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The flowing sleeves were originally wide and heavy, so it required some skill to fling them.
If done well, it would naturally be a beautiful sight. However, at that moment, the sudden unruly departure of the flowing sleeves startled everyone who had been immersed in Li Feifei's wonderful performance.
There was an immediate chorus of surprised exclamations. Some people, seeing the flowing sleeves flying directly towards them, instinctively tried to dodge, fearing that they might be hit.
The Captain's heart nearly leaped into his throat, and he immediately turned pale, exclaiming, "Protect His Highness! Protect His Highness!"
Some people were ready to rush forward, but were held back by Zhao Jinghuan, who raised his hand and calmly glanced at the scene, saying, "It's fine."
Indeed, upon looking at the stage, everyone saw that the dancers, after a brief pause, continued to dance under the lead dancer's guidance.
People started to realize that perhaps the flying sleeves were part of the performance. However, despite this realization, the shock they felt lingered, and they found the dance less appealing.
In particular, the Captain felt a sense of unease, thinking that the daughter of the Li family had intentions he didn't anticipate. Not informing himself about such a situation earlier made him feel embarrassed in front of the Crown Prince, as if he lacked insight.
Little did he know that it was entirely an accident.
Li Feifei had never expected something like this to happen. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she might have ended up losing face on the spot.
However, thankfully, she managed to swiftly recover and continue as if nothing had occurred. Nonetheless, she was deep in thought.
Almost instinctively, she locked onto Su Mo'er and recalled their previous exchanges. She suddenly understood the underlying meaning within her actions.
For a moment, she gnashed her teeth in hatred, wishing to finish the performance quickly so she could tear apart Su Mo'er's despicable face.
Meanwhile, the audience settled down, secretly admiring the Crown Prince, who, despite the unexpected incident, remained seemingly composed throughout.
In reality, he was caught off guard by the sudden departure of the flowing sleeves. However, with his exceptional martial arts skills, he had already sensed it to some extent before it happened. This made him the calmest person in the room.
At that moment, as he stared at Li Feifei on stage, his mind was not focused on her, but rather on something that had evoked a vague memory.
However, in the eyes of the Captain, this action held a different meaning. He thought to himself, "Could it be that this lady from the Li family has caught the Crown Prince's attention?"
He was, after all, someone who pursued personal gain, and despite the distaste he felt towards Li Feifei moments ago, he was now once again pondering.
He immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, do you think this dancer is performing well?"
Zhao Jinghuan immediately sensed the implications and said, "Hmm? Who is this person?"
The commandant was secretly delighted and continued, "I won't hide it from Your Highness, I believe you are aware of the prominent Liu family in Changzhou, right?"
Zhao Jinghuan asked, "The prominent Liu family of Changzhou that has been established for a hundred years? Does this woman have a connection with the Liu family?"
The commandant replied, "Your Highness is correct, it is indeed that Liu family. This woman is not just somewhat connected. In fact, she is the only legitimate daughter of the current head of the Liu family, Liu Feifei. She has always been renowned in Changzhou as one of the most outstanding female entertainers."
The commandant wanted to matchmake the two naturally and thus lavishly praised Liu Feifei.
However, as to why the daughter of a prominent family had come to perform as a dancer, they both understood the reason in their hearts.
However, he did not notice that after hearing this, Zhao Jinghuan made a meaningful "Oh" sound and maintained an unchanged expression while his eyes seemed to be keenly observing the dancer in the field. In reality, there was a subtle and dark glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.
He had earlier mentioned that this woman seemed familiar, and after hearing her background, he had a clear understanding.
He remembered, it was from his past life.
In his previous life, the spring floods in the southern region had led to a failed autumn harvest, causing continuous disasters.
At the time, the calamities had not subsided and had ignited widespread anger among the people, leading to uprisings orchestrated by those with ulterior motives, ultimately causing chaos in various regions.
At that time, he was about to ascend to the throne and had limited life experience. Instead of looking into the future, he became embroiled in the political struggles and power games of the court, exhausting himself.
