“Good, young ladies should be lively,” the Old Madam turned to Madam Su and said, “When we were young, we could dance even while holding bowls, isn’t that right, sister?”
“Indeed, and you were always the most enthusiastic,” Madam Su remarked nostalgically.
Su Yun was performing the “Cloud Sleeve Dance” she had practiced for over a year. However, she hadn’t prepared the cloud sleeves for the banquet. Sending a maid to fetch them would take too long, and the excitement would fade if they waited. So she took off the shawl draped over her arm and borrowed Shen Qian’s shawl to serve as makeshift cloud sleeves.
“Qian, would you play the qin for me?” Su Yun smiled, inviting Shen Qian.
While young ladies played the qin and zither for enjoyment, there was also a desire to perform in front of others. Shen Qian naturally agreed with pleasure.
Shen Qian’s qin skills, taught by Lady Hanbi, were quite good. However, due to her lack of diligence in practice and her young age making her somewhat impatient, her playing lacked a certain depth. Su Yun’s dance, on the other hand, was mesmerizing.
The light shawls dancing as cloud sleeves, though lacking the ethereal beauty of white clouds emerging from mountains, added a vibrant, rainbow-chasing-the-moon elegance.
The cloud sleeves, like mountain mist, veiled Su Yun’s exquisite features in a tantalizing display as if she were a camellia swaying alone in a valley. At times, the cloud sleeves blossomed into flowers, making Su Yun appear like the most magnificent purple bloom in a garden of thousands.
Su Yun’s body was incredibly flexible, her dance full of resilience. The climax of her performance involved thirty consecutive turns, with the cloud sleeves forming a sphere of light around her. As the sphere opened, Su Yun made a slight left-right motion, then crouched and leaned forward in a beautiful finishing pose. Her willow-like waist bent gracefully, her skirt spreading out in a large circle on the ground like a gorgeous begonia.
Impressively, Su Yun didn’t show any signs of dizziness after those thirty turns. Dancers know that during such spins, one needs a focal point to avoid getting dizzy. Su Yun’s focal point was, naturally, Shen Che.
Hidden behind the cloud sleeves, she gazed at him unabashedly. However, Shen Che seemed somewhat unappreciative. Throughout Su Yun’s dance, although his eyes remained fixed on her movements, his body was slightly turned towards Zeng Xiuwen beside him. He was nodding or speaking in low tones, his attention not on the performance. The beauty of Su Yun’s coquettish glances was wasted on him.
With Su Yun being the only one dancing, Ji Cheng could only watch her. Seeing Su Yun’s expression, she couldn’t help but look at Shen Che’s reaction on Su Yun’s behalf.
It was a natural reaction, and Ji Cheng glanced over unconsciously. But when her eyes met Shen Che’s, she immediately remembered her embarrassing situation and quickly averted her gaze, picking up her wine cup and taking a large gulp in a poor attempt to hide her discomfort.
Although plum wine wasn’t very strong, drinking too much could still have an effect. Ji Cheng had already had five or six cups, and with her recent unsettled state of mind, she was prone to overindulgence. The alcohol was starting to affect her, and she suddenly recalled the incident at the Tianxiang Tower.
Ji Cheng didn’t want to think about such an embarrassing event. Looking back, that Persian dance was nothing but an erotic performance. She had been terrified at the time, nervous and afraid of being recognized, so she tried to imitate the mannerisms of the courtesans to avoid being identified as Ji Cheng.
Moreover, the drum beats were so intense and rhythmic that Ji Cheng’s waist, hips, and limbs moved of their own accord. When she danced in front of Shen Che, he was seated while she stood, putting his line of sight level with her navel.
Ji Cheng’s outfit was barely decent, with a large portion of her waist exposed. Feeling utterly embarrassed and uncomfortable, she turned her back to him. Thinking back on it later, Ji Cheng realized this was a terrible mistake – she had essentially presented her backside to Shen Che, which was even worse than showing her navel.
This was the first embarrassment. Later, at the polo field’s rest area, she was again exposed to Shen Che’s gaze, fully realizing his depravity. Shen Che seemed to disregard all propriety, behaving so wantonly. He wasn’t romantic or affectionate at all, but rather a heartless libertine who treated women as mere playthings for his amusement.
Ji Cheng consoled herself by thinking of it as being seen by a dog, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Su Yun’s “innocence.” It was truly a case of misplaced affection, with all her passion wasted like water flowing away.
As for Shen Che, he noticed Ji Cheng averting her eyes like a mouse spotting a cat, her fair face flushing red in the lamplight. He had seen countless such displays of feigned coyness masking flirtation and did appreciate the beauty of a woman’s shy, coquettish manner. However, having recently obtained Rui Yu’s favor, he was at the height of his interest in her and was not inclined to entertain the affections of this Ji family cousin whose mind seemed as full of holes as Taihu rocks.
Thinking of Rui Yu naturally reminded him of their rendezvous. Shen Che toyed with his wine cup, hoping that Rui Yu would be clever enough to keep him interested for a while longer.
Given Rui Yu’s fame in the capital, Shen Che had naturally heard of her long ago. As a frequent visitor to such establishments, he had seen her a few times. It seemed odd that it had taken him several years to win her favor. However, Rui Yu’s current reputation was largely due to her ability to manipulate men with ease.
Courtesans knew well that men often lost interest once they had their way, discarding them after a few days. So while Rui Yu simultaneously enticed several men, occasionally offering sweet moments, she always kept them from fully indulging.
Shen Che had been interested in her for a while, but Rui Yu’s price was too high. Rather than being annoyed, he feared she might lose interest, so in Rui Yu’s eyes, Shen Che was the most steady. After several years, he remained neither hot nor cold, neither close nor distant. Rui Yu, the fisherwoman, found herself caught instead, frustrated at not having ensnared Shen Che.
