The First Jasmine - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Hundred Flowers Grand Gathering (Part II)

At the Main Gates of the Ye Manor

Before Ye Li could even step out the door, she saw Ye Ying approaching gracefully, surrounded by a cluster of maidservants. Following closely behind her were Ye Lin and Ye Shan, both of their faces alight with joy. It appeared the issue regarding the invitations to the Hundred Flowers Grand Gathering had been resolved after all. Ye Li was not particularly close to these two younger sisters. Thus, even if they occasionally tried to trip her up in the past to curry favor with Madam Wang, she generally chose not to bicker with them as long as they did not truly provoke her. After all, she had never fulfilled the responsibilities of an elder sister, so she naturally could not expect them to harbor the affection of younger sisters toward her. Upon seeing Ye Li, Ye Lin and Ye Shan stepped forward somewhat reluctantly to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Third Sister."

Ye Li nodded. "Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister."

Ye Ying was dressed in a snow-white robe with loose, flowing sleeves, embellished with scattered pink cherry blossom petals. Her glossy black hair was gathered into a simple hairpin twist, and nestled within was a golden stride-shaking hairpin shaped like a pair of flying butterflies; with her every movement, the exquisite butterfly wings trembled slightly, looking remarkably lifelike. Ye Ying was undoubtedly a young lady who knew exactly how to adorn herself. In truth, none of the sisters in the Ye family lacked good looks, but even though Ye Lin and Ye Shan were similarly well-dressed, the moment they stood before Ye Ying, they were instantly reduced to mere foils. Looking at the makeup featuring a few spots of pink cherry blossoms painted between her brows, she seemed to possess a few extra traces of an ethereal, otherworldly air. The title of Number One Beauty of the Capital was indeed well-deserved.

While Ye Li was sizing up Ye Ying, Ye Ying was likewise sizing up this Third Sister, whom both she and her mother equally disliked. Ye Ying had initially held no regard for Ye Li, who had never participated in any gatherings in the capital and usually seemed poorly dressed; seeing Ye Li from afar in a pale green robe just now had seemingly confirmed this thought. Although Ye Li had not worn the clothing her mother had sent over, it did not mean she could manage her appearance any better. Yet, upon drawing closer, Ye Ying discovered that Ye Li's attire was not nearly as unremarkable as she had assumed. The pale green fabric, which initially seemed plain and simple, subtly shimmered with magnificent hidden patterns under the sunlight. Coupled with the silver-thread embroidered herbaceous peony branch motifs, the young lady before her exuded a reserved, elegant, and noble aura. Furthermore, the two green jade orchid hairpins embedded with night-luminescent pearls in her hair were precisely the new arrivals released by the Fenghua Tower just this month. She had taken a liking to them long ago, but her mother had never agreed to buy them; she had not expected to see them in Ye Li's hair. Looking at Ye Li's understated yet grand, simple yet dignified attire, Ye Ying—who had felt secretly proud of her own appearance moments ago—now wished she could turn right back around and tear this dress to pieces.

Recalling the news she heard two days ago about the Prince Ding Estate sending people to deliver items to Ye Li, Ye Ying felt even more suffocated with annoyance. Ever since her engagement to Prince Li, Prince Li had never sent her a single thing!

"Since everyone is here, let us depart. It would be improper to be late," Ye Li said, withdrawing her gaze and speaking to her three younger sisters.

Outside the gates, three carriages were already waiting. The one in front belonged to Ye Li, followed by Ye Ying's. As for Ye Shan and Ye Lin, since they were daughters of concubines, they could only share a single carriage. The youngest, Ye Shan, looked at the carved red sandalwood carriage, then at Ye Ying's exclusive carved pearwood carriage draped with light gauze curtains. When she looked back at the carriage she had to share with Ye Lin, she puckered her small mouth in grievance. Seeing Ye Ying and Ye Li boarding their respective carriages without a backward glance, Ye Shan's eyes darted around. She ran toward Ye Li's carriage and cried, "Third Sister, can Shan'er sit with you?"

