55 Rainwater

The rest of Wei Tian Ao's retinue tactfully retreated, staying behind as the would-be groom walked across the bridge to meet his would-be brother-in-law in the middle. Hua Yan Ting, observing this, could not help but clench his teeth. If anyone had bothered to notice, they would have seen one of his neck muscles pop out threateningly. But nobody was paying any attention to the Golden Barley Scholar at this moment and no one in the groom's party would have been able to guess his current conflicted thoughts anyway.

At this point, Wei Tian Ao had met Yan Qiu Heng a handful of times, but the last time they'd seen each other was the most memorable. That painful period when Wei Tian Ao had lived in a daze after his father's death felt like a lifetime ago. In a way, it was.

Yan Qiu Heng said no more after that initial greeting. He seemed to be appraising Wei Tian Ao with a practiced eye. "You've done well for yourself since we last met." he finally said.

"Thanks to you."

Yan Qiu Heng waved a hand dismissively. "Words are just words. You had the ability to make good on what we discussed that day. That is already better than what Eldest Brother and I could have hoped for."

Despite these positive words, Wei Tian Ao did not dare to think that Yan Qiu Heng would be so generous as to simply let him pass as Yan Xiang Yi had done. Indeed, the Yan family's youngest son soon escorted the group to a nearby pavilion. He had to cross the bridge towards Wei Tian Ao to do so and when he passed by Hua Yan Ting, Yan Qiu Heng inclined his head ever-so-slightly. Hua Yan Ting said nothing, but his eyes seemed to darken.

There were a handful of servants at the pavilion, but a low table had also been set up. Atop the low table was a beautiful dark paulownia guqin. Everyone but Hua Yan Ting looked confused until Yan Qiu Heng sat down in front of the guqin and began to play.

The notes that poured forth from the plucked strings were slow and few at first. It sounded tentative and self-reflective and upon hearing them, Wei Tian Ao was instantly transported to another time and place. The melody gained in speed and intensity over the course of the song; it was a melancholy, yet strong tune that gave Wei Tian Ao the feeling of a river that flowed until it reached the desert. There, this mighty river began to run dry. The water soaked into cracks and crevices in the sand and disappeared. Yet despite the harshness and heat of the desert, the water could not be stopped from its source, endlessly heading towards its doom.

"Do you deserve my sister?" Yan Qiu Heng seemed to be asking. "Are you the desert that we are sending my sister to die in? Do you dare?"

As the song drew to a close, the melody line faded into the air like the water evaporating into nothingness. Wei Tian Ao felt a paralyzing sense of loss as his consciousness was slowly transported back to the present. He who had remained standing stared down at Yan Qiu Heng, whose hands lingered atop the instruments. From this angle, while Yan Qiu Heng's face pointed downwards, the image of his twin sister overlapped him in Wei Tian Ao's mind. They both undoubtedly had that same slim, white neck. Wei Tian Ao had the impulse of wanting to touch that neck, but furrowed his brows and refrained.

Nobody dared breathe. The impact of that song was so strong that no one in the vicinity thought of how improper it was for a young nobleman to be playing the guqin in the first place. It wasn't entirely taboo, but it was certainly frowned upon and thus highly uncommon. Noblemen were supposed to engage in scholarly or military pursuits while noblewoman were cultured if they could paint, dance, or play music. It would be nothing but commendable if Yan Qiu Yue was skilled in the guqin, but for Yan Qiu Heng to play so well, most of noble society would not think of it as a praiseworthy thing.

Yet here he was, a force to be reckoned with. It felt entirely natural to everyone present that Yan Qiu Heng should play the guqin. Even Yi Qiang Li, used to the skill of the royal family's entertainers, had never heard anyone play better.

"What is your challenge for me, Yan fifth young master?" Wei Tian Ao finally asked.

Yan Qiu Heng rose and gestured at an array of musical instruments. "I would like to humbly request that Prince Rui-shizi play a song. You may choose any instrument you like. I merely wish to hear...your determination."

Hearing this, Wei Tian Ao did not hesitate to step forward and take the dizi, a bamboo flute. This one was quite long, almost half his height. It was heavier than he imagined, but Wei Tian Ao ignored the strain in his wrists as he held the instrument up to his lips. In the past, as a child, he had played some instruments for amusement. The musical instrument that had stuck for the longest was the dizi, though it had now been many years since he'd last played one.

Wei Tian Ao stared at Yan Qiu Heng standing across from him and tried to imagine that Yan Qiu Yue was standing there instead. How would he show his determination?

Yan Qiu Heng had played a song of a river drying up in the desert, so Wei Tian Ao did the opposite. His short, light notes instead evoked raindrops. Each raindrop became part of a pool and over time, this pool became a vast lake. So, too, did the notes begin to stretch out and those staccato little phrases became longer melodies that nonetheless captured the feeling of flowing water.

At this moment, Wei Tian Ao hardly knew Yan Qiu Yue. They'd never spoken to each other and the whole of their interactions could be summed up as furtive glances across a banquet hall. But he couldn't help himself. Despite his best efforts to tamp down on his emotions, it had been love at first sight. This love was currently just like the raindrops of the song, but Wei Tian Ao knew that over time and with his and hopefully Yan Qiu Yue's efforts, that rain would become a lake. He would keep his promise with Yan Jin Hai, Duke Ning. But he would also treat Yan Qiu Yue well and show her that he was worth her sentiments, as well.

This was his determination.

The song was a little clumsy, certainly far from the skilled show that Yan Qiu Heng had just displayed for everyone. But Yan Qiu Heng could, indeed, feel the strength of Wei Tian Ao's emotions from it. Once Prince Rui-shizi had finished playing and lowered the dizi, Yan Qiu Heng bowed. "I accept your determination. Please proceed to the Peony Courtyard. My sister awaits."

Wei Tian Ao nodded to his group and they all turned to leave the pavilion. Wei Tian Ao stood in place until Yan Qiu Heng rose. His facial expression was impossible to read, but at least he did not look unhappy. Wei Tian Ao bowed in turn before leaving. Yan Qiu Heng's voice, barely above a whisper, rang out: "Please take good care of my sister."

Wei Tian Ao froze in place. "Yes." he squeezed out a reply and then left for the Peony Courtyard just ahead.