There is a god in the sky

Chapter 168 The Dance Competition Scandal 3

"You know me?" Miao Niang asked in surprise.

“I heard it from someone by the river last night, and I also saw you dancing at Wanhua Tower when I was in Tanzhou.”

Shen Lan's words made Miao Niang feel favorably toward her.

She touched her face and said shyly, "I never imagined that I would have such a connection with my benefactor."

She never let her guests see her face at the brothel, and she was wearing a veil before she fell into the water last night.

Someone's stomach started making a "gurgling" sound.

Shen Lan asked Xuan'er to go buy breakfast.

She carried a grown man for so long last night, and now she's starving.

Miao Niang was a woman who blushed easily, and she had no trace of vulgarity about her.

Shen Lan rarely showed concern for a stranger, so she asked, "Is today the day of your dance competition? Can you still dance?"

Miao Niang forced a smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

She said softly, "If I can't dance, I won't be able to be a dancer anymore."

"You really enjoy dancing?"

"I used to like it, but now it's purely to avoid entertaining customers."

Seeing that she could earn money by dancing, Manager Peng naturally wouldn't easily sell her body.

This dance competition is her only chance to escape the brothel.

Xuan'er rushed back with breakfast, "Sister, there are government officials looking for the dancer who fell into the water last night."

Shen Lan handed a bowl of clear soup noodles to Miao Niang, saying, "Eat quickly, and I'll see you out after you finish."

Miao Niang's eyes reddened. "There's no time. By the time we get from here to Tianyi Tower to change clothes and put on makeup, and then to Bixiao Tower, the competition time will definitely be over."

"Is Bixiao Tower not far from here?" Shen Lan asked Xuan'er.

Xuan'er goes out to buy groceries and stroll around the area at a certain time of day, so she is very familiar with this area.

She nodded and said, "Bixiao Tower is only two streets away from here."

Shen Lan thought for a moment, then stuffed the food in her hand into Miao Niang's hands, saying, "Eat more, I'll think of something."

For some reason, Miao Niang had great confidence in this girl who was younger than herself.

She ate heartily, then got dressed and got out of bed to stretch her body.

A dancer's most important asset is her body, but she was drugged and fell into the water last night, and she is still very tired.

She felt tired after only a few basic dance steps.

Xuan'er was mesmerized, thinking that every move this beautiful woman made was so graceful.

Miao Niang dared not waste any more energy and began to walk slowly in the courtyard, drinking a cup of sugar water after walking for a while.

Feeling her strength slowly returning, Miao Niang began to comb her hair in front of the mirror.

All her hairpins had fallen off, so Xuan'er generously took out her own jewelry and lent it to her.

"Thank you, but these are not suitable for me."

Miao Niang simply loosened her neatly styled hair and sighed in front of the mirror.

Shen Lan came in carrying a bunch of things, and seeing this, she smiled and said, "Don't rush, there's still time."

She brought a set of clothes and brand-new cosmetics, and began to instruct Miao Niang on how to change.

She wore a white inner garment over a dark red, wide-sleeved, cross-collar long skirt. The entire garment was devoid of any patterns, as if it had been directly cut from a piece of dark red silk.

Shen Lan casually tied her long hair into a princess hairstyle with a matching hairband.

Her makeup was very simple, quite different from the plum blossom makeup or flying apsara makeup that women like nowadays.

If you had to describe Miao Niang's outfit in one word, it would be "plain".

There wasn't a single piece of gold or silver jewelry on her entire body; if she were dressed in white, it would be even more like a mourning occasion.

Finally, Shen Lan took out a dark red gauze scarf and tied it over Miao Niang's eyes.

The scarf didn't obstruct her vision, but it added a touch of hazy, mysterious beauty to her beautiful eyes.

"I don't know what kind of dance you originally prepared, but you're not in good spirits today, so it's best not to do anything too difficult. This outfit is more suitable for a graceful and sorrowful dance."

I can't dance, but I know that emotional expression is also very important for dancers.

You just need to act sad, express the sense of brokenness in your body, including the wounds on your hands—don't hide them, show them openly.

Shen Lan re-bandaged the wound on her hand, even paying attention to the details of the bandage, leaving a long, flowing strip of white cloth.

"Come on, I'll take you to Bixiao Tower."

At this moment, Bixiao Tower was packed with people inside and out.

The princess had not yet arrived, but the stage had already been set up, and all the dancers participating in the competition gathered together.

The audience consisted of high-ranking officials and nobles; ordinary people couldn't even enter this street today, let alone the Bixiao Tower.

"No entry!" The officials stopped Shen Lan's carriage at the street corner.

Xiao Ding, the driver, tried everything to persuade them and even offered them money, but the other party still refused to let him pass.

A soft voice came from inside the carriage, "Alright, I'll get off here. Thank you for escorting me here."

A slender hand lifted the carriage curtain, and then a celestial beauty stepped out of the carriage.

She landed lightly on her feet and bowed gracefully to the officials. "My lords, I am a dancer from Tanzhou who came to participate in the competition. My name is Miao Niang. May I enter?"

"You...you're the dancer who fell into the water and went missing last night?"

Miao Niang smiled slightly. "I did accidentally fall into the water, but luckily a kind person saved me."

"Wait here, we need to send someone to verify your identity."

The official left for a while and soon brought two people back: one was a maidservant from Wanhua Tower who served Miao Niang, and the other was an official from the Tanzhou government.

The two were overjoyed to see Miao Niang.

"The girl is finally back; any later and she would have missed it."

"Quick, come inside with us. We should still have time to change."

Miao Niang followed them inside, and when she looked back at the street corner, the carriage had already turned around and left.

She clenched the pill in her hand, recalling the girl's parting words.

"Taking the pills before the competition will make you feel more comfortable."

In the past, she would never have dared to swallow pills given to her by a stranger.

But that girl was different; she was a good person.

"I won't change my clothes, I'll just wear these." Miao Niang refused the gorgeous dance costumes they offered.

Everyone was in a panic. "How can you not wear this dance costume? It was specially ordered by King Zheng to be made. Do you know how expensive it is?"

Miao Niang shook her head, "Today is a dance competition, not a competition of clothing and appearance. Besides, I haven't fully recovered yet, and such heavy dance costumes will definitely affect my performance."

Upon hearing that she was unwell and had an injury on her hand, everyone knew that even if she rushed back, it would be difficult for her to win the championship.

Those dancers outside, aren't they all top performers from their respective regions? Aren't they all stunningly beautiful?

In such fierce competition, everyone else is conserving their energy and making a glamorous entrance.

In contrast, Miao Niang walked onto the stage in a completely plain outfit, without even a hairpin.

No one dared to look any further, fearing that the princess would think she was disrespecting the royal family and would kick her off the stage.

Shen Lan didn't know how well she danced or whether she could catch the eye of the important person. Sending her to Bixiao Tower was already the best she could do.