In the east is the Morning Star, in the west is Venus. The stars bring salvation, guiding our way.
This poem speaks of the Qixi Festival1.
Madam Lu and Mrs. Lu sat in the hall, listening to Lu Xian continue his earnest speech: “…In truth, Cousin Ling Yu’s background isn’t poor at all. She’s from a noble family, and knows everything a noble lady should.
Moreover, the Luo clan of Ruyang fell because they refused to open their gates and submit to the Northern army. If they had surrendered that day, Ruyang wouldn’t have held out until reinforcements arrived, and would now be Northern territory. The Luo clan died as loyal martyrs, making such a great contribution to our Southern country. How can their descendants be looked down upon in Jianye?”
“Among all the noble families in Jianye, how many can compare to the former Luo clan of Ruyang? Yet did the Luo clan ever receive justice? Once they fell, no one looked after their children. While others may not be our concern, since we Lus are related to the Luos by marriage, how can we not take care of them?”
“I believe Third Brother and Cousin Ling Yu are very well matched. Grandmother shouldn’t let prejudice about family status stop them.”
Mrs. Lu looked at her son strangely. She didn’t understand why Lu Xian was so concerned about Lu Yun’s marriage. On Qixi, instead of seeking out Princess Ningping, he was going on and on about someone else’s marriage… Mrs. Lu was truly disappointed in him. No wonder Lu Yun had admirers everywhere while her own son remained unmarried.
Old Madam Lu pondered: “Did Third Son ask you to tell me this? Why doesn’t he come himself?”
Lu Xian quickly replied: “No, no, Third Brother never asked me to say any of this. I’m speaking entirely of my own accord.”
Old Madam Lu didn’t believe him: “If he never spoke to you about it, how can you be sure he wants to marry Miss Luo?” After all, from Lu Yun’s tone, he had always been resistant to marriage.
Mrs. Lu was equally incredulous: “Yes, why are you speaking for others?”
Lu Xian paused before saying solemnly: “Because when I see Third Brother and Cousin Ling Yu together, I feel they’re perfectly matched. Grandmother, please agree.”
Old Madam Lu: “…Whether I agree or not isn’t particularly urgent, there’s plenty of time for me to consider. I still need to write to your grandfather and ask his opinion. Second Son, I just realized — have you forgotten that Miss Luo isn’t free to marry? She’s already engaged. Even if the Lu family agrees, would the Fan clan of Nanyang easily give their consent, given Young Master Fan’s previous attention to Miss Luo?”
Lu Xian was completely stunned: “…”
This was bad — he had forgotten about Young Master Fan’s existence.
In his dream, Young Master Fan had been busy with the chaos in Nanyang. After Prince Xiangyang and Luo Ling Yu became engaged, the Fan clan of Nanyang didn’t have the energy to demand an explanation from Prince Xiangyang. Later they missed their chance, and after Prince Xiangyang became emperor, the Fan family couldn’t possibly compete with His Majesty for a woman, so they had to swallow this bitter pill.
But in reality, thanks to Lu Xian’s own efforts, although Nanyang experienced unrest, it wasn’t as severe as in his dream, not to the point where people couldn’t live normal lives.
Fan Qingchen returned to Nanyang, but he hadn’t completely given up on his engagement to Luo Ling Yu.
The Lu family was in Jianye while the Fan family was in Nanyang — how could they pressure such a powerful local force? Were they hoping the Fan family would fall during the Nanyang conflict? Lu Xian’s efforts had backfired when it came to Lu Yun’s marriage. Lu Xian was troubled — he didn’t want any noble family to decline and further weaken the Southern country’s power.
It was truly a difficult situation.
Lu Xian could only say: “…One thing at a time. At least if Grandmother agrees, there might be hope with the other side. I want to work on both fronts…”
Mrs. Lu grew increasingly impatient and turned away. Only Lu Xian remained oblivious, still pleading with the two elders.
…
Perhaps his Third Brother and cousin weren’t as concerned about marriage as he was.
Under the grape trellis, seats were arranged and fruits and wine were laid out to worship the Cowherd and Weaver Girl stars. Incense smoke rose into the air, and through the courtyard walls came the faint sound of maids laughing in the neighboring yard.
Under the bright lanterns, after silently praying, the young ladies took out five-colored threads and nine-eyed needles to thread them, seeking the star deity’s blessing for marriage and skill.
Some clever ones took scissors to cut paper figures of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, which were pasted on wooden frames and illuminated by lanterns, casting shadows on the well. Only shadowy figures could be seen, dancing in the light.
