On the day of Liu-er's zhuazhou ceremony , the Yun residence was exceptionally lively. All the families in Haocheng who had received in...
On the day of Liu-er's zhuazhou ceremony, the Yun residence was exceptionally lively. All the families in Haocheng who had received invitations came. Many ladies even brought their daughters along. Each of these young ladies was dressed in a way that made the flower branches sway attractively1 . Among them, a young lady from the Sun family stood out particularly.
Young Miss Sun wore an intricately woven, long dress threaded with gold and silver, subtly patterned with lotus motifs, and draped over it was a snow-white silver-fox-fur cloak. That cloak alone was worth a fortune. She had a complexion as smooth as goose fat, her lips like painted cherries, her brows like distant mountains, and her eyes like autumn waters. Like a crane standing among chickens2, she stood out distinctly above the rest.
The Eldest Madam Sun brought her daughter forward to pay their respects to Yuxi, where they greeted her with wishes, "May Wangfei live for a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!" Although the official decree conferring Yuxi's title had not yet arrived, everyone had already begun addressing her as such.
Yuxi smiled at Madam Sun and said, "This young lady is truly beautiful." She was well-informed and knew that the Sun family had a particularly outstanding daughter named Yulian. Yulian was only fifteen, yet she was already renowned throughout Haocheng for her stunning beauty and brilliant literary talent.
Today, Yuxi wore a long dress in a shade of sapphire blue and had her hair styled in a high bun adorned with a phoenix hair ornament inlaid with kingfisher feathers and set with pearls. The phoenix's body was crafted from kingfisher feathers, with red coral beads on both sides. It had black pearls for its eyes and a ruby for its beak. This single hairpiece alone was worth more than the jewellery worn by many others. Even if Yuxi wore nothing at all, her presence would be impossible to overlook.
Sun Yulian responded gracefully and confidently, "Thank you, Wangfei Niangniang3, for your praise." She had long grown accustomed to being complimented on her beauty.
Yuxi smiled slightly. Although Sun Yulian was beautiful, she paled in comparison to Yuchen, and Yuxi's earlier compliment had merely been polite words.
Chang Shi smiled and asked, "Wangfei, where is the Second Young Lady? Why haven't you brought her out yet?" In truth, Chang Shi quite liked Liu-er—the child was delicate and gentle, and very lovable.
Yuxi replied with a smile, "Wangye has taken her to the front courtyard." Although Liu-er was already one year old, most of Yun Qing's generals had never seen her before, so he had taken her out to show her off.
Sure enough, Feng Dajun, who had just returned two days earlier, shouted upon seeing Liu-er, "General, betroth Liu-er to my boy!" Feng Dajun and the others still habitually called Yun Qing 'General'—a title he had been known by for over a decade and which was hard to change.
Yuan Ying laughed and scolded, "Oh, give it a rest! Lil Boy Ao is eight years older than Liu-er—are you trying to have your son be 'an old cow eating young grass4'? General, my Lil Boy Xuan is only three years older—perfectly matched!"
Not to be outdone, Du Zheng loudly declared, "My Wan-er is only two years older than Liu-er, which is just right!"
Feng Dajun refused to fall behind and said, "If Lil Boy Ao won't do, I'll go home and try harder. Next year, I'll have a chubby baby boy!"
The whole hall burst into laughter as soon as he said this.
'With a daughter in the family, suitors come from every direction5'—this hadn't been the case with Zaozao, but it was evident now with Liu-er. Yun Qing felt happy and proud. "Wangfei says we can't arrange a child betrothal. We must wait until the children grow up." Yuxi did not want to arrange her child's marriage too early—if their temperaments didn't match in the future, it would be impossible to undo the damage.
Feng Dajun was not discouraged at all and said, "That's fine—my boy will just have to wait." The way he said it made it sound as if Liu-er already belonged to his family.
Guo Xun smiled as he playfully reprimanded Feng Dajun, "Your youngest son isn't even in sight yet, and you're already boasting here." Despite his disability, Guo Xun was now assisting Huo Changqing in training talents, which counted as an important duty, and he had completely changed from his previously dejected state.
