Chapter 680: Inside Ganlu Palace, Xu Cairen performs a dance
The two girls, Xu and Wu, slowly walked into Ganlu Hall. The first person who caught Su Mingzhe's attention was Xu Cairen on the left.

The Tang people considered fat to be beautiful.

Most of the palace maids and concubines were of the plump type with round faces.

Even the four concubines, Concubine Yang, Concubine Wei, Concubine Yan, and Concubine Yin, were no exception.

Although Xu Cairen's face and figure were round, she had thin shoulders, a thin neck, a slender waist and long legs, which made her look very frail, making her appearance even more elegant and refined, as if she were a fairy from heaven.

After looking at Xu Cairen, Su Mingzhe nodded with satisfaction, and then went to look at Wu Cairen.

Different from Xu Cairen's calm and bookish air, Wu Cairen gave people a lively and agile feeling even when he was kneeling obediently, like an elf who liked to dance in the forest.

What surprised Su Mingzhe the most was that Wu Cairen had a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes. Without waiting for Su Mingzhe to speak, she actually raised her head and glared at him.

This woman is worthy of being an empress. She is so courageous at such a young age.

"Come here."

Su Mingzhe did not continue to look at them, but waved.

Upon seeing this, Wu Cairen stood up immediately.

However, Xu Cairen thanked him first and then slowly stood up.

The seductive gestures of the two women, one active and one quiet, made Su Mingzhe's appetite grow. He wished he could throw the two women onto the bed immediately and pamper them well.

Fortunately, Su Mingzhe was not ignorant. He took a deep breath and suppressed his impulse.

When Wu Cairen saw Xu Cairen's gentle and soft behavior, she realized that her actions were a bit rough and rash. She quickly knelt down to thank him, then imitated Xu Cairen's lotus steps and slowly walked towards the emperor.

Soon, the two women sat on both sides of the man, one on the left and one on the right.

Su Mingzhe looked to the left, yes, it was the quiet and virgin-like Xu Cairen, and looked to the right, it was the lively and lively Wu Cairen.

Both women came here after bathing, with a natural fragrance on their bodies. They were wearing thin white gauze clothes, which could not hide their proud and graceful figures.

Su Mingzhe stretched out his hands, hugged the two women's slender waists, one on the left and one on the right, and said with a smile:
"My two beauties, please accompany me for dinner first."

The two women naturally would not refuse.

When Xu Cairen was hugged by the man, her delicate body trembled slightly, but then she relaxed.

Wu Cairen, however, was like a child. He looked at the food on the table and asked curiously:

"Your Majesty, why do you eat the same bland food as us? Is it to save money?"

Su Mingzhe found Wu Cairen's question funny, and couldn't help but kiss her on the cheek, then smiled and said:

"I've eaten too much delicacies from land and sea, so I eat something light occasionally."

If it were Li Shimin, it would be good enough if he could answer one sentence.

However, Su Mingzhe noticed a slightly lost expression on Wu Cairen's face, and immediately thought of the food for the talented people in the harem.

Guessing that this Wu Cairen was greedy, Su Mingzhe called the eunuch:
"Wang De!"

"The slave is here!"

Wang De had been waiting outside the palace gate. When he heard the order, he hurried in to listen to the instructions.

"Go to the imperial kitchen and get some barbecue... Well, my beauty, what kind of barbecue do you like?"

Su Mingzhe deliberately asked Wu Cairen in front of Wang De. This action immediately made Wang De look at Wu Cairen with a little more awe.

Wu Cairen did not expect that the emperor guessed her thoughts and satisfied her ideas and wishes just by saying one sentence. She was suddenly filled with surprise and joy, and the look she gave the emperor was filled with love and admiration.

Of course, she was not polite at this time and said directly:

"Let's have barbecue. I like roasted lamb best. Dog meat is also fine..."

After waiting for Wu Cairen to order the food, Su Mingzhe asked Wang De to take the vegetarian dishes off the table, and then smiled at the two women and asked:
"What are your names, beauties?"

"My name is Wu Ruyi, and my parents call me Ruyi."

It was the lively and lovely Wu Cairen who spoke first to answer.

Xu Cairen then replied:

"My name is Xu Hui, and everyone in my family calls me Yingying."

Su Mingzhe smiled slightly after hearing this:
"Xu Hui, a woman of good character and a kind heart, this name is indeed worthy of her name. As for you, Ruyi, this name is not very appropriate. I will give you a name, Mei Niang, how about it?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the name."

Wu Cairen quickly expressed his gratitude.

Su Mingzhe looked at Wu Meiniang and then at Xu Hui, and felt that both women were stunningly beautiful and charming.

Not to mention Wu Meiniang, she was already a beautiful woman with gorgeous appearance.

Xu Hui also had skin as white as jade, a dignified and generous face, and she had a graceful, elegant and bright temperament.

Just as the three of them were looking at each other in silence, a panicked sound was heard outside the hall.

This time, Wu Ruyi was so frightened that her whole body trembled, but Xu Yingying was calm and composed, without losing her composure.

Su Mingzhe heard the noise, but he patted his forehead, took his hands off the waists of the two women, and said helplessly:

"Wang De, let them in."

Wang De, who was outside the hall, heard the instructions and ordered the eunuch to let go this time.

Then two little brats ran into the hall, knelt on the ground with a plop, saluted and said:

"My son, I pay my respects to my father."

"Chi Nu, Si Zi, why aren't you two sleeping yet?" Su Mingzhe looked at the two little kids with a doting look in his eyes.

They were both born to Empress Changsun, one was the ninth prince Li Zhi, and the other was Princess Jinyang Li Mingda.