The ladies competed and laughed as they wove their colorful threads. Luo Ling Yu wove hers quickly and beautifully, earning the admiration of the other ladies.
After finishing the five-colored threads, the noble ladies used light-colored paper to cut flowers and tied them with the woven threads.
When they scattered the flower branches in the courtyard, the night sky above the green willows was filled with flowing colors and light.
The ladies closed their eyes and made wishes: May I marry a good man. May I find my true love.
When most of the colored threads were woven and flowers scattered, the ladies exchanged glances and found various excuses to leave. Even though the Lu family’s young cousins were staying at the Lu mansion because of a certain someone, on this Qixi Festival, that person wasn’t here, so they would invite other young masters of the Lu family to play instead. Clutching their colored threads, quite a few ladies gazed distractedly into the distance, asking the Lu family’s young men: Would Lu Yun return tonight?
Threading nine holes, weaving five-colored clouds. How disappointing it would be if they couldn’t give their woven threads to the young man they admired?
Suddenly, a gust of wind whirled through the grape vines. The silk flowers and colored threads in the golden plates in the courtyard were blown into the air. Some became tangled in the treetops. Everyone lamented the waste and brought ladders and frames to untangle the mixed threads, not wanting to disappoint the ladies who had worked all evening.
Luo Ling Yu hadn’t lost her threads — how could she lose something so important? The colored threads were safely tied around her wrist as she gracefully carried a golden plate in her lotus-patterned half-sleeve, helping to collect the scattered threads. She gradually walked away from the crowd, reaching a corner of the courtyard. She crouched down to place the golden plate on the ground and picked up several threads that had fallen in the grass, patiently separating and sorting them.
A cough came from above.
Luo Ling Yu looked up and was surprised and delighted to find a young man sitting with bent knees on the wall. Her eyes immediately sparkled with emotion.
It was still early evening. Lu Yun sat in the tree’s shadow on the wall, wearing a single layer of white silk gauze robe and a jade crown, his features refined and handsome. What a beautiful young man — his long hands rested on the wall as he sat in the shadows of the trees, yet rather than appearing dark in the night, he seemed surrounded by a faint, soft white light.
Like a most noble young master, as precious as jade.
Lu Yun jumped down from the wall as Luo Ling Yu happily went to meet him.
The golden plate full of colored threads was left on the ground as Luo Ling Yu rose to greet Lu Yun, who had suddenly appeared and whom all the other ladies were looking for.
She came to his side, her left hand pressing against her right wrist where her colored threads were tied.
The young lady quickly untied the threads from her hand and grabbed Lu Yun’s hand to tie them on him.
Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: …She really acted fast.
The meaning of a lady giving her colored threads to a young man on Qixi night was clear without words.
Lu Yun didn’t resist, calmly extending his wrist. His hands were long and well-proportioned, with calluses only on his fingertips, the entire hand as beautiful as jade. Luo Ling Yu’s heart pounded as she carefully tied the silk threads, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn’t refused, and no one had interrupted. Luo Ling Yu looked up at him shyly, though her hand still clutched his arm.
Luo Ling Yu: “I thought you wouldn’t come back tonight.”
Lu Yun’s eyes were deep as he sighed: “…Otherwise I might see someone crying and asking me why I missed such an important festival again.”
He was referring to how she had cried at her own coming-of-age ceremony.
Luo Ling Yu inwardly called him petty for remembering such an embarrassing incident so clearly. She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with spirit, enticing Lu Yun to look down at her: “Then I won’t pay attention to you. Tonight is also the Ladies’ Festival, and I have other things to do. Brother Xuechen just returned — don’t you need to go change clothes?”
Lu Yun glanced at her hand clutching his arm. Her words told him to go change, but she held his arm tightly, as if afraid he would really leave.
Lu Yun smiled without speaking: What a contradictory young lady.
Lu Yun immediately raised his sleeve and grabbed her hand in return. His little finger lightly traced across her palm as he held her delicate, beautiful hand. Luo Ling Yu’s palm tingled at his touch, and she lowered her head with reddened cheeks.
Lu Yun was characteristically frivolous as he teased: “Why change clothes? On such a beautiful night, doesn’t little sister Yu want to spend the spring night with me?”
Luo Ling Yu was stunned, hearing the flirtatious implication in his words: “…?”
Lu Yun’s face heated up and he turned his head to cough. He liked teasing her but had misspoken again.
He corrected himself: “I mean go out to play.”
Only then did Luo Ling Yu nod with shy satisfaction: “Brother Xuechen, wait a moment. I’ll come find you soon.”
