Chapter 9: The Dove

The luncheon was, in fact, quite lavish. The He family is currently at the height of their influence and naturally opulent; the banquet was replete with all manner of delicacies, and even the tea used for washing one's hands was Biluochun served in golden basins. For dessert after the meal, there was a dish of water caltrop cakes—both out of season and out of region—one wonders where Lady He managed to source them.

However, Ye Lingbo had no time for cakes.

Possessing great capability, she somehow managed, in less than half an hour of arriving, to secure a small private chamber in the He family’s inner courtyard as a base. Even Shen Biwei laughed, "You truly have a way with people; I haven't been granted such treatment." Upon entering, Ye Lingbo immediately lay down on the daybed, pulled a small knife from her sleeve, and began whittling a piece of wood.

Only after waiting patiently for the maid sent by Mistress Gu to deliver the incense burner, drape the cotton covers, and arrange the tea and refreshments, and after Mistress Yang had expressed her gratitude, did Ye Lingbo send Xiao Die and Xiao Yu outside to stand guard and prevent anyone from eavesdropping. Only then did she close the door and begin to vent.

She started by cursing Lu Wenyin.

"I knew it! The entire Lu family are wretches!" She began with this pronouncement before pouring out her heart: "Who does she, Lu Wenyin, think she is? Married to that good-for-nothing Chen Yaoqing, and now she acts as if she’s on top of the world. Do we not know her background? Isn't it just because Chen Yaoqing wanted to marry Qinglan back in the day that she harbors this grudge to this very day? The most pathetic kind of woman in this world is one who doesn't dare to trouble a man, but only knows how to lash out at other women. Lady Lu spent her whole life fighting concubines, and the number of poor women’s lives on her hands is countless. Those two sisters have clearly inherited her true mantle!"

"Lingbo," Qinglan interrupted disapprovingly. "Do not speak improper words. Do not talk like that; you will be a bad influence on the younger sisters."

"I may be speaking improperly, but why does she not *act* properly?" Lingbo’s mind always raced fast. After finishing with Lu Wenyin, she pivoted to pursue another point: "Truth be told, it’s because the old Princess Consort of the Ping Commandery has been in poor health these past two years. Among the remaining dowager ladies, not one has the prestige to command respect, which has corrupted the atmosphere of the Flower Festival. It has truly become a battlefield for vanity, allowing people like Lu Wenyin to hold sway. The atmosphere of the Flower Festival in the past was not like this; it was like the relationship between Sister Han and Qinglan—like true sisters. Where is such friendship now? The young ladies all fight like gamecocks; it’s all because of the bad example set by Lu Wenyin!"

"The dowagers of the same generation as the old Princess Consort have all passed away, and the younger generation lacks experience. It is only natural; it will be better in a few years," Qinglan said.

"Wait a few years? How many Flower Festivals can one have in a lifetime? Let whoever wants to wait, wait; I certainly won't. Isn't it said that the Grand Princess Minghua is coming to preside over the situation? I hope she can properly clean up this atmosphere," Lingbo said, before glaring at Shen Biwei.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Shen Biwei asked, her reaction sharp even while whittling wood.

"You have the nerve to ask? What do you mean by 'foreknowledge'? My sister arranged for you to go to Baode Temple half a month ago, but you were useless and let Lu Wanyang steal the opportunity to make an impression in front of the Grand Princess. It’s all over now; with the Grand Princess presiding over the Flower Festival, you’ll be bullied by Lu Wanyang for the rest of your life. Let me warn you first: Lu Wenyin is shallow and only knows how to bark. Lu Wanyang, however, is the real deal—a dog that bites doesn't bark. Even though there are many generals in the Zhenbei Army this year, only a few are worth anything. You are here acting lackadaisical, not wanting to marry, but Lu Wanyang doesn't care about that. She treats you as her number-one enemy; when she bites you hard later, don't say your sister didn't warn you," Lingbo said.

Shen Biwei merely offered a disdainful smile.