Pheasant means little pheasant.

Si means rhinoceros.

Li Shimin gave Li Zhi the nickname "Pheasant Slave", which means doting on him.

The nickname given to Li Mingda was "Sizi" because the mother hoped that this sickly and weak daughter would become as strong as a rhinoceros.

Unfortunately, Sizi was weak and sickly since childhood. According to history, he died of illness at the age of twelve.

Empress Changsun and Li Shimin had three sons and four daughters.

The eldest son was Crown Prince Li Chengqian, the eldest daughter was Li Lizhi, the second son was Prince of Wei Li Tai, the second daughter was Li Mingrui, the third son was Li Zhi, the third daughter was Li Mingda, and the fourth daughter was Li Yanran.

The four eldest children had all married, leaving three children, Li Zhi, Li Mingda and Li Yanran, who were left in Ganlu Palace and raised by Li Shimin himself.

Now that Li Zhi and Li Mingda have appeared, no one knows what the youngest daughter is doing.

Just as Su Mingzhe was using his spiritual sense to look for his little girl, the two children said in unison:
"Father, Sizi wants to eat barbecue."

"Father, Brother Nine wants to eat barbecue."

Su Mingzhe couldn't help but smile when he heard the two little brats playing tricks on each other:
"So they are two little greedy cats."

Li Zhi is only ten years old this year, and Sizi is eight years old. In the 21st century, they are still at the age of being greedy.

Seeing how cute they were, Su Mingzhe wanted to ask Wang De to send them some barbecue.

However, some memories immediately emerged in his mind and made him swallow his words back.

In the end, Su Mingzhe still had a hard heart and rejected them:
"The sun has set now. You two are too weak to eat barbecue. If you are really hungry, you can only drink some meat porridge."

"Oh."

When the two children saw that their dreams of eating meat were shattered, their little faces immediately fell.

Su Mingzhe was about to ask Wang De to send the two little brats back to the next door bedroom to rest, but unexpectedly, Wu Cairen beside him suddenly spoke:

"Your Majesty, if you don't let them have a bite of the barbecue, I'm afraid they won't be able to sleep well tonight. It's better to let them have a small bite to satisfy their cravings. If it's just a small bite, it shouldn't be a big deal."

Wu Cairen suddenly spoke, not because he loved the two children, nor because he wanted to win their hearts, but simply because he thought of his own childhood, when he watched his two brothers eat barbecue while he and his sister could only drink porridge, and he felt sympathy for them for a moment.

When the two children heard someone pleading for them, they looked at their father eagerly again.

Su Mingzhe felt embarrassed when he saw Wu Cairen pleading for his child and what he said made sense.

Just then, the smell of barbecue wafted in from outside the door, and the two little kids looked even more pitiful.

"Forget it. I'll allow each of you to have one bite. If you really want to eat more, you can still eat it tomorrow during the day."

Su Mingzhe gave the order, and then heard another little kid running in from outside the door:

"Father, I want to eat too."

Well, this is the youngest daughter, Li Yanran.

"One bite per person, no more."

Su Mingzhe handed the meat-cutting knife to Wu Meiniang. Since she had asked for mercy for the three children, he would teach her how to cut the meat.

Wu Meiniang did not dare to cut too much, so she gave each of the three children a small piece and sent them away.

Afterwards, Wu Cairen took a knife and cut the most tender pork tenderloin and gave it to Su Mingzhe. She also cut another piece and gave it to Xu Hui. Finally, she cut a small piece for herself and slowly tasted it.

Xu Hui ate very little. After eating two pieces, she stopped and started to pick up the wine jug to pour wine for the man.

At this point, Su Mingzhe's mind was no longer on the food and wine. His eyes were sharp as he kept scanning and sizing up the two women.

Wu Meiniang was concentrating on the roasted lamb at the moment. She hadn't eaten meat for several years and ignored the man's gaze.

Xu Hui was smart and could sense the man's burning gaze, and her cheeks immediately flushed:
"Your Majesty, I would like to sing and dance to entertain you."

Su Mingzhe was overjoyed when he heard this and nodded quickly:
"Oh, thank you, my beauty."

Xu Hui learned poetry and songs since she was young, and also had some knowledge of singing and dancing.

She walked to the center of the hall and danced gracefully, her white skirt fluttering like snow and mist.

Su Mingzhe couldn't help but reach out and tap the table to accompany her.

Xu Hui also understood music. Following the drum beats, she jumped lightly, stepped on the carpet with her jade feet, and flew up in a spin, like the fairy Guanghan chasing the moon.

Another three thousand strands of black hair danced with her delicate body and scattered on her shoulders. Her black hair was like a waterfall, contrasting with her white gauze dress.

Xu Hui was seen standing in the center of the hall, and began to spin and spin continuously. Her white gauze was soft as if she had no bones, and her long skirt was like a lotus bud, blooming layer by layer, revealing her slender and enchanting figure underneath.

At this point, Su Mingzhe had stopped tapping on the table.

Wu Cairen was also dumbfounded.

I don’t know how long it took.

When Xu Hui regained her virginal calm, the song and dance came to an end.

Su Mingzhe saw Xu Hui's rapid breathing, and he quickly stepped down from the stage to support her, unable to help but said with care:

"When I read Cao Zijian's "The Goddess of Luo River", I laughed at his lack of knowledge. There is no such thing as a dance that is 'as graceful as a startled swan and as gentle as a swimming dragon' in this world. Today, when I met my beloved concubine, I realized that I was too ignorant..."

(End of this chapter)