Yi Xin as a concubine

"I didn't know that after not seeing you for so many years, you thought highly of me. Humph! Although I haven't read many books, I know the truth that 'if someone shows kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief.' I'm afraid the old gentleman has something to ask of me."

The old emperor finished speaking in a sarcastic tone, and when he thought of what the guard had reported before, he couldn't suppress the smug expression on his face.

Old man Mo Xuan looked at the smug face of the old emperor on the high platform and almost lost his image as a grandson. If the man in gray had not secretly reminded him, he would have lifted his robe and rolled up his sleeves, pointed at the old emperor's nose and scolded him to vent his anger.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. After all, my grandson and great-grandson still need your care."

He suppressed his anger, lowered his eyes to look at the ground, and tried to speak calmly. He was afraid that if he looked up, he would not be able to suppress his anger and ruin today's plan.

"Nothing to ask for, but I heard that your good grandson felt lonely and had no way to relieve his loneliness, so he asked the old gentleman to find some beauties to accompany him."

Upon hearing this, the great scholar Mo Xuan raised his head in astonishment, and shame and anger instantly appeared on his old face, as if he had suffered a great humiliation, but could not vent it. His elegant and kind face was twisted into an awkward shape.

When the old emperor saw him like this, his smile became even bigger, and all the ministers also followed suit and laughed.

The most sarcastic words, one after another, mercilessly hit the old man who was standing straight in the middle of the hall with a red face. The man in gray felt very distressed, but he did not dare to speak without authorization and ruin his old master's business.

After a long time, the old emperor finally had enough fun, and said quietly: "Poor old gentleman, you have a kind heart that loves the younger generation. I am also a father and a grandfather, how can I not understand the old gentleman's heart? Today we are going to select a group of beauties to enter the palace, you might as well join in the selection, so as to complete the friendship between the old gentleman and his grandson. Haha..."

"Yes, then thank you very much, Your Majesty." The great scholar Mo Xuan flicked his sleeves, with a bit of compromise and a bit of shame and indignation, and followed the little palace maid who led the way to the seat arranged for him.

Looking at the seat at the back and the least conspicuous in the hall, a flash of sneer flashed in the eyes of the great scholar Mo Xuan. Things that are not presentable and things done are not presentable either. They would only make a fuss about this insignificant little thing.

For a corrupt court, the disturbance brought by the great scholar Mo Xuan was soon replaced by a new round of singing and dancing. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the highlight of the day finally began.

All the dancers retreated, leaving the stage in the middle of the hall empty. At the same time, women in bright clothes and exquisite makeup appeared at the entrance of the hall.

The women did not rush into the hall all at once, but lined up in an orderly manner on both sides of the hall door, waiting to hear Aunt Meng's arrangements to enter.

Aunt Meng walked to the front of the hall and shouted loudly: "The audition begins. Ladies, please come forward and show your talents according to your groups." As soon as the voice fell, a dozen girls in dance costumes walked in from outside. A woman in red, who was leading the group, walked forward and led everyone to salute the emperor. She smiled and began to dance.

The girls were lithe and graceful in their dancing, like fluttering butterflies, attracting the attention of everyone present. Especially the leading dancer, the red-dressed girl, whose every frown, smile, and gesture were full of unconscious charm, very eye-catching.

At the end of the song, the old emperor nodded slightly to show his satisfaction, but he did not choose any woman to stay, nor did he signal the ministers to choose someone.

Aunt Meng frowned, feeling a little nervous. In order to have a good opening, the people in the first group were carefully selected. Although not all of them were the best looking, they definitely had their own strengths. The same operation was done in previous years, and this group would usually be kept by all members.

But she had no time to think about it. She couldn't let the emperor and the court officials wait, so she quickly ordered Qin Sheng to take the people away and replace them with a second group.

They came in one group after another, and left immediately after the performance, just like they were just passing through the exhibition.

After a few rounds, not only Aunt Meng was worried, but the ministers also began to discuss in low voices.

