Chapter 143 An Act Of Folly (Part Two)

Prince Jing remained silent for a while, and then called the chamberlain and asked him to lead Emperor Ning to the east wing. After the chamberlain escorted Emperor Ning away, the atmosphere became more active. Someone said, "I heard that it was extremely hard to invite Qian Qian to perform. If she dislikes you, she won't perform for you even if you send a goldmine to her as a gift. Prince Jing, how did you succeed in inviting Qian Qian here?"

Prince Jing raised his eyebrows as he heard the statement, "Actually, it wasn't me who invited Qian Qian. She is here at someone else's request. But it's not convenient for me to tell you who this person is."

The following performance was quite good. However, after enjoying Qian Qian's dance, the guests had lost interest. Since Emperor Ning had left, they began to drink a toast to each other unabashedly.

Yun Shang furrowed her brows when she saw Prince Jing drinking several cups of wine, 'His wound...'

She dropped this matter after thinking for a moment and continued to enjoy the show being held on the stage quietly.

Qian Yin walked to Yun Shang and whispered something in her ear. Yun Shang's eyes lit up as she turned to Prince Jing and smiled, "Uncle, the ladies might feel bored now. How about I taking them to the backyard to rest?"

It took a second for Prince Jing to focus on Yun Shang. He steadied the hand in which he held the wine cup. Then he smiled, "Okay!"

Yun Shang returned his smile before standing. Since the ladies did not drink, and the performance was not as excellent as Qian Qian's, these ladies eagerly stood and followed Yun Shang to the backyard. They chatting amongst each other.

"Princess Yun Shang, you are right. Qian Qian is indeed a talented lady. I saw her standing on the lotus leaf and guessed that her Qinggong must be as good as my brother's. She is also brilliant as a showgirl, and I really admire her. I guess she must be good at Kung Fu too. If given a chance, I would like to compete with her in Kung Fu." Jinyan walked behind Yun Shang and stated in a cheerful voice.

Yun Shang narrowed her eyes and nodded, "It was indeed surprising."

"She is just a courtesan from th

arded. There won't be any major incidents."

Jinyan nodded as she heard Yun Shang's explanation and sat down beside her.

The drummer was blindfolded. Yun Shang held a flower made of silk cloth and smiled, "Ladies, are you ready? If yes, then we shall start the game.."

Yun Shang's words increased everyone's enthusiasm for the game. They couldn't wait to start. Yun Shang shouted, "The game starts!"

The drumbeats sounded.

People passed the flower to the person sitting on their left quickly. Suddenly, the drumbeats stopped. Yun Shang raised her eyebrows and looked at the lady who had the flower.

"She is the third daughter of Field Marshal Qin, and her mother is a concubine. She has no notable talent." Jinyan whispered in Yun Shang's ear.

Yun Shang nodded, "Lady Qin, you are lucky to be the first of us to get the flower. Lady Qin, please draw a lot."

Lady Qin looked around before she walked to the lot pot. She drew a lot and gave it to Yun Shang. Yun Shang lowered her head to check the lot and then gave a bland smile, "Play Guqin*. It's a simple punishment."

(*TN: Guqin is a seven-stringed plucked instrument in some ways similar to the zither.)

Lady Qin was relieved. She took the Guqin handed by the servant and played a tune.

The drumbeats started again. This time, the flower was in the hands of a lady dressed in carmine. Yun Shang looked at the lady, raised her eyebrows and sighed, 'Jing Wenxi! A troublemaker!'