Like raindrops on pear blossoms (1). This was the image inspired by Yan Xi as she knelt on the cobblestones beneath the trees, flowers scattering in the wind around her like they were also sorrowing for her plight.
The late Prime Minister Yan had been known for both his talents and handsome features and his wife had been nonpareil in the capital her looks and virtue, rivalled only by the southern beauty who later went on to become the empress dowager. Anyone who had looked upon them would sigh in envy and proclaim that this lovely young couple was indeed comprised of 'a brilliant young scholar and a fair young lady' (2). Just like Yan Yun, Yan Xi had inherited the best of their features, in particular the heartstopping visage of her mother. But unlike her brother, whose appearance had invited scorn--after all, what good was beauty on a man?--the sight of a fairy-like maiden crying was enough to move anyone who came across it.
