Chapter 93: Pastries

The Flower Festival at the Chang Le Marquis’s residence was unexpectedly attended by Prince Qi. This was something Meinang hadn’t foreseen. She had attended floral banquets at even higher-ranked noble residences, such as the Duke Ding Guo’s, but Prince Qi never showed up to those. However, he accepted the invitation from the Chang Le Marquis residence and arrived punctually, accompanied by an entourage of guards. His arrival coincided with that of the Marquis Wei Yuan, Xu Jun Ying. As Meinang stepped down from her carriage to stand beside Xu Jun Ying, the Chang Le Marquis and his wife, who were initially going to greet the Wei Yuan Marquis and his wife, immediately changed course to welcome Prince Qi instead.

When Prince Qi alighted, his gaze swept across the crowd, making Meinang’s heart race. She instinctively lowered her head and took cover beside Xu Jun Ying, tugging at his sleeve, wishing his fabric were stretchy enough to shield her completely. Xu Jun Ying noticed her unease and said, “That’s His Highness, Prince Qi.”

After greeting the Chang Le Marquis and his wife, Prince Qi strode over, and Xu Jun Ying led Meinang to pay their respects. Meinang kept her head as low as possible, curtseying mechanically in sync with Xu Jun Ying. Prince Qi smiled, returned their salute with a raised hand, and said to Xu Jun Ying, “Marquis Wei Yuan, once my shoulder wound heals, shall we have a rematch? Let’s test our spear skills again, shall we?”

Xu Jun Ying replied, “Your Highness is renowned for his bravery, your skill has surely surpassed mine.”

Prince Qi laughed, “So, even you acknowledge a loss? You and the Emperor always cornered me in sparring matches, never satisfied unless you had me at a disadvantage. Do you know how much I hated you both back then? Eventually, though, I understood your intentions, you were simply tempering my character. Ha! But this is who I am, I can’t change. Thanks, though.”

After speaking, Prince Qi glanced briefly at the timid Marchioness Wei Yuan and proceeded into the residence. Only when he was out of sight did Meinang breathe a sigh of relief and look up, meeting Xu Jun Ying’s puzzled gaze before lowering her eyes again.

Lady Wang, the Chang Le Marquis’s wife, smiled and said to Xu Jun Ying and Meinang, “Our estate’s peonies bloom the best in the city. His Highness, under the Empress Dowager’s orders, has come to choose a few pots to be nurtured at the Pu Ning Temple.”

After Xu Jun Ying and the Marquis Fang went ahead, Lady Wang leaned in close to Meinang, whispering, “Observe the female guests today. Besides us married women, many young ladies are here as well, carefully selected and invited. Our Marquis has received the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s decree, though everything is left to nature’s course. Previous banquets in other homes also had arrangements, but Prince Qi refused to attend. Today, however, he has come to our home. Watch and see which young lady might catch his eye.”

Meinang asked, “Isn’t marriage in the royal family simply arranged by decree?”

Lady Wang laughed, “That depends on who it’s for. Prince Qi once declared that if he were given a bride without his consent, he wouldn’t let her into his residence, he’d have her escorted outside the city to offer sacrifice to the River God instead!”

Meinang couldn’t help but laugh, “That Prince Qi… truly one of a kind.”

Despite the mysterious, peculiar reputation surrounding Prince Qi, it didn’t lessen the admiration and adoration he inspired among the noble ladies. The moment he appeared in the peony garden, he was like the sun, drawing every gaze toward him, especially those of the young ladies who yearned to inch closer rather than step back. Prince Qi’s charisma captivated them utterly, they looked as though they would follow him even to the edge of a cliff.

Meinang and the Lady Chang Le stood leisurely on the second-floor pavilion, watching through the cover of an evergreen osmanthus tree as Prince Qi picked out the best peonies, pointing at random as if calling out soldiers. The guards carefully selected the most exquisite flowers: long-blooming, vibrantly colored, and lush. His discerning eye left the Chang Le Marquis sighing with frustration.

“I tried my best to hide the finest ones! Do you know how much effort it took? Prince Qi really is sharp.”

Meinang chuckled, unsure how to comfort her. After Prince Qi selected his flowers and chatted briefly with the Chang Le Marquis, Xu Jun Ying, and the others, he took his leave. The girls watched as he departed, their fervent gazes like arrows. Prince Qi, however, paid them little heed, striding away with a hint of a mischievous smile on his face. His departure left the young ladies staring blankly, like wilting sunflowers.

Lady Wang was attentive to detail, being from Suzhou, she excelled at making delicate pastries with a local flair. Besides serving them at the banquet, she also prepared boxes of pastries for guests to take home, with special consideration given to families with children or elders. Meinang received two boxes and felt delighted, she had sampled a few pieces at the banquet, enjoying their soft, fragrant sweetness that wasn’t cloying. On the way home, she gave a piece to each of her maids, Cui Xi and Cui Si, planning to share the rest with the household.

Upon arrival, Xu Jun Ying took the pastries from the maids, telling Meinang, “You go ahead to your room, I’ll bring these to Grandmother and Lady as well.”

Watching him take the treats she had meant for her maids, Meinang felt a pang of reluctance but couldn’t argue over such a small thing. Instead, she silently chided him. Must you be so dutiful? Is there any reward for being such a filial grandson?

When Xu Jun Ying returned, he surprisingly brought Meinang a plate of pastries, which she eyed with curiosity but didn’t touch, still full from the day’s feast.

Xu Jun Ying said, “My cousin Lan made these, Grandmother sent some for you to compare with the Chang Le Lady’s craftsmanship.”

Seeing Meinang’s smile, he continued, “It’s just a matter of taste, Grandmother may ask tomorrow for your opinion.”

With a lighthearted smile, Meinang replied, “The Chang Le Lady didn’t personally make all those pastries, they were prepared by her household staff. My cousin’s skill can’t really be compared to that.”

Xu Jun Ying caught her implication and said, “It’s only a matter of taste. Tomorrow, if Grandmother asks, you’ll know what to say.”

After he left, Meinang told Cui Xi, “Take these pastries and feed the fish in the pond, let them enjoy the handiwork of their future mistress.”