Zhao Weisheng sat down and immediately started shifting uncomfortably in his chair.  He looked around the room.  He hated formal occasions, and this one had only just started.  Still, he admitted to himself, tonight was different.  He was confident that Ming Yue and Eunuch Wang would put on an impressive display for the king and queen and, knowing his mother's tastes well, he was sure that she would enjoy it immensely.  Consequently, he was happy to endure the formality of the evening this one time, for his parents' sake.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when King Xuanming signalled for the feast to begin, and the music started to play.  Weisheng watched as two rows of dancers entered the hall and took up their positions in the large central space.  He held his breath, waiting for the principal dancer to descend from the ceiling.  This was by far the riskiest part of the evening, and it would set the stage for everything to come.

The large golden ring lowered slowly, revealing a slender woman standing inside the circle.  It started to gently rotate as she began to move gracefully, twisting her body around the metal, her actions as fluid as water.  As the movements became wider, the ring began to swing in a large arc, taking it out over the heads of the watching guests, eliciting gasps of amazement as the dancer reached down towards them, at times holding on to the ring with only her feet, without any kind of support or safety net below.

The eldest prince had been wearing a remarkably smug expression at the beginning of the banquet, but now it was turning into a look of incredulity.  Chuanli had definitely reported to him that the drug had been successfully administered by his new maidservant, Bu Hong, and he was looking forward to seeing his younger brother completely humiliated when the spectacle he had organised so painstakingly turned into a shambles because it was lacking its main attraction.

Instead, the woman spinning above him was putting on a mesmerising performance, her every move delighting the crowd.  Accepting defeat for the moment, Li Jun turned his attention back to the show, as the golden ring had now begun its final descent.  The young woman stepped out onto the floor and began the second half of the dance.

Now that he could see her more closely, Weisheng was even more certain that it was definitely not the same dancer he had seen at the original performance.  She was taller and, whilst her movements were still acrobatic, they had a little more gracefulness about them.  Also, she had not originally worn a veil, so he was surprised that this addition to the costume had been made now.

As the woman travelled lightly around the floor, she passed in front of where Weisheng was sitting.  She was moving at speed, so it was only a brief glimpse, but he knew it in an instant.  The dancer was Ming Yue.  Immediately his mouth fell open.  He had no idea at all why she would be there.  He turned to look behind him, only to see from Luo Jian's expression that he, too, had recognised the woman.

In fact, Weisheng and Luo Jian were not the only two.  One other person had recognised the talented dancer.  The only other person who could boast of having seen her face from very close up.

Li Jun's mouth was also open in shock.  His spies had told him that Ming Yue had survived their encounter in the forest, but this was the first time he had seen her himself.  As she leapt and spun gracefully around the room, he had to admit to himself that even though the events of that day had sent him spinning into a temporary madness, he still felt an almost painful attraction to the woman.  Now, however, he was also a little bit fearful of her.

Across the room, Weisheng saw the expression on his brother's face, and his eyes narrowed.

Ming Yue herself was oblivious to everything.  She was completely caught up in the dance.

At first, she had been a little nervous as she waited, high up in the eaves of the hall, but, as soon as the music had started, she had let the routine take over.

Now, as she covered the ground with ease, interacting with her fellow dancers, she felt more free than she had in weeks, and it was as if all her troubles were simply melting away for, as the golden ring had made its last descent to the floor, Ming Yue had made a decision.

Whatever had happened in the past was over, and she had to live her life as if she was dancing.  She could not be held back by her own emotions because of something that she could not change.  If she carried on as she had been, Li Jun would win, and she was too strong to let herself be defeated in this way.  It would not be easy, she knew, but she owed it to herself to try.

Still, her new-found resolve did not stop her step from almost faltering when she saw the eldest prince sitting just a few metres away from her.  It was the tiniest of stumbles, imperceptible to everyone except the one person who was watching her with more intensity than anyone else in the room.

Weisheng saw the uncharacteristic error, and a glance over Ming Yue's shoulder told him exactly who had caused it.  His long-held suspicions now confirmed, the hand holding his wine cup clenched, and he banged it down on the table heavily, spilling the liquid everywhere.

Luo Jian put a hand on his friend's shoulder.  He had not seen what Weisheng had, but he had a pretty good idea of what it was.  There was really only one person who could cause Weisheng to react like that.

The dance reached its climax and four of the other dancers lifted Ming Yue high above their heads, spinning her around, before placing her gently back onto the floor where they all moved around each other fluidly to form their closing tableau.

