Chapter 80 Coming of Age

When Banxia awoke the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. The previous night, the two of them had played around for quite a while, giving her the feeling of a young couple. Upon waking, Yuhuai was already outside practicing his steps. Liuguang was still asleep beside her, curled up like a little piglet, her fair arms exposed outside the quilt. True to her own philosophy that once she was awake, no one else should be allowed to sleep, Banxia gleefully bit her little daughter's soft hand.

Liuguang pulled her hand back, but Banxia tenaciously bit it again. Annoyed, Liuguang opened her eyes, and Banxia, in that instant, quickly shut hers and pretended to be asleep. Liuguang looked around: there was no one by her side, but her chubby hand was damp. Huh?

She reached out and slapped her mother. "Mother!"

Banxia conveniently woke up. "What is it, darling?"

"Ah!" Look, look at my hand. Liuguang stretched out her chubby hand.

"Is my darling hungry, and chewed her own little hand?"

"Ah?" Liuguang shook her head vigorously. Not her.

"Alright, alright, let's get up and have breakfast then."

"Ah!" Annoyed, why can't you understand what I'm saying?

Her mischievous mother was quite delighted; breakfast could be a bit more plentiful.

Soon it was time for the weaving official's daughter's coming-of-age banquet. Banxia rose early to dress up before heading out. As she dressed, she chatted with Gansui, "When I used to watch those dramas, I always thought the ladies in ancient times spent their days idly in the inner chambers, with nothing much to do. But now I see how busy they really are—look at that stack of invitations. If I attended every event, I wouldn't finish even if I went to three places a day. And there are so many outfits to prepare!"

"My salary all goes to buying you clothes. At least I still have my official robes for changing."

"The dividends from Brother Wang are still plenty; it's not about lacking money. It's just boring, having to sit with a crowd of women picking at each other, not a single curse word, yet somehow it feels utterly disgusting."

Gansui came over to embrace her. "You've really been wronged."

"Don't get so close, be careful not to smudge my makeup."

"You really know how to ruin the mood—never changes." Gansui reclined on the bed. "Want me to draw your brows?"

"Please don't. Last time you used one side in indigo and the other in ochre, and you didn't even notice."

"There’s a difference between those two colors?"

"There's a huge difference, only you couldn't tell." Banxia regarded him with disdain.

Gansui dared say nothing more, watching Banxia finish her makeup, then the two left together.

The weaving lady was a daughter of the esteemed Kong family, renowned for their scholarly heritage and strict attention to etiquette. Before leaving home, Banxia practiced her manners, hoping not to make any mistakes today. Gansui, of course, remained in the outer hall, while Banxia was escorted into the inner chambers, where the weaving lady herself greeted her at the door.

The coming-of-age ceremony was held in the family temple. Upon entering, Banxia saw Lady Han, who beckoned her over.

"Sister Meng, you arrived early."

"My house is just next door, so it's easy to get here quickly. I suppose we'll have to wait a bit longer; the wife of the Salt Commissioner hasn't arrived yet."

"The Salt Commissioner’s residence is on this street too, isn't it?"

"Even if she lived right across the road, she'd still arrive last—how else to flaunt her status? Besides, she and the weaving lady have never gotten along. If not for their families working together, they would have openly fallen out long ago."

"That serious?" Banxia recalled her previous banquets where the two seemed perfectly amiable.

"It’s said the Salt Commissioner also fancied the weaving lady's daughter's marriage for their own, but ultimately lost out... Soon the Salt Commissioner’s own daughter will be betrothed, so perhaps their relations will improve."

"To whom? I haven’t heard a whisper of it."

"It's a secret. I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t happened to glimpse it myself. Let me tell you quietly: apparently, it's to a distant nephew of Lord Wen... the younger cousin of Noble Consort Wen."

"The Salt Commissioner’s Lady Liang has arrived!"

A group of ladies stood up as Lady Liang entered, smiling graciously. "Sister, congratulations! Today is a great day for your daughter. I don't have much to offer, so I brought a set of jewelry from Butterfly Pavilion."

"Your presence alone graces my humble home. Such a generous gift—I'm truly embarrassed. I'll be sure to visit and thank you another day."

"The eighteenth of next month is my daughter Yuanyu’s betrothal day; I’ll send invitations for you all to attend."

"That’s wonderful news—congratulations!" The venomous woman purposely brought it up today, clearly to steal my daughter’s spotlight.

Lady Liang: So what if I steal your daughter's thunder? You once stole my family’s marriage, and who knows who will come out on top now.

Banxia: Smiling so cheerfully, you’d never guess they’re at odds.

"Lady Liang, please take the seat of honor."

The coming-of-age ceremony was intricate and fascinating. Banxia watched with great interest. Yes, very good—the weaving lady's daughter was fair and beautiful, dignified and gentle, and notably, Banxia had seen her recently wearing those ruby earrings.

Banxia smiled; this ceremony was quite rewarding. This young lady is extraordinary.

After the ceremony came the banquet. Banxia and Lady Han moved together to the banquet hall.

"I always thought the entire officialdom of Yangzhou was close with the salt merchants, but none were invited to today’s banquet."

"Best keep your voice down. The weaving official is famously disdainful of salt merchants. The first year he arrived, President Liu brought gifts for New Year and was directly shown out. It's no wonder, really—he manages silk, so has little to do with salt merchants. Those people only curry favor because of his imperial connections."

