Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The snow in Jingdou stopped and then started again. It wasn’t clear-cut and at ease like the snow situation in Shangjing in Northern Qi. It also wasn’t as worrying as the complete lack of snow in Danzhou. It just happened to hang around annoyingly like the spring rains in Jiangnan. Fan Xian extended his hand angrily to brush away the snow on his hair and looked at the Great Prince standing by the manor’s door.
It’s just a meal. What need is there to be so nervous?
The Great Prince wasn’t wrong. If the inscription on the invitation did not have the name of the Great Princess of Northern Qi, whether or not he would sneak out early or not he even come was not certain.
Fan Xian thought, painfully, You royal brothers are having a gathering, so why call me, someone who has acknowledged the Fan ancestors, here? He truly didn’t want to come. He didn’t wish to see the Second Prince and his wife while the situation was still unclear. He also was thinking sinister things. If the Crown Prince, who was his target for these sinister plots, continued to warmly converse with him, what should he do?
There was no place for him to speak. His wife was already beaming with joy and standing in front of the Great Prince. She said something with a laugh and then the two of them entered the manor together.
Fan Xian looked at this sight of brother-sister affection and thought to himself that this brother was not a paternal cousin. A slight jealousy rose in his heart. How could he not enter the manor?
Fan Xian had not been to Prince Heqing’s manor many times. As he followed them into the manor, someone came forward to show him to his seat. Fan Xian looked around. He didn’t see anyone else, so he relaxed.
In the side room, Wan’er was warmly talking to the Great Prince she hadn’t seen in a long time about something. Fan Xian sat by himself in the hall and felt bored, but he was also too lazy to join the conversation. He half closed his eyes to rest. However, the words to his side continued to worm their way into his ear. One moment, Wan’er was teasing the Great Prince about his appearance after the wedding. In another moment, the Great Prince was asking Wan’er whether or not she was used to living in Jiangnan, whether or not Fan Xian bullied her, how the was scenery in Jiangnan and what yamen the Hangzhou Conference belonged to.
By the time Wan’er had explained clearly to the Great Prince that the Hangzhou Conference had nothing to do with the yamen, Fan Xian already couldn’t resist yawning, feeling bored. This brother and sister pair were important figures in the royal family. One had even once been a general who led troops to kill people. How come when they chatted together, they were not that different from the Teng family’s wife and those aunties?
As he was criticizing silently to himself, he suddenly felt a slight breeze behind him. He cautiously opened his eyes and turned around to see a beautiful young woman in gorgeous clothing lifting the curtain and entering.
Fan Xian was slightly startled. He stared at the flower placed at the temple of the woman’s thick hair and smiled,
Greetings, wangfei.
The newcomer was the Great Princess of Northern Qi, the Heqing wangfei. When this foreign nobility had married into Qing Kingdom, Fan Xian was the diplomat who brought her over. The two of them traveled together over thousands of li, so he was more familiar with her than others.
After she and the Crown Prince married, it was not appropriate for Fan Xian and her to maintain contact. Thus, it was essentially impossible to realize some of their secret promises to each other. Having not seen her in a long time, Fan Xian actually felt a bit unfamiliar. After his initial greeting, he didn’t know what else to say.
Lin Wan’er saw that the wangfei had come out and also stood quickly to greet her. However, she was forced by the wangfei to follow the customs of the people and call her
sister-in-law.
The wangfei’s appearance was dignified. The tip of her brows and corner of her eyes were particularly impressive, making her kindly and heartening. However, at this moment, her calm eyes turned and once again stared at Fan Xian. They revealed a glimmer of strange light.
It has been many days since I saw you. Have you been well recently?
Fan Xian stood across from her and had long noticed the glimmer of ruthlessness and anger in her soft eyes. In addition to how she referred to him, he knew that she was angry. However, he knew that the wangfei’s anger had nothing to do with the matters between men and women. She wasn’t resentful for not seeing him often after he accompanied her back to the city. It was probably because of the Yangcong Alley incident that made her angry.
Without thinking, he glanced at the Great Prince’s expression and found that the bastard was actually able to forcefully maintain his calm. He could only hide his awkwardness and smile.
Great Princess, what do you mean by this…I think it’s best if you call me Fan Xian like before, or…you could call me brother-in-law?
Although this joke was not funny, the titles in Fan Xian’s words were very particular. He still respectfully referred to the other as
princess
and was using an old title. He wanted the other party to remember their past friendship and knew that hearing this title would make the wangfei calmer.
