The zither, being one of the main instruments for this piece, caused the rest of the musicians to stop when its string snapped.
Outside the room, the gathered song and dance girls fell silent upon hearing the sudden stillness and all turned to look inside.
But Hongyi's spinning did not stop.
With the music gone, she slowed her steps, drawing out time as she pondered a solution.
Her toes tapped the floor lightly as she stopped spinning. She turned sideways, lowered her shoulder, and withdrew her hand, striking a graceful pose with composed elegance.
After a deep breath, her lips parted slightly, and she sang out with a steady voice: "In the North, there is a beauty…"
The musicians were dumbfounded—what? She's singing it herself?!
The girls outside turned pale—was she really improvising live vocals now?
In the corner of the courtyard, Lüxiu and the others gasped audibly. "She's… really bold…"
In truth, Hongyi herself wasn't all that confident.
When it came to Han-Tang dance, she was professionally trained; but singing? She wasn't even an amateur vocalist. It made her dance lose some momentum, and she had to force herself to remain focused. But under such unexpected circumstances, maintaining absolute focus was far from easy.
Then suddenly, a clear voice rang out from outside: "One glance topples a city, another glance topples an empire."
Hongyi faltered for a brief second but quickly closed her mouth.
That voice—far better than her own.
It was melodious and pure, drifting gently into the hall. Though it lacked the rhythmic grandeur of a full orchestra, the combination of a solo voice and a single dancer created a different kind of mesmerizing harmony. The performance had a quiet purity to it, as though untouched by the mortal world. It left everyone stunned.
—Indeed, if nothing else, this level of composure was enough to shock the audience.
After those two lines, the musicians who could still play picked up their instruments again, now following the vocal melody. The performance regained its form, and the harmony between song and dance grew even more enchanting.
As the dance came to an end and the final notes faded away, Hongyi finally relaxed, whispering inwardly, Thank the heavens!
She stepped back a few paces, gave a curtsy to Mistress Yu, and said, "Hongyi takes her leave."
Mistress Yu smiled slightly, not answering her immediately. Instead, she called out, "Who was singing just now?"
A young woman stepped through the doorway and replied respectfully, "Your servant, Lüci."
Lüci was one of the four songstresses sent over at the same time as Hongyi.
Mistress Yu nodded and considered for a moment before asking, "Did you two coordinate like this before, back when you were in the Princess's manor?"
"Never…" Hongyi started to answer, but Lüci cut her off: "We've never done it before. Back at the Princess's estate, we only studied under the senior girls. We've never participated in a banquet, nor had any such practice."
Hongyi looked at her in surprise, noticing a gleam in Lüci's eyes she didn't quite understand.
"Excellent," Mistress Yu said with a satisfied smile. "Then it's settled—you two will handle this. Lüci will teach singing, and Hongyi will teach dancing. The two ladies from the noble families will come here every day at noon. Hongyi, you'll arrive at that time. Lüci, come an hour later. I'll let Steward Qi know. Hongyi, you'll stay in Lüxiu's room for now, so it's more convenient."
"Thank you, Mistress Yu," Lüci responded crisply before Hongyi could say anything, even bowing properly.
Seeing her perform such a formal gesture so smoothly, Hongyi sighed inwardly and followed suit. She was still not quite used to this constant bowing.
After dismissing the others outside, Mistress Yu closed the door, gave them some basic instructions, and handed over two silver notes: "Two hundred taels each. Keep them well. If you need anything while teaching, let me know. You don't need to spend your own money."
They both answered, "Yes, ma'am," and seeing there were no further instructions, took their leave together.
As soon as they stepped outside, Lüci opened her silk pouch, gave a quick count, and handed 150 taels to Hongyi. "Here."
"…Huh?" Hongyi was startled and didn't take it. "What for?"
"For you. Lüxiu said you want to buy your freedom, so you need the money more. I don't have many expenses—fifty taels is enough for me. This money's just going to sit there otherwise."
Her tone was straightforward and generous. Perhaps afraid that Hongyi would still refuse, she added, "If you insist, you can pay me back after you're free and start earning."
After a moment of hesitation, Hongyi accepted it, recalling that look of ambition she'd seen in Lüci's eyes during the performance. She asked bluntly, "If you're not doing it for the money… why compete for this role?"
Lüci's elegant word choices when addressing Mistress Yu, and her vocal theatrics during the song, all told Hongyi this wasn't just about helping a friend.
Lüci's smile faltered slightly, and she didn't answer. She simply walked ahead, and Hongyi followed.
After they entered Lüci's room and closed the door, Lüci offered her tea and said, "Those two girls going into the palace? That's a goldmine of connections."
Hongyi blinked and replied, "Mm." She understood Lüci was referring to the noble daughters.
