Chapter 049
Chapter 49: A Birthday Banquet with Hidden Moves, Countdown ? and the Heart Demon in Full Swing
Stepping into her own courtyard, Madam Liu could barely hide her excitement. She raised her voice so it carried far: “Yu Jiao! Yu Wan! Yu Ning! Come here, all of you!”
The three sisters had already heard from the outer room and hurried into their mother’s chamber. The youngest, Lin Yu Ning, was chewing a red fruit, her cheeks bulging as she mumbled: “Mother, what is it? Why are you shouting like that?”
Madam Liu grabbed her eldest, Lin Yu Jiao, by the hand, her eyes shining as she ordered: “Yu Jiao, hurry and send a post to your best friend in Qiu Manor, the eldest Miss Qiu. Tell her we are holding your little sister’s birthday banquet and invite her to come make it lively.”
Yu Ning froze, spat the pit to the side, and pouted: “Mother, you mixed up the dates. My birthday is more than two months away. Also, Sister Qiu is Second Sister’s friend, not mine. For my birthday, I want to invite my cousin from Grandmother’s side, and the Deputy General’s daughter, Xiao Fu.”
Smiling, Madam Liu pinched her youngest’s soft cheeks and lowered her voice with playful mystery: “Silly girl, use your head. This year, you can have two birthdays. One grand one at your Aunt’s place, and in two months Mother will host a smaller one at our own manor. You can invite whoever you like then.” She leaned in closer and revealed the real plan: “This time, we are using your name to choose a wife for your Buddha’s Chosen Elder Cousin.”
Quiet this whole time, the eldest, Lin Yu Wan, knit her brows. “Mother, in Elder Cousin’s heart there is only that maid, Xiao Man. Is it proper for Aunt to make such a commotion?”
“What is improper about it?” Madam Liu waved it off. Her smile faded into a sharp look as she said, “We are the legitimate line of the Heir Apparent Manor. Your grandfather fought with the Founding Emperor. Your father holds the Five Armies Command. Your uncle is the Heir Apparent by imperial decree. How could the principal wife of the clan be a maid?” Her tone dripped with scorn. “Even if she is Elder Cousin’s favorite, the main wife cannot be someone who pours tea. If that gets out, where will Lin Manor’s face be? It would be shameful.”
Lin Yu Wan pressed her lips tight and said no more, but a complicated look passed through her eyes.
Lin Yu Jiao’s eyes sparked like stars. Gripping her mother’s arm, she blurted with excitement: “Mother, you are right. My friend Qiu Ru Ying is absolutely the best choice for Elder Cousin. Her father is an upright scholar-official. If Elder Cousin marries her, our family’s reputation will rise. It is a perfect match. But besides Qiu Ru Ying, which noble ladies will Aunt show Elder Cousin?”
Madam Liu replied briskly: “Miss Zhao Lv Liu, legitimate second daughter of the Minister of War; Miss Sun Qian Qian, only daughter of the Director of the Hanlin Academy; and Miss Qian Shuang of the Imperial Merchant Qian Household. Your Aunt says each one is excellent.”
At the name House of Qian, Lin Yu Jiao startled: “House of Qian? The one that burns golden nanmu for firewood? I heard their Miss mixes her rouge with South Sea pearl powder.” She began to worry for Qiu Ru Ying, then squared her shoulders: “I do not know the other two, but Sun Qian Qian is pretty small minded. She is not necessarily that great.” [Ruying is still the best.]
Lin Yu Wan asked softly: “The Imperial Merchant Qian Household also passes Aunt’s eye?”
Madam Liu took a sip of tea and said, “It is only a viewing, not a decision. I heard that girl’s dowry could equal half a city. If we become in-laws with the imperial merchants, your father will have no trouble with supplies for the army.”
Lin Yu Ning’s dark eyes spun as her little head worked fast. She grinned: “Two birthdays means two rounds of gifts. That does not sound bad at all.”
Satisfied, Madam Liu nodded and turned to the nanny: “What are you waiting for? Go to the storeroom and bring the finest invitation cards. Set the date three days from now. Make it quick. Do not delay serious business.”
