Chapter 9 Chapter Eight: The Unparalleled Dance

In a blink of an eye, the moon finally became extraordinarily round. I heard that there is a custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I thought that the mooncakes in the palace would not be too bad, so as soon as I opened my eyes, I asked Liuyun to send a letter to Yuefeng to choose some for me. A delicious mooncake. As soon as Liuyun left, Nanny Zhuang walked in with her clothes in her hands, her expression was extremely solemn, in stark contrast to my white undershirt, long unwashed hair hanging down my shoulders, and my confused eyes. "What are you doing? Mother?" I rubbed my eyes and my stomach, thinking that when Liu Yun came back, she would make me some sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

What I admire most about Madam Zhuang is her persistence. For example, when we first met, she didn’t really care whether I wanted to listen to her story, or she insisted on telling it; for example, now, she doesn’t care about my current state, Still maintaining a sacred and inviolable appearance, he said: "This is the little princess's evening dance dress. The old slave has already prepared it, and I will present it to the princess today." I lifted the quilt out of the bed in one go, thinking that this was a baby, and stood in front of her barefoot, helped her up, took the clothes and shook them off for a look.

This red silk dress with phoenix-colored dark patterns and spiral piping feels very good in the hand. Under the morning light through the slits of the eaves, the dust in the air dances around it under the airflow brought by my shaking. "I just dance, this is too extravagant." I said politely. Kind words are an indispensable link in life, and their purpose is often to hope that others will not take them as polite words. "Don't worry, little princess. It's not a new one. It was worn by the eldest princess when she danced. She only wore it once. Now, it's still yours." She smiled at me. Somewhat bleak. "Even the most skillful weaver girl in the capital can only weave six inches of this material every day. There are sixteen thousand silk threads in a three-foot piece of brocade, and the materials are even more generous. Gold and silver threads are not a problem, and there are even more." Silk threads made from the feathers of exotic animals."

It was originally my thing, so I don't have to be polite when she said that.Hold it in your hand and look at it. The warp and weft are cut and weaved, and the pattern is Chang'an's favorite peony. From different angles, the peony will show different colors.It feels delicate and smooth to the touch, and it must be very valuable.So I placed it carefully on the couch, turned around to say something to Nanny Zhuang, and found that she had already left. I want to keep this dress for my master to see, it is a legendary family heirloom. I put on my family heirloom, and Madam Zhuang's eyes seemed to be foggy all the time. Her smile was very restrained, but it was an indescribable satisfaction and relief.

When she helped me tidy up my clothes, she was very talkative—"The eldest princess never got angry with me at that time. I am grateful for her demeanor, which is the demeanor of a princess." "The eldest princess's dance has fascinated countless princes and nobles. If she didn't want to marry the general wholeheartedly, she might not be able to marry a handsome prince." "The eldest princess has an extremely light figure, she can secure the world by holding a pen, and can dance around the world on a horse. If she is a man..." "The eldest princess is very kind to me. I have been blessed for several lifetimes, and now I can still serve the little princess. It is really a blessing from heaven..."

"The eldest princess suffered a great deal of injustice back then, and the little princess must..." I looked at Nanny Zhuang, feeling faintly ominous in my heart.The last time she talked so much in front of me was when we first met, she begged me to justify the name of the eldest princess, and now she is feeling this way again. When it was dusk, there was already a crowd of eunuchs and maids waiting in the courtyard. Wearing a red dance dress, I walked all the way down the promenade of the Weiyang Palace. The palace guide who led the way finally led me to the destination when I became dizzy, and I was told to wait in a side hall.There are bronze mirrors and some simple toiletry items in this hall, except for me and Liuyun, there is no one else.

Soon I heard the sound of silk and bamboo, and saw a lively scene of singing and dancing through the crack of the door. It seemed that the mid-autumn full moon banquet had finally arrived. Looking under the stands again, there were two rows of tables. Chu Xin was the first one on the right hand side of the throne. He was dressed in a purple satin dress with dark flowers, solemn and noble, and there was an indescribable deepness between his brows. The tall one is the serious Yuefeng, wearing a dark red dragon robe, his eyes are a little erratic, and then he smiled in my direction, not at all like he used to be foolish.

