Chapter 38: Accepting the Invitation

Chapter 38: The Invitation

In the blink of an eye, the Qiqiao Festival was upon them, and the women of every household were bustling about.

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Qiqiao Festival, was also called the Daughters' Festival.

On that day, many women stayed up all night, sitting in courtyards to watch the Milky Way, talk about needlework, and exchange silk threads, carrying on till dawn—which was why it was called the Daughters' Festival.

After waking from a good, long sleep, Liu Yun joined her parents in airing out books and clothes.

Legend had it that on the seventh day of the seventh month, the gates of heaven swung open and the sun shone at its brightest. Scholars would sun their books to keep bugs away, while common folks hung out silks and clothes to keep off pests and mildew—a custom scholars took especially seriously.

After laying out the last book to dry, Liu Yun dabbed the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and broke into a bright, cheerful smile.

Though it was already the seventh month and the weather had cooled considerably, after working half the day in the warm sun, Liu Yun couldn't help but work up a sweat.

Back in her room, she had a bowl of ice cream, then finished braiding the five-colored silk threads she meant to give Zhen Zhen. After her afternoon nap, she made the most of the daylight and took a carriage to the Chen residence.

On the way, Liu Yun made sure to stop and buy Zhen Zhen's favorite snack—transparent flower cakes.

But for some reason, the Xue family shop, which sold the best transparent flower cakes, had hardly any customers—in fact, no one was even in line.

This was highly unusual. Their transparent flower cakes always sold like hotcakes; sometimes, if you came even a little late, they'd be gone.

Right then, only a young gentleman in brocade robes and his servant were waiting outside the shop—no one else.

"Hurry, go!" Liu Yun urged Jin He, afraid a crowd of customers might show up any second.

She watched anxiously as Jin He came back looking dejected.

"Madam, the shopkeeper said there's something going on at home and they're closing early. The Young Marquis already bought the last batch."

Liu Yun let out a disappointed "oh," then suddenly said in surprise, "Young Marquis?"

It wasn't the Young Marquis she knew, was it?

She looked up and happened to catch Ye Qingliu's eye as he walked over with a smile.

"Ah, Lady Liu. Here to buy transparent flower cakes too?"

Liu Yun listened as Ye Qingliu asked an obvious question, and she nodded. "Yes, but unfortunately I came at the wrong time. The Young Marquis already bought the last batch."

Ever since County Princess Jinning's birthday banquet, when Liu Yun heard Young Marquis Ye's drunken, frivolous remarks, most of her goodwill toward him had faded, and he no longer seemed so agreeable.

Hearing this, Ye Qingliu smiled lightly, his peach-blossom eyes—so deep they seemed to hold affection even for a dog—fixed on the young lady's fair, delicate face. After a moment's thought, he said, "If Lady Liu doesn't mind, I'll gladly give this batch of transparent flower cakes to you."

The Young Marquis loved to smile, and he always smiled brilliantly at young ladies. This time was no exception, though no matter how brilliant his smile, it couldn't hide the bruise on his lip.

It didn't look like he'd fallen—more like he'd been hit in a fight.

With just a glance, Liu Yun looked away and focused on the transparent flower cakes in his hand.

She hesitated for a moment, then firmly accepted them.

"I can't take something from the Young Marquis for free. Jin He, go give the money to his servant."

She hadn't wanted to take anything from Ye Qingliu, but these were Zhen Zhen's favorite transparent flower cakes from that shop, and she'd be so disappointed if Liu Yun didn't get them...

After going back and forth, Liu Yun decided to accept them and just pay the money outright.

Ye Qingliu had always been generous—when had he ever taken money from a young lady, especially for a box of transparent flower cakes?

He immediately frowned and refused, saying, "It's just a box of pastries. Why bother paying? Consider it a small token of my esteem."

Liu Yun wouldn't have accepted anything from Ye Qingliu before, and now that she was betrothed, she certainly wouldn't.

From what happened with Brother Xiuyuan last time, it was clear the Crown Prince was petty. She needed to be careful.

"No, I can't take your things for free."

She gave Jin He a look, and the clever maid promptly shoved the money into Ye Qingliu's servant's hands and ran back before anyone could refuse.

"Master, this..." the servant stammered, looking at Ye Qingliu, not knowing what to do.

Ye Qingliu looked at Liu Yun's solemn expression, shook his head with a low chuckle, and teased, "As expected of a future Crown Princess—you carry yourself with a lot more authority than before."

