As the wine flowed and pleasantries were exchanged, the atmosphere at the banquet gradually grew lively. The guests turned their attention to the beautiful dancers performing before them. The women moved gracefully, their every gesture alluring and their smiles captivating, stirring desire in the onlookers. Undoubtedly, Liu Chang had an excellent eye for selecting beautiful women.
However, the host Liu Chang was in a foul mood and paid no attention to the beauties. Even the tender affections of the woman beside him, who had just emerged from the Chenxiang Pavilion, could not dispel his worries and frustrations. The reason for his unease was that the two people he had been waiting for still hadn’t appeared.
“It’s such a short distance. How could it take them a quarter of an hour?” Liu Chang thought irritably. “Even a turtle would have crawled here by now. Why is this weather so stifling?” Despite his inner turmoil, Liu Chang maintained an outwardly calm demeanor, elegantly tugging at his collar. He gazed up at the sky, which was a deep blue with a few pristine white clouds floating on the horizon. The sun, however, was blindingly bright. After just a glance, his vision darkened, and he quickly shut his eyes. “Ah,” he thought, “now I see red and black, with countless little stars dancing about.”
The beauty beside him looked at him with concern. She delicately lifted the lid of a gilded silver bowl and stirred the waxberry cherries inside with a spoon, ensuring the milk and sugar were evenly mixed. She then scooped up a spoonful of cherries and offered it to Liu Chang, her eyes filled with allure as she cooed, “My lord, please have some cherries.”
Liu Chang had heard her sweet invitation. He half-opened his eyes and turned towards her, but his movement was too abrupt. The beauty’s hand was raised a bit too high, and the cold spoonful of milk and sugar-coated cherries pressed against the tip of his nose, leaving a sweet, milky fragrance.
“Hehe…” The beauty was startled at first, but then smiled sweetly at the white spot on Liu Chang’s nose tip. Her beautiful phoenix eyes curved into an arc that Liu Chang found mesmerizing. He narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at her familiar face, his mind wandering. The beauty, pleased by his unwavering attention, playfully extended her tongue and lightly licked the white spot on his nose. She then ran her pink tongue over her full lips and said in a sultry voice, “My lord’s nose is so sweet.” She then looked up at Liu Chang with wide, adoring eyes, full of admiration and coyness.
“What a perceptive little thing,” Liu Chang thought. “It wasn’t in vain that I spent so much effort to find someone with such similar eyes. Look at that smile, just like that woman from years ago when she only had eyes for me.” Liu Chang smiled and affectionately wrapped his arm around the beauty’s shoulders. He was about to say something intimate when Qiushi quietly spoke beside him, “My lord, Young Master Jiang…”
Finally, they had arrived. Liu Chang snapped out of his daydream, his eyes brightening as he quickly released the beauty’s shoulders and sat up straight, waiting for Qiushi to continue. Qiushi was taken aback by this sudden movement and, seeing Liu Chang’s expectant expression, felt reluctant and afraid to continue speaking.
Noticing Qiushi’s hesitation, Liu Chang realized he had lost his composure. He casually put his arm around the beauty’s slender waist again and asked nonchalantly, “What is it?”
Qiushi swallowed hard and cautiously said, “Young Master Jiang sent a pot of Yulou Dian Cui and a pot of Yan Rong Zi peonies as congratulations for the new villa’s completion. May I ask where you’d like these flowers placed, my lord?”
“Why even ask me? Of course, bring them here for everyone to admire,” Liu Chang replied with a confident and smug smile. He held the beauty in his arms tighter and leaned back lazily, his gaze wandering towards the entrance, hoping the newcomers would immediately notice him and the beauty in his arms. But he was disappointed; only his servants stood at the entrance, with no sign of anyone else. He looked at Qiushi with annoyance, a question stuck in his throat that he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
Qiushi, knowing his master’s thoughts all too well, could see the mix of embarrassment and forced composure in Liu Chang’s expression. He sighed inwardly but had no choice but to continue, “The Jiang family’s steward personally delivered them. He said Young Master Jiang couldn’t attend as a guest because of some urgent matter at Madam He’s family home. He had to return to the city. Young Master Jiang deeply apologizes and hopes you’ll forgive him, my lord.”
Liu Chang let out a weak sigh. What was this? All his careful planning and rehearsing, and it amounted to nothing? What kind of nose did Jiang Changyang have to sense this and run so far away? Without the guest of honor, what was the point of having so many spectators? But Liu Chang was not one to give up easily. He frowned slightly and said calmly, “Tell their steward to come in. Say I want to reward him.”
Why didn’t Jiang Changyang dare to come? It meant he cared about this situation, didn’t it? If he wouldn’t see it with his own eyes, then having his servant witness it would have the same effect. Thinking this, Liu Chang unconsciously tightened his arm around the beauty’s waist, causing her to wince and say coquettishly, “My lord, please be gentle. You’ll break my waist.”
