Chapter 84 Remembrance: The Crown Prince of the Xianbei Kingdom
“General, this invite is from the Xianbei kingdom.” Zhang Xin smiled as he stepped into the tent. “It"s the wedding of their Crown Prince, and they wish that you can attend the ceremony.”
“A wedding ceremony?” Situ took a look at the invitation, surprised. “Doesn"t he already have three wives?”
“Those are just his concubines.” Zhang Xin rubbed his hands together. “It"s his First Lady he"s wedding now.”
“The fourth one?!” Situ kicked the table in frustration. And I haven"t even managed to get the only one I want!
“General? Do you want to go?” Zhang Xin asked gingerly, shocked by Situ"s outburst.
“Of course I"m going.” Situ tossed the invitation back onto the table and grounded his teeth in frustration. Suddenly, he remembered Cheng s.h.i.+fei"s parting words.
“Give it to me.”
“Give what?” Zhang Xin rubbed his head, confused.
“The thing that s.h.i.+fei entrusted to you.” Situ was impatient, triggered by the Xianbei Crown Prince"s exciting love life.
“s.h.i.+fei? Didn"t he just leave?” Zhang Xin was even more puzzled. “What did he leave with me?”
d.a.m.n that kid! Was it just a joke? Situ was annoyed at himself for being duped by his subordinate.
“Right, General. There is one more thing.” Zhang Xin continued. “The First Prince of the Huns sent an amba.s.sador a while back.”
“What did he say?” Situ supressed his anger and picked up another report on the table.
“He apologised for misunderstanding your intentions previously, sending troops to watch over us when we ‘looked for the invincible weapon". He hinted at wanting your help for the upcoming struggle for the throne.”
“Is he? You know what to do.” Situ replied calmly. As Zhang Xin turned to leave the tent, Situ called out after him. “Help me prepare a female gown in the local fas.h.i.+on, preferably in brighter colours.”
“Alright, you can count on me.” Zhang Xin headed out of the tent, slightly puzzled with Situ"s request. It"s easy to find a simple gown, but what size is it needed in? Whose measurements should I follow? He should have been clearer! Wait a minute…there is only one female in the entire army camp! Is it for…?
“Argh! He should have just said it clearer! It doesn"t make a difference anyway!” Zhang Xin grumbled under his breath.
Back in Situ"s tent, Two suddenly appeared before Situ.
“General, an old acquaintance is here to see you.”
A man entered the tent, garbed in black clothes with a shawl obscuring most of his face. He pulled off his shawl and looked at Situ.
“h.e.l.lo Situ. It"s been quite a while.”
“Quite a while indeed.” Situ approached him.
“Miss Feng, General Situ has sent something for you.”
Feng Luodi sat down the brush she had been holding and walked towards the soldier outside her tent. She looked quizzically at the weird package in his arms.
“What is this?”
The soldier placed the package in her arms. “Some clothes. General Situ asks that you get changed as soon as possible. We will be setting off in fifteen minutes.”
“Setting off? Where are we going?” Feng Luodi looked at him, confused. “Situ never told me anything.”
“The wedding of the Xianbei Crown Prince.” The soldier reported as-matter-of-factly. “Your name has been submitted to the Xianbei kingdom, so please get dressed as quickly as you can.”
“That Situ!” Feng Luodi grounded her teeth together. “How can he do this without asking for my opinion beforehand!”
“Actually, it was a request from the Xianbei that the guests attend along with a female partner. In the culture of the Xianbei, it is a customary gesture to wish the best for the couple-to-be. Unfortunately, you are the only woman in the camp.”
“Oh…I see.” Feng Luodi turned and headed back into her tent. “I understand. I"ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Alright. I"ll report to the General immediately.”
Wide sleeves of lotus green contrasted against the silver and red of the high-waisted skirt, adorned by golden embroideries of peonies. A jade pendant hung from her golden belt, and a hairpin of clear jade held her hair together. With earrings the shade of ripened cherries and the matching jade bangle on her left hand, Feng Luodi was as gorgeous.
“You were faster than I"d a.s.sumed.” Situ looked at her, mildly surprised.
“You could have told me earlier! I would have agreed anyway.” Feng Luodi glared at him. The elephant was still in the room between them, but it was something they steered clear of.
“It wasn"t too late anyway.” Situ pointed to the carriage behind him. “Get in. We"ll be taking our time today; it"s only fun if we arrive the last.”
“That"ll only work if you"ve brought someone as pretty as Jianqiu instead.” Feng Luodi ducked as she entered the carriage.
Situ did not continue the conversation. He waved his hand in the air. “Move off.”
An officer approached him before the entourage moved off from the army camp. “General, the winds are strong today. It"s best for you to hide from the winds, such that your clothes will remain prim and proper when we reach.”
Feng Luodi poked her head out. “Situ, the carriage is big enough.” She turned to the officer. “Come on in as well, sir. There"s more than enough s.p.a.ce.”
The officer shook his hand. “Thankyou, Miss Feng. But I"ll have to lead at the front of the entourage.”
Situ got into the carriage. He spotted the small brazier in the carriage and held it out for Feng Luodi. “Are you not going to use this? I thought you haven"t recovered fully from your cold.”
