CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 2: DANCING PRINCESS (PART 2)

Li Shuning looked at her reflection in the mirror, somewhat dazed. On Nadis Planet, she rarely dressed lavishly. The only time she did was when she went to meet Li Bingyi. At that time, Li Shuning felt she looked stunning. In the real world, she was too busy to even apply skincare, let alone wear makeup.

This time, her face bore an eighty-percent resemblance to her own, and after the makeover, not just men, but even women found her strikingly beautiful, like the Dancing Girl who helped her with her makeup.

The forehead decoration was a fiery red flame, and her outfit was also fiery red. Her hair was styled in the Ling Yun bun, and overall, she looked like a blazing fire, making one irresistibly drawn to approach her.

Li Shuning stood up. She wasn’t familiar with the fabric of the clothes, but it was very soft and seemed to float elegantly when she danced, truly impressive.

To be honest, this version of Li Shuning made her inexplicably happy. Sometimes, it’s worth dressing up, lest she waste the good genes her mother gave her.

Yongqing Palace was getting closer. Li Shuning took a deep breath. Before she figured out Prince Yu’s intentions, she knew she couldn’t act rashly. Prince Yu’s schemes were not trivial. A failed attempt would only lead to more unknowns. Currently, at least, she had an idea of what Prince Yu was up to.

Li Shuning was the lead dancer. While the other Dancing Girls wore plain-colored dresses, she wore a conspicuous red dress.

"Mother’s birthday is approaching, and Prince Yu’s arrival is quite late. Did something happen in the fief?"

"Your Majesty, nothing happened in the fief. I was preparing a grand gift for Mother, which took some time, hence my delayed arrival."

"It seems Prince Yu has prepared something good. Prince Duan and Prince Rui arrived a few days ago, and I haven’t seen you in years. Today, I’ve prepared plenty of fine wine for you, which even they haven’t had access to."

"Thank you for Your Majesty’s generous favor."

The Emperor was in high spirits, smiling as he said, "My relationship with you is different from the others, so there’s no need for such formalities."

Prince Yu also laughed amicably, looking as gentle as jade, seemingly good-tempered.

However, Li Shuning knew how malicious this person truly was. After he attained the throne, he claimed to care well for the Empress Dowager, but in reality, he confined her in the Purple Cloud Palace, giving her only a cold bun and water every day, without even a Palace Maid to serve her, leaving her to a desolate old age.

The current Emperor was also deposed by him and confined in a small palace without even a proper restroom.

Li Shuning’s enchanting dance with her graceful movements offered a different allure. The Emperor watched her dance while drinking, completely relaxed.

He naturally knew that the lead dancer was the one his mother favored most. He had once suggested to his mother that if she liked the Dancing Girl so much, she might as well adopt her as a goddaughter, since the status of a Dancing Girl was too low. His mother’s affection had even made him a little jealous.

Yet the Empress Dowager disagreed and warned him not to have any designs on the Dancing Girl.

Now it seemed that this Dancing Girl indeed had some talents.

Prince Yu was also watching Li Shuning at this time, as his information networks had already informed him of the developments in the Capital City.

The Dancing Girl in front of him must be the fortunate one excessively favored by the Empress Dowager, right?

But Prince Yu watched with a playful gleam in his eyes. Would that old woman really be kind to someone for no reason?

Seeing the Emperor enjoy the dance, Prince Yu also smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth.

Perhaps this girl might be his breakthrough point.

Regardless of whether it was the Emperor or Prince Yu, both were young and strong, with a good capacity for drinking. It was only when Prince Yu jokingly pleaded for mercy from drinking more that the Emperor laughed heartily and ordered people to escort Prince Yu back to the Yu Wang Mansion.

Although each prince owned a fief, they all had their respective Prince Mansion in the Capital City.

After Li Shuning finished her dance, she went to the Purple Cloud Palace to chat with the Empress Dowager. Li Shuning felt something was odd about the Empress Dowager’s attitude towards her, which always felt off, though she could feel that the Empress Dowager genuinely cared for her, as her eyes always had a hint of affection.

