บท 70: Tea Party Invitation
Second day, Henan received an invitation envelope.
It was from second court.
"It seemed, second Prince is bent on to bring me there,"
"Do you know any music instrument and how to play it well,?" Henan asker her personal maid who was standing like statute.
"Miss Diu, all special maids are taught singing, dancing and other arts to please the royals, unfortunately, this maid of yours was not among special maids but now I am considered one while attending you,"
"Then help me prepare for the tea party," Henan gave up on learning any instrument.
She was in her early years with a face full of innocence.
She rarely smiled.
But there was magic in her smile.
Her eyes were to make her appearance hundred fold more attractive.
She stood in front of mirror and then walked out.
Second Prince sent someone to bring her in the second court.
She was walking like a princess, there was no doubt.
Her way matched with a Royal.
There was hustle and bustle in front of a secluded garden of second court.
So, tea party was here.
From her face, one could tell that she was forced to come in this tea party.
"Who are you? only selected people are allowed to enter in this garden," a lavishly dressed maid stopped her.
Henan gritted her teeth and handed her the invitation letter.
'This maid was right, from her dress and looks, only selected people should be allowed to enter in this garden party not a young girl of sixteen,'
"I am sorry miss, you can enter," the maid bowed and apologized after looking at the invitation letter.
There were maids serving the guests but where were gusts?
There were few enchanting concubines too in the garden with their heavy make up.
Too much exaggerated decoration for nothing.
Henan shook her head.
Second Prince appeared from behind the curtain.
Henan did not recognize instead it was the people around her who helped her to know that this youth of twenty one was second Prince, "Oh, he said he was handsomest, it seemed he was not talking completely nonsense but there was some truth too,"
The combination of his changpao one dark and one light colors was great.
His concubines crowded around him and tried to lure his eyes toward their well expressed bodies.
He called his four half brothers too.
They also came in.
Second Prince sat on the main view and there was a round of serving when second Prince was about to touch on the glass of the serving, his eyes fell on the girl standing far away.
"This fiery girl look sometime innocent," he grinned to himself.
His concubines were looking at him and his eyes directions to not miss his even a bit of kind attention.
When they looked that he was looking constantly someone else, they turned their sharp gazes toward Henan.
One of them stood up and walked toward Henan.
"You must be the new concubine of second Prince, let me warn you, he is so hard on bed, keep remember," Henan got dumbfounded to hear her.
"Stop you, what is concubine, I am not his concubine, you better check your mouth,"
"Ah, then a maid? How atrocious if you are cheap maid? Don't you know your place?" she started shouting at Henan.
Second Prince came and ordered that concubine to leave the palace immediately if she wanted to save her life.
"What my Prince, you are doing this for a maid?" she felt that she was wronged.
"She is not maid, she is a guest here, now off your face either I will change my mind to spare your life," the doomed concubine hurried to leave the palace in her misery.
"I am sorry for this inconvenience," maids, concubines and his half brothers heard this with agape mouths, who was this guest by the way?
Henan sat in front of a musical instrument.
She started starring it.
This was the deal.
She would play music in his tea party and he would forgive her.
My bad luck.
She took it conveniently and then touched the first beat.
Ding, dang, dang, dung, dung, dung.
The listeners immediately covered their ears.
If this continued, they would be gone deaf for sure.
Dang, Dang
Daaaaang.
"Enough already, stop please, if you can't play it then why are you torturing me, say it plainly," second Prince never thought that she would be this lame in music.
Henan stopped the beat and started crying.
This was what she could do feasibly.
"I am from far off village, we work in the fields, we never have the ease to learn instrument, I am sorry, wuwuwuwu,"
"She is young, are you thinking to make her, your concubine?" his brother asked looking at his still calm expressions.
"Huh, I think, but I don't know who she is?" he shook his head, he can use her better way, she can be his tool to bring some news about big brother or way more better because she was daring.
"OK, serve me and my other brothers with tea and I will forgive you," he ordered her.
She immediately nodded her head and hurriedly prepared tea cups and started to pour the tea in the tea cups.
When she was about to give the cup to the Prince, he intentionally changed his side and cup with tea fell on his dress.
This was his plan.
He was creating such ways that she would seem more guilty, after all it was not small matter to spoil the dress of a Prince with the hot cup of tea.
Now she was seriously blamed for something.
But why he changed his side suddenly without any reason?
Maids were feeling relieved in their hearts because if they had done this act, they must be chopped off for this crime.
But they were also sad for the girl though not much.
Now, this was the time for the plan of second Prince work on.
He wanted to scare her at such extreme that she would be willing to do anything for him.
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