Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 156 Clearly a Virtuous Consort

Zhao Xingjin offered a toast, which was a great honor for Xie Jiu, so of course she had to accept it.

But she couldn't really put on airs, so she smiled and raised her glass.

"It was thanks to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor that I had the opportunity to learn how to assist in managing the six palaces, and with the Empress's careful guidance and instruction, that I was able to contribute my modest efforts to the state banquet. This toast should be offered by me to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress. Since entering the palace, I have received much care and am truly grateful."

His words were very eloquent, flattering the three highest-ranking officials in the palace and making himself appear respectful and humble.

She doesn't resemble a wicked concubine at all; she's clearly a virtuous one.

The Empress Dowager smiled gently, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder Xie Jiu, with her status, was able to carve out a place for herself in front of Zhao Xingjin. Indeed, she was sweet-talking and knew how to behave appropriately.

Who in the palace doesn't know that the Empress and Xie Jiu are at odds?

This time, Xie Jiu did not take advantage of Zhao Xingjin's favoritism to be proud in front of the Empress. Instead, she put aside her personal grievances and spoke of the Empress as virtuous and magnanimous, thus demonstrating the harmony of the harem in front of the people of Xichi.

Even the Empress Dowager had to admit that she was very satisfied with Xie Jiu's actions.

She even thought that if Xie Jiu were not a daughter of the Xie family, her proper manners and understanding of propriety would indeed make her very suitable to serve the monarch.

As for Zhao Xingjin, needless to say, the increasingly obvious smile on his face showed that he was in a good mood.

This is not only because of Xie Jiu's satisfaction, but also because Xie Wei just left Shangguan Yi speechless.

The brother and sister made a good start for the state banquet, which pleased Zhao Xingjin.

However, the Empress was not in such a good mood. Although she had a smile on her face, she was very annoyed. She did not expect that Xie Jiu could steal her thunder.

“You don’t need to be so modest. I know you have always been intelligent and meticulous,” Zhao Xingjin said.

He raised the golden cup slightly higher and then drank it all in one gulp. Xie Jiu naturally followed suit and drank the sake in his cup as well.

Everyone present watched their interaction with different thoughts.

Especially Prince Yi of Xichi Kingdom, seeing Zhao Xingjin so smug and subtly overshadowing the people of Xichi, Gao Sui's expression remained unchanged, but he was already thinking about how to retaliate.

Not only him, but Shangguan Yi, who had a fiery temper, was also holding back his anger and wanted to regain face from Xie Wei.

"Lord Shangguan, please calm down," Gao Sui said in a low voice, noticing his agitation.

"Your Highness is too patient. Don't forget the purpose of our visit to Dajing." Shangguan Yi frowned. "If we are outmaneuvered today, it will be even more difficult to make good progress in the future."

Gao Sui lowered his eyes, "I naturally understand the reasoning, but timing is also important."

After he finished speaking, Shangguan Yi was about to speak again when Zhao Zaiyan stopped him with a look.

Shangguan Yi became increasingly annoyed.

Just as he was about to drink a glass of wine to calm his anger, a melodious zither tune suddenly rang in his ears, accompanied by a woman's song as beautiful as a nightingale's, quickly filling the entire hall.

"The reeds are green and lush, the white dew has turned to frost."

More than a dozen graceful women, dressed in light and airy dance costumes that resembled reeds, seemed to float in the wind as they hummed songs and flew nimbly into the hall, where they began to dance.

The music was melodious, the singing was clear and gentle, and the dance was graceful and charming.

After the song and dance performance ended, the audience applauded and cheered.

Shangguan Yi narrowed his eyes, then clapped and cheered loudly.

"Wonderful! This dance is truly exquisite, making the viewer feel as if they are there. The music is also exceptional, seemingly a technique from the Mei'an School?"

His sudden praise naturally caught Zhao Xingjin's attention. His gaze swept over Shangguan Yi's face, and he then smiled and said, "I thought Lord Shangguan didn't like these kinds of singing, dancing, and string music, but I didn't expect that you are also proficient in playing the zither."

