"Brother is mean, not as good as Xiao Lin."
On the third day of the third month of the thirteenth year of Zhengshi, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.
Jiang Xuesui rose early to dress, wearing a begonia-red floaty-silk jacket embroidered with a hundred butterflies among flowers, a pomegranate-red golden-dragon horse-face skirt, a pearl cape that glowed softly, and a rosette hairpin that sparkled brilliantly.
The Marquis Lin'an's mansion had built a polo field at their suburban villa and had long since sent invitations to noble families.
Jiang Xuesui didn't particularly enjoy such lively gatherings. She had always been at odds with Xie Nongyu, the Princess Shanyang of Marquis Lin'an's mansion. However, today Lady Sang was to inspect potential husbands for Wen Yuan'ai, who had just come of age. Jiang Xuesui wanted to see what kind of man her eldest sister would marry.
On the way to the suburban villa, Jiang Xuesui shared a carriage with Wen Yuan'ai, Wen Yuanhuan and Wen Yuanle shared one, and Wen Yuanjia of the second branch and Wen Yuanxi of the third branch shared another.
Jiang Xuesui lived daily with these cousins without a single quarrel, getting along harmoniously and happily chatting every day.
Wen Yuan'ai was the first young lady of the Duke Xiangguo's mansion preparing to marry. The entire Wen family attached great importance to her lifelong event—only if Wen Yuan'ai started well would the marriages of her younger sisters go smoothly.
"Yuanyuan, aren't you planning to play polo today?" Wen Yuan'ai asked, examining Jiang Xuesui's attire.
"Xie Nongyu wants to play polo. She wants to show off in front of big brother. I'm not a child anymore; stealing her thunder isn't much fun." Jiang Xuesui knew that many noble girls in Xuanjing liked Wen Qiao, and Xie Nongyu was one of them. Whenever Xie Nongyu's mother, the Grand Princess of Chu, was present, she would insist that Lady Sang sit beside her. Lady Sang was also quite satisfied with Xie Nongyu's noble birth and beautiful looks. Both the Wen and Xie families wanted to promote this match.
"Princess Shanyang is really chasing after A Qiao closely, but A Qiao is just a blockhead who studies. He said today's sun is good and he wants to stay at his Ximo Pavilion to sun his books. Princess Shanyang will be heartbroken." Wen Yuan'ai spoke with a tone of frustration, then muttered, "A Qiao is more attentive when he sees your father than when he sees those young ladies. The chambermaid his mother arranged for him, he doesn't even use. Wasn't his cold disorder cured? Why is he so ascetic?"
Jiang Xuesui was just twelve and didn't fully understand some matters between men and women. "Big sister, what is a chambermaid? What does 'use' mean?"
Wen Yuan'ai realized she had misspoken, but thinking it over, she decided that Yuanyuan would eventually understand, so better early than late. She explained in detail into her innocent and naive little cousin's ear.
Jiang Xuesui grew indignant. "Do all young men have to do this when they reach big brother's age? But then they become so dirty. I don't want a dirty man as my husband."
Wen Yuan'ai suddenly felt Jiang Xuesui made a good point. When her mother had told her, she said that all young masters from large families did this, otherwise they wouldn't know how to perform marital rites after marriage. Her mother's reasoning also made sense.
"Yuanyuan, even in our family, my father and two uncles only have one wife each, but they all have chambermaids in their courtyards. For example, when my mother or the two aunts were pregnant, my father and uncles would go to their chambermaids. Not to mention other mansions—they all have a bunch of concubines in the rear court." Wen Yuan'ai said.
Jiang Xuesui pouted. "My father has neither concubines nor chambermaids. My father only loves my mother."
Wen Yuan'ai sighed. "But how many devoted and good men like uncle are there in the world? Even fathers as good as uncle are rare. I really envy you, Yuanyuan."
Jiang Xuesui held Wen Yuan'ai's hands and stared straight into her bright black eyes. "Big sister, don't always learn from your mother to just resign to fate. After marriage, you live your own life. Of course, you should open your eyes wide before marriage and pick a good husband."
"Father, mother, and grandmother won't harm me. The husband they choose for me will naturally be good." Wen Yuan'ai blushed when talking about her lifelong event.
Arriving at the polo field, Jiang Xuesui sat at her seat in the decorated tent. This polo gathering was also a disguised matchmaking event. Although unmarried men and women sat in separate tents, they could freely form teams for polo.
Wen Yuan'ai teamed up with several young men of similar family background. When the gong sounded and the match began, the girls displayed their prowess and the boys wore splendid attire.
Jiang Xuesui, sitting in the tent, was surrounded by many young ladies. They chattered ceaselessly, asking one question after another—what does your big brother like to eat? What colors does he like? They even stuffed love poems written on fancy paper into Jiang Xuesui's hands, repeatedly begging her to deliver them to Wen Qiao.
"Princess Shanyang arrives—"
The young ladies all sat up straight and bowed to Xie Nongyu as she approached. Jiang Xuesui perfunctorily performed the salute, inwardly glad that Xie Nongyu was coming over to sit, as it would quiet the noise. But she saw Xie Nongyu order her maid to ask the young lady sitting to Jiang Xuesui's left to leave, and then take that seat.
"Why didn't Wen Dalang come?"
