bookrandom Chapter 108 The First Beauty Who Became a Substitute Bride (24)
Chapter 108 The First Beauty Who Became a Substitute Bride (24)
Shen Chumo naturally saw Xie Siyuan as well. As the male lead, it must be said that he was indeed good-looking and had a good temperament. His eyes were like the deep night sky, exuding a mysterious attraction. Below his high nose bridge, his lips were slightly upturned, with a smile that was not quite a smile, and a kind of unrestrained and carefree attitude.
Although he is Xie Yanhuai's uncle, the two are only eight years apart in age.
Shen Chumo glanced at it briefly before looking away. Xie Siyuan and An Nuannuan met after this palace banquet. Now that An Nuannuan is no longer a palace maid, it's uncertain whether they can still get together like in the story.
The crowd enjoyed the song and dance performance. The dancers in the hall, dressed in white gauze skirts, danced gracefully, like fairies descending from the moon palace to earth.
Their dance was light and graceful, like butterflies fluttering among flowers. Their white gauze skirts shimmered slightly under the lights, as if woven from moonlight.
The dancer in the center gazed at Xie Yanhuai with eyes full of tenderness and charm. Her figure was supple and boneless, her delicate eyebrows were slightly raised, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth.
Her dance steps became even lighter, and every spin and every hand raise seemed to be designed to attract Xie Yanhuai's attention.
Shen Chumo moved closer to Xie Yanhuai and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, is this dancer beautiful?"
Her voice was as soft as a feather brushing against Xie Yanhuai's ear.
Xie Yanhuai was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Shen Chumo, only to see a hint of teasing in her eyes, along with a subtle touch of jealousy.
Xie Yanhuai smiled and gently took Shen Chumo's hand, replying softly, "In my eyes, no woman in this world is even one ten-thousandth as good as Momo."
His voice was deep and magnetic, full of affection.
Shen Chumo smiled sweetly at Xie Yanhuai and said playfully, "You know how to talk."
Xie Yanhuai burst into laughter upon seeing Shen Chumo's playful appearance.
Everyone thought to themselves, "As expected, the Imperial Concubine is deeply loved by His Majesty. Since the Imperial Concubine came into his life, His Majesty has become much gentler in court than before."
In the past, Xie Yanhuai was ruthless when handling state affairs, and the atmosphere in the court was oppressive. Ministers would be severely reprimanded for the slightest mistake. Now, many ministers felt grateful to Shen Chumo.
Only Shen Huanyu and Madam Xu found the scene extremely displeasing, and they sneered inwardly, "That vixen knows how to seduce people."
Shen Chumo sat beside Xie Yanhuai, talking softly with His Majesty, occasionally letting out a pleasant laugh.
The laughter sounded like needles piercing Shen Huanyu's heart, making her even more insanely jealous.
The others secretly laughed when they saw Shen Huanyu's disheveled appearance. She had dressed up so extravagantly today, but she couldn't even compare to a strand of the Imperial Concubine's hair. She looked like a clown.
The dancer, witnessing this scene, felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped her beauty and dance would attract the Emperor's attention, but it turned out that his eyes were only for the Imperial Concubine.
Her dance steps gradually became somewhat disordered. She glanced at Xie Siyuan and saw him slightly shake his head at her. The dancer felt a chill and resumed her calm dance.
After the dancers finished their performance, Madam Xu gave Shen Huanyu a wink. Shen Huanyu stood up, walked to the main hall, and bowed. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I, Shen Huanyu, would like to offer a dance for tonight's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet to enhance the festive atmosphere."
As Shen Huanyu spoke, she secretly glanced at Xie Yanhuai, a hint of expectation in her heart.
Xie Yanhuai looked at Shen Chumo, who smiled faintly and nodded slightly, "Granted."
After receiving permission, Shen Huanyu went to a corner and took off her outer garment, revealing a purple dance dress underneath. The dress was embroidered with exquisite floral patterns, and as she moved, the skirt swayed gently, like blooming flowers, clearly indicating that she had come prepared.
As the music began, Shen Huanyu started to dance gracefully. Her movements were fluid and agile; she twirled lightly, her purple skirt blooming like a dazzling flower.
Shen Huanyu's gaze would occasionally drift towards Xie Yanhuai and the King of Chu, hoping to catch a glimpse of surprise or admiration on their faces.
However, Xie Yanhuai's expression remained calm, and he didn't even lift his face once, while Xie Siyuan kept his head down and ate his food.
Shen Huanyu almost lost her footing, but after taking a deep breath, she continued dancing. At this moment, everyone exclaimed in surprise as a swarm of butterflies flew in from outside the hall. They fluttered around Shen Huanyu, as if they were attracted by her dance.
The ministers and their families were all stunned by this sudden sight and exclaimed in admiration.
"The arrival of these butterflies is truly wondrous; the dance paired with these butterflies is like a fairyland."
"Miss Shen's dance is indeed captivating, attracting butterflies to accompany her; it's truly astonishing."
Surrounded by butterflies, Shen Huanyu danced even more energetically. After the dance, slightly out of breath, Shen Huanyu bowed to Xie Yanhuai, and everyone praised her. Shen Huanyu's face was full of a proud smile.
Shen Chumo smiled and praised, "Miss Shen's dance is indeed a feast for the eyes, I admire it."
After saying this, he gestured to the palace maid beside him to bring out the reward, which was a pair of exquisite jade bracelets. The jade was warm and smooth, and the bracelets were carved with delicate patterns. They emitted a soft luster under the candlelight.
Shen Huanyu said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, may I ask for a different reward?"
Shen Chumo raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What reward do you desire?"
Shen Huanyu lowered her head and said, "My family is small, and in the past it was just the two of us, Your Majesty and I. Now that Your Majesty has entered the palace, I miss you very much. So I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me permission to visit Your Majesty more often."
Her voice was soft and seemingly sincere, but who could not understand her thoughts? Wasn't Shen Huanyu determined to marry the King of Chu? Has she changed her target now? Has she taken a fancy to Xie Yanhuai?
Shen Chumo glanced at Xie Yanhuai. As his reputation as a tyrant faded, more and more women were trying to woo him, and the concubines in the harem were also starting to have their own ideas.
Xie Yanhuai felt Shen Chumo's gaze, his body tensed, and he gripped her hand tightly.
At this moment, the hall was completely silent, and no one dared to make a sound, for fear of angering the emperor.
Xie Yanhuai's face was frighteningly gloomy. He slammed his hand on the table, making a crisp sound.
Everyone was startled by this sudden action and lowered their heads.
Xie Yanhuai stared coldly at Shen Huanyu with a gloomy face, and said angrily, "What do you think the palace is? It's not a place you can just come and go as you please! You were drying powder to attract butterflies on the hem of your skirt, and you caught butterflies in advance and brought them into the palace."
When you dance, you release butterflies to create a false beauty and deceive the crowd. Do you really think I'm blind?
The Imperial Concubine showed you mercy out of consideration for your shared clan, bestowing upon you a reward, yet you are still so greedy; it's utterly laughable.