The girl blushed and stammered, “Well—the Jings are hosting a special guest tonight, aren’t they? I hear he’s a powerful friend from Sian. He and your husband seem quite close.”
Yuyan’s dark eyes narrowed, and I followed her gaze to a pair of men chatting with an older couple beneath a plum tree. The taller man appeared to be in his early thirties. Despite his extravagant clothes, he had handsome features and a kind face, and he was immersed in the conversation. Yuyan’s husband, Jing Ruchang, I guessed.
My attention moved to his companion, who was decked in a robe of blue silk. Silver phoenixes flew across the hem of his skirt and sleeves. A simple matching guan crowned his topknot, pierced through with an elegant pin. Though his dress was no more lavish than the other guests’, there was a regal air about his person that marked him from the crowd. When he turned his face toward me, I nearly gasped.
Ren.
But this man was around ten years older, with wider shoulders and more angular features. His expression was also more guarded.
Liqin.Ren’s older brother. It couldn’t be anyone else. But what was he doing here?
Looking back at Yuyan, it was difficult to tell which manshe held more contempt for. Fist clenched around the fan in her hand, she brusquely said, “Excuse me,” and stepped toward the men.
I stood to follow her, staying out of her line of sight even though I was certain she couldn’t see me. This was merely a memory, after all. Everyone here was long dead.
The older couple was walking away just as we reached the plum tree. Jing Ruchang turned at Yuyan’s approach, a confident smile gracing his lips.
“Yuyan!” he greeted, gesturing at Liqin. “Come, meet our esteemed guest.”
Yuyan bowed her head, expression flat. “Your Highness.”
Ruchang glanced around, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. Sure that no one was close enough to listen, he spoke quietly. “Yuyan, there’s no need for that here. We don’t want to draw unwanted attention.”
“It’s all right,” Liqin cut in. He smiled at Yuyan, beautiful as a snake. “Your wife was just trying to be respectful, I’m sure. Lady Yuyan, I’ve yet to congratulate you on your marriage. You’ve excellent taste to have chosen Ruchang. He’s a rare find.”
“Thank you,” Yuyan said, not sounding grateful at all. I wondered at her personal reasons for disliking the prince—and her husband’s clear admiration for him.
Liqin caught Ruchang’s eye, arching an eyebrow that prompted the latter to squeeze Yuyan’s elbow and say, “If you’ll excuse us, dear. I’ve some business to discuss with our guest.”
Yuyan opened her mouth to protest, but before any sound came out, the lights suddenly dimmed.
No, not dimmed. There was just a lone stone lantern casting a soft glow from across the courtyard, revealing the nowempty space. Only Yuyan and her husband remained, whispering close to the tree, their party clothes replaced by simpler evening robes.
Another memory, I realized.
I leaned in to catch what they were murmuring.
“Have you no shame?” Yuyan hissed. “Acting as a patron to the Wen military while selling their secrets behind their back to the Sian prince? Honestly, for a moment there, I thought you were different, Ruchang. Does your family not have enough blood on their hands?”
“You don’t understand, Yuyan,” Ruchang said gently. “This is how we take care of our family. It’s nothing personal. It’s business.”
“And what about the innocent lives your family has ruined for yourbusiness?”
He frowned. “Our soldiers are proud to die for Wen. They know what they’re signing up for when they enlist.”
I was stunned by how calmly honest and obliviously cruel his words were. But what Yuyan said next equally chilled me.
“I’m not talking about the soldiers,” she said, glaring at him.
“Then who?”
The hurt and hatred on her face were so unrestrained, I took an involuntary step back. It was entirely different from the cool disdain I’d encountered when we first met.
Yuyan’s eyes gleamed wet in the firelight as she balled her fists and snapped, “The Chius, remember them? Your great-grandfather founded this town alongside the head of the Chiu clan. When the Chius discovered he was taking bribes from the Sian monarchy, he framed their head for treason and threatened the rest of the family until they were forced to leave Guangli.”
Ruchang shook his head. “No, the Chius left because they were envious of my family’s growing riches and thought they could fare better elsewhere.”
“Lies!” Yuyan inhaled sharply and turned away, the darkness swallowing up her expression. “You’re a liar just like the rest of your rotten family. And now you’ll pay for what you did to mine.”
