At this mont, everyone in the hall had snapped back to reality, and they all started screaming, with a few struggling to run outside.
But Qingzhu did not give them the opportunity.
That lean yet powerful hand pressed on the dark, unknown material of the flute, emitting sounds that were both light and heavy.
Instantly, all the won in the room stood frozen in place, just like the old eunuch from before, only able to move their eyes while the rest of their bodies remained immobile.
"If you want to live, sit still and don't move. Anyone who makes a sound will end up dead," Qingzhu declared.
The crowd was full of terrified faces, no one daring to utter even the slightest sound.
Qin Zhongyu naturally recognized Qi Yue.
But at this mont, he was filled with nothing but surprise and shock.
Half of the Imperial Guard had been dispatched, yet the person they were supposed to capture was right here!
He had already seen how formidable Qingzhu's martial arts were and did not consider himself a match, pondering how to call in the guards from outside, when he heard Qi Yue address him.
"Prince of Yan, upon eting an old friend, you don't even introduce us? Don't you welco us to watch the performance?" Qi Yue said.
Being suddenly called out, Qin Zhongyu was montarily startled.
He was completely baffled as to what exactly Qi Yue was up to.
Entering like this couldn't just be to watch the performance, could it?
"Zhong Yu, is this soone you know? What exactly is going on here?" the Western Chu Emperor demanded, no longer able to contain himself, and with a thunderous roar, he frightened Zhong Yu into kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, she... she is Qi Yue, daughter of the late Great General of Beiyuan, Qi Yunzhang," Zhong Yu explained.
... The lips of the Western Chu Emperor turned three shades whiter in an instant.
"... So Zhao Xiyan went to war against Donggao for your sake?" he asked.
After a brief mont of thought, Qi Yue slightly raised her eyebrows.
"—It seems that there was such a matter," she said nonchalantly.
The Western Chu Emperor's legs gave out, and he imdiately collapsed onto the chair behind him.
In the hall, everyone was murmuring and whispering among themselves.
"That's not right. Wasn't it said that Miss Qi is exceptionally ugly, as stout as a pig?"
"Exactly! Could there be so mistake? This woman is clearly a beauty of the heavenly order..."
"..."
Qi Yue ignored everyone's discussions, scanned around, and took a seat with the best view.
"Western Chu Emperor, may we continue with the song and dance performance?" she inquired.
The Western Chu Emperor looked around and, as if breathing a sigh of relief, waved his hand.
"Begin, begin quickly!" he ordered.
Instantly, the large hall was filled with music from the instrunts, and apart from that, not a single excessive sound could be heard.
Periodically, people glanced at Qi Yue, covertly exchanging looks and trying to guess her true intentions.
Qi Yue knew everyone was sizing her up, but remained nonchalant, evidently interested as she snacked on the lons and fruits on the table and sipped on her drink, truly fitting the role of a spectator.
The two noble family young ladies performing on stage were so unnerved by Qi Yue's gaze that they hit the wrong notes twice.
"Heh..." Qi Yue pressed her lips together and glanced at the Western Chu Emperor sideways.
"When it cos to singing and dancing, these noble family girls simply can't compare to a true Dancer," she remarked.
At her words, the expressions of those present turned grim, filled with anger.
The noble family young ladies and matrons seated at the lower end dared not speak out in anger, but the Empress Dowager could not sit still any longer.
With a crestfallen face, she pointed at Qi Yue and started to scold, "You vixen, completely shaless! How dare you compare our Western Chu noble family young ladies to re Dancers?"
As the Empress Dowager spoke out, the Western Chu Empress also showed a stern face, with a lofty attitude, she began to reprimand.
"Indeed, as a young lady of a noble family yourself, how could you say such a thing?"
Qin Lingwei, who had been too scared to speak up until now, saw soone taking the lead and charged out as well.
"Mother, look at that woman's appearance—she clearly knows nothing of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, yet here she is, mocking others,"
Apart from Qin Zhongyu, the several princes present were all staring at Qi Yue and whispering about her among themselves.
"I truly didn't expect it—Miss Qi Yue is so stunningly beautiful. Why would Princess Xiyang speak so poorly of her?"
