Chapter 7

The next day, Liu Jiyue arrived at the Shen estate as promised. Senior brother and junior sister tacitly avoided any mention of the previous night. After the meal, her mother pulled him aside to talk at length, mostly thanking him for taking such good care of her daughter all these years, and discussing what should be done in the future.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing was idly rocking on the swing in the courtyard when Cuizhi approached, holding a crimson invitation printed with gold. “Miss, Princess Wanyi has sent a visiting card, inviting you to attend the Quijiang Banquet half a month from now.”
By custom, such a banquet should have been held on the Shangsi Festival, but Princess Wanyi had fallen ill. Only recently recovered, she’d postponed the gathering to the end of May.
The words tugged at Shen Qing’s memory.
In her previous life, His Majesty’s only daughter, Princess Wanyi, had indeed held the Quijiang Banquet at Mount Li in the eastern outskirts. That banquet, however, had been anything but peaceful. A demon had crashed the event, killing one person on the spot and leaving more than ten seriously injured.
It was also after that banquet that Shen Ling had, by misfortune-turned-fortune, obtained the Glass Heart.
Last time, Shen Qing had thought it troublesome and had simply told Cuizhi to decline the invitation. This time, she had every reason to go.
She slipped the scented sachet from between the folded card and held it to her nose. A faint magnolia fragrance threaded through the blend, cool and soothing. Magnolias in gold thread were embroidered on the silk, just the style Shen Qing favored. Clearly, the sender had put some thought into it.
“Will you go, Miss?” Cuizhi asked.
Smiling, Shen Qing tied the sachet at her waist and tapped the visiting card with a fingertip. “Of course I will.”
Her smile didn’t last long.
Because Liu Jiyue came in carrying a bowl of medicine.
One look at the pitch-black decoction, and her mouth filled with remembered bitterness. Shen Qing pinched her nose and tried to hop off the swing to escape back into her room, but Cuizhi caught her hand. “Miss, you have to drink your medicine properly if you want to stay healthy!”
When she looked back, Liu Jiyue was already standing before them, bowl in hand. Shen Qing guiltily slipped her fingers from Cuizhi’s grasp. “Senior Brother, why did you bring it yourself? That’s so much trouble…”
He passed the bowl to Cuizhi. “If I didn’t, I suspect someone would pour it into a flowerpot again.”
Shen Qing had been sickly since childhood. Even though she was stronger now than she’d been as a toddler, her monthly tonic was still indispensable.
Unfortunately, Shen Qing hated bitterness. At Xuanji Pavilion, under her senior brother’s direct supervision, she had no choice but to swallow the medicine down. Back home, however, she’d grown bold. The decoction that should have gone into her stomach usually ended up nourishing the shrubs instead.
Seeing him bring the bowl in person, Shen Qing knew at once that someone had tattled. She shot a glare at Cuizhi. The maid’s gaze skittered away as she held the bowl out. “Miss, it’s time for your medicine.”
Liu Jiyue regarded her calmly, a mild smile on his lips that never reached his eyes. “What’s this? Is it so bitter you don’t want it?”
Shen Qing forced her mouth into something like a grin. “No… I’ll drink it.”
She took the bowl and, like a martyr headed to the gallows, downed it in one gulp.
The acrid, burning bitterness flooded her mouth and nose, making her eyes swim. Cuizhi, well-practiced, fished a rock sugar candy from her pouch and held it up. Shen Qing seized it and popped it into her mouth like a starving child.
The sweetness dissolved, chasing away the bitter taste. Shen Qing let out a long, relieved sigh.
Only after watching her drain every last drop did Liu Jiyue’s eyes finally soften with genuine warmth. “It’s only once a month,” he said. “For the sake of your health, you can’t keep dumping it.”
Shen Qing nudged a pebble with her toe. “Oh.”
“Last night, I investigated the matter,” he went on. “That yellow weasel demon wasn’t brought into your home by anyone’s design. It’s dead now, and the incident is closed. There’ve been disturbances near the Huai recently; I have to go see what’s happening. Take care of yourself. Don’t make your parents worry.”
“Take care, Senior Brother.”
“As for the Prince of Cang…” he paused, then shook his head. “We’ll leave that for later.”
“…All right.”
