sjar Chapter 272 Kangxi secretly watches the show begin
Chapter 272 Kangxi secretly watches the show begin
Kangxi was walking towards us from the front, his steps were steady but not intentionally heavy, he was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, his temperament was intimidating without even being powerful, and wherever his eyes went, people dared not look directly at him.
Everyone quickly stood up and bowed their heads in respect, and amid the thunderous applause, Kangxi, who seemed solemn and dignified, was secretly glancing at Shi Nanxi out of the corner of his eye.
Shi Nanxi maintained a kneeling posture at this time, and was keenly aware of Kangxi's gaze. Her slightly drooped eyelashes trembled, and she wanted to look up, but in the end she maintained the most standard posture and did not secretly look back at Kangxi as she did before.
Kangxi didn't see the gaze he wanted until he walked to his seat. His face was uncertain, but his hand suddenly clasped the jade ring.
"No courtesy, please get up."
Kangxi arrived and the bonfire banquet officially began. Palace servants came in one after another carrying trays. At this time, a burst of stringed instruments sounded, followed by the sound of tinkling bells.
The next moment, a woman in Mongolian costume came on stage with light dance steps.
Her face was covered with a veil, and she had bells on her wrists and ankles, which rang as she danced gracefully. Her appearance could not be seen because of the veil, but one could tell that she was an absolute beauty just by looking at her enchanting eyes.
As soon as she entered, her eyes were fixed on Kangxi. Although there were several beautiful dancers following behind her, everyone's attention was attracted by her.
Kangxi, who was sitting at the top of the table, was holding a wine glass. He had no idea how many times he had encountered this kind of situation, but he looked calm as usual.
But... he glanced at a little girl below without leaving a trace, only to find that she was also looking at the dancing woman.
As if noticing Kangxi's gaze, Shi Nanxi suddenly looked upward.
After their eyes met for just a second, she suddenly lowered her head, no longer looking at the masked woman or Kangxi.
But Kangxi's heart suddenly burst into great surprise. It seemed that the little girl was not indifferent to him and she was not suffering alone. He raised the corners of his mouth and his mood suddenly became happy.
However, others did not know that Kangxi was laughing because of Shi Nanxi, and thought it was because of the dancing beauty. The Mongolian princes laughed proudly, and the dancing beauty's waist was dancing so well that there was an afterimage, and the sound of ding-dong bells echoed throughout the banquet.
Fine wine, barbecue, and the passionate dance of beauties, illuminated by the dazzling bonfire, are truly breathtakingly beautiful.
The concubines on the scene looked calm but their teeth were almost broken. Where did this little devil come from? How could she be so shameless as to seduce the emperor in public?
Some people also looked at Empress Xian. Judging from the Emperor's attitude, he was finally going to be unable to sit still, right?
However, everyone was disappointed. Shi Nanxi lowered her eyes and picked up the roasted lamb seriously, without losing her composure as everyone expected.
After a while, the dance finally ended. The veiled woman who led the dance stopped her last move, stood still, placed her right palm on the back of her left hand, raised it to her forehead, and bowed:
"Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, this is the dance that Wuyudai presented to you. Thank you for accepting Khalkha's submission, protecting Wuyudai's tribe from the Junggar tribe's encroachment, and granting Khalkha's blessing. Wuyudai would like to express her respect and admiration for you. Could you give Wuyudai a chance to accompany you?"
As she spoke, she raised her hand to pull down her veil. A slight gasp was heard in the audience. This Wu Yudai looked to be about twenty years old, in the prime of her life. Her body was fully developed, thin where it should be thin, and plump where it should be plump.
Her face was like an oil painting with rich colors, with stunning colors. Her skin tone was darker than the fair-skinned nobles from the Forbidden City, but it seemed more vibrant, and she had the plump charm of a married woman. It was a kind of beauty that was completely different from the pampered ladies in the harem.
The sound of stringed instruments stopped at some point, and the place was silent. Everyone was watching this scene. Wu Yudai's meaning was very straightforward, but would the emperor... accept it?
Kangxi looked at Wu Youdai from the top. She was indeed a rare beauty. Such a beauty said in public with admiration that she admired him and asked for a chance to accompany him. If there was no little girl, he would have taken her in.
But after a series of events that happened after he mistakenly recognized Chen Da Ying, Kangxi's heart suddenly skipped a beat when he heard Wu Youdai's words. He quickly looked down at the little girl below with a nervous expression, and had only one thought in his mind.
Little girl, please don’t misunderstand him! He didn’t know that Wu Yudai would say such a thing at the banquet!
If Kangxi knew what PTSD meant, he would know why he was reacting like this.
He didn't know, he just knew that he finally found out that the little girl was not indifferent to him, and there was a possibility for the two of them to reconcile, and no one could affect this possibility.
So he said righteously:
"My acceptance of Khalkha's submission was a joint decision made by the Qing court officials, so there is no need to thank me specially."
Then he paused:
"Your dance is very good, but Empress Xian has been feeling unwell recently and needs to rest. Your bell is not conducive to Empress Xian's health."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire huge banquet hall became so quiet that it seemed as if the wind had stopped.
Many people were still unable to react and felt their jaws drop. It was fine that the emperor didn't want to accept Wu Yudai, but wasn't this reason too... hurtful?
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Shi Nanxi. Shi Nanxi's hand holding the chopsticks paused, her eyelashes trembled violently, then she slowly raised her head, ignoring the burning gazes of the audience, she looked at Kangxi, and Kangxi was also looking at her.
Their eyes met. This was the first time they had looked into each other's eyes since the hot spring in Rehe Palace, except for the time when they just looked at each other for one second and then quickly looked away.
Kangxi's eyes were as deep as ever, but Shi Nanxi could see the deep longing and anxiety hidden in them.
Kangxi looked at the little girl's palm-sized face and thin body. Maybe she was tired from the journey, so her face was not as rosy as before. His heart suddenly ached and he regretted it more and more.
How could he, an emperor, care about a little girl?
It was his fault in the first place. He actually mistook Chen Da Ying for her and was angry with her. She didn't even go to see him when she was feeling unwell, but instead went to those concubines every day to deliberately make her angry!
She was so fragile and simple, and only had him in her heart. I don’t know how she managed to get through this period of time. What’s even worse is that he even brought Xixi back home. The little girl was so sad and upset. He was wrong, very wrong!
Shi Nanxi looked at Kangxi, then glanced at the stunningly beautiful Wu Youdai. Thinking of Kangxi's refusal, her expression was somewhat moved, as if the ice was gradually melting.
Kangxi, who noticed this, did not care about being upset, but was overjoyed. Sure enough, as long as he explained clearly, the little girl would not misunderstand him. He became more determined in this idea, and then he remembered something and said in a softer voice:
"Empress Xian, you are not feeling well. You need to rest well. I hunted a white fox today and will make a white fox cloak for you when it is ready. You are weak and it is cold in winter, so this cloak is just right for you."
Shi Nanxi was a little hesitant, but in front of everyone, she lowered her eyelashes slightly, stood up and was about to bow to express her gratitude, but was stopped by Kangxi.
"You're not feeling well, just sit down."
Looking at this scene, the rejected Wu Youdai raised her eyebrows, but did not react much. Instead, those people who were jealous and malicious at the beginning and said that Concubine Xian could get good things by seducing men with her beauty became as stiff as death.
Those who were going to perform tonight could not wait any longer.
The show is about to begin.