"The bright moon is in the sky, the night is in full swing, and the endless do of the sky above is twinkling with stars that intermittently dim and shine. On the grassy hunting ground, everyone sits in their places, looking at these noble young ladies, eagerly anticipating their performances.
The Misses who signed up to enter the palace to wait upon the Emperor were ordered by the Empress to return to their ranks for the ti being, to perform tomorrow; the young ladies indifferent to entering the palace began their performances one by one at the command of the Empress Dowager. Each daughter of these great households was brimming with talent, and the content of their performances was rich and varied, with so playing the zither, so painting, so throwing pots, and others even enjoying composing poems...
Since he was selecting a future wife for Situ Changge, and because this wife would be key to the future relations between the two nations, Cai Wei was particularly dedicated. This wife must be from a noble family, worthy of the Crown Prince identity of Situ Changge, and also be learned and reasonable, possessing more than average intelligence, with the future ability to promote friendly relations between Great Jin and Qing Luo Kingdom!
After careful selection, Cai Wei and Nangong Yi each chose the targets they fancied. Nangong Yi was fond of Mo Shuya, the daughter of Duke Li Guo Mo Zijing. Shuya, now twelve years old, excelled in literature and was lively and intelligent, being closely related to Nangong Yi by blood. Once in Qing Luo, she would certainly strive to promote the developnt of relations between the two countries.
As for Cai Wei, she had her eye on Princess Zhao Gui. Zhao Gui was a princess by birth, with a sufficiently noble identity. Although she was the adopted daughter of Jin Guifei, Zhao Gui was already aware of how Jin Guifei murdered her mother and seized her, so there was no talk of avenging Jin Guifei and the abolished prince. Moreover, Zhao Gui was a smart and tily person. She needed the backing of the Great Jin Dynasty, and so, upon arriving in Qing Luo, she would also do her utmost to foster a friendly developnt between Great Jin and Qing Luo!
The performances continued. After the young ladies finished, it was the turn of the young masters from various mansions to take the stage, and the young masters were all very active: sword dancing, wrestling, archery, and poetry—all of which were spectacular. Cai Wei thought that the young masters were so eager to perform, probably to make a good impression on the young ladies, as after all, opportunities to mingle with mistresses so freely were rare.
As the performances went on, everyone was still watching with great interest, and the palace maidens began to serve dishes, starting with a variety of dim sum. These delicacies, made by the Imperial Cook in the Palace, were intricate and delicate, almost too pretty to eat.
Cai Wei looked at these exquisite dim sum, then turned to instruct Chun Liu, "Tell the Royal Chef to make two portions of these dim sum; one to be sent to Mu Mansion, and by the way, to check on Madam’s condition; and another portion for the eldest daughter of Marquis Jian’an’s Mansion, tell her to enter the palace and speak with when I return."
Chun Liu went down, Empress Dowager Mo harshly said, "The Miss of Marquis Jian’an’s has lost her womanly virtue, causing such shaful rumors to spread among the people who gossip behind her back. Duke Li Guo’s Mansion has also been losing face. The Empress does not punish her, and it bodes ill for her to be unceasingly good to her without discerning friend from foe. Have you forgotten who your true relatives are?"
Picking up a piece of rose pastry, Cai Wei ate while she said thodically, "This palace certainly knows who are relatives. If it were not for the sake of family ties, based on the ss that Mo Zili made, this palace would have already dealt with him. How could it be possible to let him wander around Marquis Jian’an’s Mansion as if nothing had happened?"
What Cai Wei said was true. Upon returning from Lingbei, she learned of the divorce between Xiang Yun and Mo Zili and heard that Mo Zili had sought soone to examine Xiang Yun’s body, which enraged her so much that she wanted to go to Duke Li Guo’s Mansion imdiately, find that heart-blind Mo Zili, and punish him severely. Had it not been for Nangong Yi desperately holding her back and painstakingly calming her down, Mo Zili’s fate would have been miserable by now!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)