Chapter 7: Dancer

Zongduo was embarrassed by the teasing.

He had never been made fun of by a man or a woman before, so he felt a little embarrassed about it.

"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who would be distracted from my work by beauty." He sat upright, but retorted with an inexplicable guilty feeling.

Seeing that he was so serious, Zong Ning had no choice but to stop teasing him.

Zong Si knew that he had just met Ning Fu, but he didn't say much.

In preparation for the bonfire dinner in the evening, the ladies changed their clothes early. Although their clothes were not as luxurious and gorgeous as usual, they were unique enough and showed great thought.

Nymph is wearing a light-colored corset, and her hair accessories have no eye-catching design, which is as plain as it can be.

“All the top gentlemen in the capital are here today, and you are dressed so simply?” Wei Ziyi looked at her.

Although Nymph is naturally beautiful, if she were to wear this outfit and walk into a crowd, I'm afraid no one would even look at her twice.

Nymph, however, deliberately tried not to attract attention.

In her previous life, before the engagement, she had some bad romances, such as the Sixth Prince in the Imperial City. If she had not married Zong Si in time, she might have been forced to marry him as a concubine.

At that time, his father was demoted, and the Ningguo Mansion could not afford to offend the Sixth Prince. It was not easy to get rid of him in the previous life.

Among the princes this time, only the Sixth Prince was in the capital. He must be there for the autumn hunt, and Ning Fu did not want to attract his attention.

"Sister Wei, I'm here to practice riding and archery, not to choose a husband." She said with a smile.

"That's fine. Being in the spotlight too much may not be a good thing." Wei Ziyi said, "I have to prepare for the dance in a while. I'll come find you when I'm free."

The daughter of the Wei family was quite accomplished in music and dance. Mr. Wei worked in the Ministry of Rites and was in charge of matters such as celebrations and sacrifices. Whenever there were foreign guests, the choreography of the dancers was arranged by the Wei family. This time, it was Wei Ziyi who was in charge.

Nymph nodded.

The banquet started at the hour of You.

The noble ladies in the capital are all of their own. When they appear, they are like flowers blooming in an instant. Xie Ruyi is as pure as a lotus but not coquettish, Zong Ning is as unrestrained as a hibiscus in spring, pretty and lively, and Fu Jiaying is as aloof and charming as an orchid.

There are countless beauties competing for beauty.

As soon as the ladies appeared, they caused quite a stir among the young men who had not yet been engaged.

Ning Yu searched for a long time but didn't see his sister.

"Brother." Someone tugged at his sleeve and smiled coquettishly at him.

Ning Yu looked down and saw that the person wearing the light-colored corset was none other than his own sister.

Although she is still a rare beauty, this outfit is not eye-catching. Unless you pay special attention to it, it is almost the same as that of a maid.

"Brother, can you lend me the horse tomorrow?" Nymph sat down beside him.

She just wanted to get an excellent grade in archery. The Jilin Mountain is steep and crisscrossed with mountains. If she could practice riding and archery well here, getting an excellent grade in archery and imperial examinations would certainly not be a problem.

"You are not good at riding. It would be dangerous to practice here." Ning Yu disagreed.

Ning Fu glanced across at Lu Xingzhi, who was sitting upright, looking at her with a focused gaze that seemed to be somewhat affectionate, so affectionate that there was a sense of brokenness that came from having lost and regained something.

Seeing this expression, Ning Fu felt uncomfortable and bitter in her heart.

Zong Si might not have acted like this when he learned of her death.

She smiled at him. Lu Xingzhi was stunned for a moment, then looked away. Although his expression was normal, his ears seemed to be a little red.

Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, "I want to take this opportunity to learn. Brother, when you have time, please ask Mr. Lu if he is willing to teach me how to ride a horse."

Ning Yu was a civil servant and was not good at martial arts. Among the young men present, it would be most convenient for him to ask Lu Xingzhi for advice. Firstly, he was an upright person and not the kind of lecher who would covet women. Secondly, his riding and archery skills were said to be very good.

Besides, Nymph didn't mind interacting with him.

Ning Yu's thoughts were quite complicated, and he said, "Mr. Lu asked me about this today, and said that if you don't understand something, you can go and ask him."

Ning Fu was still worried that someone had made an appointment with him first. After all, although the Lu family was inconspicuous among the prominent families in the capital, Lu Xingzhi was still very attractive to the lady. Now, after hearing what Ning Yu said, she felt relieved.

Emperor Jingwen and the Princess of Northern Qi appeared later.

Emperor Jingwen was over fifty years old, but his hair was not gray and he was full of vigor. His imperial aura was as majestic as a mountain and he was revered as a god.

The princess has deep facial features, which are slightly different from those of the Han people. She is also a rare beauty.

Also traveling with them were Zong Si and the Sixth Prince, who were cousins. The Sixth Prince's biological mother, Concubine Yun, was Prince Xuan's younger sister and was in great favor.

Apart from the princes, the only one who could accompany the emperor on such occasions was Zong Si. The statement that Prince Xuan was the emperor's most valued relative was not groundless.

"Your Majesty, the women of Dayan are indeed all as beautiful as goddesses from heaven. I am dazzled by them." The speaker was the Princess of Northern Qi.

"The young master of Dayan is not handsome?" Emperor Jingwen said with a smile.

"I saw the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince first. I saw the rough diamond first. Although the others are handsome, they are not stunning."

The Princess of Northern Qi glanced at Zong Si while speaking. It was he who picked her up when she came to the capital. When they first met, she felt that the prince was as handsome and aloof as a plum blossom, making people want to pick him.

"Since you think my nephew is a rough diamond, why don't I grant you a marriage." Emperor Jingwen looked at Zong Si and joked.

This made many people change their expressions.

