In the blink of an eye, the palace banquet has quietly come, and the palace Lingxiao Hall is supported by a number of lacquered red stone pillars, and the pillars are engraved with a swirling coiled, lifelike golden dragon, which is extremely magnificent. The palace is resplendent in gold, and on the dragon chair, sitting is the supreme ruler of the Li country, Emperor Qi.

Emperor Qi is only half a hundred, but he has exhausted his body due to play, and now his face is sallow and his eyes are drooping. doesn't look like an emperor, it's more like a prostitute with a lost body.

Below, the singing and dancing are leveling, and the sleeves are fluttering and the music is melodious.

"Smack." Gonggong Feng, the eunuch in charge of the palace, clapped his hands and signaled a pause.

The musicians of the Church Division stopped playing, and the dancers bowed and retreated to the sides.

"Courtiers come to you."

Father-in-law Feng's sharp voice sounded, and the minister outside straightened his official hat and arranged his sleeves. Mrs. Decree is also a member of the imperial court, so she is also listed among the courtiers of the Li State. It's just that men are inferior to women, and the five ladies can only wear beaded curtains and veils and follow behind many male courtiers.

"Long live the emperor, long live." The courtiers knelt down in worship.

"No courtesy." Emperor Qi crossed the walnut in his hand and raised his hand to signal.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Are you all here?" Emperor Qi tilted his head and stared at Gonggong Feng.

Gonggong Feng saluted respectfully: "Back to Your Majesty, in Beijing, except for General Huaiyuan and Mrs. Yue, who are inconvenient, the rest are here." ”

"Yue Xun's wife is here too? I heard that I married the daughter of a merchant, so I will have to take a good look at it at the banquet later. Emperor Qi smiled sarcastically, got up and walked out of the dragon ladder: "Go out with me to meet the Hun mission." ”

"Yes." The ministers despised the Huns in their hearts, but no one dared to show it.

The music started, the courtiers were divided into two rows, Emperor Qi stood in the middle of the cloud ladder, looking at the mighty approaching mission in the distance, the front was a black man holding the Hun deer-shaped totem flag, and behind was a man who could not see clearly, followed by four messengers.

After the mission walked down the ladder, it was only then that they were able to get a glimpse of their true faces. Hu Yanzhi has Han Chinese blood, and his appearance is not as rough and dark as the ordinary Huns, but he has a rather amorous face, a fair complexion like snow, deep peach blossom eyes, and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in a dark green satin robe with gold trim at the corners, a jade belt around his waist, and a malachite pendant around his neck and ears, which symbolized his royal status.

"Hun prince Hu Yanzhi see Your Majesty." Hu Yanzhi pressed his right hand on his shoulder, bent down slightly, and made an irregular salute to Emperor Qi.

"See Your Majesty." The Hun envoys saluted with sneers on their faces.

Hearing this voice, Rou Yun's eyes widened in shock, as if to confirm something, raised her head slightly, and glanced at the Hun mission with her residual vision, yes, the three people you met in Taibailou were Huns.

"Bold!" An official stood up and accused angrily: "Hu Yanzhi, when you see the emperor, you don't bow your head and bow down, you are disrespectful to Your Majesty." ”

Hu Yanzhi said unhurriedly: "Why can't this prince do the etiquette of his own tribe, Your Majesty Emperor Qi invited us to come to negotiate peace, is it possible to make it difficult in public?" Then he said: "It's you, it's not like this king to salute, and you still shout the full name of this king in public without respect and humility, and you don't know about such trespassing, and Emperor Qi doesn't care." ”

Emperor Qi smiled meaningfully at Shanghu Yanzhi, his eyes were gloomy, and his heart was itching with hatred, but he still pointed at the official with a shy face and ordered: "Come on, press him down and put him on death row." ”

"Your Majesty? Emperor! The old minister is right, the old minister is all for you, the emperor. The official was dragged down by the guards, embarrassed.

"Your Majesty." Hu Yanzhi smiled lightly.

Emperor Qi calmed down and greeted warmly: "Prince, please move to the Imperial Garden, the banquet will start immediately." ”

"Then thank Your Majesty." Hu Yanzhi had noticed that someone was staring at him from the beginning, but the palace was heavily guarded, and he was not allowed to look for that gaze.

Rou Yun was wearing a heavy phoenix crown, her head was slightly sinking, and at the end of the greeting, she was led by the maidservant to the warm pavilion next to the imperial garden to change her clothes.

"The young lady is tired." Layue stepped forward and took off the phoenix crown.

Rou Yun was relieved, breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the herbal tea on the table and drank it all.

