14 Bud of Interest

The delegation from Northern Xi was made up of about 50 people. There were a few noblemen and their wives and children, as well as a handful of servants for each family. Among them were a merchant and his son. Normally, a merchant would certainly not be allowed to be part of such an illustrious group. However, Tian Ren and his son had been specifically invited to join the delegation without much explanation.

Tian Ren figured that it was because of his wealth. While his Tian family was not ennobled, they had plenty of money from their ventures and had pledged a lot of that money to several political causes back in Northern Xi. He had influenced a number of government decisions behind the scenes in this way. Thus, even the lofty nobles often showed members of the Tian family some face and respected them at least on the surface. Tian Ren had always been careful to avoid crossing a certain line and remained humble and genial no matter how rich his family got.

Tian Ao was Tian Ren's eldest son and the only member of their family to accompany his father to Eastern Wei. He was somewhat apprehensive about the entire venture. Upon arriving in the capital, they had been given a lavish estate just outside the palace to stay in. This treatment seemed a little too nice for someone as naturally suspicious of others as Tian Ao. The morning had been spent greeting the emperor and royal family and now father and son were trying hard to unpack all of their things and find places for several things the emperor had bestowed down.

"Will we have to stay in the capital long, Father?" Tian Ao asked. As far as he was concerned, the quicker they left this city, the better.

"I'm not sure." Tian Ren frowned. He wasn't certain of the delegation's goals this time, thus he could make no real prediction. "I don't believe that our delegations from Northern Xi ever stay here for more than a month or two. If all goes well, we could leave as early as next month." He said this more to appease his son than anything else. Tian Ren wasn't sure of why Tian Ao was so against this trip, but he didn't much like to see his son upset. "Why are you in such a hurry? Did you leave important business back home?"

Tian Ao shook his head. "You know that's not it, Father. I simply have no great love for Eastern Wei. The people here are so..." he sighed. "Everyone is so elegant and proper that it all seems fake. No, I'm sure that it's all fake."

Tian Ren couldn't help but nod, albeit slowly. "You are right. It is very different here compared to the court in Northern Xi. But that is precisely why this is a good experience for you. If we want to expand our businesses more across all four countries, you'll need to become familiar with all four countries."

"..."

"Did I misread your ambitions? You never seemed satisfied back home, yet now that we're in Eastern Wei, you're acting so shy and withdrawn." Tian Ren frowned. This eldest son of his had always been a handful, never acting within his expectations. "Don't tell me you're willing to let your younger brother take over things for our family."

Tian Ao's eyes narrowed. "...he's not ready."

"I believe so too, and that's exactly why I brought you along on this trip. So stop being so fearful and moody. Just focus on observing others where you can and gaining new experiences for yourself."

Tian Ao let out a little sigh. "You're saying that I can't skip out on the palace banquet being held tonight."

His father grinned. "You catch on quickly."

Even though he was less than thrilled about attending, the last thing Tian Ao wanted was to let down his father or embarrass his entire family. After resting and taking some time to explore the capital--at least, the part of the capital immediately around their estate--he changed into formal attire for the banquet.

Tian Ao dressed in blue silk brocade with silver embroidery. He had a white jade crown to match, though it was of a simple design. He didn't feel that it was a good idea to stand out too much on a night like this, but a jade crown to hold his hair up was within reason. It contrasted nicely with his raven-black hair. Tian Ao looked at himself in the mirror and frowned.

He'd always been somewhat unsatisfied with his looks. He had a naturally serious look because of how his eyebrows were set, which made him look bored or angry even when he wasn't. Tian Ao admired his father and younger brother's looks, wishing he'd inherited more of those traits.

Even though Tian Ao was dissatisfied with himself, others were not so harsh. When he appeared at the banquet alongside his father, he cut a fairly nice figure.

A steward from one of the other Northern Xi delegates was assigned to the father-son duo to help them avoid awkward situations by whispering people's names and titles in their ears. Tian Ao was a quick study and soon knew most everyone present. Presently, the emperor had not yet arrived and so food had not been served. People were trickling in and were congregating together to chat. Most of the nobles in the room were not interested in a merchant from Northern Xi, so Tian Ao had spent more time talking to Tian Ren than anyone else.

During a lull in the conversation, a brilliant-looking young woman across the room caught his eye. She was in a dress the color of the sea, surrounded by a group of high-class young ladies. This girl had a rather noble brow that he found particularly pleasing to the eye. Tian Ao hadn't seen girls quite that beautiful in the social circles he ran in.

However, when he followed her line of sight, he noticed that she was gazing at the heir and only son of Prince Rui.

At this moment, Wei Hong Sheng was closer to him, currently talking with a pair of noblemen close to him in age. The girl's expression was complicated. Tian Ao couldn't interpret it as love or hatred. On the one hand, her eyes watching Wei Hong Sheng were rather gentle, but her lips were pressed into a straight line that gave away her true feelings.

"Who is that girl?" he asked the steward.

The steward took one quick glance in the direction of where Tian Ao had been looking and then smiled. "Ah, you have a good eye, sir. She is a most noble personage indeed. That is the fourth miss of Duke Ning's household. The emperor has bestowed her in marriage to the eldest son of Prince Rui."

The little bud of interest that Tian Ao was developing for that girl completely withered away. He wasn't the type of man who was interested in propagating leaves from other people's plants. Tian Ao nodded faintly at the steward as if to thank him for the information and then turned his entire body away.