Perchance to Dream

10: Old As Good As New

As Wei Wanru moved to take her zither, another voice rose from the crowd.

"Ten-thousand years of blessing to Your Majesty! Good fortune and blessings to Esteemed Empress Dowager and Esteemed Empress! May the Chu ever reign supreme!"

Everyone in the hall turned towards the voice, only to see Minister Li of the Ministry of Rites standing up with his hands cupped in a bow.

"Does Minister Li wish to enlighten Us with further words?" the emperor asked simply. A greeting out of the blue like this was simply an appeal to speak.

"With your grace, Your Majesty," Minister Li bowed low. "This subject has already found new insight with Miss Wei's excellent piece. I simply ask, in my position as an official overseeing the rites, on what basis Miss Wei stands, to slight Your Majesty and your noble brethren?"

"Slight?" the emperor arched a brow. "Explain yourself."

Minister Li simply motioned to Wei Wanru's zither as proof of his words. "Young lady, you have said yourself that your music addresses the mighty reign and longevity of our nation. Why then, have you sought to immortalize the melody on such a plain instrument? Even my old eyes can see its nicks and scratches from here."

Of course he'd bring up the zither, Mei Yanran tried not to roll her eyes. He's Li Siyan's father, after all. And probably salty that someone beat his daughter to snatch the spotlight.

"The history of our Great Chu did not start from humble origins like other dynasties! We rose not from a revolt or a rebellion, but a throne handed down from last in line of the previous dynasty. As the trusted advisor of the Zhao rulers, His Majesty and his hallowed ancestors were granted the rights to succession. To speak of honoring the past with such a paltry offering is bordering on insult!"

The emperor remained silent, but the empress dowager spoke up in turn. "Wei Wanru, what do you think of these claims?" By now, everyone had noticed the old and worn instrument in her hands, many of them nodding to Minister Li's words. Mei Yanran saw Wei Wanru's father make a move to speak before his wife pulled him back with a shake of the head. Now wasn't the time to interfere.

Though the empress dowager's tone was impartial, there was no missing the calculating glint in her eyes. She might have acknowledged Wei Wanru's logic for choosing her song, but it didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"Wanru agrees with Minister Li," Wei Wanru said after a pause. There was a momentary uproar before her quiet voice stole the scene again. "We should honor our ancestors and our origins above all. But neither should we forget the hard work behind their merits." She brushed her hand across her zither, caressing the well weathered wood before she turned towards the royal seats again.

"Your Majesty---Esteemed Empress Dowager and Empress, Wanru first learned to play the zither with this very instrument. It has witnessed my successes and failures, my stumbles and trials. Time and age have worn it down, but it remains the clearest portrait of my heart and its closest confidante. Wanru had hoped---that its notes would have spoken to you too, as the true reflection of my soul."

"What nonsense!" Minister Li had yet to give up. "Simply ridiculous. Do you think adding feathers to a raven will make it a peacock?"

"And does a peacock lose its grandeur when it drops feathers of its own?" Wei Wanru shot back. "A zither is still a zither, just as a sovereign is still a sovereign and a state is still a state! With all due respect, what does Minister Li mean to imply by saying a simple change in looks is enough to represent the entirety of our Great Chu? What of our past? What of the sufferings that led to our triumphs? They too, wove the tapestry that Time took and formed into our lands and rulers!"

Such a quick response caught Minister Li off guard. He fumbled for words and strove to speak, but came up with nothing. In the end, it was the emperor who put him out of his suffering.

"Minister Li, take your seat," the emperor intoned. "A zither is simply a zither, and this show is still a show. Empress Dowager, shall we not continue?"

The empress dowager rose from her thoughts with a pensive expression. "Indeed, this Dowager wearies of this debate. Let us move on."

Wei Wanru silently bowed to them both and left the stage to make way for the next entrant and her painting. Her exploits here would spread throughout the capital from thereon, creating a miniature boom in the used zither market around the capital. "A zither is still a zither, and the old is as good as the new," would be the most popular selling phrase amongst the merchants for a good few weeks after the festival.

--

"Master, what was that all about?" Chang Yin muttered next to his master's ear.

Ling Fengxiao opened a lazy eye and glanced up. "You didn't see for yourself?"

"Miss Wei won the debate against Minister Li," Chang Yin replied. "But as for everything else..."

Ling Fengxiao only tapped the table thoughtfully. "The daughter looks to the father. You should pay attention to Official Wei instead."

Chang Yin was lost as he glanced towards the man in question, currently turning to murmur something to his daughter as she took her seat behind him. "Are you saying this was all Official Wei's plan, master?"

"Nothing so exact," Ling Fengxiao murmured. "But it's likely they share the same views."

Supporting the emperor, upholding the current reign...although the execution was less than elegant, it brought the point across.

He would have expected a more subtle showing from the Wei Clan, but circumstances seemed to have pushed their daughter to the forefront of attention. Ling Fengxiao's eyes rested briefly on Minister Li, who was busying himself with drink and food to distract from the recent humiliation. If the man hadn't spoken up in the first place, he might have suffered less face. Alas...

"Chang Yin, I believe Wei Wanru will beat Li Siyan tonight," Ling Fengxiao murmured quietly. "Judging from the other entrants, it's likely that the girl will win the entire competition."

"Ah?" Chang Yin leaned in close. "But didn't Miss Wei offend the empress dowager, master?"

"Only by a smidgen. The empress dowager's heart is still with His Majesty in the end. She wouldn't say no to a chance to support his supporters even if the contestant wasn't her favorite. Moreover," Ling Fengxiao swallowed another sip of his drink, "Wei Wanru's made a name for herself already. Even she if doesn't win the empress dowager's heart, she's already captured the imaginations of the court. They'll be dwelling on her name for quite a while."

Ling Fengxiao didn't spare a thought to the remaining contestants for the performance. None of them had been remarkable before the capital, so he didn't expect any surprises from them now.

Meanwhile, Mei Yanran had long left her seat to head for the preparation rooms.