Tang Dynasty
Capital, Luoyang
Fifteenth day of the second month
Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāo Jié)
Lanterns of every shape and design could be seen on every building and with every person, its glow mimicking the stars that covered the night sky.
Everyone was in the streets, even the Third Lady Cai didn't want to miss this night of celebration, pulling her winter coat closer to herself.
Music played from street corners, to entertain and to complement.
The scent of sweet dessert and spicy buns mingled with the stench of wine.
Her feet took her down the streets, her gaze taking in all the amusement, a veil of white covering the lower half of her face.
Year after year, she never failed to be amazed by the beauty of the capital during the lantern festival.
After staring at the ceiling of her study for what felt like days, she was finally able to sneak out of the house unnoticed.
Scholars and servants alike moved through the streets.
Ruyi felt unseen. Unnoticed.
"Firelight from ten thousand homes, the city forgets to sleep. The jade moon hangs high, heralding spring's return.
Lanterns turn night to day, and people weave like silk. Laughter pours through the streets, brimming at every turn."
A voice recited this poem from among the group of scholars seated at the veranda of a tea house.
They cheered with their cups of tea. "Well said! Very well said!"
Beside her, her handmaid, Hua, held tightly to a round rabbit-shaped lantern and looked around in wonder.
Ruyi noticed how Hua's eyes had lingered on the lantern earlier, so she bought it for the girl.
"Miss…"
Ruyi pushed the rabbit into her hand. "Tonight is a night of celebration."
Despite the sparks in her eyes, Ruyi knew that the young girl was still worried about them being caught. She was too, but that aside for now.
Hua was at first opposed to her mistress's decision to sneak out given that she was supposed to be on house arrest.
Ruyi didn't have an habit of sneaking out. On the contrary, she preferred staying in her courtyard but celebrations like this shouldn't be wasted indoors.
The two ladies had spent the larger part of the evening at the well-known XiaoXiao Entertainment House, quietly indulging in their unique shadow story-telling show that was open to all the people at no cost.
Definitely not a place for young noble ladies but Ruyi could care less about the rumors surrounding the establishment.
"Young miss, do you need anything else? I heard that some new treats from Jiangnan are being sold near the east market. Shall we go?"
Before Ruyi could answer, a burst of flames illuminated the sky, followed by applause and comments from the impressed crowd, after a fire manipulator performed his tricks.
"Wow. Wonderful. Good. Good."
"Miss, be careful." Hua said in a fright, pulling her mistress away from the flames.
Her shaky eyes scanned Ruyi.
"Miss, Are you okay?"
Ruyi shook her head. "Hua, it's okay. I'm okay. Just a bit–"
Children ran around the two ladies, playing with their woven animal tones. Ruyi's eyes caught a little girl chasing after a butterfly-shaped kite that had slipped from her grasp.
Ruyi's steps slowed to a stop, catching her handmaid's attention.
"Young miss?" Hua wondered why she stopped.
As Ruyi's eyes followed the kite, the scene blended into a memory.
The boy changed into a younger her as she ran after the string of kites, weaving through the crowd.
Her brother had warned her to stay close to him due to the number of people on the street.
But at the loss of her kite, the warning had disappeared from her mind.
Her sights were set on getting back what she had lost as she chased the string through the streets unknown to her distracted brother.
Then she heard it.
Cries that sounded close. With the kite forgotten, her legs take her closer to the sounds.
She turned the corner and saw a girl, ragged and bruised, being dragged into an alleyway. Dirt covered her cheeks, and her voice cracked as she shouted.
"Help me! Let go of me! Let me go! Someone, help me!"
"Stop struggling. Your drunkard father has sold you to me. Now, don't make things hard for me or else, I will sell you to a brothel"
"Leave me alone!"
The strange man's eyes twinkled with something sinister.
"Or who knows, I could consider make you one of my concubines."
Without thinking, Ruyi lunged at the man, grabbing and pulling his sleeves.
Though just a child, she threw herself forward with the no regard for danger.
"Leave her alone!"
