44 Encouragement

"Young miss, your mother has prepared some dresses for you!"

A servant came into Sun Fen Fang's personal quarters to lay out an array of colorful robes and dresses for her to look at.

Sun Fen Fang tilted her head to one side in confusion. "What's the occasion?"

"Have you forgotten about the Qingming Festival? It's only a few days away!"

"Ah..."

It had now been quite some time since the new year celebrations were over, so it was just about that time. It had completely slipped her mind! Usually, at around this time, she would have gotten an invitation from Yan Qiu Yue and the trio of friends would have been making plans to go around the festival together.

Unfortunately, this year... Sun Fen Fang frowned. She had only seen Yan Qiu Yue in passing at the royal palace's New Year banquet. They'd barely had time to talk then. Of course, because of how overly protective General Sun was, Sun Fen Fang didn't often get to visit her friends on normal days. However, now with Yan Qiu Yue's wedding approaching, it was even more difficult to meet with her. The two had been exchanging letters occasionally, which was how Sun Fen Fang had found out that Yan Qiu Yue had been "encouraged" by her mother to stay inside the compound.

Sun Fen Fang let out a sigh. If Yan Qiu Yue couldn't go to the Qingming Festival, then chances were that Yan Qiu Heng...

"Miss, the third young lady from Marquis Lu's house is here to see you!"

"Oh, Lu Li? Send her in, send her in!"

Song Lu Li had come to visit at just the right time. Sun Fen Fang felt her spirits lift as she was momentarily distracted from the subject of Yan Qiu Heng. Lu Li was quickly shown in and the two of them exchanged pleasantries.

"Even though Qiu Yue can't come, there's no reason for the two of us not to be able to go," Song Lu Li smiled. "We get so few opportunities to go out."

"It's just a shame that the twins can't come..."

Song Lu Li's lips curved into a smile. "Are you sadder over the fact that Qiu Yue can't come, or is it her brother you're missing...?"

"Wh-what are you saying!?" Sun Fen Fang abruptly rose, knocking over a chair with her sudden movement.

"Oh, my mistake. You're so flustered that you probably don't like him, huh?"

"Lu Li..." Sun Fen Fang had a dejected look on her face.

"I'm only teasing. It's perfectly fine for you to like him, what's the problem?"

"It's just..." Sun Fen Fang let out a sigh. "He's so dashing. Lots of girls in the capital like him. Yet... Well, he's never seemed that interested."

"Maybe he already has his eye on someone. But then again, I feel if that were so, we would have already heard something about it. He dotes on Qiu Yue so much, when does he have time to go looking for a sweetheart?" Song Lu Li wanted to support her friend, but she was practical-minded. She couldn't encourage Fen Fang to be reckless.

"I wish I knew what he thought about me..."

"There's no way to know that unless you ask him. You know Qiu Yue probably has no idea that you like him, so she can't be counted on."

"What!? But Qiu Yue is so smart and observant!"

"Yes, but she's a bit slower when it comes to this sort of thing..." Though perhaps not so much anymore... She didn't say this last part, though she thought it in her heart. It seemed that Qiu Yue had grown up a bit lately. Song Lu Li thought about the tenuous relationship between Yan Qiu Yue and Wei Hong Sheng. There were definitely sparks between those two. Ever since the New Year's banquet at the palace, there had even been some rumors swirling around about them. The rumors were strangely persistent despite the fact that she herself felt that the two of them had been rather subtle at the banquet. Yes, there was the coincidence of the similar poems they'd written, but it wasn't as if the two spoke to each other or interacted at all. "Could it be..." she murmured, thinking about what purpose such rumors could serve. She felt she was on the verge of a disturbing realization.

"Hmm?"

"No... It's nothing." Some things were better left unsaid. Besides, she never knew Qiu Yue to ever be at a loss. Somehow, things would work out for her. Even if she wanted to, Lu Li had no way to meddle. "Anyway, enough about that. I came to talk to you about the festival. Qiu Yue isn't going, but I've heard from my elder brother that Yan Qiu Heng is still going to be there."

"Really!?"

"Fang'er, must you be so excitable?" Song Lu Li smiled wryly.

"I'm sorry... Sorry... I'll calm myself." Sun Fen Fang sat down and demurely sipped at her tea, looking exactly the image of ladylike grace.

"He's going there to play with my brother and Hua Yan Ting. If you'd like, I can see if the five of us can have dinner together."

"I... I've never talked to Yan Qiu Heng without Qiu Yue being around... What if I make a mistake?"

"Don't you still have me? It'll be alright. It might be good for you to see him without Qiu Yue being there, anyway. Maybe you'll see a different side of him."

Sun Fen Fang finally agreed. Even though she was a lively girl, she was quick to feel down when things were uncertain or didn't go her way. Thus, she had always been nudged along by Yan Qiu Yue and Song Lu Li. Though Song Lu Li had a reputation as being elegant and soft, she was often the most decisive amongst the three of them.

Yan Qiu Yue's future happiness was uncertain. At the moment, she was set to marry the brother of the man that she actually had some feeling toward. But those feelings were not yet deeply rooted and could change. Song Lu Li was actually not too worried about her. On the other hand, Sun Fen Fang had carried a torch for Yan Qiu Heng for years but had always been too fearful to make a move. Song Lu Li felt that this time, she had to encourage her friend to be a little more daring. She didn't feel that Yan Qiu Heng was the type to make the first move and anyway, he likely didn't even know how Fen Fang felt about him.

"When it comes to love, all men require a bit of encouragement. So let's make sure that you look stunning for the Qingming Festival and encourage him a bit!"

"Lu Li... How do you know so much about this? You sound like a regular old matchmaker."

"Hmm... Intuition?" Song Lu Li laughed. "Intuition and a lot of lessons from my mother." The Marquis Ji couple got along extremely well. Even though he had concubines, none of them had ever given birth while the marchioness had borne both a son and a daughter. She also knew how to best mold herself into a woman that the marquis would be fond of. Thus, despite the concubines and the years they'd been together, the two were quite harmonious. Song Lu Li well understood that "love" was something that could be manipulated and controlled to a certain extent. If a woman wanted to be happy, she had to put in some effort. Only then would her chosen man view her as precious. Only then could she live well.

She only hoped that her friends, too, would understand this someday. Shaking her head helplessly, Song Lu Li moved to help Sun Fen Fang choose a good dress for the festival. The two chatted happily about their plans until Song Lu Li had to depart with a promise to meet again at the festival in a week.