The little eunuch behind Shu Changzai tied the end of the silk to the second-floor railing.
Shu Changzai leaped into the air. As the music swelled and the audience gasped, she gracefully stepped onto the silk, walking toward the pillar in the center of the five-pointed star formation.
The Emperor's pupils tightened.
Down below, the guests' minds were racing.
The men thought, 'No wonder Shu Changzai is so favored. Who wouldn't be captivated by such a peerless beauty, as light as a swallow?' The more licentious among them couldn't help but imagine what heavenly bliss it would be to have such a delicate creature in their chambers.
The women, however, were thinking of other things entirely.
'Just how thin is Shu Changzai?'
'How does she do it?'
'Does she even eat?'
'Being that light, can she even get her monthly cycle? Can she get pregnant? To want only the Holy Favor and not children... how ruthless!'
But all those worldly thoughts vanished once Shu Changzai began to dance.
