Вдовствующая императрица Сяосюань

Глава 191

Just as he was about to go over and exchange a few pleasantries, he heard a voice announce, "Princess Changping has arrived!"

Princess Changping? Isn't that Tantai Beiyao? Ru Feng looked over and saw a girl with a pure and lively temperament, delicate and lovely, petite and cute. She was indeed the little girl he had met last time. Unlike last time when she was all made up, this time she was just wearing a pink and elaborate dress with a half-circle of tassels hanging in front of her chest. Her face was pink and tender, without any makeup, except for a touch of rouge on her delicate lips, which looked fresh and dewy. Her pair of bright and lively eyes looked at everyone.

The men's attention was drawn back to her; the princess was still as lovely as ever. If only they could marry her…

Just as the men were secretly comparing the beauties, they heard another voice say, "Prince De of Fanlu Kingdom has arrived!"

Prince De? Everyone had assumed it was just an ordinary old man, but unexpectedly, a handsome man with striking features stood beside him. Dressed in black robes of the finest material, the man followed behind the prince, his eyes lowered, giving him a cold and aloof air. Judging from the prince's expression and attitude, this must be Rong Yiying, the woman who had recently caused such a stir in Fanlu Kingdom. She was said to be Prince De's only grandson, and thus had a high probability of inheriting Prince De's position.

When Rong Yiying appeared, there was a slight commotion in the crowd. Some people recognized him as Rong Yiying from Luolin Academy, but judging from his appearance, it seemed that he wasn't, so they started to discuss it. Ru Feng glanced at Rong Yiying, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He was still the same as before, looking taciturn and trying to hide himself in the crowd.

Gao Yueqi approached Rufeng and said, "Damn it!" He was very indignant because he knew that Rong Yiying was a spy. However, at that time, Yuchi Huaiyang said on the roster that Rong Yiying had died in battle, without revealing his spy identity.

Ru Feng comforted him, "There's nothing we can do; the person was just too good at hiding it."

Gao Yueqi glared at Ru Feng and said, "It's all your fault. They're all extraordinary and of noble status." He thought of Yun Tianze, who was now the ruler of a country.

Ru Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Believe me, I didn't want it to be like this either."

Soon, Yun Tianze arrived.

"The King of Chun Teng Kingdom and Princess Chunhe have arrived!" came the shrill voice again.

Ru Feng clapped his hands with his fan and looked at Yun Tianze and the princess he brought with a wry smile.

Yun Tianze goes without saying; he has an exquisitely beautiful face and a slender figure. He wears a white robe embroidered with light green spring vines and painted with gold thread. His eyes are bright yet deep, like a bottomless pool. It feels like you would sink into them and never be able to escape if you only looked at them for a moment.

The princess beside him was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She wasn't particularly beautiful or delicate, at least not as pretty as Ru Xue, Murong Yinghe, or Tantai Beiyao. However, she had a special temperament, which could be described as scholarly. She also looked very gentle, as if she were bathed in soft spring sunshine. Even the angrier person would obediently quiet down after just one glance from her. No wonder she was called "Princess Chunhe"!

Ru Feng's eyes lit up; the woman before him was the most elegant woman he had ever seen in ancient times.

Before Ru Feng could even react, she heard an even louder voice: "The Emperor has arrived!" The voice was long and drawn out, but it sent a chill down Ru Feng's spine, giving her an ominous premonition.

Chapter 147 Making Things Difficult

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!" Another distinguished guest has arrived.

Apart from distinguished guests like Yun Tianze, all the other citizens of the Violet Kingdom knelt down in an instant.

"No need for formalities, everyone. Today is a special day, so please don't stand on ceremony." A dignified voice rang out.

Everyone quickly stood up, heads bowed, listening to the emperor and his distinguished guests exchange pleasantries.

"Haha... indeed a dashing young man, Prince De, your grandson is truly handsome, you are blessed." The emperor's laughter was so loud it sent chills down one's spine.

"This person's martial arts skills must be quite good!" Ru Feng judged. "I never thought that an emperor would have such high-level martial arts skills."

"Your Majesty's kind words are appreciated," Prince De said, neither humble nor arrogant.

The emperor then turned to Yun Tianze and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Chunhe is indeed the most beautiful woman in the world, and my Zilu Kingdom also has many fine young men present, so I'm sure the princess will be able to choose a consort." A smile appeared on his face, and his eyes swept across the entire room, pausing almost imperceptibly on Rufeng.

Yun Tianze's clear voice rang out: "That's how it should be." His tone was somewhat nonchalant.

"Hahaha... Now the flower viewing banquet will begin. Everyone, please take your seats." The emperor laughed again.

