face. When their eyes met, Yun Xi clearly felt a trace of coldness slip through Qi Rong's eyes. It could be seen that he seemed to be in a bad mood.
But before Yun Xi could think carefully, a voice immediately caught her attention.
"Why don't you let my elder sister Yun Xi accompany Xueming on the piano! Her biological mother once studied under Xiao He, and my elder sister's piano skills are also superb. She must be worthy of Xueming's dance steps!"
Looking sideways, the person speaking was Yun Ni. At this time, she was looking at Yun Xi with a smile, as if there was not a trace of malice at all.
It turned out that just now, after the stage was all set up, Wei Xueming said that she still needed a pianist to accompany her and wanted to ask the ladies present for help.
However, since Wei Xueming was the number one talented woman, everyone usually avoided competing with her to prevent being compared.
As soon as Wei Xueming said this, all the women present fell silent. Some hung their heads and said nothing, while others pretended not to hear. But Yun Ni spoke up at the right time, and everyone's eyes couldn't help but turn to Yun Xi, with her cheeks puffed up and half a hibiscus cake still in her hand.
Their eyes were full of doubt: This good - for - nothing can play the piano?
And her biological mother actually studied under Xiao He, the master of piano skills?!
It was really unbelievable!