It was the eighth day of the second lunar month. There was still the coldness of snow in the early spring. Cotton-like edelweiss huddled together on the branches, like a group of joyful, naughty children climbing up the trees, not willing to come down.
The feast was ready. Old Madam, who hadn’t been out of the Lotus Fragrance Courtyard for a long time, arrived extremely early today. When the red glow from the sun just incarnadined the western sky, the seats of the feast were mostly taken.
“Old Madam, people of the Sun Family have arrived,” Yuanyang beside Old Madam whispered to her. Old Madam and Qin Yunuan exchanged a glance when the servant at the entrance reported the guests.
People all looked askance at the newcomers. Immediately the two madams of the Sun Family walking in gracefully from the corner gate became the center of attention.
There was something special about the Sun Family. All men in the family were short-lived. Even the one with the longest longevity failed to make it beyond 30. Therefore, Sun Family became a family in the hands of women. It was absolutely a kind of satire in a dynasty like Qi with the deep-rooted concept that men were superior to women. However, Old Madam and Grand Madam of the Sun Family, two widows as they were, managed to run the whole family successfully.
When it came to business, the canal transportation of the Sun Family covered Jinling and down all the way along the canal. In fact, it even took charge of one-fourth of the water-front terminals in Qi. When it came to studies, short-lived as the men of the Sun Family were, it used to be a scholarly family, with many talented poets coming from it. However, maybe because it was in the hands of women, strong power as it had, its reputation and right of speech were not as much as what the four big families in the regions south of the River had. But its influence was indeed in the first tier of Qi.
The Sun Family had the tradition that women should not leave Jinling unless they came from a faraway place for marriage like Princess Ning. This time, however, two of the four major Madam in the Sun Family arrived, showing that the Sun Family attached much importance to the marriage between Sun Baozhen and Prince Ning’s Mansion.
The leading one was Old Madam of the Sun Family, who was about the same age as Old Madam of Prince Ning’s Mansion, but she looked much weaker. Not only was she as thin as a lath, but she also spoke in a soft voice, which was in sharp contrast to Madam Sun, who was supporting her beside. Madam Sun had lost her husband at 24. Since then, she had been helping Old Madam run the Sun Family for 20 years. Having been mighty and decisive for such a time, she now looked cold and indifferent. Her dashing eyebrows implied a kind of heroic spirit, subtracting a woman’s tenderness from her and adding a man’s decisiveness to her.
The last woman in good shape wore a mask. She was definitely Sun Baozhen. Pretending to pick out fishbones in the golden plate, Qin Yunuan saw the young woman who was going to be the head woman of Prince Ning’s Mansion out of the corner of her eye.
With her slender waist and slim fingers, she looked like a graceful woman loving embroidering in the lady’s chamber, hearing sounds of snow and brewing tea. If Leng Shuang didn’t recognize her, others wouldn’t attach her to the first female student on the Kongming Mountain.
There was also a young boy following Sun Baozhen, who looked thin and weak. His skin was milky-white, which was nearly transparent as if he had never been in the sun. Sun Baozhen had been protecting the little boy tightly all the way. Maybe it was the first time for him to meet so many people, so he looked fearful, almost sticking to Sun Baozhen’s thigh throughout the way.
“Old Madam Sun, please take your seat,” Prince Ning looked quite serious. He didn’t announce the opening of the feast until he arranged seats for people of the Sun Family in order.
“Here comes songs and dance.”
The tweedle was echoing between cups and plates. Qin Yunuan poured a spoonful of delicious soup on the fish that she had been cleared fishbones from just now and pushed it in front of Leng Changxi. Then she picked up another fish with her chopsticks and began to clear the fishbones for Baochuan, who was sitting on the other side. Baochuan, who witnessed that the fish thought to be his was put in Leng Changxi’s plate, sighed like an old man.
“You are so young. Why do you appear to be an old pedant?” Qin Yunuan smiled. She said while picking out the fishbones, “Are you silly because you focus on your study too much?”
Qin Baochuan rubbed his head and raved, “No. There’s such a saying, ‘Getting married, forgetting mother.’ Now it’s accurate to describe you like that. But it should be ‘Getting married, forgetting brother.’”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Qin Yunuan laughed, pretending to be angry, “Where do you learn that?”
Leng Changxi had heard the conversation clearly. He put fish into his mouth naturally and chewed it well as if having something delicious. Then he turned his head to shoot Qin Baochuan a look, “‘Getting married, forgetting brother?’ Although the words make sense, I’m surprised that you didn’t know the simple principle until just now. Humph, it seems that you haven’t mastered all the art of war.”
Being despised by his brother-in-law, his idol, Qin Baochuan felt disheartened, lowering his head. It was at that time when Taner, Qin Baochuan’s chief servant girl, came to remind him that it was time for him to review his work. Qin Baochuan curtseyed to Prince Ning and Old Madam before leaving obediently.
“Facing such a grand feast, the young Master Qin can still calm down to study. He will make a great contribution in the future,” Old Madam Sun nodded and praised him. Then she said self-effacing words, “Our Chengzhen is not as good as him. He is always so naughty.” Finishing her words, Old Madam Sun glanced at the little boy of the Sun Family, but she didn’t see him.
“Where is he?” Old Madam Sun asked Sun Baozhen.