"Who are you?"
The man's hand flew, knocking her to the ground. Pain shot through her arm.
But she didn't give up. She lunged at the man again, but this time, sinking her teeth into his arms.
He cried out in pain.
"You bitch!"
As his hand flew up to hit her, a voice, sharp as steel, stopped him.
"Stop!"
In a matter of seconds, men with their swords pointed surrounded the man.
A young teenager stepped forward with fury on his face.
"Gege!"
Her face was filled with relief, seeing her older brother was there to rescue them.
He pulled her up first, brushing dirt from her cheek with shaking hands.
"Ruyi, I told you to not wander around."
"Wen'gege"
Her eyes turned to settle on Hua, who was still on the floor, during all the commotion.
"Young miss? Third Lady Cai!" Hua's voice broke through the haze.
Ruyi blinked.
"Hm?"
Both the child and kite were long gone. She was still standing in the streets, music and voices surrounding her.
"Is young miss okay?"
"I'm okay, Hua." She replied with a shake of her head. "How long have we been outside?"
The handmaid looked around. "Almost half of an hour. Are you tired? I can get the carriage–"
"Not yet. I still want to look around a bit. We can make it in time before dinner."
"We hardly get to come out of the manor. But we need to hurry, young miss. I don't want that woman and the Fifth Miss to find more things to hold against you."
Hua left out a frustrated sigh. "You are still under punishment for what was clearly the Fifth Miss's fault."
Ruyi smiled under her veil.
"Don't worry. Once we get to the end of this street, we'll go back."
"Yes, young miss"
Suddenly, a thunder of hooves echoed in the air, cutting through the chatter and merriment.
Heads turned and people gave way as a soldier on horseback tore through the street, his armor soiled with dust and blood.
In his hand, a flag was for all to see as his voice echoed repeatedly.
"The war is over! We won! Victory in the North! The Nation is safe. Peace has been restored"
Everything and everyone stood still from a silver of a minute before the silence changed to cheers– shouts of joy, laughter and tears.
Ruyi stood frozen, not from the cold but from her heart pounding in her chest.
The war was finally over.
"The war is won," she whispered.
Hua turned to her, eyes bright.
"Miss, does that mean…the young master will be coming back?"
Ruyi nodded with daze. "Yes"
Her brother was finally coming back home.
Eight years had come and gone since he left the capital for the northern borders.
All she had through the years were the letters they exchanged.
Unlike her who buried herself in books, her brother had always been good at martial arts.
He had inherited the martial prowesses that dominated their mother's side of the family.
Their mother's family came from a long line of generals that had protected the borders of the country for decades.
Ruyi, however wasn't built for anything physically demanding.
It was even rumored that even a sudden change in weather had her bedridden sometimes for days.
If her gege was returning… so was he.
The first time she met him in the palace was still fresh in her memory like it was yesterday.
Despite the years, the way she felt had never changed.
Would she be able to recognize him?
Would he remember her?
She couldn't stop the joy that sprung up in her heart, a smile across her face.
Then it faded.
"We need to go. Now"
Hua blinked. "I'll… I'll get the carriage"
She knew that the moment this news reached her family, she would be summoned.
*********************************
Seated on a wooden chair, Second Madam Shen turned the pages of a silk-bound book with one hand, while the other moved the beads of the abacus.
One of her personal maids approached her, bending into a low bow and whispered into her ears.
"The Third Miss is not in her courtyard. She left the house."
Her fingers stilled.
"She dares," she murmured to herself. Her finger hesitated over the abacus, thinking for a minute.
Then she whispered back to the maid and sent her away.
Closing the invoice book, she motioned to rise from her seat when another maid rushed in, her feet halting to bow deeply.
"The war has ended. Madam Shen, the army has won"
A slow smile curved on her lips.
"Is that so…" She said softly, relaxing into her seat. "Such good news. I'm sure the Master would be happy to hear this"
"Someone, inform the kitchen, dinner will be served early tonight. We must celebrate."
"Yes Madam."
