Chapter 108 Birthday Banquet (3)
After taking his seat, Zhou Yan cast his gaze towards the arrogant Zhao Ziheng without being noticed, and took in the paleness on his face, with a subtle smile on the corner of his lips; however, even this subtle smile with provocation and sarcasm was still caught by several people present, Zhao Ziheng himself was one of them, because he had never taken his eyes off Zhou Yan from the moment he appeared, so he knew very well what Zhou Yan's smile meant, but he said nothing.
Soon, the performance started again, but after Zhou Yan's short interlude, the atmosphere of the banquet seemed to have changed a lot, and it took a long time to get back to the previous feeling. It seemed that the atmosphere of the entire venue had changed inadvertently because of Zhou Yan's arrival, while the parties involved were drinking as if it had nothing to do with them.
Dongfang Yan, who was sitting at the front of all the seats, next to Zhao Ziheng's left hand, noticed something strange between Zhou Yan and Zhao Ziheng. He looked back and forth at Zhou Yan and Zhao Ziheng with a look of wanting to see through them. He could feel the unusual atmosphere between the two, but it didn't affect him. He put the empty wine glass back on the table, looked at Zhao Ziheng and said, "King Zhao."
Dongfang Yan's voice seemed unusually loud , or perhaps he deliberately raised the volume, so Zhao Ziheng shifted his gaze from Zhou Yan to him, and everyone else, including Zhou Yan, also shifted his gaze.
"It's a rare opportunity for the King of Zhou to attend. I have prepared a special program. I wonder if the King of Zhao, the Queen Mother, the King of Jing, and everyone present are interested?"
Dongfang Yan's gaze turned to Zhou Yan again, and he looked at Zhou Yan with a smile, not as if he was notifying him. The latter returned him an unfathomable smile. This abnormal phenomenon made Dongfang Yan feel like he was electrocuted and he immediately withdrew his playful smile. Few people present Zhao Ziheng. In addition to several ministers who were usually valued by Zhao Ziheng, there was also Jiang Yu, who had caused a small commotion on the eve of the banquet.
"It's rare that Prince Lian has this kind of interest. Of course, my mother and I are willing to do so. I believe Prince Jing and everyone present here also have this intention."
Zhao Ziheng's deep, magnetic voice sounded, with a smile without any emotion on his face. With Zhao Ziheng's consent, the dancers who were still performing tactfully left one after another. Dongfang Yan then clapped his hands twice, and soon women wearing clothes with [Refining Country] characteristics stepped out from the curtain on one side of the hall. The distinctive outfits were eye-catching. In the middle of the hall, eight women pulled open a large white cloth, and then added a copper container filled with black liquid, which made others curious.
Under the curious gazes of the crowd, as the music sounded, a woman dressed in a green feathered dress appeared in front of everyone like falling from the sky. Her graceful figure and beautiful face were stunning, and her pair of talking eyes and noble temperament were even more fascinating. The woman began to dance solo accompanied by the light melody.
The dance of the woman in green was so unique that everyone could not take their eyes off her. When she danced on the white cloth with her slender feet and dipped in black liquid, marks were immediately left on the white cloth. Most people were surprised by her peculiar dance, while others were puzzled by her behavior. The graceful dance was always the focus of everyone, but there were still some people who paid more attention to the piece of white cloth under her feet that was rendered black, because that was the key.
At the end of the song, the woman in green used her scarf to sweep up the white cloth that had been under her feet, and a landscape painting with poems appeared in front of everyone. Then, as she floated down, the eight women put the painting aside and held it in their hands, leaning towards Zhao Ziheng who was sitting on the throne. For a long time, people were stunned. Only the woman in green walked to the front of the hall calmly and paid her respects to Zhao Ziheng...
"Your Majesty, this is my daughter, the princess of the Kingdom of Lian."
"Dongfang Xiyuan wishes the King of Zhao a long life and the Queen Mother a thousand years. I wish the Queen Mother happiness as vast as the East Sea and a long life."
After Dongfang Yan's brief introduction, the clear and pleasant voice of the woman in green rang out in the hall, causing a commotion, but then it quickly quieted down. After all, speaking in such an occasion and at such a time was impolite and not allowed.
"So this is the Princess Xiyuan , the talented and beautiful Princess who is known as the Pearl of the Orient? Please stand up quickly."
"Thank you, Queen."
Dongfang Xiyuan looked up. Her watery eyes were even more attractive at a close distance. Her beautiful face made people's heart flutter. The Queen Mother was immediately overjoyed and said: "I have heard that the princess is multi-talented. Just now, she performed the three arts of dance, calligraphy and painting together, which was amazing. In addition, the princess is beautiful. Who in the world can compare with her? Your Majesty, don't you think so?"
"Yes, it is indeed novel. The princess's performance is also eye-catching. Being able to perform dance, calligraphy and painting at the same time is not only creative, but I am afraid that no one in the world can do it."
Zhao Ziheng had a polite smile on his face, and his tone was extremely flat when he spoke words of praise. The others were recalling the dance just now, while looking at the princess in front of them, who was known as the Pearl of the Orient, with envy. Both her performance and her looks were mouth-watering, but they did not cheer because of the occasion.
