A rebellious minister forced me to be a foolish king

Chapter 541: Night Banquet Watching Sword Dance

“It was Xiao... um..." Yuan Wuyou was about to say that Xiao Tongyan gave it to him, but then he realized that it was stolen goods and choked it back in a hurry. He turned around and saw Xiao Tongyan behind him, and felt even more guilty.

She had no choice but to glance at Xiao Qingzhi who came over to play with the cat.

"Why, has the prince seen this cat?"

Xiao Qingzhi shook his head, "No, it just looks new and strange, like the one in the painting. Where did the king get it? Can I give it to you?"

"I'm sorry, this cat means a lot to me and is very useful to me. I need it right now. Excuse me."

Xiao Qingzhi still stretched out a thin white arm to stop her, and couldn't help but move closer to her, lowering his voice and saying, "Your Majesty, please wait! Don't take what happened just now to heart... They have been flattered by the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues and have lost their humanity. What they said was unpleasant to hear. Your Majesty, please don't be angry about it, and don't take it out on Qingzhi."

"It has nothing to do with you, please go back, my lord."

The young man looked around and saw that no one followed him. Only Jia Luo, who was wearing armor, was guarding her. He gritted his teeth and said:

"Just in case the king doesn't understand, let me give you an example... In their education and cognition, even the lowest man, even if he has to beg for food, is more noble than all the women in the world. Even if he is a daughter of the emperor, maybe one day he meets the emperor's daughter on the street and rapes her. According to those disgusting customs, a woman who has lost her virginity is worthless and should be despised by the people and thrown into a pig cage. If he is merciful enough to marry her, she should be grateful and kneel down to beg him to be her son-in-law."

After talking for such a long time, Xiao Qingzhi found that she did not interrupt him. His heart skipped a beat and he raised his eyes cautiously. He found that she was looking at him with disdain, impatient but patient.

Xiao Qingzhi finally said, "I said all this just to explain to you what those people are thinking. Although there are many such pedants, there are many sober and normal people. The stability of the court requires such pedants, but it is not necessary to govern the country. Just stay away from these people, and don't hate me for being in cahoots with them..."

"Thank you for your explanation, Your Highness. I will take my leave now."

"The Lord cannot stay with me for long..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't obey your order. Please get out of the way!"

After sternly declining, Yuan Wuyou walked straight to the parade building opposite, followed closely by Jialuo and Xiao Tongyan, who were holding a cat.

***
There was no need to reveal her identity as the ruler of Huaxu State. Just by showing her face as Zheng Xuannu, the Queen of Runan, she was already a well-known acquaintance in Qi State, so naturally no one dared to stop her.

At that time, the parade building was hosting a grand palace banquet.

Taking advantage of the Southern Chen's diplomatic mission, Yuan Wuyou saw Gao Yanzong, dressed in snow-white clothes, dancing with a sword for the first time.

I guess the dance of "Entering the Battle" must have been over 800 years ago. Now Gao Yanzong is the only one standing on the high platform. He is wearing a snow-white long-sleeved shirt, holding a tasseled sword in his left hand, with his braided hair tied into a high ponytail, and his bangs are curled. As he twists his body, his feather sleeves and sword tassel dance together, making him look like an immortal!
Also, because he is left-handed, which is different from ordinary people, his moves and techniques are all very different and novel. When he dances with the sword, it is hard to predict where the tip of his sword will land next, but it is very entertaining.

The group of civil officials and scholars from the Southern Chen Dynasty in the stands praised him as "a fairy descended from heaven", and the Princess Wucheng in the audience, who was wearing an orange wide-sleeved fairy dress, called him "Brother Yanzong" all the time, and called him "a fairy official descended from heaven". They also praised him, saying that Brother Yanzong's smile was stunning and otherworldly, and his eyes were full of charm, no wonder they said that Qi was good at using beauty traps...

Yuan Wuyou and others who were standing far away at the door looking at the platform could only stand with Xiao Tongyan and the guards who were maintaining order.

Because he was too far away from the stage, Yuan Wuyou couldn't hear what was being said on the other end, but at least he could clearly see the person posing coquettishly.

Xiao Tongyan, who was concentrating on appreciating the dance, said with admiration:
"To be frank, King Ande looks best when he's alone, because he's not bound by emotions, and he's always like a peacock spreading its tail... shining brightly. He's worthy of being my only master." At this point, she glanced at the girl beside her, "In fact, it's not bad that he ended up in your family, but you two are not a good match, and you're not a good match as husband and wife. Just a fleeting romance is enough."

Yuan Wuyou did not reply to her, his eyes still fixed on the man on the stage without blinking.

The outstanding King Ande, rarely wearing a white shirt and dancing with a sword, had no affectation or femininity at all. He was truly what Xiao Tongyan called "free and easy spirit". The man had long limbs and powerful steps, strong yet gentle, and he intimidated people with every step.

Obviously, the Xizhou prince who danced in front of Yuan Wuyou just now was more graceful, with beautiful dancing posture and gorgeous manners; but the man in front of her who was both strong and gentle made her heart beat more. At this moment, she suddenly understood what "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" and "partiality" meant, because she felt that even if Gao Yanzong was wearing a mosquito net and was not dancing with a sword but chopping people, she would still think he was the most beautiful.

But Gao Yanzong was a prince of the royal family of the Great Qi Kingdom after all, and he did not dance to the princess in a servile manner this time. Instead, he jumped to the front of the stage with great grace and speed, and in full view of everyone, he suddenly turned his left wrist and stabbed the princess in the throat with a sword! He pointed at the princess' neck.

His sudden display of power, with the sword pointed at Princess Wucheng's throat, frightened her so much that she froze in place, forgetting even to dodge.

Gao Yanzong then twisted his wrist, withdrew his hand to make a sword flower, and turned around to end the attack.

When the dance was over, the State of Chen was in an uproar.

The area around the high platform was bustling with activity. Even if he tried to explain his behavior tactfully, his sword was meant to scare the enemy and frighten the people, which had offended the State of Chen to some extent.

In the midst of the uproar, someone suddenly shouted:
"The Lady of Runan has arrived!"

The envoys from Southern Chen who were present might not know who the Queen of Runan was, but everyone in Qi knew her multiple identities.

As the crowd made way for her, a one-armed girl in a red shirt came in, holding a tray with a golden dress in her right hand. A female general followed closely behind her, holding a white steamed bun in her arms.

"I have a golden brocade dress, which I would like to present to King Ande."

As she approached, she attracted the attention of the Southern Chen envoys, and someone recognized her on the spot: "Isn't this the dress that your majesty asked the Xiao family's son to give to the King of Fengling? How did it end up in the hands of your lady?"

Someone immediately stopped him: "You are stupid! Think about why it is in her hand?"

So everyone cast their surprised eyes towards the "Queen of Runan", the little Empress Huaxu, who was walking towards them from afar.

When Yuan Wuyou raised the tray in his right hand, King Ande had already walked down the platform briskly to take it.

Princess Chen, who was standing by, suddenly said, "This golden dress should be worn as an outer garment. It looks good when it sticks to your skin."

The man in white shirt who had walked in front of Yuan Wuyou and was reaching out his left hand to pick up the golden dress from the tray, turned his head and smiled at the princess.
"Oh? Princess, are you trying to trick the prince?"

Princess Wucheng's eyes were teasing. "Your Highness doesn't dare?"

"Why not?"

After saying that, Gao Yanzong didn't even say hello to the girl in front of him. He took off his white coat as if no one was around, picked up the golden dress decorated with gems on the tray, and treated Yuan Wuyou as a slave, or even ignored her like a wooden stake.