A scene of graceful music and elegant dance unfolded within the Hundred Flowers Garden. The melody performed by the palace maids was quite pleasing. The sound of strings and flutes evoked the imagery of a bright spring day, filled with sunshine, birdsong, and fragrant flowers, making one feel as if they were truly immersed in it, their entire body growing languid and lazy. It was clear the musicians had practiced often, for their performance was exceedingly skilled. The dancing maids, too, displayed exceptionally lithe and graceful movements. Every gesture was like a flower swaying in the breeze, appearing utterly charming and alluring.
“Not bad,” Di Lingwei offered her measured appraisal.
Standing to the side, Xing Ruolan said softly, “To present the best possible effect to Your Majesty, the palace maids practiced exceptionally hard in private. That is why they achieved this performance.”
Di Lingwei nodded slightly, then an idea stirred within her. “Ruolan, can you dance?”
Xing Ruolan was momentarily taken aback but answered, “This Servant has a rudimentary understanding.”
“Very well, then go and dance for Zhen,” Di Lingwei instructed. Her thoughts turned to Xing Ruolan’s situation. No matter what, Xing Ruolan was someone close to her. It was best to figure her out as soon as possible. And the best way to determine what kind of person she truly was lay in unlocking her Traits. Xing Ruolan’s Trait seemed related to a person’s postures. So, wouldn’t dancing count?
“This Servant understands.” Xing Ruolan didn’t refuse.
She walked toward the palace maids and began to dance gracefully amongst them. Xing Ruolan’s features were exceedingly gentle. With bright eyes, white teeth, skin like snow, and a soft temperament, she stood incontestably as the central figure among the many palace maids, no matter the angle from which one looked.
Her supple limbs moved into various dance poses, like flowers, like butterflies, fluttering and swirling about. She was a vision of supreme beauty. A breeze swept through the flower beds, plucking a scattering of petals that danced in the air around Xing Ruolan’s figure. In that fleeting moment, they made her appear even more radiant and captivating.
Achievement unlocked: [Dancing Xing Ruolan]. Xing Ruolan’s Martial Power Trait is now viewable.
Just as Di Lingwei had anticipated, the unlock for Xing Ruolan’s Trait arrived as expected. Di Lingwei immediately used her Mystic Left Eye to examine Xing Ruolan’s information.
Name: Xing Ruolan. Identity: Chief Palace Steward. Personality: On the surface, she appears gentle and treats everyone with equanimity. She is the understanding elder-sister figure beloved by all the palace maids. However, she harbors an unknown side; she enjoys secretly striking at those she dislikes and is ruthless and merciless. Hobby: Enjoys various board games. Martial Power: 30.
Xing Ruolan’s Martial Power Value was 30. Compared to Mu Fuwan’s 82 and Wang Feifei’s 96, 30 points didn’t seem particularly impressive. However, due to a lack of samples for comparison, Di Lingwei couldn’t be sure whether this figure was considered high or low. But regardless, Xing Ruolan was someone close to her, and it was imperative to understand her situation clearly.
With this on her mind, Di Lingwei grew somewhat distracted. Over the next little while, her attention drifted until Xing Ruolan finished her dance and returned.
“Chief Steward Xing has returned, Your Majesty,” Wang Feifei prompted, noticing Di Lingwei seemed lost in thought.
Di Lingwei gathered her focus and nodded slightly. “Your dance was quite good.”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise,” Xing Ruolan answered softly.
“Alright. You may have the palace maids withdraw first. Let us properly enjoy the flowers.” Di Lingwei rose and stepped out of the pavilion.
The Hundred Flowers Garden was neither too large nor too small, but it contained a wide variety of flower species. Walking through it now, the riot of color meeting her eyes at every turn, Di Lingwei found it a truly refreshing and delightful sight. After spending a considerable while strolling through the Hundred Flowers Garden, Di Lingwei and her companions finally returned to the Bedchamber.
“Ruolan, follow Zhen.”
Upon returning to the Bedchamber, Di Lingwei summoned Xing Ruolan into the inner chamber alone. Now that she knew Xing Ruolan’s Martial Power Value, her wariness had lessened somewhat. She felt the woman could not pose a threat to her. However, Xing Ruolan’s personality remained a thorn in her side. She had to uncover more information about her.
The door swung shut. Xing Ruolan followed closely, respectfully and attentively, awaiting instructions.
Di Lingwei turned to face Xing Ruolan. She truly was an exceedingly compliant woman, handling everything expected of her with ease. After a moment’s thought, Di Lingwei commanded, “Ruolan, strike a pose you think is most beautiful.”
Xing Ruolan was dumbfounded. Even for someone as consistently obedient as her, Di Lingwei’s words caused a brief moment of blank incomprehension. What did Her Majesty mean? But it was an imperial command. Even if she couldn’t grasp the meaning, she had to rack her brains and figure it out. After thinking, Xing Ruolan simply stood there respectfully and said, “This is This Servant’s favorite posture.”
Di Lingwei was speechless. It seemed she would have to specify the poses herself if she wanted Xing Ruolan to assume any.
Since Xing Ruolan’s Achievement seemed related to postures, Di Lingwei felt that having her assume a variety of poses might quickly unlock further Achievements. However, there were only so many normal poses a person could do. It was inevitable she’d have to ask the other woman to perform some seemingly odd ones. Wouldn’t that damage her dignified authority as the Female Emperor? Di Lingwei pondered for a moment, then decided she likely didn’t need to worry overly. After all, she was the Female Emperor. Every request made by the Female Emperor was inherently reasonable, wasn’t it?
Thus, Di Lingwei began.
“Ruolan, first, get down on all fours, and arch your back upward… yes, just like that.”
“Ruolan, now lift one leg. Higher, higher still… yes, above your head.”
“Ruolan, now…”
Di Lingwei issued a series of increasingly bizarre commands. Xing Ruolan, the passive recipient of these demands, was utterly baffled. What on earth was Di Lingwei trying to do? But how could she refuse a request from the esteemed Female Emperor? However, striking these various poses did fill Xing Ruolan with a sense of awkward embarrassment. Some of the positions felt truly mortifying, yet she had no choice but to comply.
Ruolan’s body is astonishingly flexible. It feels like she can achieve every pose a normal human body is capable of, Di Lingwei mused silently.
Yet a problem arose. She had Xing Ruolan assume all kinds of poses, but the new Achievement remained stubbornly unlocked. Why was that? Wasn’t the trigger for Xing Ruolan’s Achievement supposedly related to postures? Was there some other hidden element she hadn’t yet discovered? Di Lingwei couldn’t figure it out at the moment. She could only continue having Xing Ruolan display more poses, exhausting the poor woman in the process. In no time at all, Xing Ruolan’s cheeks were flushed peach-red, and she was panting heavily.