By the time he reacted to the situation, the southern rebels, led by the Liu family of Changzhou, had united with various prominent families from different regions, aiming to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty and establish a new regime.
They had provided various reasons for their actions, declaring that they were striving to rectify the world.
At that time, he had established himself in the court and immediately focused on suppressing the rebellion, despite their strong support from prominent families; they were ultimately no match for the imperial army.
As the rebellion was being quelled, the leader of the rebels collaborated with the Liu family of Changzhou to invite foreign forces into the country.
Additionally, his father, the emperor, was misled by treacherous individuals, which resulted in internal and external crises.
Ultimately, feeling disillusioned, he led the troops into battle and was betrayed by those around him, falling into a siege by the enemy forces and dying in battle.
At that time, he had briefly glimpsed this lady from the Liu family.
At that time, this lady from the Liu family had stood by the side of the leader of the rebels as if she were his wife. It became clear to him that the root cause of the unrest was the dissatisfaction of the prominent families with the imperial power, prompting them to seek an overthrow.
The rebels were nothing more than a puppet facade...
Unexpectedly, upon awakening, he found himself back before the events had transpired. Therefore, after understanding the situation, he immediately used his influence to temporarily suppress the court's power struggles, personally overseeing disaster relief efforts and preventing potential crises.
If possible, he would certainly make use of this opportunity to deal with the Liu family.
However, this was not the right time...
He thought, and his gaze slowly dimmed.
What Zhao Jinghuan was thinking was unknown to others, and they assumed that he was truly interested in Liu Feifei, especially with the commandant Yang's recommendation of her.
However, at this moment, Liu Feifei was feeling uncomfortable. The movements of the dance had already caused her to break into a cold sweat, but she had managed to push through with her exceptional skill and reflexes.
To her surprise, as the dance progressed, it became more chaotic, and it seemed as if her body had a mind of its own. Her stomach churned violently, making it increasingly difficult for her to continue the performance.
At this point, she could barely endure it, and her face was drenched in sweat, displaying a pained expression.
Similarly, without much thought, she directed all her suspicions towards Su Mo'er.
Finally, as the music was coming to an end, she couldn't hold on any longer and knelt down on the stage a step earlier than expected. Seeing this, the supporting dancers, still behind her, were puzzled but eventually followed her lead with great apprehension.
As the music stopped, everything seemed to come to a sudden halt, and the onlookers were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
The commandant's expression turned even more unpleasant; he had just praised Liu Feifei in front of the crown prince, and now the situation was not ideal. If things went wrong, it would offend the Crown Prince!
Although the Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged, no one could fathom his thoughts. Nevertheless, the commandant could only question Liu Feifei, "Why did you stop?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Feifei felt ashamed and speechless. How could she explain such a private matter in front of so many people?
After pondering for a moment, she could only mumble, "Reporting to Your Highness and the commandant, this dance... this dance has already concluded..."
Although perceptive individuals could discern that something was amiss, the commandant did not dare speak directly, considering Liu Feifei's background.
He was attempting to figure out how to resolve the situation while, behind him, Zhao Jinghuan's eyes faintly flickered, and he suddenly said, "Fine, reward her."
The onlookers were momentarily stunned. The Crown Prince was going to reward her? This was unexpected!
The commandant and Liu Feifei were the first to react; initially thinking that the situation wouldn't turn out well, they didn't expect such a sudden change!
Without hesitation, Liu Feifei, regardless of her discomfort, expressed her gratitude, "I thank Your Highness for the reward."
The commandant also heaved a sigh of relief and waved his hand, "You may leave."
With the matter settled, since the Crown Prince had declared she was to be rewarded, it meant that Liu Feifei had been favored, and there could be future opportunities to serve at the Crown Prince's side.
Having received this assurance, Liu Feifei thanked them and left. As she entered the lane, she appeared to be in a hurry and rushed straight into the toilet, leaving the onlookers in confusion.
Observing her, Qingyu couldn’t help but smirk at Su Mo'er, "Look at her, she must have just faced quite an embarrassment!"
Su Mo'er simply smiled and said, "Let's not mind her."