After finishing his instructions, Liu Jiyue soon departed for the Huai.
By late May, the days had grown noticeably hot. On this day, Princess Wanyi’s Quijiang Banquet was held at Mount Li in the eastern outskirts. Half the nobility of Chang’an, high officials, noble ladies, princes and princesses, had come. Cups and verses flowed along winding streams; wine and laughter wove together beneath fluttering gauze.
The scale of this Quijiang Banquet was unprecedented.
Because most attendees were women of rank and their households, His Majesty had dispatched nearly a thousand imperial guards to garrison Mount Li and ensure everything went smoothly. It said much about the place his daughter held in his heart.
Prince Cang’s manor.
A youth in blue robes vaulted over the wall into the inner courtyard. He had barely landed when he found himself face-to-face with a black snake as thick as his arm. His scalp prickled; he sprang for the nearest tree.
“A-Man! G-get your snake! You know I hate snakes!”
Even though Gu Yun had seen Li Daoxuan’s pet serpent several times by now, his fear hadn’t lessened at all.
The reason was simple. As a child, Gu Yun had once dug up a snake nest for fun and been rewarded with a bite on the backside. He’d lain in bed for half a month, his rear end swollen the entire time. Ever since, he’d had a deep-seated shadow in his heart where snakes were concerned.
The black snake was clever. The more Gu Yun feared it, the more it teased him. It opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp fangs, clearly preparing to slither up the tree.
“Go away! Go away! Li A-Man, control your damn pet!” Gu Yun was on the verge of tears.
At a stone table nearby, Li Daoxuan calmly finished wiping his sword, slid it into its sheath, and then said lazily, “Autumn Blade.”
Hearing its name, the black snake’s eyes gleamed. It gave Gu Yun a rasping hiss for good measure, then reluctantly slithered away to the stone table.
Autumn Blade wound its way up from Li Daoxuan’s boots, looping its tail around his waist as it climbed. Its head slowly emerged over his shoulder, flicking its tongue near his ear.
Li Daoxuan reached up to tap its sleek black head in placid reassurance. His peach-blossom eyes slanted upward at the corners, pupils dark as obsidian, cold and gleaming, enough to make one’s skin crawl.
Looking into those eyes now, Gu Yun felt as if he were peering into a bottomless, frigid pool. The color of Li Daoxuan’s gaze seemed to blend, little by little, with that of the snake.
Lately, A-Man had worn that expression often. His whole aura had sunk to a terrifying low. Gu Yun suddenly forgot his fear of the snake. He dropped lightly from the tree, dusted off his hands, and ventured, “A-Man, you seem… in a bad mood these days?”
Li Daoxuan toyed with Autumn Blade’s tail. “No.”
“No” obviously meant “yes.” Gu Yun guessed it had everything to do with the lost jade pendant. Seeing his friend’s belt still bare, he assumed it hadn’t been found.
He knew how much that pendant meant to A-Man and didn’t dare prod at the wound. Instead, he clapped a hand on Li Daoxuan’s shoulder, then quickly let go and hopped back three paces.
Awkwardly rubbing his wrist, he cleared his throat. “Princess Wanyi is holding the Quijiang Banquet today. Most of the noble young ladies in Chang’an are going. It’ll be quite the spectacle. Why don’t you go have a look?”
“Not going,” Li Daoxuan said flatly.
“It is your elder sister’s banquet,” Gu Yun persisted. “She dotes on you, and you’re not even going to show your face? What a pity. Even Miss Shen, who never attends these things, is going for once.”
Everyone knew the Duke of Han’s daughter had been frail since childhood. After being sent to Xuanji Pavilion, she appeared in public even less. Aside from the occasional gathering hosted by close friends, she almost never attended any functions, not even the Qujiang banquet, which His Majesty himself graced.
For her to go today was rare indeed, though, considering her relationship with the princess, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
At the sound of Shen Qing’s name, Li Daoxuan’s hand stilled on the snake’s head. A moment later, he changed his tune. “You’re right. Since it’s my sister’s banquet, it would be unfilial of me not to go.”
Gu Yun thought his persuasive skills had finally worked. His eyes lit up. “Exactly! A lot of ladies will be there. I heard Lady Zhao from the Jingzhaoyi’s family is going too. You can keep me company!”