"Lu Wanyang? Bullying me? She'll have to be reincarnated first."

Lingbo sighed at her lack of ambition.

"You don't know anything. Do you think this is like the officialdom, comparing ranks? They have plenty of underhanded tactics. Look at that five-step snake of mine; do you still not understand? They are masters of dirty tricks. Speaking of which..." She glanced at Atuo. Atuo understood and started to speak, but Lingbo didn't continue, because Yanyan finally couldn't help but come over to pester Shen Biwei: "Sister Biwei, carve me a little horse, the kind that can move."

"I can't carve that. I only brought a small knife today; I didn't bring my tools," Shen Biwei showed her. "Shall I carve you a little cart instead?"

"I'll carve your head," Lingbo said, thoroughly unimpressed. "A little horse? How old are you? And Yanyan, too, not learning anything good. This banquet is for making an appearance, and yet you hide here playing—what does that look like?"

"Weren't you the one who dragged us over here to listen to you curse Lu Wenyin?" Shen Biwei replied lightheartedly.

Ye Lingbo glared at her.

"I can't be bothered with you. Enough, let’s get to business. No more talk of Lu Wenyin; everyone just stay vigilant. They’ll likely serve tea and refreshments again soon. In the afternoon, the ladies will be playing cards in the Chunhui Hall, and the young ladies will be joining in for fun. Atuo, you are good at embroidery, take Yanyan to do some embroidery. Yanyan has a cheerful look, and many ladies like her. It’s a pity my aunt is gone, so I entrusted her to Lady Wang—the one wearing the emerald Xichuan brocade robe with entwined flower patterns, the one with a little girl. She has a kind temperament and was close to my aunt, so just stick with her. Shen Biwei, you can get out; go take a look outside and find out exactly who from the Zhenbei Army has arrived. See if Marquis Cui Jingyu is still here..."

"Marquis Cui left after dropping off Miss Wei. I heard that when the party breaks up tonight, the young Marquis Wei will be coming to pick up Miss Wei, so Marquis Cui shouldn't be coming," Atuo said quickly.

"Lingbo." Qinglan furrowed her brows and glanced at Lingbo.

Atuo understood what she meant: as young ladies of good families, how could they be so concerned about the whereabouts of men? Being concerned oneself was one thing, but "corrupting Atuo" was another.

"What? Is Lu Wenyin allowed to scheme, but I am not? Haven't you heard the famous saying from the Censorate? Corrupt officials are crafty, so clean officials must be craftier, otherwise how can they block their overt spears and hidden arrows?" Lingbo didn't care. She continued, "Little Liu'er, doesn't your brother have connections among the servants? Tell him to go and befriend the Wei family’s coachmen and servants to scout for information. Just don't say he’s from the Ye family; if they ask, say he’s from the Shen family. The Shen family has borrowed our servants anyway."

"Understood." Little Liu'er was quick-witted and immediately went off to do the task.

"Alright, everyone has work to do, let’s disperse," Lingbo said, rolling up her sleeves. "I’m not going anywhere this afternoon; I’ll stay with Qinglan. Let’s see if Lu Wenyin dares to come over and stir up trouble. It would be a miracle if I didn't peel the skin off her!"

Shen Biwei laughed at her attitude: "Second Miss Ye is truly imposing."

"Of course I am. Unlike you? Being stepped on by Lu Wanyang? Don't relax; once I’m done with Qinglan, I’m coming for you. With me here, Lu Wanyang won't be able to step over you. To use these kinds of tricks to bully my people? Not in this lifetime!"

***

Lingbo kept her word. It was a pity for Lady He, who had painstakingly set up five or six card tables in the Chunhui Hall for the ladies to drink and gamble, and placed two rows of rosewood chairs against the south wall, along with a large round table for the young ladies to do needlework, play shuanglu, chess, or practice calligraphy. Unfortunately, this festive atmosphere was hijacked by Lu Wenyin.

