Chapter 110: The Princess Performs a Dance

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Generally speaking, there are two ways for a nation to develop.

The first is to build up its military and launch colonial wars abroad, or win battles and force the other side to cede territory and pay reparations—in other words, to sustain war through war.

The other is to develop commerce and improve the people's livelihood, creating an internal cycle and fostering healthy competition within the country.

Li Yuechen leaned more toward the second path. Once glass was produced, she planned to use it to open up new markets.

With the direction of future development decided, all that remained was to devote themselves wholeheartedly to pursuing their goal.

Day after day passed, and before long it was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month—the Major Cold solar term.

The Directorate of Crafts sent over the roller skates they had completed. Both sides of the shoes had been stitched with flame-like patterns, making them look exceptionally beautiful.

Shangguan Wan'er sat nearby, her face full of curiosity. “Your Highness, will the wheels beneath these let a person walk faster?”

Li Yuechen smiled. “After the New Year, I’ll demonstrate them for you. Then you’ll know.”

Although she was curious, Shangguan Wan'er could only wait until after the New Year to see what this strange contraption was really for.

At the same time, the Directorate of Armaments delivered the fully assembled luxury Tang sword.

The outer layer was wrapped in high-grade black leather. Gold adorned both the top of the scabbard and the hilt, while the fittings were likewise made of gold and connected to a hook that could be fastened to a belt.

Li Yuechen drew the sword with a clear rasp. A completely black blade emerged, its polished edge glinting faintly in the sunlight.

In ancient times, black was considered the most noble of colors. A sword like this would have been perfectly suitable even as the Emperor’s ceremonial blade.

The more Li Yuechen looked at it, the more she liked it. She set aside the scabbard and began flourishing the sword before the Linbo Pavilion.

Her two elder sisters and Shangguan Wan'er stood in the doorway, watching Li Yuechen wield the blade in the courtyard.

The combination of her bright red clothing and the completely black weapon made for a striking visual impact.

She had only been swinging it for a short while when Xiao He suddenly hurried over. “Your Highness, how can you wield a weapon inside the palace?”

Li Yuechen stopped and smiled. “It’s all right. This is the gift I’m giving His Majesty for the New Year!”

As she spoke, she raised the sword and made a forward-slashing motion.

Because the hilt had been lengthened to allow it to be held with both hands, the sword was especially suited to powerful cleaving strikes.

After playing with it for a while, Li Yuechen was thoroughly satisfied. She sheathed the sword and placed it on her desk.

Afterward, she took her two elder sisters and Shangguan Wan'er outside to play hopscotch.

…

There was little of importance before the New Year. However, Gao Kan, who had been sent to Liaodong several years earlier, sent back a message.

He had been urging Silla to hand over An Shun, but they seemed unwilling. Instead, they had even sent troops to fight him, only to be beaten back.

The former territory of Goguryeo was now completely stable, but Silla currently had no intention of surrendering An Shun.

Li Zhi asked the ministers for their opinions in court, and they all said it did not matter.

The Tang court had implemented benevolent rule in Goguryeo. Even during the previous rebellion, no one had answered the call. An Shun could never amount to anything, let alone now.

Li Zhi agreed and sent word to Gao Kan that he only needed to keep Goguryeo stable for the time being.

As for Silla, the Tang Empire was still struggling with drought and had no time to bother with them.

But if they dared to cause trouble, he was to beat them down without mercy.

…

Amid the general peace, the Tang Empire welcomed New Year’s Eve.

This year, the whole family dined together at the Renshou Palace.

Li Yuechen no longer prepared the meal herself. After a year of study, the imperial chefs had already become quite skilled.

The large round table in Renshou Palace was filled with stir-fried dishes that were pleasing to the eye, fragrant, and delicious. The family sat around it, exchanging cups and toasting one another.

Li Yuechen thought that if they had smartphones at a time like this, she would definitely record a video and send it to her elder brother Li Hong so that he could take a good look.

Li Xian had probably thought of the same thing. He turned slightly and lowered his voice. “Yuechen, shall we write to Eldest Brother in a few days and tell him what things are like here?”

Li Yuechen smiled. “I think he’ll beat you.”

Several of her brothers and sisters burst into laughter.

Watching his children tease and fool around with one another, Li Zhi could not help laughing as well. Ever since the New Year’s Eve night banquet had been abolished, the holiday had become increasingly comfortable.

Besides, when he was with his family, he did not need to maintain an imposing air. It was not tiring at all—only relaxed and easy.

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After dinner, the family played a Tang-style game of Werewolf for a while longer. It was not until midnight that Li Zhi reminded them that there would be a grand court assembly the next day and told them to return to their quarters and rest early.

