Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

The Queen Mother's birthday banquet continued. After everyone presented their gifts, the Queen Mother smiled and thanked them one by one. After everyone was seated, the palace maids and eunuchs served snacks, dishes and fine wine for the dinner.

The empress dowager sat high up on the throne, and below her were the emperor and his concubines, as well as the princes, ministers, and their families.

At the banquet, everyone was laughing and toasting. However, under this seemingly lively atmosphere, there was actually an undercurrent. The concubines seemed to get along well on the surface, but they were competing with each other behind the scenes.

Especially Concubine Yihua and Concubine Ye Shu, their eyes met from time to time, which seemed to have deep meaning. Next were Concubine Zhu and Concubine Mei, who all hoped to show their status and charm at this banquet and win the favor of the Queen Mother. Concubine Lian was the least interested in competing for favor, and her eyes looked at Yunxi and the prince from time to time.

At this time, the dancers performed on stage. Their graceful dance moves and beautiful music made everyone present intoxicated. The Queen Mother looked at the scene in front of her and smiled with satisfaction. But her eyes kept wandering on the Emperor, as if she was observing something...

After the dance, the emperor said to the empress dowager, "I wish you a long life and great prosperity for the Tang Dynasty!" After a pause, he turned to everyone and said, "I would like to take this opportunity to solemnly introduce to you a princess from the Turkic tribe, Ayiduo. To show the friendly relations between our two countries, I have conferred her the title of Consort Yihua."

Aida, who was sitting next to the emperor, took a small step forward with quick and decisive movements.

She bent her knees slightly, performed a standard court salute, and said softly in Chinese with a slight Turkic accent: "I pay my respects to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty." Her voice was clear and pleasant, as melodious as a yellow oriole singing in a valley, which made people fall in love with her.

Everyone present showed surprised expressions, especially Concubine Ye Shu and other concubines, whose faces instantly became extremely ugly. Obviously, they felt unprecedented pressure and threat from this foreign concubine from the Turkic region.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Concubine Yihua is indeed the most beautiful woman in the Turkic region. From now on, you and your sisters will serve the Emperor well." Her tone was amiable, but her eyes revealed a hint of majesty.

The emperor also smiled and nodded, expressing his agreement, "I believe that you will become my right-hand man and also a member of the harem. I hope you can like the Tang Dynasty as much as you would your own hometown!" His words were full of expectations and trust in Aida.

"I will love the Tang Dynasty as my hometown!" Ayiduo's voice sounded again, firm and confident. Her eyes were shining, as if showing everyone her determination and courage.

"Okay, please sit down!" The emperor waved his hand, motioning Aida to take a seat.

Ayiduo turned around swiftly, walked to the seat, and sat down gently. Her behavior was decent and generous, showing the style of a Turkic princess.

After sitting down, Aida's eyes slowly swept across the concubines present, and finally stopped on Concubine Ye Shufei.

The corners of her mouth curled up into a faint smile, as if conveying some kind of message to the other party. However, what exactly this smile meant, only she knew...

Seeing this, Concubine Ye Shu couldn't help but feel a little unhappy, but she still tried her best to maintain her dignified and elegant demeanor. She smiled slightly, looked at Concubine Yi Hua tenderly, and said softly: "My sister has just arrived. If there is anything you don't understand, just come and ask me."

Concubine Yi Hua also smiled back, with a bright light in her eyes, and responded: "Thank you very much, sister. I will need your advice in the future."

The conversation between the two seemed polite, but in fact, it was sharp and there was a strong smell of gunpowder in the air. Everyone present was keenly aware of this subtle atmosphere and became alert, each with their own ulterior motives.

The Queen Mother saw all of this, and she coughed softly, trying to break the tense atmosphere. She said gently, "Today is my birthday, everyone should enjoy themselves and not lose harmony."

Then, the Queen Mother turned her head and looked at the Emperor, and suggested in a gentle tone: "Emperor, how about asking the ladies to perform their talents for me to add to the excitement of the wine?"

The emperor readily agreed, "Very good! What do you think, my beloved concubines?" The concubines all expressed their willingness to perform.

The first to appear was Concubine Ye Shu, who gently stroked the strings of the zither and played a melodious tune. The sound was gentle and intoxicating.

Next, Mei Cairen danced gracefully, like a fairy descending to earth.

When it was Concubine Yihua's turn, she stood up and walked to the center. She opened her red lips and sang a Turkic song. Her voice was high and clear, full of exotic charm, and won rounds of applause.

Concubine Yi Hua sang and danced a Turkic folk dance. At the end of the performance, Concubine Yi Hua suddenly fell to the ground.

Everyone was shocked, and the emperor hurried forward to support her. "My beloved concubine, are you okay?" With tears in her eyes, Concubine Yihua said tenderly, "I am fine, but I have just arrived in the Tang Dynasty and need to adapt to the environment here." It turned out that Concubine Yihua had lived in the grassland since she was a child and was not used to the living habits in the Central Plains.

The emperor comforted her distressedly, "In that case, my beloved concubine, please take a rest for a while." He turned around and ordered, "Come here, send Concubine Yihua back to the palace." After Concubine Yihua left, a war without gunpowder smoke had just begun...

The Queen Mother was a little unhappy when she saw Concubine Yi Hua leave early, but she still calmly announced the end of the banquet. The concubines had different thoughts. Some were glad to finally get rid of this tense banquet, while others were curious and puzzled by Concubine Yi Hua's behavior. They all stood up, saluted the Queen Mother, and left the banquet hall one after another.

Yunxi silently observed everything around her. She knew that in this deep palace, everyone had their own purpose and schemes. She chose to keep a low profile and was unwilling to get involved in any fights. She believed that only in this way could she survive in this complex environment.

After returning to her bedroom, Concubine Ye Shu felt even more depressed. She sat on the bed, recalling the scene at the banquet, and couldn't help but get angry. She felt that Concubine Yi Hua deliberately showed off in front of everyone and attracted the emperor's attention. But she was left out, which made her feel extremely angry and jealous.

Concubine Ye Shu decided to find a chance to take revenge on Concubine Yi Hua. She knew that Concubine Yi Hua had just entered the palace and was not familiar with the palace rules. So, she sent her trusted maid to secretly monitor Concubine Yi Hua's every move and wait for the right time to take action.

At the same time, Concubine Yihua also realized that she had made many enemies in the palace. She knew that if she wanted to gain a foothold in this deep palace, she had to learn to protect herself. She began to study the etiquette and rules of the palace and gradually adapted to the lifestyle of the Tang Dynasty. She maintained superficial harmony with other concubines and tried to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. However, she also knew clearly that in order to survive in this palace, she needed to find a reliable ally.

In the following days, Concubine Yihua began to pay attention to the people around her, trying to find a trustworthy partner. She knew that in this palace full of power struggles, only by relying on the power of others could she better protect herself. At the same time, she was always alert to Concubine Ye Shu's revenge and prepared to deal with it.