"If they win the emperor's favor and are willing to speak on our behalf, getting released from dancer status could be granted by imperial decree. No need to spend money."
"…What?" Hongyi was stunned.
"It's a simple truth," Lüci smiled and handed her the tea. "Take you, for example. The young master wants two thousand taels for your freedom—opportunities like this one, where you can earn two hundred at once, don't come every day. If you relied only on side jobs, you'd be saving for the rest of your life."
She glanced at Hongyi, puzzled. "I don't even get why you chose the 'save up and redeem yourself' path."
Hongyi had long realized that in a world where two taels could sustain an average family for a year, trying to save up two thousand from wages and odd jobs was nearly impossible. The real reason she chose that route was because she didn't understand the laws of this Daxia Dynasty—she had no idea there were other options.
She hesitated and asked, "Are there any other ways? Besides hoping they'll help, which feels uncertain."
"Well… you could ask the young master for mercy. If he agrees to let you return to civilian status, you're free."
Hongyi knew this sounded simple, but it was even harder than the first method.
Xilin Chuan clearly disliked her. If he wanted her gone, he would've let her go already. The fact that she was still here meant it wasn't as easy as just asking.
Besides, in this hierarchical society, song and dance girls were considered property of the estate. In her case, she was priced at two thousand taels—letting her go was the same as throwing that money away.
Even the wealthiest man wouldn't make such a loss.
"So that's a no?" Lüci observed her reaction and thought a moment. "Then there's one last option. You wouldn't leave the estate, but you could shed your lowly status."
"…What?" Hongyi didn't understand—how could she lose her slave status but still not be free?
Lüci smiled and said slowly, "Have the young master take you in—as a concubine. If you become his, he'll have to grant you civilian status."
Hongyi froze.
. . .
And just like that, Hongyi began her days as a "dance teacher."
The noon hour suited her well—she worked cleaning the corridors at night, slept from dawn to midday, then got up, dressed, and ate before heading out. She could even stretch and warm up beforehand.
The two noble girls were around her age. The more delicate one, surnamed Ruan and given name Qi, had a soft and refined beauty; the other, Zhang Yunyue, was more seductive. Either way, both were stunning—Hongyi privately thought, "The emperor's going to have a hard time choosing."
She taught them earnestly—first, because she'd been paid; second, because dance was sacred to her and not to be treated lightly; and third… because of Lüci's words.
Lüci had said that chances like earning two hundred taels at once were rare. If she stuck to her original plan, she might never gather enough money in this lifetime.
But these girls were being sent into the palace. If they truly won favor, it'd be nothing for them to request a pardon on her behalf.
Even if relying on others felt uncertain, building the relationship couldn't hurt.
"Start with your left hand, draw it around behind you, then follow with the right. It should feel like the sleeves are circling your body," Hongyi slowed her movements and demonstrated. "Left arm in front, right crossing over, then unfold…"
It was a basic sequence, used in many dances, but mainly designed to help beginners get used to coordinating their bodies and understand the "charm" of Han-Tang dance.
"Watch your feet—this step uses matching hand and foot. If you move like you're walking normally, with opposite limbs, it's wrong."
She recalled how her old teacher had explained these same moves when she first started.
The two girls weren't slow learners—once they got it, they didn't mess up again. By the end of their first hour, the progress was impressive.
Though it was nearing winter, dancing with full focus for an hour still left them sweaty.
The moment she stepped outside, a cold breeze hit her, and she shivered. She quickly excused herself and jogged back to Lüxiu's room.
Lüxiu was inside cutting fabric—one of the odd jobs Steward Qi had originally offered Hongyi, but she had to pass it on since she didn't know how.
"Back already? How did it go?" Lüxiu asked, eyes still on her scissors.
"Not bad," Hongyi laughed. "They've got looks and grace. If I were the emperor, I'd like them too."
"…You're really bold," Lüxiu muttered at her casual talk about royalty, then glanced at the table. "Snow fungus and lotus seed soup. The kitchen sent it, said it was Mistress Yu's order. Eat it while it's warm."
Hongyi was actually quite hungry.
She picked up the bowl and took a sip. The soft, sweet soup spread across her tongue, with a subtle, elegant fragrance. It was delicious. She smiled. "It's been a while since I had this."
She finished the small bowl quickly and leaned against the divan, idly watching Lüxiu sew. Before long, drowsiness overtook her.
Drifting into sleep, she might've even dreamed, until a sudden scream from Lüxiu jolted her awake. Her first thought was that Lüxiu had pricked her hand sewing.
But when she opened her eyes, she found Lüxiu standing right in front of her, wide-eyed with fear.
"Hongyi, y-your face—what happened to your face?"