Dayi's banquets were held every time in the Baohe Palace, which was wide enough to contain hundreds of seats and groups of performing dancers and musicians.

The back of Baohe Palace was connected to a large square platform above the clear river.

It was midsummer now. Enchanting lotus blossomed with its crystal pink petals clustered around tender yellow stamens, and oily emerald lotus leaves crowded closely together.

Emperor Jingxiao would appreciate music and dance on the platform or took on a gaily-painted boat, letting the musicians and dancers perform for him on the river, when he was in a good mood.

The night was inky.

Stringed and woodwind instruments played beautiful and gay melodies in Baohe Palace, which was lit up with numerous candles as bright as day that each beaming face in the Palace was illuminated.

When Yunyao and Yunxi were talking about the old days in the Kanfang Pavilion, there was a lively scene of singing and dancing in the Baohe Palace.

Long sleeves flew in the middle of the Palace. Six girls in light yellow gauzy dance skirt circled the leading dancer, dancing to the rhythm of the music.

Emperor Jingxiao, Huanan Ze, sat on the above. He was in his 40s, a little obese and unhealthy yellow in his skin.

Wearing a bright yellow silk dragon robe and a gold crown, he sat straight on the dragon throne, narrowed his triangular eyes, flashing his eyes to the charming leading dancer in the middle of the palace hall.

Her hair was coiled into a single spiral-style. Her body was wrapped in a rose gauzy with three-quarter-length sleeves, which exposed two jade-white arms in the air. Her waist, indistinct in the gauzy skirt, was slender and soft.

A piece of peach-pink gauzy with tassels veiled her face. Under the candlelight, the wave patterns on the veil which was embroidered with golden threads sparkled and dazzled the eyes.

An invisible feeling of beauty, like Venus in the half shell, added a sense of mystery and temptation to the flamboyant dancing figure.

Just after the lunar January, a group of damsels from Youzhu Garden entered the Palace and were arranged to take posts in the Music Office of the Imperial Ceremonial Service.

Tonight, the six girls that were fortunately selected to perform Apsara Dance for the Emperor, Empress, and civil and military officials came from this group of damsels.

Empress Qian of the Eastern Palace sat next to Emperor Jingxiao. Her beautiful and calculative eyes swiveled from the leading dancer to the Emperor. Then she raised her cup with a silent smile and took a sip of the wine.

Having spent more than two decades and endured the hardship of losing a child together with the Emperor, she knew her husband more than any concubines else that his capricious favor couldn't be kept as other people's wishes.

Only by keeping her manners and steady-state of mind could she wield power in this imperial harem as a respectable Empress.

The Apsara Dance was stunning. Civil and military officials sitting on both sides each had his own mind, but they all watched the complexions of the Emperor and the Empress and acclaimed the dance.

Leng Qingtang seated the first in the second row of the east side. He had been absent-minded since the banquet began, thinking of what Gu Yunxi was doing.

She must have entered the Palace not long ago? And now she would have passed the corridor... By this time she should have seen Zhaoyi.

It was her first time to enter the Palace. He hoped that nothing went wrong.

The dancers came in. One of them came into his sight, and he felt there was something wrong with her.

The six accompany dancers powdered their face and neck and put on heavy make-ups. Under their black brows, they drew thick eyeliners and applied dark eye shadows with shiny deep purple conch powder.

This kind of make-up made their eyes look big and lively but exaggerated and demonized their whole facial features.

Fixing his eyes at seven dancers' enchanting dance, frowning Leng Qingtang let go of his personal considerations and focused on the situation in the hall.

The dance was coming to an end. Seven dancers gathered together and propped one another to form an inverted triangle, rotating slowly. The graceful leading dancer in rose was on the top.

When the officials were absorbed in their performance, the six accompany dancers waved their arms to rain a sight of sweet flowers from their sleeves onto the floor.

"Bravo! Excellent."

Emperor Jingxiao took the lead in applause and acclaim.

Such an inventive Apsara Dance! It was a perfect combination of dance, acrobatics, and conjuring.

Emperor Jingxiao was greatly pleased.

The officials also followed suit. They applauded for the climax part. At this point, the leading dancer aloft rose her right hand to pull a hairpin out of her hair.

Leng Qingtang sprang to his feet for he saw the pitch-black tail of the hairpin.

The hairpin was poisonous.

He grasped something on the table to meet the emergency when he heard the anxious cry of military officials opposite,

"Assassin."

At the same time, a white light dashed straight to the high-stacked dancers.

"Bang!"

A silver wine bottle broke the seven dancers' formation.

The moment when the dancers below tumbled, the leading dancer leaped to Emperor Jingxiao on the stage, tightly grabbing the weapon. Her big eyes, decorated with heavy eye lines, popped as if it would fall out of their sockets the next moment.

Her accomplices also dived for the stage after keeping their legs.

There was instant chaos on and off stage.

Emperor Jingxiao never thought that he would be assassinated under all his officials' noses.

In shock, he leaned back and was protected by Eunuch Superintendent Lord Hu.

Lord Hu's face changed in panic. He looked around and shouted,

"Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty."

Some concubines ran away, screaming.

Concubine Xu was pregnant and was going to give birth to a baby one and a half months later. Unlike the fresh damsels, she always acted with due decorum.

