11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Mu Fanqing
Ishake out my sleeves, making certain that no folds are trapped or folded together. I am wearing a pale brocaded outer robe over top of a red and white hanfu. I wonder if it is enough red or if my family would expect me to wear more as I should still be celebrating my marriage.
If I were actually happy about being married, would I insist on wearing red? It’s hard to imagine the scenario where I would be happy about being married off so I really can’t say.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I’m only going to see my family.
But I also do not wish for them to worry about my life here.
If I am too morose then they may fear that Shu is mistreating me.
Which could not be further from the truth.
Shu has treated me far kinder than I ever expected, taking my every need into consideration before I even have to ask.
I know that he is only doing it because of the contract. Which only goes to further my resolve to do my utmost to uphold my end of the contract. And as per our agreement I can’t give him any reason to be looked down on.
I reach up, patting my hair to make certain that everything is in place. I always feel better when I am put together, my family would suspect something of being amiss if I arrived looking anything but my best.
Ting hurries forward and raises her hand, with a quick gesture she undoes whatever damage I did to my hair when I fussed with it. She steps back, running her hand over my shoulder. “You look beautiful, my lady.”
I purse my lips as I glance down at myself then I look up at her. “I do, and it did not take a short amount of time to get me looking like this so…” That just leaves the question where is Shu?
Surely, he won’t take longer than me to get ready.
I nibble on my lip and glance back toward the door just as it slides open.
Shu steps out. Apart from his scarlet wedding robes this is the first time I’m seeing him dressed like the lord he is rather than in his trimmed robes that are better suited for martial arts.
Today he is wearing silvery brocaded robe, and a deep blue overcoat.
The hairpiece holding his topknot matches the silver of his robes.
Shu raises his hands and shakes them until they are free from his sleeves before he glances at me and raises an eyebrow. “Do you approve of my apparel, wife?”
I nod before turning away to hide my smile from view. At least I cannot complain and say that I got an ugly husband out of this arranged marriage. He looks quite dapper dressed like this, imposing even. It reminds me that I actually married far above my station.
I am a lady now, the wife of a lord. The lady of the Fourth Family at that.
Shu makes a clucking sound with his tongue as he steps out, kicking his leg in disgust. “I usually wear this when meeting other lords or governing officials.”
“Well, today you’re meeting someone far more important than that,” I say as I step beside him and hook my arm in his. The perfect show of domestic bliss.
The perfect little lie anyway.
Shu glances at me and I smile up at him. “My father,” I say finally.
He nods once before he flicks his hand gesturing his manservant closer. Yan Yi, I believe is the man’s name. He is a quiet man, well-kept and never seems to be more than a stone’s throw from Shu at any time.
“Go send someone to prepare the carriage.”
Yan Yi nods and hurries off.
We are about to continue forward when suddenly two young men step in from outside.
They’re walking in tandem, one raising his foot in lock with the other however from the expressions on their faces I can tell that they are not good friends.
I watch as the one even elbows the other and sends him stumbling a few steps to the side.
They both pause when they see me and Shu standing there.
Shu subtly reaches up and grabs my hand, moving it away from his arm, but it is too late if he didn’t want them to see us arm in arm.
I wonder who these men are that Shu doesn’t want them to see our illusion of domestic bliss?
Don’t we put up the front for just this reason; to have people think we are in love?
The man who had been shoved, straightens and runs a hand over his robe as if the other man’s elbow dirtied him. “Ah, so this is my lovely sister-in-law. I apologize that we are only just meeting.”
I glance at Shu out of the corner of my eye. The majority of the Xiaos were wiped out in a massacre. Only two escaped, none of them were any of Shu’s brothers. So, this man must be…
“Fanqing, allow me to introduce you to my cousin, Wen’er,” Shu says, moving another step away.
So, this is the second lord of the Fourth Family.
Xiao Wen. It makes sense then why Shu didn’t want to keep up the ruse in front of him.
Even if I have every desire to lie to my parents about my happiness, that is only for their own good.
The one person in this world I could never bring myself to fool is Ehuang.
Since Xiao Wen is all Shu has left, it is likely that they are quite close.
Just like Ehuang and me. I press my lips together as I study him carefully, trying to make out what sort of man he is.
I suppose if I truly look for it, I can see the family resemblance.
Shu and Wen share many similar features from their straight noses to their narrow chins, however that is where the resemblance ends.
While Shu is currently dressed up today Xiao Wen’s apparel makes it look quite drab in comparison.