Ning Fu knew that the princess wanted to choose a husband, but she didn't expect that the one she chose was Zong Si, and Xie Ruyi's face had turned pale.

Ning Fu looked at Zong Si, but saw that he was calm. Then she thought about it and understood that Prince Xuan held military power, and how could the prince of Prince Xuan's mansion become the consort of a foreign princess? Emperor Jingwen was just testing him, probably to test Zong Si's attitude towards marriage.

It is true that Emperor Jingwen trusted Prince Xuan, but he did not want Prince Xuan's palace to be too ambitious. What the superiors usually want to see is infighting among their ministers rather than a strong alliance.

"Your Majesty, are you really willing to let the prince become my consort?" The princess took it seriously, her eyes shining.

Emperor Jingwen smiled and said, "It depends on the prince's own opinion. I can't force him."

The princess looked at Zong Si expectantly.

Zong Si said to Emperor Jingwen: "Although the war in the north has subsided, it will be difficult to stabilize within a year. My father has not yet returned victorious, so I have not yet considered starting a family."

Ning Fu had already guessed that he was going to bring up King Xuan to cover up the matter. King Xuan had just won a victory last year and was currently governing the north, so the emperor naturally had to give him face.

She looked at Xie Ruyi again, and Ning Fu could see that her heart fell back.

The Princess of Northern Qi was frank and cheerful, and did not show any sadness at being rejected. She said, "Prince, if you get to know me better, you will know how good I am."

"The princess is a daughter of gold, and naturally she is an outstanding person. This is not my ambition." Zong Si responded respectfully.

Emperor Jingwen said: "Since the prince is worried about state affairs, I will not embarrass him. There are countless outstanding men in Dayan, and I will definitely choose a good husband for the princess."

What followed was a banquet with singing and dancing. The princess of Northern Qi performed a Northern Qi sword dance, which was so heroic that people could not help but applaud.

Ning Fu sat next to Ning Yu and was almost invisible. Not only did the Sixth Prince not notice her, but no one else noticed her either.

However, she was unable to watch the Northern Qi princess' sword dance with peace of mind.

A maid quietly came up to her and said, "Fourth Miss Ning, Miss Wei is looking for you."

Seeing the anxious look in her eyes, Ningfu knew that something must have happened, so she followed her away.

Backstage, when Wei Ziyi saw her, tears were about to fall, and she said anxiously: "Afu, what should I do?"

Ning Fu said: "Sister Wei, please speak slowly."

Wei Ziyi calmed herself down and explained the whole story. The dance had already been choreographed, but she neglected it and only cared about whether the dance looked good or not. She was just reminded by a dancer that the "Jade Body Lying Lying" part of the dance was just an ordinary dance posture in Dayan, but it was a forbidden dance in Northern Qi, which satirized the royal family's excessive debauchery.

If this scene was performed in front of the Princess of Northern Qi, the impact on both countries would be so great that Wei Ziyi and the Wei family might even be beheaded.

"I'm afraid we can't do this dance," Nymph said calmly.

Wei Ziyi nodded and said, "I plan to change to the waist bending dance. These dancers have practiced the most and won't make mistakes. However... there is one person missing."

Ning Fu understood what she meant. She could indeed dance the bending waist dance, but as the lady of the Duke's Mansion, if she danced with these dancers, it would be discrediting the Duke's Mansion.

But Wei Ziyi is the future daughter-in-law of the Ningguo Mansion. If anything happens to the Wei family, the Ningguo Mansion will also be implicated.

Ning Fu analyzed the pros and cons in her mind. Besides, Wei Ziyi treated her sincerely, so she would not have come to her if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

"Sister Wei, you and I know this. If anyone asks, just say that I am not feeling well and am resting in your tent." Nymph said.

Wei Ziyi nodded and told the maid, "Put on Afu's clothes and lie down in the tent. If anyone comes in, don't say anything and just pretend you're asleep."

Ningfu went behind the screen and quickly changed into her dance dress. Then Wei Ziyi took her to the dancers to rehearse.

In order to prevent the dancers from knowing who Nymph was, Wei Ziyi asked everyone to wear veils.

"If any mistake is made today, you will lose your head. Everyone, do you understand this?" Wei Ziyi said.

"We know." the dancers responded.

Nymph said nothing and finally followed the dancers onto the stage.

She stood in the corner, not very noticeable. Logically, she would not be easily discovered in the crowd.

Ning Fu glanced at Lu Xingzhi inadvertently and saw that he was frowning and looked unhappy.

This glance caught Zong Si's attention.

He glanced at Ning Fu, then looked towards the empty space next to Ning Yu.

Ningfu's heart skipped a beat, and a chill rushed straight to her head.

At this moment, she only hoped that he was just glancing at her unintentionally, and not realizing anything. As the music started, Nymph began to dance in the crowd, just like all the dancers, with graceful dance moves, restrained waist, and delicate and lively movements.

The duration of a dance was extremely torturous for a nymph, as it was no different from hanging one's head on the waistband of one's trousers.

As soon as it was over, Ning Fu saw Meng Ze again and walked away quickly.

The person she least wanted to get close to was the Sixth Prince. The closer one was to the imperial power, the more dangerous it was. She had suffered a lot from him in her previous life. On the one hand, he looked down on her, and on the other hand, he wanted to force her to become a concubine.

Meng Ze saw a dancer who, after seeing him, moved away as if she was running for her life. He couldn't help but smile.

The dance didn't interest him, it was too conventional, but the dancer was quite interesting.

How could such a powerful and handsome man like me be so terrible?

"These dancers from the Ministry of Rites are quite interesting." The Sixth Prince said absentmindedly, staring at the dancers' departing backs.

Lu Xingzhi frowned and glanced at Meng Ze.

Zong Si stroked the cup and said nothing.