…

Li Yuechen had always been accustomed to rising early. After getting up and completing her yoga exercises, she ate breakfast, and Xiao He hurriedly called several palace maids to help her put on her court robes.

This was Li Yuechen’s first time attending such a grand court assembly, and she knew it would certainly be troublesome.

Officials from all over the empire would come to pay their respects today. Although most officials could only kneel and bow from a distance outside the hall, with no chance of seeing what the Emperor actually looked like, there were still quite a few of them—not to mention the foreign envoys.

When Li Yuechen arrived at the entrance of Qianyuan Palace, her first impression was that there were simply too many people.

Not only was the area before the palace filled with ministers, but even the square below was packed, resembling a school of sardines in the sea.

When the officials at the front saw Li Yuechen approach, they saluted one after another.

“We pay our respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy health and peace in the New Year!”

“Rise, everyone. May you enjoy health and peace in the New Year!”

Li Yuechen did not know many of the ministers gathered there, and she had spoken with even fewer of them.

She hurried over to her teacher, Liu Rengui, and gave him a sweet smile. “Master, may you enjoy health and peace in the New Year!”

“And the same to Your Highness!” Liu Rengui replied with a smile. “That court robe fits you quite well.”

Li Yuechen pointed to the celestial crown on her head. “This thing is terribly uncomfortable. I’m taking it off at the midday banquet.”

“Endure it for today’s grand assembly,” Liu Rengui advised with a smile. “Otherwise, what will the ministers and foreign envoys think?”

“It’s all right. I’ve prepared a performance today, so it won’t matter if I take it off,” Li Yuechen said with a smile.

As they spoke, the sun rose in the east. The entire palace began to awaken, bathed in the radiance of the first light of the New Year.

The palace gates opened, and the ministers filed inside. As a princess, Li Yuechen stood at the very front of the assembled officials.

Once everyone had taken their places, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian emerged from the passageway.

Wearing his imperial ceremonial crown and robes, Li Zhi stood before the dragon throne. He first knelt and sat, then extended both arms before folding them over his abdomen, allowing his broad sleeves to cover his body.

After all those complicated movements, the strands of beads hanging from his crown had barely moved at all. His posture was remarkably steady.

Watching this elaborate procedure, Li Yuechen decided that once she returned, she would suggest that Li Zhi have the dragon throne remodeled to resemble the ones in television dramas. They surely had to be more comfortable than this kneeling-style seat.

Behind the beaded curtain, Wu Zetian glanced at her daughter and gave a slight nod before sitting down as well.

Zhang Chengxin stepped forward and cried out in a shrill voice, “The court is in session—bow!”

Li Yuechen knelt and bowed along with all the officials, shouting, “Long live the Heavenly Emperor!”

The musicians, who had been waiting nearby, began to play. Li Yuechen rose and danced together with the assembled officials.

To be honest, she herself had no idea what sort of dance she was performing. The purpose of the day was simply to create a lively atmosphere; there were no strict requirements for the movements. She could just dance wildly and be done with it.

Li Yuechen glanced at her teacher behind her and imitated his movements, which resembled Mongolian wrestling, as she danced along.

At the same time, she thought to herself that the officials inside the hall were fortunate. The officials outside were probably dancing too, but the Emperor could not see them at all. In the end, everyone could only appreciate one another.

After dancing for roughly three minutes, Zhang Chengxin’s shrill voice rang out again.

“Bow again!”

The officials stopped and knelt to bow once more, shouting in unison, “Long live!”

Then they continued dancing. At the third cry, they knelt again and shouted, “Ten thousand years!”

Only then was the ceremony truly over.

Next came the section in which Chancellor Yan Liben recited parallel prose praising the Emperor’s merits, celebrating the prosperity of the people of the Tang Empire, and offering thanks to Heaven and the gods.

The prose had to be perfectly balanced, antithetical, and rhymed. It also had to possess a rhythmic quality when read aloud and would be recorded for posterity, so its literary elegance had to be taken into consideration as well.

After the recitation came the presentation of gifts. The ministers and foreign envoys all offered presents, while the Emperor returned the gesture by bestowing gifts upon them.

Ordinarily, this part began with the Crown Prince. However, since the Emperor had ordered him to oversee the capital of Chang’an that year, and the journey back and forth would have been exhausting, he had told him not to return.

Thus, Li Yuechen naturally took his place at the beginning of the ceremony.

Li Yuechen stepped out of the ranks and offered the Tang sword with both hands. Zhang Chengxin accepted it and presented it to Li Zhi.

The Tang people loved martial pursuits, so presenting a weapon as a gift was perfectly normal.

The moment he saw the sword, Li Zhi was not the only one to grow curious. The civil and military officials below were equally intrigued.

