Chapter 250 - A Contest Between Beauties!

Bu Tinghe stood quietly by the side with a smile on her face. She was like a graceful white lotus, silent but dazzling.

Seeing that everyone present was silent, Bu Jinglan chuckled and turned to look at Bu Tinghe. “Tinghe, perform a dance. If no one else comes up on stage, you can dedicate this dance to His Majesty.”

“Yes.” Bu Tinghe raised her eyes and glanced around the hall. Then she lowered her eyes and smiled. “Then please allow me a little time to get prepared.” After saying that, she slowly retreated.

By the time Bu Tinghe appeared again, she had already changed into a new set of clothes. Although the dress was still white, the waist part was exceptionally tight, making her waist look even more slender. The hem of her dress was exceptionally wide with many layers that spread like lotus petals.

She walked slowly to the center of the hall with a long piece of silk ribbon on her arm and crystal balls tied to both ends of the silk ribbon. She suddenly raised her arm and clapped her hands twice.

Twelve women in dancing clothes walked in with twelve double-sided drums painted with peonies. They stood on both sides in groups of six.

Before everyone could react, they heard a loud drum sound. Bu Tinghe, who was originally standing in the middle of the hall with her hands folded together, suddenly jumped up. She stretched her arms to both sides and shook the long silk ribbon fiercely. Both ends of the silk ribbon hit the drums like spirit snakes, producing two crisp sounds.

The wide dress started to spin as she leaped up. The layers of the cloth spread out just like lotuses in blossom!

People in the main hall cheered out loudly.

“Jumping up without any other help. How skillful!”

“That’s right. The two ends of the silk ribbon are tied with balls, so it takes more skills to maneuver the silk ribbon. This is amazing.”

At first, there were praises, but later, the praises quieted down. Everyone focused their attention on the dancing woman in the middle of the hall.

She was as light as a swallow, constantly jumping up high. The silk ribbon in her hand shuttled through the air and continuously produced sounds by hitting the drums.

The music became more and more intense, and her dancing became faster and faster. Later, the sound of the silk ribbon striking the drum became so dense that it made people very excited. Just when everyone thought that this was the limit, Bu Tinghe’s arms trembled. The silk ribbon skillfully flew back into her arms. The twelve maids around her suddenly formed a circle around her. Music rose abruptly and shot straight into the sky like a spirit snake.

Bu Tinghe spun on the spot, and the silk ribbon flew up and down around her. Every time, it hit the drum accurately, and the drumbeats seemed to resonate in people’s hearts.

No one had ever seen such a dance before, and they instantly understood why Bu Jinglan was so proud and confident.

Shen Ninghua’s eyes were cold. Her delicate eyebrows did not show the slightest bit of emotion. It seemed that her entire body was covered in a layer of clear and cold mist.

Suddenly, she got up and walked to the front of a Da’an musician and took the pipa from her hand.

Because Bu Tinghe had brought her own musicians, Da’an musicians had nothing to do and they sat at the side. Seeing that Shen Ninghua took her pipa, the musician quickly got up and gave her seat to Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua turned around and sat down. She stretched her sleeves and sat down cross-legged. Her aura suddenly became fierce. Perhaps because the aura around her elevated her temperament, everyone felt that she had suddenly become noble and majestic. She was still wearing simple makeup and princess attire, but the aura she gave off was completely different.

If Bu Tinghe could be described as the pure white Jade Lotus Fairy, at this moment, Shen Ninghua was like the queen in charge of all the flowers in the world. No matter how outstanding the Jade Lotus Fairy was, she had to bow down before the Queen of Flowers.

With just one simple movement, Shen Ninghua had exuded her aura to the maximum.

Shen Ninghua did not hesitate. After putting the pipa in position, her white fingers slashed across the strings. The sound was like a silver bottle that suddenly broke with water splashing out, or a cavalryman rushing forward with his spear clanging!

The powerful and cold sound instantly dominated the entire hall. Bu Tinghe’s dancing movements abruptly slowed down, and she was unable to keep up with the rhythm. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Shen Ninghua was actually playing the pipa. The unyielding feeling in her heart instantly rose. In the blink of an eye, she had already adjusted her dancing posture to keep up with Shen Ninghua’s rhythm.

Shen Ninghua’s eyes were filled with coldness as her fingers continued to sweep across the strings. The tune was like a stream that rushed forward with unstoppable momentum.

Beads of sweat oozed out from Bu Tinghe’s forehead. She could no longer keep up with Shen Ninghua’s rhythm. She bit the tip of her tongue fiercely to prevent herself from losing.

Suddenly, Shen Ninghua’s movements paused, and the pipa’s sound changed from as powerful as mountains and rivers to as gentle as a trickle. A scene of birds singing and flowers blooming instantly appeared in front of everyone.

Bu Tinghe couldn’t adjust her steps and fell to the ground. Her face instantly turned gloomy.

Shen Ninghua’s movements instantly stopped. She stretched her fingers and pressed them on the strings. The tune came to a complete stop.

The tune stopped at the most wonderful part as if a peerless painting was about to unfold in front of the audience but the person who displayed it suddenly stopped and even took the painting away.

