You Yuji’s dance was the last program to be submitted, so her performance was scheduled last. When You Yuji and her group of dancers ascended to the central stage of the Jinchen Hall, Chen Anzhi’s expression changed.
He had no idea that You Yuji had suddenly registered a dance to celebrate the birthday.
Chen Anzhi quickly scanned the crowd in the hall and saw that most people’s gazes were fixed on You Yuji. He couldn’t help but place his wine cup down heavily, causing some of the wine to spill out.
The few princes sitting at the same table looked over.
The princes were familiar with each other since childhood and knew each other’s preferences well. Seeing Chen Anzhi like this, they understood that he did not like his wife dancing in public.
Chen Lian reacted the fastest and immediately laughed, “Fourth Brother. Today is a birthday banquet, and if it can make the ancestor happy, it’s a good thing.”
Chen Yinian also chimed in, “Fourth Brother, you see that many noble ladies performed today, even the Right Prime Minister’s high-minded little daughter personally played the pipa. I think you should change your perspective. On such a joyous day, it’s fine.”
Chen Qi glanced at Chen Anzhi and felt nauseated at the sight of his angry face. He didn’t want to persuade him at all and took a gulp of wine, turning his head towards the stage in the center of the hall.
The usually silent Chen Xun spoke up, “Grandfather hopes that after the conquered countries submit, the people’s hearts will stabilize, and their old customs should be respected.”
Since Chen Xun brought up the Emperor, the others naturally didn’t dare say more and immediately echoed him.
Si Que silently snuck into the Empress’s palace. At the bottom layer of the Empress’s jewelry box, he found a small duck-egg blue porcelain bottle. He pulled out the stopper, glanced at the blue pills inside, and sniffed them, confirming that they were the fake death pills he had sold. He put the stopper back in and pocketed the porcelain bottle.
Two palace maids entered, and Si Que hid behind a screen.
The two palace maids were there to fetch the Empress’s hand warmer.
“Hurry up, let’s go back early. I heard that Lady You is going to dance! I really want to see it!”
“I want to see it too. I wonder if she’ll dance ‘The Enchantress’… They say ‘The Enchantress’ is so amazing, I’m really curious.”
“Probably not? Today is the Dowager Empress’s birthday; that dance might not be appropriate. But seeing another dance is fine too! Wow, I’ve never seen her before, but today I realize how beautiful Lady You is. Now I understand what they mean by a face that can ruin a country. Among all the beauties in the palace, none can compare…”
“Shh…” The other palace maid quickly reminded her to be cautious with her words.
The first palace maid immediately realized her mistake, and after a moment of silence, they hurried off, saying they needed to get back quickly to watch the performance.
Si Que stood silently behind the screen for a while, contemplating some devious plan.
After a moment, he glanced at the golden light on the screen and suddenly smiled.
The dazzling gold reminded him of the fireworks that burned all night.
He should prepare a unique “fireworks” display and give her a surprise.
As he walked out, he pondered what color fireworks to use. Red didn’t seem quite right. Purple? She liked purple so much. But if it was just one color, it seemed a bit dull…
You Yuji had prepared a dance called “Clouds and Cranes.” The crane has always been considered a symbol of longevity, making this dance appropriate for a birthday celebration.
She had already changed her clothes, removing the complex and heavy court dress for a light and airy dance costume. The base was white gauze, adorned with black ink strokes.
Her fellow dancers were dressed in similar costumes.
After the birthday congratulations were given, the music began, and You Yuji started to dance gracefully.
Her famous dance “The Enchantress” had been so well-known that everyone present stopped talking and focused on her. Some watched with admiration, while others wanted to prove that the renowned dance was merely hype.
The Empress nodded and turned slightly to the Emperor, saying in an appreciative tone, “Not bad.”
The Emperor nodded in agreement with the Empress’s words.
Emperor Chen was a man dedicated to unifying the world. Even in his younger years, he had little interest in beauties. The current Empress was still his original wife, whom he married when he was down and out, and they had been loving for many years. Even though he was a successful emperor, he had little interest in the harem. Over the years, besides the Empress, there were only two concubines in the palace, both of whom were there for political alliances and did not receive his favor.
A woman who could make him nod was naturally highly admired.
Everyone watched You Yuji intently as she danced. The light-footed dancers suddenly raised a giant scroll of ink painting silk. The massive silk scroll unfolded gradually, almost instantly covering the stage and everyone’s view. As the scroll rose high, You Yuji turned to look at the high pile of longevity peaches behind the stage and slowly curled her lips.
The enormous silk scroll depicted a vast landscape painting. It was hard to tell whether the artwork was exceptionally well-done or if the movement of the silk made the landscape come alive.
The Emperor, sitting at the head seat, nodded and praised, “Good.”
The Dowager Empress was too old to see well, so she could only watch the spectacle without seeing the floating landscape painting clearly.
But the Emperor smiled.
The Dowager Empress turned to her son, squinting and smiling with her toothless mouth open.
Seeing his mother laugh so heartily, the Emperor laughed even more heartily, letting out two loud laughs.
As the movement of the landscape painting gradually slowed, You Yuji leaped up, spinning above the floating landscape. She spun slowly, her skirt gradually rising and fully spreading out, revealing that the seemingly random ink splashes were actually cranes in the clouds.
One by one, the dancers spun, and cranes appeared among the mountains and rivers, as if raising their heads and singing proudly.
“Excellent!” Emperor Chen cheered again, “The magnificent landscape is at our feet!”
With the Emperor’s praise, everyone at the banquet followed suit with their applause.
Originally a birthday dance, because of the Emperor’s final words, the courtiers immediately turned their compliments to the topic of expanding the empire’s territories, even beginning to praise Emperor Chen’s wisdom and valor, and his unparalleled achievements.
