503: Jiuchi Roulin

The entire process lasted nearly an hour.

Qing Dai worked with focus, not even bothering to wipe away the sweat seeping from her brow.

Shang Wan Ning watched quietly, occasionally lifting her teacup to take a sip, her gaze resting on her increasingly exquisite nails.

When the final top coat cured, Qing Dai carefully wiped away the sticky layer with a cleaning solution.

"Your Majesty, it is done."

Shang Wan Ning raised her hands.

The light in the warm pavilion fell upon her nails; the translucent pink base looked like freshly peeled fruit flesh, and the smoky purple gradient spread out like a sunset mixed with ash.

The seashell fragments were shiny, with bits of gold leaf here and there, sparkling enough to be a bit dazzling.

"Very well." She curved her lips. "Reward her."

Qing Dai smiled, her eyes slightly narrowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. This color truly suits you; it is both ethereal and noble."

Shang Wan Ning looked at her hands, her mood improving a little.

After all, for a woman, once her nails are done beautifully, everything looks three times more pleasing.

"Would Your Majesty like to try the newly arrived incense?" Qing Dai asked while tidying up her tools. "The Secretariat Office sent it over the day before yesterday. They say it is a new formula blended by an old shop in Jiangnan, called 'Spring Message in Snow.' It has a cool, crisp scent with notes of plum blossom, very suitable for the atmosphere of Chenfeng Palace."

"Light it!"

Shang Wan Ning picked up her teacup again.

The tea had already gone cold, but she did not mind, drinking it slowly.

Qing Dai brought over a palm-sized bronze incense burner, lifted the hollowed-out lid, placed an incense ball inside, and lit it.

Thin smoke curled up from the holes, indeed carrying a crisp plum fragrance mixed with a hint of ice and snow, slowly spreading throughout the warm pavilion.

Shang Wan Ning rested her left hand on her knee, holding the teacup with her right, occasionally taking a sip of the cold tea.

Xiao Si, maintaining a strong sense of presence, said, "Host, enjoy yourself, right? This is the life of an exquisite woman."

"No, I can enjoy myself even more."

Shang Wan Ning poured the remaining half cup of cold tea into the glass basin nearby.

"Qing Dai."

"Your Majesty?"

"Go to the private treasury and retrieve those jars of 'Wangchuan Spring' that I stored."

"Also, send word to the Department of Culture and Propaganda. Tell them to bring over the first girl group led by Olexia. Just say... I want to see a newly choreographed dance."

Qing Dai was stunned for a moment, then pursed her lips and smiled. "This servant will go at once."

Xiao Si let out a "Wow" in the System Space, its light sphere bouncing up and down excitedly. "Host, are you throwing a party?"

"A vacation should at least look like a vacation." Shang Wan Ning leaned back, sinking into the soft cushions.

"I have been Empress for so many years; the memorials I've approved could fill up the Department of Judges. It's not excessive to enjoy myself occasionally, is it?"

"Not excessive at all, not excessive in the slightest!"

Xiao Si's electronic voice drifted. "I will play some fitting background music for you, Host. How about 'Gokuraku Jodo'? Or 'Tougen Renka'?"

"...Just watch quietly."

Not long after, the crisp sound of high heels tapping on the floor came from outside the warm pavilion, mixed with the girls' hushed laughter.

The beaded curtain was pushed aside by a hand painted with black nail polish, and nine tall figures walked in, stepping to a strong rhythm.

Every one of them was beautiful and well-proportioned, with gorgeous faces and hot bodies.

Some wore strappy crop tops with hot pants, some wore sequined bodycon skirts, and one was wearing an oversized men's shirt, leaving her long, straight legs bare underneath.

Their hair colors were even more flamboyant: silver-white, deep purple, dark blue. One had a head of pink-purple gradient long hair, with a few strands of fluorescent green dyed at the tips, blindingly striking in the dim light.

The young ladies stood still in the center of the warm pavilion. They didn't bow formally, but instead blinked in unison toward the daybed, their voices sweet and crisp. "Good evening, Your Majesty~"

Shang Wan Ning sat back on the daybed, propping her elbow on the bolster, and swept her divine sense across their faces one by one.

"Everyone, relax. I called you here today just to dance and relieve some boredom."

"You decide what to dance. If you dance well, I have rewards for you!"

The young ladies exchanged glances, the corners of their mouths curling up. The one with pink-purple hair stepped forward. Her lipstick was a shimmery rotten tomato color, and she revealed a small canine tooth when she smiled. "Your~ Ma~jesty~, we have choreographed a new dance called 'Dance of the Underworld Moon'~"

"We added some... exciting little moves." She blinked, her eyelashes brushed to be distinct and defined.

"Don't think we're playing too wildly when you see it."

"Oh?" Shang Wan Ning raised her eyebrows slightly. "I'd like to see just how wild it can get."

The pink-purple haired girl turned back and gestured to those behind her.

Someone connected a mobile phone to the Bluetooth speaker in the warm pavilion, and the prelude exploded out.

The bass subwoofer made the floor tremble slightly, and the electronic sound effects had a somewhat eerie, otherworldly flavor, but the rhythm was strong enough to make one's scalp tingle.

The nine young ladies scattered instantly. Their positioning looked casual, but in fact, every angle was perfectly aligned with the visual focal point.

The pink-purple haired one stood at the front. She slowly stroked her hands upward along her body curves, from her thighs, to her waist, then to her collarbone... finally, her fingers threaded into her roots, and she tilted her head back, her neck stretching into a beautiful arc.

Then, her waist went soft, and she folded backward, supporting herself with one hand on the floor while the other leg kicked straight toward the ceiling, the edge of her hot pants straining against her full hip line.

Just at the second this movement froze, the drum beat of the music crashed down!!!

All the young ladies moved at the same time.

The range of their hip swaying was astonishingly large. When they whipped their heads, their long hair covered their faces, their arms intertwined, and their bodies rubbed and brushed against each other.

As their skirts flew, leg garters, waist chains, shoulder straps... various metal accessories jingled.

The pink-purple haired girl used the strength of her waist and abdomen to spring up from the floor. Keeping time with the beat, she darted to the front of Shang Wan Ning's daybed in a few steps.

This time, she didn't kneel but leaned over directly, bracing her hands on the edge of the daybed on either side of Shang Wan Ning. The distance between them was so close that Shang Wan Ning could smell the rich, fruity perfume on her...

She lifted her face; her lipstick had smudged slightly from the previous pose, and her eyes were moist and bright, staring straight at Shang Wan Ning.

"Your Majesty..." She parted her lips, her breath slightly ragged. "Just watching... how boring is that!"

She stuck out the tip of her tongue and slowly licked her lower lip, leaving a glistening sheen of moisture.

Shang Wan Ning leaned back in the daybed, a crystal wine glass having been placed in her hand by Qing Dai at some point.

The amber liquid in the glass sloshed, reflecting the light from the warm pavilion's ceiling lamp.

She took a sip; the liquid rolled down her throat, igniting a warmth.

"Continue."

The pink-purple haired girl giggled, the rise and fall of her chest becoming more pronounced. With a swirl of her waist, she slid past Shang Wan Ning's knees and returned to the formation.

The remaining eight immediately gathered around, their arms wrapping around her body like vines. The nine of them almost stuck together into a single group, swaying, spinning, and colliding with the increasingly dense drum beats...

Their gauze clothes were soaked translucent by sweat, sticking to their skin.

As their waists twisted, the lines of their abdominal muscles were clearly visible.

When the black-haired girl spun, one button of her shirt popped open, revealing a patch of snow-white chest and black lace trim.