“I"m more than well enough, Situ.” Feng Luodi lifted the veil by the window of the carriage, quickly dropping it when a gust of wind blasted into her face. “I heard that the Xianbei is one of the surrounding countries with good relations with the Xuan kingdom?”
Situ nodded. “I guess you could say that.”
“But isn"t there the saying that ‘when it comes to countries, there can never be enemies or friends forever"?”
“You are right as well.” Situ straightened his s.h.i.+rt. “That"s especially true in the North, where we"re surrounded by a mult.i.tude of smaller kingdoms and tribes. The relations.h.i.+ps between the countries are always complicated at best.”
“Father once said that the Northern plains are the hidden threat of our kingdom – something that wasn"t resolved despite the numerous attempts over the years.” Feng Luodi smiled. “That is, until the appearance of a certain General Situ.”
“Oh, making fun of me I see?” Situ raised an eyebrow. “I haven"t heard you play in a while.”
“My songs are not suited for the North.” Feng Luodi adjusted the wide sleeves, feeling foreign in her clothes. “Speaking of which, I was rather surprised that you are into the arts. I remember that it was at a zither parlour when we first met.”
“Well, Qingjia always said that the appreciation of music is an enjoyment for the cultured. But you are mistaken, we"ve met before, before Moonglade.”
“Oh?” Feng Luodi was surprised. “It wasn"t Moonglade? Those were in the first few days of me leaving the Feng household – have we met before that? But that"s…impossible.”
“Manchun Tang.” Situ smiled a little, jolting her memory. “We were separated by a dining room and a corridor, but I could hear you from my room.”
Feng Luodi recalled that meeting with Qi Jianqiu. It was my first few meetings with Jianqiu, wasn"t it? I remember…talking about the ideal kind of love between a man and a woman. It seems so far away, now that I think of it.
“You have a…really good memory.”
“Well, that was a very surprising and brave set of opinions you had.” Situ commented. “Only when I got to know you better did I realise that that was…rather mild of you already.”
Feng Luodi laughed a little, embarra.s.sed. She looked around awkwardly, trying to avoid Situ. “What should I do when we arrive at the wedding?” It was her first time at a wedding in the Xuan kingdom, and she did not know what to expect.
“All you have to do is eat.” Situ said it with a straight face. “They make pretty good food.”
“My, my. That is high praise coming from you indeed.”
Situ"s lips curved upwards in a smile. I"m happy that we can at least talk in such a manner.
It was about three hours before they arrived in the Xianbei kingdom, where they were welcomed by General An of the Xianbei Army.
“You"re finally here, General Situ. Of all the guests, you"re the last to arrive.”
“We were slightly delayed on our way here.” Situ greeted him, helping Feng Luodi off the carriage.
“Is this your date? She is very sweet.” General An laughed. Feng Luodi quickly bowed towards him.
When they reached the residence of the Crown Prince, they were greeted by the Crown Prince himself. “I am honoured by your presence, General Situ.”
Situ bowed in return. Feng Luodi looked at the Crown Prince and quickly curtsied. He looks too…pretty to be handsome. The Crown Prince bowed as well, turning to lead the two of them to their seats, quickly disappearing to continue his preparations.
“I did not expect to see you here today, General Situ.” Li Hengba sat opposite Situ, raising his goblet in a toast. “You weren"t here for my brother"s wedding that time.”
Situ raised his goblet in return, nodding to the few who greeted him. “Well, this time"s different.”
“Oh, pray tell: what"s different about this time?”
Feng Luodi sat beside Situ, feeling Li Hengba"s gaze sweeping over her repeatedly as he chatted with Situ. She squirmed uncomfortably.
“This is the Third Prince of the Huns, Li Hengba.” The officer sitting a little behind her informed her. Feng Luodi nodded.
Situ followed Li Hengba"s gaze, letting his eyes rest on Feng Luodi for a moment before replying the question addressed to him. “I"m here today to learn about the preparations I need to make for a wedding.”
Li Hengba"s mouth spasmed, hearing the ridiculous reply. He"d used the same excuse the other time when he did not come for my brother"s wedding as well. Is he speaking the truth this time? But then again…who is this woman beside him? Something tells me that I should look into her…she might yield some useful information.
Feng Luodi squirmed under his gaze, uncomfortable.
“This is wine made from fermented mare"s milk. It"s smooth and goes easy on the throat – I think you"ll like it.” Situ poured a goblet of wine for Feng Luodi, casually sending a look across the table at Li Hengba.
Li Hengba looked away. It was a look he well knew – the look Situ always had in a battle. The eyes of a predator. He shuddered.
Is he serious about her?
Feng Luodi took a sip from her goblet and her eyes brightened immediately. “It"s good!”
Situ smiled, putting a snack on her plate. “Told you the food was good.”
Feng Luodi smiled, all ready for the banquet ahead. All I have to do is eat, huh? Sounds like a plan!
“Have some snacks for now. The ceremony is long and tedious, and it"ll be some time before the dishes are served.”
Feng Luodi nodded along as she happily scooped food into her mouth. Feng Luodi watched as the night progressed, filled with tedious customs and practices. Every guest at the banquet was either n.o.bility or a high-ranking official. Idly, she wondered to herself.
I wonder what Situ"s wedding would be like?