Chapter 68 (1/2)
Chapter 68 Abysmal: Marriage
The days pa.s.sed, and the fate of the 7th Prince was finally decided. Bestowed with the t.i.tle of Commandery Prince of Nanhai, he was exiled from Chang’an and restricted from leaving his Nanhai province unless summoned by the Emperor. Despite the term “exile” sounding surprisingly harsh, the prince was free to live out the rest of his life in extravagance and luxury. Other officials that were involved in the scandal were not as lucky: some were expelled from the kingdom, their handmaidens and servants sold into slavery.
This caused a huge shakeup for the political parties in court as well, and officials quickly changed alliances. However, despite the ground-shaking scandal, the citizens of the kingdom continued going about their lives in blissful ignorance.
Seeing her father deeply pleased with the Emperor’s decision, Feng Luodi quietly returned to her courtyard. She sat by the stone table again and laid out her zither in front of her.
At the end of the world is a storm of sand
I sheath my sword borrow a roof
But I yearn to roam the lands
Free and unchained
All disputes will be settled with the sword
And I shall my fate when the sudden rain falls
In the tiny villages and old roads
I find serenity away from the smog of life
Let’s sit cross-legged on the floor with our brushes
The poems we write not to appease
We paint the world in tears and wine
Love as the mountains and anger as the seas
Will anyone understand me?1
It was a while before Feng Luodi calmed down again. She sighed, and had decided to check on the First Lady when Scarlet and Jet hurried into the courtyard, excitement written plainly on their faces. Scarlet waved a cloth in the air.
“Young miss, there is word from Fei!”
“Pa.s.s it over!” Feng Luodi’s eyes lit up and quickly scanned the message. “He will be back in no more than five days.”
“Has he found Abysmal?” Scarlet and Jet asked in unison, knowing very well how much the Guqin meant to Feng Luodi.
“Yes, he has.” Feng Luodi laughed a little. After such a long time, I finally found the next Guqin.
“Yes!” Jet was even more excited than Feng Luodi. “Young miss had to go through so much just for this Guqin, and all our hard work has finally paid off.” Her eyes were rimmed in red.
“Don’t worry, young miss. I’m sure Fei will bring back Abysmal without any further complications. All we have to do is to wait for five more days.” Feng Luodi nodded along to Scarlet’s words.
“Right, I almost forgot. Young Miss Qi invites you to lunch with her in the dining room on the third floor of Manchun Tang.”
“Alright.” Feng Luodi smiled. These two girls really do treat the Guqin as their first priority because of me. “Let me go and get changed into something more presentable.”
She donned an inner s.h.i.+rt of a natural silken colour, with an outer blouse the colour of primrose over her s.h.i.+rt. Embroidery of plum blossoms adorned her white skirt, and her brown cape was wrapped tightly around her shoulders, the collar adorned with the pelt of a snow hare.
The moment Feng Luodi walked into the dining room, Qi Jianqiu’s lips curved upwards into a smile and her eyes lit up.
“Looking fresh, Luodi!”
“But you look tired.” Feng Luodi unclasped her cloak and looked at the dining table, recognising that the dishes were made in Manchun Tang and not by Qi Jianqiu herself.
Qi Jianqiu’s smile disappeared quickly. “Father scolded me.”
“The Minister?” Feng Luodi recalled the sombre-looking man. “What was the problem?”
“Try these dishes first, and I’ll tell you after that.”
Feng Luodi nodded. I have a feeling that her culinary hobby is involved in this.
“This is Claws of Snow, made from simmered goose feet and white mushrooms; this is The Flower of a Beauty, made from braised yellow day-lilies; this is Blossoms and the Moon, an omelette of fresh prawns….”
Feng Luodi carefully tasted all the food, and quickly gave her feedback. “All of these were cooked in your style, but there's still something lacking about what you usually produce… In other words, the final dish is not befitting of the names that have been given to them, and is a little lackl.u.s.tre.”
“Exactly! Even you can tell!” Qi Jianqiu exclaimed, and grabbed onto Feng Luodi’s sleeve. “But the owner and chefs of Manchun Tang have the audacity to be proud of something like this! They've completely forgotten my original vision!”
“Is that why you’re upset?” Feng Luodi asked, but quickly denied herself. “I’m sure someone like you wouldn’t be affected by the opinions of such people. Jianqiu, what exactly is the problem?”