A Dance to Perform (Pt. 2)

(The next morning)

I didn't know when I had fallen asleep, but it was already time to get up when I opened my eyes. I pulled myself and put on my shoes before going to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

When I returned from the kitchen, my father and brother had just arrived at the dining room.

Me: "Good morning."

Dad and brother: "Morning."

Once we finished our breakfast, we went to do our own things. I wandered around my courtyard for a while, going from room to room. I finally settled down in my study and reviewed some paperwork. Relaxing has never been my thing. I had to keep myself busy, or I would feel weird.

Around one o'clock, I went back to my room to make my clone. Creating a clone was a lot of work; depending on the person's strength, the recovery time would be different. I was lucky to have a short recovery time, but the longer rest you have, the better your condition will be.

I sat down on my bed with my legs crossed. I placed my hands, palms up on my knees, and took a deep breath before starting the process. Closing my eyes, I let the magic inside me flow, creating another form of myself. Shaping the body was the first step, then were the details and features. Lastly were the clothes, hairstyle, and accessories. When I opened my eyes, standing in front of me was my clone, all dressed and ready for the banquet. I gave a few instructions before letting her sit at the table. Since I still had time before getting ready, I laid down to rest and regain my energy. 

Once I regained my energy, I got up and prepared for the banquet. I put the clothes for the feast in my dimension and changed into my dance dress. The dress was a deep purple with a tint of grey, and the embroideries were with gold and white threads. It was long, covering my bare feet, and so were the sleeves. However, there were small cutouts to make the dress stand out without overdoing it. Also, the cuts were made in specific places to ensure that my scars would not be shown. Since I had to be barefoot for the dance, I put on a random pair of shoes so that I could walk around.

After getting dressed, I sat down at my vanity to do my hair. I brushed out the knots in my hair before pulling half of it up and twisting it into a bun. The bun was a bit more complex than a normal one. It was shaped like three circles of a chain laying on the crown of the head. I then took two strands of hair from each side and braided them. Afterward, I took one from each side and created a loop before pinning them down. Once all the strands were in place, I put in the different hairpins that were part of the set. When the last one was in, I moved on to my makeup. Although I would be wearing a veil. I still needed to do some for my eyes. 

I started by changing my appearance, then went to face powder, then some rouge. For my eyes, I put on a light pink color for my lids before using a color similar to my dress as a liner. My brother knocked on my door as soon as I finished my makeup. I went over to open the door to see that he was dressed and ready for our day. 

Me: "You look good."

My brother reached out and patted my head. 

Zhi Chen: "So do you."

I smiled back and him and went back into my room. My brother followed me inside to where my clone was sitting.

Zhi Chen: "She's looking good as always. Is everything prepared?"

Me: "Hmm. She's ready. Once I finished the dance, I ordered her to have wine spill on the dress. She can then excuse herself, and I'll replace her then."

My brother nodded and said.

"Sounds good. Then I'll take her with me then. See you later."

Me: "Thanks. See you later."

With that, my brother took my clone and headed out. However, before he left the room, he turned back and said.

"Good luck. I know you can do this. And she does too."

I gave him a dry smile and nodded. 

(Narrator's pov)

Once BaiLing was ready, she went to get Bai Yao and headed into the palace. When she arrived at the palace, eunuch Huang was waiting for her. After Bai Yao was put away, BaiLing was led to the emperor's study.

Eunuch Huang: "Your Majesty, Lady Ming is here."

Emperor: "Let her in."

Eunuch Huang opened the door to the study, and BaiLing went inside to greet him.

BaiLing: "Greetings, your majesty. May your reign be everlasting."

Emperor: "Rise."

BaiLing stood up and looked at the emperor. A man in his thirties, sitting behind his desk, fully dressed and ready for his mother's birthday. On the outside, he seemed like a man who had it all, power, status, and a harem full of beauties. However, if one were to look closely, one could see the wrinkles on his face and the dark circles under his eyes. Years of ruling and sitting on the throne have made him age far past his age.

