16 One Flower of Many

"Yan Qiu Yue, don't you think that your words are a little too much?"

Yan Qiu Yue turned her head to see another noble young lady standing there. She was dressed in pink, with golden flowers embroidered into a tesselation on the fabric. Despite her sharp words, her tone was soft and her gaze was clear, her lips even upturned slightly.

This young noblewoman was Lin Qiao Lian, the daughter of Marquis Zhang. Yan Qiu Yue's grandmother, the dowager Madame Lin, was Marquis Zhang's aunt, so the two families could be said to have some connection. However, Duke Ning's household was not particularly close to that of Marquis Zhang. Yan Qiu Yue only saw this distant cousin of hers from time to time at gatherings such as these. Besides, Lin Qiao Lian's older sister was Noble Consort Lin, a favored concubine of Emperor Yong Le. Marquis Zhang naturally had a very clear political stance, while Duke Ning worked hard to preserve his family's neutrality. A snake and mongoose were destined to never get along in this lifetime.

Yet why would Lin Qiao Lian choose to speak up now against her? Yan Qiu Yue furrowed her brows. Was there more to this interference or was she thinking too much? Lin Qiao Lian was some months older than Yan Qiu Yue, after all, so perhaps these were only words of caution from an elder.

"You are correct, cousin." Yan Qiu Yue curtsied deeply. "It was Qiu Yue who spoke too freely." She then bowed towards Wei Hong Sheng. "My apologies if my words offended Prince Rui-shizi."

Wei Hong Sheng completely dodged her bow. "We were merely speaking of insects. What is there to apologize for? If there is no problem here, then I am naturally pleased to hear it."

"Prince Rui-shizi is magnanimous." Lin Qiao Lian curtsied.

Yet Wei Hong Sheng only laughed at these words, waving his hand to dismiss them. "Do not label me with such an adjective. It is too heavy for me to bear." Saying this, he then turned and left to return to the men's side of the room.

Lin Qiao Lian turned on Yan Qiu Yue as soon as the princeling was gone. "It would seem that Great Aunt has been too lax with you. There are words that you can and cannot say to one such as him. Do you not understand even this much? I fear that you will meet with more trouble in the future if you cannot be more cautious."

She sounded as if she were truly worried, but Yan Qiu Yue sneered inwardly. If Lin Qiao Lian truly cared about her, she would have saved such words for when they were in private. She wouldn't be calling her out in front of all the other noble young ladies like this. Lin Qiao Lian was speaking a bit more quietly, but anyone within the vicinity could hear what she was saying to Yan Qiu Yue. Yan Qiu Yue could only agree with her cousin's words or else she'd be painted as an ill-mannered, ungrateful thing.

Well! She was already being forced to marry such a distasteful man. Let them think of her as ill-mannered and ungrateful! "Cousin, I thank you for your advice, but you cannot accuse Grandmother of not raising me well. That would be throwing dirty water upon Eldest Brother and Fifth Brother, no?"

"I have yet to see either of them behave with impropriety." In other words, she was saying that it was not a problem with Madame Lin, but with Yan Qiu Yue's innate temperament. "Forgive my bluntness, I merely wish for Younger Cousin to not cause problems for Prince Rui's household in the future."

Yan Qiu Yue suppressed a sigh and bowed her head in acknowledgment. "Many thanks for your concern and kind words of advice, Elder Cousin. Qiu Yue will endeavor to take them to heart."

Lin Qiao Lian smiled, her expression the epitome of gentility and soft "oh whatever shall we do about you"-ness. "That is good. Younger Cousin is virtuous." She then left with a flourish of her wide sleeves.

Feng Ming Xia shook her head as she leaned closer to whisper in Yan Qiu Yue's ear. "I'm afraid that one is not simple. I hear that she has been in love with Wei Hong Sheng for years."

Yan Qiu Yue's heart lurched as that entire previous interaction seemed to clear up like the sky after a sudden downpour. So those were not the words of a worried elder relative but of someone who wanted to be part of Prince Rui's household herself in the future! "Don't cause trouble for my future family", Lin Qiao Lian seemed to have been saying. This new interpretation stung more than Yan Qiu Yue cared to admit. Feeling a twinge of headache, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a slow, stabilizing breath.

In the future, if Wei Hong Sheng wanted to take Lin Qiao Lian in as a concubine, Yan Qiu Yue would have no power to stop him. It was unlikely that the sister of the powerful Noble Consort Lin would accept being taken in as a concubine, but stranger things had happened before in the name of love. There were precedents. There were also precedents for such concubines to usurp the main wife.

"Big sis?"

"I'm fine. I'm only...a little tired."

Feng Ming Xia thought that her older cousin did not look fine at all, but she didn't have the heart to continue along this vein of conversation. Her older cousin's days of living carefree and pampered within Duke Ning's estate were over. When Feng Ming Xia thought that she herself would be married in another year or two, she felt a sense of irretrievable loss.

Soon, the emperor and the rest of the royal family arrived and the banquet could truly begin. Yan Qiu Yue sat with her mother and Feng Ming Xia. Officially, Feng Ming Xia was only from the branch family of Marquis Lu. Her father was not particularly distinguished and so she was not considered to be of very noble birth. However, she was the only girl of her generation in the family. Her uncle Feng Tao, set to inherit the title from Marquis Lu in the future, doted upon her as if she were his actual daughter and she was often brought along to such gatherings. However, Feng Tao's wife had long since passed away after giving birth to their second son. He had yet to marry a second wife, either, though it had been many years. Feng Ming Xia thus could only accompany Duchess Ning, following after her and Yan Qiu Yue like a little duckling.

"Did something happen? You look out of sorts." Duchess Ning said to her daughter.

"Big sis had a run-in with a certain great-niece of the Madame's." Feng Ming Xia faithfully reported, keeping her voice low so that others could not overhear. Yan Qiu Yue glowered at her younger cousin.

Duchess Ning naturally understood whom Feng Ming Xia meant and knew of the same rumors. Her brow creased slightly. "Don't even put that one into your eyes. Despite her wishes, there is no way that those two above her will allow it. You will naturally have nothing to fear." By "those two above her", of course, the duchess was speaking of Marquis Zhang and Noble Consort Lin. They wouldn't stand for Lin Qiao Lian to be anyone's concubine.

"Many flowers grow in a garden. A rose may not have to compete with a peony, but chrysanthemums, too, bloom in autumn." In other words, even if she wouldn't have to deal with Lin Qiao Lian in the future, Wei Hong Sheng would take in other concubines, would he not?

"It is the fate of every flower to be one of many. That is the way of the world."

"Yet I see that Father keeps only one camellia in his garden."

Duchess Ning sighed. She just knew that it would come to that. Indeed, the Yan family was rather special in the men's reluctance to take concubines. It wasn't a hard rule, but for several generations that had been the case. Concubines had become an exception.

Yan Qiu Yue shook her head. She could guess her mother's thoughts. "I feel that we keep going around and around in circles with this topic. I know this marriage is not what you or Father wanted, either. I have complained too much." Also, in the palace even walls had ears. This was not the place to discuss such things.

Besides, she wasn't resigned, but what else was there to say? They'd had this same conversation before. There was nothing to be done. Yan Qiu Yue rested her cheek against her palm and her eyes flitted over to the tables above theirs where the princes and royal family sat. At least her future husband was nice to look at. Plus, when she thought of all their interactions thus far, he didn't seem to be the sort who would abuse her. That would simply have to be enough.

Yan Qiu Yue once again tried to resign herself, to accept reality. Still, who knew why everything she ate that night tasted like ashes in her mouth?