Upon hearing this, everyone took their seats. The seats had been arranged in advance, and to avoid any trouble, everyone formed a circle on the spacious lawn, so there was no need to worry about seating arrangements. Each person had only a low stool and a small table, on which were some fruits, snacks, and tea.

Ru Feng glanced around and saw that the Empress and the Emperor were sitting together, with Yun Tianze and Prince De sitting on their left and right respectively. Princess Chunhe and Rong Yiying were also sitting next to them, followed by the princes. It seemed that they were all clustered together.

To Ru Feng's left is Ru Xue, and to his right is Gao Yueqi.

"Um... Yun Tianze is the same Yun Tianze from before, right?" Gao Yueqi whispered, moving closer to Ru Feng.

"What do you think? Of course, it's a pity he's the emperor now, and we're just lowly officials." Ru Feng said sourly. She had just been worrying about how to talk to Yun Tianze, but he didn't even look at her. She was annoyed.

Gao Yueqi smiled slightly and said, "I think he's paying quite a bit of attention to you." Gao Yueqi's words were somewhat reserved; in fact, always perceptive, he sensed that the moment he approached Ru Feng, he immediately attracted the attention of several people, their sharp gazes seemingly able to pierce through him. To avoid causing trouble for himself, Gao Yueqi quickly returned to his seat, not daring to get too close to Ru Feng.

Ru Feng glanced at Yun Tianze and saw him whispering to the princess beside him. She said, "Get lost. I think he'd love to never meet me. In fact, I really do wish he did." Ru Feng thought of Yun Tianze's feelings for her and guessed that he already knew her identity, judging from his confident demeanor.

Gao Yueqi then fell silent, lowering his head and focusing on drinking his tea.

At this moment, the emperor spoke, saying, "According to past practice, people are drawn by lot to perform their talents first, and then I leave, leaving the place for you young people. This year, let's change the rules. The women will perform first, and then it will be the turn of the talented young people present."

The Empress then interjected, asking, "What are your thoughts, esteemed guests?"

No one else objected, so a piece of music started playing, and two palace maids carrying skewer sticks ran around the room.

After receiving the slip of paper, Tantai Beiyao was the first to shout, "Father, I can't compose a poem anymore! Change it, change it! I can't do this one!"

Yu Xuan laughed on the spot, "I think you can't do anything, so come back next year. You're still young anyway." Although this younger sister was not born to the Empress Dowager, but to Bai Shaojun's aunt, Yu Xuan still liked her personality quite a bit, because such a lively personality was rare in the palace, so he doted on her especially.

Tantai Beiyao immediately glared at him, pouting, and said, "Father, please let me choose another one, let me sing." Composing poetry? Wouldn't that just make me look foolish? Especially in front of someone, absolutely not!

The emperor frowned, but finally said, "Let Yao'er change it. She's really naughty." He then looked around and said, "But in the future, anyone who draws a color they are not satisfied with must not cry out for a change like Yao'er."

Everyone readily agreed, but in their hearts they thought, "We're not the emperor's favored daughters, how dare we ask for a different topic? We'll have to rely on ourselves."

The women performed one by one in order. They were all ladies from respectable families, well-versed in the ways of the world, and talented women carefully cultivated by their respective families. Therefore, the quality of their performances was very high, which greatly broadened Ru Feng's horizons. He felt that the women of ancient times were truly remarkable and had real depth.

Among the women, apart from her own sister Ruxue, Rufeng only had a strong impression of a few others.

One was Tantai Beiyao, who possessed a beautiful voice, making her singing melodious and captivating, earning applause from the crowd; the other was Murong Yinghe, dressed in red, whose dance was alluring yet possessed a woman's shyness and gentleness, captivating all who watched. Ru Feng secretly applauded, though it would have been even better if she hadn't been flirting with him while dancing.

The last one was Princess Chunhe, exuding a strong scholarly air. Her poems were also of superior quality, with expansive imagery, clearly demonstrating her excellent literary cultivation. Many of the scholars present already looked at her with new respect. While composing her poem, she glanced at Rufeng. Rufeng noticed, but wondered why she was looking at him. Of course, Rufeng wouldn't presume to think that she was interested in him; after all, there was no infatuation in her eyes, only curiosity.

The women's performance won round after round of applause. The emperor seemed delighted, constantly chatting and laughing with the empress. The crown prince watched the scene with a smile on his face, occasionally flashing a strange smile at Ru Feng. Yun Tianze watched casually, waving his priceless white jade fan, only occasionally glancing at Ru Feng. Yu Jue kept his eyes straight ahead, looking preoccupied, only staring at the white porcelain teacup in front of him, occasionally taking a sip or two of tea. Yu Xuan, like Ru Feng, kept applauding and flirting, basically going against Ru Feng. If Ru Feng liked something, he didn't like it, insisting on finding something else more attractive, their gazes constantly locked in a battle of wills.