Yun Qing said with a smile, "If the children are willing in the future, we naturally won't oppose it." Whether it was Feng Dajun, Du Zheng, and the others, he knew their roots and their bottom6. If his daughter married into those families, there would be no worry about her being mistreated, so Yun Qing was quite agreeable to the idea.
Cui Mo smacked his lips as he said, "That madman got a huge bargain again."
Du Zheng said cheerfully from the side, "Didn't the General say it depends on Liu-er's own choice? Maybe she'll take a liking to my boy then!"
The front courtyard was extremely lively, and the atmosphere in the back was equally harmonious.
Da Nainai7 Sun family asked curiously, "Wangfei Niangniang3, why haven't we seen the Eldest Young Lady?" Thanks to her parents, Yun Qing and Yuxi, Zaozao was already well-known far and wide.
Yuxi smiled and replied, "Zaozao caught a chill yesterday and feels a bit unwell, so she's resting in the room right now." Since it wasn't anything serious, Yuxi wasn't worried.
While they were talking, Mama Qu walked over and said, "Wangfei, the auspicious time has arrived. The first-birthday grabbing ceremony is about to begin. The General invites you to come over."
Everyone followed Yuxi to the main hall in the front courtyard. The table was filled to the brim with all kinds of notable items.
Yun Qing carried Liu-er and placed her next to a bow and arrows, leaving Yuxi somewhat speechless. When Zaozao had her ceremony, she had grabbed a wooden sword. It seemed that Yun Qing was now hoping Liu-er would do the same with the bow and arrows—it appeared that this father really wanted his daughters to grow up to be tough, tomboyish women.
Although everyone was looking at her, Liu-er, however, didn't feel any stage fright. Having been trained beforehand, she crawled forward as soon as she was placed on the table, grabbing a flute with her left hand and an account book with her right. She didn't waste a moment; her movements were quick and precise.
Seeing this, everyone started blurting out heaps of auspicious words as if they cost nothing.
Yun Qing wasn't disappointed either. He placed Liu-er beside the bow and arrows, not because he wanted her to grab them, but simply out of habit. Having one Zaozao was enough; he certainly didn't want another daughter like her.
Lu Xiu smiled and said to Yuxi, "In the future, Liu-er will not only become a talented lady, but also a capable manager of household affairs."
Yuxi smiled back. "As long as she grows up safely and without any problems, I'll be satisfied." This first-birthday ceremony was just for auspiciousness and couldn't be taken seriously.
When Chang Shi heard how the others addressed the child, she asked, "Wangfei, the child is already one year old. Has her formal name been chosen?" Some families are particular and only give a formal name after the child turns three. However, Zaozao's formal name had been decided a long time ago, so this child's name had probably been chosen too.
Yuxi replied with a smile, "Yes, it has been chosen—she'll be called Yun Hua. 'Hua' implies grace and tranquillity." Yuxi was very fond of the name.
Chang Shi sighed, "Yun Hua—that's such a beautiful name. Those who are educated really choose names differently from us." She had been the third daughter in her family, so she was simply named Sanniang8.
Yun Qing picked up Liu-er and told Yuxi, "I'll bring her back to the rear courtyard later." Zaozao had grown so big, yet none of his subordinates had ever suggested any marriage alliances. Now that Liu-er had appeared, everyone was so envious that he had to show her off a bit more. Having such a beautiful, quiet and adorable daughter truly made people dote on her.
There were reasons why no one had come forward to propose marriage to Zaozao. To start with, Zaozao's temperament was too rough and rowdy, just like a little tomboy. Secondly, and more importantly, she looked far too much like Yun Qing, so who would even dare entertain such an idea?
Yuxi smiled and said, "When it's time for lunch, have someone carry her back to the rear courtyard. You haven't seen your brothers in a long time, so you should have a good chat with them today." When grown men gathered, there was definitely no shortage of drinking.
Yun Qing smiled and nodded.
Bao Shi teased, "Wangfei, Wangye is truly considerate. If that person in my family9 treated me like that, I'd wake up laughing even in my dreams."
