"It seems I've offended miss Lu."
It was an obvious snare, a few simple words that would make the girl look petty and rude. Meiwan recognized it, but knowing that young master Shang was the one pressuring her, she still felt a pang of worry in her heart. She didn't halt her steps, and continued out from under the pavilion, ignoring the bully to the best of her ability. The other girls whispered, and her cousins watched in silence.
Shang Qinglou scoffed in disbelief at her behavior towards him, it seemed that she wouldn't fall for his trick. "If that's the way you're going to be." He muttered to himself, watching her back.
As Meiwan stepped down the last step, her eyes on the ground, she nearly bumped into another young woman before her. Glancing up, her eyes followed the fabulous dress until she saw who stood in front of her. Princess Tan'er, with her nose turned up arrogantly, stared at her. Her maid carried the same snobish manner, and frowned at Meiwan as though looking at something unsightly.
"Princess, this blind idiot nearly knocked you over! Shall I make her kneel and slap her face?" The maid took a step forward, but the princess held her hand up.
"A nobody isn't worth my attention." Wei Tan'er looked past Meiwan to the figure standing beneath the large roof of the pavilion. Her gaze was fond and a smile curled her lips upwards.
The maid scoffed and returned to her mistress' side, now smiling and giggling. "Look princess, that's Shang Qinglou! You finally get to see him now!" She whispered.
Meiwan glanced over her shoulder and saw the group of girls hurry to the edge of the pavilion in curtisy of the princess. Shang Qinglou didn't move however and look disinterested. He sighed and reached for a cup of tea on the table and took a sip, ignoring the presence of royalty.
But Wei Tan'er didn't mind and rushed up the steps, passing the girls and hurried to his side. She smiled and smoothed her dress with the tips of her fingers, suddenly giving the image of a shy and bashful girl.
"Brother Qinglou," She glanced to the floor. "It's been so long, I haven't seen you."
"Hmm." Instead of bowing, greeting, or even thanking the princess for her attention, Shang Qinglou set the cup down and moved past her.
Eyes wide, Tan'er watched as he left the pavilion and walked straight to Meiwan, who was just as confused at his behavior. He then did the unbelievable, and before she could do anything, leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Gasps excaped the lips of everyone present, the young ladies, the Yan sisters, and the princess. Hands flew to their mouths and their eyes widened at the sudden extreme action, yet Qinglou only straightened and smiled at Meiwan.
What? What did he just do? Kiss me? But when she looked into his eyes, they were over whelmed with emotion and tenderness. Gone was the bad boy aura replaced by a young man displaying tender affection for his sweet heart. Just as Meiwan was beginning to think he'd gone insane, the corner of his mouth twitched and she saw humor in his eye.
He was playing again.
"Seductress!" The palace maid shouted while pointing her finger towards Meiwan. "Your highness, did you see what she just did?!"
Wei Tan'er stood with a blank stare for a long moment, in disbelief over what he'd just done... right in front of her. Meiwan looked past Qinglou's shoulder at the frozen girl and hot-headed maid, before snapping her head back to look at him. Now she knew what he was doing, and she started to feel angry all over again.
He'd heard the rumors before of him and the princess, but unlike most young men in the capital, it seemed he didn't like it. So here he was using her, Lu Meiwan, to dispel those stories and have her be his shield. By kissing her before all the children of officials, with them as witnesses, no one would be able to bring the matter up again, and the princess would be forgotten. It was a well thought out, and simple plan.
Meiwan nodded, accepting the moment as having passed, but she didn't want to be caught in the middle of a dramatic couple. So she quickly place her hand over her cheek and shrunk away from Qinglou, shouting.
"Rouge! Scoundrel!" Her cry was soft and hurt. "How could you ruin my honor and reputation like that! Just because you want to make the princess jealous, doesn't mean you can grab any girl and- and..."
As if on cue, Yan Shi broke from the group of girls and stomped over to stand between her cousin and the young man. Her face fiery and her hands were on her hips, she looked every bit an angry elder sister.
"Shang Qinglou! Even if your father is a great general of An, it doesn't give you the right to act however you want!"
The group of girls were now joined by the other young men who'd been immersed in their own conversation a ways away, drawn by the raised voices and heated argument. Now, together, the young people watched as the scene took place before them, not bothering to intervene.
Shang Qinglou looked between the two girls, his brows lowered in confusion. His plan to discourage the princess had fallen to peices, and now he was the object of attention.
"Wait a minute." He put his hand up. "What are you saying? It was clearly you who encouraged my actions!" He tried to salvage the situation.
"Brother Qinglou," Tan'er shuffled, her feet sliding on the stone pathway. Her face was dark, and her eyes empty. "I've waited for you." The young man turned to her, his mouth opening as if to answer, but she continued.
"I thought we were meant for each other, we'd be together and when you saw me- you'd know it too." The princess came to a stop beside him and looked up into his eyes. "How could you betray me... for her?" She held up an accusatory finger, pointed at Meiwan.
Meiwan quietly gasped and held her hand to her chest, allowing Yan Shi to hold her and support her. This needs to hurry up and be over! I can't make a scene here, and give myself a bad reputation! What can I do?
"Your highness, I don't even know you!" He began.
"It doesn't matter though." The princess moved her other hand up to his lips, halting him from speaking further. "I'll give you a second chance. You're just confused right now, having been seduced by this- shameless wretch."
