White Silk Past

However, she stopped worrying about it later. With Gu Yi's zither music guiding her, she could immerse herself in the world of music and dance, calmly experiencing the life-giving energy within, and no longer concerned about whether others thought her dance was good or bad.

But what A Qiu didn't know was that overnight, she had received demonstrations and training from two of the world's top music and dance masters, one from the North and one from the South, using the physical qualities and control of a top martial artist. Such an opportunity was extremely rare and unpredictable.

Xue Hongbi pointed at A Qiu and excitedly said to Sun Neiren, "From this moment on, let her be the head of the dance troupe. The White Silk Dance will have her as the sole protagonist, and everyone else will serve as the background for the scenery of water and mountains and light boats crossing the river. This clear distinction between the main and secondary elements makes it easy to understand and may even surpass the level created by Empress Shangguan back then. Don't you think so?"

Sun's wife was completely stunned. Upon hearing Xue Hongbi's words, she immediately reacted and nodded vigorously, saying, "That's exactly right! Hongbi, you've thought it through perfectly!"

The original Baizhu Dance consisted of thirty-six dancers, their flowing robes resembling celestial beings gliding on water or fairies gazing at the moon. In terms of quality, they were far more disciplined than today's dance troupes. The troupe leaders, Xue Hongbi, Hu Miaorong, and Sun Ci, took turns portraying the main characters in various scenes, such as "celestial beings flying from the heavens," "a lone crane in the clouds," and "washing silk under the moon." These scenes showcased both the graceful and simple charm of common women and the lofty and otherworldly ideals of scholars.

The dance "White Silk" not only amazed the entire Southern Dynasty court at the time, but also inspired many dancers and musicians to imitate it.

At that time, Shangguan Jin, the Grand Secretary, who was a renowned minister who was self-disciplined and never indulged in women or music and dance, and was known as "a man in green robes with a sword, whose elegance was unparalleled," also made an exception and wrote an inscription for him: "The Li Sao of our time."

However, the original "White Silk" was a group dance. The group dance lineup was large and the scene was well-organized, but it was limited by the understanding and performance of each individual in the group.

Solo dances can best unleash the charm and personality of top dancers, allowing the audience to focus solely on the highest level of dancers, thus reaching a state of boundless freedom.

Xue Hongbi and Sun Neiren are well aware that A Qiu's current mastery of "the way of music and dance" surpasses their own achievements back then.

If she can successfully focus all the attention on her alone, it is entirely possible to create an impact that surpasses that of "White Silk" from back then.

However, this would require everyone else in the dance club to willingly serve as background figures.

Thinking of this, Sun Neiren looked at Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu with a hesitant gaze. She wasn't unaware that A Qiu danced well, but before A Qiu arrived, Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu were the leaders of the dance troupe. If the previous ranking were true, it should have been A Qiu, Zhang Exu, and Cui Luzhu taking turns as the main characters in the scenes.

In the past, Sun Neiren would never have thought of these things. Because the dance troupe is now simple, whatever she says goes. But now, because Xue Hongbi is here, she can't help but recall the past when the dance troupe fought tooth and nail.

Xue Hongbi must have remembered as well, for she lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, which was quite unusual.

In that year's "White Silk", among the three main characters, Xue Hongbi and Hu Miaorong had a falling out over who would appear first, and even the old instructor was caught in the middle and couldn't find a good position.

Xue Hongbi always liked to be the one to dominate others, which made her less popular in the dance troupe. However, she had excellent skills and a bright and beautiful appearance, making her the perfect choice to be the leading lady.

This is why her eyes lit up when she saw A Qiu's true face. From afar, she only thought A Qiu's dance was graceful and her movements were skillful. But upon closer inspection, she found that A Qiu's appearance was also stunning. She was truly capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility, and immediately felt that the weight on her shoulders had lifted.

For a maiko, skill alone is not enough; beauty is also crucial. Of course, none of those selected for the dance troupe are unattractive; the difference lies only in their stunning beauty.

Xue Hongbi was confident that she was the one who could topple a kingdom, which would naturally arouse the hostility of everyone else.

During the rehearsals for "White Silk," she often ran out of hair oil or rouge. Once, even her dance costume was cut with a large hole.

Xue Hongbi suddenly laughed and said, "Looking back now, we were so naive. We thought that by arguing with the instructors and fighting with our classmates, we could get first place. In the end, who went first was decided by the higher-ups."

At that time, the "higher authority" was Empress Shangguan. Because she choreographed the White Silk Dance, the final positions of these people were still decided by the Empress herself after reviewing the performance.

Lady Sun simply pursed her lips.

There was something that Xue Hongbi had almost forgotten if she hadn't mentioned it.

At that time, the Empress Shangguan's first choice was her. The Empress once asked her if she wanted to be the first to appear.

The Empress at that time looked at her carefully and finally concluded: "Besides calligraphy, there is one other thing I can barely be proud of, and that is face reading. Sun Ci, among the three of you, you are the one who can take the lead."

The Empress sighed again, “The dance ‘White Silk’ is the dance of the nation’s destiny. In fact, I really hope that the first person to appear is a woman with a dignified and beautiful appearance, like you. Perhaps the fate of the entire Southern Dynasty would be different.”

