The door slid shut and the sound of feet coming closer made Meiwan's eyes fly open and she took a deep breath. Her head felt heavy and her chest hurt, black dots bounced around in her vision for a moment. She recognized her room and the form of her maid dressed in green, as she approached her, a tray in hand.
"Miss Lu! You're awake!" Xiao Bi's eyes widened and she hurried to her miss' side, setting the tray on the side table. "How are you feeling, shall I summon the doctor again?" Her voice was rushed and filled with concern.
Meiwan tried to understand what her maid was saying and figure why she was laying in bed. Hadn't she just been under the main pavilion a moment ago?
"Why call for a doctor? Is something wrong with me?" She sat up in bed and glanced at her hands, front and back, examining herself.
Seeing her feel alright, Xiao Bi returned to her usually calm self and helped Meiwan sit comfortably, before turning back to the tray. A bowl of brown liquid sat on top, and a peice of specially wrapped candy beside it.
"You fainted earlier, don't you remember miss?" Xiao Bi asked cautiously, it wasn't her place to speak of what had just happened. "I think I'd better call for the doctor, or maybe nanny Gu."
The maid looked as though she were going to leave the room, but Meiwan reached out and grabbed the fabric of her green dress, pulling her to stay. "It's alright, really. Is that medicine for me?" Meiwan asked while pointing to the bowl.
"Yes miss, the doctor gave instructions for you to drink this when you woke up, which would be around this time. Amazing doctor, Mr. Chu is, he knew how long it would be before you were awake." Xiao Bi smiled and handed Meiwan the bowl.
She swirled it around and watched as the brown liquid played dangerously to the edge, before sniffing it. The aroma was bitter and pungent, and strongly smelled of herbs. Scrunching her nose, she brought the bowl to her lips and gulped it all down.
"Ah!" Meiwan handed the bowl back."That was aweful!"
"Here miss, Madam Yan guessed you might want this after drinking the medicine." The maid handed Meiwan the candy.
The girl quickly unwrapped and stuck the sugary item in her mouth and sighed with relief when the bitter taste dissapeared. She sucked on the candy for a moment before turning back to her maid.
"What am I sick with?"
Xiao Bi's eyebrows lowered and she glanced to the floor, hesitant to say too much."Miss has encountered some plants which made you have a reaction." She said carefully.
A plant? "Oh."
"How are you feeling?" The maid went about tidying up the bed and straightening the blanket.
Meiwan wasn't sure how she felt, the spots were gone, her chest no longer hurt, but the heaviness in her head persisted. "Thanks to the doctor's medicine, quite well. How long have I been in bed?"
"Wonderful miss," Xiao Bi glanced to the window to see the sunlight. "It's been about fourty minutes I'd say."
"Fourty minutes?!" Meiwan exclaimed. "How is the gathering going? Is everything alright?"
Xiao Bi smiled. "Yes miss, and the gathering is going just fine. Madam returned shortly after the doctor checked on you, and continued the meal. They should just be finishing up by now too."
"Did the doctor say I could return after I'm feeling well?" Meiwan didn't want to entirely miss the whole event, after all, her aunt had planned it partially for her.
"Are you feeling well enough. He said that you would be fine in about an hour and could move around, though not much." The maid said.
"Well then, help me get dressed." Meiwan pulled the blanket off and slid her feet out.
Xiao Bi helped her miss straighten her dress and tidy her hair, before stepping back and pursing her lips. "I believe we're missing something."
Meiwan glanced at her image in the golden mirror, and recalled the white head wrap and veil. Her eyes searched the area and she turned in a full circle. However she didn't see it, so she looked to her maid.
"Do you know where the head wrap is, that I was wearing this morning?"
Realization lit the maid's eyes and she scanned the room. "The head wrap, now I remember! It's right..." Xiao Bi glanced to the spot on the floor where the white fabric had been tossed earlier, but it was gone. She pointed to the area on the floor and looked to her young mistress.
"Miss Lu, it was there a moment ago. Shall I find the maids and ask if its been removed?"
Meiwan sighed. What did it matter now, it must've been dropped on the way back to her room. A maid had probably picked up and cleaned it, and she would get it back tomorrow. The girl shook her head, and walked towards the door.
"Never mind, let's return to the gathering." But a sour feeling filled her chest. She had been thinking of Shang Qinglou when she bought the head wrap, hoping it might make her less noticeable to the bully, now he'd spot her instantly if he wanted to.
As she drew closer to the pavilion, laughter and conversation reached her ears. It seemed that her little trouble hadn't caused the fun to stop, and instead it was if she'd never been there in the first place. Her cousins had moved to sit next to other young ladies, and smiled while gossiping, while her aunt went around to speak briefly with each guest. The princess was no where to be seen, nor her attendants, hopefully she'd returned to the palace.
"A'wan!" Yan Shi called from her spot next to several girls. She rose to her feet and rushed out into the sun to greet her cousin. "How are you? Are you feeling better?" The girl grabbed Meiwan's hands and looked her over.