"It must be jealousy. Doesn't Princess Xiyang always do this when she sees soone prettier than herself? She berates them first, then figures out a way…"
"...If Miss Qi Yue were my woman, I too would draw my sword for her!"
"...."
Qi Yue listened without a change in expression, leisurely eating a piece of pastry, then pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe her hands.
"Ahem…" She cleared her throat and raised her head to look at the Empress Dowager, her face ever smiling.
"I hadn't expected that Empress Dowager, at her venerable age, would still be so eager to learn. Since that is the case, I must take the ti to clarify the differences between noble ladies and dancers."
People originally thought Qi Yue wouldn't have anything nice to say as soon as she spoke up, but to their surprise, her words were quite courteous, leaving them sowhat astonished.
The Empress Dowager held her aged head high with pride on her face, resembling a huffy hen that had just laid an egg.
"Then speak, if you fail to explain clearly, I shall charge you with the cri of showing contempt for the Western Chu royal family!"
"Hahaha...," Qi Yue laughed heartily, "Well, that's quite a serious accusation."
She glanced at Qin Lingwei casually and snorted coldly.
"If that's the case, what cri should Princess Xiyang face for her wanton slander of my husband, Zhao Xiyan's, reputation, and her defamation of ?!"
These two sentences were delivered with a severe and serious chill, resonating powerfully and making everyone's heart skip a beat.
The Western Chu Emperor was an old fox at heart, and he had guessed the reason behind Qi Yue's sudden visit long ago; he was currently weighing his options.
His involvent in the Four-Nation Alliance was because Western Chu was thousands of miles away from Zhao Xiyan's Longnan County Governnt.
Even if the Four-Nation Alliance failed, it would not hurt Western Chu too deeply.
Moreover, his main goal was to use the pretense of deploying troops against Zhao Xiyan, to have the Western Chu army pass through Beiyuan, and take the opportunity to strike from within, catching the Beiyuan Emperor by surprise.
Frankly speaking, he wasn't ready to clash head-on with Zhao Xiyan.
After all, he was dealing with the woman who could provoke Zhao Xiyan to great anger.
With this in mind, he imdiately used a look to stop the Empress Dowager and others who were visibly angry.
"Miss Qi Yue, if it pleases you, why not let the dancers perform another piece?"
Hearing this, Qi Yue nodded in satisfaction.
"Since the Emperor offers so kindly, I would not refuse."
With that, the Western Chu Emperor waved his hand and imdiately, a young eunuch called out in a shrill voice.
"Let the dance begin—"
A large group of dancers then ca forward, swaying their hips, and started an enthusiastic performance.
During his thirty years on the throne, the Western Chu Emperor's greatest achievent was securing the allegiance of the tribes settled in the western Stone Mountain.
Decades passed, and the people of Western Chu not only traded with the tribes but even intermarried with them.
This resulted in a profound cultural influence from the tribes on Western Chu, which was characterized by a rugged, bewitching, and wild beauty.
This was evident not just in clothing and jewelry, or interior decoration, but also in the dances themselves.
The dancers, moving to the rhythm of the music, continuously twisted their half-exposed creamy waists, smiling as they tossed petals around Qi Yue.
They were utterly imrsed in the performance.
At the end of the routine, Qi Yue applauded and laughed heartily.
"Your Majesty, the reason I juxtaposed noble ladies with dancers is not to belittle anyone. Dancers make their living through dance and deserve praise if they perform well, but as for noble ladies…"
Pausing there, her expressive eyes sharpened as she swiftly glanced over the won in the hall, her gaze finally resting on Qin Lingwei.
The hearts of the won skipped a beat, and they looked at Qi Yue with a sense of anticipation they could not quite place.
Previously, they had never seen Qi Yue's true appearance, rely following Qin Lingwei in speaking ill of her.
Now, seeing that Qi Yue was not only not ugly but was indeed a rare beauty difficult to find in this world, they imdiately felt inferior.
Witnessing her unconventional manner and heroic bearing, they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Everyone held their breath, eager to hear what Qi Yue would say next.
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