Chapter 245: Just a Country Girl
Qianhuan walked to the center of the hall with confidence, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to compete with the princess of Canglang Country."
The emperor looked at Qianhuan, who was wearing a veil, with a puzzled look on his face, "Who are you?"
"Your Majesty, my name is Liang Qianhuan, and I am the owner of the No. 1 Garden in the World."
"The best garden in the world?"
The Queen reminded quietly, "Your Majesty, this is the teahouse where the stage play "The Legend of the White Snake" was performed on the Queen Mother's birthday last time. You bestowed the plaque of "The First Garden in the World" on this teahouse."
The emperor fell into a brief recollection. After a while, he seemed to remember, "Oh, so this is the teahouse that I bestowed a plaque on."
The third prince of the Canglang Kingdom looked at the woman in the middle of the hall. Although she was wearing a veil, he always felt that the woman's eyebrows and eyes were somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere, but he couldn't remember where at once.
He wanted to lift her veil to see what this woman looked like.
When the Crown Prince saw that the Third Prince of Canglang Kingdom had been staring at Qianhuan, his face suddenly became gloomy and he looked at the Third Prince with some anger.
Qi Beiming suddenly felt a pair of sharp eyes staring at him. He looked around but found nothing unusual.
Emperor Jingxi looked at Qianhuan in the center of the hall and said, "Liang Qianhuan, why are you still wearing a veil when you meet the emperor?"
Qianhuan didn't know how to explain, she could only look at the Young Master.
The prince stood up and said in a domineering tone, "Your Majesty, Qianhuan is my woman, and it was I who asked her to wear a veil."
Emperor Jingxi understood in his heart that the commoner girl that the prince was fascinated by turned out to be the one in front of him.
He deliberately asked, "Is she the commoner girl you like?"
"Yes."
The noble ladies from the aristocratic families below were immediately heartbroken.
A girl from the common people could actually win the favor of the Prince of An, the famous general of Dayuan, and even openly acknowledge him in front of His Majesty. It is really the envy of others.
Emperor Jingxi waved his hand at Qianhuan and said, "Liang Qianhuan, please stand up and talk first."
Qianhuan stood up to express her gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingxi asked, "This is our last chance for the Great Abyss Nation to compete with the Canglang Nation. How confident are you that you can win?"
"Your Majesty, since I dare to stand up, I am confident that I can win this competition for Dayuan."
Princess Qi Jiaqing of the Canglang Kingdom did not expect that the woman in front of her, who was just a commoner, could be so arrogant.
The Hu Xuan Dance is the national dance of their country, and Qi Jiaqing's Hu Xuan Dance is the best in the entire Canglang Kingdom. She doesn't believe that a commoner girl from the Dayuan Kingdom can beat her.
Qi Jiaqing snorted disdainfully, "This girl is so arrogant. The most powerful dancer in your Dayuan Royal Dance Troupe can't beat this princess, yet she still dares to speak so arrogantly. I advise this girl not to force herself to stand out. Otherwise, if you lose the competition, Dayuan will have to cede three cities to our Canglang Kingdom, and then you will become a sinner of Dayuan."
Qianhuan smiled gently at the princess, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. But you can rest assured. I never fight a battle without confidence."
Qi Jiaqing had probably never met someone who looked down on her like this before. She thought to herself: I will make her admit defeat with conviction later.
When the emperor saw Qianhuan was so confident, he suddenly felt that this woman might really be able to win the competition for their Dayuan.
The emperor said cheerfully, "Okay, then I will send you to fight on behalf of Dayuan, and you must do your best."
"The people's daughter follows the decree."
Princess Ningjia, who was sitting at the seat, had already realized that the woman standing in the center of the hall and challenging for a fight was Liang Qianhuan.
She quickly stood up from her seat and stopped him, "Your Majesty, you must not do this."
Emperor Jingxi frowned, "Princess Ningjia, why are you stopping me?"
"Your Majesty, this woman is just a peasant girl from the countryside. She only got the chance to attend the banquet because she got close to the prince. Otherwise, she would not even be qualified to stand in this hall today. Your Majesty, think about it, she is just a peasant, how could she have the chance to learn the Huxuan dance? I think this woman is just trying to attract attention. If Your Majesty sends her to fight, our Dayuan will lose three cities."
Emperor Jingxi was furious when he heard this. "Liang Qianhuan, is what Princess Ningjia said true?"
Qianhuan explained calmly, "Your Majesty, what Princess Ningjia said is indeed true. I am indeed just a peasant girl, but that doesn't mean I can't dance."
Princess Ning Jia said with disdain, "The Prime Minister's daughter Zhao Yanran is the most talented woman in the capital. Her dancing skills are among the best in the capital. Even she can't dance the Hu Xuan dance well. How can a little peasant girl like you be able to dance well?"
Zhao Yanran glared at Princess Ning Jia with a vicious look on her face. This incompetent princess wanted to deal with Liang Qianhuan by herself, and even used herself as a scapegoat.
It was embarrassing enough that she lost so badly in the dancing competition today, but she had to bring it up in front of so many people.
"My Lord, you are wrong. Just because Miss Zhao can't do it doesn't mean I can't do it either."
Princess Ningjia could only anxiously say to the emperor, "Your Majesty, please think twice. After all, this concerns our three cities in Dayuan. If we lose, our loss will be too great."
"This..." Emperor Jingxi was in trouble again for a moment.
At this time, Meng Yuanzhou walked down from his seat and knelt in the center of the hall. "Your Majesty, today's opening dance performance is not actually my credit. I asked Miss Qianhuan to help rehearse the song and dance. Your Majesty, I believe that Miss Qianhuan is not the kind of person who speaks nonsense. Since she dared to stand up, she must really know how to dance the Huxuan dance."
Emperor Jingxi looked at Qianhuan, "Oh? Did you really create the opening song and dance today?"
"Your Majesty, it was indeed created by this servant."
"Well, since you can create such a soul-stirring song and dance, and Meng Yuanzhou speaks for you, I will trust you this time, and you can fight on behalf of Dayuan. If you win, I will make you the county lord; if you lose, I will never let you off easily."
"Yes, I obey your order."
Qianhuan went downstairs first to change into an exotic-style Hu Xuan dance costume. It was a light green, thin shirt decorated with ribbons. The silk, semi-transparent dance skirt made her look elegant when she wore it, and she looked like an ethereal fairy when she moved.
Qianhuan also wore a chain around her waist and bells on her feet, which made her look charming and seductive.
In addition, she was wearing a veil, which aroused people's endless imagination. She exuded a mysterious aura from head to toe, making people unable to help but find out.
The young talents in the audience were stunned again. They were all very curious about how stunningly beautiful the face of this woman, who could make the cold and aloof prince fall in love with her, was hidden under her veil.
The prince stared intently at Qianhuan who slowly walked into the hall. He wished he could hide such a beautiful girl so that no one else could see her.