Emperor: "Are you ready?"

BaiLing: "Yes, I am."

Emperor: "Alright, I'll be waiting for your performance. Go along now."

BaiLing bid the emperor and headed to the banquet hall. When she went in, there was no one but her. BaiLing then took off her cloak and put it away in her dimension. She then turned into a bird and flew up onto the ceiling beams. When she turned back into human, she pulled out two long silk ropes and a small bell. Placing the bell aside, BaiLing took the two ropes and tied them around the beam. Once everything was in place, BaiLing turned into a small monkey and rested on the beam. Although BaiLing was light, she was pretty tall, so sitting on the beam, which had very little space was uncomfortable. Being in the form of a small monkey gave her much more room.

Soon the guest started to come in one by one. Sitting from a high place, she could get a good view of everyone. About an hour later, everyone was in their spot when the royal family entered. The emperor, empress dowager, and empress came and sat at the front of the room, while the princes and their wives sat on the side near the throne.

Emperor: "Thank you, everyone, for coming today to celebrate my mother's birthday. Let us all give her a toast."

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted the empress dowager. After the wine was drunk, the emperor continued.

"Today, I have prepared a special performance. I hope everyone will enjoy it. Mother, this is my birthday gift to you."

The empress dowager smiled and nodded. The emperor gave his signal, and all of the musicians got into their places. BaiLing did one last check on the beam to ensure everything was in place. Once ready, she picked up the bell and gave it a little ring. She then put it away and waited for the musicians to start playing. 

When BaiLing had sent the music scroll to the emperor, there was a note telling the musicians to start playing when they heard the bell ring. The musicians began playing, and BaiLing grabbed the silk. She dropped the silk and jumped down with it. However, she did not land down. BaiLing wrapped her hand around the silk and spiraled in the air. Her long sleeves made it seem like she had wings and was flying. 

BaiLing did some tricks as she was in the air, spinning in her spiral, lowering herself before pulling up again. Everyone in the room was in awe of what they saw. The dancer before their eyes seemed like a fairy making the flowers bloom during the springtime. 

Finally, BaiLing landed down and continued her dance. She knew the empress dowager was from a literature family, so she kept things nice and elegant. Learning from her mother, who was considered the best dancer of her time, BaiLing was able to catch the attention of everyone in the room. Although the lower half of her face was covered, her eyes were enough to mesmerize others. The dance was about 10 minutes long, and when she finished, everyone was clapping. BaiLing stepped away from the silk rope and bowed toward the emperor.

Emperor: "Wonderful! Mother, how did you like it?"

Empress dowager: "It was splendid. Thank you, your majesty."

Emperor: "I'm glad you liked it."

Empress dowager: "However, where did you find her? I'm not familiar with this style of dance."

Emperor: "Mother, she is a traveling dancer. I happened to hear of her and invited her to the palace. If you like, I can keep her for a few more days."

The empress dowager shook her head and said.

"No, it's alright. But can you tell me more about your dance?"

The question was directed at BaiLing. Keeping her head down, she responded.

"Your majesty, I am from a small village in a small kingdom to the south. Each dance or song in my village carries a story with it."

Empress dowager: "Ohh? Then can you tell me what story this dance carries?"

BaiLing: "Your majesty, this dance is about a young couple who overcome many obstacles to be together. The two's families were of different statuses. The girl's family did not accept the boy and wanted her to marry someone else. Later he was drafted for war and asked the girl to wait for him. He fought with all he had and made remarkable achievements. He returned and was promoted to be a general, respected and loved by many. While he was away, the girl waited and fought against her family to not be married off. Ultimately, she was successful, and when he returned, he asked for her hand in marriage. This time the family agreed. They were able to get married and live a happy life together."

Empress dowager: "I see. A good story indeed."

The empress dowager was a person with many virtues. She did not like people who couldn't keep their promises or didn't stick to their values. Using this knowledge, BaiLing created a story to her liking.

Empress Dowager: "Could you take off your veil? I would like to see who performs this story so well."