When the imperial edict of betrothal had come down, Ye Qingliu finally understood why the Eastern Palace had sent someone to warn his father that day, saying he was dissolute and ill-mannered.

So much so that before he'd even sobered up, Ye Qingliu had been thoroughly scolded by his father and made to kneel in the ancestral hall for a day.

Now, with this edict, Ye Qingliu suddenly understood.

It was because this libertine had laid hands on the Crown Prince's beloved, and this was a warning to him.

But none of this had anything to do with Lady Liu, and Ye Qingliu still smiled at her.

To Liu Yun, these words were a compliment—after all, once she entered the Eastern Palace, she couldn't be a pushover.

Her spirits lifted, and Ye Qingliu no longer seemed so unpleasant to her. Her gaze fell on the bruise at the corner of his lip, and she said magnanimously, "The Young Marquis should worry more about his own injury. Put some medicine on it sooner so it heals faster."

Ye Qingliu was startled, instinctively reaching up to touch the bruise on his lip, then smiled and said, unconcerned, "It's just a minor wound. Nothing to worry about."

"It's just that there's something I truly don't understand, and I'd like to ask Lady Liu about it."

Liu Yun thought he actually had something serious to say, so she listened with a serious expression and asked earnestly, "What is it?"

Ye Qingliu stepped closer, stopping beside the carriage, his eyes and brows smiling, but the words that came out weren't quite so pleasant.

"The Crown Prince's pickiness is famous throughout the capital—everyone knows it. So I'm very curious as to why it was Lady Liu who won the position of Crown Princess. I truly can't figure it out."

The troubled look on the young man's face didn't seem fake, but his words carried a hint that made Liu Yun feel distinctly uncomfortable.

It was very much like County Princess Jinning's birthday banquet, and it made Liu Yun involuntarily grow cold, losing all desire to keep talking to him.

"There are plenty of things you won't be able to figure out."

With that, Liu Yun retreated into the carriage and signaled the driver to leave.

As the carriage drove away, Ye Qingliu watched it go, momentarily lost in thought.

"Changsheng, did I say something I shouldn't have?"

Ye Qingliu asked belatedly, but all he got in response was his servant shaking his head in confusion.

Seeing this, Ye Qingliu silently laughed at himself, touched the bruise on his lip again, and lowered his gaze.

"Go to the medical hall and buy some medicine; it suddenly hurts a bit."

The servant nodded and reminded his master, "Also, go to that pastry shop in the west of the city and get an order of Transparent Flower Cake. Madam loved it when she was alive; we can't miss it."

Ye Qingliu gave a soft hum, with a bored, distant look.

Today was his mother's death anniversary. She had loved eating Transparent Flower Cake in life, so he bought it every year.

But not this time; he figured his mother would forgive him for wanting to be a gentleman.

"Let's go."

Ye Qingliu said with a light smile, casually strolling down the steps and blending into the crowd.

At the Chen residence, Liu Yun handed the hard-to-get Transparent Flower Cake to Zhen Zhen and took out the colorful silk threads she'd carefully braided.

Zhen Zhen also tied one around her wrist, and the two sisters laughed and chatted away.

After getting engaged to the Crown Prince, Liu Yun felt as if everything had changed, yet nothing had.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen still treated her very well, but their kindness now came with a touch of deference and sycophancy.

And that's not even mentioning everyone else.

Almost every day, households came calling, or women she barely knew sent invitations for banquets.

Liu Yun wasn't a fan of crowded, noisy places; she'd rather stay home and keep herself busy most of the time.

Liu Yun knew they were trying to win her over to get closer to the Crown Prince through her.

Was power really that tempting?

Naturally, Liu Yun's thoughts turned to the Crown Prince, remembering how he'd handled Wen Yuzhu with ruthless efficiency and his aloof, imposing attitude toward outsiders.

As evening fell, Liu Yun came back from the Chen house. After having dinner with her parents, she helped her mom set up the altar for the ritual.

They set up the altar in her parents' courtyard to pay tribute to the Weaving Maiden and the Cowherd stars.

As night fell, the courtyard was swept clean, the altar draped in silk brocade, displaying fresh melons, grapes, lotus seeds, wine, dried meat, pastries, pollen, rouge, and so on.

When the time came, Liu Yun followed her mother in worshiping the stars, quietly making her wishes.

