My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

Mu Yuyan looked at Gu Lan with great surprise.

The poems composed by the officials instantly paled in comparison to his.

Gu Lan remained calm.

Even though his poems were recited casually, they were masterpieces left by predecessors in his past life.
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They couldn't be matched by these petty jealousies.

The officials fell silent, exchanging glances, unable to continue the poetry session.

If it were someone else, it might be considered disrupting the festivities, irritating Mu Yuyan... but Gu Lan was no ordinary person.

He was the man capable of leaving Mu Yuyan speechless.

At this moment, a military general stepped forward and said, "Poetry alone, though elegant, isn't fully engaging. Why not let us demonstrate our swordsmanship to add to the festivity?"

Many generals agreed.

Historically, civil officials looked down on military generals, but the reverse was also true.

Seeing Gu Lan single-handedly overshadow the civil officials, the generals naturally wanted to step up and challenge him.

Not only were young talents among the civil officials eager to win Mu Yuyan's favor but there were also many young talents among the military ranks.

"General Zhao's suggestion is excellent. Your Majesty, please give us generals a chance to showcase our talents. Let Your Majesty witness the brilliance of Jing Nation's general," said one general.

Mu Yuyan smiled lightly, her pretty face not showing any displeasure, but she glanced meaningfully at the gentleman beside her.

"Approved!"

Today was a joyous occasion like the Spring Festival.

She wouldn't spoil the officials' mood, and she understood their intentions. Accepting posed no harm...

Suddenly, a young general stood up.

He was of noble birth, unlike ordinary generals, dressed in luxurious attire rather than armor.

"Allow me!"

He smiled triumphantly at Mu Yuyan, hoping to gain her favor like Gu Lan and rise to prominence.

Though he was of noble birth, he lacked military achievements and relied solely on his family background.

Unfortunately, after Mu Yuyan agreed to the generals' request to demonstrate their swordsmanship, she began to feed grapes to Gu Lan, a reward for his earlier poetry.

Such fragrant rewards were exclusive to Gu Lan alone... or rather, it was the first time the court had seen Mu Yuyan treat a subject like this!

The young noble's expression dimmed as he reluctantly began to wield his sword.

Other young nobles on the stage felt the itch to join in, making the scene lively with flashes of blades and glimmers of light.

Sword dancing was different from composing poetry.

Even when performed by several people together, it was still captivating, if not more so.

However, Mu Yuyan's gaze didn't linger on them for long.

She focused solely on serving Gu Lan, forgetting momentarily her identity as Mu Yuyan and only remembering her role as Gu Lan's wife.

The young nobles coughed to hide their embarrassment.

They felt like monkeys trying to please Mu Yuyan, yet failing to catch his eye.

Suddenly, their jealous gazes turned to Gu Lan.

One of them, with ill intentions, said, "Since Prince Jingyang holds a noble title, he must be skilled in martial arts, no? Why not join us in swordplay?"

Gu Lan smiled faintly.

"You may continue with the dancing. I'm not particularly interested in the art of killing and fighting."

Mu Yuyan gave him a disapproving look.

Others might not know, but she couldn't be unaware of Gu Lan's background.

She must have been thinking that even if everyone present joined forces, they wouldn't match even a fraction of Gu Lan's prowess.

Yet, he still claimed disinterest in martial activities.

Otherwise, people might think he earned his title from poetry alone!

Yet, she didn't want Gu Lan to participate in the sword dance.

For the courtiers, sword dancing was no different from playing music to a cow.

Moreover, Mu Yuyan could tell that the young nobles' invitations, though seemingly friendly, harbored ill intentions.

Agreeing would only lower Gu Lan's status.

Before they could persist in their invitations, Mu Yuyan gave the young nobles a cold look, causing them to fall silent.

Mu Yuyan's aura was too overwhelming.

Ordinary people couldn't withstand her gaze.

The atmosphere grew chilly.

The generals felt anxious.

These young nobles were their juniors, yet they seemed to have offended Mu Yuyan.

How could they not worry?

They hadn't expected Gu Lan to refuse so blatantly on such a festive day, with Mu Yuyan firmly standing by his side.

"Please forgive us, Your Majesty. These young ones don't understand their place. They even dared to invite Prince Jingyang to join the sword dance. Do they not realize Prince Jingyang's status? How could he dance with them?"

Said one, hinting at their ignorance, but Mu Yuyan couldn't vent her frustration; otherwise, she'd appear petty.

Indeed, he was a cunning courtier, daring even to challenge me, Madam... Gu Lan's eyes sharpened a playful smile tugging at his lips.

He glanced at Zhongren, who immediately understood and stepped forward.

As other guests saw a young Daoist in robes, some were puzzled.

They didn't recognize him, but since he sat in the hall, he must be someone's relative.

With a faint smile, Zhongren said, "What this gentleman said is correct. Brother Gu is a nobleman and not suited for sword dancing. However, since you all kindly invited us, we wouldn't want to spoil the fun. Let me, Zhongren, represent Brother Gu in the sword dance."

Without waiting for their reaction, Zhongren raised his longsword and began dancing.

His movements became increasingly swift, leaving only after images.

Only a few highly skilled individuals could keep up.

The officials' expressions changed.

They didn't expect this unknown Daoist to be so skilled...

This level of swordsmanship put the previous young nobles to shame!

All eyes were now on Zhongren.

His sword emanated a formidable aura, and the glint of his blade sent shivers down their spines.

Merely a glance seemed to convey bone-chilling coldness.

Without a doubt, being struck by such a sword would cause severe injury, if not death.

Apart from his swordsmanship, his cultivation and techniques were equally astonishing.

In a royal court, there were discerning individuals.

Many frowned, seemingly aware of Zhongren's origin.

However, this only fueled their uncertainty.

The conclusion they reached was too astonishing to contemplate!

Some couldn't help but ask, as Zhongren finished his dance, "Young brother, are you from Tianji Mountain?"

"Tianji Mountain? Is that the renowned Tianji Pavilion that has stood for a thousand years?"

"Other than the Tianji Pavilion, what other force dares to call itself the Tianji Pavilion?"

"That's true... but he looks so young. Could he be a disciple of the Tianji Pavilion?"

The officials speculated.

Zhongren, however, smiled lightly, refusing to confirm. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Me? I'm just one of Brother's younger brothers..."