Nothing was turning out as anyone had planned for it to be. The princess had hoped to reunite with her childhood sweetheart, Shang Qinglou was trying to avoid her attention, and Meiwan desperately wanted to dissapear.
"What?" Shang Qinglou asked, glaring at the princess.
"You know it's the right thing young master Shang, it's what you've been hoping for! Don't let me ruin your chances with the princess!" Meiwan encouraged.
""Shut up, I don't need your venomous words!" Tan'er snapped, her maid stepping in front of her and giving Meiwan a shove.
"A'wan!" Yan Shi steadied her cousin, while Yan Tu and Yan Wei also came to stand by her side in support.
"I'm alright." She spoke timidly.
Wei Tan'er scoffed but turned to Qinglou, wrapping her fingers around his arm and pressing herself against him with a smile. "Yes, how could you like someone as weak as her, and ugly. I'm the right match for you, don't deny it." She said.
Shang Qinglou pushed her away, pulling her hands off of him. But the flare of anger in her eyes at the rejection made his head tilt and his eyes avert towards the ground.
"Your highness, I'm flattered that you fancy me. Shall we meet another day?" It was the best thought he could think of to get rid of her. If he didn't, things might get complicated and the Shang family might be implicated. He glanced over to Meiwan and saw her trembling, but the look in her eyes showed that she wasn't scared as much as he thought she'd be.
The princess smiled and stepped back, her maid supporting her elbow. "Meet later? Of course." She gave a look of victory to Meiwan. "Seven Leaf Restaurant?"
Qinglou nodded.
"Let's go, A'nu." She spoke to her maid and let her lead her from the gardens. Their gaurds followed behind her and the four dissapeared. It was so fast, it was if they'd never been there.
The atmosphere immediately lightened, and everyone dispersed to speak of what had just happened. Meiwan pulled away from Yan Shi and stood on her own two feet, without any support. Her frightened look slowly faded away and she turned back to Shang Qinglou.
"Young master Shang." She bowed.
He turned to her, fire in his eyes. "You little-! I'll get even with you I swear it!" And with those last words, stormed away.
"A'wan, are you alright?" Yan Tu asked, taking her hand. "Forgive me, I should've stepped forward sooner, I was scared." Yan Wei nodded in agreement.
"It's alright, I've suffered long enough under his bullying, what's a princess to me?" Meiwan gave a reassuring smile before stepping away. "I'm going to take a walk and let myself calm down."
Her three cousins nodded, worry still in their eyes. But she ignored it and tunred away, follwing the path that led deeper into the mansion, towards the back. She would walk through the gardens on her way back to her own courtyard.
Meiwan walked along the sunny path until she made it to the smaller, shadier one that led to the smallest and quietest garden within the mansion. Her heart had settled a bit and she no longer worried about what Qinglou might do to her later.
"Did you find it?" Said a voice from behind a large bush.
"No. Perhaps master was wrong?"
The young girl curiously moved closer to the two people standing on the other side of the greenery. She could see their black-dressed forms, two large men, and wondered if they were from Yan mansion or if they'd come in with guests.
"What about the evidence? At least you retrieved that didn't you?" The man who must have been the leader asked urgently.
The underling shook his head, facing the ground. "It was already gone when I searched the room."
Smack! The leader struck his hand across the other's face, making him bow lower and look more cowardly. The second man now visably shook, and he didn't utter another word.
Hand flying to her mouth, Meiwan felt her chest tighten as she realized that neither of these men should be in the mansion. They were there with bad intent and she knew it, but she was too close to them now and she feared that if she moved, she would be discovered.
"Useless! Your first mistake was letting it fall into the wrong hands, and now you've lost it! Such a precious item!" The leader sounded desperate himself.
"Da ge, it wasn't my fault entirely, I was given the wrong portrait." The man mumbled. "Besides, it went with someone related, how come that's a problem?!"
Meiwan watched as the leader leaned in close to his companion's face, she could just make out his fierceness through the leaves. And for a moment, she feared that there would be a murder right there in front of her... another murder, right in front of her. She didn't want to repeat what had happened that one night.
"Our job was to make sure that the item ended up in the possession of theYan daughter."
Yan daughter, one of my cousins? Why are they involving themselves in our Yan mansion? Meiwan wished she could silently find a way to move away from them, but fear kept her feet planted.
"Then when she became unconscious, Yan Yifeng would hurry home to see her." The leader explained as if speaking to a child. "Which would give master an opportunity to rope him into his service."
"How would that work though?" The underling asked.
"We'd have the antidote to her poison fool! And if it didn't work out, we were to retrieve the item and frame him for her death. The murder of an official's family member is punishable by death. So either way, master wins! But now, because you gave it to the wrong girl, and then lost it, neither plan will work out now!"
Meiwan could only breathe and watch with wide eyes as they discussed the plot. Poison? They want to kill one of my cousins?! The monsters! She cried out in her head, tears building up in her eyes. But their words seemed to somehow make sense all of a sudden, and she recalled her own fainting a couple hours earlier. Had that been part of their plot, or had she been a mistake?
"So what do we do now then?"
The leader scoffed and roughly patted the other's arm. "I'll offer up your head to pay for the failure."
If Meiwan could have seen their faces clearly, she knew that the companion's face must turned ash white and his body start shaking. Her own was hard to control, she wished she could run away as fast as she could, but she had wandered to the farthest corner so she had no chance. Now she'd have to wait till they left.