Golden Branch

"The sound of water? What's Princess Langya up to?"

"Aquarium? Did Princess Langya move the aquarium here?"

"What aquarium?"

"Oh, you've never been to the Princess's Palace? Haven't you ever been to the glass workshops in the East and West Markets?"

"...a glass fish tank, transparent, with a panoramic view of the water?"

"This is indeed wonderful! But it's not a song and dance performance."

The fish in the sea are indeed rare, but they are not a show.

Everyone was surprised to see the huge box covered with red silk. They were pointing and talking about it.

The Saint and Queen Li watched with great interest.

They had heard from Concubine Jiang that Princess Langya had gone to Dengzhou specifically to prepare for the program for the emperor's birthday banquet.

The emperor and empress had already seen the night-shining pearls and coral trees that Wang Heng brought back from Dengzhou.

Not bad. Although not extremely rare, it is still valuable.

The key is to strike the right balance.

After witnessing Princess Langya's "cleverness" once again, the emperor and empress began to look forward to her singing and dancing performances a little more.

Swish!

Just as everyone was discussing and curious, Wang Mian and Zheng Shisan stepped forward, grabbed a corner of the red silk and pulled it together.

A large piece of red silk covered a huge box that was nearly ten feet high.

When someone pulled it down with force, it looked like endless red silk falling from mid-air.

The red silk was lifted, revealing a huge rectangular crystal box.

Oh no, it's a glass box.

It is ten feet high, ten and a half feet long, and nearly half a foot wide.

This huge glass box is filled with 80% water.

This was not the most shocking thing for the guests. What really made everyone exclaim was:

There were two women in dancer costumes in the water tank.

They wore double-ring Wangxian buns, brightly colored dance skirts, and a long, flowing red silk draped over their bare shoulders.

Their heads float on the water, their feet do not touch the ground, yet they can stand steadily in the water.

"what is this?"

"Dancing Girl?"

"They're going to dance in the water?"

"In water? Can you dance?"

The flying dance in the water still shocked later generations. Despite the gap of more than a thousand years, even the court officials present were knowledgeable and shrewd, and they were all shocked.

They simply couldn't imagine that people could dance in water?

Humans are not fish. How can they breathe in water?

Wang Mian: ...Ordinary people certainly can’t do it, but professionals who have undergone special training can perform it perfectly.

It was almost noon, the sun was high in the sky, and golden sunlight poured into the hall through the wide-open door.

A giant water tank was placed right at the entrance of the temple, and the golden light shining in just gave the water tank the strongest light.

Wang Mian secretly snapped his fingers in his heart: Perfect!

Everything was just as it had been during the rehearsal.

Wang Mian has great admiration for Wang Heng, the leader of the entire program.

It was just a casual remark she made while chatting with Wang Heng, but Wang Heng wrote it down.

Wang Heng went to Dengzhou to "escape from marriage".

After being arrested, Wang Heng did not complain or feel depressed.

When Wang Heng happened to encounter a pearl diver crying out for justice, she thought of the underwater flying dance and the sage's birthday tribute...

Tsk, no wonder Ajiu can reach such a high position. It’s not just because of his good background and backing, but more importantly, it’s because Ajiu never misses any opportunity.

She looks lazy and indifferent, as if she doesn't care about anything.

In fact, she understands everything and remembers everything.

She just won't show off deliberately, but will use the preparations she has made long ago at the right time!

“…Everything is ready! Let’s begin!”

Collecting his thoughts, Wang Mian made a gesture to the musician.

Ringing and clanging!

Ding ding dong dong!

The drums and harps sounded together, and the flutes and pipes rustled.

As the drums and music started, the two dancers began to move.

They rolled over and dived directly into the water.

In the water, they are as graceful as swimming dragons and as elegant as startled swans, dancing gracefully and with flowing red silk.

With the help of water, the two dancers seem to be able to fly all over the sky.

And the bright sunlight makes the picture even more dreamy.

"..."

The entire hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

All the guests were attracted by this magical and wonderful performance.

In addition to the graceful dance, what is more exciting is the underwater shock.

The bright sunshine, the transparent glass, the dancers waving their arms as if ready to fly... all of this is so beautiful that it seems unreal. The legendary fairies in the Jade Pool probably look like this.

Lou Yu sat below the prince, and next to him was Xiao Wuji.

Two of the most handsome young men in the capital seemed to be watching the show attentively like all the other guests.

In reality, they were communicating out of the corner of their eyes.

Lou Yu: "Is this the program that Ah Heng and the others have been secretly coming up with for quite some time?"

Xiao Wuji: "It's truly magnificent! My Amian is truly clever, always full of brilliant ideas!"

Lou Yu: "Haha! The glass was made by a craftsman hired by Ah Heng! The dancer is a pearl diver Ah Heng hired from the Dengzhou network!"

The most important point is that Aheng is the master.

Wang Mian was just a little follower who ran errands.

If we really want to reward people based on their merits, Aheng is the greatest contributor.

Xiao Wuji: "...as long as you are happy! After all, the princess values ​​Amian, and Amian also respects the princess!"

They are two close sisters.