She rose from her seat and made her way to the dining room.
What a good news just fell from the sky into her lap without her even plotting.
********************
The two reached the back gate of the Cai Manor, catching their breath from running.
Hua pushed against the wooden gate. Nothing moved.
"What's wrong?"
"Miss, the gate isn't opening."
Ruyi tried pushing on the gate, but nothing. It didn't move. The ladder they always kept as backup was also gone.
They had been found out.
"It's been locked from the other end. We have to climb the wall."
She stepped back, scanning the height of the wall. Removing the scarf covering her shoulder, she tied it across her waist like a belt.
"Climb?" Hua exclaimed. "Miss, you can't... That's dangerous"
"We don't have a choice."
Now wasn't the time to assess dangers of climbing fences.
She noticed a part of the fence that was lower than the rest, having sunk into the ground. She pushed on it to make sure it was sturdy.
"Miss…here."
Hua knelt on the ground, bracing as Ruyi stepped on her back and hauled herself upward.
She swung one leg over and jumped, landing harder than expected. She twisted her right ankle from left to right.
Just a dull pain. I can manage.
"Miss, are you okay?" Hua cried in worry from behind the fence.
Ruyi straightened, adjusted the band of her skirt over her chest and unlocked the gate to let her handmaid in.
"I'm fine. We have to go now."
They both hurried down the corridor that led back to Ruyi's courtyard.
Ruyi knew that the woman was not going to let this opportunity go, she had to be prepared to counter whatever trap was going to unfold tonight.
*******************
A delicate feast had been set. Bowls of soups, meats and vegetables, though no one lifted their chopsticks yet.
Minister Cai sat at the head of the table and to his left, Second Madam Shen, sipping her tea quietly.
Her daughter, Cai Ruxin, to his right, twirling a chopstick between her fingers, as her charms tingled with each movement.
He glanced at the empty seat.
"Where is Ruyi?"
"I sent a maid to call the Third Miss just before dinner was set." Concubine Shen said, setting her cup down.
As if summoned by these words, a maid stepped into the room and dropped to her knees.
"Minister, Madam Shen…I beg for forgiveness. The Third Miss is not in her chambers. She…"
Ruyi entered with a quiet poise.
Her skirt, no longer a deep shade of red, but a calm shade of peach, similar to the color of her scarf and contrasting the blue of her blouse.
Her hair, devoid of excessive ornaments, except one jade hair pin.
Hua followed behind at a respectable distance, her head bowed.
Ruyi stopped and bowed. "Father"
"You're late."
Even though his words sounded stern, his eyes showed no anger.
"Forgive me, father," She replied with a remorseful voice. "I was on my way to deliver the copied scrolls to Madam Shen when I realized that dinner had already begun."
Her voice was calm and composed.
Her father nodded. "I see."
From beside Madam Shen, Ruxin rolled her eyes and scoffed.
A brief silence followed.
Madam Shen's smile faltered for a second.
"I assumed the maid would find you in time," She said. "She must have…missed you."
The maid bowed deeply, trembling.
She sent the maid away with a glare. "Leave us."
The girl scurried away.
Ruxin leaned forward slightly, lips curling. "You must have been terribly deep in reflection, jie-jie, not to hear the dinner bells."
Ruyi's gaze shifted to her. "It's a quiet corner of the manor."
This was a fact that no one on the table could contest with.
Ruyi had been given the farthest courtyard from main compound under the guise of quiet recuperation due to her frequent illnesses.
A distant place that grew colder with each step.
"Enough." Minister Cai said. "Come, sit. It has been a while we all had dinner together as a family."
Avoiding discord again, Father.
Ruyi glanced around the table, searching for where she was to sit.
Seeing the only empty seat opposite her father, wedged between the two women, she met Hua's eyes for a brief moment.
Today, of all days, she could not slip away.
She had no choice but to stomach this few minutes of false unity.
Ruxin announced, already leaning forward.
"Finally, we can eat."
Her mother's soft cough caused Ruxin to pout and sink back.
