Chapter 15: Dance For You
Was he really going to dance?
Li Jianyu rubbed his temples.
It was called dancing, but it was actually a sword dance. As a man, he wouldn’t learn the coquettish moves of a young woman.
The cheers grew louder and louder. Zhao Linxu crossed his arms and watched him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
Unable to refuse, Li Jianyu had no choice but to stand up and borrow a sword from Zheng Ke. Zheng Ke was agile when fighting, and his sword was lighter, making it easier for him to perform.
Holding the sword, Li Jianyu slowly stepped onto the raised platform. The square platform was only half a person’s height, a perfect elevation—not so low as to be swallowed by the surrounding crowd, nor too high to be seen clearly.
Zhao Linxu fixed his gaze on Li Jianyu. From this height, he could see the sparkling lake behind Li Jianyu, making him look like a fairy descending to the mortal world.
Zheng, zheng, zheng…
It was a piece of music Zhao Linxu had never heard before. It began with a slow, low melody, drifting softly and gracefully.
Li Jianyu had taken off his shoes earlier. Now, he stepped slowly on the platform barefoot, like a dragonfly skimming the water. His fair feet nimbly alternated steps, turning gently in one circle after another. The fiery red figure spun around the platform, his long sleeves tracing one red cloud after another in the air.
The graceful red figure slowly raised the longsword in his hand, the wide sleeves unfurling smoothly like a wave with the movement.
Elegant, graceful.
Zheng, zheng, zheng…
Zhao Linxu had seen many people dance. He had also seen many people perform sword dances—some gentle, some powerful, some shy and timid, some wild and unrestrained.
But none were like this. With a single flick of the sleeve, a sudden bend of the waist, it captured his gaze.
Zhao Linxu couldn’t tear his eyes away. They first lingered on the unbound black hair, scattered by the wind, then moved to the tight waist, and then to the smoothly lined feet.
Then, the music slowly swelled. The guqin produced a series of rapid, urgent notes. Li Jianyu’s movements were no longer light and floating. He infused strength into the sword, and the longsword roared like a newly awakened silver dragon, wanting to soar into the sky.
Li Jianyu began to spin on the spot. Because of this rapid movement, his wide red robe was blown open by the wind. The black hair, the red clothes, the silver glint of the sword, combined with the dark green lake and the dappled light behind him, for a moment, he looked like a captivating immortal from the distant Kunlun Mountains.
Zhao Linxu couldn’t help but hold his breath.
Zheng—!
The high-pitched sound of the guqin was finally cut short by a sharp note, followed by a moment of complete silence, a rest in the music. Just as Zhao Linxu was mesmerized by Li Jianyu’s spinning and slightly dazed, he was startled awake by this somewhat abrupt note.
Li Jianyu tossed the sword into the air.
Clack!
The longsword turned and swooped down. With a cold glint, it plunged into the red-carpeted wooden platform with a thud.
The red-robed beauty, the sword standing cold before him, the melodious sound of the guqin, a few sparse notes, as if ending a period of turmoil.
“Bravo!”
Someone, a beat after the others, shouted his approval, followed by a tidal wave of cheers and applause.
Li Jianyu subconsciously looked at Zhao Linxu.
Zhao Linxu was resting his cheek on the back of his hand. He moved his lips slightly. In such a noisy environment, Li Jianyu naturally couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he could read his lips.
“Worth it.”
Li Jianyu’s one dance made all the subsequent performances pale in comparison, but the beauty everyone was talking about was no longer there. As the City Lord, he had to visit all the nearby villages during the festival, bringing a bag of the first-harvested black rice to each village, symbolizing the spreading of good fortune and a bountiful harvest for everyone in the coming year.
In the past, it was always Meng Qingshu and a group of guards who accompanied Li Jianyu on his rounds, but this year was a little different.
Just as Li Jianyu was preparing to leave, Zhao Linxu caught up with him and said he wanted to come along.
“Besides looking for someone, this trip south is also an incognito tour to observe the people’s conditions. It’s perfect to walk around with you.”
Li Jianyu couldn’t argue. He felt a little uneasy and wanted to ask Meng Qingshu to accompany him.
“Have some pity on your advisor. Are you willing to break up a pair of lovebirds? Isn’t it better to leave him here with Chen Zhishu?”
Li Jianyu was speechless. So, it was just the two of them who set out. Li Jianyu, trying to find joy in his misery, was extremely glad that his foot had fully recovered. Finally, no more riding together.
The two horses headed for the first stop of their tour, the nearest Sunflower Village. With Zhao Linxu around, there was no need to bring guards.
Sunflower Village had only a dozen or so households, all simple and honest, who managed a garden together.
The elderly village chief had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time. As soon as the two arrived, he came forward and greeted them warmly. After kowtowing to Zhao Linxu, he began to chat incessantly with Li Jianyu about the village’s recent situation.
“Don’t worry! Wu Tie Niu’s leg has long since healed. He has no problem working in the fields now!”
“City Lord, look at that house. It’s Old Zhang’s. His only son is getting married!”
Zhao Linxu walked alongside, listening to the conversation between Li Jianyu and the village chief, and couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Beauty, do you remember all the people in Luoye City?”
“I have a general impression. I often go on tours.”
The village chief chimed in, “Our village’s harvest was not good before. We used the wrong methods, so the City Lord often came to check on us. Now everything is fine!”
