But as it turned out, at some point, a circle of thin screens had been placed on the high platform, surrounding it completely, making it impossible to see inside.
With no other lights around, the screens on the high platform became the only source of light in the entire place.
The light was gentle and not dazzling, but it carried a sense of detachment.
Soon, the attendees saw that at the top of the screen, a moon-shaped silver plate was hanging, and at that moment, gentle and ethereal music began to play.
With just this scene, a dreamlike feeling was created, as though one was in a dream.
Amidst all the amazement, everyone held their breath, wanting to see more.
As the music continued to play, the attendees saw a graceful female figure gradually being projected on the screen, dancing to the music as if she were an immortal under the moon.
Her limbs and body were incredibly graceful, as if she were a dancing peacock.
Unconsciously, everyone became deeply engrossed in the performance, with even the high-seated Zhao Jinghuan staring intently at the dance, his eyes shining.
As the dance came to an end, the reflected image on the screen shone brilliantly, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers in the night.
The light within the screens gradually dimmed and went out.
The audience remained silent, still deeply impacted by the performance and still lost in the moment.
After a brief moment, someone began to clap, and this was soon followed by continuous applause that spread far and wide.
Just as the audience thought the performance had ended and began discussing the dance, the surrounding lights suddenly brightened again.
The audience instinctively stopped clapping and fell silent as they looked at the high platform, where the screens had opened on both sides, revealing a group of elegantly dressed dancers waving their sleeves to cover the opening.
The audience became excited, knowing that the person who had danced like an immortal under the moon was about to appear. Each person widened their eyes, wanting to see who had performed that extraordinary dance.
Without making the audience wait long, the dancers gradually formed a circle and began to dance, layer upon layer, like a blooming flower.
The most central figure finally emerged, and as everyone looked, they only saw that the person was wearing a dance costume with a bare chest, with only a few threads on the rest of the body and the lower skirt. It seemed as if it had been cut, but inadvertently revealed a layer of charm, swirling like waves when in motion.
As she stood there, her hair was gathered high, adorned with a proper night pearl, while her face was veiled, leaving people unable to fathom it.
However, just the exposed figure and those watery eyes had already caused many people to lose themselves in a trance.
For this performance, Su Mo'er had meticulously prepared for it a long time ago, and now she was observing the reactions of the crowd.
Seeing this scene, she finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, but she did not forget her ultimate goal, firmly remembering Yang Mama's words: the most outstanding person among the audience, in terms of temperament and appearance, was the current prince.
Thus, she subconsciously raised her eyes to look, but as soon as she saw the person's face, she was stunned, feeling thunderstruck and dazed.
If it were not for her muscle memory from dancing, she would have almost knelt on the high platform due to her legs turning weak.
Despite this, her lost composure also led to a slight mistake. Combined with her inadequate skills, this misstep caused her to miss a few beats, and when she realized it, she hurriedly caught up with the rhythm, resulting in a stumble as her ankle involuntarily veered off.
She almost couldn't help but cry out in pain, but ultimately held it in, only to dance without the previous ease and style.
Instead, due to the appearance of the person on the high platform, she couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and anxiety.
How could he be there? Could it be that he is not the prince's guard, but the prince himself?!
This thought surged up and couldn't be suppressed, after all, the facts were right in front of her. She couldn't help but remember how she had mocked him as the prince's guard during the day, and what did she say? It seemed like she called him dumb?
What have I done? Did I actually mock the prince of the Great Yan Dynasty as dumb?
With this thought, she felt dizzy and felt that her entire life had dimmed.
If possible, she would have hated to flee immediately, but her stubbornness and pressure forced her to continue performing mechanically on the stage.
In the subsequent part of her performance, due to panic and the pain in her ankle, her eyes were already filled with teardrops.
But given that her mistake had occurred towards the end and the audience was too preoccupied with admiring her appearance, they didn't notice much.
Only Zhao Jinghuan, seated in the highest position, paused for a moment to look at her ankle before moving on.
Finally, as the dancers surrounding Su Mo'er unfurled like layers of petals, throwing the prepared flower petals out, her veil and towering cloud-like hair on her head slipped off as the petals showered down.
Suddenly, three thousand green strands cascaded down, reflecting a radiant light that shone with dazzling brilliance.
In the end, Su Mo'er slowly settled in the middle, and the dance came to an end.
The crowd finally got a clear view of her appearance, and couldn't help but gasp in shock.
What kind of face was this? With her graceful figure that was not of this world, coupled with the cascading green strands and the shy and delicate face, she appeared no less than a celestial being...
Especially with her watery eyes, pure and clear, like a spring, mist, and a clear breeze.
