Yang said quietly: I dare not dance anymore.
Mrs. Chen reached out to take the cup and pour tea. While panting, she casually asked: "Why?" Then she put the full cup to her lips and drank it all. The tea must have been cold, but she was sweating profusely, so it must have been very hot. The cold tea tasted just right. It is said that good tea should be tasted slowly and carefully, but Mrs. Chen drank it all in one gulp. It seems that no one cares about so much when they are thirsty and hot.
Yang said softly: "After watching Madam Chen's dance, how dare I show off my skills again. Fortunately, my husband has never seen me dance. My husband himself said that he doesn't understand this art, but you were so excited just now."
After hearing this, Guo Shao thought to himself: I really don’t understand, but I’m not blind.
When Mrs. Chen heard that her soul had left her body, she almost spit out her second cup of tea. She quickly pressed her fingers lightly on her lips and her face turned red.
Guo Shao hurriedly said: "Singing and dancing are just hobbies, not just the best dancers. When we get home, Yue'e will also choreograph a song for me to enjoy. Anyway, I am not an expert."
Mrs. Chen smiled slightly, with a dimple on her cheek. Her tone was full of sarcasm: General Guo, you already know that Mrs. Yang is not the best dancer even before you watch her.
This woman was really a dagger in disguise. They had only met twice, and the last time they were separated by a curtain. Why was she so rude and spoke to him in a way that embarrassed him? Guo Shao was immediately trapped.
Yang pursed her lips: I just can't dance as well as Madam Chen. I knew I lost as soon as I saw her first move today.
From her tone, she seemed not convinced, otherwise she wouldn't have said anything about winning or losing. I didn't know if she was praising Chen Jiali or secretly competing with her. Women's competition is also very persistent, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Guo Shao hurriedly took the opportunity to divert the embarrassment and said: "Then Yue'e can practice when she has nothing to do. There seems to be a small building by the lake to the north of our garden where no one lives. Go back and ask someone to clean it up, buy whatever you need, and use it to practice dancing."
At this time, Mrs. Chen laughed and said: I am not the best dancer either.
Oh, Guo Shao was surprised. Is there anyone in this world who is more powerful than the lady
Mrs. Chen said: There is always someone better than you, at least I know that Zhou Xian is better than me.
After hearing this, Guo Shao couldn't imagine how high the performance skills could be based on just one person. Mrs. Chen's dancing was beyond his knowledge and experience, so he naturally couldn't imagine anyone better than her.
He said: Although I am an outsider, I think Mrs. Chen's colorful feather dance is so amazing that it is amazing. The plain feather dance is so colorful. It is said that Zhou Xian is famous. Maybe she just had the opportunity to show her skills after entering the palace. She was noticed by the world and there are many legends about her. Mrs. Chen lives in a secluded place and is less famous. Her skills are not necessarily worse than those who are famous far and wide.
Mrs. Chen raised her dark eyebrows slightly and said bluntly: "Only those princes and nobles who live a life of drunkenness and debauchery know much about singing and dancing skills. It's not surprising that General Guo doesn't know this."
Guo Shao had no choice but to say: I would like to hear Mrs. Chen’s opinion.
Chen Jiali said: Although music, singing and dancing are not very practical, it is not easy for ordinary people to reach a high level. First of all, you need to have the talent, and you also need to be born with the right heart, bones and muscles to be smart and perceptive. It is useless for people without talent to practice hard. Of course, even if you have the talent, you still need to practice from a young age.
Guo Shao nodded and agreed: It’s the same principle as archery, those who are good at it are not those who start learning it halfway.
Chen Jiali said: That's right, but it's different from archery. Men can learn martial arts and make achievements, serve the country and earn wealth for themselves; what's the point of women learning dancing? No woman aspires to be a dancer who will appear in public, but marrying into a wealthy family is the best destination. Since you have a name and status, do you still need to sing and dance to entertain people
Guo Shao asked with interest: Why are Mrs. Chen, Zhou Xian and Yue'e both good at singing and dancing? Especially Zhou Xian, she should be the daughter of the Zhou family, a prominent family in Jiangnan and an important official in the court. If she can't sing and dance, won't she still be rich and prosperous
Chen Jiali smiled and said: "General Guo, haven't you heard that a man will die for his confidant and a woman will dress up for the man she likes? Appearance alone is not enough. Dressing up can also be said to be trying hard to win the love of that person. Some women are good at singing and dancing, but they do not do it for wealth and glory, but to be favored. No matter how outstanding the dancing skills are or how noble the heart is, if no one appreciates it, it is meaningless to admire it alone."
But for those who are not interesting to me, it doesn't matter whether I appreciate them or not. I don't care. I need to be appreciated and loved by the person I admire, then it will be interesting. For this, I am willing to train for many years.
Guo Shao and Yang looked at each other, and both felt that what Chen Jiali said made sense. People with better family backgrounds were unwilling to be dancers in public, but only wanted to be appreciated by one person; just like a man with superb martial arts skills, he would not be an assassin or a bandit, but would only be willing to serve the royal family.
For example, Guo Shao himself, he felt that if he were to be an assassin, he would definitely be able to do it very professionally, hiding and sniping the enemy, shooting the vital points with one arrow, not too sharp, but why would he be willing to do that? Therefore, if there are any masters among the bandits and criminals, most of them are extremely rare; those who really have martial arts skills have been bought by the court, and they disdain to do such despicable things.