Although Northern Qi’s Great Princess had married the Qing Kingdom’s Great Prince and did not lower her status, it was still a distant marriage to a foreign country. Furthermore, the background to the wedding at the time was a war between the two in countries which ended with the Qing Kingdom’s victory. This marriage, for Northern Qi people and the Great Princess herself, was not particularly glorious.
What’s more, the Great Prince was given the title of Prince Heqing. Heqing, Heqing[JW1] , what did it mean? Every time he thought of the Great Prince’s title, Fan Xian couldn’t help but smile, thinking, The Emperor was indeed a jealous and grudge-bearing person. The Great Princess probably hated the title Heqing wangfei.
As expected, the wangfei was startled at hearing the words
Great Princess.
She had lived in Qing Kingdom for almost two years. She had married a decent man and lived a decent life, but, after all, she was living in a foreign country. Although she had strictly prohibited the servants in the manor from using her full title, it had been a long time since she heard someone call her
princess.
The wangfei’s gaze immediately softened. She looked at Fan Xian with a slight smile, temporarily surrendering her thoughts of causing trouble for him.
Lin Wan’er and the Great Prince were both smart people. They had heard the various levels of probing in the previous words. Involuntarily, they met each other’s gaze and couldn’t resist shaking their heads thinking that these two were very tiring.
The four of them sat and had only said a few words before Fan Xian couldn’t resist but turn his head to glance in the direction of the main door and shook his head.
I said we came early today. Wan’er just had to rush me.
Everyone’s here, we’re just waiting for you,
the Great Prince glanced at him and said.
You’re the new Duke of Danbo and have great face to make to two princes waiting for you.
Fan Xian was slightly startled.
The Crown Prince won’t be coming today,
the Great Prince explained, saying that Chengqian had already sent a generous gift over while the Second Prince, his wife, Hongcheng, and his sister were sitting in the back garden right now.
The Crown Prince not coming allowed Fan Xian’s heart to relax a great deal. He knew that this was normal. The Crown Prince’s status was different. He was the heir to the country. Although his position seemed shaky these two years, his rank was still above those of the other princes. For a royal family gathering, he had to be invited. But, it also wasn’t appropriate for him to come.
Wan’er said in surprise,
Second brother and them are already here? Why are we still sitting here?
This wasn’t a stupid question. It was purposely to weaken the negative effects of the Great Prince’s words on the atmosphere in the hall. The Great Prince listened to Wan’er’s words and smiled.
Let us go now.
Then, he glanced at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian forced a smile, thinking, I’m already here. Do you think I’ll kick up a fuss in the manor and beat up the Second Prince? As he thought this, he rose and took Wan’er’s hand to walk toward the back garden.
The Great Prince and his wife shook their heads at the same time, thinking, Fan Xian, that rascal, truly didn’t have any awareness of being a guest. They followed him toward the back garden. As they left the hall, the wangfei thought of Fan Xian’s collusion with her husband and couldn’t help but furrow her brows. To her side, the Great Prince sighed and his heart trembled slightly.
…
…
This manor had been built by imperial edict the year before last. It was mostly for the marriage between the two countries. In order to display the Qing Kingdom’s face, the manor did not scrimp on anything and was built particularly extravagantly. It took up a vast expanse of land. The group of people walked for a long time toward the garden before seeing a Flower Hall in the distant beside the lake. Faint voices could be heard coming from inside.
The lake was not very big. The weather was slightly better than the day before. The thin ice on the surface of the lake was broken into pieces, but they were unable to spread out. They rose and fell with the water and reflected the faint grey light from the clouds above. It looked like countless pieces of jewels.
The Flower Hall was also extraordinary exquisite. The three black, wood windows facing the lake were well sealed and cotton wind-blocking curtains were suspended above them inside. In the middle, at about waist high, was a narrow opening on which was inlaid with superior glass made in the palace treasury.
Such a design meant that the chilly wind on the river could not disturb the young nobles’ spirits, and they could also admire the beautiful winter scenery through the window. It was very well thought out.
Fan Xian smiled and said,
I like this place.
If you like it then come more often in the future. After all, you’re not an outsider.
The Great Prince’s eyes were looking forward. It was unknown whether or not the word
outsider
had any deeper meanings.
This manor was originally even more imposing, but I didn’t like it. Fortunately, the wangfei is very clever and renovated it a great deal. It looks very different from before. If you like it, you should talk to her.
