7 Ch. 7: Cailing

Ning Cailing marveled at the sunrise from her bed chambers. It was a wonderful thing to watch, the way the sky lightened in anticipation before the sun crept out into the sky. Even during the tepid skies of late winter, the sunrise remained a beautiful sight.

"First Young Miss, you must be cold. Please come inside and drink tea before the cold wind harms your health," asked her personal maid, Lan Xue, approaching with a cloak.

"Standing outside for five minutes won't harm me at all," Ning Cailing replied with an easy smile, her flower-like beauty even managing to stun her maid who had worked for her since they were in their youth.

A maid who usually worked around the perimeter of her yard suddenly approached.

"First Young Miss, First Madam is here," the maid said hastily, looking somewhat nervous.

Both Ning Cailing and Lan Xue were surprised by this, for Madam Chu rarely visited this early in the day. It was always a few hours later when Ning Cailing went to give her morning greetings that she would see her mother, although it was well known in Duke of Gao Mansion that Ning Cailing was an early riser.

Ning Cailing turned to Lan Xue with a slightly concerned look. "Go find out if anything happened in the mansion today," she ordered, certain that something must have happened to prompt her mother to visit her so early.

"Don't bother," a snappy voice said. In the beautiful garden that sat before Ning Cailing's courtyard, a fast-approaching Madam with her attendants walked over with expressions of vexation and concern.

"Greetings, Mother," Ning Cailing said softly, saluting her mother before her mother quickly urged her to stand. Madam Chu removed a hand from her bronze handwarmer and lightly patted her precious daughter's face, her eyes dancing over the double buns that would soon be replaced during her daughter's upcoming hairpin ceremony. She frowned in concern.

"Why are you standing outside like this? What if you harm your root? If you can't bear children, you will have to watch loose women like Concubine Shao give your husband heirs," Madam Chu said, her gracefully aging face appearing sour.

Ning Cailing immediately understood the heart of the problem, taking Lan Xue's hand as the mother and daughter went up the stairs into the warm interior. The room reflected Ning Cailing's personality perfectly, a combination of muted spring colors that when paired together had a youthful yet restrained aura. It was still a little dark outside, so Lan Ming, her other personal maid, lit a candle before ordering a maid to bring in breakfast.

"You haven't eaten either?" the First Madam said, her face darkening.

"Mother," Ning Cailing said coquettishly, understanding her mother was in a bad mood, "What happened to make you this mad so early in the morning?"

Her mother was the legal wife of Duke of Gao, Ning Buwei, and the undisputed leader within the inner courtyard. For something to rile her up this much, it would have to be a large issue.

"Concubine Shao has given birth early this morning!" Madam Chu said through clenched teeth. "A boy!"

Ning Cailing's brows raised at the news of the heavily pregnant concubine's sudden labor, but her reaction was not as extreme as her mother's.

"Mother, just this?" she said sweetly, lightly massaging her mother's shoulders to defuse her mood, "It is good to have another brother to lighten Father's burdens."

"It is good to have another di brother, not a shu brother." Madam Chu griped, but her mood was clearly diminished compared to before. She would rather her son remain the only heir to Duke of Gao Mansion rather than the child of that seductive minx.

"Hulijing!" she spat, remembering the tired, but provocative glance from the concubine's eye once the midwife had announced the gender.

"What is that?" Ning Cailing asked curiously as the kitchen began to bring out breakfast. Ning Cailing, ever the dutiful daughter, began to place her mother's favorite foods onto her plate with graceful motions.

"It's a fox spirit. The kind that come from mountains or forests and seduce men with a beautiful human appearance. This new woman who has scarcely been in Duke of Gao Mansion and already has given birth, she is too wicked!" Madam Chu spat.

"Mother, calm down," Ning Cailing warned, slightly indicating her head towards the servants. Everyone within the room were her trusted attendants, but it would be better for her mother to be careful.

The First Madam let out a long sigh, reaching out for a piece of fresh lychee to place on Cailing's hand with a jewel-covered hand that had never seen a day of true, hard labor.

"You're right, Cailing. Mother is being too angry. But in the future, when you marry into Prince Jing's Mansion, you must be mindful of these kinds of women. I don't even know where the Lord found that minx, but you have seen this entire year how she has been testing my authority. Even the Lord warned me away from harming her. Now that she has a son, she will step on my face more!" Cailing's mother sighed, her eyes growing cold.

"Mother, you taught me to be a virtuous wife. No matter who Prince Jing brings home in the future, I will welcome her and not be jealous," Ning Cailing said, her face warming as she thought about her fiance an imperial decree had appointed.

Madam Chu saw the glowing look on her daughter and could not bear to crush it. Such a delicate flower that had been lovingly raised with every care, she pridefully knew that no man would be able to resist her daughter's charm. Still, she decided to impart some caution in her kindhearted child.

"You must be careful. You will cross the threshold of his home soon and although I have asked around, he doesn't seem to have any women outside a few tongfang who served him in his youth. You must not let any have a child," Madam Chu advised carefully.

