Chapter 149: Secret, carefree spirits (2/2)
Han Yunxi would be the main event, but it’d only show off her incompetence!
Compared to Princess Changping, Crown Prince Long Tianmo was much more polite. As soon as Han Yunxi sat down, he started to speak. “Imperial Qin Aunt, I heard that Imperial Qin Uncle is planning to travel after the New Year’s?”
His voice wasn’t very loud, but it was enough for Duanmu Yao to overhear. Undoubtedly, he was doing it on purpose. Even if he didn’t like it, he had to fight for Duanmu Yao. Once he got her, he’d have to kill off her affections for the Duke of Qin. Han Yunxi didn’t expect Long Tianmo to suddenly ask her about Long Feiye’s affairs. In truth, she was completely ignorant about such a thing. All right, so she knew even less about his other matters, too.
She was about to reply honestly when she caught a glimpse of Duanmu Yao’s hostile gaze. Han Yunxi could admit that she had evil ideas when she easily replied, “Where did you hear that from? The Duke of Qin’s only told me about this.”
Long Tianmo smiled. “Of course I heard about it from Imperial Father.”
Emperor Tianhui!
Duanmu Yao narrowed her eyes. Emperor Tianhui clearly knew that Long Feiye was leaving, so why didn’t he tell her? Abominable!
“Imperial Qin Aunt, where is Imperial Uncle planning to go? And for how long?” Long Tianmo asked again.
“Why don’t you ask your Imperial Father?” Han Yunxi said carelessly.
“Imperial Father’s not clear either, so…he told me to come ask you!” Long Tianmo lowered his voice.
Han Yunxi smiled, her face full of mystery. “It’s a secret!”
Technically speaking, she really had no idea why Long Tianmo was asking these things. But seeing Duanmu Yao’s gloomy face, she couldn’t help but feel very carefree. She discovered that Duanmu Yao and Long Feiye weren’t actually all that close. At the very least, Duanmu Yao was on even footing with herself, and didn’t know about Long Feiye’s affairs after the New Year’s. Thinking up to here, Han Yunxi’s heart felt much more at ease without her even realizing it. In the middle of their idle talk, the eunuch’s high, clear voice attracted the attention of the guests again.
“Marquis Pingbei’s estate, Lord Che arrives…Marquis Pingnan’s[1] estate, Lord Mu arrives!”
The two young lords of Marquis Pingbei and Pingnan were known as the North and South Lords. They had a considerable reputation, but it was a bad one.
Marquis Pingbei’s son by his first wife was named Zhangsun Che[2], or whom people commonly called the North Lord. He was dressed in white robes and held a fan, appearing eminently outstanding, refined, and tasteful. His talents laid not only in his scholarly learning, but his romantic nature. This year he was only 18 years old, but he already had ten houses’ fill of maids and concubines. Rumors had it that he even went after his father’s youngest concubine. He was more or less a beast in human skin.
Marquis Pingnan’s son by his first wife was named Li Muge[3], or whom people commonly called the South Lord. He was dressed in purple robes and also held a fan. At first glance, he appeared free from the dirt of mortal cares, as if he was an immortal cast down from the Heavens. But closer scrutiny would pick up on how he held he positioned his fingers like a lotus flower[4] and walked with small quick steps. His gentle and reserved nature was more feminine than a female, and it was an open secret that he was a longyang, or gay.
The appearance of the North and South Lords elicited a restless stir from the crowd. Elegant, free and easy men were poison to women, while gentle and reserved men were women’s best confidantes. Both of these lords were quite high-class.
Princess Changping had invited quite a few men to these gatherings, but she’d never found these two before today. Why was that?
Ignoring the discussions popping up around her, Princess Changping shot Murong Wanru a searching glance, which the latter replied with a significant look. The two of them reached a tacit understanding as if sharing a secret. Han Yunxi was bewildered as she looked towards the North and South Lords, feeling that something was off. But she couldn’t tell what it might be.
Soon enough, everyone arrived and the gathering began…
This year’s Plum Blossom Meet featured plum blossom tea as the main course of interest, along with various original approaches to cakes, pastries, and drinks. Unfortunately, most of the people had no mood to sample the snacks. They were all looking towards the Han Yunxi sitting high up with a mixture of admiration and envy. More were itching to see her fall into disgrace. A commoner with inferior birth to all of them was a humiliation to the “Qin Wangfei” title, but she could actually sit so calm and composed in that seat of honor.
Today, their chance had come to strike against her until she assumed her original form. They’d find holes in her laughable pride and blind arrogance and teach her a lesson: even if she treated herself as a head of onion, nobody would pick her for their dipping sauces! Before Princess Changping could even speak, someone had already reached their limit. This person was none other than the youngest daughter of the magistrate of the Board of Civil Offices, Lady Xu’s little sister Xu Yunrong[5].
She stood up and respectfully said, “Your Highness, princess, since the plum blossoms are blooming so well this year, why don’t we compose poems for them!”
Composing poems for the plum blossoms…
Princess Changping was waiting for someone to speak up. She rejoiced so much at the suggestion that she stood up in delight. “Miss Xu is so tasteful and refined, this is a good idea!”
-o-
[1] Mariquis Pingbei…Marquis Pingnan (平北侯) – Marquis North Ping and South Ping, respectively. Ping is a character that can mean ‘peace, even, level.’
[2] Zhangsun Che (长孙澈) – Zhangsun is a two-character surname, the words together also mean “eldest grandson.” Che is “clear, limpid,” usually used to describe water.
[3] Li Muge (禮牧歌) – Li is a common surname also meaning “plum,” Muge together means “pastoral song, madrigal.”
[4] positioned his fingers like a lotus flower (莲花指) – lianhua zhi, a feminine way of holding one’s hands found commonly in classical Chinese dance, in which the four finger splay out, with the thumb coming to the center of the palm to meet the middle finger. All in all, the effect resembles the petals of a flower. Sometimes called orchid hands, or lanhua zhi (兰花指).
[5] Xu Yunrong (徐云容) – Xu is a surname meaning “slowly, gently,” Yun is “cloud,” and Rong is “tolerate, appearance, permit.”