Li Jianyu had never put on any airs, he was just cold when talking to people. The village chief was long used to it, so he wasn’t afraid at all. He believed that all great figures were good people like this. So, seeing Zhao Linxu in ordinary clothes riding with Li Jianyu, he wasn’t very afraid of him either and even dared to suppress his nervousness and talk to him.
Zhao Linxu pondered slightly.
He finally understood why Li Jianyu was so popular among the common folk.
He clearly looked like he wanted to keep people a thousand miles away, but he silently did many things and genuinely cared for others, with a kind heart. When something went wrong, Li Jianyu never blamed others, only himself, just like when they went up the mountain to pick the spirit mushroom.
And if you praised him, he would get a little flustered and pretend to be cold and unresponsive. When you teased him, he would say sharp and sarcastic words, but his ears would be bright red. A sense of affection couldn’t help but grow in Zhao Linxu’s heart.
Ever since Li Jianyu had danced for him, Zhao Linxu’s heartbeat had been off.
The village chief led the two to the village square, where all the commoners were waiting. In the center of the square was a sacrificial table with offerings such as fruit, wine, and incense.
Li Jianyu and Zhao Linxu led everyone in kneeling to the God of Rice, performing three kneelings and nine kowtows.
After the shaman performed a ritual around the table, Li Jianyu took out the bag of black rice he had brought and scattered a handful of it. As the black rice fell to the ground, the commoners knelt down again, their shouts like a tsunami.
“May the God of Rice protect us!”
“May the God of Rice protect us!!”
This was the first time Zhao Linxu had participated in such a ceremony, and he found it novel.
“What do we do next?”
“It’s over,” Li Jianyu said. “We can go.”
They had to visit at least half of the villages in Luoye City.
“Oh, City Lord!!” One of the women came forward. “City Lord, look, it’s already noon. The sun is high in the sky and very harsh. Why don’t you stop traveling for now? Come to my house for lunch?”
Before her voice had even faded, another burly man chimed in, “City Lord, come to my house! My wife knew the City Lord was coming today and cooked a lot of dishes, just for you to come and eat!”
“No, no, no, my house has also made a lot of dishes! And glutinous rice cakes, fresh out of the oven!”
Li Jianyu was surrounded and was in a bit of a difficult position.
Seeing this, the village chief came forward to help. “In that case, everyone bring your dishes to my house! My house is big. We’ll eat together and let the City Lord and the Emperor have a taste of everything!”
“Oh my god—”
“It’s actually the Emperor!”
With that, the simple commoners were about to kneel again. They had thought he was some high-ranking official, but they had never expected him to be the Nine-Dragon Son of Heaven they had only heard about in storybooks.
“No, no.” Zhao Linxu smiled kindly and waved his hand. “Everyone, just be as you are.”
The village chief led Li Jianyu and Zhao Linxu to his house. After telling his family that everyone was going to eat together, the village chief’s wife and a group of children and grandchildren immediately came out to help move tables and chairs. Zhao Linxu didn’t put on any airs of being served; instead, he helped move them with everyone, which made the others both happy and excited.
After that, the other villagers brought their families and the best food from their homes. Dish after dish of fine food was placed on the table. Everyone was eager for the City Lord and the Emperor to taste their cooking, pulling them over and constantly recommending things—this is delicious, that is fragrant…
The hall suddenly became lively, crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder, and the sound of chatter was endless.
Later, the village chief’s eldest son got drunk and was egged on by everyone to sing. He wasn’t shy at all and stood at the front, wailing away with his terrible voice, which made everyone roar with laughter.
Zhao Linxu and Li Jianyu sat at the head table, their plates full of fine food.
Zhao Linxu couldn’t help but laugh and whisper, “The village’s harvest festival is much more fun than the one in Luoye County.”
It had more human warmth. Participating in it warmed the heart.
“That’s because the place we were at before, by the lake, was full of high-ranking officials and nobles, each with their own thoughts. Here, the commoners are purely happy because of the harvest. It’s even more lively than the New Year.” After all, the Harvest Festival was a celebration for the whole village, while the New Year was a reunion with one’s own family.
Li Jianyu took a sip of tea. “The commoners work hard in the fields every day. Now that a year’s labor has paid off, they are naturally genuinely happy. The high-ranking officials and nobles just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. How can they feel much about the Harvest Festival? It’s just a social occasion for them.”
Zhao Linxu looked at Li Jianyu’s faint expression and slowly nodded.
“You’re right.”
The people regard food as their heaven, and the Son of Heaven regards the people as his heaven.
Zhao Linxu said seriously, “As a good emperor, one must know how to think for the people and ensure that they have three meals a day.”
They were currently in a chaotic era. The people in many places didn’t have enough to eat, the countries were scattered, and every monarch had the ambition to unify the world.
If I could conspire to rule the world with such a far-sighted, intelligent, and beautiful person, Zhao Linxu thought, it would surely be a wonderful thing.
After a pause, Zhao Linxu said, “Beauty, you’re really like Dragon Gate Leaping Carp.”
Hearing this, Li Jianyu almost spat out the tea in his mouth.
Why could Zhao Linxu’s style switch from The Art of War and Sun Tzu’s Art of War to The Overbearing CEO’s Little Runaway Wife and Your Highness, You’re So Naughty in a second?
Li Jianyu’s eyes were full of disgust.
Before Zhao Linxu could explain anything, a few villagers came over.
“City Lord! We heard from the village chief that you were in a hurry to get married before?”
“…”
???
“City Lord, look! My daughter is so beautiful…”
“City Lord…”
Li Jianyu’s head began to ache again.
This “getting married” joke was probably not going to go away.
What was he to do?
