After swallowing my anger and taking the blame, I became the lucky little queen

The queen looked around and didn't see any girl who wanted to attend, so she felt a little embarrassed.

A gentle male voice rang out from the quiet Qinghui Palace: "Why don't I, your son, start it first?"

Nian Susu looked towards the source of the sound and saw that it was the second prince.

Qin Guanqing stood up with a smile, as if he knew the queen would not refuse. The palace maid behind him had already handed the flute to him with both hands.

The queen's sullen face softened a lot and she nodded at him, "Okay, then the Second Prince will go first."

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally silent Qinghui Palace suddenly became noisy.

"It is said that the Second Prince's flute playing is the best in Shengjing! Seeing is believing, and today I finally have the opportunity to feast my ears!"

"It's more than the best in Shengjing! It's no exaggeration to say it's the best in the world! The Second Prince has traveled all over the place and met many people who love and are good at playing the flute. They all bow down to the Second Prince. If the Second Prince is second, no one dares to claim to be first."

"This is clearly a group of princes choosing concubines. After the second prince played this song, I guess all the ladies present want to marry him!"

"Not only that, the Second Prince is a romantic, talented, and charming man. Women who want to marry him have lined up from Shengjing to Southern Xinjiang! I heard that the second prince charmed a young lady from an aristocratic family with a flute in Jiangnan two years ago, and she refused to marry anyone but him!"

The veteran general Nian Su listened to all the discussions and thought to himself: Is this second prince really that powerful?

Qin Guanqing walked to the center of the hall under various gazes, holding the flute and saluted the emperor.

The emperor heard the young ladies' praise for his son and laughed happily. He teased Qin Guanqing, "Second brother, your romantic affairs have spread all over Shengjing. No girl will dare to marry you then!"

The Queen agreed: "The Second Prince is handsome and talented. There are so many girls who want to marry him that they can't even count them with ten hands."

Qin Guanqing twirled the jade flute in his hand, and said lazily, "Father, if no girl is willing to marry me, I will be heartbroken and can only travel all over the country to relax. Then, Father, please don't use excuses like 'Mulan's autumn is coming' or 'The Queen's birthday is coming' to summon me back to the capital."

Everyone laughed in unison.

Everyone in the court knew that the Second Prince had no ambitions in the government and only wanted to travel around the country.

No one doubts this. After all, Qin Guanqing once used a poem to describe the life he longed for during the morning court session in Mingde Hall: When I feel like going out, I go alone. I know nothing about the good things. When I reach the end of the water, I sit and watch the clouds rise.

Moreover, the number of days he spent in Shengjing in these years can be counted on one hand. If you say that such a person wants to compete for the throne or become emperor, I am afraid no one would dare to believe it.

So it was really difficult for the emperor to see him.

The emperor pointed at him a few times, unable to hide the fondness in his tone: "You, you only know how to play."

The jokes between father and son eased the restraint between the monarch and his subjects, and the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became joyful.

When Qin Guanqing started to play, everyone fell silent and stared intently at the jade flute in his hand.

Nian Susu held his chin with his hand, his eyes passed Qin Guanqing and finally fell on Qin Junyu.

He was dressed in the black and gold uniform of the Crown Prince, and his stern face was just as smooth as his clothes, which were without a single wrinkle.

Noticing her gaze, Qin Junyu gave her a puzzled look.

Nian Susu smiled and shook his head.

A melodious and pleasant sound of a flute came into her ears, refreshing like the sweet spring water in June. She closed her eyes unconsciously, enjoying this auditory feast to her heart's content.

She didn't understand the flute, let alone music, but the words in "Pipa Song" "As if listening to celestial music and my ears are temporarily clear" suddenly became real at this moment.

She believed what the young ladies said—the Second Prince’s flute playing was unique in Shengjing.

After the song ended, everyone still felt a little unsatisfied.

Many girls have thrown away their reserve and are staring at Qin Guanqing with blatant admiration.

"The Second Prince is so handsome! I knew the rumors were true!"

"How can there be a man in the world as talented and handsome as the Second Prince?"

"What a pity. The Second Prince comes and goes like the wind, unrestrained and uninhibited. He probably won't like a well-behaved young lady..."

Nian Susu agreed with this.

A man like Qin Guanqing should want a confidant who understands him the most. What can move him is also a passionate woman who drinks and talks with him and regards the world as her home, rather than a conservative young lady.

The emperor took the lead in applauding, and the others applauded.

Qin Guanqing returned to his seat, and the first thing he did was to take the wine jug and approach Qin Junyu to ask for praise: "How about it, my brother, I played well just now, didn't I?"

Qin Junyu nodded, "Second brother's flute playing is naturally excellent."

He was very satisfied and nodded rapidly.

He didn't even let go of the ten-year-old child, and leaned over to ask Qin Wenyuan: "Xiaowu, what do you think?"

Qin Wenyuan nodded, "Second brother's flute sound is naturally excellent."

It is no exaggeration to say that these two, one big and one small, are father and son, as their words and actions are exactly the same.

Qin Guanqing shook his head and smacked his lips, "No wonder you two can play together."

He moved back to his seat and suddenly felt a burning gaze opposite him.

When he looked up, he saw the girl behind Prime Minister Nian holding her chin and staring at him in a daze. A pair of fox eyes is obviously the most charming, but because the eyes are large and round, they add a bit of innocence and cuteness.

Just like a simple little fox just born.

Qin Guanqing couldn't help laughing when he thought of this very vivid description.

The little fox noticed that he was laughing, and suddenly became alert, looking at him with a wary look.

Qin Guanqing found it even funnier. She was the one staring at him, and he did nothing, but she was as alert as a prey guarding against a hunter.

He lifted the mouth of the wine jug and saluted her in the air, then raised his head and drank the little wine left in the jug.

Nian Susu withdrew his gaze and thought to himself: This second prince is really weird.

She looked up and saw that the Emperor and Empress were obviously very happy.

When her eyes swept over Concubine Ning who was sitting to the right of the emperor, she suddenly called her name: "Everyone says that Miss Nian is very smart and well-read. I wonder what you think of the Second Prince's flute music."

Concubine Ning was Qin Guanqing's mother and the most favored concubine in the emperor's harem. No matter what the occasion, she always sat at the emperor's lower right.

She and the Empress had never gotten along, and since they both had sons and were of similar age, they were inevitably compared. On the surface, they were good sisters serving the Emperor together, but secretly they were competing with each other.

If the Queen wants something, Concubine Ning will do whatever it takes to get it. If the Queen likes something, Concubine Ning will destroy it even if she can't get it.

And Nian Susu, because of his special identity, was invisibly involved in their disputes.

Because the princes vying for the throne all hope to get support from more forces, marriage is the simplest and most effective way.

The Queen wanted Miss Nian to marry Qin Fengtian, how could Concubine Ning not know?