After Jade Ewer was summoned away by the maid of the Princess Consort of the Prince of Qi, all the dancers were brimming with excitement.
The household courtesans living in the Rainbow Garment Courtyard, the Pure Song Courtyard, and elsewhere had never escaped their lowly status and left the Prince's Residence to regain their freedom. They could only be given to guests as gifts or sold to brokers once age had faded their beauty. Yet through her natural loveliness, gentle, compliant temperament, and exceptional dancing, Jade Ewer had finally glimpsed a ray of hope amid the endless darkness.
Mi Moyan supported Baozhu's lower back with one hand to keep her from injuring herself as she practiced backbends, earnestly reminding her, "Did you hear? Jade Ewer only gained this opportunity because she won the young master's affection. If you perfect your dancing and catch our master's eye, wouldn't it be even easier to shed your lowly status? First survive the Golden Osmanthus Banquet. We can think about the rest afterward."
Baozhu had stretched her body to the limits of her endurance. She grimaced in discomfort, with not a trace of beauty in her expression. But she made no response to Mi Moyan's advice.
She had heard the Prince of Qi and his wife speaking with her own ears today, and an ominous foreboding kept stirring in her heart. Jade Ewer was kind. Although she had concealed the truth about the Golden Osmanthus Banquet, Baozhu understood that, as a slave, there were secrets she could not divulge to someone she barely knew.
She still remembered the eunuch named Rui'an who had attended her in childhood. After telling her about the "Blood-Smeared Ghost," he had vanished without a sound. Afterward, no one had even dared mention his name.
If Jade Ewer could use