Made of varying shades of green his velvet overcoat flares around him and drags on the ground behind him.
The matching robe underneath is heavily embroidered with images of birds and plants, even his wide fan matches with depictions of wildlife painted across it.
However, he wears his robe quite sloppily with the outer robe hanging off his shoulder slightly as if he cannot be bothered to straighten it at all.
Xiao Wen’s every move and manner is that of one who could care less. His long hair is kept carelessly swept back from his face. However, several strands still escape and hang around his face. Completely unlike Shu’s neat topknot where not a strand of hair is out of place.
There is something about the unkempt look of his appearance that is too perfect as if that itself is nothing more than how he wishes himself to be perceived.
He is smiling but it is not the sort of smile that I can trust. His smile is a cold and hollow thing; there is no true affection or warmth behind it. I almost prefer Shu and the stern line of his lips to this false charm.
His eyes are where the difference in the cousins is most noticeable. Looking into Xiao Wen’s eyes I see a wily craftiness hidden in there, a boredom with the way things are done and his role in life. His eyes are calculating and sharp as if he is plotting against the very order of the world.
It’s almost as if looking in a mirror at myself.
I stifle a slight shudder. I would hate to ever have to associate with anyone like myself. It makes me wonder about Ehuang and what things will be like for her working with this second young lord of the Xiao family.
I fold my hands, lowering in a brief bow. “Young master Xiao, I must ask you to trouble yourself to keep a watch over my sister while you work this case together.”
“Please,” he says waving his hand. “Call me Xiao Wen. We are after all, family.” His eyes dart to Shu as he says this as if he is silently daring him to argue.
“And you may call me Zhan Quanyu,” the other man says stepping forward. He drops into a bow before he straightens so quickly that his ponytail flies through the air behind him. He levels me with a happy grin. “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, sister-in-law.”
I feel my eyebrow hike in silent question at this. How can there be someone else who considers me their sister-in-law?
“Quanyu is my sworn brother,” Shu says in answer to my unasked question. “He is my fellow spirit catcher and personal guard.”
I don’t know what Shu needs a guard for. I saw him in action back on the forest road. He is a very skilled martial artist in his own right, but I suppose spirits can be quite dangerous. It must not hurt to have someone watching your back while going up against them.
As I study this Quanyu I determine he must be quite skilled.
His form is slim and athletic, and he moves with a lightness and vigor that sets him apart as a skilled martial artist. His hair, kept pulled back by a ribbon, also falls into his face.
But this manner actually seems careless and not like it was arranged in a mirror beforehand.
“Not to worry about your first spirit hunting case, sister-in-law,” Quanyu says with an easy grin. Unlike Xiao Wen’s smile this one is genuine and quite friendly. “I will keep you safe.”
“How come I never met you on the Green Road?” I ask, pursing my lips. Shu was traveling alone at that time.
Quanyu spreads his arms out. “I was busy doing something else.” His eyes dart to Shu for a millisecond so quickly that I almost think I missed it, before he is grinning just as widely as ever.
“I am sad that I missed it, though, otherwise we would not have to be just now making each other’s acquaintance. ”
I smile at him, layering on the charm. If this Quanyu is really as close to Shu as he claims, he will be an invaluable ally if I can win him over.
One can never have too many people backing them up.
“Indeed, perhaps if you were there it would have been a more pleasant experience. And Shu might not have charged me for saving him.”
Almost in unison Quanyu’s and Xiao Wen’s eyes slide over to Shu.
“Boss,” Quanyu breathes.
“Tell me that you did not,” Wen finishes for him.
Shu is standing rigid, like a stalk of bamboo, his arm held in front of him as if he cannot care less, but I notice that his fingers are flicking a bit in discomfort from the attention.
“I am a married man, I cannot just have careless ties with young women, even if it is just by rescuing them. If I leave them indebted to me then they may seek to repay me in other ways. Better to make things clear upfront and demand financial recompense for the rescue.”
Quanyu shakes his head with a laugh while Wen waves his fan a little extra aggressively.
“You never were one to turn down a profit,” Quanyu says at last.
Shu clears his throat as he reaches over, resting his hand on the small of my back. “Well, anyway, we really must be off before we are late.”
Before I can protest, he has ushered me away from his cousin and sworn brother.
When we are a good enough distance away, Shu glances at me out of the corner of his eyes. “Well, now you have met my family. It’s time that I meet yours.”