Relying on the favor of the Old Madam He, she acted as if she were the hostess, helping Lady He greet guests. She was witty, beautiful, nimble, quick-thinking, and popular, flitting through the crowd like a butterfly. One moment she was saying, "Old Madam, your luck at cards is excellent today; let me buy a share, and we can split the winnings later," and the next, she was praising, "Truly, Sister Qingyi has excellent embroidery skills; the patterns are so novel, unlike our Wanyang at home, who only knows how to embroider the character for 'Longevity'." This caused He Qingyi’s face to flush red—Old Madam He’s birthday was next month, and Lu Wanyang was already embroidering a Ten-Thousand Longevity Screen. This display of "filial piety" made the granddaughter look inferior by comparison.

Having sabotaged He Qingyi, Lu Wenyin didn't stop there; she didn't let go of her primary target for the day: Wei Leshui. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that Wei Leshui was Marshal Wei’s daughter and the younger sister of the young Marquis, her sturdy appearance and honest, somewhat slow-witted personality would have long ago made her a stepping stone for Lu Wenyin to praise her own sister. But because she *was* Miss Wei, Lu Wenyin showed her nothing but a warm and kindred spirit. Even her followers, Sun Minwen and Yang Qiaozhen, were full of enthusiasm toward Wei Leshui.

Sun Minwen was fine; coming from a scholarly family, she still cared about her reputation. But Yang Qiaozhen, who came from a nouveau riche background, was extremely sharp-tongued. Relying on Lu Wenyin’s backing, she acted as her muscle everywhere. She had been holding back for a year, and at the first Flower Festival, she had intended to show her strength and establish her authority. She hadn't expected Wei Leshui to appear. She had been putting on an act in front of Wei Leshui for most of the day and could no longer resist stirring up trouble. A year had passed, and she had forgotten Ye Lingbo’s methods. Thinking it was still the morning when Lingbo wasn't around, she saw Qinglan sitting there quietly embroidering and couldn't help but walk over to look, laughing: "Eldest Miss Ye has a refined interest, still embroidering mandarin ducks here?"

Ye Qinglan understood her nature and didn't respond, focusing solely on her embroidery.

Yang Qiaozhen, however, acted foolishly on purpose. Pretending to be joking, she snatched the embroidery hoop from Ye Qinglan’s hand and laughed: "Everyone says Eldest Miss Ye’s embroidery skills are excellent, but no one has seen them yet, right? These embroidered mandarin ducks are truly full of deep affection. Everyone, come and learn..."

As she spoke and laughed, she held up the embroidery hoop for everyone to see, instantly causing a roar of laughter. Everyone understood her implication—what could an unmarried old maid embroidering mandarin ducks be other than desperate to marry?

Just as she was feeling smug, someone rushed in from the side and snatched the embroidery hoop from her hand. The figure was petite with delicate features; who else could it be but Ye Lingbo?

Listening to Ye Lingbo speak, one would never imagine that her eyes were always filled with smiles. Even when she held malice, it was a smile hiding a knife.

Just as now, she was still smiling as she held the embroidery hoop, stepping between Yang Qiaozhen and her sister without a trace of effort, and asked: "Sister Yang has such a fine interest? Why aren't you playing cards, instead of teaching people how to embroider here? Could it be you didn't bring any pocket money?"

Yang Qiaozhen was actually a bit afraid of her; after all, Lingbo had quite a reputation, and it was said even her stepmother feared her, showing her methods were exceptional. But in front of everyone, she prided herself on being a lady of status, so backing down was impossible. She glanced at her maid, who understood immediately and said: "Why does Second Miss Ye still call our mistress 'sister'? You should call her 'Young Mistress'!"

Before her voice had even faded, she received a slap across the face. It was Mistress Yang, who followed behind Lingbo. As the leader of the stewardesses, she was always dignified. The maid, having been struck, only dared to say: "What right do you have to hit someone?"

