The Legend of Zhen Huan Reborn: Overthrowing Zhen Huan to Become the Queen Mother

"Your Majesty, I heard from outside that Concubine Wan is both talented and beautiful, and Your Majesty has been obsessed with her for many times. But she can't dance at all. I'm afraid she is not even as good as the geishas in my mansion. How can she serve Your Majesty like this?" Prince Dun's wife didn't pay attention, and Prince Dun started to bombard the emperor with criticism. Prince Dun's wife sighed deeply.

Prince Heng laughed, as if to relieve the situation, and said, "This woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent! What's the point of dancing a stunning dance? She's just pleasing to the eye, that's all."

Prince Dun continued to jokingly say, "No talent is true, but where does this virtue come from? This combination of talent and beauty is just a false reputation! It's just to please people with your beauty, which makes it seem that the emperor is judging people by appearances."

No matter how much the Queen disliked Zhen Huan, she didn't want her to embarrass the Emperor in public.

The emperor looked at them coldly as they sang the same tune. The queen said in a deep voice, "The Jinghong Dance is easy to learn but difficult to master. It's better not to do it. Try something else."

The Emperor was in a bad mood, and if she didn't do it, she would inevitably be criticized. But if she did it, Huan'er would lose face, but if she danced poorly and offended Empress Chunyuan, it would be a big deal. Huan'er had never learned to dance, so how could she make a fool of herself in public?

Shen Meizhuang believed she still had some dignity in front of the emperor, so she said immediately, "Huan'er has always been devoted to poetry and literature, and has never put her heart into singing and dancing. I think it would be better to compose a poem to celebrate the princess' birthday."

Zhen Huan hesitated and glanced at Shen Meizhuang.

The emperor closed his eyes and said, "It's been a long time since the Jinghong Dance has been performed in the palace. I would like to see it." He looked at Prince Dun and said, "Concubine Wan is here. Just dance casually."

This time, even Concubine Hua was a little surprised.

Zhen Huan's heart sank. "Then let me go change my clothes first. I'll be back soon."

Prince Dun laughed and said, "Just change clothes, as long as you don't have to pee."

The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became. Prince Dun's wife said angrily, "Don't say drunken words in front of the emperor!"

Prince Dun laughed and nodded repeatedly, then continued to look at the emperor provocatively.

An Lingrong escorted Jiang Ruyin all the way to Rugu Hanjin, and then rode on Jiang Ruyin's sedan chair to rush back. When she met Zhen Huan at the back of the palace, An Lingrong was surprised and asked, "Why is Sister Wan out again?"

Zhen Huan lowered her eyelashes, "Sister, you'd better go in quickly."

Shen Meizhuang turned around and saw An Lingrong as if she had found a lifeline. "Your Majesty, ordinary stringed instruments are too vulgar. Sister Qian's voice is like the sound of nature. Why not let me play the zither while Sister Qian sings a song to entertain Lady Wan?"

Lou Yong'er sneaked out from the back of the hall, and bravely raised her little face and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to dance with Sister Wan."

The queen's expression froze for a moment, then she immediately restored her calm mask.

An Lingrong glanced at Lou Yong'er briefly. Seeing her in a turquoise dance gown, she looked as if she had come prepared. She said, "I will serve you, sister."

Shen Meizhuang was slightly surprised. The emperor didn't care to watch Lou Yong'er flirting. After all, Shen Meizhuang was pregnant with a dragon descendant, so he had to give her some face. So he said, "Alright. Go get Concubine Shu's Long Xiang Si Qin."

Hua Fei's smug smile disappeared in an instant.

When Zhen Huan arrived, the three of them were already waiting for her in their respective positions.

The person who surprised Zhen Huan the most was Lou Yong'er. According to Lou Yong'er's own account, she had never learned to dance. Even if she could, it was probably during the time she was being taken care of by that crazy woman. Thinking of this, Zhen Huan couldn't help but feel uneasy.

As the Queen introduced the origin of Chang Xiangsi, Shen Meizhuang plucked the strings of the zither skillfully.

Zhen Huan and Lou Yong'er stood opposite each other, and when Fang waved her sleeves, Zhen Huan already became extremely suspicious.

Too skilled!