"Yun'er is back." Guo Shi heard the voice and came from the next room: "The banquet will start later, change your clothes, and you have to leave after resting, it's not good to be late." ”

"Don't worry, young lady, the slave maid has sharp hands and feet." Layue pulled her hair in a bun to soothe.

Rou Yun and Guo looked at each other and smiled, Layue was trained by the old lady and was very reliable.

Xiashan Courtyard is located on the side of the Imperial Garden, with pavilions and pavilions, ponds and pavilions. Reflected in the green cypress. Rockeries, flower beds, bonsai, vines and green leaves, dotted in between.

The courtiers were seated in the pavilion and received by the palace eunuchs. And the ladies were seated in the courtyard, together with the Hun envoys.

Rou Yun and Guo sat in the corner, and now that the Yue family is in an embarrassing position, it is better to show less and be less in the limelight.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived." Gonggong Feng pulled the broken gong again.

Traveling with Emperor Qi and Empress Xue, there are also Concubine Wen, the fifth prince, the sixth prince, and the princess.

"See the Emperor, the Empress." The ladies curtsied.

"No courtesy." Emperor Qi said.

"You may be seated." Empress Xue raised her hand slightly, but she looked a little restrained.

Empress Xue's background is not high, and her father is only a sixth-rank official in the court. Because the Queen Mother is her aunt, in order to protect the glory of the Xue family, so she was elected as the princess and concubine in the early years, after the death of the Queen Mother, although Queen Xue is the master of the middle palace, but there is no backer to rely on, her status has plummeted, and her demeanor and temperament are not as good as the Wen Guifei from a famous family.

Concubine Wen and Concubine Xiao are the same batch of show girls who entered the palace in the draft, Xiao Guifei was very beautiful and loved by Emperor Qi, and the Wen family was just a little nobleman at that time. After the death of Concubine Xiao, Concubine Wen was very thoughtful and had a lot of means, and her clothing habits were all like Xiao's, and Emperor Qi loved her, and her status was close to the back position.

"Your Majesty, is there a banquet? Everyone must be starving. Concubine Wen snuggled up to Emperor Qi, and her jade hands dyed with phoenix tails pulled her sleeves and were coquettish.

"Okay, let's have a feast." Emperor Qi stroked the concubine's tender jade hand, and his heart was relaxed.

Queen Xue was dignified on the surface, but behind her back, she clasped the corner of the table and scolded the slut.

The singing and dancing are leveled, and the music is melodious. After three rounds of drinking, the atmosphere of the audience slowly dissipated.

Hu Yanzhi drank the wine, feeling bored, stood up with a wine glass, and said to Emperor Qi: "Your Majesty, about the conditions for peace?" ”

The words were not explained, but it could be regarded as saving a little face for Li Guo, Rou Yun and Guo glanced at each other, and they all knew that there must be an explanation for the matter of harmony.

"Prince Huyan!" Empress Xue hurriedly got up and picked up the wine glass in return: "The female dependents present have many talents, why not talk about it after the reward." ”

Emperor Qi's face was a little ugly, and the queen's behavior was reckless, which was really irregular. But after thinking about it, Duan Shu is the only daughter of the two, and it should be in a hurry, so I don't care about it.

"If the queen says so, then we'll see." Hu Yanzhi has a deep meaning, as if he has seen through this trick.

"Come, bring the reward."

Emperor Qi gave an order, and Gonggong Feng brought the treasure covered with a red handkerchief.

Emperor Qi got up and stepped forward to unveil it: "This is Yuncao, a precious treasure of the Xiongnu tribe, today in front of the mission, if anyone gets the leader, then this Yuncao belongs to whom." ”

Of course, the envoys knew that this was the first generation of Da Dan Yu to pay tribute and sue for peace, so their faces were not good-looking, and Emperor Qi's move was a slap in the face.

"Your Majesty." Huyanzhi doesn't care, ten years in Hedong and ten years in Hexi, now that the offense and defense have changed, what if they pretend to save face.

Empress Xue saw that Yuncao's attraction was enough, and asked, "Is there anyone who is willing to perform on stage?" ”

The ladies were silent for a moment, and then the older women began to agitate the girls in the house, who saw this as an opportunity to win the favor of the emperor and queen and marry into the royal family.

"The courtiers are ugly." A woman in yellow got up and smiled shyly: "I am willing to play a song and make friends with Seri Ho Li Hun ." ”

"That's the daughter of the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, with the same surname as me." Kwok leaned in to explain to Rou Yun.

Miss Guo's face is like a peach blossom, caressing the guzheng, the music is very graceful, and the aftersound is lingering, and the ears are full of joy.

