"I'm here to ask for your forgiveness."
Upon hearing these words from Pan Yingqian, Pan Yueqing finally lifted her eyes from the stitches of the embroidery. She looked at Pan Yingqian with a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean by that, Eldest Sister? I can't recall that you've ever done anything to wrong me."
"It's not that I've offended you, Second Sister. I'm here on behalf of Third Sister to ask for your forgiveness. After all, she's still young and has been spoiled by Grandmother and Mother since childhood. Now she already realizes her mistakes. Please be magnanimous and forgive her for any past impoliteness," Pan Yingqian said earnestly, and she even intended to stand up and perform a proper courtesy to Pan Yueqing. "Please, Second Sister, be generous and plead for mercy for her in front of Father."
Pan Yueqing put down her needlework, shook her head helplessly, and said, "Eldest Sister, what you're saying isn't right. Third Sister hasn't offended me, and I haven't held any grudges against her. Now that she's made a mistake, it's Father who's punishing her."
When it came to putting labels on others, Pan Yueqing was already extremely skilled. "Moreover, I also wanted to plead for Third Sister. But this time, Father is determined to teach her a lesson. We sisters care deeply for each other, but we also need to respect Father. This is what filial piety as children is all about."
Pan Yingqian was silenced by these high-sounding words and couldn't say anything more. She forced a smile and patted Pan Yueqing's hand, saying, "You're right. Second Sister, you must come to the tea party. I'll send someone to pick you up then." After saying that, she stood up and left.
"Miss," Wan'er looked at Pan Yingqian's departing figure, lowered the curtain, and leaned in close to Pan Yueqing, muttering, "I always feel that they have some ulterior motives."
"They still haven't given up the idea of marrying me off to Liu Yang," Pan Yueqing sneered. She took the newly served hot tea and picked up a pair of scissors to cut up the embroidery with the character "Fu" on it.
"Miss, what are you doing? You've been working on this embroidery for a whole day!" Wan'er was heartbroken to see that the embroidery was being destroyed by Pan Yueqing.
"The padded jacket with the pattern of longevity, happiness, pine trees, and cranes is the kind of clothing that the dead wear. How could it be used as a birthday gift?" Pan Yueqing said with a smile, furrowing her brows. She simply threw the shredded pieces of the clothing into the charcoal brazier, then looked up at Wan'er, whose eyes were wide open in surprise. "My clever Eldest Sister knows that I'm excellent at embroidery. She will surely try to steal my idea and help Pan Miaoqian gain prominence. She must be trying every possible way to persuade Father to release her now. She's still hoping that Pan Miaoqian can rise to a high position."
"Miss, you're setting a trap for them! But it's the old Madam's birthday. They wouldn't be so eager to..." Wan'er suddenly realized halfway through and smiled, saying, "Miss, you're hinting that they should offer a gift at the Princess of Anbei's birthday celebration!"
"The old Madam was originally worried that you'd be taken advantage of by this family when you came back. It seems that you've really grown up, Miss," Wan'er said with her hands clasped together. She was so excited that she chanted "Amitabha" several times, and tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily. "The Buddha has shown his power! The Bodhisattva has shown her mercy!"
Pan Yueqing could see that Wan'er was genuinely happy for her. With a smile, she said, "Wan'er, go to the box under my bed where the picture books are kept and find a piece of jade jewelry that was presented by the Western Wei State. The Princess of Anbei was originally a princess of the Western Wei State. Now that the Western Wei State has perished, this can just ease her homesickness." For the Princess of Anbei, who no longer had a hometown, things from her former country often carried the most sincere feelings.
Three days passed quickly. In the early morning, Pan Yueqing changed into a white dress with flowing sleeves, paired with a goose-yellow inner lining, and a pink front-opening robe. She wore a silver collar inlaid with gold wire around her neck. Her hair was styled in a simple bun, fastened with a piece of green jade hairpin. Looking back at Wan'er and Gu Pan, who had prepared hand warmers and snacks, she smiled and said, "Let's go. We don't want to keep Eldest Sister's carriage waiting too long."
"Don't worry, Miss. All the tea and snacks have been prepared," Gu Pan said, carrying the food box and following behind Pan Yueqing.
