Chapter Twelve: The Yue Family Hosts a Banquet

Update time: May 14, 2013

At dusk, Lianyu sent someone to invite Lianyue to Firefly Garden for dinner. After the afternoon’s turmoil, Lianyue had cried out all the frustration in her heart. She no longer blamed her eldest sister, and upon hearing that her sister had sent someone to invite her, she tidied herself up just a little and happily hurried toward Firefly Garden.

As she entered, she saw Lianyu sitting at a round table carved from yellow pear wood, dressed in a honey-colored everyday robe. Lianyue called out crisply, “Elder Sister…”

Lianyu looked at Lianyue’s smiling face, put down her teacup, and teased, “What’s this? You’re not angry at your elder sister anymore? I thought you were going to ignore me.”

Lianyue quickly scooted to Lianyu’s side, gently tugged at her sleeve and pleaded coquettishly, “Sister, don’t be angry with me. I’m young and foolish—just take it as me making a fuss for no reason and forgive me this once, please…”

Clearly, Lianyue’s act of sulking worked wonders on Lianyu. “Alright, alright, you’re shaking my arm so much it’s gone numb. I wasn’t truly angry with you. It’s just that, with Father missing and Lingyang City in turmoil lately, I worried someone might take advantage of the chaos and you’d get hurt. That’s why I acted that way.”

Mentioning their father’s disappearance cast a shadow over the sisters’ hearts. Though they both believed nothing terrible had happened to him, a month had already passed, and to pretend they weren’t worried would be a lie.

Lianyu was quick to change the subject. “I heard from the guards that the Sixth Prince came to see you this afternoon and you gave him quite the scolding. He left in a sorry state.”

Lianyue, hearing her sister bring up the afternoon’s events, silently cursed the tattling guard a few times before replying sheepishly, “It wasn’t like that…”

“That’s good. Though our Yue family isn’t afraid of the royal house, he is still a prince. You shouldn’t go too far. Besides, in two years, after your coming-of-age ceremony, it’ll be time to discuss marriage. Although the customs in the Kingdom of Brocade are quite open, you’re already betrothed, so it’s best to be careful.”

She paused, lifting her teacup, and seeing that Lianyue was merely shy and not sulking as she used to, continued, “I’ve arranged for a banquet at home on the night of the 25th this month. I hear the young master of the Yuwen family will be there. You’ll have a chance to meet him and take a good look at the husband you chose for yourself!”

Yue Lianyue half-angry, half-shy, said, “Sister… if you keep teasing, I won’t talk to you anymore…” But her tone was more bashful than annoyed, and at this moment, Lianyu still didn’t know that Lianyue had already met him some days ago.

Watching her youngest sister, Lianyu felt content and couldn’t help thinking of her own beloved son—it had been over half a month since she last saw him. With their father’s matter unresolved, who knew how much longer she’d be delayed? When would she see her cherished child again? She harbored some resentment toward those two in the Imperial City; if they hadn’t let slip their plans too soon, that little darling would surely be with her now, and she wouldn’t have to pine for him every day.

Seeing her elder sister suddenly lost in thought, Lianyue guessed she was missing her nephew whom she had never met. She gave Lianyu’s sleeve a gentle shake. “Aren’t we supposed to have dinner?”

Lianyu returned from her reverie and instructed, “Chrysanthemum, serve the meal.”

The maids, hearing her command, began bustling about under Chrysanthemum’s direction.

After dinner, the sisters chatted privately for a while before Lianyue bid her elder sister farewell and returned to Orchid Fragrance Garden. In the end, she had Xiangling retrieve the jade pendant she had snatched away.

In the past, Lianyue had always avoided this pendant because everyone teased her about it. She had kept it tucked away, never really examined it. Now, holding it in her hand and scrutinizing it, even someone like Lianyue, accustomed since childhood to fine jade, had to admit this was a truly exquisite piece.

The pendant was made from the finest Hetian jade. Even though it hadn’t been worn for years, it still gleamed translucently under the candlelight. What made it even more remarkable was the carving on its surface—a vividly rendered design of dragons and phoenixes, as if they were about to break free from the stone. The tassel hanging below had grown a bit dull over time, but that only made the jade look more radiant. Lianyue genuinely loved the pendant, inwardly praising her own taste. Only when Ziling urged her to rest did she reluctantly put it away in the drawer of her dressing table.

Lying in bed, Lianyue tossed and turned, her head filled with thoughts of the banquet on the twenty-fifth. Would he come? Would they meet? Should she speak first, or wait for him to do so? She shook her head vigorously—what was she thinking? In a daze, she recalled the faintly furrowed brow she’d seen at the Ruisiang Pavilion that day, and eventually drifted off into a muddled sleep.

In the days that followed, Lianyue often stared at the jade absentmindedly. Ziling, observing her mistress alternately smiling and frowning, finally couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, you never liked that jade before, and wouldn’t let anyone mention it. Why are you suddenly so fond of it now?”

Yue Lianyue quickly retorted, “When did I ever say I didn’t like it? I just didn’t want you all to keep bringing up that embarrassing incident. The other day, seeing Peach Blossom Eyes’ jade pendant at his waist reminded me—mine is far better than his. That’s why I took it out, thinking to show it off when he comes, but I haven’t seen him at all these past days.”

Ziling thought for a moment, hesitantly saying, “I remember the prince wore a sachet at his waist, not a jade pendant…”

“I say he had one, so he did!” Lianyue shouted, exasperated by Ziling’s cluelessness.

Ziling quickly backed down, saying, “I must have been mistaken. If Miss says he had one, then he surely did.”