At the same time, First Madam was busy on her side, directing servants to prepare the grand “birthday banquet.” The place was set at Drifting Cloud Hall, the flower hall closest to Lin Qing Xuan’s Auspicious Cloud Residence, only a short walk away. Her intention could not be clearer. Sitting in a grand chair, eyes full of calculation, she told Nanny Zhou: “Send posts to my own family too. Invite more cousin Misses with good manners and looks. The more people, the livelier. It will also give our young master more choices.”
Madam Liu, not to be outdone, rushed to make her own arrangements. She invited several cousins from her mother’s side and told the steward nanny: “Go call more official families’ Misses. Even distant connections are fine. We just need numbers. Fill Drifting Cloud Hall for me. Make it a crowd of a dozen or more. The show must be grand.”
The happiest of all was the little birthday girl, Lin Yu Ning. Sitting on her small embroidered stool, she counted on her chubby fingers with a serious face: “I will take three little maids. One to collect gifts, one to keep the ledger, and one to stack the gifts high so everyone can see.”
In her own room, Lin Yu Jiao stood before the mirror, trying outfits while her mind clicked like an abacus. [I need to send word to Qiu Ru Ying to put on that cloud-brocade long dress from the bottom of her trunk. She must amaze the whole room and outshine every other candidate the moment she enters.]
Only Lin Yu Wan sat alone by the window, lost in thought. Proper rank and status stood like a mountain between her and Lu Chen. That was why neither of them dared tear the thin paper window and speak their true hearts. Her mind filled with the image of him in her father’s camp, swinging his blade again and again under the blazing sun. His skin was dark, but his eyes gleamed brighter than stars. She wondered how his training was going. Had he been hurt? She shook her head to chase him away from her thoughts, but her cheeks warmed anyway. [If Elder Cousin and Xiao Man can work out, does that mean Lu Chen and I might be possible too?] [Then I should be friendlier with Xiao Man and look for chances to help those two who truly like each other.]
Outside, the feathery leaves of the silk tree trembled in the wind, like the Blue Butterfly Lu Chen had given her. Unnoticed in the shadow of a fake mountain, a fuzzy gray mist poked out. Tuan Tuan quivered with excitement and whispered: “Heh heh, how could a lively setup like this be complete without your Grandpa Tuan? Time to add something stronger.”
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Auspicious Cloud Residence, Xiao Man crouched by the pond feeding koi, happy as could be. The sun was warm on her back, and even the koi darted about more than usual. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few unfamiliar maids slip in through a shut side gate. They cradled delicate food boxes like rare treasures. She tapped a little sweeper passing by and asked in a low voice: “Do you know which courtyard those maids are from?”
The girl craned her neck, then whispered like a mosquito: “I heard they are junior maids from the Qian Household of West City. They brought fresh pastries for Eldest Grandson Young Master to try.”
The fish food poured out of Xiao Man’s hand with a crash, scattering the koi and splashing her clothes. [A Miss from the House of Qian?] [So First Madam has started choosing noble ladies for Lin Qing Xuan?] [Honestly that could be fine, but…] Heat shot up her spine. She spun around and stormed back to her room.
The moment she pushed the door open, she froze. The wooden Chastity Defense Countdown she used to motivate herself had been tampered with again. The “190” she had carefully written with a brush was smeared out by a clump of dark ink. Beside it, someone had drawn a sideways “8” in even blacker ink, the infinity sign ?. Endless. No end in sight. Worse, a crooked line of charcoal words had been added next to it, gloating like a petty villain: “Anyway, you will not last till the end, so why lie to yourself?”
Xiao Man stood in silence. [Does this rotten Heart Demon have nothing better to do? You pick a fight with a block of wood every day? If you have any guts, come out and fight me for real!] She snatched up the unlucky plaque, shaking with anger, but her lips curled into an icy smile as she said, calm and fierce: “Fine. You are tough.” She narrowed her eyes, a dangerous light flashing in them as she said, “Since you love changing and scribbling so much, I will carve it into the wall. Let us see you paint over that.”