Unexpectedly, Bright Pearls was very clever. As soon as she heard this, she gave a faint smile and replied, "The Great Yong Kingdom is prosperous and powerful, its people wealthy, and its national strength is on par with Great Jin. It is evident that His Majesty is a wise and insightful ruler, adept in governance, yet due to His Majesty’s leniency and kindness, some people act recklessly and disregard the law."

She spoke of who is "reckless and disregards the law," and Li Defei naturally understood. Her almond eyes widened, her face flushed with anger, and she was about to continue arguing when she heard Murong Liuzun, seated above, calmly say, "The Crown Princess’s words are reasonable. I will look into this matter seriously."

Bright Pearls laughed and said, "His Majesty is wise, and it is a blessing for the people of Great Yong."

Murong Liuzun was merely trying to ease the verbal tension between Bright Pearls and Li Defei, unaware that Li Defei, still unsatisfied after being snubbed by Bright Pearls, suddenly came up with an idea after three rounds of wine. She stood up and laughed, "Your Majesty, drinking alone is dull. Since the Crown Prince of the Qing Luo Kingdom is the Empress Dowager’s kin, we are practically family, no need for reservations. I think we might as well play an innocuous game to enliven the mood and deepen our bond." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Murong Liuzun lazily gave her a glance and laughed, "Beloved Concubine, what good ideas do you have?"

Li Defei said, "I propose we write down the eighteen skills in singing, dancing, and music on slips, place them in a jar, and write the names of the sisters present and the Qing Luo Crown Princess in another jar. Then let His Majesty and the Qing Luo Crown Prince each draw one. The selected must perform the skill from the other slip for everyone. If they fail, they drink three cups as a self-punishment. After all, we are all family, and being drunk and falling asleep won’t be laughed at."

Li Defei is known throughout the palace for her excellence in singing, dancing, and playing instruments. As a child, Princess Gao Yang specially invited several master musicians to teach her these skills, hoping to win favor upon entering the palace. Gifted with talent, she mastered them quickly and in a few years not only became excellent in song and dance but also highly accomplished in playing instruments and chess.

With these talents and her prominent family background, she has been favored since entering the palace. The Emperor spends half a month each month in the imperial harem, with seven to eight days in her quarters alone, occupying half of the Emperor’s attention, much to the discontent of other concubines.

As they say, "the first bird gets shot," her flamboyant display naturally aroused discontent among the other concubines,

As soon as Li Defei finished speaking, Consort Shangguan Xian laughed and said, "In the entire palace, who doesn’t know that Sister Defei practiced singing, dancing, and playing instruments since childhood? We rough people don’t know those things; if it were to sew purses and make tassels, it would be fine. But performing talents... better not, lest we embarrass ourselves."

Empress Wanyan also said, "Majesty, let’s entertain ourselves differently. Our family rules are strict, and we have no dancers or musicians at home. We haven’t learned these skills, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive us."

Seemingly modest, the two, a concubine and empress, are not easy to deal with.

Consort Shangguan Xian’s words sounded like praise for Li Defei’s mastery of talents, but in truth, she was mocking her for learning these tricks to enchant the Emperor. Empress Wanyan’s words were even sharper, implicitly cutting her down. She claimed her family’s strict rules never allowed learning such arts, implying Li Defei’s skills were demeaning. In prestigious families, young ladies learned needlework and etiquette, not these arts associated with opera actors. Proper young ladies shouldn’t be learning such things!