Flying Apsaras Dance

Zhou Wanwan frowned and ate a few bites. The Princess sneered, "What takeout? This is just what's served in the palace. It can't even compare to your takeout."

Zhou Wanwan sighed and said:

Let them do what they want!

I heard there are six banquets tomorrow, and I'm really curious to see what they'll be like.

Six banquets, totaling about 600 tables—she could hardly imagine what those 600-plus tables would look like tomorrow.

Anyway, she was just watching the show. Zhou Wanwan took a bite of grapes, nodded, and said, "These grapes are pretty good. Why do they taste so much like the ones I grow at home?"

Not only the grapes, but also the lychees taste just like theirs.

Another bite of cherry, strawberry, peach, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango...

Without exception, they all tasted just like their family's cooking.

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched, and she said speechlessly, "So it turns out it's all food from my family."

The eldest princess asked Zhou Wanwan softly, "Is this fruit from your family?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded, and the second prince of Khotan became more and more surprised as he ate. "How can this fruit taste so delicious?"

The envoys from several other countries nearby nodded in agreement, saying, "I also think this fruit is delicious; it's especially sweet and juicy."

"I didn't expect that the fruits grown in Great Xia are so delicious now. I wonder where your country imports its fruits from?"

Xie Cheng'en smiled and said, "Naturally, they're grown on our own farm. If you need them, we can provide them too."

The foreign envoys all nodded and said:

"That's great, there are some fruits we can't bring back."

But we can still bring back watermelons and cantaloupes for our families to try.

The envoys kept exchanging messages in foreign languages. "We heard that the Great Xia Kingdom is suffering from a drought this year, but it looks quite good! There's no sign of a drought at all."

"I came here to check on the situation in the Great Xia Kingdom. I didn't expect that the Great Xia Kingdom would have such delicious fruit. The claim that the Great Xia Kingdom is suffering from drought may not be true."

"Is that Princess Jianing of the Great Xia Kingdom? She's quite pretty. Second Prince, don't you want to marry a princess?"

The second prince of Khotan looked at Princess Jianing and said, "I wonder if she's willing!"

Princess Jianing frowned slightly as she looked at the Second Prince of Khotan and asked, "Why is he staring at me like that?"

Shangguan Wan'er whispered, "I heard they've come for a political marriage. Which of them do you like?"

Princess Jianing's lips twitched. "I don't like them at all! They're so ugly."

Then Zhou Qingyan, Zhou Qingchen, and Zhou Qinghe walked in.

Princess Jianing stared blankly at them and asked, "Who are these people?"

Shangguan Wan'er took a sip of tea and said, "Them! They are Zhou Wanwan's brothers."

Princess Jianing looked at Zhou Qingyan and said, "I really didn't expect Zhou Wanwan's brother to be so handsome."

Shangguan Wan'er scoffed, "What's so handsome about them? You didn't see Gu Sinian, Cao Cao Cao he appears!"

Princess Jianing stared blankly at Gu Sinian and asked, "And who is he?"

"Him? He's just a country bumpkin. His family depends on Zhou Wanwan anyway. But he's a good student; he passed the imperial examination at a young age."

Princess Jianing squinted slightly and said, "Oh? Top scholar! That's not bad."

Gu Sinian and the others sat in the last row. He looked at Zhou Wanwan and smiled faintly, and Zhou Wanwan waved back at him.

The performance began soon afterward. The performances in the palace were quite spectacular, featuring the most famous actors, singers, dancers, and storytellers of the time.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the actors, singers, dancers, and storytellers, and her lips twitched. Weren't they all his people?

Not far away, Eunuch Hai whispered to Noble Consort Ning, "When I was in Dongshan Prefecture, I was completely mesmerized by these performances; they were truly excellent."

Noble Consort Ning looked at the actors and said, "Hmm, they are indeed quite good."

The actors quickly performed a Flying Apsaras Dance, followed by a group of dancers entering the arena, dressed in long, wide-sleeved gowns.

As the music began, everyone raised their hands and stretched their sleeves, their postures becoming more relaxed.

Then countless petals rained down from the sky, leaving everyone stunned. Was this even a dance? It was absolutely breathtaking.

Even the foreigners stared intently at these women.

"Wow, so beautiful! How did they do that? And their clothes are as gorgeous as fairies."

"I wonder if this dress is even available for purchase, it's so beautiful!"

"Yes, yes, I've seen that the Rainbow Robe Pavilion) sells these clothes."

However, those clothes are extremely expensive, costing at least 5,000 taels of silver.

"It's just 5,000 taels of silver! If I can afford clothes like these, what's 5,000 taels? I'll go buy them tomorrow."

Zhou Wanwan's lips curled slightly; this Flying Apsaras Dance had now become their signature dance.

Actually, the Old Scholar Tree just led them around in circles and then scattered some petals; no one could tell how it did that.

The emperor was also captivated by the dance. The eldest princess whispered, "This dance is truly ingenious. I wonder who choreographed it. It's really quite beautiful."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly; her clothes from the Rainbow Robe Pavilion were likely to sell out tomorrow.

The next performance was storytelling. Noble Consort Ning sighed and said, "Could you please not arrange such programs next time? What's so interesting about storytelling?"

Eunuch Hai coughed and said, "This servant understands. I will definitely not arrange such a program next time."

Eunuch Hai had ulterior motives; he genuinely loved listening to storytelling, especially "Journey to the West."

The story of "Journey to the West" had only been told for three chapters when everyone sat up straight.

Noble Consort Ning looked at the dishes and said, "These dishes are all cold, take them away! Bring out some desserts instead."

Eunuch Hai immediately replaced everyone's snacks and tea.

He stood beside Noble Consort Ning, listening intently to Journey to the West.

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched. This Eunuch Hai was really too funny. He was really going all out just to hear "Journey to the West".

Now, whenever there's a banquet in the palace, he enthusiastically recommends these programs, never tiring of it.

The people around them became increasingly engrossed. "Isn't this fascinating? ' Journey to the West,' what a wonderful title!"

Do you sell this book?

"Wenchang Book Pavilion sells these books, and not only these, but also many other miscellaneous books. I often go there to buy books."

"Those storybooks are the real crowd-pleasers! Have you seen the new ' Princess Returning Pearl ' that came out recently?"

"Of course I watch it; I follow every single issue. It's a pity it comes out so slowly."

But she has a lot of books. Have you read "The Scholar Does Not Betray the Thousand-Year-Old Fox"?

It's so beautiful.

"Do you guys like reading it too? I've been secretly reading it too. I don't know who wrote it, but this book is selling like hotcakes in Beijing right now."