Silence.  Then rapturous cheers.  The group paid their respects to the king and queen, then left the great hall just as they had entered.

Weisheng rose as if to go after them, then felt Luo Jian's hand on his arm.  He looked up to see the man shake his head slightly.  Looking back at where his parents were sitting and realising that he had been too hasty, Weisheng sat back down as the feast and the entertainment continued.

At some point, Weisheng noticed that Ming Yue had reappeared and was now standing alongside Eunuch Wang, near the entrance to the hall.  He breathed a sigh of relief to have her back within his sight.

Eventually, the celebration was over.  Toasts to the queen's birthday had been made, and Weisheng's mother and father had left before the rest of the guests, as was traditional, but not before the queen had shot a beaming smile in Weisheng's direction.  He received the message loud and clear.  She had loved the evening's entertainment.

Weisheng waited just a brief amount of time before he made his excuses.  Forcing himself not to run, he quickly exited the great hall and made his way across to the performers' allocated building.

By now, all of them had changed back into their normal attire and were gathering their equipment together, ready to leave, but on seeing the prince, they immediately stopped what they were doing and went to pay their respects.  He stopped them with a raised hand.

"Please," he said.  "There is really no need.  I just wanted to thank you all personally for putting on a wonderful performance for my mother's birthday.  I could tell that she was deeply touched by your skills and effort."  He smiled genuinely at them all, then realised that Ming Yue was not one of the room's inhabitants.  He motioned across to Eunuch Wang before addressing the room once more.

"If there is anything else that you need, please do not hesitate to tell Eunuch Wang.  He acts on my behalf."  Weisheng then made his way over to his chief eunuch.

"What happened?" he asked in a low voice.  Eunuch Wang looked up in surprise.

"Did you really think," continued Weisheng, "that I would not be able to tell?"  The other man quickly composed himself.

"Your Highness," he said.  "I was not even aware of it myself until after the switch had been made.  They told me that the principal dancer had been drugged, and there was no one skilled enough to take her place."

Weisheng thumped the wall beside him, and Eunuch Wang jumped.

"She should have come to me," he said.  "It was too dangerous.  Ming Yue is still not fully recovered.  If she had fallen from that height..."

Eunuch Wang tried to defend the absent young woman, fully aware of the fact that the prince's main concern had been her safety rather than the attempted sabotage on his planned entertainment.

"I understand that there was no time, Your Highness," he said.  "They were only moments away from opening the doors of the hall to admit the guests.  I admit that the decision may not have been wise, but Ming Yue must have felt that it was the only option under the circumstances."

Weisheng closed his eyes, and felt his anger start to subside, although it was still teetering on the brink.  When he spoke again, it was with a calm voice.

"I don't blame you.  I know what she's like.  Just tell me, where is she now?"

"I...I don't know precisely," said Eunuch Wang.  "She said she had something to take care of, back at the mansion."

This was a good enough response for Weisheng, and he walked away quickly after giving Eunuch Wang a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  As he left, he saw his brother exiting the great hall, and he had a fair idea of why Ming Yue had departed so hastily.

***

Ming Yue was back in her room, still wearing the dancer's costume from earlier.  After her performance, she had been so keen to get back to the hall to assist Eunuch Wang that she had not taken the time to change, instead throwing her dark cloak over the delicate, form-fitting material.  After the event was over, the extremely relieved dance company manager had told her she could keep the costume as a memento, and she had accepted gratefully.

Not needing to return the outfit, she had not bothered to change then either, being eager to leave the vicinity of the great hall as soon as possible.  Just because she had resolved to move on from past events and recapture her lost good humour, that did not mean she wanted to come face to face with her attacker.  Ming Yue knew that she was stronger than most, but the eldest prince reminded her of just how vulnerable she had been under his assault, and she hated feeling that way.

She felt a sudden urge to visit the orchard.  In spite of the fact that her ordeal had begun in that place, it still gave her a sense of safety and comfort, particularly now she knew that she was surrounded by nature's potential allies, so she often went there to be alone.

It was not dark outside.  The moon was full that night and shining brightly, and the various lights in the other buildings in the palace meant that Ming Yue could see the trees in front of her clearly.  Still, she did not stray too far away from the mansion's paths, stopping just as she was out of sight of any passers-by, as she had a feeling that the prince would come looking for her before too long.

Almost as if by fate, as her thoughts turned to the prince she heard the voice of the man himself behind her.

"I knew you would be here," he simply said.