7 Chrysanthemums over Geraniums

The girls who wished to participate were quickly divided up. Yan Qiu Yue was quite confident about her painting skills, while Feng Ming Xia decided to increase their odds of winning a book by competing in poetry. The two Song cousins were also competing in painting. Yan Qiu Yue apologized to her friend in her heart. Inspector Yu truly was one who could cause others to even renounce friendship! ...albeit temporarily.

"I must say that I am not confident competing against you, dear friend." Song Lu Li said to Yan Qiu Yue after the two finally met up amongst the group of competing painters.

"Your words are too deferential. I cannot win against you in painting living things, but so long as the subject is staying still, I might still have a chance." Yan Qiu Yue recalled the paintings she'd seen by Song Lu Li that depicted those adorable rabbits or dogs and couldn't help but smile. Of course, there would be no hard feelings no matter which of them placed higher.

Once everyone was done eating the refreshments and complimenting the hostess, the tables were cleaned off and pots of beautifully blooming chrysanthemums were placed atop them. While the rest of the garden was full of flowers, clearly the most outstanding chrysanthemums were saved for this competition.

All in all, 10 girls would be competing in painting and 8 in poetry. Most of the others were content to watch a show from the side. A few wanted to compete but balked at the sight of such strong competitors. Gatherings among the young nobility were common. Attend enough of them and one would become quite familiar with the other noble daughters, even if one were not close friends with all of them. Art easels, papers, paints, and brushes were all set up and the competitors began to take their places.

"Please go easy on me, Yan Fourth Miss!" Song Mei Zhen said with a smile, lightly touching Yan Qiu Yue's shoulder as she passed by her and Song Lu Li to take her place in front of an easel.

Yan Qiu Yue just inclined her head slightly. It was not quite a nod, just barely an acknowledgment that she'd heard the other girl's words. She had no desire to make friends with Song Lu Li's cousin. Despite being the same age, the two Song cousins had never been close. Being nicer to Song Mei Zhen would only hurt her friend and that was something Yan Qiu Yue was very unwilling to do.

A bell sounded, announcing the start of the competition. Everyone would be given about half an hour's worth of time, roughly the time it would take for two sticks of incense to burn, to paint or compose poetry. The theme was chrysanthemums, particularly the ones on the table.

Yan Qiu Yue focused her gaze on a pot of white chrysanthemums in the center. The white chrysanthemum was known to represent loyalty and sincerity. Some even took it to represent a devoted love. However, they were also used in funeral rites. What a double meaning! Yan Qiu Yue felt that these white chrysanthemums were very symbolic of her current state of mind.

She thought back to that time she had secretly observed Wei Hong Sheng. It was a month after the decree had been sent to the Ning Duke estate. She had been in a depressed state of mind, unable to accept what was happening. Qiu Heng had come to her to offer to switch places for a day. It had to be said that Yan Qiu Yue was the more mischievous of the twin siblings. 99% of the time when they swapped places, it was a scheme of her own design. For Qiu Heng to offer was indicative of how worried he was about his sister; his aim was purely to let her see her fiance in person. Qiu Heng was quite clear that his sister was depressed because she was stuck. Seeing the other party in person would allow her to start accepting reality. Once that happened, she could start to plan properly for her future instead of staying in one place, reactive instead of independent.

So they switched places and Yan Qiu Yue, as her brother, had gone to a gathering of young scholars. Across a pond, she saw Wei Hong Shen sitting in a pavilion drinking with his friends, laughing loudly as they composed bawdy poetry. She had felt both repulsed and relieved. Now she could put a face to the word "husband". Wei Hong Shen was merely a wastrel and a dandy. As long as he did not abuse her or favor his concubines, her days surely would not be too terrible. At least he was nice to look at and she would not lack for wealth. Though Yan Qiu Yue felt empty inside, she appeared more cheerful on the surface after returning to the estate after that day. She didn't want to worry her family anymore.

Resigned. That was the word that encapsulated how Yan Qiu Yue felt about everything. It wasn't as if she had a young man whom she fancied, so what difference did it make whom she married? It was this sort of ennui that she channeled into her painting. It had very little color overall, being a white chrysanthemum. However, Yan Qiu Yue mixed several paint colors together so that the shadows were not just gray, but had blues, greens, and purples mixed in. The chrysanthemum she painted was white, yet somehow also vibrant. It was somber, yet retained a light kind of grace.

Yan Qiu Yue stepped back to look at the whole of her painting and felt satisfied with it. She had finished somewhat early, so she sat down in front of her easel and looked around to see how others were doing.

On the easel next to hers, Song Lu Li was still painting, wholly focused on the task. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were pressed into a straight horizontal line. Was she dissatisfied with something? Yan Qiu Yue glanced at her friend's painting and froze. The image was completely distorted, the paint congealing in a few spots and completely breaking down in other spots. Had someone tampered with the paint? But how? The hostess of the gathering surely wouldn't do so and for someone to scheme against Lu Li directly... How would they know what easel she would be on?

Her mind whirled and she thought back to earlier when Song Mei Zhen had passed by them. Yan Qiu Yue and Song Lu Li had been chatting at the time and Song Mei Zhen had come from behind them. Could she have tampered with Lu Li's paint while the other girl's back was turned? It would be hard to prove even if true. Song Mei Zhen had been so subtle that no one had seen a thing. If they had, surely someone would have said something. If handled improperly, this could potentially embarrass Song Lu Li.

But Yan Qiu Yue could not bear to do nothing. Song Mei Zhen had mistaken today's theme to be geraniums! It was up to her to set her straight.