Chapter 443: Chapter 443 Palace Banquet (15)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After the song ended, the Emperor laughed and said, “Not bad. You sure have improved quite a bit recently. Xinran, you have to work harder in the future and strive to play a famous piece as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Imperial Father. 1 will definitely work hard and let you hear a famous song I can play as soon as possible,” the Eighth Princess replied.
“Alright, alright. Father will be waiting.” The Emperor nodded.
The Eighth Princess left obediently after that.
The Empress then called out the names of a few young ladies. They were all excellent in their crafts, be it singing, dancing, or painting.
Soon, it was the Yang family’s turn. It was unimown if the Empress deliberately stifled Yang Wanning, but she called Yang Wanyu up first.
After Yang Wanyu went up, she performed an intricate dance. Unfortunately, the dance did not go well because of the difficulty, and her body was not flexible enough.
Perhaps she had also noticed this, so she sulked when she went down.
Next was Yang Wanning. She did not expect the Empress to give her a chance to show off her chess skills, which she was best at.
Yang Wanning hesitated momentarily but still went up to play against Grand Scholar Sun, who was excellent at chess.
Initially, the Grand Scholar was at a disadvantage, but he quickly tied the score and won against Yang Wanning in the end.
Finally, he commented, “Miss Yang’s chess skills are pretty good. Your layout is exquisite, and I’m sure not many people here are your opponents.
“However, what you lack is endurance and a calm heart. Only when your heart is completely calm can you judge what to do next.”
“I’ve learned my lesson. Thank you for your advice, Lord Sun.” Yang Wanning bowed.
At the same time, she started to self-reflect, as it was said that chess was like life. She was not calm, and it seemed that she had to practice more and pay more attention in the future.
“Let’s play again if there’s a chance.” The Grand Scholar Sun returned the bow, turned around, and left.
Next was Zhou Jiaqing, and her performance was calligraphy. Although it lacked the strength and charm, her handwriting was still quite pretty.
After being flattered by everyone, Zhou Jiaqing looked at Zhou Ying with a proud expression and said, “Zhou Ying, you haven’t shown your face in front of everyone yet. Why don’t you take this opportunity to show everyone your talent?”
“Your Majesty, may 1?” she asked the Empress.
Principal Zhou and Madam Zhou’s expressions turned ugly. This was because Zhou Ying wasn’t giving the Zhou family the time of day.
If she exposed the truth, the Zhou family would lose all their face.
The Empress Dowager and Consort An’s expressions also turned. They knew Zhou Ying had grown up in the kitchen. She could not even read, let alone have the talent to perform. Wasn’t this just purely embarrassing for her?
Madam Cui and her daughter were also delighted. If Zhou Ying embarrassed herself here, she would have to lower her head before them in the future.
Yang Wanyu gloated, while Yang Wanning was full of worry.
The Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming were filled with curiosity because the Zhou Ying they had come into contact with was very different from the one in the rumors, so they hoped Zhou Ying would be able to create a miracle.
“Let’s see Lady Gu’s intention.” The Empress hesitated for a moment before replying.
She could not figure out why the Emperor would suddenly put Gu Chengrui under the name of Ping Yang. Hence, it was best not to offend him.
“How about it, Zhou Ying? Do you want to try?” Zhou Jiaqing tried to force Zhou Ying again.
“Qing’er, don’t be so rude. Quickly, come back here.” Principal Zhou put down his cup and scolded sternly.
Zhou Jiaqing didn’t retreat after hearing that. Instead, she looked at Zhou Ying provocatively..