Chapter 42: The Sword Dance of Breaking the Formation

The next morning, Gu Pan insisted on arranging Pan Yueqing's hair. With her excellent hair-combing skills, she managed to cover the wound on Pan Yueqing's head. Among a series of gorgeous clothes, Pan Yueqing chose a light-colored long gown lined with purple rhododendron tie-dye, a jade-white jacket with purple trim on the outside, and finally a sheer gauze. She didn't adorn her head with gold or silver. Instead, she used a light purple starry gauze flower in her hairpin, and the tassels hanging down reached her ears.

She took a sip of the lip paper and raised her eyes to meet Gu Pan's. "You should rest in the courtyard today and don't overwork yourself." Seeing that Gu Pan was about to retort, she added, "I'll take Xia Yang and Luo Shui with me."

As if on cue, Xia Yang lifted the curtain, and her voice came before she showed her face. "Miss, Concubine Li sent someone to ask you to come quickly. The preparations at the Old Madam's side are almost done."

Pan Yueqing put on a silver-gilt peach pattern collar on her chest, which glistened brightly in the sunlight, giving her an extremely elegant and simple look. She turned around and smiled at Xia Yang. "I'm coming. Go and call Luo Shui, and we'll set off right away."

Luo Shui entered the room without saying a word. She stood with her hands clasped respectfully at the door and curtsied to Pan Yueqing from a distance, indicating that she was ready. Today, the maids of the Pan Mansion were all wearing the same clothes. When the three of them arrived at the main hall, Pan Miaoqian and Pan Lianshan were already there. Pan Miaoqian was wearing a light pink undershirt, with an exquisite red embroidery jacket on the outside. The golden hairpins and hair ornaments on her head made her look extremely noble. Pan Lianshan, although her headwear was not as noble as Pan Miaoqian's, had also tried her best to dress up in a very wealthy manner.

Pan Miaoqian turned to look at Pan Yueqing's plain attire and couldn't help but show a mocking look in her eyes. "Some people clearly know that today's banquet is extraordinary, but they still come out so casually. They'll be laughed at when they go there, and it will be the entire Prime Minister's Mansion that loses face."

The Old Madam Pan coughed softly and came surrounded by her maids. She took a deep look at Pan Yueqing. After seeing no flaws on Pan Yueqing's smiling face, she said seriously to Li Rou, "You should be cautious and careful at home and not make any mistakes!"

As a concubine, Li Rou was usually not qualified to attend such a banquet. She nodded in acknowledgment.

The group got into the carriages and set off. The motorcade slowly stopped at the gate of the Princess Anbei's Mansion. When the servant saw the Old Madam Pan, he immediately nodded and flattered, "Good day, Old Madam Pan! Good day, Miss Miao!" He only knew the Old Madam Pan and Pan Miaoqian, who had always been by the Old Madam's side, and automatically ignored Pan Yueqing and Pan Lianshan.

"Are you blind!?" Suddenly, a sharp rebuke came from behind. It was Princess Shang'an, Qi Wanxi, who had come to the banquet. Pan Yueqing had accompanied the Empress Dowager for a few short months when she was young and had a very good relationship with this princess. However, in her previous life, when she fled from Pinglong Nunnery and went north to the Changyan Army, Qi Wanxi married into the Yeguo in the Western Regions before she turned sixteen, and their fates never intersected again.

Seeing her again in this life made Pan Yueqing's eyes a little hot. Qi Wanxi took a step forward and grabbed Pan Yueqing's arm. She scolded the doorman, "If you don't know the legitimate daughters of each family, you'd better not take this job of announcing the names!"

The Old Madam Pan's face had not been pleasant originally, but when she saw that the person coming was Princess Shang'an, who was most favored by the Emperor, she didn't dare to get angry. She just humbled herself and smiled, making a gesture of invitation to Princess Shang'an. With a kind smile on her wrinkled face, she said, "After you, Princess." Princess Shang'an glanced at Pan Miaoqian, who had an unfriendly expression, and held Pan Yueqing's hand, raising her head and stepping over the threshold.

"Wanxi, you're making me a target of hatred..." Pan Yueqing said with a mix of laughter and tears.