Ruyi took her seat, her sleeves folded neatly into her lap.
Concubine Shen's smile was warm but Ruyi had long learned to recognize the dagger hidden beneath.
Only after Minister Cai took the first bite did dinner officially start.
The clink of porcelain and chopsticks caused the room to come alive.
Madam Shen said lightly. "My Lord, I heard great news tonight that the war is over."
Minister Cai's hand paused midair, before a smile spread across his face.
"This is a double celebration. For our family and for the emperor." He nodded continuously. "Someone, get my jar of wine. This is great news."
"Yes, My Lord" A servant hurried out.
"It's been eight years since Ruwen left for the northern front. He has done well."
"Father, do you know when gege will return?" Ruyi asked softly.
He turned to a steward nearby. "Send word to the northern front. I want to know how long before the commander will arrive at the capital."
Ruyi lowered her gaze. "Thank you father."
"Madam Shen, have his manor prepared, his quarters cleaned." Minister Cai pondered and downed his cup of wine.
She bowed her head. "Yes, My Lord. It is only right for the young master to be welcomed grandly."
Minister Cai grunted. "If all goes well, he will soon return home in silken robes. His Majesty will surely hold a celebration."
Ruxin leaned forward eagerly. "Father, will the troops march into the city? Oh, I hope there will be a feast and we can…"
Her mother pinched her side, shushing her.
As the conversation occurred around her, Ruyi barely ate a thing, chewing slowly on the lotus root in her bowl.
Eight years… Wen'gege is returning.
And if Ge' returns… then he will also.
"Still…" Ruxin began again.
"Still," Concubine Shen interrupted, turning to Ruyi, "The Third Miss must be relieved. You must be so happy that your brother is finally coming home." She refilled her husband's cup with wine.
Ruyi's chopsticks tightened until the lotus root nearly broke apart. She forced a small piece into her mouth.
"Hm."
She held back a gag.
"Oh my!" Concubine Shen gazes towards Ruyi's bowl. "Third Miss, is the food not to your taste again?"
Ruxin laughed lightly.
"Mother, Jie-jie must be used to the taste of medicine," She said sweetly. "It is not easy when one has to spend their life drinking tonics."
Concubine Shen shushed her daughter with a sly smile. "Ruxin."
Ruyi, with her head lowered replied. "Forgive me, Madam Shen. Prehaps the air in the ancestral hall caused my illness to return."
"Jie! Are you accusing mother of causing your sickness?"
Minister Cai cleared his throat sharply.
Ruxin turned to her mother with a pouting face. Concubine Shen shot back a look of caution to her daughter.
"Ruyi." Minister Cai called out.
Ruyi's chopsticks paused midair, the slice of lotus root almost slipping as she placed it into her bowl.
"Once Ruwen returns, I will speak to him on the matters of your next step."
Her fingers tightened, but her face remained unbothered.
She had expected this conversation ever since her hair-pining ceremony.
Two years of silence, and it took her brother's return for the matter to surface.
"Yes, Father."
Concubine Shen set down her teacup with a loud click.
"That is right. Ruxin is also of age. You both are not young anymore"
He turned to his wife. "After Ruwen returns, Ruxin's hair pinning ceremony will be held. I trust the preparations are going well already."
Concubine Shen had a small smile on her face. "Yes, My Lord. It is all going well."
"If Ruwen is back before that, we shall hold the celebrations together." Minister Cai took a bite of his fish after speaking.
"Mother, I don't want to…"
"Ruxin!" Her mother's warning cut her short.
Ruyi's appetite had long since deserted her. Having had enough interactions for one night, she decided to excuse herself.
"I'll be retiring for the night. Father"
She bowed to her father and gave a small bow to the woman at his side.
Without sparing a second look, she left with Hua at her heels.
Everytime she sat across the table, she never felt like part of this family, only a tolerated seat at the table.
The few people she truly cared for were far away… though one would soon return.
The soft crunch of gravel under her shoes echoed, shadows cast by a single lantern held by Hua.
