by N/A
“He’s probably thinking that this is a chance to pry open our gates without using a single troop or soldier,” Han Mingyi said.
“He’s that confident?”
“It should be that he has confidence in Zhao Zirui’s dancing skills,” Han Mingyi stated as he glanced at the red-clad figure on stage. “This time, it’s their Northern Yuan who came to us for peace talk. No matter what, they must express some form of sincerity. However, he also wants to fish for some benefits from us.”
“Since they are in the conceding party, using this method to obtain benefits is really quite smart. But isn’t he too confident in his younger cousin’s dancing skill? If he loses, their country’s gates would be opened to us,” Ji Liufeng said.
“Even if their city gates are opened, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for them!” Han Mingyi said. “Although Northern Yuan has more territory than Northern Qi and Northern Rong, don’t they still have to get most of their products from us? If we opened up as a trade city, they would be able to get even more goods.”
“So, he gains benefits either way?” Ji Liufeng was suddenly enlightened. “No wonder that fox would propose such an idea. Turns out it was like this.”
“However, there are also benefits for us. Some products, such as leather, still have to be acquired from Northern Yuan, so opening the trade city will be beneficial to both sides. It’s just that the country that opens the trade city will also have to shoulder the risk that comes with it,” Han Mingyi analyzed.
“Did the Emperor also think of this?” Ji Liufeng asked.
“He thought even deeper than this. This is only an analysis from the economic perspective. He needs to consider how this will impact the entire country. We can be considered to be the prevailing country, but if we lose a trade city to a country that we defeated, the entire world will see it as we’re the ones who lost even if we won,” Han Mingyi explained.
“Then Xiaoli must win, otherwise…” Ji Liufeng looked worriedly at Du Xiaoli who was sitting in the contestant resting area. He suddenly felt that it was unfair to place such a heavy burden upon her.
“Since he made such a decision, he must be prepared for the possible consequences. I believe Li’er will try her best, but the result need not be shouldered by her. This prince won’t allow such a heavy responsibility to fall onto her.” Han Mingyi felt distressed for her.
Du Xiaoli had only arrived in the capital for merely a few months, yet the things she had to do were not few in number at all. In particular, she had to handle all the arrangements for the Academy Competition. If it wasn’t for Du Yunhan and Han Mingyi helping her, who knew just how overworked would she be!
Ji Liufeng looked at Han Mingyi’s domineering appearance and let out a sigh inwardly.
If Du Xiaoli were to lose... Even if Han Mingyi didn’t care, those old-fashioned people were sure to push the blame onto Du Xiaoli!
After Qing Chunmei finished performing, some time was given to the next contestant to prepare while the judges decided on their scores. The next person would start their performance once the scores were finalized.
This sort of scoring system ensured the fairness of the competition, letting everyone accept the results of the competition willingly.
Lu Junqi was scheduled as the fifth to perform. Ever since knowing Du Xiaoli was also competing, she lost hope of getting first place. Nevertheless, she still danced elegantly, earning her a high score that far surpassed that of the previous four contestants and made her the front runner.
After seeing Lu Junqi’s performance, the later contestants felt intimidated and didn’t perform very well.
Beiling Yu was the tenth to perform. Her dancing style was different from that of all the previous contestants. It carried a soft feeling but held traces of liveliness, much like her personality. She maintained a smile throughout her dance, and when she finished her performance, her smiling expression was like that of a child waiting for praise.
Ch. 093.5 – Let Her Compete! (5)
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Beiling Yu’s final score was just one point behind Lu Junqi’s.
Du Xiaoli attentively watched every single onstage performance. She knew Lu Junqi was skilled, so the latter’s highly graded result was as expected. Beiling Yu’s performance, however, surprised Du Xiaoli. Considering the relationship that Du Xiaoli had formed with Beiling Yu, she sincerely wished that the latter could continue living blissfully.
The following three performances were nothing notable and passed just like that. Soon, it was Zhao Zirui’s turn.
