Zhu Yan approached and called out “Uncle.” Jin Cang nodded, whispering a few words in her ear. Zhu Yan nodded, her eyes steadying as she returned to the center of the stage.
“Husband, may I borrow your sword?”
Shen Du, not understanding her intent, remained motionless. Zhu Yan walked over and drew his sword, offering him a reassuring smile.
Shen Du frowned, glancing at his empty scabbard as Lai Luozhi remarked:
“I didn’t expect Madam Shen to be skilled in sword dancing. Surely she’s not planning to perform an autopsy?”
This time, the crowd dared not respond. They preferred to let the two play their game while focusing on self-preservation.
As the music began, Zhu Yan recognized the tune. She glanced at Jin Cang, seeing her uncle’s steady smile, which calmed her. She realized he was playing a fusion of ritual and opera music.
Zhu Yan’s intelligence shone through. Though unskilled in music or swordplay, she had observed Shen Du’s daily Five Animal Exercises since their marriage. While she hadn’t mastered the moves, her photographic memory had retained most of the forms and techniques.
Moreover, Lu Chuichui often took her to the opera. During holidays, he would drag her along, sometimes performing himself, and she always attended to show support.
Additionally, her work examining corpses had exposed her to funeral music so often that the soul-pacifying tunes were etched in her memory.
But the question remained: she couldn’t sing opera with a sword, could she?
Closing her eyes, Zhu Yan mentally reviewed all the movements and melodies. When she opened them, she had a plan.
Following the rhythm, she combined sword dancing with operatic movements. Years of travel and hardship had made Zhu Yan’s body resilient and graceful, unlike the delicate frames of sheltered noble ladies. Though it was her first time wielding a sword, her performance exuded a unique beauty.
The initially skeptical audience set aside their derision, quietly appreciating the display.
Shen Du, too, was seeing Zhu Yan dance with a sword for the first time. He marveled at how his weapon of death seemed to forget its lethal nature in her hands.
Glancing sideways, Shen Du noticed Lai Luozhi tapping along to the music, his narrow eyes fixed intently on Zhu Yan’s performance.
Lai Luofu, meanwhile, wore a distinctly displeased expression.
As the dance concluded, Zhu Yan quietly excused herself and returned to sit beside Shen Du. Returning his sword, she leaned in, panting, to complain:
“I’m exhausted. I almost missed several beats.”
So her calm demeanor had been a facade.
Shen Du smiled, sheathing his sword. He wiped her brow and offered her tea. Noticing her sweat-dampened hair and flushed skin, he recalled Lai Luozhi’s predatory gaze. His chest tightened with the desire to take Zhu Yan home immediately.
“Madam Shen is truly accomplished in both talent and beauty,” Lai Luozhi remarked, his eyes sweeping over Zhu Yan as he raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Zhu Yan turned away, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze, feeling disgusted.
“Lord Lai flatters her. My wife is of limited talent and learning, barely literate. How could she compare to Madam Lai’s exquisite dancing?” Shen Du retorted, sensing danger and making no effort to hide his disdain.
Surprisingly, Lai Luofu responded with a smile: “Chief Minister is too kind.” The real Lai Luofu would never have missed the insult in Shen Du’s words.
How interesting.
Zhu Yan raised her head, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as she curled her lips into a smile. Tugging at Shen Du’s arm, she said coyly, “Husband, your words remind me that Madam Lai’s dancing is so exceptional, that even the top courtesans of Tongming Hall couldn’t match it.”
This comparison of Lai Luofu to a brothel courtesan made the officials and their families draw in sharp breaths. They wondered if the Chief Minister’s wife was naive or simply too bold.
Lai Luozhi was notorious for holding grudges. To insult his sister publicly, even with Shen Du’s backing, seemed recklessly daring.
Marrying a virtuous wife was ideal, but this woman seemed like she could get her husband killed.
What followed was even more shocking. Shen Du genuinely appraised Lai Luofu for a moment, his dark eyes indifferent: “My dear, you’re mistaken. Tongming Hall probably wouldn’t accept someone so… mature.”
Zhu Yan nodded in feigned innocence: “You’re right. The madam at Tongming Hall, Rong Zhui, became a madam because clients stopped requesting her services after she turned thirty.”
The couple’s back-and-forth, comparing Lai Luofu first to a courtesan and then to a brothel madam, became increasingly outrageous.
The officials squirmed uncomfortably, unable to bear listening further. They longed to plug their ears, fearing Lai Luozhi might have them all killed to silence any witnesses.
“Hahaha!”
An abrupt laugh interrupted the pair. Lai Luozhi leaned forward, seemingly unbothered by their slander of Lai Luofu. The soft lines of his face were hidden in the candlelight, his eyes dark.