At that time, because the last emperor was licentious and indulged in banquets and music, the number of musicians in the palace had reached nearly several thousand. In addition to the Qing Shang Department where Sun Ci was located, there were also dances from various Hu people such as Kucha and Gaochang. Not only did the Hu girls with blue eyes and deep-set eyes display their beauty, but the Qing Shang Department also staged various dances such as "Yushu Hua" and "Jinlu Qu" to compete for beauty.

Even though the empress was out of favor at the time, because of her reputation as the most talented woman in the Southern Dynasty and the support of the Shangguan family, a century-old leader of the literati, the emperor still respected her greatly. The "White Silk" dance, which she personally choreographed, was still designated by the emperor as the first dance at the Southern Dynasty's state banquet, and all other dances, music, and entertainment were postponed.

Being the first person to perform the opening dance would be a once-in-a-century honor.

At that moment, Sun Ci could only vaguely recall the flickering candlelight on the Yan Ge Terrace, and the pair of extremely passionate yet utterly lonely eyes behind the black bird mask.

The Empress continued, "Shi Changqing will be the first musician to harmonize with the 'White Silk Dance.' His name will be recorded in history along with the 'White Silk Dance.' You should think it over carefully."

She stared blankly at the Empress, but the Empress only smiled and remained silent.

She pondered deeply until certain clues gradually became clear in her mind.

Finally, she slowly replied, "I don't need to be the first person in the first dance of the Southern Dynasty. It is enough for me to be the last person in the Southern Dynasty's music bureau."

Then, a hint of deep sadness gradually crept into the Empress's smile.

"Even you can sense that this building is doomed to collapse soon. Ha, why should I worry about it anymore? Fine, Sun Ci, as you wish, you will be the last one to leave when the show ends."

The last one, as the curtain falls and the music ends, all the white-clad dancers have gracefully departed, leaving only her in a simple silk dress, gazing at the bright moonlight, washing the floating white silk in the stream.

It is a song of washing silk, and also a vow of deep affection.

Life is fleeting, like a flash of lightning; joyful days are few, and sorrowful days are many. The crane lingers, its beauty radiant; you sing to greet me, your heart as steadfast as ever.

On that stage, Shi Changqing's last clear and melodious flute piece was played solely for her.

She didn't become the number one dancer in the Southern Dynasty, but she got what she wanted.

That will be a memory for a lifetime.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you back then," Xue Hongbi suddenly said.

Sun's wife was momentarily taken aback and asked, "Thank me for what?"

Xue Hongbi couldn't possibly know that the Empress had intended for her to be the first performer of the opening dance. This should remain a secret between the Empress and her forever.

Xue Hongbi rolled her eyes, revealing a helpless expression: "The dance costume I wore when I was the first to go on stage was lent to me by you. How could you forget that?"

Then Sun's wife remembered.

That's right. Before the White Silk Dance began that year, another extremely dangerous incident occurred. The costumes of Xue Hongbi, Hu Miaorong, and Sun Ci, the main performers, were somewhat different from the others. Although they were all dressed in white silk, their collars and sleeves were adorned with crystal pearls, which shimmered and sparkled under the candlelight.

However, just an hour before the state banquet began, when the dancers had all finished their makeup and changed into their costumes, ready to go, Xue Hongbi suddenly discovered that her pearl dress had been cut beyond recognition, with shattered pearls, crystals, and silks scattered all over the ground. Just like the resentment that the dancers had been secretly accumulating against her for a long time, it had finally opened its gaping maw to retaliate.

In fact, Xue Hongbi wasn't entirely without a premonition. All the terrible incidents of the past few days—the missing hair oil powder, the wigs and silk flowers that kept going missing—had already sounded an alarm for her. To prevent such things from happening again, Xue Hongbi had specifically locked her dance costumes and accessories in a nanmu wood chest a day in advance.

But at this moment, even the box was smashed open, and all the hair combs and makeup tools inside were scattered on the ground.

The ever-proud Xue Hongbi stared blankly at everything, while the rest of the people didn't even glance at her or utter a single word. Everything had turned into an empty and chilling trap.

She seemed to be stuck in a nightmare from which she could not wake up.

In the flickering candlelight, the subtle sounds of others continued. Everyone calmly made their final preparations before going on stage, dabbing at the rouge on their lips in front of the mirror, or tidying up any stray strands in their hair, or untying any knotted tassels and beads.

Only the old teacher was pacing anxiously. Her voice came from afar, seemingly near yet far, as if from a hazy dream.

"What should we do? The dance costumes were all made three months in advance by the Imperial Household Department's weaving workshop. There's no time to make another one now. Should we borrow from other departments? But our 'White Silk' dance costume is the only one that's white; the other departments all have colorful brocade costumes."

Xue Hongbi seemed to have found a way to wake up from her nightmare. She bumped into Hu Miaorong, who was applying makeup in front of the mirror with a faint smile on her lips, and knocked her bronze mirror and dressing case to the ground with a crash.

Bronze mirrors won't break, but porcelain rouge boxes will shatter, eyebrow powder will spill, and pearl flowers will be torn apart, with broken beads rolling all over the ground.

Hu Miaorong didn't even look at her, and picked up her dance costume to get up and leave.

Xue Hongbi felt her entire face burning with anger. She immediately grabbed Hu Miaorong's arm and tried to tear off her skirt.

"What are you all doing!" the old instructor finally shouted angrily. "We're about to go on stage! How could you come up with this idea! Did you even consider..." She couldn't catch her breath and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "What about Her Majesty the Empress?"