You Aren’t Worthy of Them

The next morning, Fengmian had breakfast with Wangshu. "Brother, you know how much I love you right?" Fengmian batted her long eyelashes. Wangshu who was busy stuffing his face with snow fungus congee made a noise of agreement. "Then can I have your engagement to miss Bai?" Wangshu choked on his food, bent over, and started coughing. "Excuse me?" Wangshu mulled over Fengmian's question in his head and after two minutes of silence Wangshu asked "Dear sister, I know you tend to swing both ways as do I but is there a reason why you ask this of me now?" Fengmian then relayed her conversation with their parents from the previous day and showed Wangshu the list. He broke out into laughter, seemingly shaking the whole room. He reached across the table for the list, then brought out a charcoal stick from his sleeves. Wangshu's eyes narrowed as they moved further down the list, occasionally using the charcoal to mark the paper. "Fengmian, the people that I marked with a circle are those that I disapprove of. The rest I either haven't met or I have a decent enough impression of. Since you probably intend to meet them incognito before you're officially introduced to them, the markings will make your search easier." Wangshu handed the list back before continuing to eat. Fengmian glanced over the paper, realizing that many of the names had circles next to them. "...brother, how many people are your enemies? Why is it that at least a third of the names have circles on them?" Wangshu paused, looked seriously at Fengmian in the eyes and said, "it's not that I don't like those people. Its actually the opposite. I like those people too much; you aren't worthy of them." "You-" Fengmian lunged over the table for Wangshu's ear. Wangshu laughed and ducked out of the way, bringing his bowl of congee with him. With Fengmian hot on his heels, Wangshu sprinted out of the courtyard. "You rascal!" she shouted, face rosy from exertion. Fengmian was about to continue chasing him when Xiao Xi stopped her before she crossed the moon gate. Xiao Xi motioned to Fengmian's lack of shoes and how she was still dressed in her evening apparel. However, seeing that Fengmian was still reluctant in returning, Xiao Xi blew a bamboo whistle and like magic, a dozen maids appeared and whisked Fengmian back into her room.

Fengmian upon returning to her room, regained her calm demeanor. Xiao Xi and another maid helped her into a dark blue dress embroidered with butterflies in silver thread. When Fengmian glided over to her vanity, the glowing butterflies seemed to flutter their wings. She picked out a simple silver hairpin with a pearl dangling from the tip and matching earrings. The hairpin was handed to Xiao Xi to insert when she was finished with the half-down half-up hairstyle while Fengmian put the earrings on herself. The look was completed after Fengmian put on a veiled hat and like so she and Xiao Xi walked out of the courtyard. As they strolled, Xiao Xi briefed Fengmian about all the gossip, habits, and usual haunts of Shen Baili, the first young man on the list, such that by the time they got onto the carriage, Fengmian knew all the tea on Baili. Shen Baili was a scholarly youth who liked to spend his mornings at teahouses and afternoons at bookshops. It was said that he was rather cold and boring, apparently a disgrace to his beautiful appearance, since like clockwork he would be sipping his tea at ten - always rose hip tea. Coincidentally, Fengmian also favored rose hip tea, and was aware that the tea parlor near the empress's favorite jewelry store had recently restocked their supply, so she directed the driver towards it.

When they arrived, Fengmian was immediately calmed by the soothing scent of tea and the low murmur of the guests. Fengmian looked around, her eyes shining through the veil. She was immediately attracted to a youth sitting by the window, gazing outside at the sky as if unconcerned with worldly matters. He had sword like eyebrows, skin as pure as hers, and the long, distinctly jointed, fingers which held a teacup delicately seemed beautiful enough to be from a painting. This young man was Shen Baili. Snapping out of her reverie, Fengmian was half lead, half dragged to the corner where the youth sat by Xiao Xi. Oddly enough, when she arrived to his corner, she realized that all the tables around him were empty despite the popularity and large number of guests at the parlor.