You Yuji finished the dance, stopping in the pose of a crane stepping on clouds and looking into the distance. Her gaze once again fell on the high pile of longevity peaches.
Chen Anzhi stared unblinkingly at You Yuji.
All he could hear was praise for You Yuji. He had initially thought he would hate hearing others praise her, but because they praised the choice of the dance, his discomfort gradually lessened.
He had been worried that You Yuji’s excessive beauty would lead her to perform some indecent dance, attracting everyone’s lewd gazes.
However, the compliments he heard were not what he had feared…
Chen Anzhi’s eyes were fixed on You Yuji in her crane costume, and he couldn’t help but recall the dance “The Enchantress” from more than two years ago. Back then, he had been completely captivated by Princess Que and hadn’t paid much attention to You Yuji’s dance. Thinking about it now, her dance didn’t seem that disgraceful?
A slight change of heart began to take root in Chen Anzhi, though his face still showed disapproval.
Chen Qi noticed the displeasure on Chen Anzhi’s face and took another sip of wine. He thought to himself that Chen Anzhi didn’t deserve such an extraordinary woman. He had to save her from Chen Anzhi, to let her return to the grasslands she loved, where she could dance, ride horses, and laugh freely…
Chen Yinian and Chen Lian exchanged glances and both shook their heads.
In the distance, Qi Mingcheng was different from the others. Not only was he admiring You Yuji’s dance, but his eyes also kept darting among the dancers, trying to guess which one was Princess Que.
You Yuji finished her dance, accepted the Emperor’s reward, and, with her dancers, walked slowly off the stage. She walked through the crowd without looking sideways, leading her people out of the hall and exiting through a side door to change clothes in a side hall.
Qi Mingcheng’s eyes grew anxious.
—He still hadn’t identified which of the dancers was Princess Que!
The third one?
Seemed a bit short.
The fourth one?
Seemed a bit too thin.
The seventh one?
From the look of her hand hanging by her side, her skin tone wasn’t as fair as Princess Que’s.
No, no, which one is it?
It wasn’t until all the dancers had left through the side door that Qi Mingcheng finally withdrew his extended neck. With the last program completed, today’s birthday banquet should have no more mistakes.
Qi Mingcheng sighed with relief.
He understood very well that his title as a prince of a different surname was established by Emperor Chen to show his benevolence. After his wife’s incident of jumping off the carriage, Emperor Chen had tasked him with managing the Dowager Empress’s birthday celebration, and he couldn’t afford to be careless. He was constantly on guard, fearing that something might go wrong.
After all, his position as a prince of a different surname was awkward, and he doubted the Emperor would be lenient if anything went wrong.
Fortunately, nothing went wrong.
Sighing in relief, Qi Mingcheng turned again towards the side door. He recalled what You Yuji had said to him earlier. You Yuji was indeed bold. He had asked her to find an opportunity for him to meet with Princess Que alone, and she had chosen the palace as the location?
It was simply outrageous.
But then he thought, today’s banquet for the Dowager Empress was indeed chaotic and crowded…
He had already convinced himself and looked towards the side door again.
He started to get anxious, anxious that You Yuji hadn’t sent her maid to fetch him yet.
Finally, after losing count of how many times he had looked towards the side door, he finally saw You Yuji’s maid appear at the side door, avoiding others’ eyes, and nodding at him.
Qi Mingcheng looked at the bustling banquet and instructed the guard beside him to keep a close watch, and to find him immediately if anything happened. Then he straightened his posture and walked towards the side door.
As he followed the maid Zhenxu, he was still guessing which of the dancers might be Princess Que.
The side hall had several rooms, mostly empty on normal days. Today, because the ladies from various households were performing, these rooms were vacated for them to rest and prepare. Qi Mingcheng had arranged this, and he knew exactly how many rooms there were.
“My Lord, go forward to the seventh room. Our lady is waiting for you there.”
Zhenxu stopped.
Qi Mingcheng frowned and asked, “Where are you going?”
Zhenxu patted the cloak in her arms and smiled, “The lady asked me to take this to the princess.”
Qi Mingcheng squinted as he watched Zhenxu’s retreating figure until she disappeared from sight, then he withdrew his gaze. He turned and walked forward, growing a bit more cautious.
It was You Yuji giving him this “convenience” in the palace that made him suspicious. He reached the seventh room and stopped, just about to knock, when he heard You Yuji’s voice from inside.
“Princess, please rest. I need to go and attend to the princess.”
Immediately after, Qi Mingcheng vaguely heard a lazy “Hmm” sound. The voice was a bit distant, and he wanted to get closer. Just then, You Yuji opened the door.
Two people stood facing each other, one inside the room and one outside.
Qi Mingcheng’s gaze went past You Yuji, but a screen blocked his view.
Just as he was about to speak, You Yuji raised her hand and placed her index finger against her lips.
You Yuji stepped out and closed the door behind her, then spoke first, politely addressing him, “My Lord.”
Palace maids and eunuchs passed by from time to time.
After a line of palace maids walked past, You Yuji lowered her voice and quickly said, “The drug has been administered. Its full effect will take place in a quarter of an hour.”
Qi Mingcheng suddenly understood. No wonder the “hmm” he had heard earlier sounded so weak.
You Yuji glanced at Qi Mingcheng, then walked gracefully past him and towards the front. She re-entered the bustling banquet in Jinchen Hall, a gentle smile on her face.
Her father had taught her to be magnanimous, but also to be resolute when necessary.
TL: Added 10 chapters today since I missed a whole month. I’ll add another 5 tomorrow!
Thank you so much for the updates!