Chapter 56 - Silk Dance Performance

After the offering of gifts to the crown prince, the event started which was organized especially for the crown prince by the prime minister Zhang Yong Wei.

Five female performers came into the hall. They were wearing white Hanfu dresses which had long, narrow, and wide sleeves to perform the famous 'long sleeve dance'. The dancers bend their waists slightly and then moved their sleeves. The zither was played by the two men on which tunes the performers were gracefully moving their hands.

Sheng Li was not even interested in that performance but because he was the crown prince so, he had to watch it till the end. Ying Lili was taking his glances when Sheng Li spoke, "Why are you glancing at me?" He then turned his gaze at her.

"Are you okay?" Ying Lili asked.

"Why? Am I not looking okay?" Sheng Li queried. Ying Lili puckered her lips and looked towards the performers. "My present from you is still pending," Sheng Li whispered in Ying Lili's ear. Ying Lili turned her head to him.

"What kind of present are you going to ask? Do not ask something which I cannot give you," Ying Lili pronounced.

"Do not worry, wildcat. I will tell you soon," Sheng Li asserted.

"Don't call me by that nickname. I can also call you by some weird nickname," Ying Lili snapped at Sheng Li who grinned. He wanted to know what kind of nickname Ying Lili could give him. "What kind of nickname can you give me?" Sheng Li questioned Ying Lili who peered into his eyes.

Jian Guozhi and Xue Yu-Yan were looking at them. Sheng Li was smiling while talking with Ying Lili, which did not like by both the first Prince and his consort. "Sheng Li is enjoying this day thanks to Ying Lili but not for long. I will make sure to give him the biggest gift of his life today," Jian Guozhi thought and was glaring at Sheng Li.

"Why am I feeling jealous seeing those two together? I would have been at that seat beside the crown prince but Ying Lili came between us," Xue Yu-Yan thought.

"I will call you…" Ying Lili paused, as nothing was coming into her mind. Sheng Li was gawking at her, waiting for Ying Lili's response. Sheng Li slightly laughed, seeing how hard Ying Lili was trying to find a nickname for him.

"Shall I suggest a nickname for me, my wild cat?" Sheng Li asked with a raised brow.

"Hmm."

Sheng Li leaned closer to Ying Lili and gazed into her eyes for a while. "You can call me- Sweetheart," Sheng Li whispered in Ying Lili's ear.

"What?" Ying Lili loudly said as she was astonished by this. The performance had ended by then and the voice of the crown princess echoed in the hall, thus attracting the attention of everyone to her. Ying Lili's eyes were flickering while the crown prince was enjoying that sight of her.

"What happened, crown princess?" Weng Wei asked. Ying Lili looked towards the Empress. "Nothing, your majesty. Forgive me," Ying Lili apologized as she lowered her eyes and then tilted her head to shoot a glare at Sheng Li who was smirking at her.

The Long Sleeve Dance performers bowed their heads and left the hall. "I heard that the crown princess is going to perform as well," Lei Wanxi asserted. Everyone in the hall looked at the crown princess. Sheng Li was astonished too upon hearing that.

"You are going to perform, Lili?" Sheng Li asked enthusiastically. Ying Lili nodded and stood up from her seat. "Your majesty, please permit me to perform on this occasion," asserted Ying Lili.

Han Wenji looked at Weng Wei who blinked her eyes thus, giving the permission. "The Crown princess may perform," Han Wenji permitted.

Ying Lili went to the center of the hall and stood there. Eight female dancers came there in different colors of Hanfu dress with scarfs in their hands. Sheng Li was keenly looking at Ying Lili. Ying Lili grabbed two long silks of vibrant colors in her respective hands. Sheng Li was never interested in dances but he wanted to see Ying Lili perform.

Prince Jian Guozhi too fixated his eyes on Ying Lili. "Why is she so talented? She makes me feel differently," Jian Guozhi thought in his mind.

Prince Nianzu was playing the zither this time. He pulled the strings on the zither and melodious sounds were produced. Ying Lili stretched her right hand out in which she had grabbed the long silk cloth and gracefully moved it rhythmically. The silk cloth was moved vibrantly in the air and she moved at her place gracefully.

The other performers did the same and were surrounding her. This blocked the way of Sheng Li. He slightly stretched his neck up and intensely looked at Ying Lili.

According to the tunes coming from the zither, Ying Lili was moving her body, and the silks in her hands were moving accordingly. Sheng Li had never observed Ying Lili until today and realized she was indeed beautiful in every essence.

The emotional expressions during the dance were perfectly carried by Ying Lili thus, depicting how proficient she was in this 'Silk Dance'. Her feet movements and her hands' movements were synchronized with each other. The movement of her eyes was also perfect. The way she was moving her eyes made Sheng Li wondered how could that woman be perfect in martial arts, warfare, and dance.

Zhilao Mi was enjoying the dance and turned her head to say something to Jian Guozhi when she saw Jian Guozhi was lost in that dance. His eyes had a different kind of emotion which Zhilao Mi had never seen until today.

Everyone in the hall was enjoying the Silk dance and could not realize that fifteen minutes had already passed when Ying Lili took out a flute from her waistband and in one swift movement, she brought it near her red lips, dropping the long silks from her both hands. Prince Nianzu had stopped playing the zither because now, the crown princess was going to play the Flute.

~~~

Hello Dear Readers,

I tried my best in explaining the 'Silk Dance' still I think I could not able to define it that perfectly. It had emerged during the reign of the Han Dynasty in China and in modern times it has emerged as 'Ribbon dance'. Hope you have liked this chapter. If you people think I shall add something more to it, please feel free to tell and I will make the necessary changes.

The next chapter will be about flute performance. Stay tuned.

HAPPY READING