Meiwan smiled and grasped Yan Shi's hands. "I'm feeling wonderful," She paused and looked at the young ladies watching her. "I see that the socializing is going smoothly."
Yan Shi gave a pout, "It'd be much better if you join us, come."
The two girls entered in under the massive roof of the pavalion and walked down the ladies side, coming to a halt where all the young women had gathered. They smiled and nodded at Meiwan's presence, and allowed Yan Shi to formerly introduce them. Meiwan knew most of them, but there were a few she didn't.
"Hello." She greeted.
Her and her cousin took their seats in the circle and the lively conversation resumed again. Meiwan placed a gentle smile on her face and allowed herself to fade into the background. No one noticed her anymore, much less cared about what was said in front of her.
"The Qing's eldest daughter eloped with a servant!"
"No!" "How could she do something so scandelous?!" "What was she thinking?!" "She'll never be accepted in the capital again."
Meiwan listened for several mintues without paying any attention to what was actually being said, until one of the young ladies leaned in and whispered. Now intrigued, she found herself following suit.
"Reliable news has it, that the fifth princess' engagement with young master Shang will be announced soon." The girl's eyes were shiny and wide, as she glanced around for any eavesdroppers.
Shang Qinglou and Wei Tan'er? They're engaged? Meiwan leaned back and scoffed to herself. They deserve each other. One is just as bad as the other, I think they'll be very happy. Her mind gloated. Though she hadn't heard much about the fifth princess, she was the full sister of Wei Heping, and that made the two enemies. But of course, the princess knew nothing of the personal grudge between Meiwan and Death's Judge.
"I thought that was only one sided." A girl in yellow commented.
The girl who told the news, shook her finger back and forth. "No, no." She grinned. "Its come to light that the two were childhood sweethearts, and pledged to each other at a young age."
"Where do you get your information from Shi Zihuang? Every one knows that they only met once. Shang Qinglou's closest friends even said that he doesn't remember her, so of course he's not her sweatheart." The girl next to Meiwan spoke sternly.
"Hush, Gu Chuchu." Shi Zihuang spoke the name and smiled. The other girl, Gu Chuchu, frowned, clearly disliking the sound of her own name. It was an unusual and funny name, one a young lady would not want.
"What do you think?" One of Meiwan's classmates, Ji Su was staring right at her.
Meiwan didn't care so much about the gossip now, for that's all it was, and shrugged. "It's none of my business, I think." She said.
Now, all the attention was turned to her, the new girl in the circle. Of course they'd want to know where she stood in certain matters, and if she didn't agree with them, then she'd probably be shunned for the rest of capital life. Such was the way of influential families' children.
"Well, of course, I think they'd be an excellent match... Should they marry." Meiwan tried to find a middle-ground.
"You do?" Yan Shi frowned, confused. "I thought young master Shang bullied you the most."
Meiwan's cousin didn't realize what she had said, until all the young ladies leaned in to the younger girl, their eyes and ears hungry for more gossip. She felt her heart beat a little faster, and she didn't want to be sitting there at that moment. Meiwan gave a nervous smile and laugh.
"Of course not! Young master Shang is very kind!" Meiwan said quickly, but saw that the other girls' eyes widened strangely. "Yes, he's uh, wonderful scholar too, maybe make a good general one day too."
She paused and glanced at the other girls' faces, confused herself now. Yan Shi pursed her lips at her and blinked. What? Meiwan leaned in closer to her cousin, trying to see better what she was trying to communicate.
"I wasn't aware you saw me in such, brilliant light before." A deep voice spoke just behind her with a teasing tone, and she felt her spine stiffen. "I am interested though, that you think of me."
Why was he here? Meiwan didn't want to turn around, so instead she stood and took a step further from who she knew was behind her. Shang Qinglou. But before she could go any further, his hand reached out and grabbed her sleeve as it flowed behind her. The sudden jolt on her made her suddenly fall forward, straight onto the floor.
Anger began to seethe inside her, aside from the sudden embarrassment that turned her face red. It seemed that young master Shang recognized her from her backside as well.
"Oh dear." He said, while watching her land on her stomach. "Allow me to help you up."
She heard him make a move closer to her and she sat up to her knees and threw her hand out behind her. "No, no. I'll get up myself thank you."
"Huh?"
Meiwan turned her head to see Shang Qinglou offering his hand to the girl who'd been sitting beside her. In her race to dismiss herself from his presence, she must've accidentally caused the other girl to slide off her seat. But one look to her and the expression in her eyes, made her realized that wasn't the case.
"Here." Qinglou brought the girl back to her seat, while giving Meiwan an innocent expression. "I'm sorry miss Lu, did you need help as well, I thought you were handling yourself pretty well."
"Apparently." Meiwan bit back the urge to say something else. Instead she came to her feet and brushed her dress off, before turning herself to face the young man. She walked right past him, bent on ignoring him and finding a safe place to keep herself for the rest of the afternoon.