Empress Xue looked satisfied, and Yu Guang secretly glanced at Hu Yanzhi, but found that he was not interested. But his son was fascinated by it, and Empress Xue hated that iron could not become steel, and she was also puzzled in her heart, could it be that the Huns didn't like this elegant thing.

After the song was played, Miss Guo saluted and smiled shyly: "The courtiers are ugly." ”

Although he said it to the emperor and queen, he looked directly at the six princes, hoping to get a little comment from him. It's a pity that Huo Yan didn't care. She had no choice but to retreat in disappointment.

"Who else is willing to do next?" Xue asked.

"The courtiers wish." Another woman in purple got up, and the woman smiled: "I wish to paint and wish Li Guo a prosperous flower." ”

"Good! Miss Zhao, please. ”

Guo Shi came closer to explain: "Zhao Shuang, the daughter of Shaoqing of Dali Temple. ”

The ladies who went to the banquet were all prepared, and the talent presentation was all eye-catching. In this way, when six or seven people were in turn, and everyone was tired, the rough voice of the envoy came: "I heard that the female name of Li Guoqu is spread all over the world, why don't you come out to perform a skill." ”

Concubine Wen smiled charmingly: "The envoy doesn't know, Qu Nu is the side concubine of the fifth prince, the daughter-in-law of the queen's mother, how to perform." ”

"I heard that Qu Nu is the wife of the Yue family who has not passed through the door, how did she become the side concubine of the prince, and you still have the custom of snatching wives in the Li Kingdom?"

When the Xiongnu mission entered Beijing, it had already inquired about the situation, and this was just to embarrass the royal family. Sure enough, Emperor Qi's face was a little ugly, and he glared at Empress Xue, while Concubine Wen watched the show from the sidelines.

"Ping'er..."Emperor Qi's eyes signaled.

Qu Ping raised his eyes to look at the five princes and Empress Xue, and saw that their eyes were misty and he didn't care. I can only get up and salute: "It's ugly." ”

Rou Yun leaned forward, wanting to see Yue Xun's former fiancée.

Guo Shi laughed: "If you are not beautiful, don't be afraid." ”

Rou Yun's cheeks were slightly red: "I'm not looking at this." ”

Qu Ping wore a navy blue and blue brocade cui dress, wearing a crown of gold silk eight treasure beads, her eyebrows were picturesque, but she looked haggard. In the show of wisdom, there are thousands of manners, but he lost his aura because of excessive etiquette. A pipa, noisy and miscellaneous, big beads and small beads fall on the jade plate.

With a bang, the string shaft broke, and Qu Ping knelt down with a pale face: "I hope Your Majesty will forgive your sins." ”

Emperor Qi's brows were twisted into one piece, Empress Xue and the five princes hated iron even more, and the female relatives present secretly hid their faces and laughed.

"Hahaha, the first talented woman in the country of Li is nothing more than that." The Hun envoys exchanged heads.

"Don't go down yet!" Empress Xue forced a smile.

Emperor Qi coughed and changed the topic: "Yuexun's wife is here today?" ”

Compared with Emperor Qi, the only thing that was more ruthless than the Huns was the Xuanwu Army that fought against it several times, and hundreds of thousands of Huns died under the Xuanwu Army.

Guo Shi panicked, holding down Rou Yun's hand and gradually grasping it, the old lady asked her to take good care of her younger siblings, but Emperor Qi has a call, can she still pretend not to hear it?

"Sister-in-law is fine." Rou Yun hooked her lips and smiled.

Rou Yun stood up, and the tassels on her waist made a subtle collision sound, crisp and elegant.

"Courtiers, Your Majesty, Queen." Leaning over softly, the sound is like heaven, but it is like floating in the clouds, ethereal and ethereal.

"Look up." Empress Xue ordered and tried to borrow her to save face for Qu Ping.

Rou Yun raised her head, and a beautiful face was presented in front of everyone, with double pupils and water cuts, moth eyebrows, snow skin and red lips, concubine-colored beaded plum blossom pattern gown, tender goose yellow fairy skirt, sideburns like ink and ruby plum blossom hosta, slim and elegant, out of the dust.

At this glance, no matter how high and self-reliant people are, they will lose their spirits.

"Yue Xun is blessed to marry a beautiful Jiao'e." Emperor Qi secretly sighed that it was a pity that the concubines in the palace were nothing compared to her. I'm afraid that there will be no one in the world to compare with it.

"yes." Empress Xue was also shocked when she saw this, and she couldn't imagine that compared to the deceased Xiao Guifei, this appearance was really surpassed.

Huo Yan's expression was complicated, and he didn't know whether to meet Yue Yue again, or to be sad because she was a wife.