Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 194

Chapter 194: The Lantern Festival

She still had to say what she needed to say. An Zhi told her aunt about all the times Pei Que had helped her and how he had always respected her.

Madam Qian listened in astonishment, then felt guilty and started to cry, hugging An Zhi. “Zhi’er, it’s my fault for not protecting you. You suffered so much in this dangerous capital city.”

“It’s all over, Aunt,” An Zhi said, not dwelling on the past. Those things had already happened and couldn’t be changed, so it was better not to think about them. “Now that my brother has the Grand Princess’s protection, I can benefit from it too. No one will dare to bully me anymore.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Madam Qian said, wiping her tears with a handkerchief handed to her by a maid. “The Crown Prince position hasn’t been decided yet. Although the Eighth Prince is engaged to Minister Lin’s daughter, there are still several unmarried princes, and all the related imperial relatives and ministers are eyeing you.”

When Madam Bai died, Madam Qian hadn’t taken An Zhi with her because An Zhi was engaged to Pei Yu and would become the future madam of a high-ranking family; it wouldn’t have been appropriate for her to suffer hardships in the northwest. Now, she realized she had made a mistake. An Zhi understood that she was currently a highly desirable match. With an uncle who held military power and a powerful princess as a potential in-law, anyone with common sense knew that an alliance with the An family would bring many advantages.

Even An Chengye, during his recent outings and banquets, had been subtly approached by officials offering him beautiful concubines. However, An Chengye still had some scruples. He thought that since his son had just married, if he took concubines so soon, the Yuan family and the Grand Princess would look down on his son, so he didn’t respond to the offers. Otherwise, in the past, An Chengye would have definitely taken one or two concubines home.

Madam Qian smoothed out the wrinkles on An Zhi’s clothes, looking at her delicate and beautiful face. Thinking about what Pei Que had said, she realized that marrying Pei Que would actually bring many benefits to An Zhi. “Zhi’er, your uncle and I want to ask you, what are your feelings about Pei Que? Are you certain you want to marry him?”

“I don’t know, Aunt.” An Zhi leaned against her aunt’s embrace. “What I know for sure is that I have feelings for Pei Que, but there are so many obstacles between us, so I don’t know if I should marry him or if I even want to.”

Madam Qian could clearly see the difficulties between An Zhi and Pei Que.

Speaking of Pei Que himself, he was handsome, capable, and indeed much more mature than when he was younger. Putting aside personal biases, objectively speaking, Madam Qian felt that An Zhi was suitable for marrying a man of Pei Que’s high status.

But marriage wasn’t just about marrying a man; it also meant marrying into his family. Madam Qian still wasn’t entirely in favor of An Zhi marrying Pei Que, explaining, “Have you considered how you would get along with the main branch of the Pei family after marrying Pei Que?”

An Zhi had thought about this, and Pei Que had also assured her, “Perhaps we could live in separate residences?”

“Even if you live separately, the master of the main branch is still Pei Que’s older brother; you’ll still need to interact with him often.” Madam Qian saw more difficulties than benefits. She hoped An Zhi would marry someone she loved and lead a happy and fulfilling life. “Zhi’er, I know you’re a sensible girl; think carefully before making a decision. But no matter what you choose, I will always support you. The Bai family will always be your unwavering support.”

“Thank you, Aunt.” An Zhi heard that the Yuan family had arrived, so she didn’t want to linger any longer and stood up, taking her aunt’s arm as they left the room.

Madam Qian hadn’t been in the capital for three years and was somewhat unfamiliar with people and events there, especially families like the Yuan family with whom they hadn’t had any prior contact.

An Zhi quietly explained things to Madam Qian as they walked.

Today, both the main and second branches of the Yuan family had brought their unmarried daughters. The main branch brought their third daughter, Yuan Qingwan, who was thin with sunken cheeks and didn’t look very attractive. The secondary branch brought their fifth daughter, Yuan Qingxuan, a seven-year-old girl with her hair tied in a bun. She was plump and adorable, well cared for by her mother, Madam He.

An Zhi and Madam Qian entered the main courtyard, where they were greeted by several compliments from Madam Wei and Madam He. After politely responding as the hostesses, they led Yuan Qingwan and her cousin to the heated room to enjoy the snow and have tea.

Because of the previous incident involving An Rong and An Xin, the people from their hometown in Huai Prefecture were likely still upset, so they hadn’t brought any young ladies along for the visit.

The heated room was circular, with a heated floor. As soon as An Zhi stepped inside, the warmth made her feel drowsy.

“Big Sister An, your heated room is so warm!” Yuan Qingwan, being young, spoke whatever came to mind but immediately received a disapproving look from her elder cousin. She playfully stuck out her tongue and sat down at the table, taking a piece of sweet cake.

An Zhi pretended not to notice the Yuan cousin’s actions. She pointed to the various pastries on the table and introduced them. “Sister Yuan, I heard you like osmanthus cake. This is made with osmanthus flowers from my garden this autumn. Try it.”

Yuan Qingwan picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, took a small bite, and put it down. “It’s too sweet.”

Yuan Qingxuan seemed to be deliberately contradicting her cousin. “No, Third Cousin, your taste buds are probably dull; that’s why you think it’s too sweet.” She tilted her head. “Wait, Third Cousin, you take medicine every day, so your mouth should be bitter, right?”

Although Yuan Qingxuan was only seven, at that age, she was very good at holding grudges. Even after the family split, the second branch was always oppressed by the main branch, who often compared the younger generation of the second branch unfavorably. Having heard her mother complain about it so often, Yuan Qingxuan harbored resentment towards the main branch. Now she was happy to have the chance to tell others that her cousin was sickly.

Yuan Qingwan was very sensitive about people saying she was weak and needed medicine. Her family had consulted countless doctors for her health; with her family background, she could have had a wonderful marriage, but her health had held her back. “Fifth Cousin, you love sweets so much; be careful you don’t end up with a mouthful of black teeth!” Yuan Qingwan really wanted to scold her younger cousin, but with An Zhi present, she didn’t want to be too overbearing.

An Zhi was worried that the two girls would start arguing, and she was wondering how the two ladies of the Yuan family were raising them. She quickly diverted their attention to the Lantern Festival.

Yuan Qingxuan, being younger, immediately asked An Zhi about interesting things she had seen at the festival.

Yuan Qingwan was also curious; because she was often sick, her family wouldn’t let her go out on such festive occasions.

An Zhi had always been pampered, so she went out to the Lantern Festival every year with her brother. She told them some interesting stories, which quickly captured the attention of the two girls, and time passed quickly.

Soon, little Yuan Qingxuan fell asleep and was carried away by her maid. Only An Zhi and Yuan Qingwan were left.

Actually, Yuan Qingwan was also feeling tired, but she had come with a mission. Her half-brother hadn’t married yet, and Madam Wei was interested in An Zhi, so she wanted Yuan Qingwan to subtly probe An Zhi’s thoughts.

“Sister An, I heard that at the Lantern Festival, people can make friends by exchanging riddles on lanterns; did you know that?” Yuan Qingwan spoke softly, and because of her weak voice, it sounded almost breathless. An Zhi knew about the Lantern Festival, but after growing older, she often dressed as a boy. In recent years, due to her mother’s illness, she hadn’t attended the festival. “I’m not really sure about what Sister Yuan is talking about.”

Seeing that An Zhi didn’t engage, Yuan Qingwan didn’t know how to continue the conversation. After a while, she remembered what her mother had taught her and slowly asked, “Now that the New Year is over, and spring is approaching, Sister An, since we’re about the same age, have you found a suitable suitor yet?”