Peace had reigned in the realm for many years now. People’s lives had become increasingly refined, with a greater focus on food, clothing, shelter, and travel. However, power and wealth had also become more concentrated. The entire bureaucratic and noble class grew increasingly corrupt as if they needed to elevate themselves above others to showcase their uniqueness. They insisted on emphasizing hierarchy and rank everywhere, further subdividing their circles, seemingly unable to demonstrate their status otherwise.
In reality, Ji Cheng understood clearly that even if she didn’t associate with Qi Hua, others wouldn’t think more highly of her. She couldn’t even compare to Qi Hua. The fact that she could now converse with Li Hui was solely due to Shen Yuan’s influence.
As the guests had mostly arrived, Shen Yuan and Shen Qian began arranging for the young ladies to go play at the Willow Leaf Pavilion by East Lake.
This elegant gathering, true to its name, naturally required an element of refinement. Whether composing poetry, painting, or practicing calligraphy, something praiseworthy had to be produced to make the most of this time when beauties gathered like flowers in bloom.
By now, the sun had grown quite strong. Fortunately, the Willow Leaf Pavilion was surrounded by dense shade. The green willows and emerald bamboo filtered the sunlight, leaving only scattered golden flecks without the scorching heat, creating a refreshingly cool atmosphere.
Inside the pavilion, the window panels facing the lake had been completely removed. The other three sides each had their artistic scenes. From Ji Cheng’s perspective, the west side displayed a painting of ten thousand bamboo stalks, the north showed a scene of deep mountains and elegant peaks, while the south portrayed a colorful landscape of various flowers. One could say that every step within the pavilion offered a different view.
No wonder Shen Yuan had chosen this location for the gathering.
Ji Cheng had learned quite a bit from Shen Yuan recently. She now understood how much effort and ingenuity went into hosting such an elegant gathering. Much thought was put into unseen details, with every aspect requiring meticulous attention, lest it invite criticism.
Ji Cheng observed and took mental notes, learning by example.
As each young lady entered the pavilion, she selected a fresh flower from a tray held by a maid to wear, calling it the “Flower Pinning Banquet.”
In truth, the flower pinning had another subtle purpose. Choosing a peony meant one wished to make friends through literature; selecting a string of jasmine indicated a desire to bond over music; picking a camellia suggested an interest in painting inspired by the scenery.
One could discern the meaning of these flowers by observing the attire of the maids holding them. For instance, the maid with peonies wore a plain dress embroidered with poetry, while the one with jasmine strings was dressed as a qin attendant, carrying a qin case on her back. In short, there were hints everywhere, testing one’s ability to grasp their refined meanings. Misunderstanding could lead to embarrassment, providing these young ladies with gossip material for half a year.
Ji Cheng learned another lesson: the so-called “refinement” meant nothing should be stated explicitly. Everything required subtlety, demanding a bit of thought to understand. This was the essence of elegance.
Ji Cheng found herself missing her days in Jin territory. Bordering the Northern Hu, the customs there were more open, and people were more straightforward, without so many frivolous matters.
But as the saying goes, one can’t have both fish and bear’s paw.
After brief consideration, Ji Cheng chose a white camellia with a hint of green to pin in her hair. She rarely wore accessories, having only a jade comb in her hair today. The addition of the camellia flower brought a touch of charm to her appearance. It was as if sunlight suddenly broke through the misty mountain, scattering bits of rosy glow.
Su Yun inadvertently glanced at Ji Cheng and couldn’t help but look twice. Everyone usually praised Su Yun’s beauty, and even when she looked in the mirror, she felt few could surpass her. Even upon first meeting Ji Cheng, she only acknowledged them as equals.
Today, Su Yun had to admit that Ji Cheng had been hiding her true beauty. If Ji Cheng put her mind to it, she might indeed embody the “nation-toppling, city-toppling” beauty sung about in operas.
However, what good was exceptional beauty for a woman? At best, it was merely icing on the cake. If one was just coarse cloth underneath, no matter how beautifully embroidered, it would still be just a pretty piece of rough fabric.
Take Li Hui, for example. Truthfully, among the young ladies, Li Hui’s appearance was quite ordinary – a square face with thick lips. But when she turned twelve or thirteen and began receiving marriage proposals, suitors nearly wore out the threshold of the Li family home. After careful selection, she was finally betrothed at fifteen, but Duke Jingwu was still reluctant to let her marry, saying he wanted to keep her until she was eighteen.