On her way back to Yunfei Pavilion, she saw Prince Yu from afar.

Seeing Li Shuning, Prince Yu smiled, grateful that he had chosen the right time to come out.

Li Shuning knew that her encounter with Prince Yu wasn’t a coincidence.

As they got closer, Li Shuning stepped aside and curtsied from a distance.

Prince Yu stopped in front of Li Shuning and smiled, saying, "Isn’t this the girl who led the dance earlier?"

The one escorting Prince Yu out of the palace was Xiao Lin, the Chief Eunuch by the Emperor’s side.

"Your Highness, this is Miss Shuning."

"Miss Shuning, you may rise."

Prince Yu smiled, "Miss Shuning’s dance is unmatched and a true delight to watch. Someone, give her a reward."

"Only someone like Miss Shuning could possess such enchanting dance moves."

Li Shuning kept her head slightly lowered, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Prince Yu chuckled and didn’t linger, leaving with his entourage.

When Li Shuning returned to Yunfei Pavilion, she was surrounded by everyone.

"Sister, what kind of person is Prince Yu?"

"Sister, I heard the Prince doesn’t have a Princess Consort yet?"

"Sister, did the Prince speak? Does he have a nice voice?"

"Sister, I heard you and the Prince met on the road, how does he look? What did you two talk about? Does the Prince fancy you?"

These words silenced everyone.

Li Shuning, however, laughed. She had just returned, and they already knew about her encounter with Prince Yu. Their information network was truly impressive.

Li Shuning glanced at the Dancing Girl who had spoken. Despite her plain features, she had a great figure, and her dance was incredibly beautiful.

According to the storyline that she had, it seemed that this very Dancing Girl had gained her trust and later poisoned her.

Because of Lou Ge’s words, the other Dancing Girls’ minds began to change.

What kind of charm did Li Shuning possess, to not only win the Empress Dowager’s favor but also engage in conversation with Prince Yu?

Could it be that Prince Yu had an interest in Li Shuning?

While they could begrudgingly accept the Empress Dowager’s special fondness for Li Shuning, once Prince Yu was involved, their feelings went beyond mere jealousy.

Li Shuning smiled at Lou Ge, "Xiao Lou is indeed well-informed. In such a large Imperial Palace, I did happen to meet Prince Yu, but Xiao Lou, you should know what is most forbidden in the palace. Others might think you have informants all over the place."

Li Shuning smirked, "What kind of esteemed person is Prince Yu? Nicely, he calls us girls, and I am self-aware that we’re nothing but royal servants. Is someone like Prince Yu someone we can hope for? Xiao Lou, speaking like that, are you trying to get Sister killed?"

"Sister Shuning, I merely overheard something from a cleaning Palace Maid. Xiao Lou dares not gossip about the palace’s masters, much less harm Sister. It’s Xiao Lou’s fault; please don’t blame Xiao Lou."

Lou Ge knew the weight of the situation and immediately kneeled, realizing that someone had deliberately passed this information to her. She didn’t expect Li Shuning to react like she’d eaten gunpowder today, as she was usually the gentlest. How did she change so much?

Li Shuning helped Lou Ge up, "Xiao Lou, be careful next time. If our sisters hear this, it’s one thing, but if someone else hears it, you might lose your life. We need to remember our positions and avoid thoughts that will only lead to harm."

"Thank you for the reminder, Sister. Xiao Lou will never dare again."

Li Shuning’s words dispelled the thoughts in the others’ minds.

The Emperor still did not have an Empress, and Prince Yu had always adhered to propriety. Although he was two years older than the Emperor, he had always stated that he would wait to marry a Main Wife until after the Emperor marries first.

However, Prince Yu also had a fiancée—the daughter of the Minister of Rites, reputed to have a fiery temper. As Dancing Girls, although they had ranks, their status was just slightly higher than Palace Maids. If they dared have any involvement with Prince Yu, the consequences could be dire, right?