Xie Nongyu looked at Jiang Xuesui with an arrogant and overbearing attitude. Jiang Xuesui ignored her, pretending not to hear. Xie Nongyu snorted. "After Wen Daniang finishes this polo match, I can also find out. Don't be too proud. If it weren't for your being Wen Dalang's little cousin, I wouldn't have invited you."
Jiang Xuesui lowered her head and drank. "Jiang Xuesui, are you deaf or dumb? Didn't you hear me talking to you?" Xie Nongyu couldn't stand Jiang Xuesui the most. Clearly Jiang Xuesui was only a Qingping County Mistress, yet she enjoyed the same treatment as a princess. Other young ladies flattered her, but Jiang Xuesui didn't put her in her eyes. What right did Jiang Xuesui have? Just because she had a good father from a noble family favored by the emperor? Even her father advised her not to antagonize Jiang Xuesui or make her unhappy. But she was a golden branch of the royal family—only princesses and princes could match her. Jiang Xuesui should yield to her in everything and be the green leaf to set off her red flower.
"Just now I only heard a dog barking." Jiang Xuesui wanted Xie Nongyu to speak nicely to her. Xie Nongyu flew into a rage, took a riding crop from her maid, and raised it to strike Jiang Xuesui heavily. Jiang Xuesui dodged the whip. In the past, she would have given Xie Nongyu a lesson, since she had never lost a fight. But today was the day for Wen Yuan'ai to inspect grooms. If she fought with Xie Nongyu in the tent, her eldest sister would stop playing polo and come to take sides.
Jiang Xuesui ordered her maid to inform her three aunts that she felt unwell and would leave early. Seeing Jiang Xuesui leave, Xie Nongyu was full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent.
Just then, He Lanlin came over. Seeing Jiang Xuesui's seat empty, he asked the still-furious Xie Nongyu, "Where is Yuanyuan?"
"Slap—"
He Lanlin took a solid blow from Xie Nongyu's whip. "Your Yuanyuan is dead." Xie Nongyu glared at him. He Lanlin understood what had happened and grinned mischievously. "You still need to practice that whip technique. That didn't hurt at all." Xie Nongyu saw that his white silk robe had a tear. "I don't know if you're a dead duck with a hard mouth or just thick-skinned."
He Lanlin gestured with his right hand behind his back to his attendant, who handed him a whip. He suddenly raised it and struck at Xie Nongyu, but pulled back just before it touched her skin. The whiplash made Xie Nongyu's face tremble. She was unharmed but startled, falling from her seat to the ground, very embarrassed. "He Lanlin, you always oppose me for Jiang Xuesui's sake. You're not even engaged to her, yet you protect her. What if she marries someone else? Then you'll be the laughingstock of the entire capital, you know?" Xie Nongyu was helped up by her maid.
"Please watch your words, Princess Shanyang. Eldest Miss Jiang is dignified and proper, and has nothing to do with me. As the saying goes, hitting is affection, scolding is love. I wanted to whip you because I wish to be close to you. I suppose you always scold me because you also have love for me." He Lanlin's smile grew even brighter. He was like a jade tree in bloom, with dragon-like elegance and phoenix-like grace. That handsome, frivolous smile charmed many young ladies in the tent. Xie Nongyu was so angry her heart ached and she stamped her feet.
*
Jiang Xuesui carried a box of fancy paper to Ximo Pavilion. Wen Qiao was tasting tea in the tea room. Jiang Xuesui tipped the papers onto the tea table, picked one at random, and read it aloud to Wen Qiao. Wen Qiao frowned slightly, then shook his head. "Return these to the young ladies. They're all vulgar and erotic verses. If they wrote proper poems, I could comment on them."
"To express a maiden's feelings, these sensual words are best. You just don't understand romance, brother." Jiang Xuesui carefully selected another paper and read it to Wen Qiao. Wen Qiao took it and looked at it. The handwriting was delicate—only a talented young lady could write such verses. "This love poem is very well written. When read aloud, it lingers on the lips, and the listener is also moved."
"I think I have good taste. This love poem is the best among them." Jiang Xuesui was about to say which young lady it was from, but Wen Qiao threw the paper into the red clay stove. In an instant, it burned to ashes. "Unfortunately, it plagiarized Mr. Yinliu's poem. The original was about the nation and the world, but this young lady borrowed it to write about romantic feelings. This is utterly shameless."
Jiang Xuesui quickly scooped all the papers back into the box. "Since brother doesn't want them, give them all to me."
"What do you want them for?"
"I'll use them later. I'm the worst at writing poetry, so I can borrow a few lines from these." Jiang Xuesui said.
Wen Qiao's expression darkened. "Who do you want to write to?"
"Brother said poems about the nation can be borrowed for romance. So of course I can adapt these love poems. When father tests my poetry, I can use them." Jiang Xuesui replied.
Wen Qiao smiled faintly, ladled the boiled milk tea into a teacup, and pushed it over to Jiang Xuesui. "Then I will definitely expose you in front of uncle, and then use a ruler to hit your palm hard for him. You really grew a pair of claws in vain—you can only draw, not write poetry."
"Brother is mean, not as good as Xiao Lin."
"If you think he's so good, then go and be good with him." Wen Qiao poured the milk tea from the teacup back into the clay pot.
Author's Note:
None