Chapter 18 Palace Banquet Her mind went completely blank, her heart pounding like thunder. ...
However, Gu Zhan simply raised his fingertips and brushed away the fine snow from her shoulder, saying, "Go back to the main hall early and be careful."
The drumbeat in Shen Mi's heart stopped abruptly. She lowered her eyelashes and softly replied, "Yes."
She shouldn't have had any hope for Gu Zhan. What Gu Zhan needed was an obedient and sensible concubine. If someone like him wanted to talk about romance and poets, he would definitely be a perfect match for him. She had known this for a long time.
The reason for asking her to go home early was probably just to prevent her from running into anyone outside and causing him more trouble.
"This..." Su Xingjian's gaze lingered between the two of them, but in the end he said nothing more.
Shen Mi straightened her clothes and slowly moved away from the area around the Moon-Viewing Pavilion. Only when she saw Cuiwei waiting for her with an umbrella at the end of the path did she gradually come back to her senses from her dazed state.
Cuiwei noticed her slightly red eyes and used her warm hand to warm her cold one: "Weren't you just delivering clothes to His Highness? Why do you look like you've been wronged?"
Shen Mi sniffed, her voice hoarse: "It's nothing, let's go back."
She didn't want the people in the main hall to see her in such a disheveled state, otherwise it would cause trouble and misunderstandings. So she planned to go back to the west side hall to tidy herself up, but she was bumped into by a palace servant when she walked to the corridor between the rear hall and the west side hall.
The palace servants hurried by, seemingly not recognizing her, and kept apologizing.
Shen Mi wasn't one to make things difficult for people, so she didn't dwell on it. However, her eyelids kept twitching, and she felt that something was about to happen.
Cuiwei noticed that she was looking in the direction the palace maid had come from, and whispered in her ear, "Lady, we shouldn't go to the back hall. There are only actors there. I've inquired and I know they're in charge of the entertainment for today's banquet."
As Shen Mi listened, she straightened her clothes, only to find that her cuffs were stained with blood.
Cuiwei quickly noticed, "Where did this blood come from? When were you injured? Should we call the imperial physician?"
“It’s alright,” Shen Mi gently rubbed the small, thumb-sized bloodstain on her sleeve with her fingertips. “It looks like it just got on my clothes, probably from that actor who ran past just now.” She frowned and looked at the back hall again: “Let’s go take a look in the back hall.”
Seeing that she couldn't stop her, Cuiwei had no choice but to follow.
The rear hall, where rehearsals should have been taking place, was unusually quiet. When Shen Mi arrived, a eunuch was scolding her in a high-pitched voice: "How could you be so careless? Why did you have to make a mistake at this time? There's less than half an hour left before we have to go up. Where am I supposed to find someone?"
A woman dressed as an entertainer knelt tremblingly before the eunuch, clutching a handkerchief in her hand, the bloodstains of which were faintly visible.
Shen Mi stood at the doorway and asked calmly, "What's going on?"
The eunuch, hands on his hips and forehead, turned around upon hearing the sound and gave Shen Mi a once-over as if he didn't recognize her.
Cuiwei said, "This is Consort Shen from the Eastern Palace."
The eunuch quickly put on a smile and said in a fawning tone, "So it's Consort Shen. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly. How could someone of your noble birth deign to come to a place like this?"
Shen Mi's gaze fell on the actor kneeling on the ground.
The eunuch pinched his brow and said, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but they were rehearsing for tonight's banquet. However, the one playing the guqin somehow broke a string and injured his finger. There is less than an hour left before their performance. This piece is difficult, and we can't find anyone else who can play the guqin. I have already sent people to find a replacement."
Shen Mi noticed a guqin with a broken string lying nearby, and everyone stopped rehearsing. She asked, "If this piece is not played with a guqin, but only with instruments like the pipa and konghou, can it be completed?"
The performer kneeling on the ground raised his hand and said, "No, the core of this piece is the guqin. If we don't use the guqin, it will lose its charm."
"I do have some knowledge of the zither, but I don't know what piece it is?" Shen Mi asked after a moment's hesitation.
The actor's eyes were filled with tears. "It is the first piece of the 'Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance,' a remnant of the 'Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance' from the previous dynasty. The score has been kept in the inner court. It is long and difficult, but only when it is played well can it show the grandeur of our Great Qi. We have been rehearsing day and night for nearly two months to get it played well."
Shen Mi's heart stirred slightly. "The 'Prelude to the Rainbow Skirt'? May I see the score?"
Just as the performer was about to get up to take it, the eunuch scolded him: "You are really confused. Consort Shen is His Highness the Crown Prince's woman, a noblewoman. How can she be allowed to show her face in public and perform for those Tanguts like you? No, absolutely not."
Fearing that Shen Mi would blame him, the actor quickly kowtowed to her, saying, "Please forgive me, Lady Shen. I was flustered and spoke without thinking."
