No Housewarming party

At the reflection mansion, Wei was waiting for the reply from General. But General hasn't replied back. The house was quiet as usual. They did their daily task without anything new interfering neither any excitement. Wei continued with her painting. Initially she thought she will not sell her work anymore, and will be painting just to pass time. But her mandate days at the Reflection mansion, made here revert her decision. She began making a hanging scroll painting of a distance foggy water body with floating land masses. And on the floating land mass a lone flower. The artist mind is the portrayal of their inner self in the painting, she was somehow experiencing loneliness, that she had difficulty in expressing.

After renovating the mansion, Wei did not held a house warming party. She is not of the mind to be a socialite. However this did not fair well with others, who understood that General's wife was being presumptuous by not inviting the elite society to introduce and mingle. As the wife of the General, she should have kept the party inviting every official ranking household, to formally introduce herself in the high society. Failing to do so began a series of hateful rumour. But these rumours never reached Wei's ears. As Wei was always detached socially.

Despite not have a housewarming party, she still received a present from the palace. Here brother-in-law send presents after the renovation of the mansion. Royal eunuch accompanied the presents.

Royal Eunuch Hai : "Madame, prince sends you presents for your newly done home. Please receive it."

Madame Wei : "Thank you."

It was a pair of symmetrical tree branches light stand. A set of two, at every branch end, a candle was to be lit. It was of ghostly white colour, it did not have any colour polish, somehow its making looked like it was natural tree erected within the house for lamp. It was truly marvellous. Another present was a set of Jun ware tea set of lavender blue glaze saturated with crimson purple, it was such a beautiful piece. Receiving such an hearty present Wei wanted to extend her gratitude.

Madame Wei : "Royal eunuch Hai, I would like to thank the prince for these beautiful presents, can I send with you a box of savoury snacks and sweets? I made it myself, this morning."

Royal Eunuch Hai : "Sure Madame Wei, prince would be delighted."

Wei had made some confectioneries in the morning, to send it over to the Xu residence. As they had also send a housewarming present. Xu residence presented Reflection mansion with Yaozhou ware pots with green glaze that has enticing design made into depression in the ware. Due to which the the ware gives a contrasting light and dark shade. And a red lacquer crockery set, designed to look like lotus. Wei had prepared, nine assortments to send in gift boxes to the Xu mansion. For sweets Wei made jujube date flower cakes, mung bean cake, red bean filled flower pastry, almond jelly, water chestnut cake, sweet mooncake, qing dumpling (green) and pea flour cake. For savoury, crispy flatbread with sesame seeds and plain steamed bun (Mantou). A big box of this was send to Xu residence, in the morning itself. And now another box was prepared for the prince as thanks for the presents. Eunuch returned to the palace.

In the Xu residence, Madame Xu came to the Matron's chambers for tea. "Matron, I've come to chat with you, with sweets for tea," said Madame Xu.

Matron : "Come, my dear."

Madame Xu's maidservants set the nine compartment box with snacks at the table. "These are prepared by Wei, Guoqiang's wife. Yesterday we had send her some decorative items for the newly renovated reflection mansion. She send this box as gratitude."

"Hmm," Matron took a piece of pea flour cake and nibbled a little. Tasted it and then completed one entire piece. "She made these herself?" asked Matron.

Madame Xu : "Yes, the aide that came to give this said so. She was up at the wake of dawn preparing the assortments."

Matron : "She should have had it ordered from a bakery instead of going through such lengths." Matron was staunch towards accepting Wei as a bride fit for Xu family.

Madame Xu : "She wanted to do with heart."

Matron : "Her effort is of no use as a low birth." Spoke Matron while taking her chopsticks to eat qing dumpling. Madame Xu : "She is not an illegitimate child. When Xu Da came back from their visit to the maiden home, he came to know the truth."

Matron : "This information is of no use to us now. He is already married to her sister. Where are her parents?"

Madame Xu : "Dead, she was Lu he's sister's daughter."

Matron was astound, "She did not take her father's surname but her mother's? Her upbringing is not right. Good that she isn't married to Xu Da, if they were to have children. Then her children would have Lu as their surname? Untraditional. Things happened for the best." Matron is old-fashioned and carries prejudice. Once her notion is set she will never change it even in from of facts. Madame Xu quietly poured tea.

In the moon shadow palace, Eunuch Hai set the assortments of sweet and savoury infant of Prince Delun.

"I feel sorry for my brother, that he isn't privileged enough to eat his own wife's cooking." Said a happy prince while eating a mung bean cake. "Say, this is better than the imperial confectionery chef. She has quite a skill in cooking."

Eunuch Hai : "Good to hear you enjoy your meal."

Prince Delun : "Did she like the lamp?"

Eunuch Hai : "Replying back to prince, yes. Prince was right regarding this matter. The tree branches lamp stand was well received by Madame Wei. She certainly has the eye of art."

Prince Delun : "I knew that the moment I saw the present she made for me. She is herself quite skilled brush. Next time we should present her brush set or pigments, for painting."

Eunuch Hai : "As you say prince."

Every movement of Prince Delun was observed, and reported to the Emperor. The emperor is under the impression that both the Zhou brothers will upsurge the throne. He is quite haunted by the ordeal that both of them are alive. The emperor has lead the battle himself, and was accompanied by Guoqiang. He has compelled Guoqiang into committing suicide and has also staged assassins. But he always comes out alive of any dire situation. Mysteriously enough his younger brother, also gets saved every time a misfortunate sickness or fire erupted in his palace. He miraculously survives. No matter the attempts, Emperor Taizong makes, these two still live, like wound that never heals.

Emperor mummers to himself after getting his report on Delun 'What is that sickly bastard even doing.' He asked the Royal Eunuch Dai, who was the servant at the time of the previous dynastic ruler.

Emperor Taizong : "How is that Delun contacts with the General's mansion, without his elder brother's presence for mediocre things? What is your opinion Eunuch Dai?"

Eunuch Dai : "The prince must be extending his care to the newly wedded wife of General, as relative."

Emperor Taizong : "I don't get it. They both make no attempts to take the throne away. It was easy becoming an emperor when you have a no good crown prince."

Somehow this knocked Eunuch Dai's unbothered exterior to which he replied, "The previous majesty, taught his children to love the subjects above the power of the throne." This was detrimental, Eunuch back answered the Emperor. Everyone within the palace was aware that Emperor was obsessed with the throne and had feared that it will be taken away from him, that is why he was always walking on needles around the Zhou brothers. What Eunuch Dai implied was that Zhou brothers weren't greedy for the power. It was theirs to begin with and it will fall into their hands again. Is how Emperor Taizong's mind interrupted this. "Take Eunuch Dai for fifty beatings!" This wasn't enough to suppress the anger of an emperor that has low esteem and delusional regarding his throne.