Ji Cheng finally got to see the long-heard-of Princess of Nanzhao.
“Esteemed Elder, I wish you golden peace and longevity. This junior, Taotao, pays her respects to you,” Princess Taotao of Nanzhao greeted the Old Madam in broken Han speech, her manners somewhat stiff. Considering she came from Nanzhao, her etiquette was already quite commendable.
Moreover, Princess Taotao indeed lived up to her reputation as a great beauty. With apricot eyes and peach cheeks, a jade-like nose, and pearl-white teeth, her petite figure was adorned in a bright red, gold-threaded magnolia palace dress. She resembled a ripe cherry on a branch, crystal clear and delectable.
If one had to find a flaw, it might be that her skin was slightly darker compared to the maidens of Great Qin. However, her darkness was so alluring that it added a touch of bold and wild charm.
As Ji Cheng looked at the fiery Princess Taotao, she couldn’t help but imagine the scene of her standing in the great hall, boldly expressing to Emperor Jianping her desire to marry Shen Che.
It was this very matter that Li Rui had specially gone to Jiuli Court to tell Ji Cheng yesterday.
Emperor Jianping had held a banquet to entertain the distinguished guests from Nanzhao, politely saying, “If there’s any lack in our hospitality, please forgive us.”
Princess Taotao had replied, “We’re all one family now. I’ll soon be a daughter-in-law of Great Qin. How could there be any lack of hospitality?”
Emperor Jianping was quite surprised. The marriage hadn’t even been arranged, yet she was already claiming to be family. This girl was truly unabashed, her straightforwardness and lack of pretense were endearing. So, Emperor Jianping asked with a smile, “Oh? I wonder which young man of our Great Qin has caught the Princess’s eye? He must be truly fortunate.”
Princess Taotao, without any hesitation, spoke Shen Che’s name.
Emperor Jianping knew his beloved nephew well and quickly asked, “But he already has a wife.”
Princess Taotao tilted her head slightly and said, “Shen Lang’s wife is merely a merchant’s daughter. How could she be worthy? But I know he’s a man of passion and righteousness. When I marry him, I won’t mistreat his former wife. I’ll treat her with the courtesy of a half-wife.”
What on earth was the “courtesy of a half-wife”? Emperor Jianping couldn’t figure it out, but demoting a wife to a concubine was no small matter. Even as the emperor, he couldn’t simply issue such an edict. So he laughed it off and glossed over the matter.
Princess Taotao hadn’t thought that far. She only believed that since Emperor Jianping hadn’t refused, it was as good as consent. She thought to strike while the iron was hot and also to meet Shen Che’s wife, to see what kind of person she was and make her know better than to compete.
When Taotao entered, her first glance fell on Ji Cheng, not just because she was sitting next to Shen Che, but because her presence seemed to blur everything around her, making it impossible to see anyone else.
Taotao hadn’t expected Shen Che’s wife to be such a celestial beauty. Especially when she looked at Taotao, her eyes were calm and undisturbed, as if not worried about her situation at all.
Such confidence immediately made Taotao feel wronged. She looked at Shen Che with eyes full of emotion, biting her red lips lightly, waiting for him to speak up.
However, Shen Che remained unmoved, only coldly observing her distress.
Ji Cheng, noticing Shen Che’s cup was empty, lowered her gaze and raised her hand to pour him another cup.
Though their actions showed no intimacy, Taotao could see something different in them. Feeling somewhat indignant, she walked over and sat down next to Shen Che, creating a situation where Shen Che was flanked on both sides.
The Old Madam, watching this farce unfold before her, felt a headache coming on. She certainly wouldn’t like a girl as unruly as Princess Taotao, princess or not. The mere Nanzhao wasn’t much in the old lady’s eyes.
“Yun Jin quickly set a seat for the Princess. How can we let her sit as a companion?” the Old Madam said.
Yun Jin had been holding a cushion all along. At this moment, she placed it with an exaggerated movement to the left of the Old Madam – the seat for honored guests – and then eagerly walked to Princess Taotao’s side to invite her to sit.
Taotao stubbornly said, “I like sitting here. No need to trouble yourselves, just bring me a set of bowls and chopsticks.”
Yun Jin stood there, at a loss. If it were a Great Qin woman, she would have been embarrassed enough to quickly move. But Taotao didn’t budge, looking wronged as she tried to pull Shen Che’s sleeve.
Shen Che avoided Taotao’s outstretched hand and said, “The Princess is an honored guest. According to Great Qin customs, she should sit at the head, facing east.”
Taotao said in a low voice, “But I want to sit with you.” Then she looked up at Ji Cheng again.
Ji Cheng had no virtue of yielding her position. At this moment, she was burning with anger inside. Shen Che was going too far.
Since Taotao didn’t want to leave Shen Che’s side, but also didn’t want to put her beloved in a difficult position, and she couldn’t swallow her pride to sit next to Ji Cheng, she stood up and said, “Today I came to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Old Madam. Why don’t I dance for her?”
This was for the best, as it allowed everyone to save face.
Immediately, the musicians and dancers who had come with Taotao also entered, showing that they had come prepared.
Li Rui watched the scene unfold with great delight, almost wanting to clap and cheer.
Among those present, except for her, everyone else had gloomy faces, not particularly enthusiastic about Princess Taotao’s performance.
Although Nanzhao was located in the southern barbarian lands, its people, both men and women, were skilled in singing and dancing. Princess Taotao was particularly outstanding among them. She was performing a dance called “The Peacock King God.”
The Peacock King God descends to the mortal world, bringing countless sweet dew and blessings. The peacock’s tail spreads open, filling the world with splendor.