Seeing that Gu Yun had finally revealed his true motive, Li Daoxuan narrowed his eyes. “If you’re going to meet your sweetheart, what do you need me for?”
Gu Yun scratched his head. “Well, it’s just, that my mother’s going too, and she keeps a tight leash on me. If you’re there, I’ll have a reason to slip, ”
He cut himself off, eyes going wide.
Li Daoxuan regarded him with deep meaning.
In the end, Gu Yun laughed weakly. “Th-that’s not what I meant, really. I just thought… as your brother, seeing you moping around at home all day, I should drag you out for some air…”
Li Daoxuan’s lips curved, his voice stretching, “Is that so, In that case, it won’t matter if I don’t go.”
“Don’t! Brother, please, just come with me!” Gu Yun all but begged.
Li Daoxuan picked up his sword and headed out.
Gu Yun’s face brightened. He hitched up his robes and hurried after him.
Mid-slope on Mount Li, the grass grew lush and green beneath a clear, blue sky.
On the wide meadow, guests arrived in waves.
Noblewomen in resplendent robes fluttered like butterflies, their gowns brilliant with color. The young ladies moved with graceful poise, sleeves drifting, smiles blooming like flowers as they chatted in soft voices, silver-bell laughter chiming in the air.
Young lords and heirs mingled among them, elegant and composed, reciting verse, trading witticisms, their every gesture polished and refined.
Maids wove through the crowd, busily arranging the tables, exquisite dishes, and fine wine. Multicolored canopies billowed gently in the breeze.
At that moment, the hostess of the Quijiang Banquet arrived, fashionably late. Princess Wanyi wore a light yet elegant gown, her feet clad in cloud-patterned shoes. Surrounded by her attendants, she walked gracefully toward the main seat.
The laughter and murmurs in the air immediately fell silent. Everyone rose and bowed, “We pay our respects to Your Highness, Princess. May you be well.”
Li Yu, clearly in high spirits, smiled and said, “You need not observe formalities. Please continue to enjoy yourselves and drink heartily. My arrival halfway through should not disturb the joy of this banquet.”
A young man responded, “Then we shall skip these empty courtesies. We hope the Princess will forgive us.”
“Of course,” Li Yu replied.
The Quijiang Banquet proceeded as scheduled. Shen Qing was among the assembled noblewomen, while her mother joined the circle of esteemed ladies.
After receiving the formal greetings, Li Yu lifted her skirt and strode over to Shen Qing’s side. The surrounding noblewomen bowed, but she waved them off.
“Shen You’an!” Shen Qing was just popping a fruit into her mouth when a familiar voice reached her ears.
Looking up, she saw a rosy figure approaching. Shen Qing, uncharacteristically, froze for a moment. Her mind flashed with the image of the other’s bloodied face and hollow, unseeing eyes.
Someone suddenly embraced her. A fragrant, not overpowering scent reached her nose. Shen Qing slowly returned the hug, a sharp pang hitting her chest. “Li Yu.”
Princess Wanyi did not mind Shen Qing addressing her so plainly. She led her to a quieter spot, her eyes brimming with excitement. “It’s been so long. Have you lost more weight?”
Shen Qing composed herself and twirled in place. “Don’t you think this ruqun looks even better because I’m slimmer?”
Li Yu said, “I think my golden-thread flowing brocade gown is quite fine,” she winked, “even better than yours.”
Shen Qing scrutinized her from head to toe. The girl before her was graceful in every gesture, her face radiant and full of life. Her phoenix-like eyes tilted upward, lips curved faintly.
Shen Qing forced a sound of agreement, “Indeed, yours is more beautiful. Today, I concede.”
Li Yu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why are you so uncharacteristically yielding today?” In the past, Shen Qing would always spar verbally with her over whose gown was prettier, never yielding without a contest.
Shen Qing could only think it was because seeing Li Yu reminded her of the misery of her past life, sapping her interest in competing.
Before she could fully answer, the system, silent for a long while, chimed: “Ding! Current affection rating with target: -10.”
“Golden greetings to my elder sister. Your brother comes to pay respects.” A clear, lazy young voice came, sending an inexplicable chill through Shen Qing.
Instinctively, Shen Qing glanced behind Li Yu, only to meet Li Daoxuan’s gaze directly.