OFFERING CONCUBINES
EPISODE 5 MEETING THE KING

Heavy snow fell overnight over the city of Yubei. The whole city was covered in white cotton.

Every gatekeeper and bodyguard looked weary with sleepy haggard eyes impatiently waiting for the time of exchanging tasks.

Cold weather, forcing people to hug their laziness tightly, rolling in bed is a tempting option.

The sunrise painstakingly pierced through the white mist, ushering in its light trying to send warm air.

Xiao Yi woke up from his silence, a noise from outside woke him up.

Chu Cu entered hurriedly.

"Miss, get up.Miss should get ready"

"What's Chu Cu doing, where are you getting ready?" Xiao Yi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Darang Shue delivered a message from eunuch Chen, today His Highness Yang Yue is going to announce the wedding with the miss, inaugurating the miss as the noble concubine"

Xiao Yi was aghast and immediately got up from his bed. Still with half-sleepy and confused face.

"There's a wedding ceremony? Aren't I just the show concubine? no need for ceremony?" Xiao Yi thought he had come to the palace, only to be sent away and then given the status of concubine without a formal marriage.

"Of course it must be, miss, because she will marry and become one of the king's concubines"

Xiao Yi's pretty face flushed red, if there was an official wedding how could Qian Ren escape from this king's palace?

"The bath has been prepared, miss..." Chu Cu bowed in front of Xiao Yi.

Reluctantly Xiao Yi headed for the bathhouse room, followed by Chu Cu. Everything turned out to be beyond the estimation of this innocent girl.

The bathtub from clay bricks was carved with a line-like pattern on the walls and floors. On the edge there is a beautiful flower-shaped carving. The tub was filled with warm water, on the surface of the water was filled with rose petals, giving it an exotic aroma.

A few servants stood on the sidelines preparing to serve Xiao Yi.

They deftly removed the sheets from Xiao Yi's slender body so that only dudou (inner clothes) were white from embroidered silk.

Xiao Yi was bathed in water with fragrant olive oil, his soft white skin rubbed like marble with soap from fresh oranges.

Xiao Yi simply resigned himself to all the rituals given to him.

When she returned to her room, some servants were decorating the room.

The curtains in the room have been changed to red color as well as the bed has been covered with sheets of red silk.

On the ceiling, in every corner of the room, hung golden dragon carved lanterns with basic colors that are also no less red.

Xingwu Palace in an instant turned so lively with a shiny red color.

By noon, all the preparations were almost finished at the Xiao Yi residence guesthouse.

Dayang Shue came with some servants

"Madam, I will prepare the mistress before the king arrives"

Then two servants styled their long black hair. Xiao Yi's pretty face was inlaid using a thin powder and a soft pink lip hue.

Her slender body was worn a cheongsam of red silk that was filled with phoenix-pictured embroidery of golden threads.

The last touch, on top of her hair that has been arranged in such a way, is covered using a red silk veil decorated with tassels and beads and a very luxurious phoenix crown.

Xiao Yi heard His Highness Yan Yue hold a banquet in the Guangli hall. Attended by several governors including the governor Qian Lie and the chieftain.

His Majesty announced the marriage of the daughter of the governor of Youwu region to all those present at the banquet. This of course raised the name Youwu, strengthening the position of governor Qian Lie.

On the table were wine and cups that glittered like gold, there were tea pots and cups, grilled meat dishes, a luxurious shark fin soup, a large bowl of hot wontons, and a large bowl of hot wontons, a wide variety of small foods including rice cakes in the form of lotus flowers.

With a chest that rumbled like a storm, Xiao Yi sat down trembling. His cold fingers wrung the end of the bridal dress he was wearing. Chu Cu the servant sat uneasily near her miss.

"Chu Cu, I'm so scared" Xiao Yi whispered softly.

Chu Cu did not dare to reply, he could feel how frightened his master was.

"Your majesty has arrived...!"Eunuch Chen's distinctive voice was like lightning in Xiao Yi's ears, announcing the king's arrival

"Honor to your majesty..."Chu cu kowtowed from his seat, Xiao Yi took pains to bend his body with the crown of the Phoenix so heavy on his head.

Chu Cu stood up after being coded by His Majesty and resigned from within the room after saluting.

Xiao Yi was trembling even more, he did not dare to raise his face. His highness Yan Yue sat across the table without a sound.

This old king, what will he do to me? Xiao Yi thought nervously.

"You didn't give me the wine? "

the voice was heavy and sounded authoritative.

"Excuse the noble servant." - Shakily Xiao Yi poured wine into the golden-colored cup that was on the table. And giving up with both hands, his head covered in veils still lowered with fear.

His majesty welcomed him and drank him in one gulp.

"Drink.."a cup of wine was thrust into Xiao Yi's face. With hesitation Xiao Yi extended his hand.

"It's wedding wine, drink it.." The noble voice was heavy and sounded younger than it should have been. Xiao Yi carried her behind his red veil and drank it timidly.

Slowly the noble shifted his body closer to Xiao Yi, and now the noble Yan Yue had been sitting beside him. His majesty touched his shoulder and twisted Xiao Yi's body facing right in front of him.

From behind her bridal veil, Xiao Yi could feel the warm gusts of His Majesty's breath.

His highness held the tip of the red veil that covered Xiao Yi's face, with Xiao Yi's trembling body closing his eyes, his hands squeezing firmly into the tip of his clothes in fear that he could no longer hide.

The red veil was revealed slowly, Xiao Yi had already resigned without daring to open his eyes.

"Hem...you don't want to open your eyes?" the question reached Xiao Yi like a thunderbolt. Xiao Yi grew stronger closing his eyes.

"You don't respect your husband?" the stern question forced Xiao Yi to slowly ventured open her eyelids. He was afraid to see the old and perhaps cruel noble face, but even more afraid to be punished for his disrespect to the king.

His eyes opened slowly and for a moment in his fear he was stunned.

In front of him, no more than a meter away, sat dashingly a handsome man with black eyebrows and sturdy jaws.

His body wrapped in a brocade robe combined with a shiny, red silky silk embroidered with a dragon image of a golden thread, the dragon image was surrounded by paintings of five-colored sun and moon motifs and golden clouds that seemed to contrast with the red color, but it even made the figure in front of him became even more majestic.

His black hair in the loop very neatly, there coiled a crown of gold inlaid with kumala stone.

Xiao Yi's mouth opened still in shock, he did not expect His Majesty to be so young as he had imagined all this time, even if he remembered perhaps the age of his eldest brother Xiao Ce, who is not yet 30 years old.

The eyes in front of Xiao Yi were glittering sharp and stunned, he felt like he had seen such a blasphemous gaze, eyes that were as dark brown as the trunk of an old willow tree on the banks of the Yalu river. The gaze he saw yesterday afternoon, in the middle of the market of Yubei city.

...Thank you dear readers who have followed the story of Concubine Performances...

...Looking forward to the next episode......

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