Helana glared at Cai Wei, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I wish to perform first. Please grant me your approval."
She was very anxious. She had already lost to Cai Wei in terms of appearance. She couldn’t lose in dance as well. By performing first, she hoped to take control, outshine Cai Wei.
Her Huxuan dance was renowned in the capital, but few had seen it up close. Today, she was determined to stun the crowd and make the little b*tch, the seductive fox, disappear into her shadow.
Empress Mo agreed to Helana’s proposal and nodded, "Granted!"
Helana immediately retreated to prepare.
The Huxuan dance was a folk dance from the Western Kang Residence, known for its swift, light movements, rapid rotation, and sharp rhythm.
Upon hearing the news that Princess Helana and Cai Wei would be competing in dance, the young nobles at the banquet couldn’t contain their excitement. They strained their necks to watch the two beauties skillfully display their talent.
The drumbeat started and Helana appeared on the temporary stage in her brilliant red outfit. She lifted her long sleeves and rapidly twirled. The bells attached to her dress chimed in rhythm, colored ribbons fluttered, her skirt spun into an arc. The beautiful curves presented in the spinning movements resembled snowflakes fluttering in the air or reeds dancing in the wind, creating a sense of aesthetic chaos.
After her performance, there was an outburst of applause, a tidal wave originating from the Waterside Pavilion, and along the two sides of the gallery.
Someone yelled, and many people echoed, "Bravo—"
Helana’s cheeks flushed red as she absorbed the audience’s enthusiastic applause, a smug expression couldn’t help but creep onto her face.
After stepping off the painted boat, she passed by Cai Wei and glanced sneeringly at her. Her eyebrows raised in triumph and provocation, she giggled, "Slut, don’t think you can win just by dressing like a vixen. Onstage is where true talent matters!"
Cai Wei chuckled, "I thought your dance skills were top-notch, but it’s such a disappointment."
Finishing, she lightly flashed past her, elegantly stepping onto the painted boat stage.
The beautiful figure in jade-colored gauze seemed like a fairy married with a nymph, as if she had walked out of a dream. Just by standing there, she captured people’s breath with her City-toppling beauty.
The moment Cai Wei stood onstage, the crowd, who were still engrossed in the Huxuan dance, fell deathly silent. Their eyes widened, silently observing the incredibly beautiful woman onstage. They momentarily forgot about the Huxuan dance, and had seemingly lost their ability to breathe.
Cai Wei smiled, lightly bowing towards her audience. Immediately, the soothing tones of the ancient zither sounded, and the melody was the famous ’Flying Heaven Melody’.
As the zither music started, she slowly lifted her water sleeves, covering her jade-like face behind them. As the music reached its climax, the delicate, peach blossom-colored water sleeves suddenly whipped open, drawing a beautiful arc in the air. It spun and spiraled, a full eight meters long.
The crowd gasped in astonishment at the eight-meter-long water sleeve. After their cry of surprise, they quickly held their breath, their eyes glued to the stage, afraid to blink lest they miss a single move and regret it for the rest of their lives.
Nangong Yi, leaning back in his chair, gazed at the beautiful woman dancing onstage. His long fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his chair in rhythm with the music. A soft smile flowered on his handsome face.