The two glanced at each other and decided not to discuss the matter. However, as soon as Liu Feifei approached Su Mo'er with a dark expression, she glared at her with a deep sense of resentment and changed her tone, "Su Mo'er! You wretched woman! You tampered with my water sleeves and poisoned me, didn't you!"
Su Mo'er looked visibly surprised and then appeared distressed as she looked at her. "Miss Liu, what do you mean by that? I have been with everyone the entire time and haven't done anything! I know I was hasty earlier. I shouldn’t have blamed you without confirming the truth, but you can't take it out on me. You can't unjustly accuse me with groundless claims. You're just making baseless accusations against me..." With that, tears welled up in her eyes.
"You're still arguing!" Liu Feifei said, raising her hand as if to hit Su Mo'er.
Li Linger, Qingyue, and others quickly surrounded Su Mo'er: "Why are you like this? Everything you blame on others. In the future, are you going to say that everything bad that happens is someone else's fault? It's really unreasonable!"
Liu Feifei, seeing this, was even more agitated, her chest heaving with anger. She wanted to say something, but her expression suddenly changed.
Then she glared fiercely at Su Mo'er and the others, saying, "You all just wait for me!" Then she hurried off to the toilet.
Seeing this, the others couldn't help but chuckle.
Li Linger complained to Su Mo'er, "Look at her, she brought it on herself!"
After a while, a servant delivered a message that Su Mo'er was about to go on stage. Li Linger, Qingyue, and others hurriedly cheered for her. Yang Mama and Yuan Niang also arrived, watching from a distance.
Seeing this, Su Mo'er felt a warm feeling in her heart. She nodded gently at everyone, then took a deep breath and exhaled.
Then, with a determined gaze, she took a step forward.
At that moment, a servant hurriedly approached the city captain and whispered in his ear. The city captain frowned instinctively upon hearing it, then after thinking for a moment, he approached Zhao Jinghuan to explain the situation.
"Turn off the lights?" Zhao Jinghuan glanced around.
The city captain nervously wiped his nonexistent sweat and said with a wry smile, "It's for the visual effect of the performance."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Zhao Jinghuan nodded in agreement, "Alright!"
This mysterious act actually piqued his interest in the performance for the first time tonight.
The city captain immediately felt relieved and gave orders. Before long, with the arrangements made above, everyone learned about the lights being turned off and instead of panicking, they were curious, and began to focus on the stage.
At this moment, there were no lights in the venue, only the faint moonlight from the sky cast a gentle glow, and a faint figure could be seen on the high platform.
After a while, as the lights remained off, the people couldn't help but start whispering to each other.
Suddenly, a light was lit up on the high platform, and as everyone's eyes turned towards it, the private conversations instantly ceased and the whole place fell silent.
...
...
Author's note:
Thanks to the dear angel reader for reading the text carefully and asking questions. Here is an explanation in case other dear readers have similar doubts.
Question: Why didn't the protagonist prepare another dress after suspecting that someone would cut her clothes? I'm looking forward to the next chapter to find out what was prepared.
Author's response:
First of all, thank you for reading the text carefully and asking questions. I'm sending you a hundred kisses!
Then, a serious answer: As mentioned earlier, the prince's time was advanced, so the preparation time for the dancers was shortened. In addition, there is more than one dancer, and even other accompanying dancers have their costumes made to order, but the lead dancer makes up about ten (selected among them are nine plus the dancers already in the city captain's mansion). Each person's costume is specifically tailored to their situation, and even if the best embroidery girl from Changzhou were to be sought, there wouldn't be enough time. Also, the protagonist didn't necessarily anticipate someone tampering with her dress, but she had been taken advantage of by Liu Feifei in the past, so she was cautious. That's why she had something prepared with Aunt Yuan! Thank you again for reading the text carefully! Love you!
As for what was prepared, let's ask the prince...
Zhao Jinghuan: Ask me? How would I know what was prepared... You see, I'm the prince, and now I'm a bit nervous. My mother (the author) originally wanted me to fall from grace in just one chapter, but I graciously managed toavoid it for three chapters. However, in the next chapter, I really have to fall from grace, what should I do? It's urgent, waiting online, call me!