“Naturally, my sister’s dancing can’t compare to Tongming Hall’s courtesans. We siblings lost our parents young and lived in hardship until I entered the capital and our fortunes improved. My sister never had the opportunity to study the refined arts like other noble ladies. It’s only natural she can’t match a courtesan’s skills. Madam Shen speaks truly.”
Zhu Yan was at a loss for words, remembering how Lai Luofu and Lai Luozhi had outmaneuvered them at the last banquet, even poisoning her.
This time, she and Shen Du had deliberately provoked Lai Luozhi, openly breaking ties so they could justifiably leave early and avoid future entanglements.
Shen Du was also surprised by Lai Luozhi’s lack of anger in the face of insults. His instincts on high alert, he said, “It’s late. My wife and I will take our leave.”
“Not so fast!”
Guards emerged from the shadows, blocking their path. Shen Du turned to Lai Luozhi, his eyes narrowed: “What is the meaning of this, Lord Lai?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Lai Luozhi said lazily, lifting his gaze and propping his leg on the table. “Last time, I failed to acquire General Kenaqisailuo’s Siamese maid, which left me unsatisfied. But today, seeing Madam Shen’s unique sword dance has piqued my interest. Now I’m quite satisfied indeed.”
“If you’re satisfied, tell your men to stand aside,” Shen Du growled, partially unsheathing his sword, its blade glinting in the candlelight.
Lai Luozhi removed his hairpin, letting his long hair cascade down. He toyed with the pin as he spoke: “Now that I’m satisfied, I have a small request.” He looked up, his dark eyes calculating. “You may go, Chief Minister, but Madam Shen stays.”
He smiled, making no effort to hide his ambition.
“When I tire of her, I’ll have her sent back to you.”
The officials and their families broke out in cold sweat, realizing there was no such thing as a harmless banquet. Why had they been invited to witness this conflict? They could observe, but at what cost to their lives?
Anger erupted from every pore of Shen Du’s being. The usually calm and calculating Shen Du had his scales reversed, unable to contain his murderous intent. With a sharp ring, his sword was in hand. A flash of steel, and the nearest guard fell, blood seeping from his throat before he hit the ground.
A clean kill, yet Shen Du didn’t seem to move.
“I’ve heard that the Young Lord has many wives and concubines and is fond of taking other people’s maidservants. How is it that you still have the habit of coveting other men’s wives?” Zhu Yan, unable to tolerate Shen Du’s humiliation and fearing that his anger might lead to a real fight that could be used against him, spoke up first.
Luo Zhi, who had been adjusting his armor, turned sharply at the remark, his gaze flashing dangerously. Zhu Yan instinctively shrank back behind Shen Du.
“Ha, such a silver tongue. Wouldn’t it be delightful to hear this every day if you stayed?” Luo Zhi’s figure stiffened, and he threw his armor directly at Shen Du’s face. Shen Du, quick on his feet, raised his sword to block the attack. The clash sent a shower of sparks flying, and by chance, the armor was deflected toward Luo Zhi’s subordinate, Lai Luo Fu.
The armor struck Lai Luo Fu, who fell to the ground with a thud.
The officials, shocked by the turn of events, scrambled to their feet and hurriedly took their leave.
Shen Du, with Zhu Yan in tow, cast a cold glance at Luo Zhi and warned, “You have quite the appetite if you wish to take my wife, Lord Lai.”
With that, he left without hesitation.
Someone stepped forward to ask whether they should follow, but Luo Zhi shook his head, his face contorted with rage.
Shen Du was right; Zhu Yan was someone currently favored by the Empress. If Luo Zhi wanted her, he would need the Empress’s approval.
Luo Zhi was merely intent on humiliating Shen Du. As for women, he had plenty.
He glanced at the fallen Lai Luo Fu, and though he seemed indifferent, the armor had penetrated directly into Lai Luo Fu’s left atrium, killing him instantly.
Luo Zhi had initially favored Dai Si because she was a mirror image person, with her heart on the right side, which allowed her to deceive many. Dai Si was highly talented and physically robust, enabling him to train many stand-ins as a precaution.
But now, the most perfect stand-in was dead.
With a cold gaze, Luo Zhi turned away from the scene, heading back to his study. His subordinates expertly dealt with Lai Luo Fu’s body.
Luo Zhi immediately ordered an update on the new arrivals and began assessing those present, dismissing them all.
He suspected that while the Empress had the Review Court monitor the Cabinet, she might also have the Imperial Guard secretly monitor the Review Court.
The Empress’s intentions were always inscrutable.
Thinking of this, he felt a pang of frustration, blaming Mo Qian Zhi for disrupting the entire plan and for the loss of the most capable Dai Si. After all these years, she had been his most reliable, like a severed limb.
Rest assured, that day will come soon enough.