The word “depressed” was not enough to describe people’s feelings. They were anxious and restless to the extent that they even wanted to step forward to ask Shen Ninghua to finish the tune if the occasion allowed.

Shen Ninghua handed the pipa to the dumbfounded musician and slowly walked to her seat. “Princess Wenhe had finished half of her dance, and she was a little exhausted. My pipa tune affected her rhythm and made her fall. I’m really sorry for that. Please don’t blame me, Your Highness.”

Bu Tinghe stood up. She had accidentally sprained her ankle and it was hurting, but the most uncomfortable feeling was from her heart. Previously, everyone in the hall had their gazes on her, but now, after Shen Ninghua’s interference, everyone’s attention was focused on her unfinished pipa tune!

Shen Ninghua completely robbed her of the limelight, leaving nothing behind for her! Before their departure, Bu Jinglan had reminded her and she was able to get prepared beforehand, but now it seemed that this Shen Ninghua was even more difficult to deal with than she had imagined!

She had painstakingly practiced dancing in order to embarrass Da’an at this banquet, but she didn’t expect that she not only failed, but also completely lost her face.

Bu Tinghe suppressed her anger and said, “Your Highness, I am no match for you. I have flaunted in front of the real expert.”

Baili Qingcang glanced at the officials and ladies who had different expressions on their faces. He snorted in his heart. At the critical moment, these people were useless at all. They even needed Ninghua, a pregnant woman, to perform on stage. It was truly embarrassing! As he thought about it, his gaze towards Shen Ninghua became even more affectionate.

“Well done, Ninghua. This is the first time I’ve heard you play the pipa. I didn’t expect that you have such skills.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyes and chuckled. “Father Emperor, you should blame yourself for that. Every time I see you, you always ask me to play chess with you and there is no time for me to show off my other talents. You must know that I am a stupid person and don’t know how to play chess at all.”

Seeing the officials with livid expressions, Chu Junyi smiled secretly. These people were all focused on striving for power and benefit. At the critical moment, however, they were completely useless. The general atmosphere in the court was quite foul. Now, they knew how embarrassing it was?

Baili Qingcang laughed loudly. “You even blamed me. Well, you’re in a delicate condition. Quickly sit down and rest. Princess Wenhe has excellent dancing skills. Your dance was wonderful and magnificent. Quickly take your seat.”

Bu Tinghe forcefully endured the pain in her ankle and thanked Baili Qingcang. After that, she walked to her seat and sat down.

Bu Jinglan held the wine cup and his gaze fell on Shen Ninghua from time to time full of appreciation. Such a woman was truly rare in the world. Last time, the idiot in this body was actually schemed by her and ended up marrying a cripple. Fortunately, he had managed to handle the situation properly. This time, he would try his best to turn the table and get revenge.

Bu Jinglan’s tricks had been foiled by Shen Ninghua, and he stopped for the time being. He kept drinking with a wicked smile on his face. The translucent wine cup kept spinning in his hand. He occasionally raised his head and gulped it down, revealing his sexy neck and Adam’s apple, causing many young ladies to blush.

The Sixth Prince only had a side concubine, and the position of princess was still vacant. Moreover, the side concubine was that crippled Shen Linghan, who could be completely ignored.

After the banquet ended and they were out of the Palace, Chu Junyi stepped forward to embrace Shen Ninghua and asked with concern, “Ninghua, how do you feel? Is everything OK?”

Shen Ninghua stroked her belly and shook her head slightly. “I’m fine. Last time, great joy and great sorrow caused the baby to be a little unstable. After these days of recuperation, it’s completely fine. Furthermore, it’s already three months old now and the most dangerous period has ended. There’s no need to worry so much all the time.”

Chu Junyi helped her into the carriage and kissed her on the forehead. When he thought of her gorgeous performance in the hall, he felt that his heart was burning with excitement. He wanted to hide her and cherish her alone. He also wanted her to stand at the top of the hall and be worshipped by the world.

“Ninghua, I love you.”

Shen Ninghua’s entire body stiffened as she raised her head and looked at Chu Junyi in surprise.

Her dark eyes were slightly shy and panicked, watery like two streams of clear water, making him want to immerse himself in them.

Chu Junyi suddenly smiled gently and lowered his head to kiss her on the forehead, causing Shen Ninghua to close her eyes abruptly. Her eyelashes trembled slightly like a fan, making Chu Junyi’s heart itch.

“Ninghua, you don’t even know how outstanding you are.”

She was like a good book. Every day, he would find some sparkling spots in her. He thought that he had already flipped through the book and understood everything. But when he looked back and read it again, he would find something that he had never seen before.

Shen Ninghua smiled. Back then, because of her ugly appearance, she could only try her best to learn other skills to make up for her lack of appearance. Because Baili Jinze liked the pipa, she practiced it day and night for a month without rest. Her fingers were worn out but she only wanted to show it on his birthday. However, on that day, he only let Shen Linghan accompany him, leaving no room for her at all…

Looking at Chu Junyi’s attentive eyes, Shen Ninghua slowly let go of the last bit of grievance in her heart. She lost a piece of mud but obtained a jade mountain. She was very satisfied now.