Matched with her enchanting face and figure, she was called: as beautiful as peach blossoms, and even surpassing the beauty of fairies!
For a moment, the scene was extremely silent. It wasn't until after a long while that someone suddenly shouted, "Excellent!"
Then, a tide of applause surged like waves, and upon hearing it, Su Mo'er felt slightly relieved at the high praise.
Seeing the expressions of the people, she thought her performance must have been outstanding, right?
I wonder how His Highness sees me? If he thinks I danced well, will he not blame me for my offense during the day?
With these thoughts, she became nervous again, realizing that her future depended on the person in the high seat.
But after nervously waiting for a long time, the person above showed no expression, making her even more anxious.
Thinking about it, she gritted her teeth and led the dancers to bow, "This servant pays respects to Your Highness, may Your Highness live for a thousand years."
Her voice was soft and gentle, truly touching.
No one knew how many people she captivated, but everyone unconsciously looked at the prince in the high seat.
Initially, the lieutenant was also stunned by Su Mo'er's dancing skills. In all fairness, her dancing technique was only ordinary.
But with clever thoughts, and integrating with the environment, it was indeed exceptionally skillful.
So when he finally reacted, he was almost excited, with a red face, even more than when Li Feifei appeared earlier.
After all, Su Mo'er had neither authority nor power, so if the prince favored her, it would certainly bridge the gap between them in the future.
He thought of praising Su Mo'er to the prince, but when he looked towards the prince, he only saw that he was staring at Su Mo'er, with no change in his expression.
When he had spoken a few words when Li Feifei appeared earlier, but now it seemed that he didn't appreciate Su Mo'er?
But thinking in this way, he didn't dare to be certain, after all, this person's thoughts were not so easy to predict.
His mind instantly calmed down, thinking this was not a solution, so he cautiously asked, "Uh... Your Highness, the dancer's performance is finished, are there any instructions...?"
Ignoring the lieutenant's question, Zhao Jinghuan remained silent, making everyone present nervous, and the atmosphere more subdued.
It wasn't until the tension became almost unbearable for everyone that Zhao Jinghuan withdrew his gaze and casually waved his hand, "Let her go and tidy herself up."
What does that mean? The lieutenant couldn't figure out his thoughts, and for a moment, he had no idea what to do, and could only urge Su Mo'er, "You may leave!"
Upon hearing his words, "go and tidy yourself up," Su Mo'er suddenly felt as if all her energy had been drained from her body.
She had previously heard Yang Mama and others instruct that if the prince favored someone, they would reward them, and they would be able to serve the prince in the future.
Even Liao Feifei, who had pushed through with all her cunning means, had been rewarded afterward. But now, I've got nothing...
In an instant, she felt her hopes dashed, and as if a walking corpse, she mechanically thanked them and didn't know how she returned to the civilian area with the other dancers.
But there was already news that Su Mo'er did not receive any reward, and everyone's attitudes were different.
Some were indifferent, some sympathetic, and some were openly delighted.
Clearly, Liu Feifei belonged to the latter category. She seemed to have recovered somewhat, with only a slightly pale complexion. When she saw Su Mo'er return with a dazed look, she smirked, "Take a look, everyone. Ultimately, it's all about strength! Look at me, even if someone tried to harm me by treacherous means, I was still favored by the prince!"
Qingyu supported Su Mo'er, looking at her dazed and distressed expression with great concern.
Li Linger and a few others helped her refute back, "Miss Liu, you are really too much! Must you pierce someone's wound at this time? What's so special about it? Do you only know that Su Sister has not been favored by the prince? Even if not this time, with Sister Su's looks, she will have plenty of opportunities in the future."
Liu Feifei sneered disdainfully, staring at Su Mo'er, "Am I going too far? Wounding others? Isn't what I said the truth? Su Mo'er, look at yourself, no matter how hard you try, what's the use? Do you really think those little schemes would work in front of the prince? What kind of person is the prince? Haven't seen everything? Would he be deceived by your tricks?"
With a light sneer, she said, "A chicken is just a chicken. Even if you are given a branch, you still can't fly up. Still dreaming of becoming a phoenix? Truly a delusional person!"
As soon as she said this, she immediately gained the approval of Liu Feifei's followers.
For a moment, Liu Feifei was extremely pleased, while Su Mo'er, hearing this, felt dizzy in her head. Thinking about the consequences of not being favored by the prince this time, she felt even more hopeless.
She closed her eyes, and the tears that had filled her eyes rolled down her fair face like pearls.
......
......
The author has something to say:
Su Mo'er: I have to say something, I danced so well, yet that prince must be blind to not choose me! Is he still holding a grudge against me mocking him before? So this is what the prince is like! ╭(╯^╰)╮!
(Please collect, collect, collect)