The old woman lived above the side hall, and her robe almost blended with the night. Old man Zeng was wearing a formal dress, looking conscientious.Sometimes I don't quite understand, he is in an important position, but he is afraid of his wife at home, and he has to behave himself when he is in the court. These years, it has been really difficult for him. I scanned the people sitting around, but there was no sign of Master, and he said he wanted to come and see me dance, alas, this liar. I was patted on the shoulder, and I turned around to look, and my eyes lit up, Nanny Zhuang, who was always dressed in plain clothes, was dressed especially... extraordinarily festive at the moment.The red gown, of old-fashioned piping and patterns, with traces of creases, had obviously been treasured at the bottom of the trunk.Her hair was neatly coiled on her head, and a wooden hairpin was inserted.

Nanny Zhuang knelt down on the ground slowly, made a big salute, fell down on the ground, and said after a long time: "I have finally given an explanation after all these years. I have done my best. Take care, little princess. I am going to follow the eldest princess." .” I'm a little confused so, this is the pep call?But it sounds kind of sad.I leaned over to help her, but Nanny Zhuang fell to the side, and the blood from the corner of her mouth dripped onto the red carpet.Half an hour ago, she had already taken the poison. Although I haven't used the poison for a long time, I can still see the symptoms.

"Mother Zhuang is dead..." The little eunuch not far away heard my voice, and immediately shouted: "Hurry up, clean up, don't make a noise, the carpet is dirty, really!" Princess?I couldn't help but laugh, this woman is my mother in name, but I don't feel close to her.We have a common blood, a common identity, and to me, she is just a character who will always live in the storyteller's mouth.These years have passed, and there are still so many people who, in order to rectify her name, wait persistently and secretly plan. Even my life is also a part of this chessboard.

