Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

6. Extra - Qixi*:

Because I wasn't able to come back to Jin in the main story...

***

Cui Xi giggled as Jin handed her out of the carriage.

"Mistress!" Su Qing hissed. "How can you let that foreign slave touch you?"

"Su Qing," she whispered back in an undertone. "Don't ruin my fun..."

"My Lady Wu..." said Jin, gallantly handing her down, and bowing over her hand.

"Master Edward," she said in English, finally feeling like the chain on her tongue had been let free.

"We are delighted to have you visit the manor and have prepared refreshments for you..."

"Please show the way then, Master Edward..."

***

"A volta?" Edward asked, after a pause. He swallowed, looking uncomfortable.

"It's my birthday..." said Cui Xi. "I would like to dance a volta with you...and since you are the only one with whom I can speak the English tongue, I had hoped you would indulge me...I know it's a unreasonable request, but..."

"But...this...I'm afraid this would not be looked on kindly by either your husband, the Seventh Prince or the men of this house...the turn requires that I put my hands on your waist...but such close contact between men and women is frowned upon in this country. Indeed, even in Europe the dance is considered quite..."

"XiXi...please translate...I can't understand a word of what you're both saying..." Zhao Yu said in a bored tone. "Such a horrible language..."

Cui Xi explained in rapid fire Chinese causing Zhao Yu to whoop with laughter.

"...You want to do what with my brother's lover?" he snorted, choking with mirth. "By the gods, I knew you came out of the pleasure house, but Xiao Xi, aren't you properly married to the Seventh Prince now...don't you think you're being a little naughty here? Not that I object...I'd like to see it, but I'm not sure I'm interested in incurring the wrath of the War God of Tiansheng," he drawled.

"Mistress...you're being willful...I know you have a lot of strange ideas...but this..." Su Qing muttered.

Xiao Hei had one of his hand over his eyes.

"It's just us here. At least no one else will know if you send all the servants away..." he mumbled.

Cui Xi grinned. She had never expected Xiao Hei to go along with it so readily.

"Let's do that then. Send the servants away...it'll just be for a moment, my Lord Zhao..."

Zhao Yu made a face.

"Xiao Xi, if Zhao Ling Xian finds out, he'll murder everyone in the Changping Manor...will you take responsibility?"

Cui Xi grinned and nodded.

"Of course..."

"I don't know why I'm doing this..." he sighed explosively. "Go on then..."

How does one beam so brightly...her eyes are almost crescents...

To everyone's surprise, Cui Xi changed into a specially made dress.

"How...?" Edward asked, staring at the paneled dress that spread over renaissance style hoops. She just shook her head mysteriously.

"Well then, let's begin..."

Edward and Cui Xi went through a series of practice steps just to ensure that they understood the basics. Cui Xi had danced the galliard once, and had studied the volta, but this was her first time actually dancing the steps with a partner.