Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The voice was so shrill and piercing that my hand slipped, and I nearly dropped the bronze lamp.
Lord Wei was still smiling, but those keen eyes of his, their sharpness hidden deep, kept studying my expression.
Fortunately, a tall, slender figure slowly stepped forward.
“Fuyong pays his respects to Elder Brother.”
“Mm.”
Lord Wei answered flatly, without a trace of joy in his tone. “Our father has already been sealed in his coffin and laid in the mausoleum, yet you wandered outside and did not return. Today, I punish you by seating you at the lower table. Have you anything to say?”
He had made the decision before announcing it, but the other party accepted it calmly.
“As you command. I will obey whatever Elder Brother decides.”
Such a punishment was not much at all.
But Lord Wei had no intention of showing mercy. His words grew even more cutting. “Before Father passed, he often called your name from his sickbed and wept at the slightest mention of you. Punishing you like this seems rather too light!”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the crowd. “My lords, what do you think?”
This was a private matter of a ducal house. Naturally, no one answered.
Unexpectedly, Lord Fuyong did not plead for himself. He merely raised a hand to his brow and said, “One who has rendered no service has never been granted rank, and Fuyong has failed deeply in his duty to his lord.”
“I am willing to demote myself to a commoner.”
An uproar instantly broke out among the guests.
Lord Fuyong wanted to demote himself to a commoner?
How could that be allowed?
The envoys were equally indignant. “The lands of Qin and Chu are vast. Look at Lord Fuyong, covered in dust from travel. He must have ridden day and night to hurry back!”
“Indeed!”
“Why push a man so far?”
Whispers surged through the hall in wave after wave. Lord Wei’s fists clenched at his sides, blue veins already bulging on the backs of his hands. I hurriedly rose. “My lord! This servant is willing to perform a Dance in the Palm to celebrate the harmony and friendship between the states, that they may be bound in lasting accord!”
On any ordinary day, he would certainly have rebuked me for acting on my own.
But today, he could only give his cold, tacit consent.
The so-called Dance in the Palm was performed atop a silver pillar no wider than a man’s palm. The dancer scattered petals with silk ribbons, shaping herself into the likeness of a celestial maiden. It was a special skill possessed only by dancers of Qi.
Thus, everyone’s attention was quickly drawn away.
By the time the song ended, I was drenched in sweat. But without Lord Wei’s command, I could only keep a smile on my face and remain standing atop the pillar.
Only then did the guests come back to themselves as if waking from a dream.
“As expected of the Flower-Eating Enchantress!”
“Indeed!”
“A beauty like this ought to be nurtured with gold and jade!”
A lowly enchantress’s dance, unfit for any proper stage, had successfully made everyone forget the discord within the Qi Palace.
At last, Lord Wei regained his composure.
A smile appeared on his face, and he was offering cup after cup of ceremonial wine to the guests when a Chu envoy suddenly spoke. “My king has always favored slender waists. I wonder, my lord, if you would be willing to part with this beauty? I am willing to offer five hundred gold pieces to satisfy your wishes!”
In this era, aside from the wives of lords and princes, ladies and consorts were all treated as playthings. Thus, Lord Wei did not grow angry when he heard this. He only smiled and shook his head.
Soon, several more young nobles stepped forward.
“Five hundred gold pieces is too little. I offer one thousand!”
“I offer three thousand!”
“Five thousand gold pieces!”
For a time, the banquet was filled with laughter, teasing, and mock insults.
Then a thin, tall man stood proudly and clasped his hands in salute. “If Lord Wei is willing to part with her, I am willing to trade a city for the beauty!”
The royal descendants erupted in shock.
This was what it truly meant to be a beauty who could topple states and cities.
At that moment, I was standing atop the pillar, sweat already blurring my eyes.
But from that distant corner, not a single sound came.
Ah…
He was nothing more than a nobleman who had shown me the occasional kindness.
A shadow that had long since grown hazy.
What exactly had I been hoping for?
After a long while, amid the rising and falling bids, Lord Wei had his fill of satisfaction. He did not answer the envoys’ pleas, only waved a hand at me with indifference.
“Man Ji, come back.”