13 Clouds Across the Moon

It was unfortunate that there wasn't a full moon, but it appeared bigger than usual and was a parchment yellow color that made it interesting to observe. There was a festive atmosphere as the Yan family and those who loved them congregated in the garden drinking wine and looking up at the night sky.

"How about we compose some poems?" Sun Fen Fang suggested.

"I rather like Young Lady Sun's suggestion."

These words came from a somewhat surprising source: a young man named Hua Yan Ting. He was the second legitimate son of Duke Yi, a second-class duke. More importantly, he was a very good friend of Yan Qiu Heng's. If pressed, perhaps Qiu Heng might even claim Hua Yan Ting as his best friend. He was just a year older than the twins and was known throughout the capital for his ingenuity. Hua Yan Ting wasn't the heir to his family's dukedom, so, naturally, he had to come up with something else to distinguish himself. He chose the life of a scholar.

A few years back, the emperor had composed a little poem that was very much publicized:

"The sun rises, the riverbeds recede,

the fishermen sail farther to sea.

But the sun remains high, the fields are dry;

Could this be a calamity?"

The Holy One was alluding to a drought to the south of the capital. He claimed that the poem was unfinished and was seeking anyone who could compose an acceptable second half. Anyone with half a brain recognized this as a challenge, a thinly-veiled attempt to gather ideas on what to do about the drought.

"When the rain comes, rice is plenty

and all enjoy those thin white grains.

Yet even in hard times, barley grows strong

enough to feed many a family."

A surprisingly bold response poem was composed by Hua Yan Ting, who was barely 15 years old then. It shocked both the emperor and the rest of the capital.

In those times, barley was grown in the mountains in autumn. It was a crop that thrived in the cold, but it was said to not be able to endure the heat. It was thought that barley had to be harvested before summer. However, there was some research being done that suggested that barley was quite the resilient plant that could survive drier seasons, unlike rice. While Hua Yan Ting wasn't the only person to think about growing barley instead of rice during this drought, he was the first one to submit such an eloquent poem about it.

It didn't really matter that he didn't have a concrete plan--after all, he was merely a boy. The important thing was that the emperor appreciated this bold idea and the sentiments behind it: wanting to provide for the common families, the backbone of the nation. Hua Yan Ting was heavily rewarded for this poem and continued to be a household name. Next year would be the civil service exams and he was expected to do very well and enter court directly.

There had also been some talk in the past of him marrying Yan Qiu Yue, but nothing had ever come of it. The two were cordial but rarely interacted besides greeting one another. Those waiting for a grand love story between a beautiful, lofty duke's daughter and a rising talent scholar were disappointed.

It was, on second thought, not all that surprising that such a man would be interested in composing poems under the moonlight.

"I'm afraid we will all be put to shame if we dare compete against the Golden Barley Scholar." Yan Qiu Yue smirked, alluding to one of his many nicknames.

"Who said anything about competing? We are merely being creative together as a group, sharing our thoughts and offering sentiments to your Yan family and your eldest brother. Is there any harm in that?"

"When a peony is grown next to a rose bush, the flowers do not compete but cannot stop others from comparing them."

"You are capable of such words and yet are too embarrassed to compose poetry?" Hua Yan Ting was grinning now, a twinkle emerging from the inky depths of his eyes. For some reason, this expression made Yan Qiu Yue think of another man's charming yet somehow irritating smile. The memory caused her to frown, which somewhat confused Hua Yan Ting. As far as he knew, they were only exchanging light-hearted banter. Had his words actually displeased the young miss?

Before he could say anything, however, Yan Qiu Heng laughed beside him. "Girls can be delicate, you know. There's no need to be so pushy. Be careful or else my older sister might just compose a poem about you!" It did not have to be said that such a poem might not be so flattering.

The old dowager Madame Lin was observing the group of youngsters and now let out a sigh. She had been one of the largest proponents of Yan Qiu Yue marrying Hua Yan Ting a few years back. He had a good enough social status and was handsome, cunning, and filial. Being the best friend of Qiu Yue's brother, he would also most likely treat her well. Yet things hadn't worked out for reasons that Madame Lin couldn't understand. In the end, she chalked it up to the two of them not having a fate together and the matter was dropped. When she thought about it, no other family had ever approached them seeking Yan Qiu Yue's hand in marriage. It was highly abnormal, considering their status.

"Heng'er, you have the gall to talk about girls? Are you even interested in any?" Madame Lin called out to her grandson. Yan Qiu Heng's smile became a little crooked upon hearing her words. His grandmother's eyes traveled from his face to that of each of her grandchildren in turn. "When is this old lady going to be able to hold any great-grandchildren? To think that among you, only Xiao Li is married..." Well, Yan Shen Li was happily married all right, but he and his wife had no children yet. They didn't seem to be in a hurry, either. Madame Lin very much wanted to hear the light pitter-patter of Yan children running through the estate again.

"Worry not, Grandmother!" Yan Qiu Heng's smile brightened. "I shall happily marry as soon as I find a young lady who is more outstanding than Elder Sister!"

"Oh, you!" Yan Qiu Yue rolled her eyes and lightly smacked her brother in the shoulder. "Others will gossip about me if you say such a thing!"

"That's got nothing to do with me, Elder Sister."

"Clearly it would be all your fault, yet you dare to say that it has nothing to do with you..."

As the twins joked and jabbed back and forth about this, neither noticed the brief flicker of anxiety on Sun Fen Fang's face...

In the middle of this lively scene, a servant rushed in to report something to Duke Ning. His face darkened after hearing the message. "From Northern Xi? At this time?" he murmured.

"What is it, Father?" asked Yan Xiang Yi. Everyone quieted down in order to hear the news.

Duke Ning cleared his throat before saying in a louder voice, "It would seem that a delegation from Northern Xi has arrived in the capital."

Northern Xi was a separate kingdom to the northwest of Eastern Wei. It was a little bit smaller and a little bit poorer when compared to Eastern Wei, but Northern Xi was honored as a sovereign country all the same. It was at least stronger than Western Shu, so Eastern Wei and Northern Xi could be considered relatively equal. The weather in mountainous Northern Xi did not always accommodate growing crops. Every so often, they'd experience a deep freeze or a drought and Eastern Wei would have to supply aid and relief. The two countries were friendly with one another and it was not uncommon for ambassadors and delegations from Northern Xi to come to bring tribute to Eastern Wei.

Even so, it was rather unprecedented for a delegation to be coming now during the autumn. The weather in Northern Xi was currently just fine and as far as anyone knew, there were no pressing matters of state that would require the input of Northern Xi's officials. So just why had the delegation come?

"I haven't heard anything about this... I don't believe the emperor summoned them here," said Feng Ying Jie. He worked in the Ministry of Personnel with Yan Shen Li, so he was frequently in the palace to hear about such things.

"Who can know the Holy One's thoughts?" Duke Ning replied, shaking his head. Besides, the emperor could have secretly ordered them to come, or perhaps there was an issue from their side that they wished to bring up. There was simply no way of knowing. "If we are meant to, we shall be hearing the specifics of this matter soon enough. In any case, I expect that a palace banquet will be imminent." Everyone present nodded at these words.

The garden darkened just then as a cloud passed across the moon. Yan Qiu Yue looked up at it, her mood dampening, and impulsively composed a short poem:

"Hidden, the moon's radiance,

unrevealed as a human heart.

I cannot dispel clouds nor melancholy.

What troubles will now start?"

Hua Yan Ting, looking up at the same sight, solemnly nodded his approval.