Without thinking, Xie Yuzhang’s hand circled the wrist of her other hand and gave it a squeeze. Well, she was not yet that thin now. In truth, after returning from Mobei, her body had always been frail and weak, and she had lost the rounded look of her youth. Sometimes when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she herself had thought she was far too thin.
But if he truly found her unpleasant, why had he in the end come to see her personally, in a condescension of his imperial dignity, when she lay dying?
And if he truly liked her, why had he treated her with such disdain? Making her the laughingstock of all Yunjing?
Xie Yuzhang could not stop herself from giving Li Gu a sideways glance.
That glance fell squarely into the young man’s eyes.
Carrying resentment and reproach, with a depth of emotion in her gaze — it was an expression no girl of this age could have possessed, and none that a young man of this age could have understood.
Li Gu froze.
Xie Yuzhang turned away and started making up conversation with A’Mei.
Servants brought forward washed fresh fruit and cool spring water.
The young girls and young men chattered and reached for them. The older young men only watched with smiling faces. The few years’ difference in age showed itself clearly in their bearing.
The most conspicuous of all, naturally, were Li the Seventh and Li the Eleventh.
A’Mei leaned close to Xie Yuzhang and whispered, “That Li the Eleventh is quite good-looking — it’s just that he’s too dark-complexioned.” She seemed genuinely regretful.
In Yunjing, the fashionable ideal of beauty was the fair, refined, and elegant look of a scholar’s face like carved jade. Li Gu, having been subject to the wind and sun of the northwest for years, was slightly darker-complexioned, which did not fit the current popular aesthetic.
Xie Yuzhang thought of how, in later years, the people of Yunjing would come to adore and pursue the new Emperor’s slightly dark-complexioned, robustly handsome appearance, and could not suppress an inward smile.
With the midday sun at its most intense, the noble young people all retreated to the shade of the trees while the servants ran back and forth, and before long the game had been turned into plates of food.
Someone said, “Oh, isn’t this the rabbit Baohua shot?”
And another, “Baohua took three pieces of game today — she came in first!”
The older group was all astonished. The Fifth Prince asked, “Baohua, did you truly shoot these yourself?” His expression was one of utter disbelief. He and his sister had played together so often — how could he not know Baohua’s archery?
What the Fifth Prince did not know was that Xie Yuzhang had lived in the Mobei Khanate for ten years, and her riding and archery were now utterly different from what they had been.
Xie Yuzhang said casually, “Just lucky.”
Her attention was in truth mostly on Li Gu, which made her seem somewhat detached and aloof. But everyone here had been on good terms with her and had been thinking of her impending departure for Mobei. That she could manage not to cry and weep, and even come out openly to join the hunt — that alone was no small thing. No one reproached her for her distraction.
Xie Yuzhang had A’Mei sitting on one side, the Fifth Prince on the other, and Yang Huaishen seated across from her.
Li Gu and Li Weifeng had not pushed their way forward. They sat with the young lords they were already acquainted with.
Thanks to Yang Huaishen’s warm introductions, the two of them had managed to break into the social circle here. Both felt it was more tiring than fighting a battle.
Li Weifeng glanced over and noticed something off in Li Gu’s expression, and asked quietly, “What is it?”
Li Gu lowered his gaze. “Nothing.”
Li Gu was certain it was because of the joke Princess Baohua had made with him at that banquet, which had given him a suspicious mind, making him constantly feel as though Princess Baohua was paying him particular attention.
That was impossible.
The sun was still strong after the meal was finished, and no one returned home yet. Among the young girls and young men gathered together, there was naturally no lack of amusement. Even on an outing and hunt, the toys were brought along by the servants. Pot-pitch, chess — there was always something to play.
The young men in the older group had originally brought wine, but seeing this younger group present, they had not brought it out. Then some younger brother happened to find it, blurted it out, and the whole group erupted.
The older brothers, heads aching from the clamor of the younger ones, finally had no choice but to bring out the wine, solemnly instructing them, “Only a taste — don’t let your parents find out.”
The younger ones all raised a cheer in unison.
It was not necessarily that they cared so much about the wine itself — rather, because this was something their parents ordinarily forbade, doing it made it feel especially thrilling and delightful.
The older brothers, though all composed now, had each passed through this same stage themselves. They had a mind to indulge the younger ones in their mischief, yet they also had to keep an eye out to make sure things didn’t go too far, so what had started as an outing and a ride had turned into babysitting duty. They grumbled that it was all very tiresome, yet every one of them wore a smile at the corners of their mouths.
After the wine came an archery competition, and everyone put up stakes.
Xie Yuzhang offered a bejeweled gold saddle — identical to the one on her own horse. They had originally come as a pair, one put to use on the black horse and one stored away in her treasury.
Li Gu produced a dagger. Compared to the other stakes people were able to produce on the spot — gilded with silver, studded with gems and jade — Li Gu’s dagger had none of that. Plain fish-skin sheath, utterly unremarkable in appearance.
Yet when it was drawn, a wave of cold air rushed out. Yang Huaishen was quick-handed and drew it out to have a look, and in the height of summer was struck by a sneeze, and had to hastily rub his nose.
Xie Yuzhang’s heart stirred. She stepped forward and asked, “Is it meteoric iron?”
Li Gu had not yet spoken when Li Weifeng already exclaimed, “Your Highness is a person of discernment!”
Yang Huaishen looked at Xie Yuzhang in surprise. “How did you know about that?”
Xie Yuzhang said, “I have heard that on the grasslands, meteors often fall from the heavens. Craftsmen who find the fragments of these fallen stars smelt them into iron that is harder and tougher than ordinary iron, and any weapon forged from it is a rare treasure.”
Meteoric iron was in truth the grassland term for it. In the books of the Central Plains people, it was called “fallen star iron.”
Li Weifeng smiled and said, “I never expected Your Highness to be so knowledgeable about the ways of the grasslands.”
But the moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had misspoken. Sure enough, the laughter and conversation all fell suddenly into silence, and Li Weifeng was deeply embarrassed.
Xie Yuzhang broke the silence, saying with a smile, “I am about to be wed to Mobei, so these past days I have had scholars from the Bureau of Foreign Affairs come and tell me about conditions and customs there. It is very different from ours, and quite fascinating.”
Princess Baohua spoke and smiled freely, and carried herself with poise. She did not shy away from speaking of her imminent marriage alliance.
The hearts of those present held, variously, pity, admiration, and quiet headshaking at the thought that this princess was still young and naive and did not yet understand the hardships ahead. But regardless of what each person privately thought, the way Xie Yuzhang conducted herself here did genuinely put everyone present at ease.
The Fifth Prince praised her. “Sister is truly thoughtful. Father Emperor has been praising you to us often these past two days, saying that you are certain to become a second Princess Shanqi.”
Everyone chimed in with agreement, voices raised in praise, one overlapping another.