Instantly, everyone looked over, and the crowd knelt uniformly in unison, “Greetings to the Emperor and Prince Chen.”
Mo Qingchen glanced down at Su WanYing kneeling at the forefront, his voice icy cold, “You are merely a collateral branch daughter of the Su Family. Su Shen brought you back and raised you under his son Su Huaixin’s care, barely allowing you to address the Empress as your aunt. But you’d best not forget your place.”
Su WanYing knelt there, feeling as though the blood in her entire body was freezing from the chilling aura emanating from Prince Chen. She prostrated on the ground, not daring to utter a single word.
Mo Hongqi observed Mo Qingchen’s anger and thought to himself, This kid still refuses to admit he has feelings for Yun’er.
Ye Yun, sitting nearby, stood up and walked over to Mo Qingchen upon seeing him. Without any reservation, she leaned close to his side and smiled brightly, “What brings you here?”
Mo Qingchen, noticing Ye Yun holding his arm, cleared his throat lightly, “His Majesty is right here. You should pay your respects first.”
Ye Yun released his hand and went over to bow, “Yun’er pays respects to the Emperor.”
Mo Hongqi helped Ye Yun up and gently patted her head, “No need for formalities, Yun’er.”
He noticed the jade pendant hanging at Ye Yun’s waist and simply smiled. As for whether it was truly as his younger brother had said—that he gave her the pendant because she had helped him—he did not press further.
Then, he addressed the kneeling crowd, “Very well, all of you may rise.”
As Su WanYing stood up, Mo Hongqi said sternly, “Su Huaixin, as the Minister of Rites, should be well-versed in rules and etiquette. He must be mindful of what should and should not be said, so as not to disgrace the Empress and the Su Family.”
“Your servant will bear Your Majesty’s teachings in mind,” Su WanYing bowed in response, secretly seething with resentment. Damn it, why does everyone favor that sickly Ye Yun?
At that moment, Su Yuning and Liu Li also approached and stepped forward to pay their respects.
“The Empress and Noble Consort need not stand on ceremony,” Mo Hongqi said, turning to Su Yuning. “I’ve heard that the Empress has prepared something special today as a prize. It seems this Flower Banquet will be quite interesting!”
Su Yuning smiled in agreement, “Your Majesty’s presence alone is honor enough. The prize I’ve prepared is nothing in comparison.”
Liu Li added from the side, “Her Majesty the Empress has even brought out that treasured Snow Spirit Grass she has kept for years. Whichever young lady excels at today’s Flower Banquet will surely make a name for herself throughout the Imperial Capital!”
“Snow Spirit Grass?” Ye Yun murmured to herself.
Mo Qingchen noticed her reaction and asked softly, “Do you want it?”
“Yes, I’m considering it.”
Su WanYing, who happened to be standing near Ye Yun, overheard her words. “So Miss Ye is interested? It seems you also intend to showcase your talents alongside the other ladies present? I wonder which of the four arts—qin, chess, calligraphy, or painting—you have prepared?”
Ye Yun sneered, “How about this: whatever you choose to perform, I’ll do the same. What do you think?”
These are just trivial pastimes—things I used to kill time with in my previous life.
Su Yuning overheard Ye Yun and turned to look at her, “Yun’er, are you participating as well?”
Ye Yun stated plainly, “This subject is quite interested in the Empress’s Snow Spirit Grass.”
Su WanYing shot a sidelong glance at Ye Yun. You brought this upon yourself. She then said, “This subject has recently practiced a new piece and would like to request the Emperor and Empress’s appreciation.”
At this moment, Ye Yun faintly overheard some murmurs from nearby: “The Su Family’s young lady is accomplished in lute, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with her lute skills being particularly outstanding. How can Miss Ye possibly compare with her in a lute performance?”
Another person quietly chimed in: “Exactly. We’ve never heard of Miss Ye putting effort into these areas before. What if she goes up and doesn’t even know how to pluck the strings properly? Wouldn’t that be utterly embarrassing?”
Soon, someone else added: “That’s right. I originally thought I might at least make an appearance at this Hundred Flowers Banquet, but who would have expected Miss Ye to show up? Now, with Miss Su taking the stage, who would dare to follow?”
A few others nearby laughed: “Well, if we’re not going up, then we’re not. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.”
Su WanYing was quite pleased with their attitude. Ye Yun, I’ll make you realize who truly stands out in the Imperial Capital!
Ye Yun paid no mind to any of it and simply took a seat to the side.
The murmurs from that direction didn’t cease; people were still whispering, though the topic had shifted away from the competition between Ye Yun and Su WanYing: “Have you noticed that Prince Chen seems to treat Miss Ye quite differently? She just called off her engagement with the Crown Prince, so how is it that she’s already so close with Prince Chen? I wonder what skills she possesses.”
Another woman quickly cut her off: “How dare you speak so carelessly? The rivalry between Su WanYing and Ye Yun is their own affair. The status of the Ye Family is beyond our reach, and as for Prince Chen, he’s certainly not someone we can casually discuss. Do you have a death wish?”
At that, they all fell silent.
Lingzhi, attending to Ye Yun, grew anxious and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, are you sure you want to…”
“Don’t worry. Your young lady never does anything she’s not confident about.”
As soon as Ye Yun finished speaking, Mo Qingchen’s voice came from the seat beside her: “It seems you’re quite sure of yourself.”
“What, are you worried I’ll embarrass myself?” Ye Yun turned to him, her gaze filled with deep affection.
Feeling the intensity of her stare, Mo Qingchen reminded her, “Must you stare at me like that?”
“With so many people here, I only want to look at you. If I’m not staring at you, then who else should I be looking at?”
“You…” Mo Qingchen found himself completely helpless against her. Only she could be so bold without angering him.
In an instant, a strand of lute music began to flow, rising and falling, graceful and melodious… Before anyone realized it, the piece had concluded.
Su WanYing stood up and bowed slightly toward the seats of honor.
Su Yuning smiled and said, “The lingering notes are enchanting and leave one with endless aftertaste. Ying Er’s lute skills have improved yet again. What does Your Majesty think?”
Mo Hongqi nodded. “Not bad. This piece sounds fresh and captivating, with a unique charm.”
“Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty and Empress.” Su WanYing glanced over at Ye Yun, who was seated nearby. “I wonder if Miss Ye is ready now.”
Ye Yun rose and walked toward the center.
Su Yuning couldn’t resist asking, “I wonder what piece Yun’er plans to play. Could it be a new composition as well?”
“Empress, since we are here to listen, why not wait until Miss Ye finishes before discussing? Revealing it in advance would surely diminish the novelty.”
Liu Li smiled faintly. “This is Miss Ye’s first time performing before everyone. Why not let the sense of novelty be heightened? Your Majesty, what do you think of what I’ve said?”
“Consort, you speak with reason.” Mo Hongqi looked at Ye Yun and said gently, “Yun’er, just play your piece, there’s no need to be nervous.”
Ye Yun sat down before the qin table. Playing the qin was nothing more than a basic skill for her.
As her fingers danced across the strings, the music flowed forth—lively and carefree, unrestrained and free-spirited… Ye Yun noticed the Emperor and Empress above showing expressions of astonishment, and the reactions of others nearby could well be imagined. However, she was only curious about Mo Qingchen’s response.