Chapter 196 - 197: Schadenfreude
Hua Qingqing watched, dumbfounded.
She had seen her second sister dance before. Her movements were graceful and elegant, utterly captivating.
But the way her second sister was dancing now... it was...
She didn’t even know how to describe it.
It wasn’t that the dance was ugly, per se.
After all, Hua Manman was gorgeous. Just seeing her stand there, with her radiant and captivating face, was a delight.
It was just that the style of her dance was so bizarre, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen or heard of.
After a brief moment of shock, Li Ji couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curving up, and he burst into unrestrained laughter.
’Hahaha, my Lady Hua is such a character!’
Perhaps because Hua Manman’s dance was so full of joy, even the Emperor couldn’t maintain his composure and let out a soft chuckle.
Once the Emperor laughed, everyone else naturally followed suit.
Even the Empress Dowager was grinning from ear to ear.
In her old age, she loved watching these kinds of lively performances.
Of everyone present, only the Empress remained stone-faced, her expression grim.
Hua Manman bounced back and forth on the stage.
DUM-da-da-CLANG, DUM-da-da-CLANG!
The red handkerchief in her hand flew up and down as she twirled it. Her cheeks flushed a rosy red, and her eyes were round and bright. Combined with the faint dimples at the corners of her mouth, she looked absolutely adorable.
When the song ended,
Instead of taking a bow and leaving, she tossed the red handkerchief aside and, like a magician, pulled a pair of bamboo clappers from her robes.
This time, she needed no accompaniment. With a flick of her wrist, the bamboo clappers let out a sharp SNAP.
"With a clack of my clappers, hey! Let’s forget everything else for a minute!
I want to praise a traditional food—the Goubuli steamed bun, there’s nothing like it!
It’s got a thin skin, a big filling, and eighteen folds, just like a flower!
But that’s for describing a bun, so don’t you get it wrong!
You can say a girl is beautiful, just like a flower.
But you must *never* say a girl looks like a bun!"
As she reached this point, Hua Manman flicked her clappers, pointing them at the Dancing Girl who was still standing dumbstruck at the side. She grinned and asked the audience...
"Look, everyone! Look at her! Isn’t she just like a flower?"
She said "a flower," but all anyone in the audience could think of were fragrant, steaming-hot meat buns.
The crowd roared with laughter, and the atmosphere grew even more festive.
Even one of the more mischievous princesses joined in the teasing, laughing as she called out.
"She does!"
The Dancing Girl who had been pointed out flushed beet-red, wishing a hole would open up in the floor and swallow her whole.
Her performance over, Hua Manman put away her clappers, bowed to the audience, and headed off the stage.
As she passed the Dancing Girl, Hua Manman smiled at her. "Good luck! Do a great job!"
The Dancing Girl’s hands clenched her skirt, and she bit her lip so hard it turned white. A sliver of hatred flashed in her eyes.
Hua Manman was taken aback by her glare.
’What a terrifying glare!’
The next act was about to begin, so the Dancing Girl couldn’t delay any longer. She took a deep breath and glided onto the stage with elegant steps.
Hua Manman returned to her seat.
By the time she sat down, the performance on stage had already begun.
The Dancing Girl was performing a fan dance.
She wore a snow-white gown, her waist cinched by a black sash to a delicate, slender span. In her delicate hands, she held a folding fan decorated with an ink wash painting.
Though her frame seemed soft and delicate, every movement was filled with a powerful rhythm, creating an illusion that was part fan, part sword.
Ordinarily, it would have been a captivating dance.
But after the one-two punch of the folk dance and the clapper tale, everyone’s minds were still stuck on a loop of meat buns and pretty girls.
Even as she danced with fluttering grace, all anyone could think about was... buns. Steamed buns.
Just how delicious *are* those legendary Goubuli buns, anyway?
Hua Manman had no idea just how deep an impression her performance had left on everyone.
All that jumping and bouncing on stage had left her exhausted and thirsty, and she was now gulping down tea.
Li Ji watched her with a wry smile.
"Were you deliberately targeting Yin Chai’er just now?"
Hua Manman looked utterly baffled. "Yin Chai’er? Who’s that? I don’t know anyone by that name."
Li Ji stared at her for a moment. When he heard no other thoughts from her mind, he was certain she was telling the truth.
She truly didn’t know Yin Chai’er.
Now it was Li Ji’s turn to be surprised.
"If you don’t know her, why did you single her out in front of everyone?"
It took Hua Manman a moment to understand.
"Are you saying that girl doing the fan dance is named Yin Chai’er? I just pointed randomly! She just happened to be the closest one to me."
Hearing her explanation, Li Ji couldn’t help but laugh out loud again.
"Hah. What am I going to do with you?"
Hua Manman grew even more curious. "So who is this Yin Chai’er, really?"
She had assumed the woman was just an ordinary dancing girl.
But judging by Prince Zhao’s reaction, Yin Chai’er seemed to have some significant background.
Li Ji grinned, full of schadenfreude.
"Yin Chai’er is the Empress’s niece.
I heard the Empress specifically arranged for Yin Chai’er to perform tonight, hoping she would make a stunning impression on the Saint.
It was all to pave the way for her to enter the palace.
Who would have thought you’d come out of nowhere and completely ruin the Empress’s plans."
Hua Manman was dumbfounded.
She never imagined that a seemingly ordinary moon-viewing banquet would have such hidden machinations.
’No wonder Yin Chai’er had glared at her like that.’
’She must think I came to ruin her performance on purpose. She must hate my guts now.’
Hua Manman chugged another mouthful of tea, trying to calm herself down.
She glanced at the Empress, who was seated beside the Emperor, and sure enough, the Empress’s expression was absolutely foul.
Hua Manman muttered under her breath.
"’What kind of woman would willingly choose another woman for her own husband?’"
"’And her own niece, at that!’"
"’This high society is a real mess.’"
Li Ji spoke slowly.
"The Crown Prince has died. Not only was it a devastating blow to the Empress, but her maternal family, the Yin Family, also lost their pillar of support.
The Yin Family is surely panicking, afraid the title of Crown Prince will be snatched away by another prince.
At the Empress’s age, it would be difficult for her to have another son.
So the Yin Family carefully selected a woman to send into the palace, hoping she’ll bear the Emperor another son and thereby secure the Yin Family’s future standing."
Yin Chai’er was the woman the Yin Family chose. With her looks, figure, talent, and temperament, she was certain to win the Emperor’s favor.
That’s why they arranged this whole performance tonight—they wanted Yin Chai’er to dazzle everyone the moment she appeared and leave an unforgettable impression on the Emperor.
Unfortunately for them, in all their careful calculations, they never predicted that someone would perform a folk dance and a clapper-tale comedy routine at a moon-viewing banquet!
The dance on stage had come to a close.
Yin Chai’er curtsied with ethereal grace.
Although things hadn’t gone as planned, the Empress still stuck to the script.
"This is my niece, Chai’er. I wonder if Your Majesty was satisfied with her performance?"
Yin Chai’er lifted her head just enough to reveal a pair of limpid, bright eyes, gazing at the Emperor with anticipation.
The Emperor chuckled. "Ah, so she’s your niece. She looks just like a flower."
Yin Chai’er: "..."
...
The clapper tale excerpt in this Chapter is from the routine "Onstage and Offstage."