Liu Chang gave the beauty a cold glance, his authority unspoken but clear. The beauty’s coquettish complaint instantly turned into appeasement as she held her breath and nestled quietly in his arms. Only then did Liu Chang feel satisfied, looking up at Qiushi.
Qiushi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trying his best to keep his expression natural. “Their steward left after delivering the flowers and the message. I couldn’t detain him, my lord.” He thought to himself, “My lord is usually reasonable, but when it comes to this matter, his head seems filled with paste. His mood swings are unpredictable, and he just doesn’t get it.”
Liu Chang’s gaze became vacant, his mouth twisting slightly. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the beauty’s waist again. The beauty nearly fainted, barely managing to stay conscious. She looked at Liu Chang with tears in her eyes, still not daring to make a sound, only gazing pitifully at Steward Qiushi, hoping he might come to her rescue. But Qiushi could barely take care of himself, let alone save the beauty. He could only stare at his own shoe tips, saying nothing.
Liu Chang’s blank stare didn’t last long. Suddenly, he heard a chorus of admiration from below: “Beautiful flowers!” He wearily lifted his eyelids to look down and saw seven or eight sturdy servants carefully carrying in two large, lush peonies in full bloom. The Yulou Dian Cui variety typically had a low blooming rate, but this plant had twelve fully opened flowers, each as large as a bowl, delicate pink-white with jade-green leaves. The Yan Rong Zi variety was intensely colored, half-hidden among the leaves, languid and graceful like a beauty with freshly applied evening makeup. These two plants were worth at least a million. It was clear that great effort had been put into this congratulatory gift. The guests marveled, and upon learning that the gift was from the neighboring Fang Garden, their eyes took on a different meaning.
“What a lofty gesture,” Liu Chang thought. “They’re always the generous, upright good guys, while I’m forever the petty villain.” His heart clenched suddenly, and his hatred for Jiang Changyang and He Mudan reached a new height.
Guests friendly with Jiang Changyang began to subtly praise his grace and magnanimity. They reasoned that anyone would be angry in such a situation, but Jiang Changyang not only wisely avoided conflict but also generously sent expensive flowers as a gift. The difference in character was clear. If it were an ordinary person, some might laugh at them for being cowardly, but Jiang Changyang had never been associated with cowardice, while Liu Chang had always had a poor reputation. Thus, everyone believed that if Liu Chang understood propriety, he should be ashamed and give up. Continuing to obsess would only make him seem increasingly vulgar. Even in competition, one should have some finesse, shouldn’t they?
Those friendly with Liu Chang came forward to offer toasts, subtly advising him to let it go. After all, they were colleagues in the court, and past events should be left in the past. Why persist in a lifelong grudge? It would harm others without benefiting himself, doing no good for anyone. From any perspective, Liu Chang was in the wrong. There were other remarried divorcees in the court, but their former and current husbands, if not cordial, at least ignored each other. His eagerness to cause trouble was truly rare. However, they also expressed sympathy, acknowledging that He Mudan was exceptionally beautiful and unparalleled in peony cultivation. Liu Chang was young and naive then, so his later regret and jealousy were understandable. How pitiful.
As people comfortingly patted his shoulder and expressed sympathy, even offering to arrange a good marriage for him to help him forget the past, Liu Chang stared at the two blooming peonies. His face wore a carefree smile, but his heart was bleeding. He wanted to say that he truly didn’t care about He Mudan anymore, that he just couldn’t stand Jiang Changyang’s pretentious behavior. But he couldn’t speak up. Who would believe him? He didn’t even believe himself. He glanced at the beauty beside him and suddenly felt empty. A fake was a fake, like silk and paper flowers – they might look similar, but the texture was entirely different.
Qiushi was the most considerate person. Seeing the situation, he immediately ordered the beauties to start playing music and dancing enthusiastically. He instructed the servants to keep refilling wine cups and had the kitchen send out a continuous stream of delicacies. Sure enough, most people’s attention was diverted, and they gradually forgot about the two peonies. Liu Chang’s smile became more natural and radiant. He drank himself into a stupor, forgetting who he was.
In the early hours of the morning, Liu Chang reluctantly awoke from his drunken stupor. He stared blankly at the floral patterns on the canopy, thinking to himself, “Perhaps I should seriously consider finding a suitable marriage and settling down? This can’t go on. No matter how many children I have with concubines, they’ll never be considered legitimate… But who should I marry?” He mentally went through all the eligible young ladies from noble families he knew, but couldn’t find a single suitable candidate. They were either too affected and artificial, not beautiful enough, or beautiful but dull and uninteresting.
“Even getting married is so difficult,” he thought irritably, tossing and turning vigorously. His movement startled the sleeping beauty beside him. The beauty, with her snow-white, smooth shoulders exposed, crawled over to him coyly and said with a smile, “It’s still early, my lord. Won’t you sleep a bit more?”