If Zhen Huan didn't know Lou Yong'er well, she would probably have mistaken her for a diligent and hardworking dancer.

Lou Yong'er smiled, waved her sleeves, and stood back to back with Zhen Huan, looking at the scenery outside the palace with a normal expression.

Zhen Huan looked at the emperor, with a hint of complacency in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.

An Lingrong also started singing at this time:

As graceful as a startled swan——As graceful as a swimming dragon——

Zhen Huan waved her long sleeves and twisted her waist, imitating the dance moves she had learned before.

Lou Yong'er was able to keep up, and followed behind Zhen Huan, dancing with a smile on her face as usual.

Glory of Autumn Chrysanthemums—Magnificent Spring Pines—

It's like a light cloud covering the moon, and drifting like snowflakes blown by the wind.

Hua Fei curled the corners of her mouth, there was nothing outstanding so far.

Looking from afar, it is as bright as the morning glow of the rising sun.

Prince Dun, seeing that he was no longer a laughing stock, refused to admit defeat and said, "Every move she makes is no better than what Empress Chunyuan did back then. It's beautiful, but there's nothing new about it!"

Concubine Qi couldn't stand Prince Dun's attitude of not distinguishing between superiors and inferiors, and she didn't want to really speak for Zhen Huan, so she said, "It's a good intention, but it's not good to lose respect."

Zhen Huan could hardly maintain her expression.

At this time, the clear and melodious sound of the flute came from far away.

The sound is high and loud yet gentle and graceful, which shows that the person playing the flute is extremely proficient in playing the art.

As Zhen Huan turned around during her dance, she and the newcomer met each other's gaze. Lou Yong'er dodged her gaze and faced the Emperor. The Emperor didn't look at her, nor did she expect the Emperor to say, "Here he comes!"

Prince Guo lives up to his reputation of being a dashing and unrestrained man. His attainments in both playing instruments and repertoire are superior to those of Shen Meiyu and An Lingrong.

Shen Meizhuang was an expert at playing the zither, so she immediately lowered the pitch to match the flute's sound.

An Lingrong stopped singing and stood with her arms folded.

With the help of the flute music, Zhen Huan danced like a trapped bird out of a cage, like a fish in water, and her dance became more and more unrestrained and lively.

Lou Yong'er paused for a moment, but still gritted her teeth and followed Zhen Huan's dance steps.

After all, Lou Yong'er was not as good as Zhen Huan in years of study, and gradually felt the pressure.

The words Lan Li said when he was changing her clothes just now came to her ears:

"Master has practiced diligently for many days and is now as good as any other dancer in this dance. Regardless of whether Master can outdance Concubine Wan or not, the Emperor and Concubine Wan will remember you and your help. The days of being confined to a side hall will never come back, so you can do your job without worry."

Lou Yong'er calmed down.

When Zhen Huan spun and leaped, she would leap carefully just to keep up with her steps.

Zhen Huan held her chin and waved her arms, then she danced gracefully with her sleeves standing behind her back.

When the dance was about to end, Zhen Huan gracefully swung her sleeves and twisted her waist in the middle of the stage.

She then quietly stepped aside, full of humility and composure.

The dance is over.

The emperor blinked, "I don't know how many surprises you have in store."

Zhen Huan danced with great enthusiasm and said with a smile, "My humble skills have made the emperor laugh."

Prince Dun laughed out loud at an inappropriate time, but stopped abruptly in the middle of his laughter, like a drake with its neck strangled while howling.

It turned out that it was Prince Dun's wife who was glaring at him angrily.

Prince Dun shut up.

Prince Guo said leisurely, "Tenth brother, you are wrong to laugh. Concubine Wan's dance is a true inheritance from Concubine Mei. The Jinghong Dance originated from Concubine Mei. Today, I can say that I have learned from the ancient style."

Prince Dun pouted, fearing that if he were not the wife of the emperor, he would have started to retort again.

Seeing that the Emperor was very pleased, Concubine Wen immediately started to stir up trouble to avoid Hua Fei's blame, "Your Majesty, let me tell you what I have to say. Wan Changzai is very intelligent and can dance in a way that ordinary people cannot. I think her dancing is not inferior to that of Empress Chunyuan back then."