"It’s amazing how ignorant I was until I started attending these events. Thank goodness for your guidance, otherwise I’d be stumbling blindly and making all sorts of mistakes."

"Nonsense, I merely arrived a few years before you and have seen more. It’s your willingness to listen that's a blessing."

"I usually ignore official matters—I'm only concerned with our sisterhood. If I visit frequently, I hope you won’t mind."

"You’re most welcome, always."

The banquet hall was set in a pavilion on the lake; to reach it from the family temple, one had to cross a small bridge and enter the waterside pavilion. The scenery was charming, and Banxia walked along, delighted by the view. The weaving official’s home was full of style, with silk decorations everywhere—misty and colorful.

Inside the waterside pavilion, there were barely enough seats for two tables, but the food and wine were sumptuous.

"Why is the Lord’s wife so quiet? Does the food suit your taste?" Lady Kong inquired.

"The dishes are delicious. When I see good food, I forget to speak, let alone anything else."

"I hear your surname is Su—a fine name, said to be descended from Zhuanxu. I see you have a certain heroic air about you. I heard you experienced the fall of Liangzhou City."

"I did—it frightened me terribly. I had nightmares for more than half a month."

"All thanks to the brutality of the Kholler, but the Lin family army fought bravely, and now those invaders dare not trouble Liang again."

"Such bravery—sounds like you witnessed it yourself. The Lin family army has indeed caught the emperor’s eye; I hear Lin Tianyu will soon be made Grand General Protecting the Realm. Quite lucky, indeed."

Lady Liang’s tone was sharp and sarcastic, as if implying the Lin family’s victory was pure luck. Banxia’s temper flared. "Madam, you have never been to the frontier. During a siege, every day feels like a year; corpses piled high, rivers of blood. General Lin and his men truly defended the city with flesh and blood, and do not deserve such slander. Please, mind your words."

"Sisters’ idle chatter need not become heated. Today is my daughter’s special day. For my sake, let’s all share a toast." The weaving lady intervened to smooth things over.

Banxia knew when to step back and held her tongue.

After the meal, Banxia bade farewell to Lady Han and was about to leave when an old attendant approached. "Lady Su, I am Kong, the steward of this household. Our lady is still entertaining guests and cannot escort you out, so she sent me to see you off. She says she admires your character and welcomes you to visit whenever you wish. The hairpin you selected was excellent—here is a small gift in return, to thank you for your thoughtfulness."

"Lady Kong is too kind. I'll visit again soon—please, return."

"Yes, madam. Safe journey."

As Banxia exited, Gansui was waiting at the door.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"I just got out myself, taking a breath to clear my head."

"Are you feeling better? Let’s get in the carriage and rest." Banxia helped Gansui into the carriage, Coldwater driving them home.

"I heard the emperor plans to appoint Lin Tianyu as Grand General Protecting the Realm."

"Probably in the next day or two. Lord Wen oversees the civil officials, so naturally the military must have its own leader for balance."

"I received a letter from Anzi recently; he’s begun studying under the Grand Tutor. I wonder how he’s doing, if he’s being bullied by the teacher."

"You worry too much. Anzi is exceptionally gifted and well-prepared; ordinary difficulties won’t trouble him. And the Grand Tutor, though officially a member of the Wen family, has long since been won over by the emperor. Rest assured."

"What else can I do but rest assured? Being so far apart, my worry can’t reach him anyway."

"That’s the best attitude."

Imperial Palace, Imperial Garden.

Today was a rare day off for Anzi. His attendant, Little Dongzi, seeing him engrossed in his books, urged him to go for a walk. Anzi thought he had read enough for half a day—it was time to rest, and he could admire the garden to tell his sister about it later. Anzi disliked being followed by too many people, so he took only Little Dongzi, master and servant heading to the garden.

The weather was fine, and the scent of golden osmanthus filled the Imperial Garden—a delightful scene.

"Move over a bit... be careful..."

As Anzi admired the flowers, he suddenly heard a commotion nearby and walked over to see.

Seeing him approach, the people quickly knelt. "Greetings, Crown Prince."

"Rise."

Anzi saw beside him a small boy—likely the son of Noble Consort Wen. The child was tiny, not showing at all that he was only a year younger than Anzi.

The second prince was named Qi Zhiyuan. He was pitiful; his father did not care for him, and his mother might as well not exist. He had always been cared for by the palace staff. Upon seeing Anzi, he stared at him blankly.

"Second Prince, this is your elder brother. Greet your elder brother," his nurse quickly instructed.

"Greetings, Elder Brother."

"Hello, little brother." Anzi then asked the palace attendants, "What happened?"

"Your Highness, the Second Prince’s cat climbed a tree, and we’re trying to get it down."

Anzi looked up—a little cat was trembling on the tree, stuck in the branches.

Seeing their difficulty, Anzi moved swiftly, climbing up and grabbing the cat by the scruff, then handed it to a young eunuch, who bundled it up. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Anzi was about to leave when a pair of hands grabbed him. He turned to see Qi Zhiyuan holding on.

Anzi was always patient with children, so he crouched and asked, "What is it?"

"Elder Brother, fly up high!" He gazed at Anzi with longing.

Apparently, the boy thought this was a game. Seeing his eager eyes, Anzi picked him up, leapt onto a nearby rock, then jumped down.

As soon as they landed, a sharp voice rang out, "What are you doing?"