There were several peacocks raised in Qing Garden, including a rare and precious white peacock, graceful in its demeanor, almost overlapping with Princess Taotao at this moment. Even those who disliked her had to admit that Taotao’s dance was lively and joyful as if the Peacock King God had incarnated, truly bringing blessings to the Shen mansion.
Taotao was very confident in this dance. At Nanzhao’s national celebration, she defeated her sister, who was known as the “Spirit of Dance,” with this Peacock King God performance.
The red dress fluttered in the hall, like the gorgeous tail feathers of a peacock, with glimpses of golden magnolia patterns as it rose, mesmerizing the audience.
Princess An He was also present today. Initially uninterested, she sat up straight after seeing Taotao’s dance, her fingers lightly tapping on the small table in rhythm with the lively beat.
As the dance ended, Taotao, panting, thrust out her high bosom and said, “Taotao has made a fool of herself.”
The Old Madam said flatly, “The Princess’s dance is rarely seen in the world, making one forget worldly concerns.”
Taotao smiled and said, “The Old Madam is too kind. I’ve heard that the young ladies of Great Qin are also multi-talented, skilled in both singing and dancing. Taotao would like to request the Second Young Madam to also dance for our mutual enjoyment.”
This request was truly abrupt. How could one force someone to dance when visiting their home? Ji Cheng wasn’t a dancing girl.
Ji Cheng smiled and said, “My meager talents dare not compete with the Princess’s brilliance. I’m not skilled in dance.”
Taotao stared at Ji Cheng and said, “In our Nanzhao, when two women fancy the same man, we don’t engage in squabbling and fighting, making both sides lose face. Our custom is to have a dance-off. Whoever dances better wins the man, and the loser must not interfere anymore.”
Before Ji Cheng could speak, Taotao interrupted her, “I know what you’re going to say. I’m just asking if you dare to accept the challenge. You Great Qin women just love to argue with words, it’s not impressive. Either you accept or you admit defeat.”
Ji Cheng smiled, “Very well, I’ll follow the guest’s customs. But Princess, you must keep your word.”
Taotao was stunned, not expecting Ji Cheng to accept the challenge. She wasn’t inherently malicious, just frustrated at not meeting Shen Che before he was married, which led her to challenge Ji Cheng. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.
Ji Cheng replied, “If the Princess intends to steal my husband, how can I not have the courage to defend him?”
Ji Cheng could have easily said a few polite words to smooth over the current situation, and no one could have blamed her. After all, she wasn’t a dancing girl, and the Nanzhao Princess was indeed being too overbearing.
However, with a rival coming to her doorstep, retreating simply didn’t suit Ji Cheng’s character. Even if she didn’t have feelings for Shen Che in her heart, she absolutely couldn’t tolerate Princess Taotao of Nanzhao trampling on her dignity like this.
In Great Qin, there were many cases of men fighting and even losing their lives to compete for women. Now it was just a dance-off, how could Ji Cheng retreat without a fight?
“Good,” Taotao said. “You’re quite straightforward for a married woman, unlike other people in your capital who only know how to argue. They want to do something but don’t dare, and instead criticize me for being shameless. In our Nanzhao, we always say what we mean and do what we want.”
Ji Cheng replied, “Each place has its customs and etiquette. The people of Nanzhao are indeed admirably straightforward and brave. But my Great Qin is a land of propriety, and it’s precisely because we know shame that we’ve become a great nation, making others willingly submit and pay tribute.”
Ji Cheng didn’t accept Taotao’s praise. Her words were sharp beneath their softness, also mocking the people of Nanzhao for their lack of shame, boldly trying to steal someone’s husband with such righteousness.
Taotao frowned. Her command of the Han language was limited, and there was much she couldn’t express. But she could tell Ji Cheng was mocking her, so she said, “So you’re sharp-tongued too. I won’t argue with you. Let everyone see your true skills.”
Being able to dance hardly counted as a true skill, but Ji Cheng didn’t bother to correct Taotao.
“Young Madam, the sword is here,” Yu Qian’er said, panting as she ran in, just in time.
While watching Princess Taotao dance, Ji Cheng had already sensed that this visitor came with ill intentions. She had inquired about Nanzhao customs before, so she had roughly guessed Taotao’s intentions from the start. That’s why she had quietly instructed Yu Qian’er to fetch her Qingxue sword earlier.
Ji Cheng hadn’t studied much in the art of dance, but she had specialized in sword dance since childhood. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, so she naturally had some confidence.
Taotao raised an eyebrow, not expecting the seemingly delicate Ji Cheng, who looked like she could be blown over by a gust of wind, to choose sword dance. She turned and sat down next to Shen Che, watching Ji Cheng take the sword and stand on the red carpet in the center.
Ji Cheng gripped the sword and performed a flourish, looking quite like a sword master. This kind of display didn’t require any internal energy, just familiarity born of practice.
“Please forgive my poor skills,” Ji Cheng said. From the moment she accepted the Nanzhao Princess’s challenge to when she walked to the center, she hadn’t spared even a glance for Shen Che, feeling that she was fighting for her dignity, not truly competing for a man. To be honest, in Ji Cheng’s mind, Shen Che had his legs and could leave if he wanted to. Her contest with the Nanzhao Princess was nothing but a farce inviting ridicule.
But Ji Cheng had to resolve this trouble before her, and she felt quite irritated about it.
“Let me beat the drum for you,” Shen Che suddenly spoke.
The hall, which had already been silent, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Ji Cheng turned to look at Shen Che. A ready-made helper shouldn’t be wasted, and with this, she had already gained an advantage.