In the blink of an eye, it was time to pay tribute to the other subordinate states. Every year at this time, many small countries would arrive one after another. Although they were all vassal countries, the empress would attend the annual reception as a show of respect.
But this year, when it was time to attend the party, the empress was untimely ill, and could only give the chance to entertain to Consort Xian Shen Qing Wan.
If it weren't for the special circumstances, she would definitely not have given this opportunity to the Consort Xian. The Consort Xian was in the limelight, and with the emperor's love, there were many people in the palace who wanted to see her become a joke, so the empress was very afraid of her. But because of this, she couldn't attend. If she didn't give this opportunity to Consort Xian, it wouldn't make sense to the Emperor, so she could only grit her teeth and give Shen Qing Wan some convenience.
This year, the first people to come to court were the The Great Luo Country, and the envoys that were sent were the Prime Minister Li Yi and Princess Hua Moer.
After resting in the palace for two days, the other countries began to arrive one after another. When they saw that most of the envoys had arrived, the emperor, Fu Yuheng, arranged a banquet to welcome them to the palace.
In the evening, the glazed lights of the Clear Dust Palace circulated about. The brick-red tiles were lit up by the lights, giving off a sense of joy, as if they were also celebrating this night.
A figure dressed in bright yellow sat at the very top position of the Clear Dust Palace. Fu Yuheng, who had always maintained an expression of calm and might, revealed a rare faint smile. This period of time, which was known as the Hundred Empire's tribute, was indeed a joyous occasion for the palace.
On his left was an elegant and noble beauty. She was dressed in a lavish purple dress that accentuated her otherworldly temperament. Her usually cold face now had a smile, adding a touch of gentleness, this was the Consort Xian, Shen Qingwan.
After everyone had taken their seats, they stood up again and bowed to the two people in the main seat: "This subject greets Your Majesty. Concubine Xian.
Fu Yuheng leaned back slightly and laughed heartily. "There's no need to be overly courteous, all of you, take your seats."
"Thank you, your majesty." With that, everyone seated at their seats.
"Today, we are welcoming a welcoming party for all of you, so there is no need to be restrained. You can drink to your heart's content." Fu Yuheng's dignified gaze swept across the crowd before continuing, "The empress only had the chills that prevented her from appearing, so I and the Consort Xian will be hosting you. I hope you'll forgive me."
The Consort Xian was calm and composed, he was assured that she would take care of things for the empress.
Hearing this, Shen Qingwan's face showed a generous smile. Her calmness and pampered demeanor was not something that an ordinary woman could learn.
The envoys all came to understand that this Consort Xian was highly appreciated by the Emperor and was definitely not a simple person. Everyone had their own plans and plans for this situation.
At the beginning of the banquet, the envoys were still somewhat restrained. However, after being slowly infected by the atmosphere, they all became a little more casual. Some of them were even already greedy for wine.
Just then, the The Great Luo Country envoy suddenly looked at Hua Moer. The girl had a pretty face and very white skin. She bit her lower lip and frowned, as if she was hesitating about something.
However, the envoy kept instigating her, so she still carried a glass of wine and stood up.
Almost no one noticed her petite figure, but she did not have the chance to retreat. With a blush on her face, she did her best to raise her voice towards the main seat, "Your servant wishes to the emperor."
The people who were still flattering each other finally noticed the woman in the corner, and all of a sudden, their gazes gathered on her.
Shen Qingwan's gaze lightly fell on her body, revealing a faint smile.
Fu Yuheng glanced at her before raising his goblet and gulping it down. "I shall drink."
Hua Moer heaved a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to sit down, a light voice floated over from the other side. It seemed to carry a hint of drunkenness and ridicule: "Is this the princess of The Great Luo Country? It's really good to be alive! "
The man in front of him looked to be around 30 years old. He had a drunken look in his eyes and spoke frivolously.
Hearing that Hua Moer had lowered her head even more, she was born to be a coward, and was not good at handling such situations.
"It is said that the women of the The Great Luo Country are good at dancing. I wonder if we can see the Princess's dance today?"
Hua Moer was startled, she raised his head and looked at her in disbelief, thinking that this person was too rude.
Hua Moer remained silent and did not say a word. She did not want to cause trouble, and even more so, she did not want to arouse the enmity between the two countries.
Seeing that she was unable to answer, Li Yi hurriedly explained, "How can The Great Luo Country's songs and dances be compared to a large country's?"
The Great Luo Country was weak and was often humiliated by other small nations. She didn't think that they would even dare to bully the princess.
The crowd was petrified. The man felt that he had lost face and begged the emperor to avenge him.
Just as Fu Yuheng was pondering over how he should settle this matter, the voice of a woman came from beside him.
"There are geographical differences in singing and dancing, and there are no differences in quality. However, there are different opinions on the people who are enjoying it." Her voice was calm but it carried the dignity of a person in power. The smile on her face was still there, but it gave off a sense of oppression.
Shen Qingwan's voice instantly attracted the attention of everyone. Even Hua Moer who had just lowered her head couldn't help but raise it to look at her.
Feeling that gaze, Shen Qingwan looked at her and smiled at her in a comforting manner, making people feel at ease.
Furthermore, Princess The Great Luo Country's daughter is also a daughter, how can she openly dance in the great hall?
Shen Qingwan's words caused the man to be stunned. She was speechless for a while.
Seeing that the atmosphere in the main hall had become tense, she spoke in a softer tone, "Could it be that the country's dance isn't satisfactory enough for the envoys?"
Although she was joking, she had the feeling of asking a question with her germplasm.
It would be wrong of the man to continue arguing. He was no fool, so he could only dejectedly apologize and continue drinking his wine.
After this farce ended, everyone looked at Shen Qingwan with admiration, especially the The Great Luo Country's Li Yi and Hua Moer.
After dispersing, Li Yi specially found Shen Qingwan and respectfully saluted to her, "Thank you Concubine Xian for speaking out to help Princess."
She smiled gently, looked at Hua Moer gently and said: "The Great Luo Country and I have been friends for generations, how can I allow Princess to suffer grievances while we're here, my hospitality is not good, I hope Princess will forgive me."
Hua Moer quickly stopped, she did not dare accept it. Shen Qingwan then chatted with this timid and weak princess for a while before letting the palace maid bring them to a place to rest.
Fu Yuheng was extremely satisfied with her performance today and could not help but praise her.
"Your Majesty is flattering me. Your concubine has taken the initiative to speak too much. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." Shen Qingwan did not reap any rewards from being praised. She would always remember her identity and would never be pampered.
The corners of Fu Yuheng's lips curled up slightly as he listened. He really liked Shen Qingwan's calm and dignified character. After all, she was a girl from one of the famous sects. Ordinary people couldn't compare with her.
He was so happy that he gave half of the tribute to Shen Qingwan. This action made many of the beauties in the harem envious.
When Xiao Shushen heard this, she was even angrier. She had originally wanted to make the Consort Xian look bad in front of everyone, but did not expect that she would make use of this opportunity to show off in front of the Emperor.