"When ladies are speaking, what right do you have to interrupt?" Mistress Yang said coldly. "My young miss calls your mistress 'sister' for her own reasons. Our Old Madam’s maiden name is also Yang, and your mistress’s maiden family is of the same clan. They address each other as cousins. You should call our young miss 'cousin'. Being ignorant yourself, you dare to question the young miss? It is only right that I discipline you on your mistress’s behalf."

Yang Qiaozhen suffered a loss in silence. Just as she was about to explode in anger, she heard Ye Lingbo laugh: "Although Mistress Yang is one of our own, disciplining the maid of Sister Yang was overstepping. Let me apologize to the sister on her behalf."

As she laughed, she bowed unhurriedly. Yang Qiaozhen couldn't do anything about her, so she could only say: "I don't blame you for being meddlesome, but this isn't our own home. We are at the Flower Festival. Making people howl and cry like this—if the host sees us, they’ll think we have no manners."

As soon as she said this, the maid who had been covering her face and crying burst into loud sobs, clearly wanting to spread word of the conflict. Lady He, seeing this, hurried over.

"So, Lady Xue knows this is the Flower Festival?" Ye Qinglan said, using her married title, and added calmly: "We are all unmarried ladies; doing needlework is just to pass the time. Lady Xue came over suddenly to mock us about 'embroidering mandarin ducks' and 'deep affection'—I wonder what the reason for that is?"

These words made Yang Qiaozhen’s face flush red, unable to argue back, but then someone laughed: "Sister Ye is truly a proper young lady with strict rules. The ladies were only joking; why take it seriously?"

The speaker was Lu Wenyin. Her intellect was not comparable to Yang Qiaozhen’s. She laughed as she walked into the crowd, with ladies and mistresses naturally making way for her. She glanced at Ye Qinglan, placed her hand on Yang Qiaozhen’s shoulder, and leaned her chin on her shoulder, looking at Ye Qinglan with a smile: "Sister Ye, don't misunderstand Lady Xue’s good intentions. Among us sisters, only you have yet to reach a conclusion; she is just worried for you. Hoping you will soon find a match and join our ranks—this is for your own good."

"That’s right." Yang Qiaozhen, bolstered by the support, immediately caught on. No longer dwelling on the servant issue, she continued the previous mockery, "I see Sister Ye is embroidering mandarin ducks, clearly wanting to be part of a pair, so I was just wholeheartedly hoping to help you get your wish. My fault, I was too blunt..."

"Lady Xue is also doing it for the sister’s sake. If she hadn't said it, we would have thought the sister really came to the Flower Festival to take care of her younger sister, not knowing that the sister is also longing to be married..." Lu Wenyin immediately followed up.

The two sang in harmony, pinning Ye Qinglan to the position of a desperate, unmarried old maid. The surrounding young ladies found excuses to walk away, while among the ladies, some couldn't help but laugh. The kind-hearted ones felt embarrassed for Ye Qinglan...

The look in Ye Lingbo’s eyes turned cold. Just as she was about to speak, Ye Qinglan took her hand.

She stood out like a sister, blocking Ye Lingbo.

"Lady Xue’s heart is naturally good, but her eyes seem to be lacking." She calmly took out the embroidery hoop and said, "I am not embroidering mandarin ducks, but turtledoves. The 'dove' implies 'nine', signifying longevity. I just heard the ladies chatting about Old Madam He’s upcoming birthday. The Old Madam has hosted us, and we have felt at home; I have nothing to repay her with, so I am embroidering this picture of the turtledove to wish the Old Madam a long life."

After she finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Lingbo’s reaction was quick, however, and she immediately asked with a smile: "Sister, how do you write the character for 'dove'? Is it the same 'dove' as in 'the dove occupies the magpie's nest'?"

Which of the ladies here wasn't a sharp one? They could all clearly see how the Lu Wenyin sisters were relying on their favor with Old Madam He to push Lady He aside. With Ye Lingbo’s mention of "the dove occupying the magpie's nest," who wouldn't understand? They all secretly laughed, and those who were close to Lady He simply laughed out loud.

