This was probably a young man for whom everything had gone well. Something in him spoke of a person who had never known the world's hardships. Qingyuan rarely saw anyone so high-spirited. It was as though the shadowed, troubled world had been generous to him, and he, its favorite, had never met any misfortune and was bound to live like a patch of sunlight.
Sometimes a single look is enough to judge a person. Qingyuan reached her verdict quickly, then found herself a little amusing: girls really did tend to judge by appearance. Still, the young man was strikingly handsome. Back at the Chen household she had been allowed out on days like the Flower Festival and the Lantern Festival, and in all that time she had never seen a second person like him. Beautiful things are hard to dislike, and even the fact that his ball had struck her seemed forgivable.
He came hurrying over, but when he reached her he was perfectly proper. He bowed with hands clasped and asked, "I hope I haven't hurt you, miss?"
He was radiant and well-mannered besides, which made him all the more likable. Qingyuan returned the courtesy with folded hands and smiled, shaking her head.
A girl from a good family doesn't say much casually; answering every question put to her would seem disrespectful. The young man picked up the ball and only then looked her over properly. He was momentarily taken aback, and when the moment passed, a soft light came into his eyes. His eyes curved, and he smiled like a crescent moon.
"I'm very sorry. My kick went astray and I hit you by mistake. Please forgive my carelessness." He glanced around. "Might I ask who you came with, miss? I don't think I've ever seen you before."
Everyone invited to the spring banquet came from a family of name and standing, but even so, a girl shouldn't announce her family to a stranger on her own. Qingyuan kept shaking her head. Not answering would have been rude, so she said politely, "Truly, I wasn't hurt. There's no need for you to worry, sir."
Current custom did not forbid strange men and women from meeting, but saying too much was still improper. Qingyuan tugged at Qinghe's sleeve. "Eldest sister, shall we go and look over there?"
"Over there" was not far, perhaps a dozen steps. Moving to another spot would be enough to end the conversation.
Qinghe agreed and was about to nod to the gentleman in farewell when Li Guanling returned with his page boy. The men of the Hengtang aristocratic circle were mostly acquainted with one another. "Oh, Chunzhi," he said. "Is the game over already?"
The man called Chunzhi turned his head. In the bright spring sunlight, his lashes showed dark and thick in profile, more delicate than a girl's.
He saw the page carrying two folding stools and knew Li Guanling was acquainted with the sisters. Now he had someone to make the introduction. He tossed the ball to a substitute waiting at the edge of the field so the game could go on, freeing himself, and said with a smile, "Not at all. I wasn't careful earlier and hit this young lady by mistake. I came especially to apologize. Do you know them?"
Li Guanling smiled, a restrained smile with a trace of shyness. He made the introductions, gesturing toward Qinghe and her sister. "These are the eldest and fourth daughters of Lord Xie, the Military Commissioner." Then he gestured toward the man beside him. "This is the third son of the Marquis of Danyang."
The third son clasped his hands. "I am Li Congxin."
Now that their origins had been stated, they had to greet each other again. Qingyuan was still young and new to this circle, and knew nothing of the noble families of Shengzhou. Qinghe, however, had heard the great name of the Marquis of Danyang. Most of the court's dukes and marquises held their titles through their ancestors' merit; very few were truly of the same bloodline as the imperial house, and the Marquis of Danyang was one of them. A title with such deep roots was highly prized. Every marriageable noblewoman kept a list of eligible families, and an alliance with the Danyang house was nearly always the first choice.
The Marquis of Danyang had three sons. The eldest and second were born to concubines and already married, so they need not be discussed. The third son, Li Congxin, was the beloved child of the principal wife. His standing was high and he had fine looks too. Qinghe had often heard him spoken of, and meeting him today proved the rumors true.
So composure like that really isn't acquired for nothing, Qingyuan thought, marveling at how many hidden talents the spring banquet gathered. She raised her eyes again and met Li Congxin's smiling gaze.
"Lanshan and I are not of the same clan, but we are close and call each other brother. By that count, I am half acquainted with you young ladies as well." He spoke with reserve, so even addressing them warmly as younger sisters carried no hint of presumption. His gaze drifted quietly across the fourth Miss Xie's face. Having heard about her background, he could not help being a little curious. No one like her had ever appeared in his world: a sharp, striking beauty with a murky origin. Woven together, these made the beauty seem all the more worth savoring.
Li Guanling naturally played the peacemaker. "You could say they met by way of a scuffle. The two young ladies rarely attend banquets, so although we all live in Hengtang, we'd never seen one another. Next year, when Fourth Sister comes again, she won't lack for people who know her. At least she'll have someone familiar to talk to."
Qingyuan smiled and agreed in words, but did not take the encounter to heart.
She had come this time only to keep Qinghe company and had little interest in making friends. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she followed the others over to watch the cuju game. The two sides were playing with great fervor, and she enjoyed watching. But after about a cup of tea's time, she suddenly noticed that Qinghe was gone.
"Oh," she said, puzzled, and looked around quickly. Flowers bloomed thick on every side, but there was no sign of Qinghe.
Li Congxin saw her and thought, a young girl, after all, with little experience. "No need to look for her, Sister," he said. "She'll be back in a little while."
Only then did Qingyuan understand: her sister had wanted time alone with someone and had left her behind. She gave a belated "Oh" and looked away.
Li Congxin was a worldly young nobleman. He had broken women's hearts and been slapped by them in turn, and he had a natural fondness for pure, unspoiled girls. The trouble in the Xie household years ago had only sharpened his curiosity about this fourth daughter, so he decided to strike up a conversation. "Fourth Sister, you don't talk much?"
