The Party (2)

In the palace hall, a center stair leads to the jade chair where Emperor Yuan sits;

To his right, his empress and her children: Second Prince Chang Chen, Sixth Prince Chang Ji, and Fourth Princess Chun Mei.

To his left, his two imperial noble consorts and their children: Third Prince Chang Bo, Eighth Prince Chang Min, and young Tenth Prince Chang Li.

Noblemen sit at the bottom of the stairs, and their families behind them. As a powerful family, the Wei is seated closest to the right. Despite that, their actions contrast everyone; Guang He and Jing silently sipped their teas whilst other men loudly drank wine, Lan quietly inhaled the foods whilst other girls nibbled on rice.

Mid-party, the empress announced the mini-competition she'd always host at parties, "All young masters and misses may showcase their talents, this empress will award you accordingly," she smiles.

Lan had heard of this tradition, and she anticipated it. She stares at her grandfather, waiting for him to realize her silent calling. Without turning back, he slightly nods. Lan then loosens the knot to her veil.

Lan was smart enough to know this tradition of the empress was to buy the families' loyalty..to her son. Chang Chen, in theory, has the highest chance of becoming crown prince after the first had died for unknown reasons. However, Emperor Yuan has yet to name the next crown prince, which prolongs the silent war between Chang Chen, Chang Bo, and their supporters.

Young masters came up first, showing off their skills in swordsmanship, archery, or martial arts. Nothing compared to Lan, but no one knows that. It was interesting for Lan to see their skills; Everyone had their style and all useful in their own right. Lan took a mental note.

Most were rewarded with gold taels, treasured swords or rare paintings/books, while the few who were especially good, got a small title.

When young mistresses started to come up, they either sang, danced or played an instrument..as expected. Lan dosed off. Lan was able to be proficient in these fields after three years, but she is still one to prefer the heaviness of swords or the sophisticated strategies for battle.

As the girls go up, Lan could feel the eyes on her. They are waiting for her to go up. Even the curious princes waited for her performance. There's a smirk behind her veil though--it's all going according to the plan.

Emperor Yuan who had heard rumors of Wei Lan's incompetence, also anticipate her turn. Her embarrassment is also the Wei's embarrassment. But as many girls come up, he realizes they may never intend for her to perform.

After the daughter of a low ranked minister finishes her dance, he looks towards Guang He, "Is your granddaughter not going to perform? I've heard she's quite talented." Sarcasm. Guang He secretly smiles and stood up to bow, "Your Majesty, with all these talents, I'm afraid our Lan would seem dull." Before Emperor Yuan could respond, Third Prince Chang Bo spoke out, "I'm quite curious to see the talents of Young Miss Lan as well."

His brothers who seldom agree with each other nodded in unison.

Lan stands up to curtsy, "This servant will oblige. Wei Lan wishes ahead for forgiveness, for my talents may lack compared to my peers." The hall, again, freezes for a second. It was their first time hearing her voice. She would only whisper or not speak at all. They did not expect it to be so soft yet sounding mature, while other girls put effort into sounding high pitched.

Emperor Yuan nods, and motions for Lan to head to the stage. All the while Guang He and Wei Jing wait to see her plan in action. They did as they were told, but who knows what goes on in that mind of hers.

She takes out her dagger and began to sing. Lan sings the song Liling sang to her when she had a nightmare during their sleepovers. The song was about losing those near you, but continuing to be strong for them. How fitting. She gracefully dances with the dagger--the only Qiu possession she had left. Her eyes were frowning with sadness.

People were intrigued as no girl had used a weapon for a dance before, and with her unique voice, it changed the well-known song for the better. Everyone was captivated. But it was when her veil slowly drifted down her face to the floor that the show officially began.

All young masters and princes shifted in their seats. Young mistresses began to frown with jealously.

Lan was beautiful, out of this world. Her swirls made her dress and hair flow, ornaments twinkling.

In their seat, sipping tea, Guang He and Wei Jing uses the cup to cover their smirk. 'So this was her plan.'

When her performance came to an end, Lan quickly picks up her veil and went to a deep curtsy, "This servant apologies for her indecency." With that one sentence, she angers almost all the misses there as they have never worn a veil.

Emperor Yuan hits his table with a balled fist and took a deep breath. Wei Lan was nothing like they had said. He just made a fool of himself, but pushed a fake laugh, "As expected from a girl in a military family." He turns to Guang He, and almost choked saying, "You have done well raising your kids."

Guang He and Lan bowed/curtsied, saying in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty." After tying her veil back, Lan walks forward to get her reward. The empress knew the tension between her husband and the Wei clan, but Lan was too good to award her lowly. She would be deemed biased and ignorant.

"Wei Lan, your performance was very outstanding. This empress award you this Century Jade bracelet." Lan takes another deep curtsy, "This servant thanks Your Majesty," and went back to her seat, unknowing the bracelet's value.

The eyes she felt on her increased. Girls got even more jealous of her reward and beauty. While the unmarried young master and princes never took their eyes off of her. They wanted her.

'...And that's another step.'