Apart from Prince Ding, there were two more princes, Prince Zhou and Prince Jing. The crown prince was not in good health, so he would not attend such an occasion. Prince Zhou and Prince Jing were born of Consort Xu, and both of them were talented. Prince Zhou was more arrogant, and Prince Jing was reserved but shrewd. The two of them were also eyeing the throne covetously. Everyone knew that the crown prince was weak and would one day be replaced. In contrast, Consort Dong, the mother of Prince Ding, was much more low-key. If not for the fact that Prince Ding was outstanding, she probably would not even be able to survive in the palace.
In the previous life, when Prince Zhou and Prince Jing were involved in the competition for the throne, they let down their guard against Prince Ding. Firstly, Fu Xiuyi was on good terms with the Crown Prince and was always on the Crown Prince’s side, personally searching for precious herbs for the Crown Prince. The Empress was quite satisfied with Fu Xiuyi. Therefore, the rest of the people felt that Prince Ding was just a follower of the Crown Prince. Secondly, Fu Xiuyi was usually lofty and unworldly, and he disdained to participate in the affairs of the imperial court. Moreover, Consort Dong was a cautious person. She spent all her time chanting scriptures and cultivating Buddhism. Without the support of a powerful family, the empress thought that Prince Ding would not be able to cause any trouble.
But in fact, the person who sat on the throne in the end was Fu Xiuyi, who they thought would not be able to cause any trouble.
Shen Miao picked up a card and played with it. For example, Fu Xiuyi’s cards had been terrible since he was born, so everyone thought that he was out from the beginning. However, they did not know that he had never thought of using the cards in his hand. His cards were all in the hands of others, and what he wanted to do was snatch them.
“Why don’t you have any reaction?” Seeing that Shen Miao was silent and that she did not seem to get excited over seeing Fu Xiuyi, Feng Anning felt a little strange. “Don’t you like him?”
Shen Miao looked up at her.
Feng Anning was shocked. The fierce look on Shen Miao’s face made her heart skip a beat, and she almost couldn’t help but kneel down. She didn’t know why she felt that way, but she instinctively knew that what she had just said made Shen Miao unhappy. Feng Anning paused for a second and said, “Actually, I don’t like him much either. How can there be such a perfect person in the world? He doesn’t look real.”
This time, Shen Miao looked at Feng Anning seriously. She didn’t expect this arrogant lady from a rich family to be able to see through this. There were probably many people who were infatuated with Fu Xiuyi’s appearance. As long as Fu Xiuyi was willing, all the girls present would fall in love with him.
Shen Miao said slowly, “It seems like you have someone in mind.”
“W-What nonsense are you talking about?” Feng Anning’s face turned red. “Don’t spout nonsense again.”
Shen Miao stopped talking to her. She wasn’t in the mood to ask about what was on the girl’s mind.
She naturally had her own things to do.
People came one after another. Most of the seats in the Banquet had been taken.
……
In the chrysanthemum field of Yanbei Hall, a huge platform was built. Though the stage wasn’t lushly decorated, because the late emperor used to worship here, people present were all awe-stricken. On both sides, there were flags. Some soldiers in gowns were wearing red scarves and beating drums loudly.
The sound of drums echoed through the sky, and the musicians played the Guqin. The song being played was called “Wise Men’s Song”, which meant that the royal family was thirsty for talents. Today’s test was to choose talents for the country.
The sound of music and drums entered everyone’s ears and stirred their emotions. Most of the people present were young men, and they were in a hot-blooded state. They wanted to show their talent to everyone and build a good future for themselves in Ming Qi.
Even the girls couldn’t help but look excited. Although they couldn’t enter the imperial court and become officials like boys, their fathers and brothers were the pillars of the country. Their families were indomitable, and they were also blessed by the royal family.
On such an exciting and grand occasion, there was only one person whose eyes were cold and indifferent.
Shen Miao’s gaze landed on the person who was playing the Guqin at the center. This was what the Ming Qi Royal Family loved the most. They would make the young men work for the rotten royal family. However, in the end, once the country was settled, these men who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the country would rarely have a good ending.
Every new emperor would get rid of the old people, especially those who were involved in the competition for the throne because they simply knew too much.
These exciting songs would only become death songs in the future. And these young men who were immersed in their desire to serve the country would end up being brutally killed by the royal family as traitors.
She could not save the world, but she could save her own people.
Shen Miao gently raised her hand, and the corner of her right sleeve instantly brushed across the table. The teacup was knocked over, and a crisp sound rang out in the venue. It should have been inaudible, but compared to the rhythmic music, the crips sound was like one of the threads was pulled up from the neatly arranged threads, messing up the other threads.
With a bang, the rhythm of the music was disrupted.
Feng Anning suddenly came back to her senses, as if she had just woken from a deep sleep. She saw Shen Miao slowly picking up the teacup on the ground and saying with a smile. “I’m sorry, my hand slipped.”
The musician, who was playing the Guqin on the stage, almost fainted from the disruption.
Ming Qi had learned this kind of music from foreigners, and it was probably a little bewitching. It could stir up people’s emotions a little, and this song was a war song, which could intensify the fighting spirit and loyalty in people’s hearts. If someone listened the whole song, they would probably become stupid and loyal.
Shen Miao only knew how terrifying this music was when she became the empress. The Ming Qi royal family used such music to confuse the young people, making them shed their blood for them. When the Xiongnu invaded, the royal family sent people to recruit troops from the border. They let these musicians play the drums on the stage to bewitch the young men. After listening to this song, they would give up everything to join the army.
After being interrupted by Shen Miao, the musician became less and less enthusiastic. At the end of the music, it was no longer as impassioned as before.
However, what Shen Miao did just now still attracted the attention of some people. In the male section, Fu Xiuyi and Pei Lang looked over.