Ji Cheng’s thoughts aligned surprisingly well with Su Yun’s, but she had so few advantages to leverage that she could only console herself that having beauty was better than having none at all.
As for today’s gathering providing an opportunity to showcase talent, Ji Cheng hadn’t yet decided how to approach it. She could compose poetry, but wasn’t particularly skilled at it, especially considering Shen Yuan and Su Yun’s high level of expertise in this area.
Ji Cheng could have chosen to be a supporting player, highlighting others’ talents, but at the last moment, she changed her mind. Her heart was no longer calm; what she had witnessed today gave her much to ponder, and she realized she didn’t have the luxury of hiding her abilities.
To conceal one’s light, one must first have light to hide.
Ji Cheng’s initial expectations had been too optimistic. Despite Ji Lan’s legendary precedent, times had changed, and many things were no longer as they once were.
Having only recently arrived in the capital, Ji Cheng was already keenly aware of the deep-rooted exclusion these noble ladies harbored towards outsiders like herself.
Moreover, Ji Lan hadn’t set a particularly good example for Ji Cheng. Even after nearly twenty years, Ji Lan herself still struggled, treading carefully as if on thin ice.
The Ji family had always maintained a low profile while amassing wealth. There were many Jin merchants, and the Ji family wasn’t considered particularly famous among them. But Ji Cheng knew the details best – she estimated that her family’s current wealth, if not dominating Western Jin, at least ranked in the top three. Had they not consistently kept a low profile, they might have long been targeted as easy prey. The incident with the Zhu family could be seen as testing the waters. If not for some of Ji Lan’s somewhat showy behavior in the capital, the Ji family might have maintained an even lower profile.
Given the Ji family’s approach and Ji Cheng’s habits formed since childhood, it was quite uncomfortable for her to suddenly seek everyone’s attention and stand at the forefront. She understood all too well the risks and criticism that came with being at the top.
However, Ji Cheng also found her thoughts somewhat amusing. Among the talented noble ladies of the capital, even if she wanted to stand out, it might not be easy to distinguish herself. Perhaps she was overthinking it.
The Willow Leaf Pavilion had already been partitioned by twelve panels of purple sandalwood screens with openwork grapevine patterns and four seasons of flower motifs. These screens were specially brought out from the old matriarch’s private treasury at Shen Yuan’s request. The floral embroidery on them was the work of the Xue family from Jiangnan, making them extremely precious.
Shen Yuan had indeed put a great deal of effort into this Hundred Flowers Banquet. The Shen family’s deep cultural heritage was not something the Wang family, who had suddenly risen to prominence due to Consort Su giving birth to the eldest prince, could compare to.
On Ji Cheng’s side, maids had already prepared brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, along with various pigments such as cinnabar, gamboge, azurite, vermilion, and malachite green. Every color was available.
However, Ji Cheng hadn’t expected that Fourth Miss Wang, who arrived last, would also choose painting. The painting was the least likely to stand out among the activities. Poetry could be recited and shared, and musical performances could be enjoyed by all, resonating through the pavilion. Only painting took the most time, and it was difficult to produce a masterpiece in haste for the occasion.
Because of this, the poetry composition and musical performances on both sides of the screen had already determined their champions, while Ji Cheng and the others were still furiously wielding their brushes.
Fourth Miss Wang, however, was the first to set down her brush. By the time Ji Cheng, the last to finish, put down her brush, Fourth Miss Wang had already enjoyed a cup of tea and critiqued Shen Yuan and the others’ poems.
All the young ladies gathered to view their peony paintings. Although it was called the Hundred Flowers Banquet, April was the season when peonies reigned supreme, so peonies were undoubtedly the most fitting subject.
Ji Cheng’s painting caught everyone’s eye, with exclamations that she had brought the peonies to life. Two Zhao Pink peonies, one near and one far, perfectly framed the largest Snow Pagoda peony in the center, making it appear even more icy and snow-like.
Shen Yuan nodded, “Not bad, not bad at all. The colors are bright and beautiful, and the brushwork is meticulous and delicate. Even the butterflies and grasshoppers among the flowers are lifelike. Cheng, you must have been painting for quite some years, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I studied with a teacher for a few years back home,” Ji Cheng replied. However, her current level of skill was actually due to Madam Yu’s guidance.