Qi Wanxi was stunned when she heard Pan Yueqing say this to her. She and Pan Yueqing had been estranged for a long time. As a princess, she couldn't visit the homes of ministers casually, and Pan Yueqing had gradually disappeared since she returned to the Pan Mansion, not even coming to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. At the moment, she clenched her pink fist and gave Pan Yueqing a light punch on the shoulder. "I thought you didn't even remember who I was!"

"As the Book of Songs says, there is a beautiful woman, with clear eyes and graceful looks. Wanxi," Pan Yueqing blinked her eyes. "I even praised the person who named you for being well-read!"

"Of course!" Qi Wanxi held Pan Yueqing's hand tighter and tighter. Pan Yueqing let out a cry and stopped Qi Wanxi from moving forward. She stood still and waited for the Old Madam Pan, Pan Miaoqian, and the others. She turned her head and whispered, "I have to give this Old Madam some face in public." Qi Wanxi rolled her eyes. When the Old Madam Pan arrived, she didn't give Pan Yueqing a good look either. She just left a sentence, "Go and wish the Princess a happy birthday first."

Once the banquet began, the Princess of Anbei sat in the upper seat. Although the years had been unkind, one could still vaguely see the elegance of the once peerless beauty. Pan Yueqing's seat was very close to the Princess of Anbei. At another table was Zou Yingru. Her gaze followed the dancing girls off the stage and landed on Pan Yueqing, with a meaningful smile on her face. Just as the chimes sounded, she slowly stood up with a cup in her hand and suggested to the Princess of Anbei, "Today is the Princess's birthday. We're all tired of watching these dancers perform. Why don't we ask the young ladies present to give a performance!"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a round of applause from the men's table. The Sixth Young Master of the Princess Anbei's Mansion was the youngest. After hearing Zou Yingru's words, he was the first to clap and cheer. "Mother! I think this is a great idea!" It was said that some young ladies were truly talented, and he had never had the chance to see their performances before. Now that he had this opportunity, he certainly wouldn't miss it.

The eldest son beside him raised his hand and slapped the Sixth Young Master on the head, scolding in a low voice, "Don't be so impudent!"

The Sixth Young Master exaggeratedly covered his head and mumbled unhappily. The Princess of Anbei smiled and nodded. "The girl from the Zou family always has a lot of ideas. Let's do as you suggest and let everyone have a good look."

Zou Yingru stood up proudly and bowed slightly to the Princess of Anbei. "I'll present a peacock dance from my hometown to the Princess!" After saying that, she smiled and retreated to the side room. She changed into a dress made of peacock feathers, which was extremely gorgeous. She danced in the middle of the courtyard to the rhythm of the drums, and everyone present was stunned. At this moment, Zou Yingru was like a proud peacock, dancing gracefully like a fairy on earth.

When the dance ended, after a moment of silence, everyone came to their senses, and thunderous applause rang out throughout the banquet.

With Zou Yingru's lead, the young ladies present all tried their best to go on stage. Pan Miaoqian had always been known as a talented woman for her extensive knowledge of poetry. She set up four screens and danced gracefully to the music. Although her dance couldn't surpass the unique peacock dance that had been practiced since childhood, when the dance ended, there were four paintings of the Four Gentlemen (plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum) on the screens. This made everyone exclaim that the name of "talented woman" was well-deserved.

It was originally a moment of joy for both the host and the guests. Zou Yingru looked at Pan Yueqing, who was drinking wine, and stood up with a smile. "Second Miss Pan, don't just focus on drinking. It's your turn!"

Zou Yingru winked at Pan Yueqing. She had heard that Pan Yueqing liked embroidery, so asking her to perform was sure to make her lose face.

Unexpectedly, Pan Yueqing put down her wine cup, stepped forward, and curtsied gracefully to the Princess of Anbei. Then she placed her right hand on her left shoulder and saluted in the military manner of the Western Wei Dynasty. In the Princess of Anbei's eyes, which had been drowsy and now turned into surprise, she took a step forward and pulled out the long sword on the wall. "I was interested in sword dancing before. I'll perform a 'Breaking the Formation' to wish the Princess a happy birthday!"