Chapter 897 Not As Good As Someone

The banquet was set in the afternoon in the Taiji Palace. Luo Qingyan and Yun Shang entered the Taiji Palace, the Emperor and the Empress hadn't arrived yet. Yun Shang looked around, only to find that many officials in the hall were completely strangers.

Yun Shang's eyes froze for a moment, and she realized that probably after the death of Su Qi, Xia Huanyu, together with Luo Qingyan, had had a cleanup in the court. Since she was not in the court, she didn't have a deep feeling.

As there were a lot of new officials, their family members were also unfamiliar to Yun Shang. She noticed that many of them were secretly looking at her, so she also glanced at those young women at the table. But she found that they were actually looking at Luo Qingyan beside her.

Yun Shang curled up her lips into a smile.

"What are you looking at? Why are you smiling so happily?" Luo Qingyan turned around and saw Yun Shang smiling. He followed her gaze, but saw nothing. So he asked softly.

Hearing this, Yun Shang lowered her eyes slightly with a smile on her face, "Your Highness, you are thirty years old now, but you are still charming. I'm afraid that most of the women in the hall have been attracted by Your Highness though you are just sitting here and doing nothing Since Your Highness is so popular, I'm surely proud as your wife."

Hearing this, Luo Qingyan couldn't help laughing. He raised his hand for a pear, carefully peeled it and handed it to Yun Shang.

Yun Shang raised her eyebrows and took it over. She didn't know what Luo Qingyan meant. While she was guessing, Luo Qingyan said, "You are wrong, my lady. If you keep smiling like this, I'm afraid that there are many men in the hall who secretly covet you. I've just made Liu Yinfeng into my camp. If there are more, I can't stand it. You'd better focus on eating the pear and spare these new officials. Otherwise, they might be suppressed by me without knowing the reason. I'm sure you don't want them to feel that the officialdom is dark because of your husbands."

Hearing this, Yun Shang didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. She raised her eyes and glared at Luo Qingyan, but eating up the pear in her hand quietly.

"His Majesty and Her Majesty are here." Liu Wenan's voice came from outside the hall.

The people in the hall immediately stood up and knelt down. The sound of clothes swaying on the ground could be heard. The people in the hall hurriedly bowed, "Good day, Your Majesties. May good fortune shine on you always."

After a long time, Xia Huanyu's voice came from above. His voice echoed in the quiet Taiji Palace without any emotion. "Arise."

"Thank you, Your Majesties." After expressing their thanks, everyone stood up and sat down in their own seats.

Xia Huanyu's eyes swept over the crowd, and then he quietly withdrew his gaze. After a moment of silence, he raised his voice and said, "Today we gather together to celebrate the talents we selected through the Imperial Examination. It's is just a Palace banquet, not a state banquet. You don't have to be too restrained. Let's start."

Hearing this, Liu Wenan

arded as a talent if she displayed the Four Arts in public. However, only the dancers would perform dances in public.

All the people looked at Du Wanyan, thinking that she was really to eager for the position of the Crown Prince's concubine and acted like a dancer, which was inappropriate for a lady from a decent family.

Xia Huanyu frowned, but he couldn't blame Empress Hua. He looked at Luo Qingyan, who seemed to pay no attention to it, and asked, "Your Highness Crown Prince, what do you think of this dance?"

Everyone's eyes shifted to Luo Qingyan, but Luo Qingyan didn't even look up. He smiled and said, "Not as good as someone." Then he turned to Yun Shang with a bright smile.

Everyone was wondering who the person Luo Qingyan was talking about. When they saw Luo Qingyan's gaze, they suddenly understood.

Yun Shang couldn't help laughing, not because of Luo Qingyan's praise, but that the seemingly cold and dignified Luo Qingyan could lie without a blink.

She had never danced in front of Luo Qingyan. To be honest, she had never danced in front of anyone, but Luo Qingyan could say something like that without blushing.

Yun Shang had to admit that she was really happy.

Xia Huanyu frowned and smiled, "Really? Her Highness is also good at dancing?"

Luo Qingyan smiled and said, "That's a secret between us."

What he meant was that he didn't want others to see it.

However, Empress Hua smiled. She turned to look at Xia Huanyu with a smile and said, "Our son is just like you in the past, all hearts for one person and no room for others. But he is just not good at expressing his feelings..."

Hearing what Empress Hua said, Xia Huanyu was stunned and fell silent.

However, Empress Hua smiled. "Her Highness Crown Princess is also outstanding in the Four Arts. Back then, it was a well-known story that His Highness Crown Prince and Her Highness Crown Princess fell in love with each other when playing the melody, Courting a Phoenix* together. (*TN: An ancient melody usually played when a man expressed his love towards his lover.)