Chapter 29: Only Just Alright
Translator: Paperplane
“A splendid banquet today, a guest from afar sits. A spread of wonderful dishes from the wild, good wine fills the golden goblets.”
A literary official recited Liu Ruxing’s poem with a booming voice.
All of a sudden, the sound of compliments rang endlessly in the hall. What true literary grace!
Liu Ruxing lightened up.
When it comes to poetry, she was somewhat confident in her skills, and so deep down inside, she couldn’t help but feel a little proud.
Ouyang Xiu’s eyes dimmed again.
She glanced over at Han Moze and noticed that he was looking in Liu Rushuang’s direction.
Ouyang Xiu glared at Liu Ruxing with a dreary look on his face. Then, turned his gaze towards Han Moze and spoke with a cold and tense voice. “I wonder, what are your majesty’s thoughts on the performance?”
Han Moze was staring right at Liu Rushuang.
When he heard what Ouyang Xiu said, he slightly turned his head and glanced at Liu Ruxing’s poem. “It won’t do,” he merely replied flatly.
When Liu Ruxing heard those words, her mood immediately plummeted and her face turned rather pale.
She was clearly hurt!
Impossible. This was impossible!
Clearly, she wrote very well. Her parents and her sister all complimented her.
Ouyang Xiu couldn’t help but smile calmly.
He looked over in the direction of his two daughters. “Then, please welcome the next lady to perform their talent.”
Ouyang Xiangmei looked at a tense Liu Ruxing walk back to her seat, and smiled.
She got up and walked to the center of the hall. With a gentle and soft voice, she said, “I would be willing to perform.”
Ouyang Xiu smiled brightly as he glanced at Ouyang Xiangmei, then spoke with a warm voice. “Then, Xiangmei, please do show us your talent and show the Emperor of Beiming the skills of Nanli ladies.”
Ouyang Xiangmei turned her gaze to Han Moze.
Deep down inside, she thought about her royal father and mother’s support and her extraordinary talents, and figured that she could convince the Emperor of Beiming to choose her.
With that thought, her eyes couldn’t help but light up.
“Yes, royal father. I shall paint for you all,” she said elegantly and bashfully.
“Haha, good! Xiangmei’s paintings are outstanding.” Ouyang Xiu chuckled loudly, as he wasn’t the least bit shy to compliment his own daughter.
What he didn’t know was that his limitless indulgence is what cultivated the irreversible bad attitude of the royal sons and the arrogance and bossy attitudes of his royal daughters.
Soon after, Ouyang Xiangmei started to paint at the center of the great hall. People nodded and gave endless compliments all around her.
Han Moze’s gaze were yet again transfixed upon Liu Rushuang. However, he seemed to look even more drab.
That woman actually wasn’t bothered to even look at him, whereas other women longed to do so.
Liu Rushuang must have felt Han Moze’s somber mood because she sneaked him a glance.
When she noticed Han Moze glare at her with a dreary look on his face, she averted her gaze like she couldn’t care less.
Han Moze’s eyes drooped a little.
This was the first time he was completely ignored!
Han Moxi looked over at his royal brother’s infatuated gaze and wiped the cold sweat from him face.
But at the same time, Han Moxi wanted to laugh at the picture of his royal brother’s face when he tries to win over Princess Changping at the Beiming imperial palace.
After all, his royal brother was always charming and arrogant. He always looked high and mighty, and unafraid of anyone around him.
Finally, they found a woman who dared to go up against his royal brother!
Han Moze seemed to have sense Han Moxi’s evil thoughts and shot him a cold look.
Han Moxi immediately felt cold shivers. To him, this gaze was a sign that something bad was going to happen.
He immediately straightened up and concentrated on Ouyang Xiangmei as she painted.