Fan Xian turned his head to glance at the wangfei, smiled, and didn’t say anything.
The Great Prince said with some pride,
I don’t care if others say I am afraid of my wife, as long as she likes it, I will always do it for her. Take this circle of glass around the Flower Hall, for instance, it cost me a pretty penny…
Hearing these words, the wangfei felt a bit embarrassed in front of Fan Xian and Wan’er, so she quietly sent him a glance.
The Great Prince chuckled and changed the topic.
Speaking of this glass, it’s really very expensive. To speak of it, now you’re the head of the palace treasury. In the future, when I need to change the glass, you have to sell it to me for cheaper.
Fan Xian replied,
Your Highness, have mercy. You are a great general and prince, do you really care about this little bit of glass? Never mind cheaper. In the future, if you want something from the palace treasury, write a letter and I’ll buy it for you.
The Great Prince was not pleased and shook his head.
The palace treasury is important. The money you earned for the court were all spent on the riverbank crisis. I wouldn’t dare to take advantage here.
Fan Xian knew that the Great Prince was someone loyal and upright, so he wasn’t surprised. He smiled and said,
If you’re using glass to curry favor with the Great Princess, I’m afraid you’ll have to spend a great deal in the future.
The Great Prince was confused.
What do you mean? Are you saying there isn’t enough glass used in this garden?
To the side, the wangfei covered her smile and didn’t speak.
Fan Xian smiled mockingly and said,
The Great Princess has lived in the Northern Qi palace since her youth…you’ve never wandered through that royal palace. The roof of the great hall is made completely from glass. Natural light shines through and lights up the limestone, jade platform, and white fish in the clear water beside the platform.
The Great Prince was shocked and sighed.
I have only heard of it in the past. I thought it couldn’t be so exaggerated. The wangfei has never talked with me about it…it is actually true?
He clicked his tongue and sighed, although a different thought rose in his mind. Secretly, he thought that since the Northern Qi royal family was so extravagant, no wonder their country grew weaker by the day and couldn’t even stand against one attack. However, it was not appropriate to say these words in front of his wife, so he could only forcefully swallow them back down.
With what he said earlier, Fan Xian also sank into his memories of his travels in Northern Qi. He was willing to appreciate impressive or extremely beautiful things, so his impression of Shangjing had always been very good. Of course, the girls in that city were not bad either. Unconsciously, a glimmer of a strange smile began to rise to the corners of his lips.
At this moment, the wangfei also began to reminisce about the landscape of her homeland.
Lin Wan’er looked at the smile at the corner of Fan Xian’s mouth and couldn’t help but press her lips together and let out a huff.
Like this, each with their own thoughts, they entered the Flower Hall. The two men and woman in the hall had already come forward to welcome them. They were the Second Prince, Hongcheng, and his sister.
Princess Roujia affectionately called out
Sister Wan’er.
Wan’er affectionately called out
Second brother.
Hongcheng affectionately called out
An Zhi.
Everyone sat down and chatted leisurely beside the lake view and tribute fruits from the South. The conversation was peaceful and comfortable, as if nothing had happened in Jingdou these years, as if Fan Xian and the Second Prince truly were close and affectionate brothers.
This was probably a natural born ability of royal sons, right?
As Fan Xian sighed in his heart, he listened to everyone talking. He knew the true purpose of the Great Prince’s feast today. He was also worried that Hongcheng would once again step onto the Second Prince’s boat. Although he was good at these kinds of conversations in which the true purpose was disguised, he was not as used to it as these people who had grown up in the royal family.
He made his excuses and fled away to find a bathroom.
…
…
In a little corner courtyard not far from the Flower Hall, Fan Xian, who had been led there by a servant, was startled. He watched the girl coming out, the girl with bright gem-like eyes and not a trace of impurity.
Fan Xian waved his hand to dismiss the servant and looked at the shocked Ye Ling’er whose hands were still at her waist. He smiled and said with good humor,
Lady, you should be careful of your appearance. Don’t you know that you should tidy up inside before coming out? What will the servants think if they see you?
Ye Ling’er covered her smiled and said,
I just look like this, teacher…
The moment the words came out, both of them paused at the same time and sank into silence. They both remembered in the year they had last seen each other, Ye Ling’er had long married and was a wangfei. She was no longer the unruly little girl who hung around Fan Xian fighting. And, Fan Xian…could he still be her teacher?
[JW1] The characters
和亲
(Heqing) could be taken to mean coming together or marriage.