First, she prayed for better sewing skills, asking the Weaving Maiden to make her even better at making cloth dolls, so she could create more beautiful ones in the future.

Second, she prayed about her marriage.

If you were an unmarried girl, you'd definitely pray for a good husband.

Liu Yun already had a future husband, but she wanted to pray for something else, even though she knew it was basically impossible.

"I wish my future husband would only ever have me."

If outsiders knew her wish, they'd probably laugh at her for being delusional.

Because in this day and age, even rich young men took concubines or went to courtesans; unless a family was too poor to afford more mouths to feed, almost everyone took concubines.

Let alone someone like the Crown Prince.

The more Liu Yun thought about it, the more hopeless it felt, but she still hoped the Weaving Maiden would be kind enough to hear her out, so she said it out loud, hoping for the best.

After paying respects to the Weaving Maiden came the fun part: the spider divination.

The so-called spider divination meant catching a tiny spider on Qiqiao Festival night, sealing it in a little box, then opening it the next morning to check the web.

If the web was fine and even, it meant you'd get better at sewing in the coming year; if it was loose and sparse, you were out of luck.

Even though Liu Yun didn't buy it, she still caught spiders every year for fun, just to see if hers could spin a nice, even web.

But this year, luck wasn't with her—Liu Yun couldn't find a single spider.

Just as she was stressing over it, someone outside sent over a "big spider."

It was Su Lin.

"Hope you have a peaceful Qiqiao Festival, miss. This is the lucky spider His Highness sent for you."

The brocade box opened to show a palm-sized ink-jade spider sitting inside.

The ink-jade spider was smooth and polished, cool to the touch—obviously top-quality ink jade.

Since it was delivered right to her and they were engaged now, Liu Yun smiled and accepted it.

"His Highness's Eastern Palace is desolate and lonely. Might the lady leave a few words for me to bring back to ease his heart?"

With the matter put so plainly, Liu Yun couldn't very well stay silent. She searched for words for a long while but could only manage a dry sentence.

"Tell His Highness to take care of himself and not overwork."

Su Lin smiled wryly and returned to the Eastern Palace with those dry words.

When Su Lin returned, he saw His Highness practicing with his spear under the bright moonlight, his posture agile and the spear tip cold.

Seeing Su Lin back, Xiao Hang sheathed his spear and asked about Liu Yun.

"Did she have anything to say to me?"

Though his tone was calm and restrained, his eyes held a hint of eagerness.

Fortunately, Su Lin was prepared and delivered his polished version to His Highness.

"The lady said that Your Highness should take care of his health at home and not overwork himself, or she would worry."

Xiao Hang paused in wiping his spear and smiled with a curl of his lips.

The next thought was to hasten the wedding so he could keep her in the Eastern Palace.

...

After the Qiqiao Festival, around mid-July, the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau delivered the completed wedding dress.

The Crown Princess's wedding dress was a yudi robe of green brocade, embroidered with nine rows of pheasant patterns, exuding an air of supreme nobility at first glance.

The green yudi with nine pheasant patterns was worn for the formal procession during the wedding. Besides the yudi, there was also the dianchai jiudian ceremonial dress.

Without pheasant patterns, with wide sleeves and a long skirt, adorned with nine gold hairpins, in colors not restricted to green, paired with soft shoes instead of formal ones, and small ribbons and double pendants, it was worn for the bowing ceremony and the nuptial cup.

Finally, there was a juyi robe.

It was to be worn on the second day after the wedding when entering the palace to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress.

The yellow silk Ju Yi robe, entirely in a bright goose-yellow, without the pheasant motif, with nine flower hairpins in her hair, and the knee-length apron and wide belt both in yellow, was so striking that the bright goose-yellow alone felt luxurious.

Just thinking about wearing all three gorgeous dresses made Liu Yun unable to contain her joy.

She tried them on one by one, and they all fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small, requiring no alterations.

One evening in late July, Liu Yun received a letter from the Eastern Palace, saying he'd make good on his promise to teach her horseback riding.

Liu Yun was in the middle of a crucial part of her storybook, so she reluctantly put down her pen and wrote a reply to him.

Thinking about it, she realized it had indeed been quite some time since she'd last seen the Crown Prince.

She'd even mostly forgotten what it felt like when the Crown Prince kissed her.

Author's note:

Update

Getting married soon.