Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 97

"Girl, I heard that the dance you performed at the Azure Palace amazed everyone present. What was it called again, the Peacock Dance?"

"It's just the peacock dance. Grandmother, don't listen to the rumors. It doesn't have that effect at all, haha," I replied awkwardly. Yunyue, Princess Xiyue, Princess Zuiyue—this trajectory, this journey, seems to be an open secret.

"When will you, little girl, also perform for me and your imperial grandfather?" The old empress smiled kindly, her voice even more so.

"Okay," I readily agreed, since I didn't have to perform today anyway.

"The weather is so nice, and I'm in a good mood too. Girls, who would like to play a tune to liven things up?" The old empress glanced at the other four people present, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

"Your Majesty, why don't we let Princess Yiyuan make a fool of herself?" With willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, she was radiantly beautiful. She wore a long, purple brocade dress with a narrow waist and wide sleeves, which accentuated her graceful and slender figure. Princess Yiyuan was the daughter of Consort He; by all accounts, I should call her Imperial Aunt, my Imperial Aunt who is the same age as me.

The old empress nodded, and Princess Yiyuan left her seat and walked to the music stage next to her, where a guzheng had already been placed.

The elegant and melodious sound of the guzheng echoed like the clear, tinkling of flowing water. Though the title of the piece was unknown, it possessed a profound meaning, stirring the heart and leaving listeners with a lingering, tender feeling. As the piece ended, its lingering notes captivated the audience, who remained entranced until applause approached from afar. The Empress nodded in acknowledgment, and Princess Yiyuan rose, first offering her thanks to the Empress, then returning to her seat before finally looking up to see the source of the applause.

Sure enough, a group of people slowly walked towards us from not far away. Just one glance at that elegant figure in white robes told me that my previous guess was correct. As we got closer, it was the old man leading the envoys from both countries and others to enjoy the imperial garden!

Since it was such a "chance encounter," avoiding it would only diminish the royal demeanor and poise. So, everyone simply introduced themselves to each other openly and then bowed to one another. The envoy Ye Cang was about forty years old, mature and steady, with an air of refined elegance. As for Xi Lan, during the introductions, she didn't look at me, but only smiled and nodded in greeting. Her gaze passed over me and turned to Princess Yi Yuan, who had just played the music, with sincere admiration.

I saw him standing there, dressed in snow-white robes, his otherworldly aura still intact. My eyes welled up with tears. After not seeing him for several months, to see him here again, to see him in person and still be well, it felt so good.

Princess Yiyuan blushed deeply when she accepted Xilan's praise, her face turning bright red, unlike her usual poised and confident demeanor. In truth, the women of Xiuruo Kingdom held a high status; the princesses and noblewomen not only attended school but also learned horseback riding and archery, making them seem like reincarnations of the Manchu Qing dynasty. They were usually quite straightforward and frank. However, today, for some reason, the two princesses and noblewomen suddenly became gentle and shy, their faces flushed, heads bowed, and their eyes and lips brimming with smiles. When they looked at Xilan, their eyes held a joyful and tender affection.

Even after everyone was seated, Xi Lan didn't glance at me once. Surprisingly, countless questions welled up in my mind, accompanied by a strange bitterness.

"Your Majesty is in high spirits today. Since we've met by such a coincidence, let's not spoil the mood. There are no outsiders here, so let's not stand on ceremony. As a woman of the royal family, I, Xiu Ruo, never act coy. I'll just show you my skills and let the two envoys have a good look." The old man smiled broadly, looking at us with confidence and pride in his words and expression.

"Since His Majesty also enjoys this pleasure, I hope the two envoys will not find it amusing." The old empress spoke gently and modestly, then turned to us and asked, "Whose turn is it?"

Princess Jialuo rose, gave a graceful bow to everyone, and glanced at Xilan with a seemingly casual look before saying, "Jialuo has made a fool of herself."

Someone had already prepared a table, paper, brushes, and ink. Princess Jialuo, dressed in a lotus-red long dress with a jade ribbon at her waist, her ornaments jingling, gracefully moved to the table, picked up a brush, and bent down to paint. Before long, she stopped painting and stood up, and a palace maid displayed the painting on the table to everyone: shimmering blue waves, lotus leaves covering the ground, and a lotus flower standing gracefully on a branch, half-open and half-closed.

The crowd showered her with praise again. Princess Jialuo politely declined and, as she returned to her seat, glanced at Xilan, her eyes meeting Xilan's. Xilan smiled and nodded, and Jialuo looked away, lowering her head and smiling faintly.

She compared herself to a lotus flower, and her painting conveyed her feelings. A man like Xi Lan would be every woman's dream lover; one glance is enough to make one's heart flutter.

Then the two princesses also showed off their skills, and then everyone's eyes inevitably fell on me.

Clouds Drunk and Moon Slumbering (Revised Edition) Volume Four: A Hidden Melancholy and Resentment Arise from the Dawn of the Sky

Chapter word count: 3900 Update time: 08-12-24 12:56

Tian Xilan

"It's finally your turn, girl. I'm really looking forward to it!" The old man looked at me with great interest.

"I was just mentioning her peacock dance. Of all those present, only Envoy Tianqing had the privilege of seeing it," the old empress said, her voice trembling with rapt attention.

I could only smile modestly. I thought this was something to discuss privately, but I didn't expect that he wouldn't hold back in front of Envoy Ye Cang. It seems that my past is really no secret. But wouldn't King Tianqing have any objections? Would he think that I had tricked him and caused him, as the ruler of a nation, to lose face?

