1.20 AuYeung LaiSan - Returning Home

The Crown Prince had brought me to the main entrance where his carriage was already awaiting our arrival. Next to it was the AuYeung residence carriage. Father must have sent this to me. This way I would not have to trouble anyone to send me home. I was jumping for joy, internally at least. I was seriously dreading the long ride home in the Prince's carriage.

With a bow and a cordial greeting, I bid the Crown Prince goodnight and hurried towards the carriage.

Once inside I found Jo-yi nodding off. She was not able to join me at the festival, so I was unsure if she was sent home or if there was a different area where they waited. I felt sorry that I had dragged her along. If I knew she could not accompany me I would have asked that she waited at home.

I didn't want to wake her, but by opening the curtain, I let in a draft and she awoke.

"Miss, you are back. Please come in quickly, it is cold tonight." After helping me in, she lifted the tiny burner closer to me. I motioned for her to sit next to me instead of going outside. I lifted the blanket that was neatly folded and waited for her to take a seat next to me.

"Miss I can not." she said hurriedly.

"I say you can and so you can. But actually before we head out could you check that the driver has his outer coat and ask if he is in need of a blanket as well?"

A voice from outside, "Miss, thank you for your concern, I am warm and well prepared."

"That is good. Jo-Yi come." I ordered.

When she was seated comfortably with me under the blanket. "We can head home now."

With an "Aye" the carriage began to move.

I asked Jo-you what she had done in the last few hours.

She recapped on the festivities that she enjoyed in one of the maids quarters. It was very much like the ones we are used to but the only people there were the maids of the Misses attending the Festival. The male attendants were all somewhere else.

She listed all the games they played together and all the gossip she had heard, the more she talked the more excited she got. At one point I had to remind her that we were out on the streets and that in these quiet streets all we say can be heard. We spoke in hush tones but we still laughed boisterously all the way home.

By the time we were home, she had heard about my experience and I had learned quite a bit about the Misses of other families.

The day was long, I decided that it was not worth asking Jo-yi to boil water so late and I should be able to manage changing and undoing this heavy hair style on my own. So I just dismissed her at the entrance of my room and had her return to her own room to rest.

Upon entering the room. I plopped on the bed face down and just hugged my blanket for a while before getting up to change. While I was changing I suddenly remembered what ZhiHin had said. "The General will be returning to the Central City in five days and I have just twenty days to make sure we are engaged.

I was thinking about this when I was undoing my hair. I yanked out one of the hair sticks, this one was made of purple jade, and I got distracted.

Under the light of the oil lamp, I looked at the designs on the stick. The stick itself is like a big six inch sewing needle. Wide at one end and narrow to a rounded point at the other. This one at the wider end had a carved flower which ended with a carved swirl tail, mimicking a stem, above it were two butterflies. The carver was able to make use of the thickness of the jade to carve out depth into these two butterflies, making the wings almost translucent compared to the body and the flower. It was carved with such intricate detail, utilizing the slight hue changes in the stone, that you can almost see the fluttering of their wings. It really is an exquisite piece.

But the thing is, this does belong to me. I don't have any memories of ever owning something so intricate. By the looks of it, it must cost a fortune as well.

"When was it placed in my hair?"

I closed my eyes, propped my head up fully resting my head on my right hand under my chin, with my elbows on the table. I retraced all my movements throughout the night. There was no incident where I felt anything strange occurring. I kept thinking back to the moment when the Crown Prince was so close, how my heart beated fast and the pain and embarrassment of hitting my head on the ceiling of carriage. Then like waking from a nightmare, my arm flayed to push the thoughts away but not remembering that I was supporting my head with my hand, my head freely dropped on the table with a loud bang. "Ouch!" I winced and rubbed my forehead as I thought how stupid I was to do that. Frustrated and tired, I yelled out "Ahhh. I am so tired! Forget it!" I slammed both my hands on the table and stood up hastily, I decided that it was too late to think and I had better just sleep.

But before I even moved my foot, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and noticed that I hadn't fully prepared for bed yet. Half of my hair was still in an updo. So I quickly sat back down and undid the rest of my hairdo, brushed it a few times and the scent of BaiLan flowers surrounded me. I took another whiff of the scent and placed the brush back on the table, blew out the lamp and retired for the night.

I was rudely awakened by voices talking really loudly, it was still dark outside.

I stirred in bed, turned to face the wall and covered my head with my comforter and closed my eyes trying to ignore it all. But their voices just got louder and seemed to be getting closer.

Then I heard Jo-Yi said, "Third young master, you are in the wrong courtyard. You are in Young Miss' courtyard."

"No, do you think I'm drunk and can't even recognize my own courtyard. Right, brother? Let's go in and continue drinking."

They must have pushed Jo-yi away cause I heard her say, "Ouch. "Seconds later my third and fifth brother came into the room."

They set their wine jugs on the round table and sat down to continue drinking.

I sat up in bed, put on an overcoat and lit a lamp. Then asked,"Uhh, brothers what are you doing in my room?"

"Oh, LaiSan, you are here to drink with your brothers too?"

"No, I was sleeping."

"Come and sit, I have some wonderful news to share with you too."

"Whatever it is, can't you wait until tomorrow morning?" I huffed.

My brother stretched out his arm and yanked me down to the seat next to his.

"You know that General that came to propose marriage?"

"Okay, what about him?"

"I was in court, this morning and it was said that he would be back in just a few days. He will be escorting the envoy from BeiGao to the capital in celebration of the Emperor's birthday. (hiccup) Yay! Birthday! (hiccup) They're to join...celebration and then the Princess will stay, (hiccup) in Capital City, preparation for the wedding with Crown Prinnnce neeex yurrr." My brother hiccuped and slurred the rest of his announcement to a point I didn't understand what he was saying before he fell unconscious.

I looked at my brother's unconscious face and then turned to my fifth brother and said, "So it is true, he is coming back soon."

My fifth brother guffawed at the sight of my third brother falling unconscious and the taking once last swig of his own jug, he fell asleep on the table and dropping the jug on the floor spilling wine all over.

Jo-yi finally came back with some male servants from my third and fifth brother's courtyard. It took two servants to carry my very drunk, unconscious third brother back to his courtyard. While my fifth brother could be slightly awaken, one servant half carry, half dragged him away back to his courtyard.

Jo-yi had already fetched water and rags to clean up the mess my brothers had made by the time they were cleared out of my room.

I crawled back in bed and Jo-yi called out, "Good night, Miss" as she blew out the candle and closed the doors behind her.

Finally, peace again.