But women were different from men. Rui Yu was already twenty-four, older than Shen Che, though her careful maintenance made her appear fresh and delicate. However, beneath the surface, she was utterly exhausted.
Once women in her position considered retiring, their priority was to find a man to entrust their future to. They didn’t need to pay ransom money; Rui Yu was already free. But for women like her, once tainted, they were tainted for life. Even if they reformed, they would never have a good reputation. It was better to stay in the pleasure houses where at least they could live freely.
Since Rui Yu had decided to entrust her life to someone, she naturally wanted to find a man she admired. Shen Che was her top choice. With his noble background and handsome appearance, although he was somewhat of a playboy, Rui Yu was confident in her charms and believed she could reform him if she put her full effort into it.
Rui Yu saw things clearly, and Shen Che wasn’t fooled either. Rui Yu wanted to find someone to depend on, but she had chosen the wrong person. However, such fleeting guilt was not enough to make a “heartless man” like Shen Che change his ways. After all, this was a willing arrangement on both sides, each relying on their abilities. If Rui Yu truly had the power to captivate him, Shen Che might not be opposed to giving her the support she sought.
However, Shen Che could sense that Rui Yu was becoming impatient, losing some of her allure. He only hoped that today’s rendezvous wouldn’t be disappointing.
As Ji Cheng and Shen Che were lost in their thoughts, Su Yun’s “Cloud Sleeve Dance” reached its finale. She bent sideways to the ground, her face turned towards Shen Che in the final pose, gazing at him with passionate eyes. But Shen Che’s gaze passed over her, looking towards someone behind her.
Su Yun’s heart sank. As she rose, she turned her head slightly, realizing that Shen Che had been looking at Ji Cheng.
Shen Che’s maneuver to divert attention was as untraceable as an antelope hanging by its horns, but that single glance had once again brought trouble to Ji Cheng.
After Su Yun’s stunning dance, Shen Cui’s expression couldn’t have been worse. She was self-aware enough to know that on the day of the mid-level arts selection, somehow Su Yun hadn’t been chosen.
The Old Madam glanced at Ji Lan beside her. At this point, what was there not to understand? However, considering that Ji Lan’s underhanded methods were for her daughter’s sake, the Old Madam couldn’t blame her too much. Still, it was a rather low approach.
Seeing the Old Madam’s silence, Shen Yuan understood the situation to some extent. She smiled and said loudly, “Since Qian and Yun have both shown their filial piety to our ancestors, I can’t fall behind.”
Shen Yuan excelled in calligraphy and painting. She had performed at family banquets many times before, so brushes, ink, paper, and silk were already prepared. This time, Shen Yuan wanted to impress her fiancé in front of everyone, to ensure he would hold her in high regard when she married into the Zeng family.
So Shen Yuan didn’t just paint. She had Shen Qian play the qin for her and set up four screens in the east, south, west, and north directions, each with xuan paper inlaid. She danced in the center, painting as she moved. When the dance ended, the four screens were adorned with paintings: peonies in the east, a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water in the south, a solitary boat on rippling waves in the west, and the moon rising over willow branches in the north.
Not only were the four paintings exquisitely done, but her dance was also nearly as impressive as Su Yun’s. It was clear that Shen Yuan’s reputation as a talented lady of the capital was well-deserved. She usually kept a low profile, truly embodying the demeanor of a great family.
The Old Madam’s face was full of pride, her smile so wide she could barely close her mouth.
Zeng Xiuwen, seemingly surprised by his fiancée’s talents, was red-faced with undisguised admiration in his eyes.
After Shen Yuan, even Lu Yuan performed a sword dance. Her dance was spirited, though it lacked some grace. It could be considered neither a success nor a failure.
With this, all the young ladies present had showcased their talents, except for Ji Cheng, who was now holding her head in her hands, deep in thought.
Shen Yuan nudged Ji Cheng, while Shen Qian and Su Yun also joined in urging her. Ji Cheng smiled wryly, “Dear sisters, I don’t have any particular talents. I can cook a few dishes, but surely you don’t want me to demonstrate cooking here?”
“You’re lying!” A clear, childish voice suddenly interjected, making Ji Cheng’s heart skip a beat. Young Master Hong had already run up to Ji Cheng.
“Oh? How am I lying?” Ji Cheng teased Hong’er, unsure what innocent words the child might say. She truly hoped he wouldn’t mention her tree-climbing skills.
“You can play leaf whistles. Here, for you.” Hong’er took two bright green leaves from his pouch and handed them to Ji Cheng. “I just picked them, they’re still fresh.”
Ji Cheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This minor skill of playing leaf whistles could hardly be considered a talent. Even if she played well, leaves weren’t real instruments and had limited tonal range.
The leaf-whistling incident happened a few days ago when Ji Cheng encountered Hong’er in the garden. The little one was sitting on a tree branch, crying quietly, terrifying his attendants who feared they had lost the Old Madam’s precious grandson, the only heir of the next Shen generation.
That day was the death anniversary of Hong’er’s mother. Missing her, he cried, but not wanting to be seen and ruin his image as a little man, he had hidden in the tree.
To console him, Ji Cheng had casually plucked a leaf from the tree and played a tune for him.
And now, Hong’er had publicly exposed Ji Cheng’s secret skill.
Ji Cheng took the leaves from Hong’er’s hand. It would take considerable thick skin to perform leaf whistling, a children’s game, amidst such refined musical performances.
However, not only was Hong’er’s innocence too adorable for Ji Cheng to refuse, but how could she possibly deny the request of the Old Madam and Shen Yu’s precious only grandson?