15vhyarch
Synopsis:
On the Lantern Festival, the Emperor and Empress held a banquet at Yongyuan Garden. Ostensibly for the enjoyment of the emperor and his subjects, it was actually a ceremony for His Highness the Prince of Dingbei to choose a consort. During the banquet, the daughter of the Marquis of Cheng'en bowed gracefully, offering to perform a song, "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun," and then delicately said, "This humble woman is unworthy; I have made a fool of myself." The man at the head of the table, dressed in black brocade, coldly interrupted, "If you know it's unworthy, then don't perform it." Silence fell over the room; no one dared to utter a word of rebuttal. The young lady of the Ming family, seated at the end of the table, stole glances from afar, feeling that His Highness the Prince of Dingbei was arrogant and disrespectful, utterly unkind. Later, on their wedding night, after the nuptial wine was finished and the red candles flickered, the young lady of the Ming family trembled as she undressed the man. Suddenly, the man said, "I've heard that your song 'Ping Sha Luo Yan' is famous throughout the capital." She feigned elegance and curtsied, but was so nervous that she forgot to refuse, and only tentatively said, "This concubine is not talented, then... shall I make a fool of myself?" She raised her eyes to steal a glance, but met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling, "Not at all, I only think that my wife is very beautiful."