Qingyuan was startled. She said it wasn't that; she simply wasn't used to chatting aimlessly with strangers.
"You needn't be so reserved. I was a classmate of your brothers. If you mention me to them, they'll certainly know who I am." He spoke at an unhurried pace, and his words carried a steady dignity. He handled girls with great composure. His attempt at conversation was sincere, without the eagerness of a lecher.
As for those brothers, to Qingyuan they were no different from strangers outside the house. The Xie family had three sons: the eldest, Zhengze; the second, Zhenglun; and the third, Zhengjun. All were learned, courteous gentlemen, and all kept their distance from her, the sister picked up halfway along the road. But family matters were not for outsiders. Even if he did mention her to her brothers one day, Zhengze and the others would handle it smoothly and put on a show of brotherly affection.
Qingyuan wanted to save her brothers' face, so she said with a smile, "Is that so! My brothers study at the official academy and have been busy with coursework lately. We rarely get the chance to speak."
Li Congxin said, "There's a military examination this autumn, and it's different from previous years. Before, it only tested riding and archery, horse lance, and carrying heavy loads. This year there's also 'strategy' to answer. Naturally their studies are heavier. But your third brother has happy news ahead of him. I hear he's to marry next month?"
"Yes," Qingyuan said. "Preparations have already begun at home. Eldest Sister's engagement is also near, so perhaps we'll have two celebrations together."
Her gentle, composed manner of speaking won people's goodwill easily. Li Congxin could not stare straight at her, so after their eyes met he looked at her only from the corner of his eye. She sat there holding a round fan to shade herself from the sun. In truth the March sun wasn't strong, but a girl's skin is delicate and can't take much sun, and even with the light through the silk of the fan cut by more than half, a flush had risen on her cheeks.
Strange, he suddenly felt that the sky was clear and the clouds pale, the wind had gone still, and it was a little warm. He opened the folding fan in his hand and, saying nothing, fanned slowly. The breeze flowed out from beneath it and stirred the hair at her temples, though she didn't notice. He smiled slightly. "Fourth Sister, do you go out of the house often?"
"The household is strict," Qingyuan said. "I only go out with Grandmother when there's an occasion."
"And when there's none?" For the first time he found himself curious about a girl's days in her chamber.
Qingyuan smiled like a child. "A carefree mood and a carefree sky. With nothing to do, I'm a little immortal."
He nearly laughed aloud. At first he had thought her a stiff, by-the-book girl, but he had misjudged her. She had the liveliness of her age and a touch of childishness, yet she was unhurried and calm. The only pity was that she'd been born from that sort of mother. If her future were spoiled by that one flaw, it would be a great shame.
Of course, Qingyuan didn't much care what he was thinking, because she saw Qinghe coming back. A girl in love can't hide the happiness on her face, and when she met her sister's eyes she looked as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. Because Li Congxin had already given her a hint, Qingyuan didn't blurt out a foolish "Eldest Sister, where did you go?" She simply rose and smiled discreetly. "Let's go back to Grandmother." This spared Qinghe a great deal of awkwardness.
Qinghe agreed and gave Li Congxin a shy smile. The two sisters walked arm in arm toward the main tent. After a while Qinghe looked back. "What did you and the Marquis of Danyang's son talk about?"
Qingyuan understood: in public the Xie sisters were all harmony, but in private that might not hold. She played the fool. "Hm," she said. "He studied under the same teacher as our three brothers, and told me a lot about the military examination." Then she teased Qinghe in turn. "Did the eldest son of the Earl of Kaiguo say when he'll come to propose to you, Eldest Sister?"
Qinghe's face went red. "Don't talk nonsense," she said quietly. "What if someone hears and laughs at us?"
"What's there to laugh at?" Qingyuan said with a smile. "It's as good as settled. Are you staying quiet out of consideration for Second Sister?"
After this dealing with Qingyuan, Qinghe found her sister extremely clever. She had assumed that someone so young understood nothing, yet Qingyuan grasped all the ways of people and the world. Looking at it now, she had indeed treated her too coldly before. Qinghe felt a twinge of shame, but was too embarrassed to give in outright, so she patted Qingyuan's hand. "At least cover for me. We're sisters, after all, and it wouldn't do to offend anyone. All right?"
"Yes," said Qingyuan. "Don't worry, Eldest Sister. Grandmother will handle what comes next. I think she's very pleased with the Earl of Kaiguo's son. Once the elders settle it, whether anyone else is happy doesn't matter."
The trip had been worthwhile after all. While the girls were away, the old madam and the Countess of Kaiguo had gotten along very well. Now they only had to wait for the prefect's wife to come formally as matchmaker, and the matter would be more than half settled.
On the way back, the old madam probed further, asking what the Earl of Kaiguo's eldest son was like in character and conversation. "In your view, was there anything frivolous or improper about him?"
Qingyuan never spoke without leaving herself room. She considered for a moment. "My experience is limited, and I hardly spoke with the eldest son. Judging only by what I saw, his character seems very steady, and I noticed nothing rash."
The old madam nodded. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "Did you make the acquaintance of the Marquis of Danyang's son today?"
So nothing could be hidden in broad daylight. The Marquis of Danyang's son already drew attention, and she was among the young ladies with such a poor background; any contact between the two of them was big news. There was no need for her to report it. In the blink of an eye the old madam already knew.
Qingyuan had thought a family as status-obsessed as the Xies would surely not give up such a chance to curry favor. Old Madam Xie's words surprised her. The old madam said, eyes lowered, "The Marquis of Danyang's family is far too prominent. They are not our sort. Remember what I say: it is best to provoke them as little as possible from now on."