I can't get close to the eldest princess, maybe I grew up in the valley these years, and I rarely communicate with people, so I'm used to being cold. Thinking of the ominous feeling in my heart this morning, I still have a lot of respect for Nanny Zhuang.She has waited all these years to make this chess piece with peace of mind. She may not know much more than me, but because she knows that the purpose of this plan is to justify the name of the eldest princess, she has no hesitation. Who is playing this game of chess?Just to rectify the name of a woman who has passed away for many years? I do not believe. I watched with cold eyes as they hurried past my eyes.The only connection between Nanny Zhuang and me is that dance. She likes me in order to repay her kindness.Her appearance and her departure were all in her plan, but I suddenly understood a word, what many people don't want to do, but must do, is responsibility. Soon, the place was tidied up, and the little eunuchs were carrying Nanny Zhuang, muttering non-stop, as if this was an unplanned job, which annoyed them. This palace itself is cool. "Bring her to Weiyang Palace." I said to a chief eunuch. The chief eunuch glanced up at me, and said, "Who are you? Our family didn't know that Weiyang Palace had a new master." The voice turned, showing disdain. "It's not too late for you to know now." The eunuch was stunned, obviously overwhelmed by my momentum, swallowed, and ordered the little eunuchs to turn around and walked towards my palace. Liu Yun whispered in my ear: "Zeng Banxia is here." Before he finished speaking, Zeng Banxia and a group of people had already walked in front of me. She sized me up, curled her lips, and said with a smile: "I don't know who you are now, so it's inconvenient to salute, and I don't want you to show me the salute." The servants around her covered their mouths and smiled. Liu Yun quickly came out and said, "This is..." I raised my hand to stop her from speaking, and said with a smile: "No need, just give me a kowtow, and the big gift is unnecessary." Zeng Banxia blushed, suppressed her dissatisfaction, and said in a very low voice: "You don't have this identity, so don't make such a statement!" I walked up to her, tilted my head to look at her, patted her angry face, and said with some regret, "Don't be angry, you don't want to knock now, you can do it later." I He beckoned and motioned for Liu Yun to come over, "Help me fix my girdle, I ate too much just now." I used to have some indigestion, but now I feel refreshed. "You are just a dancer, your mother is still a traitor..." Her voice became more and more hoarse, and finally she couldn't make a sound. Zeng Banxia coughed desperately, and the maids were in a hurry, and quickly gave her tea to moisten her mouth , but it has no effect. I have heard palace maids talking about Zeng Banxia's singing for a long time, it is like the sound of nature, like the reappearance of a nightingale, it is melodious and moving.It's a pity that what I heard was Nightingale coughing and clearing her throat, what a pity. Liu Yun looked at each other in the background with some horror: "She... she was fine just now, why did she have such a voice?" I picked out the hairpin, compared it in the bronze mirror, and was dissatisfied, so I put it down, and said with a slight sigh: "It may be related to retribution." Liu Yun looked at me with some horror, and I returned innocent eyes. It's been a long time since I haven't used poison. I didn't expect that those small pills that are often used for self-defense are still very easy to use. For example, Liuhe Powder has remarkable effects and is worth having. Liu Yun looked at me worriedly, and I patted the back of her hand to show my reassurance.She withdrew her hand and said suddenly: "Girl, have you thought about who this dance will be for?" This is a very profound question. I raised my head and thought about it, and said, "Look, the audience is actually in my heart. To make the audience in my heart, I..." "I'm serious." Liu Yun squatted in front of me. "He didn't come..." I was a little lost and hung my head. He never came when I practiced dancing every day.In the evening, I sat on the stone steps and waited for him, and waited for a round of moon waxing and waning. He only showed up once or twice, and he didn't ask me if I practiced well.In fact, he is just my master. This court may have a great relationship with him, and I am a born and destined accessory in this relationship. But do you know that sometimes the actor understands bitterness and joy better than the protagonist. "I thought you had frequent contact with the prince of Chu these days, and you would treat him..." I suddenly felt that Liu Yun was showing a strong image of Master, such as her ice cube face, but her knowledge is still inexperienced, how could I be tricked out of my mind by her asking a few words?I patted her on the shoulder and said with a smile: "I said Liuyun, are the pot stickers from Baoyuelou good?" "It's good..." She stopped immediately after she said it, and said with a straight face, "I hope you sprained your ankle while dancing." I thought these words were very familiar, and I sighed bitterly: "Liu Yun, be careful when making friends." Zeng Banxia's performance was even more embarrassing than the expected silence, which was quite to my liking. She walked to the backstage with tears streaming down her face, and then Lihua pointed at me with rain and stomped her foot very charmingly: "You... You dare to harm... harm me?" I have to admit that Zeng Banxia's crying, making troubles and stomping her feet are very charming and feminine like the storyteller said, but it's a pity that I am a woman and I like men.So I nodded to her very honestly: "I dare." The little eunuch walked up to me and bowed: "Girl, please." The round in the sky has been held out, and the fireworks will arrive as scheduled.I stopped Liuyun from opening the curtain for me, smiled at her, raised my wrist to pick up the white jade curtain.A golden full moon appeared in front of my eyes. On the side of the moon was the cornice of the palace wall. There seemed to be a person sitting on the cornice. The figure had the most familiar outline. he came.very nice. Fireworks bloom in the sky, lighting up the sky. When the bell sounded, I suddenly remembered the story that Grandma Zhuang told me when she first met me. Back then, why did the eldest princess choose to play fou as an important prop for her dance?Because Chu people love fou, they often beat fou to welcome guests during banquets. The voice of the single fou seemed a little lonely, and the opening of the hundred fou sounded together. The thick voice told the long story of this country and shook off the dust of the past few years. Stepping on the fou point, the dance score of that year, like a shadow puppet show, was all presented in front of my eyes. All the way from the side hall to the high platform, my skirt was blown against the wind, making a soft hunting sound. The sound of the fou gradually disappeared, and the sound of the pipa sounded, accompanied by the sound of the flute and the piano... It seems that the singing and dancing of the Huaxia Kingdom