Shen Mi gestured for Cuiwei to help the person up, then looked at the eunuch: "It would take at least half an hour to go to the inner palace from here and back. Not to mention whether we can find anyone, even if we do find a replacement musician, we may not have time to respond to them. This matter concerns the national dignity, how can we be concerned with personal face and gains or losses?"
The eunuch wavered back and forth. He dared not tell the Empress about the accident, otherwise, even if the matter could be resolved smoothly, they would all be punished. He thought it would be best to resolve it privately. Although Shen Mi's words were indeed reasonable, he still dared not take the risk: "Consort, your status is special. If His Majesty, the Empress, or His Highness the Crown Prince find out about this, we cannot bear the consequences."
Shen Mi was well aware of the risks involved. The current social norms were extremely strict with women, especially since she was the Crown Prince's concubine. She was not supposed to show her face too much in public and usually had to cover her face with a curtain when she went out. However, when she thought that the person in front of her was a Dangxiang, a Dangxiang person with whom she had a blood feud, she felt even more that she could not lose the dignity and grace of the Great Qi in front of these people.
The Shen family is full of loyal martyrs. As a woman, she cannot go to the battlefield to fight the enemy like her father and brothers. However, if she can make some contributions to the Great Qi in such matters, she will not disgrace her family or the country.
After careful consideration, she made a decisive decision: "I will change my clothes and wear the same clothes as them, and cover my face with a veil. As long as you keep your mouths shut, you will not give anyone a handle to take the sheet music."
The eunuch looked anxiously towards the door, and in desperation, said, "I'm sorry to have wronged you, my lady."
Someone had already changed to a new instrument. After looking at the score, Shen Mi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I've practiced the first half of this score before. Once I've memorized the score once, I can play it with you all."
Although Shen Mi had some knowledge of the zither, she picked it up very quickly. Anyone with expertise could see that she was far from just a dabbler; she was clearly at the level of a national master. She only had to go through the piece once on her own, and by the second time she played it in ensemble, she was already able to quickly get into it, without making a single mistake. She was even more skilled than the performer who had injured her finger and had been practicing for two months.
The palace maid who had been sent to search for the person returned after a quarter of an hour and said that she had not found the person. The eunuch was extremely grateful that he had listened to Shen Mi's words, so that a disaster was not caused. His only worry was that Consort Shen would be recognized at the banquet.
When she appeared on stage with these performers, Shen Mi's makeup and hairstyle were completely different from her usual style. She covered her face with a thin veil and decorated her forehead with floral ornaments, revealing only her almond-shaped eyes.
She dared to do this because such banquets are usually for showing off one's status and making a good impression, and not many people actually go to see the performers. Moreover, she had been married into the Eastern Palace for more than a month and rarely appeared in public, so few people present recognized her.
After the pipa began to play, Shen Mi listened to the melody and gently plucked the strings.
At first, it resembles a secluded stream gurgling with cold jade; then, it transforms into a cloud-covered peak exhaling solitary purity.
The ten fingers subtly harmonize with the breath of heaven and earth, the seven strings open to reveal the shapes of mountains and rivers.
Perhaps due to the slightly large movement, the veil she used to cover her face showed signs of being lifted. Shen Mi turned her head to try to cover it up, but at that moment, she met the gaze of Gu Zhan, who was sitting on her right.
Her mind went blank, and her heart pounded.
If she wasn't mistaken, Gu Zhan was frowning.
But she didn't have time to think about all that. Fortunately, she didn't make any mistakes. She quickly pulled herself together and continued playing the piano with her head down. She didn't dare to look up again until the piece ended.
Gu Zhan, unusually, did not take his gaze away from Shen Mi. He watched Shen Mi lightly brush and lift her brush, her movements like ancient snow and the sound of wind in the pines, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Realizing this, he quickly suppressed his laughter.
That's all, it's just decadent music.
Shen Mi was unaware that Gu Zhan had recognized her during that brief eye contact. As soon as she stepped down from the hall, she immediately changed back into her original clothes and hurriedly returned to the main hall.
Seeing her sit down beside him, her gaze unwavering, Gu Zhan asked, "Where did you go? Why are you arriving later than me?"
Shen Mi didn't look up, and made up an excuse: "I caught a bit of a chill and had a headache, so I went to the West Annex to rest for a while."
Gu Zhan looked at her with a mixture of belief and doubt, which made her even more nervous.
But the delicate situation was interrupted by a question from the Tangut envoy: "Since Great Qi and our country are willing to befriend each other, may I ask His Majesty of Great Qi for a person?"
The official asked, "Who is it?"
"How was the musician who played the guqin just now?"
Shen Mi's pupils contracted sharply, and her hands involuntarily clenched her sleeves.
Gu Zhan took in all her subtle movements.
A note from the author:
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Daughter's skills unlocked *1
Gu Gou, admit it, you're also tempted by your wife.
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