Chapter 594: Song of the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment

One banquet after another.

It made Xie Tianyao burst into loud laughter at this moment.

"From the perspective of art alone, this Christmas Ceremony can truly be called unprecedented and unrepeatable!"

He sat on the Dragon Throne, slapping his thigh and laughing, laughing up at the sky.

The people surrounding him were all wearing blank expressions.

No one dared to laugh.

Only he alone laughed incessantly.

This laughter was naturally filled with various meanings. Mockery, sorrow, unwillingness!

The mockery was for this group of people who actually dared to bully him for being old?

The sorrow was... that he was truly old!

The unwillingness was!

He did not want to be old, he did not want to die yet!

He still wanted to live another five hundred years!

Five hundred years...

If he could be given another five hundred years, he would lead the Longyan Iron Cavalry to trample over those vassal states, to trample over those barbarians who dared to offend him!

However...

Can a person live forever?

No...

Even though he was the Emperor. Throughout history, how many Emperors had pursued the secret of immortality, yet no one could achieve it. His body had been deteriorating with each passing year, and he finally realized that he was just a person... He was not some god, he was not some Son of Heaven!

Barbarians!

A bunch of barbarians!

During his reign, he had likewise upheld Zhongyuan culture as supreme and discarded barbarian civilization. Was this not perfectly normal? Longyan was the Celestial Empire! And he was supposed to engage in some cultural integration with that bunch of barbarians? Ridiculous!

A laughingstock!

Kill!

At this moment, the killing intent in his heart had already begun to accumulate.

On this side.

The scene was exceptionally lively and filled with joy.

On that side.

Thousands upon thousands of the Imperial Guard had already begun to move.

A tense atmosphere began to permeate.

"Alert!"

"All units, alert!"

"Everyone, pull yourselves together! Take up your swords and blades!"

"Defend the Imperial City!"

"Defend the Emperor!"

The Imperial Guard.

The Jinghua garrison received the order simultaneously.

Combat readiness!

Level one combat readiness!

If anyone had the heart to observe, they would discover that many people dressed in plain clothes had begun to appear near the Post Houses where the various Feudatory Kings and regional commanders were staying, appearing to be idle. In reality, the positions these people stood in were all very particular. They were also using various secret methods to exchange information.

The entire Jinghua was filled with both festivity and tension.

The atmosphere was eerie.

"There's one more!"

"Come out quickly!"

"We're just waiting for you!"

These onlookers were shouting and calling out one by one, the atmosphere as heated as the weather today.

Gu Jin also said excitedly: "She's here, she's finally here this time!"

Liu Zheng had just finished his conversation with the Prince of Yong and, upon returning, heard this sentence, so he couldn't help but look at Gu Jin curiously: "Who is it? That makes you so excited and full of praise?"

He could tell that this young girl, Gu Jin, was still quite proud.

To make her genuinely admire someone truly required some real talent.

Gu Jin snorted, rolled her eyes at him, and said: "Li Xuanya, ever heard of her? The eldest Princess of Joseon! In terms of dance, the only one who can compare to me is her! I heard that in Joseon, she is a presence like a queen. She once used a dance to make both sides cease fire for half a year when a great war was about to break out, saving countless commoners!"

"Ah?"

Liu Zheng immediately gave a wry smile.

Gu Jin immediately refused to let it go, akimbo and glaring at him: "What is that expression? Hmm? Are you questioning this young lady's artistic attainments?"

Liu Zheng quickly said he wouldn't dare, and only then did Gu Jin snort coldly and continue to watch Zhuque Street with great interest.

Li Xuanya?

Liu Zheng smiled slightly; he liked this name very much.

It was just unclear whether this dance queen, who was so highly anticipated and the focus of everyone's attention, would be a disappointment. It seemed that it wasn't just Gu Jin who knew of this Li Xuanya's reputation; even the commoners of Jinghua knew the fame of this Joseon Beauty.

"I'm telling you, there's a possibility you might lose!"

Gu Jin suddenly giggled.

Liu Zheng became even more curious.

At this moment.

Amidst the clamor of the crowd.

The delegation from Joseon finally entered the arena slowly. The entrance alone was met with a thunderous roar of cheers.

Liu Zheng raised an eyebrow.

Judging solely by this entrance, he had a bad premonition in his heart!

Good heavens!

Could it really be their ultimate move?

As these Joseon dancers entered, they neither sang nor danced, but only played the instruments in their hands. Moreover, it was all in a free-rhythm unmetered style... with instruments like the stone chime, xiao, zheng, and flute playing solo or in rotation, which was different from the other delegations that were eager to show off right from the start. These dancers played these instruments from Longyan with consummate skill and perfection. As this graceful music rang out, accompanied by their fairy-like attire, the entire atmosphere instantly rose a level from the previous joyful laughter!

A Court Grand Dance!

The crowd clicked their tongues in wonder.

To think they would perform a Court Grand Dance at a time like this!

Is Li Xuanya not thinking straight?

However...

People slowly realized, something was wrong! This tune was wrong!

Why...

Was it so beautiful? So ethereal? Shouldn't the music for a Court Grand Dance be solemn and grave? Why did they hear a feeling of drifting toward immortality in this melody?

Liu Zheng's expression changed drastically.

That's impossible, right?

This is impossible!

Could this be...

The scattered narrative had already finished three sections by this point. When it entered the fourth section, the melody suddenly became ethereal, as if a divine song from heaven had descended; the striking, playing, and coordination of the various instruments were perfectly timed and well-arranged, following the graceful figures of the dancers who seemed to be merely walking slowly, yet it was as if they were dancing lightly.

"The heavenly palace is deep in the endless night, the azure clouds dance to the Rainbow Feather Garment Song; a single note from the jade flute fades into the void, the moon fills Lishan as the palace water clock runs long."

Suddenly.

This poem popped into Liu Zheng's mind.

The "Rainbow Feather Garment Song"?

Is it really the "Rainbow Feather Garment Song"?

He became somewhat agitated.

At this moment, the six sections of the scattered narrative were finally complete.

A woman wearing a red rainbow garment slowly stepped out from among the women, dancing gracefully, stunning the entire audience!

She was dressed in a red rainbow garment, extremely luxurious. She herself was also breathtakingly beautiful, with skin like congealed fat.

The whole audience couldn't help but cheer.

Everyone was staring at her dance moves.

Only Liu Zheng watched quietly.

For a moment, he even forgot to breathe.

One must know that the original dance of the "Rainbow Feather Garment Song" had already been lost. The "Rainbow Feather Garment Song" that Liu Zheng had seen in his previous life was a re-creation based on written records and poetic descriptions. The music used the ancient "Chang'an Drum Music" as source material, and the dance absorbed certain postures from Shaanxi and Dunhuang murals, adopting the structure of the Tang dynasty *daqu*. In other words, those were all incomplete, or even watered-down versions of the "Rainbow Feather Garment Song"!

However...

Today...

Could he actually see the "Rainbow Feather Garment Song" reappear live?

At this time.

It was the beginning of the middle prelude, a group of fairies frolicking in the moon palace, with the women dancing in support and Li Xuanya leading the dance.

Everyone.

At this moment, was staring with wide, unblinking eyes.