The First Empress - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Zhaoyuan
At dawn, ten li away from Qiong Tai, the palace lanterns winded, illuminating the surroundings like daylight. Imperial concubines and concubines of the Palace were all dressed in beautiful makeup, and they rode on the sedan chair to go to the banquet in a mighty manner. Even the ladies of Bao Lin Cai had carefully dressed themselves up. After all, no woman was willing to be compared to others on such occasions.

Qiongtai Main Hall.

Just like its name, the main hall of Qiongtai was made of white marble and above. On the sixteen three-person thick doorposts were carefully carved the pattern of five-colored auspicious clouds supporting the nine-clawed golden dragon to soar. It was ethereal and dignified. It was truly like the Jade Platform Immortal Realm, causing one to be fascinated.

In the middle of the hall was the throne of the empress, and there were two seats on the left and right. The concubines were seated on the left according to their seats, and on the right, they were prepared for the princes and their concubines.

Bu Linglong left a little late. After entering the hall, most of the concubines had already arrived. She hurriedly sat down at a table beside Concubine Lan and glanced at everyone in the hall. Suddenly, she unconsciously frowned.

She quietly pointed to the seat opposite Qin’er and said, “Which prince is that? Why is the Emperor not here yet, and he is already so drunk?”

Qin’er looked in Bu Linglong’s direction and saw a man dressed in gorgeous clothes sitting alone in the front row opposite him. He held the wine jug tightly and didn’t need any maids to pour wine for him, but he drank faster than anyone else. His pale face was exceptionally bright red, and he was indeed drunk.

“Don’t you know who he is?” Before Qin’er could reply, Lan Beauty who was beside her suddenly answered. Bu Linglong turned her head and saw that Blue Beauty was gazing at him with a faint expression. Her face was faint and her tone was cold. “That’s Seventh Prince.”

Bu Linglong instantly understood. Seventh Prince Hui Ye, there are too many rumors about him. Although Bu Linglong was in the harem, she had more or less heard of it.

Right now … he had already wantonly reached such a level. Bu Linglong glanced at the rogue Seventh Prince not far away and shook her head in her heart.

At the time of the Reform Movement, the Emperor and the Empress arrived at Qiongtai together. His Highness the concubine and all the palace maids and inspectors present stood up in unison, He knelt down upright and said, “Long live.” The Emperor looked in a good mood tonight. He kindly called him “Flat Body.” He sat upright at the main seat in the middle of the hall, and the others returned to their seats. They chatted happily and laughed happily. It was all a lively and joyous atmosphere.

However, after a moment of laughter, Huiqi, who was sitting on the dragon chair, asked Hui Yefa, “Seventh brother, why did you drink like this the moment I arrived?”

The magnificent hall was instantly as quiet as death.

Huiqi’s tone was neither swift nor slow, and he could not hear the slightest bit of reproach. On the contrary, there was even a hint of his elder brother’s concern for his younger brother. Hui Ye staggered to his feet and barely cupped his hands towards Huiqi. He vaguely said, “Brother Chen … seeing that the wine in Brother Huang’s palace … is very sweet, I can’t help but … drink a few more glasses …”

“No matter how good the wine in the palace is, Seventh Brother must be moderate. Otherwise, how can Seventh Brother return to the palace after dark?” Hui Qi smiled indifferently.

Without waiting for Seventh Brother who was already drunk to reply, Hui Qi continued, “Originally, I wanted to introduce you to Lan Beauty who has just entered the palace, but now, you can’t do this. Lan Beauty,” he paused and looked towards the seat of the concubines. “Come over.”

Concubine Lan still had a flawless smile on her face, but only Bu Linglong, who was sitting closest to her, could see it-her hand, half hidden beneath her wide sleeves, unconsciously clenched into a fist, even trembling slightly. Without a doubt, she was afraid.

Lan Beauty and her personal maidservant walked step by step to Hui Qi and bowed deeply, “Your Majesty.”

Huiqi said affectionately, “Ai Fei, get up. Seventh Brother is so drunk that you can’t greet each other. However, Ai Fei must have seen Seventh Brother before entering the palace, right?”

Concubine Lan’s face turned pale, but the maidservant beside him hurriedly went down and replied in a loud voice, “If I return to the Emperor, my young miss has never seen the Seventh Prince before tonight.”

Huiqi asked in surprise, “How could that be? Wasn’t the marriage between Seventh Brother and Concubine Ai almost completed? Did Lan Aiqing not introduce this future husband to Concubine Ai even once when she had frequent contacts with Seventh Brother?”

These words had already been utterly blunt, and it was obvious that they were going to embarrass Hui Ye. The imperial concubine, who had almost married in the past, had now become Huiqi’s concubine. It was exactly what Hui Ye had lost-the orthodox status, the supreme imperial power, the boundless backdrop to the scenery, and even the woman who should have belonged to him. Now, all of this was because of that fatal defeat, and he cupped his hands to his elder brother Huiqi.

Although Hui Qi’s original intention was like this, Blue Beauty was also affected, so she naturally had to excuse herself. Lan Beauty bent her knees slightly and said with a calm expression, “Go back to the Emperor. The Lan Family has strict family rules. I can’t meet a man before I leave the pavilion. At that time, I was ill. My father hired a few famous doctors and said that I was not fit to get married at that time. Once the marriage is said, it will naturally be over.” Moreover … “Her tone suddenly changed and she earnestly said,” After I entered the palace, I always thought, if I really married that day, how can I hope for His Majesty’s Heavenly Yan now? ” “It can be seen that even the heavens are secretly sympathetic to this concubine’s mood. They deliberately let this concubine be sick at that time, so that they can exchange for the opportunity to enter the palace and serve the Emperor now.”

