Chapter 25 Concubine Xi’s performance

The autumn was crisp and the weather was fine, and the birthday banquet was held in the square in front of Weiyang Palace.

The colorful shelves are hung high, there are clusters of flowers, the sound of strings, and the fragrance of tea and fruits.

When Bai Jiuxiao and Ning Shi moved in, almost everyone was here, and there was a lot of buzz and bustle.

The performance has also begun. The dancers took the stage first, all with long sleeves and dancing figures.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has set up hundreds of desks and low stools in advance. In addition to placing various melon and fruit preserves and birthday wine, the desks have also been marked with signs according to their status. Everyone takes their seats according to the mark, and all the female relatives sit at the back.

Seeing Bai Jiuxiao coming, the female relatives all wanted to see but didn't dare to look. They only dared to peek with the tip of their eyes. Just like this, they were all pretty and happy, and the little deer bumped into each other.

"Your Majesty, we have carefully checked the furnishings, tables, chairs, and food at the scene, and found no abnormalities." Lu Chengxi and Tongquan came over to return.

Bai Jiuxiao said "hmm", walked to the top seat of the officials, lifted up her robe and sat down.

People on the side stood up and saluted one after another, but she raised her hand to stop them all.

Ning Shiqian stood beside her, looking at her nose and heart.

Lu Chengxi and Tongquan didn't know who he was and looked at him suspiciously.

Prime Minister Yin Zhizhang asked Bai Jiuxiao: "Are you the ninth prince's new attendant? He looks strange."

"No, he is an actor in the Liyuan. I am afraid that he will cause trouble, so I put him under my nose." Bai Jiuxiao said softly.

I see.

No one asked any more questions.

The concubines from the harem came one after another.

Everyone was dressed in grand attire and surrounded by palace people.

Emperor Wen was young and had few concubines.

Concubine Xi came from among the people. Emperor Wen met her by chance when he was traveling in disguise. He fell in love with her at first sight and brought her back to the palace.

Except for her, who has no background, the other concubines are all the daughters of ministers in the court.

Because the post has been vacant, the daughters of several important ministers coveted it, and they have been fighting openly and secretly for a long time.

This is also the reason why Emperor Wen favored Concubine Xi, because she had no intention of taking the throne.

Officials had been admonishing the establishment of a queen, but Bai Jiuxiao did not agree, so the matter was delayed again and again.

Concubine Xi came with Emperor Wen, and everyone stood up to greet her.

After Emperor Wen and Concubine Xi sat down, the palace banquet officially began.

Emperor Wen first said some things about the scene, and gave the agate bracelet that Bai Jiuxiao brought back from Yunlai to Concubine Xi in public.

Emperor Wen raised his glass, and everyone congratulated her. Concubine Xi's face was full of spring breeze.

The maids from the Shangshi Bureau filed in and served food to everyone.

While everyone was eating, they were watching the performance on the stage in front of them.

After the dancer finished her dance, the opera garden came on stage, it was so lively.

The king and his ministers rejoice.

Only Bai Jiuxiao was eating in silence, while his eyes were like an eagle's, paying attention to the whole audience.

Concubine Xi glanced at Bai Jiuxiao, then glanced at the tall man behind her, her eyes darkened slightly, she picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.

The singing in the pear garden on the high platform is over, and the acrobats are on.

Everyone in the audience was in a state of high spirits.

After the juggling, the palace banquet is coming to an end.

Concubine Xi suddenly spoke loudly: "Thank you Your Majesty for organizing this birthday banquet for me, and thank you all for your blessings. To express my gratitude, I have the courage to show off and perform a little sideshow for the Emperor and you."

When Emperor Wen heard this, he became interested and asked, "My beloved concubine can also juggle?"

Concubine Xi smiled shyly: "I just learned it, but I don't know if I can succeed. If I can't, the emperor will not allow jokes."

"It's rare that you have such a heart, how can I laugh at you? But I don't know what kind of acrobatics my concubine is going to perform?"