Having already boarded the carriage, Ye Li turned around to look at the innocently eager expression on Ye Shan's face. She nodded indifferently. "Come up."

Ye Shan hastily and joyfully stepped onto the embroidered footstool to board the carriage. Behind them, Ye Ying had clearly overheard their exchange. Lifting a corner of her gauze curtain slightly, she smiled at Ye Lin, who was still standing by the side. "Since that is the case, Fifth Sister, come sit with me. It will save me from feeling entirely bored on my own." Ye Lin hastily expressed her gratitude to Ye Ying before following her into the carriage.

The carriages traveled slowly and smoothly toward the Peony Garden. Sitting inside, Ye Li found it rather amusing to watch the poorly concealed annoyance on Ye Shan's face. She must be regretting her actions just now, fearing she might have provoked Ye Ying, right? The daughters of this era simply thought far too much. Ye Shan was still a few months shy of her thirteenth birthday. Recalling her past life, even when she was twelve years old and forced to memorize countless military texts and strategies, she had essentially still been nothing more than an ignorant brat. Being able to occasionally play minor mind games with her grandfather or cousins was already the extent of it; how could she have conceived such intricate calculations for scheming? This was merely their strategy for survival, so Ye Li did not wish to deliberately make things difficult for this girl who was currently filled with vexation.

"Being overly competitive is not a good thing." Handing the scroll in her hand to Qingshuang to put away, Ye Li amusedly observed Ye Shan, whose expression shifted continuously. She was still young after all, and in most instances, she was entirely incapable of concealing her expressions and thoughts.

"What... what nonsense are you spouting? I am not!" Ye Shan's tender little face flushed crimson as she bit her lip and glared at Ye Li.

"Is there truly such a massive difference between riding in my carriage and riding in your own?" Ye Li asked flatly.

Ye Shan glared at her fiercely, her eyes revealing unwillingness and resentment, which quickly dissolved into dejection. "That's right. Even if you are no longer favored, you are still a di daughter. Even after being rejected by Prince Li, you can still marry Prince Ding as his di consort. Meanwhile, no matter how clever I am, or how much I make Father and Grandmother like me, I will always be a shu daughter. In the future, I will either be married off as a side-room concubine to someone else, or marry a shu son to be his main wife." Ye Li looked speechlessly at the resentful young girl before her. Considering these matters at the age of twelve was something she was still a bit unaccustomed to, even after living here for so many years. Furthermore, this girl's words were truly rather unpleasant to hear; hurting others with one's tongue was not a good habit.

"Humph!"

Ye Li did not care to bicker with her either. It was only when they were about to arrive at their destination that she muttered as if to herself, "If one's birth status cannot be changed, rather than craving things beyond one's reach, it is better to make one's life as comfortable as possible within the realm of feasibility."

Ye Shan blanked. It took quite a while before she seemingly reacted, glaring at Ye Li with annoyance. "Are you warning me that I shouldn't dream of good things?"

Ye Li felt herself choke momentarily on her words. Only after a long pause did she say, "I am saying you are still young; whatever you wish to think about can be taken slowly. Also, it seems we should alight from the carriage."

Watching Ye Shan stomp out of the carriage with a dark expression, Ye Li shrugged her shoulders in amusement. Qingshuang's pretty face was sullen as she said, "Miss, why do you bother with the Sixth Miss? She usually excludes you plenty. She truly doesn't recognize a good heart when she sees one."

Ye Li patted her hand, reached out to lift the carriage curtain, and smiled. "She is still a child. Everyone has their own means of survival. As long as she doesn't truly cause me harm, can I really bring myself to squabble with a child?"

The Peony Garden was the largest peony-viewing site in the capital and indeed the entirety of Great Chu. Every year, people from all across the nation and even various other countries would travel thousands of miles just to admire the magnificent grace of the peonies suppressing all other flowers. April was the season of full bloom for the peonies, and from afar, one could already smell the faint floral fragrance permeating the air.