However, danger came in a split second. In order to protect her baby, Xu Yuanjiao rose to her feet by instinct, holding her round belly, and trotted along with the team of escaping concubines with the support of her maid.

Someone gave a hard push to her from behind. Concubine Xu fell prone on the carpet. It was so hard a tumble that the maid supporting her was also dragged down.

Xu Yuanjiao let out wailed out of pain at once. She was drenched in sweat, and a lot of blood gushed out from between her legs.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Just as the leading dancer dived out, a figure in sapphire blue, who had been sitting among military officials, leaped after a pump at the table and blocked the assassin at below the stage.

Some other military officials captured the six accompany dancers.

Imperial Guards rushed in. Six dancers' faces were taut. They moved their lips and the next moment, they fell over like sheets of paper and stopped breathing. Black blood overflew the corners of their lips and stained the new carpets embroidered with multicolored flowers.

There was a smell of blood in the air. The leading dancer fiercely looked at the man who blocked her, Wan Li, the Shenle Marquis. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a certain look that dimmed the assassin's face behind the veil.

She turned her head to Leng Qingtang, who was standing among the civil officials and astonished, and uttered a cry,

"Master Leng, sorry, I didn't make it."

As her words finished, she thrust the hairpin into her throat with a flip of the wrist.

The assassin thumped onto the ground, dead. The dancing Apsara and the other six beautiful butterflies were no longer alive.

There was a deathly hush in the Palace.

After the Emperor and Empress held on to their seats again under the protection of Lord Hu, Lord Shen Wan Zong sat in the chief seat of the military officials commanded the Imperial Guards aloud,

"Go and arrest Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot!"

A group of Imperial Guard immediately surrounded Leng Qingtang's seat.

Leng Qingtang realized that it was not a dream. He was framed up.

The assassination was abrupt, and all the assassins suicided that they couldn't be his witness.

No matter who planned this show, he won't submissively suffer a wrong.

Leng Qingtang looked angry. He clenched his fists.

"Who dares."

Eyes wide-opened, he looked sharply at the Imperial Guards surrounding him and let out a fierce roar with hatred.

The Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot was a powerful position. What was more, Leng Qingtang was the chief of the Imperial Ceremony Office. His aura frightened those armored soldiers in this short duration.

Wan Zong's beard cocked with anger. He went out from his seat and pointed at Leng Qingtang angrily,

"Leng Qingtang, you instructed damsels to assassin His Majesty, and now you even want to disobey His Majesty's order?"

"His Majesty's order?"

Leng Qingtang sneered and snorted,

"Better say your order, I think?"

"You!"

Wan Zong flushed at his contradiction and paused.

Leng Qingtang went out from his seat and knelt under the high platform. He kowtowed to Emperor Jingxiao,

"Your Majesty, I failed managing Imperial Ceremony Office strictly and brought danger to you. I'm willing to be punished. However, there are many doubtful points in this assassination. Please Your Majesty authorizes me to look into this case."

"Humph! You want to look into it?"

Wan Li was on the high ropes. He spoke haughtily, hands on his loins,

"Even if there is an investigation, it can't be handled by you and the Eastern Depot. We can give it to Ming Lan and the Western Depot."

"How dare you."

On the high platform, Empress Qian thumped the table angrily. The wings of the gold phoenix on her crown flickered as she stood up.

Grinding her teeth, Empress Qian gave an indignant stare to the Wans and spoke sharply,

"His Majesty is here. What are you shouting about? How dare you do such disrespectful things to usurp His Majesty's right to decide?"

Wan Zong and Wan Li hurriedly knelt,

"Please forgive my clumsy, Your Majesty, Your Grace."

Empress Qian also knelt at the table. With anxiety on her elegant face, she lowered her head,

"Your Majesty, the most significant thing is to ask imperial doctors to keep the baby safe and sound in Yuanjiao's belly."

Her words awakened Emperor Jingxiao, who was in a trance. The Emperor looked around and asked,

"How is Concubine Xu? Is there anything wrong with the baby?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

A maid trotted over in a panic and knelt,

"Your Majesty, Your Grace, imperial doctors just consulted that, to keep the baby safe, they were going to hasten parturition for Her Grace. The operation carries some risks, so they let me ask for your permission."

There was a panic under the high platform.

"Your Majesty..."

Empress Qian sweat on her forehead and anxiously looked at Emperor Jingxiao.

Emperor Jingxiao frowned and let out a deep sigh. He said to the maid,

"Go and tell the doctors to save both Concubine Xu and the baby. If they failed, they'd be beheaded. Go now."

"Yes, yes."

The young maid left with fear.

Emperor Jingxiao tilted his head to pay a look at Empress Qian, waved his sleeves angrily, and roared,

"You go there, too. Take care of Concubine Xu for me. Don't make mistakes!"

"As your command, Your Majesty."

Empress Qian tucked her hands inside the sleeves and trotted down the steps, frowned, followed by two maids. When she passed by kneeling Leng Qingtang, her eyes swept across his face in the shadow.

She didn't pause and headed directly to the side chamber of Baohe Palace.

On the other side of the dragon table, Wan Yuyao, the Imperial Noble Concubine, stood demurely in a gorgeous bright red dress. Gazing after Empress Qian into the side chamber, she lifted her lips and revealed a malicious smile.