Just as she rounded the corner, she felt the content of her stomach rise back into her throat and out her mouth.
Hua rushed to steady her. "Young Miss!"
The maid held her mistress in a panic, soothing her back as Ruyi poured out the contents of her stomach.
"Young Miss, should I get—"
Ruyi shook her head, waving Hua off weakly.
"I'm fine… I'm fine."
She pushed herself off the wall as Hua supported her.
Sitting and eating on the same table with those people sickened her.
"Let's go."
The ancestral hall had always felt colder than the rest of the manor. The kind that leaves a hollow in your heart everytime you visited.
It stood apart from the main compound, a sanctuary that housed tablets of eight generations of Cai ancestors.
Hua waited outside the threshold, her mistress's coat in her hand.
Ruyi stepped inside.
Her gaze moved through the line of names engraved on different burial plaques until it settled on one at the far end of the second row.
Zhang Pan'er, Madam Zhang.
Mother
She took slow steps towards the plaque, before kneeling in front of it.
Concubine Shen had tried more than once to have this plaque removed. Ruyi could still hear the woman's polite, poisonous voice plotting.
If her aunt hadn't intervened, her mother's name would have been long erased.
Just like everything else.
And the Zhang family's "traditions" made it forbidden for her mother to lay to rest with her ancestors, claiming her place was with the Cai family now.
Her mother gave her life to please her family, giving it all up for duty and at the end, no honor to her name.
They would've cast you out without hesitation, Mother. Even in death.
Ruyi lit the incense. Her hands trembled. "Mother."
"I have good news." She stuck the incense in the sand bowl.
"The war is over. Wen'gege is coming home." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "And, he…is also coming back."
She didn't need to say his name.
Her mother's plaque already held years of countless worries and words that spoke of him.
"I hope that one day, I'll be able to bring him to greet you." She let out a sad smile. "But, I will definitely drag Wen'gege to come and see you."
Sighing, she knelt before the tablet, hand folded on her lap.
Minutes passed as she watched in silence, the incense burning lower.
"I still miss you everyday." She whispered.
Every breath. Every year.
"Even now."
Tonight, especially.
She vividly remembered the way her mother used to hum songs while brushing her hair. She could almost hear it, as she hums it herself.
She also remembered the night the light in the manor changed after her mother's death.
It had been over ten years since Zhang Pan'er died. Ruyi had been a child barely tall enough to reach a table top.
Too small to do anything but cry when blood spilled from her mother's mouth and soaked the floor.
"Mother. Mother. Wake up… please… don't leave me."
After her mother died, everything in the manor shifted.
Her father 's coldness, Concubine Shen stealing her mother's place, her brother leaving for the northern front.
And then, the palace…
Don't think about that…
Ruyi shook that memory from her head.
Her thoughts circled back to her father's words at dinner.
She wasn't opposed to getting married but if she was going to do it, she wanted it to be on her grounds and not because of anyone else.
However, Ruyi knew how hard that would be.
From a distance, she could hear the gong sound for the hai hour.
"Father wants me to get married…" Her fingers trace the hems of her scarf that dropped down her shoulder.
Mother, I'm scared. What do I do? I'm not ready.
Her biggest worry was what that woman would do concerning it. She needed to be prepared.
With a final bow, she got up from the floor. Hua hurried t her, draping the coat over her mistress's shoulder and helping her to her feet.
"Hua, send a message to my brother. I need to know when he will be arriving in the capital."
She had long learnt not to expect anything from her father.
"Yes, miss," Hua replied. "Should I prepare your tea in the study?"
Ruyi shook her head slightly, a warmer in her hand. "I'll be retiring early. Prepare my bath."
Before Hua could answer, a familiar voice drifted from ahead like perfume masking something rancid.
"The third miss must be so tired from today's event. Are you returning from the ancestral hall?"
Of course, she knew. She always knew. Ruyi gave a shallow bow. "Madam Shen"
Madam Shen approached with her usual elegant smile, hands folded.
