FID – Chapter 525

Chapter 525: Who Doesn’t Know I’m a Peasant

  After the Master of Ceremonies finished reading his long speech, the key moment of choosing a concubine officially commenced.

  All the talented ladies would go on stage to showcase their talents one by one.

  Whether one of them could win the favor of the Emperor depended on what level they could present.

  To this end, you could say that the talented ladies would employ all their skills. 

  They would take turns. 

  The sisters, Liu Ningfang and Liu Ningfei, were arranged to appear in the finale.

  This position was naturally arranged by Consort Liu.

  It was the finale that could leave the greatest impact. 

  The talents’ skills were mostly concentrated in three categories: dancing, musical instruments, and painting.

  Among them, dancing was the best way to show their appearance and physique, and was the most eye-catching.

  Dozens of the ladies, most of them to be exact, chose dancing.

  Liu Yusheng sat beside Feng Qingbai and watched with relish.

  Seeing such a scene in real life was completely different from the ancient dances she saw on TV.

  This was the authentic flavor. In contrast, although the post-modern ancient dances were more exciting, they have lost that spirit and looked nondescript.

  While the woman was watching the performance, Feng Qingbai’s eyes never strayed to the enchanting women dancing in the field. He occasionally sipped his wine, and more often when the woman was fascinated and subconsciously fumbled for the tea cup and snacks, he handed them to her in time.

  Even if the people in the scene didn’t show any reaction and didn’t even dare to look at them openly, most of them were secretly paying attention to the movements in their table.

  They saw with their own eyes how the noblest Regent of the entire Nanling personally served a woman.

  Countless people were shell-shocked.

  Countless people were also jealous.

  In the talented ladies’ section, Liu Ningfang glanced at the unparalleled and revered man serving another woman, and the jealousy that rose in her heart intensified anew. She could only bite her lip tightly and suppress that jealousy.

  She has not lost her mind for a man just yet. She has not forgotten her identity, that she was a harem talented lady.

  Even if there were precedents in the past dynasties where His Majesty bestowed women in the harem on the royal family, as long as the new Emperor didn’t say a word, she couldn’t toe beyond her limits.

  She couldn’t bring shame to the family. Otherwise, her aunt alone would not forgive her.

  Liu Ningfei sat beside her, taking all her reaction into her eyes. A sinister gleam flashed across her eyes.

  ”Sister, I really don’t know what’s so good about Liu Yusheng. How did His Highness fall in love with her? In terms of talent and appearance alone, she is far less than half as outstanding as you.” She lowered her voice and pouted. Her tone reeked of complaints of the injustice for Liu Ningfang. “She’s just a peasant woman from a remote mountain. What is she capable of? I’m afraid she hasn’t even touched the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting…”

  ”Ningfei, stop spouting nonsense. Beware of someone hearing you and spreading it out, lest you’ll become the object of criticism,” Liu Ningfang agreed with her words, but she couldn’t express herself, so she feigned reprimanding her.

  ”Am I talking nonsense?” Liu Ningfei was dissatisfied. “Sister, when talented ladies showcase their skills in the field, they can name a woman they want to compete with, right? If you can use this to defeat her, maybe His Highness will know that he was blind in the past. You can also let His Highness see your advantages.”

  Liu Ningfang wavered, but there was still hesitation in her eyes.

  It was true that the talented ladies could name someone to compete with, but in that way, wouldn’t it make people see through her mind?

  ”It’s just a competition. Not only can you compete, but you can also liven up the atmosphere in the area. Who’ll say a thing about it?”

  Just then, a talent who just stepped onto the stage pointed to a noble lady in the court, and received the audience’s applause.

  Liu Ningfang pursed her lips tightly, and the light in her eyes wavered more and more. Finally, she looked at Liu Yusheng’s seat — His Highness was pouring tea for her!

  When he looked at Liu Yusheng, his eyes were overflowing with gentleness. Despite their distance, the affection from the corner of the man’s eyebrows was too palpable. 