Concubine Xi stood up from her seat, walked to the open space in front of the emperor and stood there. She raised her hand and pulled off a hair ornament on her head.

He showed it to the emperor, then turned around and showed it to everyone in the audience: "This is my palace's hair ornament. Please take a look at it clearly. After a while, I will disappear it and change it to one of you present."

Just one sentence can make everyone more interested.

Emperor Wen smiled and said: "This is not juggling, this is magic, right?"

Concubine Xi turned around and gave him an angry look: "Isn't this my concubine afraid that if the performance fails, she said that juggling will give herself some leeway."

The young emperor smiled happily, with a doting look on his face.

He loved her coquettish look the most.

Concubine Xi took her hair accessories and started to dance.

Today, she is wearing an aqua-green floor-length feather dress with long and wide sleeves. As she stretches her arms, they rise and fall, revealing a section of her bright wrist, which is very sultry.

The kicking, spinning, and dancing postures are actually no worse than those of the dancers who performed just now.

I saw her spinning faster and faster, until finally everyone could no longer see the person clearly, and could only see a ball of green flying, like a butterfly spreading its wings.

Everyone was amazed.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Bai Jiuxiao turned back and glanced at Ning Shiqian.

Seeing that Ning Shiqian's eyes were cold and seemingly unmoved, she looked away and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

He tilted his head and whispered to Lu Chengxi beside him: "Go and inspect the whole place."

The more everyone's attention is attracted to something, the more likely it is that someone with evil intentions will take advantage of it.

Although there were guards patrolling the surrounding area, she still felt uneasy.

Lu Chengxi understood what she meant and nodded.

Ning Shiqian was nearby, so naturally he saw and listened.

He became more and more certain that when he was in Nuanxiang Pavilion, the man asked him to rub ink on his back as a test for him.

How could such a cautious, vigilant, and always awake person hand over his back so easily?

However, I have to admit that Emperor Zhao was lucky to have this man.

Wen helped him govern the country, and Wu helped him fight the war. At this time, all he cared about was the safety of the palace.

Xi Fei was still spinning, and many people couldn't help but cheer.

Ning Shiqian didn't find it surprising.

How can someone who is valued by his father and can work as a secret agent in the Great Zhao Palace be an ordinary person?

Just when everyone was thinking about when Concubine Xi was going to turn to, Concubine Xi stopped abruptly.

Perhaps due to inertia, she stumbled and fell to Emperor Wen's knees.

Emperor Wen quickly caught her in his arms with quick eyes and hands.

Everyone was silent in their hearts, no wonder he was so favored.

Several concubines looked at it and wanted to bite their silver teeth into pieces.

Concubine Xi panted slightly, spread her hands towards Emperor Wen, and smiled brightly: "Look, Your Majesty, he has disappeared."

Finally, he stood up from the emperor's arms and showed his hands to the people present: "Look, everyone, they are gone."

In order to prove that she had not hidden it in her sleeve pocket, she pinched a pair of water sleeves in front of everyone and shook them again.

Emperor Wen looked at it with great interest: "I want to see who will have that hair ornament, and won't it be on me?"

"Of course not. If it were the emperor, everyone would definitely feel that the concubine was cheating. They would definitely feel that when the emperor picked up the concubine just now, the concubine was placed on the emperor's body, or maybe they felt that the emperor was just like the concubine.

Dude, it’s a double act that I sing with my concubine. So, this thing must be in the possession of a person I’ve never met before.”

"Oh? Who is that?" Emperor Wen was even more intrigued.

Everyone present was also eager to know.

Everyone looked at Concubine Xi.

Bai Jiuxiao also looked at her expressionlessly.

Concubine Xi's eyes slowly wandered across the entire venue, finally landing on Ning Shiqian, and then she raised her hand and pointed: "He."

There will be more, at three o’clock in the afternoon~~
Chapter completed!