Madam Chen added: Zhou Xian's foundation may not be as good as mine, but she admires the talent of the Sixth Prince of Southern Tang and has the opportunity to enter the palace. The Sixth Prince of Southern Tang is interested in traveling, reading and writing poems, and has a lot of time to appreciate Zhou Xian's talent. In order to get the appreciation of her lover, Zhou Xian naturally worked harder. I am different. I started rehearsing this colorful feather dance a few years ago, otherwise I would have no time to do it now; I am wasting time, but Zhou Xian is rising, so she must be better than me now.
After listening to this, Guo Shao nodded as if he understood something: You also have to know how to appreciate it.
Unexpectedly, Yang curled her lips and said: It's useless for a man to know singing and dancing. Only that ignorant young lady would be interested in a handsome young man who is only good at having fun. Only a wise man would understand your goodness for someone like you. Her face turned red when she said this, probably because she felt that what she said was too explicit, so she quickly changed the subject and looked at Chen Jiali, "Young man, can you ask Madam Chen if she likes that kind of young man?" The head of the Shen family is definitely not that kind of person.
After hearing this, Mrs. Chen's face darkened and she said: Of course, my late husband didn't know how to sing and dance, but he was quite good at business. He was thrifty and generous when necessary. He was born to be a businessman.
Yang hurriedly said a few words of comfort, saying that she shouldn't mention Mrs. Chen's sad story.
Mrs. Chen said: I can't let it go because I feel that he didn't do anything against the will of heaven but died so tragically. If General Guo can defeat the Liao people and take revenge, perhaps I can let it go.
Guo Shao asked: What is the name of the person who knew about the robbery and massacre of the Shen family master
Chen Jiali said: The owner who released the concubine and demanded the ransom of his concubine was called Xiao Siwen, a senior official of the Liao Dynasty. It is unknown who plundered the caravan, but it was probably the subordinates of the Khitan noble Xiao Siwen. The Xiao family was formerly the Bali family, and was given the surname Xiao. They were a family that had been married to the Liao Dynasty royal family for generations. Most of the prime ministers of the outer court came from the Xiao family and were very prominent. Even if they acted recklessly, ordinary people could not do anything to them.
Xiao Siwen, this name is easy to remember, but if you remember Bali, you might forget it. Guo Shao nodded and said, "When I follow the emperor to the north to conquer the Liao Kingdom, I will pay special attention to where Xiao Siwen is and bring him back for revenge."
Yang then said softly: Sir, do you want to catch Lu Mengjun like you did
Lu Mengjun and Chen Jiali pondered and said, "I have heard of this person. What grudges do General Guo and Madam Yang have with him?"
Guo Shao hurriedly said: "It's nothing. It's all in the past, Yue'e doesn't need to be sad anymore."
After hearing this, Chen Jiali glanced at Guo Shao and Yang's faces, and said calmly: If General Guo can really capture the Liao noble Xiao Siwen, I will definitely repay you.
Guo Shao generously said: Even if it is not for personal vengeance, our Great Zhou army should use swords to force the Liao people to compromise, know some humanity and understand the principle that you come and I do not owe each other anything. He sighed for a moment, the mountains and rivers of China are splendid and the flowers are gorgeous. Since we are in power, holding military power, eating generous salaries and enjoying the essence of the people, we must defend this land and restore the divine power, which is our unshirkable responsibility.
After hearing this, Chen Jiali praised: If all the powerful people in the world had a broad mind like General Guo, how could Hebei be occupied and bullied by the enemy
Guo Shao said: I don't care what others think, but I am not lying in front of Madam Chen, I really think so. We are in high positions, no matter how we got there, since we hold the country's tools, we should have some responsibilities besides asking for them. We don't care about the world, so how can we expect the unarmed people to care about them who can't even get enough food to make a living
After a conversation, they felt that they were of the same mind and had a very pleasant conversation.
But Mrs. Chen's face gradually became tired. The dance of the colorful feathered dress must have consumed a lot of energy. She ordered Aunt Sun to serve the prepared wine and food, poured a glass of wine for Guo Shao, and then excused herself to change clothes and never came out again.
After a while, Aunt Sun came out and said: Madam is a little tired, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company. Please enjoy your meal, my dear guests.
Guo Shao had no choice but to eat lunch here since the banquet had already started. Mrs. Chen's wine was just average, so she was probably not a drinker.
After the meal, Aunt Sun handed over a red invitation card and said: The items of the betrothal gift have been prepared, and we will send someone to deliver it to the Guo Mansion tomorrow.
Guo Shao took a quick look and saw all kinds of silk fabrics, gold and silver wares, and jewelry, all of which were valuable. He looked at the prices written below and roughly calculated that Mrs. Chen was afraid that this business would make her lose a lot of money. Guo Shao had no choice but to accept the money with a smile. He couldn't give more money because he didn't have that much.
The three of them said goodbye after dinner. When they walked out of the hall, they saw the flowers on the treetops blooming in the spring, and petals fell all over the ground. For a moment, Guo Shao's heart was filled with love and pity for all this. It's not his fault that he was kind-hearted, it was just that what he saw and heard was too beautiful.