BaiLing paused for a bit before responding.

"I apologize, but I am unable to do so."

Empress dowager: "May I ask why?"

Although BaiLing did change her face, some things were best kept a mystery.

BaiLing: "Your majesty, in my village, unmarried girls must always wear a veil. We are not allowed to take it off until we are married. Please forgive me, but I wish to honor my traditions."

The people in the room felt that the dancer was quite bold to say so. However, the empress dowager did not mind. In fact, she was happy with how the dancer was standing her ground and upholding her traditions.

Empress dowager: "Alright then. I won't force you."

BaiLing: "Thank you, your majesty."

After this, the emperor and empress dowager rewarded her with some money, and she left the hall. While eunuch Huang led BaiLing to a side room to get changed, the clone in the banquet hall began the plan it was given. When one of the maids poured wine, the clone pretended to knock the glass over, getting wine on her dress. From there, she excused herself and went to the room where BaiLing was waiting.

(BaiLing's pov)

Not long after I stepped into the room, my clone came in. I quickly dispersed my clone and got into the other outfit I had brought. Once my hair and makeup were in place, I returned to the throne room. Retaking my seat, I could see that all the food and drink had been brought out, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Zhi Chen: "Everything good?"

I looked over at my brother, who had just drunk a glass of wine, and nodded. Once I got comfortable, I started to look around the hall, observing the guest and servants. 

The royal family sat closest to the throne, and from there, the families of officials from highest to lowest ranking. With that being the case, my family was seated closest to the throne, with general Chu's family next to us.

 It had been a couple of days since the incident with Chu Zhixin. But it seems like most of the family had recovered from the shock. 

I turned back and snacked on some of the food on the table when I heard footsteps approaching me. It was normal for the officials to move around and mingle with each other during the events. However, the person who was approaching me didn't sound like an adult but instead a small child. When I turned around to see who it was, I saw Lian Tian rushing to me with his arms wide open and ready for a hug. I quickly opened my arm on one side so he could squeeze in.

Lian Tian: "Jiejie, you look so pretty today!"

I smiled at him and patted his head.

Me: "Thank you. And you look very handsome today."

Lian Tian gave out a little giggle and hid his face away. Although bold, he was still a little kid who became shy after receiving a compliment. As I stroked his head, I felt a pair of eyes on me. Looking up across the room, I could see that it was the ninth price who was looking at me. He nodded his head as a quick greeting, and I returned one. Right as I finished, Lian Tian looked up and asked me.

"Jiejie, who is that person."

Me: "That person is the ninth prince."

Lian Tian: "Ohhh. Jiejie, do you like him?"

I was a little taken aback after hearing him ask that question. But it wasn't unusual for little kids to ask such questions. As I was about to answer him, my brother leaned over and said.

"Lian Tian, do you think he suits BaiLing?"

Lian Tian sat up and looked across at the ninth prince for a long time before responding.

Lian Tian: "Hmmm. I don't know. He looks kind of scary."

Hearing this made both my father and brother laugh. Most people would say that he was too handsome and too good for most people. This was the first time I heard someone call him scary.

Left speechless by the little one, I only pulled him closer for a hug. Not long after, another pair of footsteps approached us. However, these were ones of an adult. My brother and I looked up to see that it was the young general Chu who had come over.

He greeted us before saying.

Xiu Ming: "I apologize about this. It seems Lian Tian had sneaked off while we weren't paying attention."

I shook my head and said.

"No worries. I enjoy his company."

Just as he was about to say something, the empress dowager spoke up and said.

"I recently heard that two of my grandson got engaged. Could you guys step forward so that I can see who your future princesses are?"

At the command of the empress dowager, the fifth price, the prime minister's daughter, the ninth prince, and I all stood up and walked to the center of the room. We all greeted her and waited as she looked over each of us. The room was quiet until she spoke up again and called the fifth prince and his fiance forward. She smiled at them and said.

"A lovely couple. I hope you guys can get along and support each other well."

The two nodded and were dismissed back to their seats.