At first glance, the modifications did not seem extensive—only a guard had been added. But on closer consideration, this was actually an inventive breakthrough.

With a clear rasp, Li Zhi drew the sword. The moment he saw the black blade, his eyes lit up.

“Excellent! Very good!”

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The military officers below also brightened with interest, wondering how the blade had been turned black.

There was no denying that the sword was extremely handsome. The instant it left its scabbard, it drew nearly everyone’s attention.

Li Zhi in particular fell in love with it at first sight and began considering whether to make it his ceremonial imperial blade.

Li Yuechen did not mind. An imperial blade was merely a display piece; it would never actually be used to cut anyone down.

There had been instances throughout history of an emperor personally killing someone in court, but they were exceedingly rare.

Thus, as long as the imperial blade looked impressive, that was enough. Its sharpness was of little real significance.

After putting the sword away, the Emperor bestowed upon his daughter a jade carving of the Old Lord, roughly thirty centimeters high.

The other ministers and foreign envoys then presented their gifts in turn, and the Emperor granted return gifts on the spot.

By the time the entire process was complete, it was nearly noon, and the banquet was about to begin.

The ministers and foreign envoys sat on opposite sides. The open space in the middle was quite large; musicians and dancers from the Entertainment Office would soon arrive to perform. Once the banquet was underway, the officials and even the Emperor would take the floor to dance and put on performances of their own.

That would be Li Yuechen’s stage.

The banquet began soon afterward. Seated at the highest place, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian raised their wine cups, delivered a few remarks summarizing the past year and reflecting upon it, looked ahead to the coming year and its goals, and then announced the start of the banquet.

The ministers and foreign envoys also raised their cups. Their first toast was offered collectively to the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress.

Li Yuechen glanced at the Sanle brew in her cup, then raised it with everyone else and joined in the blessing.

The musicians began to play, and the dancers from the Entertainment Office entered to perform.

Li Yuechen sat at the very front of the ministers and did not eat much. Since she would soon be performing, it was enough to eat a little so that she would not be hungry.

Exercising vigorously on a full stomach would place considerable strain on the internal organs, so she merely ate a few casual bites.

As cups were exchanged and the banquet continued, the time gradually drew near. The ministers also began taking the floor and dancing along.

When Li Zhi saw this, he waved away the dancers, leaving only the musicians to continue playing.

More and more ministers and foreign envoys joined in, beginning a contest of dance. At that moment, dances from different nations and peoples began colliding with one another.

Watching the scene, Li Yuechen suddenly felt like standing up and shouting, “Stop it! Don’t fight anymore!”

After thinking about it, however, she decided against it. It was not raining, after all.

When the time seemed right, Li Yuechen went backstage to change her clothes and shoes.

On a day like this, all the ministers were dancing, and even the Emperor would take the floor. It would not be appropriate for her to sit below by herself.

Under ordinary circumstances, she could have accompanied her mother. But now she was attending as an official, and with foreign envoys present, it was impossible for her not to perform.

After changing her clothes, putting on her roller skates, and arranging her hair into a bun, Li Yuechen arrived outside the main entrance of Qianyuan Palace.

To make the dance appear more fluid, she had also added a length of gauze between her arms.

Xiao He had originally wanted her to wear makeup as well, but Li Yuechen had refused point-blank to apply cosmetics containing heavy metals.

She skated all the way to the entrance of Qianyuan Palace, rolled her neck, and prepared to enter.

As the musicians’ rhythm suddenly changed, Li Yuechen touched her toes to the ground and ran several quick steps before gliding swiftly toward the palace entrance.

She swung out her right leg, and her entire body leaped into the air. After completing four and a half rotations before clearing the threshold, she landed on one foot with a sharp slap.

Then she spread both arms and leaned backward, as though lying in midair, gliding lightly toward the center of Qianyuan Palace.

Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, along with everyone inside the hall, opened their eyes wide in astonishment. The ministers stopped their movements as well, watching Li Yuechen glide slowly toward the center of the hall.

The musicians had already known that the princess would perform today, so although they were curious, they kept the rhythm of the music unchanged.

Li Yuechen paid no attention to their amazement. She merely curved her lips into a gentle smile.

She normally wore her hair in a ponytail, which made her smile seem sweet and childlike. But with her hair arranged in a bun, her air had changed. Though she was still a little girl, her smile now carried a hint of allure.

As her arms swayed with the music, she gave a light push with her feet and once again began circling the center of the hall.

She constantly changed her skating posture—forward, backward, and sideways—slipping nimbly past the ministers who stood frozen in place.

When she reached Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, she spun once in place and stopped, then bowed with a smile.

“Your daughter offers this dance and wishes Your Majesties health and peace in the New Year!”

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