The Minister’s Manor could be said to have risen to prominent fame in the capital during this period. One daughter had been enfeoffed as an Imperial Consort and was carrying the dragon lineage, while among the other two daughters, one was the future Prince Li Consort and the other was the future Prince Ding Consort. Consequently, the moment the carriages arrived at the entrance, they drew the sideways glances of many people. While marveling at the beauty of the Number One Beauty of the Capital, the crowd cast a majority of their sympathetic—or perhaps pitiful—looks toward the carriage in front. Thus, when Ye Shan stepped out of that carriage first, the onlookers, who were pretending to watch casually, blanked for a moment. Only when they snapped back to their senses did they see a charming young maidservant alight from the carriage, followed by a tranquil young lady of clear and beautiful features who stepped out as the curtain was lifted.

"Is this the future Prince Ding Consort?"

The crowd did not know whether they felt surprised or disappointed. This Third Miss Ye was clearly not as ugly and clumsy as the rumors portrayed. Her calm and elegant demeanor thoroughly indicated that she had received a very fine upbringing, which caused people to unthinkingly recall the Third Miss Ye's maternal family—the Xu family, a century-old clan renowned for passing down literature and etiquette through generations. Looking then at the Fourth Miss Ye beside her, who appeared like a heavenly immortal but was delicate and fragile without support, it was apparent that a woman like the Third Miss—with her beautiful features, generous manners, and dignified bearing—was far more suited to become the main mistress of a household. Perhaps driven by a trace of jealousy toward Ye Ying, many cloistered young ladies present developed a slight doubt regarding the judgment of His Highness Prince Li, whom they admired, while simultaneously gaining a fraction of self-affirmation.

Within the Peony Garden, fresh flowers were indeed in full bloom and colorful butterflies fluttered about. The young ladies lingering among them added several hints of bright beauty to this magnificent scenery. The girls walked in groups of twos and threes with the close friends they got along well with, smiling softly and murmuring in low voices, presenting a scene of prosperous peace and tranquility.

By the time Ye Li's group arrived at the venue in the center of the Peony Garden, many people had already arrived ahead of time. The young ladies gathered in clusters; some were playing the qin, some were playing chess, some were painting, and others were composing poetry. The maidservants of the Grand Princess's Manor wove through the crowd, perfectly attending to these cloistered young ladies born of noble houses.

"Ying'er..."

The moment Ye Ying drew near, someone immediately called out to her. Several young ladies of similar age stepped forward to greet her, clearly individuals who usually shared quite a good relationship with Ye Ying. The others likewise revealed smiles toward Ye Ying one after another to express their welcome.

"Ying'er, you've finally come. Ever since your engagement to His Highness Prince Li, we haven't met in a long time," a young lady in colorful robes said joyfully, pulling Ye Ying's hand with a laugh.

Ye Ying smiled, her beautiful face staining with a trace of a blush. "Mother kept me at home, but I missed everyone dearly as well."

Only after everyone finished busily offering their congratulations to Ye Ying did the young lady in colorful robes ask, "Ying'er, this lady... is the Third Miss Ye?"

"I am Ye Li. Greetings to all the young ladies," Ye Li said with a gentle smile.

The young ladies exchanged glances with one another, only feeling that this Third Miss Ye was not nearly as intolerable as the external rumors claimed. Moreover, she was still the future Prince Ding Consort, the genuine di daughter of the Minister’s Manor, and the maternal granddaughter of Old Master Xu. Very quickly, someone showed goodwill toward Ye Li. "Greetings, Miss Ye. I am Qin Zheng, the second daughter of Censor Qin."

"I am Murong Ting, daughter of the General of Spreading Might."

...

"Humph! And here I wondered who it was. It turns out to be the Third Miss Ye, who was rejected by Brother Jingli.”