Clearly, my husband was well aware of my past with Yan Huo, and while I maintained a calm exterior, I was secretly delighted: during those three years after his failed proposal, he must have been constantly paying attention to my every move…
The Three Kingdoms’ competition was about to begin. To prevent any favoritism, all qualifiers would compete anonymously, only receiving their position markers on the day of the competition. My elder brother had been through multiple screenings and finally qualified.
He had originally wanted to enter cuju, but when I mentioned how muddy cuju could be, far less glamorous than horse hunting, he changed his mind.
The competition judges were from the Eastern Palace of Qi Kingdom, the Second Princess of Nan Rui, and the Emperor of Xiliang. Despite the slogans of fairness, justice, openness, and eliminating unfair competition, I still felt something was amiss, especially after hearing that Song Daren’s playboy son and the superficial scholar Feng Yuxi had also qualified. I suspected they were likely passed through hidden rules by the Eastern Palace.
In the long-standing Three Kingdoms competition, whenever a family member entered the contest, the women of the family would embroider a red silk scarf and tie it to the right arm of the participant, with either a name or a picture embroidered on it. Miaoyin secretly embroidered one and asked me to give it to my elder brother, with both their names on it.
My elder brother kept the scarf close to his heart, as if blessed, and stayed up late for several consecutive days, looking radiant and showing no signs of fatigue. An Jin watched silently, though he must have been envious.
However, I had never been good at needlework since childhood, and if I were to force an embroidery, I would surely be laughed at. So I hesitated for a long time. Mother was about to help me embroider again, but I felt that An Jin would definitely want to wear a scarf embroidered by my own hands.
Mother’s eyes lit up, and she directly dragged me to the Mingxi Embroidery House.
Mingxi Embroidery House was quite famous throughout Yanfeng City. Madam Su was acquainted with my mother, warmly greeting us and personally guiding me in needlework.
Mother would often praise Madam Su as an example of a woman who married well. The stories of Madam Su and Su Xi’s harmonious marriage had worn out my sister’s and my ears. Madam Su married Su Xi at sixteen, and now, not yet five years later, she had two children and was currently pregnant with her third.
Mother looked at Madam Su with envy and then turned her gaze to my belly with resignation. I was about the same age as Madam Su, married to An Jin for over two years, yet my belly remained flat, which had become a source of worry for Mother.
Although I understood her concerns, I couldn’t bring myself to explain the reason, so I let her continue her wild thoughts.
Under Mother’s persistent request, Madam Su shyly shared some tips for bearing children. Mother treated this information like a treasure, instructing me to take notes, promising to follow them exactly at home. She then asked Madam Su to give me a personal handkerchief, saying it would help me conceive.
I felt utterly helpless. Madam Su indeed had excellent composure and patience, still maintaining a pleasant demeanor despite Mother’s persistent questioning. Only after I hinted repeatedly did Mother realize we had come to learn embroidery.
I felt quite frustrated. Discussing our private family matters in public was undeniably awkward.
Fortunately, Madam Su was understanding and quickly smiled, saying, “Madam An and Master An are a perfect match. I’m sure they’ll have a lovely child soon. There’s no need to worry.”
After the pleasantries, we finally got to the main topic. Madam Su patiently taught me embroidery, guiding me stitch by stitch. After embroidering a few pieces, I gradually gained some skill, and my work began to look presentable.
The embroidery pattern was still that half-open, half-hidden distant flower, which I felt best represented my sentiments. Madam Su also praised the unique and beautiful design, kindly suggesting I embroider the flower in the corner of the scarf so it would be visible when tied to the arm.
The final scarf, though still slightly imperfect upon close inspection, had captured both form and spirit. As I felt grateful to Madam Su, I remembered An Jin mentioning something about Su Xi possibly hiding the Fifth Princess and couldn’t help but chat with her about it.
Madam Su spoke of her husband Su Xi, her eyes sweet as honey, seemingly immersed in happiness. However, it seemed that even if Su Xi had hidden the Fifth Princess, Madam Su was unaware; otherwise, she would have shown some sign of unease.
I couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic. In Madam Su’s eyes, there could be no better man than her husband. What would she do if the truth were to be revealed one day?
Noticing my downcast expression, Madam Su tried to comfort me: “You are so considerate towards Master An. One day, he will surely change his mind and recognize your worth.”
I forced a smile and thanked her, inwardly praying that the matter had nothing to do with Su Xi, hoping Madam Su could continue in her happiness.
As we were talking, several more customers entered the embroidery house. Among them was a woman with a distinctive demeanor who looked familiar. I couldn’t help but look at her twice. The woman noticed me and waved cheerfully: “Madam An, we meet again.”
I carefully looked and, to my surprise, quickly walked to her side to pay respects: “Second Prin—”
This customer was none other than the Second Princess of Nanrui whom I had met once before.
She quickly stopped me. “No need for formalities, just call me Yun Qiao.”
The Nanrui royal family’s surname was Jiang, and the Second Princess’s title was Zhao Yue. Yun Qiao was apparently her personal name. Seeing she didn’t want to reveal her identity, I casually asked, “Miss Yun Qiao, are you here to buy some embroidery?”
“Yes, General Shen is also participating in the competition, but his family has no women to embroider a red silk scarf. I heard the embroidery here is famous, so I came to ask the embroidery ladies to help.”
I learned that the Cavalry General’s surname was Shen, not Dan as I had previously thought.
This princess was indeed considerate to her subordinates and had a straightforward, charming personality.
Madam Su arranged a female embroiderer to help create the style that Jiang Yunqiao needed. While Jiang Yunqiao was bored waiting, she came over to look at my embroidery.
“Is this… Yao flower?
“She was slightly stunned.
Yao flowers grow in the south, and there are many in Nanrui Kingdom, so it was not surprising that she would recognize them. However, I had embroidered them crudely and was afraid of being ridiculed, so I quickly put them away. ‘I was just casually embroidering.’
‘Is this embroidered for Master An?’ she pondered. ‘Madam is truly considerate, actually coming to the embroidery workshop to learn embroidery.’
‘How embarrassing,’ I chuckled awkwardly. ‘I’ve never been good at this since childhood, so I’m just cramming at the last minute.’
Jiang Yunqiao waved her hand. ‘Not at all. In our Nanrui, most women don’t know how to embroider. Madam has already done quite well.’
‘So what do the girls in Nanrui generally do?’ I asked curiously.
She widened her eyes and thought for a moment. ‘Ride horses, hunt, read books… anything is possible.’
‘And after marriage?’ I asked.
She laughed. ‘Nanrui doesn’t have marriage in the traditional sense, only union. Some couples have men earning money and women managing the household, while others are the opposite, with men managing the household and women becoming officials or doing business. There are no restrictions.’