No distinction between each other, respect and love each other.

An underwater flying dance only takes half a cup of tea.

But it still brought great shock to people.

After the dancers finished their performance, they skillfully paddled their feet in the water and swam lightly to the surface.

Wow! !

The sound of drums and music has stopped, and the sound of rushing water has become more obvious.

The guests once again realized that the two dancers had been submerged in water for a full half cup of tea, and not only did they not drown, but they were able to perform a graceful dance.

"Wonderful! Haha, it's really wonderful!"

"Is this the performance presented by Princess Langya?"

"Didn't the chief eunuch just say that this dance was jointly presented by Princess Langya, Princess Wang, and Zheng Shisanniang?"

"I've heard of Princess Wang. She's from the Wang family of Yizhou, a cousin of Princess Langya, and is engaged to the eldest son of the Marquis of Changle. Who is this Zheng Shisan?"

"I heard that Princess Langya's other study partner is already engaged to the Prince of Rui."

"The future Crown Prince Consort of Prince Rui's Mansion? Haha, Prince Rui is indeed an old fox!"

Zheng Shisan may seem unknown, but marrying him home will actually be of great benefit to you.

You don’t even need to carefully investigate the connections behind Zheng Shisan, just watch this performance and you’ll know.

If Prince Rui marries her, he will be able to establish relationships with powerful people such as Princess Langya, Duke of Qi, and Marquis of Changle.

Oh, yes, and an absolutely generous dowry.

Princess Langya and Princess Wang would bring Zheng Shisan along for the gift of the Emperor's birthday. Especially when doing business, would they leave him behind?

The many industries under Princess Langya's name are all highly profitable businesses that make people jealous.

Especially this glass, wow, it is very popular among the powerful and wealthy circles.

Such a small thing can be sold at a sky-high price and is still in short supply.

Now, with this underwater flying dance, glass will only become more popular.

Maybe he will even leave the capital and leave Dayu.

Didn’t you see the envoys from foreign countries, watching the show with their eyes wide open?

Their Great Yu Dynasty, the Celestial Empire, was a land of abundant natural resources, outstanding people, and beautiful scenery... Perhaps they couldn't fully display the beauty of the land, but they could also visualize it through a small dance.

Being able to perform such a wonderful show, the wealth and heritage of the Dayu Dynasty will definitely make all foreign countries amazed and yearn for it.

Just as the Flying Dance ended, several envoys dressed in exotic costumes stood up with wine glasses in hand and flattered the saint.

"This music and this dance should only exist in heaven. We are honored to be able to see them on earth. This is all thanks to the Emperor's blessing."

"We admire the culture of Dayu and wish to select the noble sons of the state to come and study here. We hope the Sage will grant our approval."

Of course, among the many praises and requests, there are also some discordant voices:

"Dayu is indeed a celestial kingdom. I admire and yearn for it. On behalf of our Khan, I once again beg for the hand of Princess Dayu!"

Well, it was the emperor’s birthday banquet, but now they are talking about marriage.

The saint's expression remained unchanged, and a dark glint flashed in the prince's eyes.

Wei Xiang and other court officials started chatting and laughing to change the topic, and the birthday banquet continued to be lively.

"These barbarians really don't know the rules!"

Queen Li was slightly dissatisfied.

Marriage with the emperor would not harm Queen Li's interests.

Not to mention that her own daughter, Princess Changning, was not even five years old. Even if she reached the marriageable age, Empress Li would not worry.

Because, even if they wanted to marry a princess, they would never choose a real princess.

Either she is a daughter of a royal family or a daughter of a minister.

The princess of the previous dynasty was just an adopted daughter, not a true royal daughter.

What really angered Queen Li was this ignorant barbarian who had ruined the atmosphere of the emperor's birthday banquet.

The sage was very happy with the flying dance presented by Langya, but his mood was ruined by this barbarian.

Imperial Concubine Jiang gently stroked her belly and advised softly, "Your Majesty, you also said that they are 'barbarians', uneducated and naturally have no rules!"

"If you argue with such a savage, you will get yourself into trouble."

Hearing Concubine Jiang's words, Empress Li laughed, "A Jiang is right! Why would I bother with such a savage?"

"By the way, A Jiang, your due date is next month, right?"

"It's only one month away from the Saint's birthday!"

Queen Li didn't have any other intention when she said this.

Because she knew that Concubine Jiang was smart and sensible, and would not deliberately tamper with her fertility for the so-called "good omen".

For example, in order to have the child born on the same day as the saint, they would take oxytocin and force premature birth.

Concubine Jiang, please cherish your life.

Even if she encountered a difficult delivery and had to decide whether to save the adult or the child, Concubine Jiang would choose herself.

Instead of exercising the so-called great maternal love to protect an embryo that she has never seen.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. The due date is the tenth day of next month."

Concubine Jiang bowed slightly and answered respectfully.

"Are the midwife, the doctor, and others all ready?"

"Don't worry, my lady, everything is ready!"

Imperial Concubine Jiang had a thoughtful daughter who not only made all the usual preparations in advance, but also had some new and unique things she had never seen before...