Chapter 17
Chapter 17
A Dance (1)
The marble boat had a dragon head and a phoenix tail carved in stone. The Crown Prince, who was clad in pitch black official robes, sat in the position of the dragon head. County Princess Rong Qin sat on his left, and the future Princess Consort Second Lady Liu was on his right; the rest of the party sat in two rows on both sides.
Inside, the boat was quite lively; traditional stringed instruments and flutes were playing, and there were a few people singing and dancing.
When Zheng Wan reached the second floor, almost everyone saw her. Third Lady Jiang let out an “Ah!” and covered her mouth in surprise, “Wan’niang, I forgot to save you a seat, why not you take mine?”
The further the seats were from the dragon head, the lower the status of its occupant.
At the moment, there were only a few empty seats left at the end of the boat.
All of them were the children of the most important officials in the capital, so everyone was very clear about each other’s status. Even though the Third Lady Jiang said she would give up her seat, her buttocks did not move an inch; she was obviously mocking her.
The daughter of the Zheng family, who even the County Princess had to give way to when their carriages met, had now fallen to this sorry state where she couldn’t even keep her seat, and had to vie for one with the children of minor sixth or seventh rank officials—it really was a sorry sight.
Zheng Wan took in everyone’s expressions and shook her head in refusal.
“It’s not necessary.”
When she entered, she saw the green-robed gentleman resting with his eyes closed at the end of the cabin. This situation actually suited her. Zheng Wan went straight to the back and sat directly next to Cui Wang, “I’ll just sit here.”
“Gentleman, we meet again.”
Zheng Wan’s delicate head hung low, and both her cheeks flushed crimson.
Cui Wang’s expression was indifferent.
“What a coincidence.”
It’s not a coincidence at all, thought Zheng Wan to herself.
There was a great opportunity for Cui Wang on the second floor of the marble boat today, so he’d definitely be here—otherwise, how would she have come up here obediently with just a few words from Rong Qin?
A barefoot dancer in thin, belly-revealing garments was performing a Huxuan dance1. The bright, rhythmic beats of the Xuangu drums2 filled the cabin, igniting the marble boat’s atmosphere.
But Zheng Wan sat in her own corner, as if she were isolated from the world, quiet as a mouse.
But her stillness was nothing compared to Cui Wang, who seemed more like a golden Buddha statue sitting in a Buddhist temple. He did not make even the slightest movement or a single sound. He emanated an unknown, oppressive aura, that made those sitting next to him—even for a short time—difficult to bear it.
Zheng Wan felt that she had now personally experienced the so-called “aura of a thousand swords” and “overwhelming pressure upon one’s body” that was described in the book. And this was already at a decreased magnitude and nowhere near the full extent of his actual abilities… She straightened her back and forced herself upright. The Huxuan dance came to an end, and the dancer kowtowed ceremoniously as she waited for rewards. Zheng Wan sighed.
“Today, an honoured guest today; tomorrow, a prisoner… Come tomorrow, I may be in a worse position than this dancer who’s begging for rewards.”
Her voice trailed off so weakly at the end, that only the wind by her lips could’ve heard it.
But Zheng Wan knew that Cui Wang had heard it.
One who has devoted his life to self-cultivation would have sharp ears and clear eyes, unless they chose not to listen.
For him, all the wind and grass within a hundred metres were within earshot.
Cui Wang remained unresponsive.
…a true heart of stone.
Zheng Wan sighed inwardly. She then noticed Rong Qin squinting her eyes at her.
“Wan’niang and her saviour seem to be having a happy conversation.”
“……Oh.”
Zheng Wan nodded. “Indeed.”
The Crown Prince’s harsh eyes darkened.
Rong Qin raised her eyebrows slightly. She was dressed in a rosy-toned cloud brocade, her face powdered pink. It was a pity that due to her youth, there would always be some disobedient spots and pimples that would surface, marring her beauty.
Translator’s Notes: Dances in the Tang Dynasty fell into the two categories of martial and civil, and were also known as “gentle” and “vigorous” dances. As their names suggest, the “civil dance” was soft and graceful, while the “martial dance” was vigorous and bold. The pozhen (破阵) dance Zheng Wan performs is a kind of martial dance popular the in Tang dynasty, the most famous of which is the “Prince Qin’s Cavalry”, a tribute to the illustrious military exploits of Li Shimin, who bore the title “Prince Qin” before he became emperor. The aim of the dance was to remind Tang Dynasty soldiers and civilians always to be on the alert and prepared for war. Its performance called for 120 dancers, a choir of 100, and 100 musicians.An example of the dance can be seen here: https://haokan.baidu.com/v?vid=12774936867386869576&pd=bjh&fr=bjhauthor&type=video
Another example of a (contemporary interpretation) of pozhen dance can be seen here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1yp4y1s7Uf/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.3
I imagine Zheng Wan’s dance to be like the latter, but with more of strength and sharp movements of the former ^^
Footnotes:
1 Huxuan dance: The dance of the ancient Northwest peoples. Coming from the Kingdom of Kang in Central Asia, it was introduced during the Tang Dynasty and mainly used various rotating movements.
2 Xuangu drums: 悬鼓; An ancient Chinese hanging drum. The drum is flat and usually hung on decorative rack with a tiger base and phoenix drum stand.