At noon, Wei Shao and his party arrived in front of the Southern Chu army camp.
The camp gates were wide open, with a red carpet laid out leading directly to the entrance of the main tent. Drums and horns sounded from within the camp. Prince Chu Yi of Southern Chu, clad in soft armor and a brocade robe draped diagonally, personally led a group of generals out of the camp to greet them.
Wei Shao was delighted upon seeing this. He said to the generals following him, "The Seventh Prince has indeed treated us with great courtesy."
He first led his troops to occupy Xiping Pass, expecting Chu Yi to be dissatisfied. But he saw Chu Yi with a smile on his face and stepped forward, saying, "You fight in the east, I fight in the west. We are only separated by a wall, I never thought we would meet today, it's a pity we didn't meet sooner."
Seeing Chu Yi's enthusiasm, Wei Shao felt relieved and said with a smile, "The rebels are resisting stubbornly at Xiping Pass. If it weren't for the Seventh Prince sending troops to support them, I don't know when we would have been able to quell the rebellion."
"Not at all, hahaha, please come in."
"Alright, let's go in together."
The two men smiled and walked hand in hand into the camp, with the other generals following behind.
In the tent next to her, Qiu Jie lifted the tent flap and looked at the jade pendant hanging from Wei Shao's waist. Her fingers gripped the flap tightly, trembling slightly. After the crowd had passed, she asked the maid behind her, "Mr. Jiang, would you like to attend the banquet?"
The maid replied, "Your Majesty, Mr. Jiang said he is not interested in these worldly matters; he prefers to read in his tent."
Qiu Jie said to the maid, "I'm going to a banquet. You go and serve Mr. Jiang. If Mr. Jiang is coming, you must come and tell me before he does."
Seeing that her tone was very stern, the maid said, "The goddess has given her orders, how could this servant dare to fail?"
After the maid left, Qiu Jie went to the mirror, took off her black robe, took out a set of beautiful, fitted dresses and put them on. She turned around in front of the mirror a couple of times, stood there blankly for a moment, lifted her mask with one hand, took a handkerchief and put it in to dry it, then threw the damp handkerchief on the table and rearranged her mask.
Then she took the Chengjun sword off the hook, held it in her arms, and walked out of the tent.
When she stepped out of the tent, the soldiers outside were all taken aback.
She usually wore a loose black robe, but now, in a dress, she seemed like a completely different person. Everyone stared in disbelief as she walked toward the central command tent.
Qiu Jie arrived at the front of the main tent, where a lively atmosphere filled the air. The aroma of wine mixed with the smell of roasted meat wafted over, and musicians played enthusiastically.
Wei Shao smiled and said, "Seventh Prince, this is our first meeting. How did you know that I like these dishes?"
Chu Yi said, "Is that so? Then, Fifth Prince, would you like to try this dish?"
"Hmm...delicious. It's really strange, only my Queen Mother knows how to make this dish. She always cooks it herself during festivals..."
Qiu Jie entered the tent and said, "This dish was personally taught to me by Consort Li."
Wei Shao recognized Qiu Jie's voice, his expression changed instantly, and his chopsticks froze in mid-air.
We were enjoying our meal when this woman suddenly appeared.
This Qiu Jie has really offended him. You could say she gives him absolutely no face. Before leaving, she even called him a complete fool. He's wanted to kill her several times, but it turns out she's come to the Southern Chu army's side.
If this were his own camp, he would have ordered Qiu Jie to be dragged out and killed without hesitation.
What's even more infuriating is that this woman was actually carrying the Chengjun Sword.
Qiu Jie approached Chu Yi and gave a slight bow, saying, "Your Highness, I know today is a joyous occasion, and I have come to offer my congratulations."
Chu Yi laughed and said, "The tent is full of men who drink, and you can't drink."
Qiu Jie smiled and said, "I can't drink alcohol, but I can dance to entertain everyone."
Wei Shao snorted unhappily and put down his chopsticks.
Qiu Jie turned around and walked to him, bowed deeply, and said softly, "I have been very impolite to the Fifth Prince before, and it was all my fault. Now that I have met the Fifth Prince, I am willing to offer a dance to bring him joy."
Wei Shao was somewhat confused.
When Qiu Jie was in his camp, she was arrogant and disrespectful to him, even verbally abusing him. But when she joined the Southern Chu army, she apologized to him?
It doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it. Shouldn't normal people be the opposite?
He couldn't figure Qiu Jie out at all, and he couldn't get angry in front of Chu Yi, so he could only snort in agreement.
Qiu Jie smiled, stood up, and turned to Chu Yi, saying, "I should remove my mask to show proper etiquette. However, my face is disfigured, which frightens everyone. So, I will perform a sword dance for you. Would Your Highness allow me to?"
Chu Yi said, "In that case, Miss Qiu, please."
The generals of Wei Shao's army and the generals of Southern Chu's army, sitting below, were overjoyed. They had been fighting on the battlefield, surrounded by nothing but weapons and horses, and now the goddess was going to dance for them herself. They cheered loudly, and the atmosphere became even more lively.
Qiu Jie went to the musicians inside the tent, gave them instructions, and then returned to stand on the central red carpet.
The musician changed the tune and began playing the Dance of the Startled Swan.
When Wei Shao heard the prelude to the music begin, he was stunned.
This piece was originally commissioned by him from court musicians and was his favorite private melody. While in the capital, he had some free time and adapted it into a dance.
This "Dance of the Startled Swan" is extremely difficult and can only be performed by one woman. Almost none of the maids in his household could dance it, and he had offered a large sum of money to find a woman who could perform it, but to no avail.
To my utter surprise, Qiu Jie actually jumped.
He still had some doubts. Although the music was played, Qiu Jie might not be able to dance it.
Looking at Qiu Jie again, she drew Chengjun Sword from its sheath, raised the sword, stood on one leg, and gracefully spun around, her skirt swirling like a lotus leaf slowly unfolding... The more he looked, the less he could believe it.
Qiu Jie seemed to have practiced this dance of breathtaking beauty a thousand times; every step and every movement resonated deeply with him. He couldn't help but raise his hands and clap along.
The rest of the people in the tent, including Chu Yi, were also captivated by Qiu Jie's dance. Cheers and applause rose and fell, even drowning out the musicians' performance.
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