Yuan Ying's wife, Xiao Shi, also smiled and said, "Yes! Wangye treats Wangfei so well. I must have the head of my household learn from him."
Chang Shi spoke enviously, "Wangfei, if the father of my children were even half as good as Wangye, I'd be satisfied." Feng Dajun was the most fond of beauty among them all. Back in Yu City, he had concubines at home and lovers outside.
When Da Nainai7 Sun overheard their exchange, she lost her composure. 'That person in the family', 'the head of the house', 'the child's father' — these terms were far too coarse. Only common market folk would use such vulgar addresses. But no matter how much she disliked them, she didn't dare show it. Sun Yulian, however, being young and not yet skilled at hiding her feelings, revealed a hint of disdain in her eyes upon hearing those terms.
Yuxi smiled. "He used to be quite a rough man, but after taking care of Zaozao for two days and realising how difficult it is to raise a child, he became much more considerate."
Bao Shi praised her with a smile, "That's also because Madam has taught him well!" The thought that Yuxi was skilled at 'taming her husband' could only stay in Bao Shi's mind—it wasn't something to be said aloud.
After finishing lunch at the residence, the group then left.
Lu Xiu stayed behind and reminded Yuxi, "You need to be on your guard against that girl from the Sun family, Yuxi. In the main hall just now, Sun Yulian's gaze at your husband didn't seem quite right." In truth, Sun Yulian's gaze at Yun Qing had been subtle, but Lu Xiu had unfortunately happened to notice it. Lu Xiu warned Yuxi because Sun Yulian was young and beautiful. When it came to men, only very few who didn't secretly eat meat10.
Yuxi was a little surprised and asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?" She neither liked nor disliked Sun Yulian.
Lu Xiu nodded. "I saw it by chance." She wouldn't have said anything if she hadn't been sure, because once told, it might ruin Sun Yulian's entire life.
Having gone through previous incidents, Yuxi didn't become nervous. "It's fine." If it was merely admiration for Yun Qing, that was nothing—after all, it was normal for women to admire such an outstanding man. If she acted against the girl for that alone, it would be unreasonable. But if anyone dared to collude with her husband behind her back, she would never let that person go.
Seeing how calm Yuxi was, Lu Xiu realised that she had been worrying unnecessarily.
Yun Qing held a high position, yet no official had dared to offer him a woman. It wasn't that they had suddenly changed; they simply lacked the courage. Yuxi controlled the northwest, so offending her would have far worse consequences than losing their position. This was why families such as the Suns and the Xies preferred to marry their daughters off to men like Xu Wu to build ties, rather than send them to Yun Qing as concubines. To everyone, Yuxi was even more fearsome than a tigress.
On the way home, Sun Yulian said to her mother, "Mom, I didn't expect the Pingxi Wang to be not only heroic in appearance, but also so gentle and considerate." She had once sworn to marry only a great hero, believing only such a man was worthy of her. Clearly, in the northwest, no man could surpass Pingxi Wang.
Da Nainai7 Sun sighed, "Who knows what blessings Han Shi accumulated in her past life?" As a wang, Yun Qing was wholly devoted to her—what woman wouldn't envy that?
Sun Yulian's eyes shimmered with light.
Footnotes Full List
- 花枝招展 (huā zhī zhāo zhǎn) — describes women dressed up in a showy, flamboyant, and eye-catching way.
- 鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún) — someone who stands out as exceptional among ordinary people.
- 娘娘 (niángniang) - addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine
- 老牛吃嫩草 (lǎo niú chī nèn cǎo) — an older man pairing with a much younger woman.
- 一家有女百家求 (yī jiā yǒu nǚ bǎi jiā qiú) — a girl attracting many suitors
- 知根知底 (zhī gēn zhī dǐ) — meaning to know someone thoroughly.
- 大 (dà) — eldest, 奶奶 (nǎinǎi) — (dialect) young mistress of the house
- 三娘 (sān niáng) — Third Lady
- 我家那口子 (wǒ jiā nà kǒu zi) — colloquial/slang for "my husband.
- 偷腥 (tōu xīng) — metaphor for men cheating.
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