The mansion of the Earl of Pingnan was already bustling with activity. As soon as Pan Yueqing got off the carriage, she was ushered into the flower hall. From a distance, she saw a group of young men from noble families gathered around a painting, looking at it with great interest. Among them, Liu Yang's hearty laughter reached Pan Yueqing's ears. She slightly turned her head and asked the maid who was leading the way, "What's that?"
"It's a painting of the Auspicious Snow painted by Miss Miao some time ago," the maid said with envy in her eyes, looking past Pan Yueqing. "Miss Miao is the only one in the whole capital with such talent."
Miss Miao referred to Pan Miaoqian, who was widely praised as the most talented young lady in the capital.
Pan Yueqing smiled slightly and nodded. Then she turned and walked through the moon-shaped gate towards the backyard where the ladies were gathered. The ladies in the backyard already had their own small tables, with a cup of freshly warmed fruit wine in front of each of them. When they saw Pan Yueqing arrive, they all turned their eyes to this latecomer. Coincidentally, Pan Yingqian was not there, and the maid who had led the way was also nowhere to be seen.
Pan Yueqing stood in front of the flower path. Looking at the full house of guests, she showed no sign of unease or embarrassment. Instead, she calmly smiled and said, "I'm sorry for being late."
"Ayue!"
Pan Yueqing followed the sound and saw two familiar faces in the left corner. They were exactly a few of her old friends whom she had met in the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion—Li Shuran, the legitimate daughter of the General of Wuwei's mansion, and Jiang Liu from the General of Cavalry's mansion. Pan Yueqing smiled and slowly took a seat in the direction of Li Shuran's voice.
Li Shuran took Pan Yueqing's hand and furrowed her brows. "Long time no see. I heard that you were ill and went to the countryside to recuperate. Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm completely recovered. Look, I'm standing right in front of you, full of energy," Pan Yueqing said with a smile, looking very relaxed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Liu Ya was holding a fan and half covering her face, whispering something to the daughters of the civil officials beside her. The long-standing feud between the civil and military officials in the Qi State was once again rearing its head. The civil officials considered themselves the upholders of moral integrity and looked down on the military officials, while the military officials, believing they were safeguarding the country, despised the civil officials. This phenomenon had never been changed.
"I say, Miss Yueqing, you're sitting in the wrong place, aren't you?" A woman in a red dress from the civil official family on the left suddenly raised her voice and challenged Pan Yueqing. "You're a daughter of a civil official family. How can you sit on the side of those rough military officials?"
"His Highness the First Prince will be here today. How dare she say that!" Li Shuran's face suddenly turned ugly, and she gritted her teeth as she whispered to Pan Yueqing.
The First Prince had long been immersed in military affairs and was a great general guarding the northern border of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
Pan Yueqing gently patted the back of Li Shuran's hand, signaling her not to speak rashly. Then she turned her head to look in the direction of the voice and happened to see Princess Pingning, who had the highest status among those present.
"Your Highness, Princess Pingning," Pan Yueqing raised her cup and saluted Princess Pingning from a distance. She had a sincere smile on her face but slightly shook her head. "I don't understand what you mean. We're all just young ladies here. We're just chatting about rouge, illustrations, and doing some needlework. Why do we have to distinguish between civil and military officials here as if we were in court?"
"Daughters of military officials are extremely vulgar. Miss Jiang even whipped a whip in front of the Princess of Anbei at her first tea party. Is that something a young lady should do?" Princess Pingning said triumphantly. She had always disliked Jiang Liu, Li Shuran, and others, and by extension, she also disliked Pan Yueqing, who had grown up in a military family.
"Your Highness, what you said is even more inappropriate. As long as one can serve the country, what does it matter whether one is a civil or military official? And what does it matter whether one is a man or a woman? The Princess of Anbei was originally a princess of the Western Wei State. When the country was in danger, she put on armor and went into battle. She even married far away to maintain peace. To keep the country secure externally depends on military officials, and to maintain stability internally relies on civil officials. What good would it do to the country and the people if we just keep belittling one another?" Pan Yueqing poured herself a cup of wine and raised it in a salute towards Princess Pingning again. "These are just my humble opinions. Please forgive me."
Princess Pingning's face turned a mix of green and purple. Just as she had rebuked Pan Yueqing, a loud voice of approval came from outside the moon-shaped gate, "Well said!"