18C.MIC.BIZ3

Threads 212-Second Day 1

It was nerve-wracking, Ling Qi found, to stand up on the great stage erected at the rear of the pavilion.

Cai Renxiang’s father had certainly made a spectacle of the place. The high ephemeral walls of cloth and silk seemed to float without support, descending in elegant curves like arches here and there to expose a slice of the glittering night sky and moon. Below, guests walked, lounged, and spoke amidst the sprawling but orderly garden he had arranged, lit by orbs which glowed with soft dusk sunlight. The marble tiles of the floor gleamed like diamonds, and the rainbows cast by the mist of the fountain were beautiful beyond compare between the greenery and flowers. It made her own efforts with Zhengui seem rustic and childish.

She stood with the White Plumes and other supporting individuals at the back of the stage, soldiers and courtiers all, but she still felt as if the gaze of the world was upon her. It must have been worse for Cai Renxiang standing directly under the gaze of the guests, at attention with her arms folded behind her back, the young heiress’ halo of radiance providing a steady light.

Then, the Duchess came, and her presence obliterated all others. She appeared at the center of the stage in a beam of light, her silhouette and that of the Prime Minister blooming like flowers within the radiance.

Cai Shenhua remained, as ever, unmistakeable. Her dark hair was cut short this day at sharp angles that framed her face, black and unornamented. Her gown was relatively modest. Ling Qi thought the style was called a qipao, its hems and seams forming intricate crimson knotwork that contrasted with the white. Still, it hugged her frame far too tightly and left her athletic arms bare.

Comparatively, the Prime Minister, Diao Linqin, seemed tiny and overshadowed. Her wavy brown hair was arranged in a single braid that fell across the chest of her rose pink, conservative gown.

“Worthies of the Empire, Lords of the Emerald Seas, let me offer my belated welcome to the lands of the Argent Peak Sect.” The Duchess’ voice was warm and welcoming, the light of the burning radiance in her eyes brightening the whole interior of the pavilion. Her presence crushed down like the weight of a mountain. “My late arrival was intended as no insult. It was merely a matter of safety. The health of a child is nothing to risk casually.”

Cai Shenhua paused for a beat, allowing her words to finish echoing. “Yes, such is my confidence in the Lords of the South and the Argent Peak Sect that it was decided that my second daughter, Cai Tienli, will be safe here for the duration of this tournament. She is healthy and unblemished and deserves a chance to know her sibling.”

She allowed a moment of agreeable murmuring from the crowd. Ling Qi did her best not to stare at her liege’s back too much, wondering what she was thinking. It felt unsettling to hear the usually languid Cai Shenhua speaking with formality and fervor.

“It pleases me to know that my loyal lords and the elders of the Great Sect have taken to this newest campaign with such vigor that this is possible. Already, foundations are being laid in the lands where the barbarians have been pushed back. Sect Head Yuan has made superb use of my White Plumes along with his own forces. Soon, new baronies and villages will fill the hills, bringing further civilization to the Wall. I myself will join this campaign in the coming year. The cloud tribes will never be allowed to threaten the people of the Emerald Seas again as Ogodei did. Long have I set about putting my own house in order. Now, the time comes to deal with the vandals upon the lawn.”

The older cultivator nodded once, and then was gone. No beam of light or swirling shadow, just ceasing to exist. The air did not even move to fill the space their body had left. It felt as if it had never been disturbed in the first place.

She wondered what Sixiang made of them.

Sixiang responded.

They weren’t human? Ling Qi wondered. Knowing imperial law, she doubted even Shenhua could have a spirit treated like a human.

Sixiang chided.