Having Lu Yun accompany her was her goal all along. Lu Yun was a perceptive person who could understand subtle meanings, and when she asked like that, he understood. Having such a romantic young man as a companion, Luo Ling Yu’s heart was full of joy as she left carrying the golden plate. Because unlike Lu Yun, she had always wanted to marry.
She wanted a good husband’s companionship, wanted marriage to confirm she wouldn’t be abandoned.
Before in Nanyang, when she was with Fan Qingchen, Qixi was the day that made her most anxious — she was very afraid to be with Fan Qingchen.
But now it was different. She felt she had found the right person.
…
Lu Xian was still talking endlessly at Old Madam Lu’s place, making both elders drowsy.
Luo Ling Yu had cleverly found an excuse to separate from the other young ladies and ran back to her own courtyard, lifting her skirts. Although Lu Yun had returned, she knew all the young ladies in the family liked him. Usually it didn’t matter, but tonight Luo Ling Yu didn’t want to share Lu Yun with the others — Lu Yun should be hers. He still had her colored threads tied around his wrist.
Luo Ling Yu returned to her courtyard and searched through her boxes to find and put on a mili veil2. The mili veil was white gauze with pearl and jade decorations on the edges. It could cover the whole body and face, both noble and elegant, quite popular among noble ladies.
When noble women weren’t convenient to receive guests, they would wear mili to go out. Luo Ling Yu took out the mili veil tonight because she didn’t want to be recognized by acquaintances. After putting on the mili, she stood at the corner of her courtyard wall looking around, searching through the black gauze for where Lu Yun might be waiting for her.
Suddenly her waist was embraced, a hand reached out from behind a tree and pulled her away into someone’s arms.
Full of fragrance, intimate and ambiguous. Lu Yun lowered his head to kiss her, but his nose hit a layer of gauze — only then did he notice she was wearing a mili that covered her face. Lu Yun’s motion paused: “…”
Luo Ling Yu didn’t notice his subtle change in mood, just grabbed his sleeve and said softly: “Let’s go out to the streets.”
Lu Yun’s tone was slightly floating, his mind still dwelling on her beauty hidden behind the gauze: “…Mm.”
Luo Ling Yu said happily: “After wandering tonight, tomorrow I still need to go to Mount Zhong, to get the talisman I asked the master at Kaishan Temple for.”
Lu Yun led her out while asking carelessly: “You’re really busy. What kind of talisman did you ask for?”
Luo Ling Yu paused slightly.
Lu Yun was extremely sensitive.
He immediately lowered his head, his voice also tightening: “You asked for it for me?”
Luo Ling Yu: “…Yes.”
She felt the hand around her waist tighten, his arm like iron.
Lu Yun slowly looked at her: “Then don’t go tomorrow. While I’m here tonight, I’ll take you to get it.”
Luo Ling Yu: “Ah… but Mount Zhong is so far.”
Lu Yun: “We’ll go by horse.”
Luo Ling Yu resisted: “I don’t know how…”
Lu Yun: “I’ll take you.”
Through the gauze, he looked at her with a smile: “At least for this whole night, I belong entirely to little sister Yu. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it.”
Luo Ling Yu: “…”
She regretted wearing the mili — she couldn’t see the young man outside the veil clearly. He bent down to speak to her, looking unusually doting, and she wanted so much to see it.
…
Lu Yun helped Luo Ling Yu onto the horse. She clung fearfully to his embrace, tightly gripping his sleeve. Her heart was filled with both sweetness and anxiety. From Danyang to Mount Zhong, they passed through alleys and streets, galloping past the flowing lantern lights of the night market in flashes.
Luo Ling Yu buried her face in his embrace, her heart’s fears of gain and loss ebbing and flowing like the tides—
She had embroidered a pouch, the first time in her life to give as a gift to a young man.
She had prayed for Lu Yun’s blessing at Kaishan Temple.
She would put the obtained talisman in the pouch, pretending to be casual as she gave both to Lu Yun.
The talisman would keep him safe.
But he surely didn’t know there was another secret hidden in that pouch. The pouch was embroidered on both sides, with two lines of text embroidered inside:
Through millennia I ask one word from you, may love be as unchanging as the mountains.
…She wanted his love, yet didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to say it aloud.
With other young men she only wanted marriage, but with Lu Yun, she absolutely needed his love. Thus, although she pressured Lu Yun about marriage, she wasn’t that urgent about it. She was a greedy young lady who wanted both power and wealth, as well as love — she must have his love.
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