has finally spread in my long sleeves. This dance is called "Unparalleled". Women in the folk often learn this kind of dance, but unfortunately there is no standard dance score and instructor, so they can only learn the similarity from word of mouth, and it is rare to get five points. Yue Feng sat upright on the dragon chair, and Chu Xin held on to the wine bottle during the banquet, and his eyes never left.Chu Xin is really interesting, she really flatters me. After the dance, the audience was silent. Panting slightly, I looked up to see the cornices outside the palace, but there was no one there. he's gone. Alas, if you dance wrong, you can dance wrong. Anyway, Nanny Zhuang has already left, and the ancient score has been burned, so no one cares about whether this dance step is right or wrong. My back was already wet, and the cool wind hit me, and I sneezed under the gaze of everyone. "Su Chang'an pays homage to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, wishing the country of China long-term peace and peace and harmony in the world." He bent down and bowed for a long time, but he heard discussions around him. "The eldest princess's child?" "She has come back?" "You heard me right, it's Su Changan..." "She has come back……" ... When I got up, a person walked up to me and stretched out his hand to help me up. I thought it was the palace people who were waiting on me, so I naturally put my hand over. When she raised her eyes, she realized that it was Chu Xin in front of her. He had a smile in his eyes, raised his lips slightly, and waved his hand lightly, and his attendants put on a white silk and dark floral cloak.Chu Xin shook off the cloak, covered me firmly, pinched my nose and said, "Be careful, you have to take medicine if you catch a cold." I shivered for no reason. Chu Xin bowed to Yue Feng and said: "My father came to China when he was young, and he was full of praise for Chinese girls and dance skills. The brotherly love is deep, I will offend you tonight, and ask the king of Huaxia, hoping to marry Su Changan as his wife, and make the two countries a century-old friendship." This sentence confuses me all of a sudden. In recent years, haven’t Hua and Chu countries often fought each other on the frontier?How come it has been harmonious for many years in his mouth?Also, who will you marry?Isn't Su Chang'an just me?He wants to marry me? I raised my head and looked at Yuefeng, and the embarrassing incident about him in Baoyuelou appeared in front of my eyes, and I thought he was unreliable.So he was about to speak up to defend himself, but he raised his wrist lightly and said to Chu Xin: "Although today is a family banquet, it is even more of a state banquet. To show caution, these children love each other, we will discuss it after the banquet." This sentence is quite to my liking, because it is not an interrogative sentence, but a declarative sentence. As an emperor, Yuefeng was very loyal. I raised my eyebrows at him to show affirmation, but he rubbed his forehead and stopped looking at me. The topics between me and Liu Yun have increased since that day.She recounted to me, with some worry, a matter that also worried me. Zeng Taiwei's daughter, Zeng Banxia, ​​is indeed going to marry. This is what she mentioned when she heard Yuefeng and the ministers discussing matters one day, and she didn't know what kind of person such a woman would marry. Concern, but the increasingly clear trend shows that Zeng Banxia is going to marry Liuyun's benefactor, my master. In line with the tradition that I can't get used to, people and clouds can't get used to it, she seemed worried about this, and finally told me this worry. "If she wants to marry my master, then I really have nothing to do. I can only keep one of her and master." My reaction made her even more worried. "I was waiting for him outside the imperial study that day. Not only did I hear about this, but I also heard about the marriage with the state of Chu. At first, I thought that state affairs had nothing to do with me, so I didn't pay attention. Now he proposes marriage at the banquet, isn't it true? Right in the middle of the Hua-Chu marriage plan?" My heart skipped a beat. "I heard that the border of Chu State has been in war all year round, and human nature is sinister. Originally, the two princes came to visit together, but I heard that the first prince beat his younger brother. Unexpectedly, the second prince, who fell off the cliff, came back from the dead and reconvened the elite This subordinate actually killed his own brother outside Chang'an City..." What Liu Yun said was exactly what I witnessed before entering Chang'an, so she naturally wouldn't know that I had something to do with the cruel second prince she said.Whether the two are competing for the throne or taking revenge, after all, it is a relationship between human beings. Besides, everyone is equal before the throne. It cannot be my fault just because I killed you. Didn't you want to trap me to death before? I sighed for Chu Xin, born in the emperor's family, I have many involuntary things.To live, one must endure or be cruel. This is probably not just the royal way of survival. But what does this have to do with me, what does it matter?I straightened up and was about to go outside, Liu Yun said behind me: "The night is cold and the dew is heavy, girl, where are you going?" "I'm going to find my master. Now that I've finished dancing, this ban is no longer useful to me. I have done my best to help the eldest princess get her name back." I walked backwards and explained to Liu Yun , "You know that I didn't receive any benefits because of this identity. When you met me, you didn't know what kind of princess I was. Even I thought I was the daughter of Zengfu. But no matter what my identity is, I only remember I am the master's apprentice, and only my master has raised me these years, and I don't remember anyone else." His blood was boiling, he didn't pay attention to the threshold behind his feet, and fell backward when his center of gravity was unstable. I just felt being supported by someone behind me, and when I turned sideways, I saw a crescent moon in the corner of that person's mouth, and Master's familiar voice floated from above his head: "You danced well today." I have an advantage, that is, after being praised, I must reap some benefits, so I quickly stood still and hugged Master's arm and said, "Then if you said you would take me to relieve boredom, does it still count?" The moon outside the house was partially covered by the clouds, and the edges of the gray clouds were bordered by moonlight.When the cloud slowly moved away, the moonlight seemed to slant and scattered in the courtyard, on the sweet-scented osmanthus tree, and on the master's shoulder... The moonlight was silent, and the master raised his head thoughtfully and said, "Well, if you Sleeping until the sun is three poles, of course, it doesn't count." "No, no, I always dance when I smell a chicken, I dance when I smell a chicken... Hehe..." Master nodded at me with a look of "that's good", and then turned back. I only heard Liu Yun saying silently behind me: "There are no chickens in the palace."