At this time of year in previous years, the old emperor would have been accompanied by new companions, and the ministers would also have more or less been accompanied by women. If there were those who liked color, there would probably be several standing behind them.

But this year the old emperor seemed to have higher standards. These girls, as beautiful as flowers, did not arouse his interest at all. When the performance was almost over, the old emperor did not even keep any of them.

The old emperor at the seat of honor heard everyone's whispers, but he just glanced around indifferently, then casually picked up a piece of food for Imperial Noble Consort Xie who was sitting quietly beside them, and fed it to her mouth with great interest.

Stars suddenly lit up in Noble Consort Xie's beautiful and charming eyes, as if she had returned to her girlhood. She looked at the man in front of her with admiration and joy. This kind of wholehearted and sincere look would be very enjoyable for any man, so the old emperor smiled even more and even fed him a few more times.

This scene fell into the eyes of everyone. The old emperor's favor towards Imperial Noble Consort Xie remained the same as always, over the years, and then his eyes looked at the Fifth Prince more and more eagerly.

No matter how mature the Fifth Prince is, he is still a young boy after all. He has some youthful nature and his joy is clearly visible on his face.

The old emperor silently took in this scene, and a cold look flashed across his eyes.

Next, the last group of newlyweds entered the hall. There were more than a dozen women in this group, wearing formal showgirl attire and holding their own musical instruments in their arms. They included pipa, erhu, guqin, guzheng, flute, and short flute, each of which was different.

After coming in, they bowed politely, then lowered their heads to tune their instruments, as if the onlookers around them did not exist.

A very strange combination of atmosphere.

It was precisely this kind of uniqueness that made the nobles who had listened to and watched the singing and dancing for a whole night feel that it was something new, and they calmed down and waited for the girls to start their performance.

Xin Baoer was in this strange team, fiddling with the guqin in her hands while secretly looking at the people around her.

"Who saved me?"

They are all bright and beautiful, with rosy faces. None of them looks unpopular.

But she didn't dare to make any big movements, as the area she could see was limited and she was wearing a veil today. As the only woman wearing a veil in the scene, Xin Baoer didn't dare to challenge human curiosity and tried to reduce her presence as much as possible.

The song of "ding ding dong dong, ping ping pong pong" finally ended. A group of women lowered their heads, blushed, and almost fled out of the hall in the incredulous gaze of the nobles.

Aunt Meng was even more frightened at this moment, but she had no choice. This group of people were almost all "old, weak, sick and disabled". Each of them was either tone-deaf or had uncoordinated limbs. They said they could play a musical instrument, but most of them were just making up the numbers. After practicing for so long, the fact that they could barely finish the performance was already the result of her strict supervision.

Facing the indescribable gazes of the nobles, Aunt Meng suddenly knelt down, and her head hit the floor hard with a dull "dong" sound.

After hearing the old emperor's voice for a long time, Aunt Meng's face, which was almost touching the ground, turned pale and cold sweat soaked her back.

Just as Aunt Meng was thinking about kowtow a few times to remind the old man who was in charge of life and death, whether to kill or release, to give her a quick death, she was so nervous that she was afraid that she would faint due to nervousness and lose her breath. Wouldn't it be a greater sin to lose etiquette in front of the palace? You know, today is the old emperor's birthday!

"Get up! Bring everyone in."

The old and slightly majestic voice passed through Aunt Meng's eardrums and rang directly in her heart, and her crouching body suddenly softened.

"Yes." The trembling voice was filled with gratitude for surviving a disaster. He kowtowed heavily again, then stood up and walked out, staggeringly.

Apparently, everyone was accustomed to this scene. She was just a small female official. She did her job poorly, but she was not punished. She should be grateful.

Not long after Aunt Meng went out, she came back again, followed by a group of neatly arranged girls. The youngest of them was fourteen or fifteen years old, and the oldest was only eighteen or nineteen years old, but they were all in the best age for girls.

Some of them are as ripe as peaches, some are as green as new moons, some are lively, some are indifferent, some are calm, some are shy, and some are nervous. In short, they are all beautiful.