Consort Shu

CH 20: Mid Autumn Festival Family Banquet (1)

　　The Moon Viewing Pavilion, as the name suggests, was a place for appreciating the moon. The square and exquisite pavilions with vermilion eaves were adorned with delicate palace lanterns hung every twenty steps, resembling a myriad of stars sparkling in the night sky. A stage was set up in the center of the courtyard, facing the throne of the emperor and empress, while the concubines were seated on both sides according to their ranks. The palace maids, dressed in new pink attire, walked back and forth in a steady stream, serving various delicacies respectfully to the palace masters.

"I could not help but feel anger towards the mad man. Using his power and influence, he wanted to frame my husband. To save my husband, I personally went to the pavilion..."

The actress on the stage was reciting her lines with a melodious and clear voice. As she turns and swings her sleeves, her graceful movements exude a charming and graceful aura, making Shen Moyun's eyes fixed and interested. That's right, she could not understand what the person above was singing, but it didn't prevent her from appreciating the beauty's figure. It's just a pity that such a beautiful person was actually a man. If it were in modern times, she would still be able to handle it. Since coming to Da Qi, she hasn't engaged in such fantasies for a long time.

"Younger Sister Shu, do you also like watching plays? Look at how fascinated you are; even three shouts wouldn't bring you back to reality." Virtuous Consort Gao, inadvertently turning her head and saw Shen Moyun's fascinated expression. She could not help but teasingly push her shoulder.

Shen Moyun smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I got carried away for a moment and made eldest sister laugh."

　　Jiang Chongyi jokingly said, "It's not surprising that Eldest Sister Shu was fascinated; I almost couldn't snap out of it either. It shows that Elder Sister Shu has excellent taste." Now that she was pregnant, her status also increased. Although she still could not compare to the four consorts, but she spoke with a bit more confidence.

Shen Moyun lightly laughed, and pretended to be angry as she glared at Virtuous Consort Gao and Jiang Chongyi, saying, "You both love teasing me."

After exchanging a few jokes, the play above had just finished singing and was about to end. As it quieted down, the three of them waited for the three big shots to express their opinions.

As one act finished, the actress and others approached to solute together. The empress dowager nodded with a smile, "Not bad, reward!"

Someone promptly presented rewards, and the performers on stage, along with others, kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Empress Dowager." After stepping back, another group of people came forward to open a routine. This time, it was a martial arts performance. Shen Moyun watched for a while but didn't find it interesting, so she looked away, picked up some peanuts, and leisurely started peeling them.

At this moment, Empress Xiao turned to the empress dowager and said, "Mother Empress, the singing skills of this troupe are quite good. Do you want to select a few more plays?"

"No need. Aijia has already chosen. Now, let the rest of you make your selections. What about the emperor? Any favorite scenes?" The empress dowager first declined the Empress suggestion, then turned to the emperor sitting in the middle.

　　"Let the empress decide," Yuwen Xi suggested. Today was a family banquet, and they needed to give face to the empress.

Empress Xiao declined a few times before finally, under the emperor's urging, selecting a few plays. All were the ones the empress dowager usually liked. The empress dowager naturally understood that Empress Xiao was trying to please her, so she accepted with a smile.

However, Yuwen Xi looked around, and amid the sounds of drums and gongs, asked Empress Xiao, "Where is Xiao Jieyu? Why haven't I seen her?" He remembered sending someone to Cuiwei Palace with a message, and now Xiao Jieyu dared to defy the order and not come? His brows slightly furrowed, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.