"Your Majesty, you flatter me. I have no knowledge of such things. It was only because my youngest daughter was learning the zither under a disciple of the Mei'an School that the name sounded familiar, so I made a guess," Shangguan Yi said.

Finally, he added, "However, Your Majesty, while I find the songs and dances beautiful, they can become tedious and tiring after a while. Some of you, like me, are not musically inclined and cannot appreciate their elegance. It would be much more lively and enjoyable to drink wine, compose poems, play games like pitch-pot and liubo."

His statement implies that he finds singing and dancing too boring and wants to try other games for entertainment.

Gao Sui listened, knowing that Shangguan Yi wasn't particularly interested in such things. He knew there must be a reason why Shangguan Yi brought it up now, so he immediately smiled and spoke up.

"Very well, I love pitch-pot the most. Whoever loses at the banquet has to drink a penalty shot, which is quite fun. However, there are too few people who can participate in pitch-pot. It would be better to compose poems or couplets. Everyone, please share your witty remarks!"

Since both of them had said so, Zhao Xingjin couldn't refuse them, so he naturally agreed amicably.

"In that case, let's set aside the singing and dancing for now and instead compose couplets together."

Compared to composing poems on the spot, composing couplets is actually easier. As long as the parallelism is neat, that's fine. If you have the first line, you can always come up with the second line.

After speaking, he added generously.

"In my treasury, there is a piece of pine soot ink from the Xi family of Huizhou. It was made by the Xi family patriarch himself when he was alive, and it can now be considered a masterpiece. Let's use this pine soot ink as a prize!"

Most of those present were scholars. The Xi family's pine soot ink was considered the best ink of the time. The one in Zhao Xingjin's hand was made by the founder of the Xi family. Not to mention its priceless value, for scholars, having such an ink was something they would be reluctant to use and would treasure as a precious artifact.

Undoubtedly, the allure of this prize is quite strong.

Even Shangguan Yi's eyes showed a hint of attraction.

"Excellent!" Gao Sui was the first to applaud. "His Majesty is so generous in bringing out such a treasure; many fine lines are sure to emerge from the audience today!"

After speaking, he glanced around again, "I just wonder, who can come up with the first line of this couplet?"

After he finished speaking, Xie Mingshen, sitting opposite him, smiled and said.

"Your Highness and the other officials have come from afar, so as guests, it is natural for the guests to offer the first line of the couplet."

Gao Sui nodded in agreement, then looked at the people around him.

Shangguan Yi chuckled and said loudly, "In that case, I will not stand on ceremony and will give you the first line of a couplet. The song and dance just now mentioned reeds, so here is my first line: Reeds on the wall, top-heavy, light-footed, and shallow-rooted."

As soon as the first line of the couplet was uttered, the officials of Dajing present gradually suppressed their smiles.

Not only them, but also the more learned concubines in the harem noticed the sarcastic meaning in the first line of the couplet.

Wei Jieyu, being straightforward, frowned deeply, her displeasure written all over her face. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to get up and rebuke the impolite Shangguan Yi.

However, as soon as she raised her head, she met the gaze of her father, Wei Zhang, who was sitting opposite her.

Wei Zhang shook his head slightly at her, signaling her to calm down. Wei Jieyu pursed her lips and reluctantly sat down again, while secretly glancing at Xie Jiu next to her.

Seeing Xie Jiu's calm and composed demeanor, completely unaffected, Xie Jiu suddenly realized that he had been showing his emotions too much. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

However, Xie Jiu was not as calm as she appeared on the surface; her mind was already racing, trying to figure out how to respond to that line.

But she wasn't in a hurry. There were so many officials from the Great Jing Dynasty; there was no need for a mere concubine like her to step forward.

Sure enough, a clear voice rang out from the field shortly afterward.

"Mountain bamboo shoots, with sharp mouths, thick skins, and hollow bellies."