Men Weiren went on stage to announce the previous person’s score before heading down again. As he was leaving the stage, he saw a few imperial guards carrying two canvases on stage. He glanced at the canvas screens in confusion before turning around and leaving.
After the imperial guards carried two blank canvases onto the stage, more people carried up a table, a palette with various colors, as well as an array of brushes. Seeing all this, everyone present was similarly puzzled. Wasn’t this a dance competition? Why were they bringing up tools for drawing?
“Marquis Zhen, is the princess planning to enter the drawing competition?” Han Mingze said with a smile when he saw the things on the stage.
“Painting is part of her performance,” Zhao Zhen replied.
A noble, who was sitting beside Zhao Zhen, overheard and exclaimed in surprise, “Could it be the princess plans to dance and paint at the same time?!”
“Indeed. It’s just as this nobleman has heard.” Zhao Zhen smiled and looked toward the stage.
That was right. Although Zhao Zirui’s dancing skills were about the same as Lu Junqi’s, she had an extra ability that Lu Junqi didn’t, which was the ability to paint beautiful art while dancing. This skill was something that she had kept a secret to outsiders precisely for a moment like this so that her performance would shock everyone!
Fu Yalan looked at the canvas and art supplies on the stage and asked, “Xiaoli, is she planning to paint?”
“It seems like so,” Du Xiaoli answered, nodding her head.
It seemed like the information Han Mingyi gave her yesterday was correct. Zhao Zirui was indeed planning to dance and paint at the same time.
Du Xiaoli also planned to paint, but it was in a different way to how Zhao Zirui planned to do it. In the end, it would depend on whose dancing was more pleasing and whose painting was more beautiful!
As she looked at Han Mingyi, who was standing in a corner with Ji Liufeng, Du Xiaoli felt curious. Zhao Zhen had hidden Zhao Zirui’s secret so well. Just how had Han Mingyi been able to discover it?
Feeling Du Xiaoli’s gaze, Han Mingyi turned his head toward her. He gave her a subtle smile and a reassuring look.
Zhao Zirui walked onto the stage in a turquoise dance skirt and curtsied toward Han Mingze and Zhao Zhen. Then she rechecked the distance between the canvas and painting supplies before nodding her head at the musician, who began playing soon after.
Du Xiaoli retracted her gaze and attentively watched Zhao Zirui dance.
Zhao Zi Rui didn’t hold a brush in her hand at the start. She finished dancing a small section of the dance before twirling to the front of the table. Dipping the brush in the ink slab, she then to the canvas on her left. She made quick strokes on the white paper, and when the brush left the canvas, there were already two bamboo trees drawn on it.
Waving the brush twice in the air, Zhao Zirui bent her right leg and leaned toward the right while lifting her left leg to be the same height as her body. Her left hand held onto her right sleeve, and her right hand dipped the brush back into the ink slab. When enough ink had been absorbed by the brush, she exerted strength from her waist and was instantly leaning to the left again. The distance from the table to the canvas was just near enough for her to draw on the latter.
“Amazing!” The people watching the onstage performance were all stunned by Zhao Zirui’s skill. She could actually combine painting
and dancing into one, and her dancing was still this beautiful!
“Bravo!” A few people clapped their hands and called out. This performance really broadened their horizon.
The expressions of Feng Ming’s officials were ugly. With a performance like this, would Du Xiaoli be able to win instead of Zhao Zirui?
“The princess’s skill is indeed exceptional!” Han Mingze evaluated truthfully.
Zhao Zhen revealed a look of satisfaction in his eyes. He just knew that Zhao Zirui wouldn’t disappoint him!
Zhao Zirui danced and painted simultaneously. Soon, the canvas on her left was complete.
When the dance entered its third section, Zhao Zirui held a brush in both hands. One hand held a writing brush while the other held a coloring brush. The other canvas was painted with a few round spots of yellow before she used the writing brush to add outlines.
Du Xiaoli watched from offstage. Be it Zhao Zirui’s dancing or art, they were both extremely pleasant to look at.