Although Ji Cheng’s painting was eye-catching, Fourth Miss Wang’s peony painting was truly captivating. She had painted purple, red, and white peonies, some facing forward, some to the side, overlapping and showcasing various poses, perfectly capturing their essence.
Everyone lingered between Ji Cheng and Fourth Miss Wang’s paintings, seemingly finding it difficult to choose between them.
Fourth Miss Wang stood to the side, smirking at the comments from those pretending to be connoisseurs.
Having studied painting with Madam Yu for some time, Ji Cheng’s technique might still lack some refinement, but her eye for art had been well-trained. One look at Fourth Miss Wang’s peonies, and she knew she had been outclassed.
“My painting is far inferior to Miss Wang’s,” Ji Cheng said. “Miss Wang completed her painting so quickly, clearly demonstrating her mastery. Although there are only three flower stems, she has fully captured the essence of peonies – their national beauty, nobility, and the aura of purple qi coming from the East. The use of light and shadow, perspective, and even the turning and positioning of flower petals and leaves are all clearly delineated. Her brushwork is subtle yet bright and concise, and the composition exudes a natural charm. It’s truly beyond my capabilities.”
Seeing that Ji Cheng had immediately pointed out the three-color flower arrangement she was most proud of, and praising it so accurately, Fourth Miss Wang’s opinion of her improved somewhat.
But that was the extent of it.
Since Ji Cheng had already conceded defeat, the champion of the painting group naturally went to Fourth Miss Wang, though Ji Cheng could be said to have achieved an honorable defeat.
In the poetry group, Su Yun won first place on her first participation, much to Shen Yuan’s delight and pride. As for the music group, although Shen Qian studied under Aunt Hanbi, her practice was inconsistent, so she only achieved a middling result.
After the three groups had concluded, maids came to invite everyone to move to the Rainbow Beam Pavilion across from the Willow Leaf Pavilion for the banquet. There was also a drinking game to liven up the atmosphere. Ji Cheng handled both simple and difficult challenges with ease, even when Fourth Miss Wang deliberately tried to trip her up. This performance made others realize they could no longer underestimate her just because she came from a Jin merchant family.
After lunch, everyone felt a bit drowsy. Some young ladies who couldn’t stay awake bid farewell and went home. Those who were close friends with Shen Yuan and the others were led by maids to rest and sober up. Some went for walks in the garden in twos and threes to aid digestion.
As for the still-energetic Wang sisters, seeing the wide expanse of water in Qing Garden, they asked Shen Yuan to have servants bring out a pleasure boat for everyone to enjoy a boat ride.
Ji Cheng was still fairly alert, having only had a little sweet wine at lunch. The gentle rocking of the boat nearly lulled her to sleep, but she managed to stay awake. Looking around at the other young ladies, she saw that the cool lake breeze had made them all drowsy, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Just as Ji Cheng adjusted her position, preparing to take an elegant nap, she heard a loud splash from across the lake. On the bridge on the opposite shore, a young girl screamed for help, her face pale with fright.
Seeing someone thrashing in the middle of the lake, Ji Cheng didn’t think twice before jumping into the water. She knew how to swim, having grown up as a tomboy and often swimming with her second brother in the Wild Goose Pool before she could even distinguish between boys and girls.
As Ji Cheng swam closer, she realized the person in the water was Qi Hua. Qi Hua was struggling violently, having already swallowed several mouthfuls of water and drifting further away from the bridge. Ji Cheng quickly looked around and spotted a flowery arbor hidden among the green willows and colorful blossoms nearby. It would be a perfect place for them to take shelter, as they would surely be in a disheveled state when they got out of the water. The maids and servants would naturally bring them a change of clothes once they found them.
In an instant, Ji Cheng surveyed the surroundings and reached out to grab Qi Hua. However, in her panic, Qi Hua knocked away Ji Cheng’s hand, pulling Ji Cheng towards her. She then clung tightly to Ji Cheng’s neck, nearly choking her.
Finally managing to drag Qi Hua to the shore and into the flowery arbor, Ji Cheng was completely exhausted. Weighed down by Qi Hua, she collapsed onto the ground.
Ji Cheng heard a sharp intake of breath above her. Looking up, she saw Shen Yu and her cousin Shen Jing, both looking as if they were about to leave.