"Mother!" Ning Cailing said with a shy expression, playing the part of a blushing bride perfectly on the outside while inside, her nervous heart skipped a beat.

"You are the most eligible young lady in the entire mansion. You have both good looks and a high background, never forget that."

"Yes, Mother," Ning Cailing said happily. Seeing her daughter in such a good mood, the First Madam could not bear to gripe anymore, although worry still hung over her heart.

After finishing the meal and everything was cleared away, the mother and daughter sat on the wide couch bed, which had a small oak table set between them as Madam Chu admired her daughter's careful embroidery.

It was a small child's outfit, made for her new brother. Madam Chu looked at it with a sad expression.

"If only I were able to have another child," she sighed softly, bemoaning the fact that she only had one son from her three children. After giving birth to her last daughter, Ning Caiyue through a long and grueling labor, the imperial physician who later visited their home had said that the birth had hurt her foundation. From then on, her womb had not moved once, and coupled with the Lord's decreasing visits to her rooms, Madam Chu, who was only in her 30s, knew that she would never have another child again.

"Mother, you still have me, my brother, my sister, and all our other siblings," Ning Cailing comforted, understanding her mother's worries.

The First Madam was not angry, but her voice was firm as she said, "If they did not come from me, why should all those sons and daughters be considered my children?"

Ning Cailing's mother shook her head. "Never mind them. You have put so much thought into creating this child's outfit, how about your wedding dress?"

Ning Cailing blushed bright red and Madam Chu narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"You have been working on it, haven't you?" Cailing's mother asked dangerously. She did not expect her daughter to be so irresponsible as to not have started her wedding dress when her wedding was in the coming autumn.

"Gong Momo!" the First Madam snapped loudly. Her most faithful attendant who had come with her when she married in stepped through the beaded curtains into the room.

"Bring me Cailing's dress," she ordered. Gong Momo obliged, dragging a bewildered Lan Ming along to direct her to where the dress was put away.

But it was all a misunderstanding, one that made Ning Cailing more and more embarrassed by the minute. Her mother gave her a disapproving look, her elegant brows creasing.

"Cailing, you must prepare diligently for the most important day of your life. It is well known through the capital how good your double-sided embroidery is. Do you want to make a mockery of yourself and the Duke Mansion with shoddy, rushed work?"

Rather than get a talented embroidery woman to make her wedding dress like most noble girls, Ning Cailing had rarely opted to make it entirely by herself.

"No, it's not that-" Ning Cailing started to say, the silver and jade buyao shaking with her head as she started to explain herself.

But her explanation was interrupted by Gong Momo and Lan Xue's return, a fabric box in the attendants' hands.

"First Madam, the dress," Gong Momo said in monotone as she lifted the lid carefully, revealing bright red fabric.

Ning Cailing's wedding dress was very special and rare, perhaps one of the most exquisite you would find in the capital aside from the imperial palace. It was entirely made of vivid red cloud brocade, a high-quality silk fabric woven with exquisite skill. For a noble girl to possess a pair of shoes or handkerchief made of cloud brocade was enough for her new in-laws to hold her in higher regard, so a dress made out of an entire swath of the luxurious fabric was practically unheard of. But for Duke of Gao Mansion, a first-rank aristocratic family that had served many dynasties, it was not too difficult to obtain for a di daughter.

Lan Ming gently raised the dress from the box, the newly risen sun peeking in through the window shining beautifully off the fabric. Madam Chu inspected it carefully, noting the detailed embroidery along the edges with an approving nod. But when she went over the entire dress, there was no area that was unfinished. The entire dress was complete.

"This girl-" Madam Chu said with a laugh. Gong Momo, who as a high-ranking attendant regarded Ning Cailing like a daughter she too had raised, chuckled as well.

"Why didn't you tell me you had already finished your dress?" Cailing's mother asked brightly, although she already knew the reason why. It seemed her innocent daughter was very excited about the impending nuptials.

"Mother, forgive me," Ning Cailing said as she playfully apologized for her gaffe.

"It's fine," Madam Chu replied, still lovingly admiring her daughter's handiwork.

A maid standing guard outside rushed in. "First Madam, Old Madam has risen," the girl said.

Madam Chu almost instantly fell back into her domineering aura, giving the girl a cool nod of understanding. Gong Momo returned to her side and helped her return to a standing position.

Walking towards the door, two maids held it open, but Madam Chu paused and turned back to see her daughter still seated and absentmindedly staring at the wedding dress.

"Quickly!" she said to Ning Cailing, startling the young girl out of her head.

"Yes, mother," Ning Cailing said, her bewildered expression especially cute as Lan Xue helped her stand. Madam Chu was infinitely pleased with this daughter, who not only held an important place within her heart, but even inside that stingy old woman's heart.

As Ning Cailing stepped out the door with her mother, she couldn't help but cast one last glance behind her at the wedding dress Lan Ming was packing away. The glance was desolate and sad, the exact opposite of what you would expect for a young noble lady with a bountiful future.

But how else was she supposed to feel when she knew that her fiance, whom she already loved so dearly, hated her very existence?