Sun Baozhen shook her head innocently, “He was here when I fed him the glutinous rice porridge just now. He was gone when I turned my back. Xiangqiu, go to find Master.” A servant girl of very small stature beside Sun Baozhen immediately left in a quick response to her order.
Qin Yunuan at once winked. Leng Shuang beside her promptly followed.
It was extremely quiet in a garden outside the feast. There were only the sounds of melting snow falling to the ground and the floating ice on the pool cracking.
Qin Baochuan draped a neckerchief made of fox fur by Qin Yunuan recently. When he was walking near the corner gate of the garden, he saw a little figure standing beside the small pool. He was draping a blue cloak. His snow-like skin made him look as if he had been about to melt in the snowy scene.
Qin Baochuan remembered that he was the little boy on the feast, the Master of the Sun Family.
“Taner, what is he doing here?” Qin Baochuan pointed at Sun Chengzhen and asked.
“I don’t know,” inquiring, Taner said discreetly, “but Master, I think that you’d better stay away from this young Master. Otherwise, you may find trouble for yourself.”
Qin Baochuan waved his hands. He approached the little boy carefully. He found no reason, but he felt that the boy had a special smell making him infatuated like butterflies desiring flowers, moths flying to candles.
At that moment, Qin Baochuan became confused, even forgetting himself.
“Master, be careful!” Taner behind him shouted in panic, but she failed to prevent Qin Baochuan from stepping on the floating ice. Missing his step, Qin Baochuan was about to fall into the freezing water in the pool. A purple figure skimmed over the pool and dragged Qin Baochuan out of it with only one hand. The movement was so fast that Qin Baochuan only got his trouser legs wet without any other damage.
“Master, are you alright?” Taner came towards him immediately, tears coming out, “Master, what was wrong with you just now? You seemed to lose your soul. Why, are you bewitched?”
Taner looked terrified. After all, Qin Baochuan’s abnormal behavior made her too scared.
“Taner, mind your words,” Leng Shuang berated Taner coldly, then said to Qin Baochuan softly, “All right. Go back and have a rest.”
Qin Baochuan looked as if he had just woken from a dream. When he heard from Taner that he nearly stepped into the deep, cold water, he was more frightened. He only dared to look at Sun Chengzhen from the corner of his eyes when leaving. How dreadful this little boy was!
Leng Shuang glanced at Sun Chengzhen, who acted as if nothing had happened in the whole process. She saw through the little boy clearly and quickly, “Your sister and grandmother are looking for you. Don’t run around anymore.”
The little boy still kept focusing on the rotten leaves in the pool as if he hadn’t heard anything. Suddenly, he said, “It’s weird. Adults asked me to come here, but then said they were looking for me everywhere.” Finishing his words, he came towards the feast without looking back.
The feast had come to the most harmonious part.
Old Madam of Prince Ning’s Mansion smiled kindly, “I’ve already heard that Grand Miss of the Sun Family is good at playing the zither. Maybe today we can have the luck to appreciate it.”
“Old Madam, you are flattering me,” Sun Baozhen nodded and smiled, appearing elegant and graceful, which was exactly what the head woman of Prince Ning’s Mansion required, “I’ve only learned it for several years. Old Madam, if you love that, I will present a performance. However, the song I am best at, Serenade Of Peaceful Joy, is adapted from the wintersweet dance. It is coincidentally winter now, so wintersweet is suitable for the scenery. When I was in Jinling, I’ve already heard that Third Young Madam of Prince Ning’s Mansion is second-to-no-one in talents and arts. I wonder if I can have the honor to invite Third Young Madam to dance.”
Asking Qin Yunuan to dance?
At her words, people all expressed agreement and approval. After all, Qin Yunuan was too famous. People all thought that Infanta Ping was definitely good at everything. Ladies, knowing that Qin Yunuan had never danced before, were much happier. They were waiting for Qin Yunuan to make a fool of herself.
Now things had no way to back down.
“Nuan is not convenient,” Leng Changxi refused Sun Baozhen decisively, saving no face to her.
“Not convenient?” Concubine Tang said with sarcasm, “Is she pregnant again? That’s why she is not convenient.” She knew about Qin Yunuan’s “miscarriage”, but she intentionally stabbed at her heart with words.
Leng Changxi didn’t give Concubine Tang a look, “Isn’t it just a matter of time?”
“Now that you are not inconvenient at all,” Sun Baozhen seized the opportunity to make a gesture of invitation, “Third Young Madam, please.”
Qin Yunuan was still hesitating, but she saw Leng Shuang return from the corner gate and nod at her, which was the cipher between them.
“Fine. I haven’t practiced my dancing skill for a long time. If I did it wrong, Madam Sun and Old Madam, please forgive me,” Qin Yunuan was about to stand up, but she was dragged by Leng Changxi on her sleeves.
“If you don’t want to dance, don’t force yourself to do it then. You have me here. Do you ever need to be afraid of her?” Leng Changxi said solemnly.
“I’m not afraid,” Qin Yunuan shook her head and smiled at Leng Changxi. As long as he was by her side, she wouldn’t be afraid of anything.
Qin Yunuan changed to a plain dancing dress with long sleeves, which set her pure and unworldly temperament off well. Sun Baozhen sat beside on the mat with a tapestry. With a smile on her lips and a movement of her finger, the first note popped up.