This compliment relieved the tension between Huiqi’s eyebrows. Long Yan was delighted. He nodded and praised, “The so-called destiny is determined. I can always walk together with my beloved imperial concubine.” After he finished speaking, he called out “Lu Kang” with a solemn tone. “Lan Mei is gentle and obedient. Her father has also made great contributions in dealing with the Zhou Clan, which is a rebellious official. Pass on the order, the Lan Clan of Jin Beauty is a rank three Zhaoyuan. Next month, she will be conferred the title of Chosen Luck Day.”

Then, he tilted his head and said to the Empress who had been silent all this while, “What does the Empress think?”

The Empress only had a dignified expression on her face, “I also feel that Concubine Lan is very good and worthy of the position of Palace Master.”

When Concubine Lan saw this opportunity, he was delighted and thanked, “Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.”

Thus, he ordered the internal supervisor to move the newly promoted Lan Zhaoyuan’s seat to the first place on Hui Qi’s left. Imperial concubine Di Houfei and the other two chatted happily, as if they had completely forgotten. Not far away, there was also a drunk Seven Kings Hui Ye. Even a moment ago, Hui Qi still held his name and wrote many articles.

Nearly two hours later, the crowd finished their meals and it was time to sing and dance after the banquet. As a result, Huiqi routinely ordered the neon-robed feather dance, long-sleeved dance, bearded dance, and other songs. A moment later, strings of bamboo and silk sounded together, causing the atmosphere in the main hall to become even more melodious.

Hui Qi looked at it for a while, and his face gradually became bored. “There are so many things coming and going back and forth. It’s really boring to watch it for so long.”

Lu Kang glanced at the Emperor’s expression and thought for a moment. He smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid you’ve forgotten. Recently, a new zither master came to the Teaching Workshop. I heard that her skills are exquisite and she is much better than the previous musicians. Why don’t you call her to play a song to entertain you?”

Huiqi nodded and said casually, “Call her and play Guang Ling San.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people beside Hui Qi changed.

Guang Ling San told the story of an assassin taking revenge for his father and assassinating a sovereign. The song was filled with emotion and grief, expressing an indignant and unyielding majesty. It was completely different from the elegant and extravagant music played in the palace. It was truly not suitable for a performance at a banquet in the HeGong family.

However, since it was personally ordered by the Emperor, no matter how inappropriate it was, it had become appropriate. As they drank, seventy-two heavily dressed Hu Ji stepped down. A woman in plain clothes steadily walked into the hall under the guidance of the eunuch.

Her complexion was very faint. Her shallow eyebrows, small eyes, small nose, and small nose did not intend to dress up. However, she only lightly applied ink in order not to be rude to the emperor. She sat far away in the northeast and placed the zither. As her fingers rose and fell, a series of excited music flowed out from her fingertips.

At the end of the song, she stood up silently, knelt down in front of the zither, bent down, and bowed to Huiqi from afar.

All of a sudden, the imperial concubines and princes looked at each other. They were all dumbfounded. They did not applaud or cheer. They just sat there dejectedly, not knowing how to comment.

He played the zither too well. The Golden Gothic Horse and the Gomorrah were criss-crossing. The fierce battle scenes seemed to be right in front of him. The zither sounded and people began to tremble. The zither stopped. The listeners were still immersed in the atmosphere of the music for a long time, unable to extricate themselves.

However, how could he praise him? This song was about an assassin’s assassination. If Huiqi were to get angry for a moment, a single compliment would be enough to become a great crime of the Nine Races!

After a moment of embarrassment, Huiqi smiled and said, “You played well. You are indeed much better than those musicians from the past. Lu Kang, give me a good reward for this musician, and then chase all the rice buckets who used to be paid for free out of the palace!”

He tilted his head and a smile appeared on his lips, “What does the Empress think?”

The Empress’s expression seemed to stiffen, and she was slightly stunned before she said, “Since the Emperor likes it, then it is naturally very good.”

Huiqi’s smile gradually deepened, but he no longer spoke to the Empress. Instead, he instructed Lu Kang, “Go find someone and help the Seventh Prince to wake up. He’s so drunk. If anything happens on his way back to the Prince’s Mansion, I’m also worried.”

After chatting with the other princes for a while, the banquet ended.

Because it was Lan Zhaoyuan’s bedtime tonight, the other concubines took the carriage and returned to their respective palaces to rest. After bidding farewell to Chen Chongyi, Bu Linglong also got into a small palace sedan chair and walked towards Qixia Palace, surrounded by Qin’er and other palace maids and eunuchs. The Qixia Palace was remote, so the delay on the road was exceptionally long. After returning to the palace, Bu Linglong felt very tired. She simply washed up and ordered the maids to turn off the lights and go back to rest.

However, when she was half asleep, Bu Linglong suddenly felt that something was wrong in the room.

A wave of unprecedented fear instantly assaulted her. She tightly clutched the brocade quilt and was about to ask Qin’er, who was sleeping outside, to come in and light the lamp, but …

“Cha!” With an extremely soft sound, a man’s face was suddenly reflected by a lighted flame fold. He stood in front of Bu Linglong’s bed and looked at Bu Linglong with a smile, forcing Bu Linglong back to her throat in an instant.

Bu Linglong suddenly sat up, completely ignoring her disheveled clothes. She just stared at him motionlessly. Her delicate and beautiful face had an expression of disbelief. After a long time, she lowered her voice and asked word by word,

“How come it’s you?!”