Ji Liufeng opened his mouth and said, “To think that there’s actually this sort of dancing... This princess’ dancing ability is great. Will Xiaoli be able to win against her?”
Unexpectedly, Han Mingyi’s expression seemed to have relaxed a lot. He said, “Just enjoy the performance. What use is there in worrying about the result right now?”
“Uh… Okay, whatever you say then.”
When the last musical note ended, Zhao Zirui’s paintings were also completed. One was an ink painting of bamboo trees, while the other featured autumn chrysanthemums. This dance was a bit lengthier than the average dance, but it was still quite hard to complete two paintings by the end of such a short period of time. Thus, although the two paintings were relatively simple, they still received praises from everyone.
Zhao Zirui curtsied toward the audience and then glanced at Du Xiaoli before turning around and leaving the stage. It was only after she left the stage that enthusiastic applause broke out.
When Du Xiaoli heard the ear-splitting applause, she smiled faintly. It seemed like she had to bring forth all of her skills!
Ch. 094.1 – Determining Heaven and Earth with a Dance! (1)
After Zhao Zirui's dance, the whole competition area was already in an uproar. Everyone felt that this competition’s first place was undoubtedly hers.
"The Princess’s dance is truly extraordinary. Such a dance can only be found in the heavens; how often can one have the chance to see it on earth?" Han Mingyi said with a reluctant smile.
"Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise. Although we of Northern Yuan stay within the terrain of the north and our culture is not as developed as that of Feng Ming, we have spent the recent years working vigorously to enrich our culture. My cousin has been fond of dancing since she was young, and she’s diligent as well. That’s how she just barely managed to attain these skills," Zhao Zhen said modestly.
Zhao Zhen glanced at Han Mingyi. Now, they would see how Han Mingyi’s princess consort would respond to this!
The smile on Zhao Zhen's face did not affect the people around him, but Han Mingyi’s expression became grave. He had not expected Zhao Zirui to be able to dance like this. If it was like this, it didn’t seem quite possible for even Du Xiaoli to outdo her. This Zhao Zhen had truly come prepared!
The performance of the contestant who went after Zhao Zirui wasn’t bad. However, due to the shocking performance from before, this contestant’s performance did not appear outstanding and even caused the audience to feel somewhat bored.
Seeing this, Han Mingze became increasingly worried.
"......Next up is the last performance of this competition. Please welcome Miss Du Xiaoli." Meng Weiren had gone on stage to announce the score for the second last dance. After that, he walked off the stage and brushed past the people who were moving props.
Seeing the table as well as pen, ink, and inkstone, Meng Weiren thought, ‘Is she going to dance and paint simultaneously too? With Zhao Zirui’s shocking performance earlier, Du Xiaoli would be at somewhat of a disadvantage even if they were at the same skill level, let alone if her performance turned out to be a lot less exciting than Zhao Zirui’s!’
Perhaps they shouldn't have arranged for Du Xiaoli to be last.
"She’s going to be painting? Could it be that she’s going to perform the same kind of dance as the princess?" The people in the audience laughed when they saw the inkstone. If Du Xiaoli and Zhao Zirui danced the same kind of dance, it would depend on who was better!
"What's that?"
"A bowl?"
"What's a bowl up there for? Decoration?"
"No, there's ink in it."
"And snare drums!"
"There are so many props. What is she planning to do?"
Props were still being moved to the stage one by one. Seeing such a large array of props, Han Mingze suddenly felt at ease, while Zhao Zhen had an interested face.
Ji Liufeng was stunned to see the originally empty stage filled with things.
"What is Xiaoli planning to do with so many things?! Prince Ding, do you know?"
"I do not know," Han Mingyi said.
Seeing Ji Liufeng's face of disbelief, Han Mingyi smiled helplessly. He truly didn't know. The previous night, he had wanted to stay behind and prepare some props for Du Xiaoli, but she drove him back out straightaway. So right now, he didn't know just what exactly she was going to perform.
