Chapter Thirty Three - They attend a Royal Celebration

Jin Li was very blunt in his explanation regarding their 'marriage' as they lie upon Leon's kang bed together that night.

"When this Lord decided to Dual Cultivate with you, naturally you were honoured and bound to this Lord as Dao Companion and spouse. You did not disagree with it."

Leon had blinked, digesting this information before a deep red painted his face. At that point, not only was he flush in the aftermath of sex thus very weak to Jin Li's demands, he hadn't really known the consequences of accepting Jin Li's 'favour'. His lips formed a slight pout which was in turn bitten by Jin Li in a mixture of lust and warning; little husband dare to reject him now?? Of course Leon wouldn't, he was far too entwined in this relationship now, extracting himself now was unimaginable. Just to prove that point, Leon wrapped his arms about Jin Li's neck and placed a chaste kiss upon the other's lips.

Surprised for half a heartbeat then dissatisfied in the next, Jin Li chased his parting mouth and pulled his lips back into a much deeper kiss with his tongue diving into the Leon's warm cavity claiming ownership of the space. And simply to make clear just whom Leon belonged to once and for all, Jin Li pressed forward with an even more intimate suit. Leon could only cling to him, biting his tongue as he tried desperately not to let his voice escape and disturb his grandfather. For his elder to know what he was up to in the privacy of his small bedroom was just too embarrassing.

*****

Elsewhere;

Just as there were to be New Years celebrations in the village and nearby town, there would be New Years celebrations elsewhere, including in the city of Cenapar.  The celebrations in the poorer and frugal areas of the city wouldn't actually be too unlike those in the village, while the merchants and people with a comfortable amount of wealth would have saved a pot of silver and gold to celebrate with more fervour.  However, it was in the centre and in the North of the city where the social differences over welcoming the start of another year would once more become obvious and apparent.

Those without the social connections, money or status most likely could only imagine the way the wealthy celebrated, some might be envious of what occurred in their dreams.  They imagined all sorts of delectable and delicious delicacies from all across the globe being present on the table and most of that would be meat.  They imagined the women would be beautiful, elegant and graceful, clothed in stunning brocades and the smoothest silks, adorning lustrous jade and gleaming silver.  While the men would be handsome and surrounded in beauties, or they might be fat and still surrounded by beauties, while also wearing ornate silks cut to be charming and intimidating and gold to show their wealth. 

(Let it be mentioned, that being fat was not an unpleasant thing to these dreaming and sometimes hungry lower class, a wide girth simply represented being well fed and having access to rich food, perhaps having a lazy life of indulgence.  How could such a thing be considered bad?)

There might be dancers or operatic troupes invited to their celebrations to entertain them and there most definitely would be fireworks.  Those fortunate to live not to far managed to basque in the beauty of some of these displays, while further away they heard the loud sounds and a whisper of colour from time to time lighting up the midnight sky.

However beautiful a picture they might paint and while much of it was true, every light had a shadow and every rosebush had thorns. 

Still, Sun didn't care for any of these things, he was unhappy enough to have been dragged along with a handful of other family members by his powerful grandfather and intimidating grandmother to the celebration held at the palace of the first King in Cenapar.  Actually, it was not the first King who was throwing this party, but his sixth son; the King himself was in his own kingdom's royal palace and enjoying his own celebrations with his wives and concubines.  But it was not unalike for many of those matriarchs, patriarchs, eldest sons and first daughter-in-laws were leading their unmarried children to the celebrations in order to possibly find a match... or rather, what they considered a match.

Prince Drake was forty and not unmarried, widowed or divorced.  His princess was his only princess and he had never taken a Concubine or shown interest in other women.  This had created much gossip in the past, painting his princess as a jealous woman following the Prince rejected suits of others, but after the princess gave birth to his third son, the rumours died down somewhat.  This woman was so very favoured even though her hips and breast had grown with each child and with three sons (and later, a much desired daughter), her position in his royal household was too strong.  An interloper might make a small foothold, but unless she could steal the Prince's heart and wrap it in infatuation, she would never make much inroads.  Even bearing her own son would not help for there were three princes above him, what chance did her own boy have to inherit any title in the future?

But that was the past, this was the present and at present, two of the Prince's sons had come of age and were as yet unmarried.  There had been rumours that the first son was engaged, but no one knew to whom or whether she would become his Jun Wangfei, so there was hope for the darling daughters to take this title. There was also the position of the second small Prince's consort wife and both could also take concubines. Even if their daughters could not be placed in these lesser royal households, what of the those noble and influential households around them...?

The General did not care for these things; he wished to catch up with old comrades and friends as well as greet the prince who he once bounced on his knee after the child had walked in on a meeting between the young General and his Royal Father and other army leaders. Of course, he planned to show off his grandsons, particularly Sun, who had attained Secondary stage cultivation (note, he could only brag about his seventh grandson, Sun's 'rival' in the family, for the boy was too little to attend this event). So Sun had to attend, as did his older brother and one Male shu-born cousin, none of whom happened to have spouses.

Naturally, this little condition of taking just the unwed grandsons and leaving the wed ones to attend other less prominent gatherings was of the matriarch's. She also brought along several female cousins, including one pouting Carmen, who wished to be here less than Sun. What was the point when she had already met her future husband?? Grandmother had not agreed.

So after her Grandmother had gently pushed her to go and mingle with other young maidens of her age, the facade of a kind and virtuous yatou that she always presented in front of her Grandmother slipped a degree or two.  She was not about to bother competing with the other girls when he was not here to impress.  However, despite her sweetened appearance being not so anymore, she had quite the circle of friends for whom she revealed a different aspect of herself.  To them, she was not a glowing paragon of virtue, like their mothers wished them to learn from, there was something about her that attracted them.  She could be brutally candid to the point of being hurtful, but her eloquent, sly words were saved for others.  She could be a bit stingy with praise, but at least her praise was honest not something she did not mean.  Better than some white lotus who projected purity and virtue to the point of making their teeth hurt.

Sun would have said that this was still not the true her, that this was just another act, but they did not know that.  And right now, as she sat with them her posture sulky and her pretty mouth forming a sultry pout, they fluttered towards her like bees to honey in order to gossip and have a little fun at this celebration cum matchmaking event.