Ye Qinglan looked at Lingbo helplessly, but Lingbo just stuck out her tongue, looking innocent.

"The *Book of the Later Han: Rites* records: 'The king’s staff is nine feet long, with a turtledove ornament at the end. The dove is a bird that does not choke; it is meant to wish the elderly do not choke.' The turtledove symbolizes an elderly person of longevity and virtue. In the Han Dynasty, elderly people of virtue over seventy were granted a dove staff, allowing them free entry to official offices, and their children were expected to be respectful and filial. This fits the occasion of the Old Madam’s seventieth birthday perfectly. How is that the meaning you spoke of?" Ye Qinglan said unhurriedly.

"Oh~ so that’s how it is." Lingbo dragged out the long sound, feigning sudden realization, looked at Yang Qiaozhen, and laughed, "It seems I need to read more books, so I don't end up like Sister Yang, not even recognizing a turtledove and mistaking it for a mandarin duck..."

Lady He was still stunned, but He Qingyi had already stepped forward to bow to Ye Qinglan: "Sister is truly thoughtful. I thank you on behalf of my grandmother." Lady He then reacted and kept expressing her thanks.

They weren't thanking her for the embroidery; they were thanking her for that "dove occupying the magpie's nest" line, which had pointed out Lu Wenyin’s behavior in front of everyone.

Lu Wenyin and Yang Qiaozhen had suffered a major loss and were not willing to give up, but they lacked Ye Qinglan’s solid scholarship and couldn't think of a way to counterattack for the moment. Lu Wanyang, however, appeared out of nowhere and laughed: "Sister Yang was only worried and acted rashly. Qinglan is so kind; once the Old Madam knows, she will surely be concerned for you as well..."

As an unmarried young lady, she couldn't be too explicit, but the meaning was clear. Yang Qiaozhen immediately realized—what does it matter if it’s a turtledove or a mandarin duck? They were ladies, and the Ye sisters were all unmarried. Ladies inherently have the power that no matter how they discuss marriage or mock relationships, it is all "out of good intentions, worried and acting rashly." Ye Qinglan is twenty-four and unmarried, yet still attending the Flower Festival; as long as they hold to the pretext of being concerned about her marriage, they can keep talking forever.

Yang Qiaozhen could realize it, and Ye Lingbo naturally realized it even faster.

She knew this principle, so she decided to strike first and kill the topic before Yang Qiaozhen could start.

"Sister Yang’s anxiety is also understandable," she said with a smile. "After all, with such things happening at home, it’s no wonder. As the old saying goes, 'throw a peach and get a plum in return.' Since Sister Yang is so thoughtful for us sisters, we should also speak of the sister’s worries to help her share the burden."

As soon as she said this, Yang Qiaozhen’s face changed, and she couldn't even care about Lu Wanyang’s reminder to continue talking about Ye Qinglan’s marriage. She immediately said: "What do you mean? Don't spout nonsense here. Who wants you to manage our sisters' affairs..."

Ye Lingbo smiled with her eyes curved, but the meaning in her eyes was clear—if you are heartless, don't blame me for being unrighteous. Yang Qiaozhen had heard of her methods and knew that the Mistress Yang by her side was very well-informed; she feared this threat was truly not a joke.

However, although Yang Qiaozhen wanted to settle the matter, Lu Wenyin would not allow it.

"In that case, why don't you say it? Those who know will think you are sharing the burden for Qiaozhen, but those who don't will think you are making threats, right?" She immediately pushed further, clearly intending to put Ye Lingbo on the spot.

If Ye Lingbo revealed the secret affairs of the Yang family in public, Yang Qiaozhen would lose face, but Ye Lingbo, as an unmarried young lady, being so aggressive would also make her prospects at the Flower Festival look grim... Lu Wenyin was willing to sacrifice Yang Qiaozhen to sever an arm of the Ye family first.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, laughter came from behind the crowd.