Once all of the props were finally on stage, everyone sighed at the magnitude of the array. Compared to Zhao Zirui's previous arrangement, Du Xiaoli’s trumped it greatly.
Du Xiaoli went up from the left side and stood at the edge of the stage to take a look. A three-square-meter piece of transparent white cloth was placed in the middle of the stage. Two identical scrolls were set up beside the canvas, with one on its left and right. An exquisite low table was placed on the left corner of the white canvas, and on it were brushes of different sizes and a color wheel. Asides from these, there were also several ink pots, four large drums, and several small drums placed around the canvas.
Fu Yalan went up to the stage from a different side and got ready in the musician's position, where she set up her guqin.
Du Xiaoli took off her shoes, walked to the middle of the canvas, and greeted Han Mize and others. After that, she turned and nodded to Fu Yalan, who then began to play.
This time, Du Xiaoli was dressed in a fire-red dance dress, with intricate patterns embroidered on its corners. The upper part of the garment had a tight form that extended out to a wide hemline, which would turn up when she spun. The dance dress had no sleeves, but there was a pair of matching water sleeves [2] on her arms, appearing similar to actual sleeves.
When the notes of the guqin rang out, Du Xiaoli began to dance on the canvas, following along with the music. At first, it sounded soft, so Du Xiaoli's movements were also soft.
At the end of the first section of the song, Du Xiaoli hadn't started painting yet. Many people began to wonder if she was going to paint at all, and some of them even began to laugh.
"Could it be that she wanted to imitate the dance because she saw that Princess Zhao looked good dancing like that?"
"She’s unable to dance and paint at the same time, yet she still copied someone else and brought so many things on stage... What a joke!"
"Indeed. She’s not even seeing how much she can handle, yet she actually wants to imitate this!"
"Ultimately, this painting dance can only be danced by you, Princess. Others can't do it!"
When Zhao Zirui saw Du Xiaoli's dance, she didn't have the same thoughts as the others. Du Xiaoli's dance didn’t appear as polished as if she had practiced it since she was a child. Instead, it looked very natural, and watching it made the viewers feel very relaxed. The water sleeves were so intoxicating that it appeared as if they had all been transported into another realm.
Since it was a person who could dance like this, the audience believed that she wouldn’t have brought all the props onto the stage j
ust for show. They would certainly hold some use.
Sure enough, when the tune entered the second section, Du Xiaoli leaned down and raised her foot. She placed it into the ink basin, turned over, and faced upwards, sticking her other foot into the ink basin next to her. At this time, both of her feet were covered with ink, and she danced on the canvas again. With the water sleeves flying, the steps under her dancing feet were seemingly placed at random, but they left ink stains on the white canvas.
"Hah, even this can be considered dancing while painting? How ridiculous!"
"Exactly. What can be painted like this? Ink spots on a white cloth?"
"No matter what her painting will look like, at least her dance is still very attractive. She’s not at all inferior to me or my cousin!" Beiling Yu, who was seated beside Beiling Yicheng, looked at Du Xiaoli with bright eyes.
"Mm, I didn’t expect her to be such a good dancer," Beiling Yicheng agreed with a nod.
In the third section, the melody became more rushed, and Du Xiaoli's dance steps also became faster. Her dance seemed to create an illusion of armored horses and cavalry on the battlefield, tugging on the hearts of the spectators in accordance with the beat.
Ch. 094.2 – Determining Heaven and Earth with a Dance! (2)
"Bang——"
Du Xiaoli suddenly leaped and jumped onto a bass drum. The drum made a deep and low sound, coincidentally cutting in between the notes of the guqin while also striking into the hearts of the audience.
After dancing on the bass drum, she jumped to the snare drum again, leaping like a blast of autumn wind. Du Xiaoli jumped on the face of the drum like a flame, and her water sleeves were a blur. Her long ink-black hair swayed in the wind with her dance, and the bursts of drumbeats sounded urgent and tense. At this time, the notes of the qin took on the supporting role, occasionally adding a melody to complement the music.