Xi Lan smiled but remained silent. Finally, he turned to look at me, his face still bearing a gentle smile, but his eyes held no warmth. He didn't speak; I had expected him to say something polite, but nothing came of it. My doubts deepened, and I began to feel vaguely uneasy.

"That's just a rumor and an exaggeration; it's just a regular dance," I reiterated, adding that there was no need to worry about being asked to dance in such a setting.

"What did that girl prepare?" the old man asked, still full of interest.

No, I can't do anything! That's what I thought to myself, but my eyes involuntarily drifted towards Xi Lan. He seemed to sense my gaze, turned his face, and smiled slightly at me. His smile was polite, but his eyes were distant, even carrying a hint of mockery.

It wasn't Xilan, it wasn't Xilan, Xilan wouldn't do this. The unease in my heart grew stronger, I stood up and smiled at the old man: "Grandpa Emperor, I'm not very talented, but I'll play a little tune."

I ordered Yan'er to fetch the pipa. To my shame, the guzheng is popular here, and it seems that men, women, young and old all know how to play it a little, so there's only one guzheng on the stage. But I don't know how to play it, and I haven't thought about learning it since I've had so much free time lately, so I can only play the pipa.

With everything prepared, he bowed again, sat down with his pipa in his hands, and began to play "Ambush from Ten Sides" with a flourish of his right hand. He wasn't actually trying to explain or reveal anything through the music; he simply wanted to use it to test Xi Lan's reaction.

When the song ended, everyone paused for a moment before clapping and praising. Looking at Xi Lan again, she was still smiling, but her brows furrowed slightly for a moment, as if she were wondering or pondering. Her eyes were calm and distant as she looked at me, as if we had never met before.

What followed was quite natural. The old man continued to lead the envoys from both countries on a tour of his imperial garden, and the flower-viewing banquet took the opportunity to end. I handed the pipa to Yan'er, intending to help the old empress return to the central palace, but she smiled at me and said, "Don't bother. You don't look well today either. You keep saying you're fine, but you haven't fully recovered in the past few days. Don't think about those worrying things. Go back to the palace early and get some rest."

I thanked the emperor and returned to the palace. As soon as I entered the room, I asked Wang An, "Where is the Azure Sky Envoy stationed?"

"Your Highness, the envoy from Tianqing and his entourage have been arranged to rest at the Listening Wind Pavilion." Wang An never hesitated to answer questions.

I nodded and then asked, "When does the dinner party start tonight?"

"You Shi (5-7 PM)".

I nodded again, signaling him to leave. There would be a banquet at the palace that evening to welcome the envoys from both countries. Before the banquet, the envoys would likely return to their designated palaces to rest and prepare. According to palace rules, without the Emperor's decree, I, as an unmarried princess, could not possibly meet alone with envoys from other countries, regardless of the reason. I certainly couldn't ask the old man for help, but with so many questions in my mind, I needed to confirm things with Xi Lan. I had no choice but to find a solution myself.

Honestly, I don't have any good ideas. Ling'er isn't by my side, and there's no one to help me disguise myself. If I go out in this princess outfit, I'll be the center of attention wherever I go. But now that I need to investigate secretly, I can only resort to the cliché and outdated method of disguising myself as a palace maid.

I stole a set of clothes from Yan'er. Please note, I really stole it, not just made her hand it over, because if that girl found out, my plan to sneak away would definitely be ruined. Yan'er didn't know, but Wang An did, because I needed his cooperation. I was ordered to rest quietly, and no one was allowed to enter my room to bother me until I called for them. With Yao Yao guarding the room for me, I wasn't worried. Then, Wang An took the opportunity to send several palace maids and guards to do this and that. I seized an opportunity and left the palace when no one was paying attention.

I never asked Wang An who sent him to my side. I wanted to ask him several times, but I felt that it would be pointless to ask. Given his status and role, it was impossible for him to reveal who was behind him.

The Listening Wind Pavilion is located on the west side of the palace, not close to where I was staying, but not too far either. I kept my head down and followed the secluded, less crowded, and shorter route that Wang An had indicated, and thankfully, I didn't encounter any trouble. About half an hour later, I finally arrived at the Listening Wind Pavilion.

The guards outside the door stopped me as expected. I took out the Empress's token, which I had prepared that morning. It was the reward for having breakfast with the Empress every day. The Empress would toss me this token, saying that if I had any special requests for breakfast, I should just give it to the palace maids so they could inform the Imperial Kitchen in advance and have it prepared and sent to the Empress's palace. I hadn't expected to use this token for breakfast, but it would come in handy now. I lowered my head and handed the token to the guards, letting them glance at it briefly, and said softly, "I'm here on orders to inquire whether Envoy Tianqing has any special dietary requirements?"

The guard examined the token closely, then glanced at me, finding nothing suspicious, and let me in. I walked in with my head down, the peach blossoms blooming quietly on both sides of the garden, while in the courtyard ahead, figures seemed to be busy. Suddenly, as if by instinct, I looked up at the garden on my left and saw a white figure standing with his back to me under a camphor tree. A camphor leaf drifted down, swirling and turning, until it reached his side, but he caught it between two fingers.

"Xi Lan!" With no one around, I lifted my skirt, crossed the passageway, and ran towards the white figure.

He turned around, still toying with the yellow-green camphor leaf in his hand, looked at me carefully, and said in a gentle voice, but with a hint of doubt: "Princess Zuiyue?"

"Xi Lan!" My voice suddenly choked up, and my eyes welled up with tears. I couldn't help but throw myself into the arms of the person in front of me. "Xi Lan, I'm so glad you're alright, so glad you're alright!"