A red apricot is about to cheat on you

Xie Xingchen had long noticed that the person sitting next to him was not his princess Yi Duoer, so he deliberately joked, "Oh, King Ye is so lucky to have such a beautiful princess!"

His words delighted Zhu Qingxue. Not only was she being praised for her beauty, but she was also being mistaken for the Night Princess. Everyone's eyes turned to Zhu Qingxue. The emperor's face darkened, and some stubborn ministers began to murmur in criticism. Originally, if no one mentioned it, the matter would have been dismissed as nothing. "This Third Prince really doesn't care about his status. He didn't bring his own Night Princess, but..."

"Indecent!"

Chu Junye's face turned ugly at this moment. If he had known earlier, he should not have been soft-hearted and let Zhu Qingxue sit next to him. After all, it was not right!

The Emperor glared in the direction of Concubine Ye, and Concubine Ye became fearful and guilty. Her face was extremely unnatural, and the Empress saw it all. At this moment, her mammary glands were much more unblocked!

"Your Highness has misunderstood. My princess is feeling unwell today and is recuperating in the palace."

If Xie Xingchen didn't know Yi Duo'er was at the banquet, he would have believed his lies. Since he had already teased her, he should stop now! So he accepted his challenge.

Turning back to the Emperor, he said, "Your Majesty, there's no point in just competing like this. Why don't we set a condition? Whoever wins can make a request of the other. It won't involve state affairs, and anyone can do it. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

The emperor thought that this request was not excessive, so he agreed.

Everyone made room for them, and the two of them stood as straight as pine trees. Xie Xingchen had repeatedly framed him, and Chu Junye also wanted to take advantage of this competition to teach him a lesson!

The long sword in his hand gleamed with a cold gleam. Chu Junye's eyes were focused and resolute, while his opponent's was equally imposing, his eyes filled with provocation. The two stood facing each other, and the atmosphere instantly froze.

At a command, the duel began. Chu Junye struck first, his longsword slashing out like a venomous snake, at breakneck speed. Xie Xingchen remained calm, dodging the blow with a flick of his wrist. Then, like a snake emerging from its lair, his longsword darted directly toward the opponent's vitals. The challenger quickly drew back his sword to block. With a clang, the two swords collided, sending sparks flying.

Chu Junye's form was nimble, his steps light, like a dancing crane. His sword moves were sometimes fierce and fierce like a tiger, sometimes nimble and graceful like a swallow, leaving people unpredictable. Every strike of his sword carried a fierce momentum that seemed to cut through the air.

Xie Xingchen was not to be outdone, and used all his strength, with sword moves coming out one after another. Another fierce collision, and both of them took a few steps back.

An Tingfeng saw that both of them had murderous intentions, and the fight was very fierce! Everyone's face was filled with panic, especially Concubine Ye and Zhu Qingxue, whose worry grew even heavier. They then looked at Yi Duoer who was eating crabs.

As if Chu Junye was not her husband, she ignored everything outside the window and just kept eating delicious food and drinking!

"Aren't you worried about what might happen to your prince?" An Tingfeng asked, looking at her in confusion. Yi Duoer said calmly that nothing was more important than eating, and told him not to worry about it. It didn't matter to her who won or lost.

An Tingfeng was speechless...

Xie Xingchen narrowed his eyes slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He suddenly shot up and rushed towards Chu Junye like lightning. The long sword drew a beautiful arc in the air, with an unstoppable momentum. Chu Junye resisted,

Finally, both of their swords stopped at each other's throats. The whole place was silent.

Yi Duo'er held a crab claw in her mouth and looked at the scene in front of her, feeling a mixture of emotions. She always felt that something bad was going to happen to her.

The emperor smiled and clapped his hands, "Well, you are all excellent, equally matched!"

The two men put away their swords. "The Night King is indeed worthy of his reputation," Xie Xingchen said with a wicked smile. The Queen stepped in to smooth things over. "Today is a good day. Swordplay is such a magnificent spectacle. The ladies have prepared a show for everyone. Don't let them down."

The emperor immediately agreed with the queen's words. Xie Xingchen had obviously come prepared and wanted to undermine the relationship between Qi Chao and Ying Jue. He was afraid that if the competition continued, things would get out of control.

At this moment, Zhu Qingxue took the lead and stepped forward, acting in a gentle and charming manner. She said softly, "Your Majesty, Empress, I am willing to compose a piece of music to entertain you, the nobles!"

"She can actually play the extremely difficult Qinglin music!"

"As expected of the Prime Minister's daughter, the most talented woman in the capital!"

For a moment, praise, envy, and jealousy surrounded Zhu Qingxue, and Chu Junye also showed her a gratified look. She really enjoyed the worship of others.

After a while, the palace maids had placed the guzheng in the center of the hall. Zhu Qingxue slowly sat down, with her slender, snow-white hands placed on the guzheng.

The next second, a pleasant and melodious music sounded, gentle and melodious.

The grass is green and lush!

General Wanli rides away, my heart goes to him

Lotus once felt sad about the past, if the heart hides it

The green grass is like a dream, vast and boundless!

Her voice sometimes rose and sometimes fell, a mixture of sadness and joy, tender and affectionate. The other ladies looked at her with envy and jealousy. For a moment, I wish Qingxue endless success!

When the song ended, applause broke out. Zhu Qingxue stood up slowly with a smile on her face and said to the emperor, "Xue'er, thank you for your performance!"

The queen gave Zhu Qingxue a pearl on her head as a reward. After she took the pearl, she knelt on the ground to express her gratitude.

A calculating look flashed in her eyes, and she immediately said, "Your Majesty, I only know a little bit about the zither, but Sister Duo'er's zither skills are unprecedented and unparalleled."

Yi Duoer was savoring the wine with great interest when she heard her name. She looked over and saw Zhu Qingxue saying she could play the piano. She was about to set herself up for failure.

Zhu Qingxue just wanted Yi Duoer to be exposed. She knew that in front of so many dignitaries, especially in front of the emperor, she would not dare to do anything to her, so she humiliated her without hesitation.

Yi Duo'er was already a little tipsy, so she didn't care about Zhu Qingxue's current evasiveness. If she dared to plot against her, then she couldn't blame her for being ruthless.

Chu Junye wanted to change the subject and didn't want Yi Duoer to be embarrassed, but the queen had already asked someone to invite Yi Duoer to the center, and Yi Duoer saluted in a proper manner.

"Duo'er greets the Emperor and the Empress!"

Yi Duo'er looked straight at the emperor. Chu Junye's face turned extremely ugly, and he immediately said, "How dare you! You should call me father. Queen Mother! You can't even look at me directly!"

His scolding made Yi Duoer roll her eyes at him. "The Emperor asked me to stand up and speak to him. Should I look at you instead of the Emperor?"

The emperor didn't blame him for his lack of etiquette. He chuckled and said, "This little girl is quite impatient, hahahaha... I heard from the Prime Minister's daughter that you are an excellent zither player. Then play a piece for us! Let's see who has the better zither skills!"

Yi Duo'er didn't agree immediately. Instead, she turned around and looked at Zhu Qingxue, saying meaningfully, "Do you really want to see me play the piano?"