  Why Liu Yusheng?!

  Cheers erupted around the stage, and the two women there each withdrew.

  It was Liu Ningfang and Liu Ningfei’s turn.

  ”Sister, the finale has always been the most brilliant. I’m the younger sister, and I don’t dare to compete with you. I’ll showcase first,” Liu Ningfei said to Liu Ningfang and smiled at her. Before she could answer, she got up and went onstage.

  After going up, she pointed directly at a noble lady, her rival.

  The dance that Liu Ningfei chose was incredibly brilliant, and it was called the Drum Dance.

  Standing on a drum the size of the mouth of a bowl, the ladylike steps producing blossoms, her figure was graceful and nothing but enchanting.

  It directly overwhelmed the lady competing with her.

  She returned triumphantly.

  After she got off the stage, the applause in the arena continued incessantly.

  ”Sister, it’s your turn. With your elegant demeanor, you will definitely sweep everyone present off their feet,” Liu Ningfei congratulated her in advance.

  Earlier, Liu Ningfang got jealous again. She was still hesitant, but now that she added another layer of fire to her, could she remain stable?

  Looking at the woman who stepped forward with firm footsteps, a sneer smeared the corners of Liu Ningfei lips and swiftly disappeared.

  The woman stood in the center of the field, surrounded by the most powerful ministers of the entire Nanling Dynasty, the most honorable Regent, and the new Emperor, the Son of Heaven.

  Yet, that village girl made her green with envy!

  Liu Ningfang took a deep breath and made a decision. Her slender finger rose and pointed in a certain direction.

  ”The Concubine wants to compete with Miss Liu, and still a dance contest.”

  Feng Mohan, who was propping his jaw and was about to fall asleep, almost fell when he heard her words identifying Liu Yusheng. He promptly opened his eyes to check the situation, and then his eyes turned cold.

  Is she trying to bully Aunt Liu here?

  Although Feng Qingbai looked indifferent, the mere lift of his eyes and that slight tilt of his head made anyone who knew him well register that the Regent was furious.

  As the party involved, Liu Yusheng’s emotions were the most obvious. Her eyes rounded in surprise.

  Challenging her? To compete?

  She was waiting to see the performance. How could she be challenged out of the blue?

  Liu Ningfang was trying to find a sense of presence in front of her, right?

  Seeing that the girl sitting on the seat didn’t speak for a long time, Liu Ningfang raised her chin. “County Lady, do you dare?”

  Liu Yusheng immediately erased the surprise on her face, put her hand under the table lightly on the man who was about to move, and patted him, signaling him not to stand out.

  ”That’s really strange. If Miss Liu wants to find someone to compete with, shouldn’t you challenge the noble ladies present? Why are you challenging me?”

  ”Anyone can compete as long as they are present. What is so unusual about challenging Ruyi County Lady? Is the County Lady afraid of losing?”

  When confronting the aggressive woman, Liu Yusheng smiled and shook her head. “Who didn’t know that this County Lady is a peasant girl who had never been exposed to music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and dance? Miss Liu must know it too, right? Instead of saying that I am afraid of losing, I would rather say that Miss Liu is afraid of losing, so you asked me, who knows nothing about anything, to accompany you in the competition, to have my shortcomings fight with your strengths. Is it to highlight your excellence? In this manner, you will win. It’s not a victory though, as you’ll be ridiculed.”

  ”You——” Liu Ningfang’s face flushed.

  She never thought that Liu Yusheng would admit in front of people that she was a peasant, that she knew nothing, yet she did it so with such a straightforward demeanor!

  That being the case, how else could she challenge her?

  ”Miss Liu, if you really want to compare, it’s not impossible,” Liu Yusheng interrupted her with a smile. “Everyone here knows that I, Liu Yusheng, am a famous doctor, so why don’t you just compete with me about taking the pulse?”