"What a filial daughter. It must be lonely to offer incense alone." She reached out to hold Ruyi's hand. "Next time, allow me to accompany you. We are family, after all."
"It's my duty to attend to my mother's shrine alone." She pulled her hand from the woman's grasp. "I wouldn't want to trouble you, Madam Shen."
A flicker of irritation crossed Concubine Shen's face.
"Of course," she said smoothly. "I only wished to share your burden. I do hope you didn't catch a cold on your way back. The good news made dinner start earlier than expected."
Ruyi's gaze met hers. So you want me to know that you know. How predictable.
"You don't have to worry about me. I was simply too focused on doing my duties properly."
"Ah yes, the Classics of Filial Piety." Concubine Shen's smile sharpened. "Though I wonder if your maid was sent to notify you the moment the news arrived."
"Hua was with me, grinding the ink," Ruyi said. "Was my writing not to your liking? I would never want to dishonor you or father."
"See that you don't," Concubine Shen said, her tone hardening momentarily. "Especially now, with the Young Master returning. A daughter's behavior reflects on her father's name."
Ruyi nodded, her expression calm. "Concubine Shen is right. I'm sure you have your hands full with Fifth Sister. Prehaps you should have her copy a few text to keep her busy."
With a still face, Ruyi continued. "We wouldn't want anything to go wrong on her special day. As you said, 'A daughter's behavior reflects on her father's n.'"
Concubine Shen's smile cracked.
Ruyi bowed with finality. "I have to retire for the night. I can't be in the cold for too long."
With that, she turned and walked away, Hua falling into step behind her.
"Ruyi," she murmured in the evening breeze. "Your days of pride will soon end."
As long as Ruyi remained in the Cai household, she could never truly be seen as Madam.
The master feared his late wife's background and this favored Ruyi most of the time, while her own precious Ruxun was expected to remain second in all things.
And once the young master returns, the balance will tilt even further.
But, she could use this to her favor. She had to.
***********************
From the window of a tea house overlooking the main street filled with people and festivities, a man stood with his hands folded loosely across his chest.
His dark robe was plain. Yet even with that, there was something unmistakable in his posture, a soldier's stance.
He watched the crowd with the key observation. Children ran past clutching paper lanterns, the scent of fried dumplings rising from the stalls.
Then, they halted on a figure.
A young woman stepping out from the famed Xiaoxiao House.
The veil that covered the lower half of her face hid most of her features but accentuated her gaze.
A white shawl draped loose over her shoulders, its edges embroidered with faint gold, catching the light whenever she moved.
Even without seeing her face, he knew she was of noble blood.
He almost looked away.
But then, her deep red skirt swayed gently as she paused in front of a lantern stall.
The vendor held up shapes of fish, cranes, stars, but it was the rabbit that drew her attention.
Or rather the attention of her maid, who was by her side.
The maid's eyes lingered on the rabbit lantern. The lady noticed.
Without hesitation, she turned to the vendor and said something he could not hear, before being handed the lantern.
She tilted her head toward her younger maid, holding the lantern close to the girl's face as though comparing the two.
Then she laughed.
Though he could not see her expression or hear the sound, but the slight tilt of her head and body lingered in his mind.
It was unrestrained. Bright.
Moments later, she placed the lantern into the maid's hands.
The girl blinked in disbelief before bowing deeply.
From where he stood, the man felt the faintest tug at his mouth, a smile.
There was nothing remarkable about the act. Maybe, it had been a long time since he'd seen something so simple… so genuine.
A shadow fell over the doorway.
"Commander," a voice said from behind him.
The man did not turn immediately. Only when he exhaled did he respond, his voice even, low.
His fingers flexed against his arm. He didn't understand why he hadkept looking.
"Report."
"Everything is in place. The message will be delivered before sundown."
He gave a curt nod. "Good."
"The horses are ready. We can leave whenever you give the word."
The commander gave a slight nod. "Understood. Wait outside."
By the time he turned back to the window, the lantern stall was still there.
But the lady and her maid were gone.
And yet, for reasons he couldn't name, the image followed him long after.
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