Chương 79: Chapter 77

The moment the carriage stops I look through the window, and what I see draws from me a sigh that is half resignation and half amusement, because the Nei Wei have deployed around the entrance to the Merchants' Guild in a semicircle that completely blocks access to the building, as though the front door had suddenly become the exclusive property of the imperial family. The result is predictable.

A small group of lavishly dressed people who were clearly heading for the entrance have stopped at a prudent distance, their expressions progressing from initial bewilderment to discomfort and finally to an irritation that, for the moment, deference to the royal family and the Nei Wei seems to be keeping in check, though I'm not sure how long that will last.

"Lianhua, get down quickly and set up the chair", I say, pulling my gaze from the window.

"Before the inconvenience we're causing exceeds these people's patience and they start complaining." Lianhua doesn't need to be told twice. She nods with a brief motion and opens the carriage door, descending with an agile movement. After issuing an order to a pair of Nei Wei, the three of them begin extracting my wheelchair as fast as they can.

Meanwhile, I can see Master Mu watching the entire operation from the building's entrance with a look I can only describe as genuinely amused, as though the spectacle I've caused in front of the Merchants' Guild were precisely the sort of entertainment she'd been hoping for to start the day. Her fan rests closed against her shoulder and the smile adorning her face is broad, with no effort whatsoever to hide it.

As soon as the chair is ready, Lianhua returns to the carriage, takes me in her arms, and settles me into it, while Xia also climbs down and takes her place at my side in the posture Lianhua has taught her for occasions like these, back straight, hands clasped before her, head slightly bowed, making it clear to anyone who looks that she is my attending handmaiden.

And I have to admit the effect is quite convincing, though the way her eyes keep darting from side to side, trying to absorb everything around her with a barely contained curiosity, gives her away slightly.

Once I'm seated and settled, Lianhua addresses the Nei Wei and with a clear gesture dismisses them, after which they regroup around the carriage and set off to clear the entrance, finally freeing the way for those who had been waiting, several of whom direct looks at us that oscillate between curiosity and the relief of being able to enter the building at last. At last Lianhua takes her position behind my chair and begins pushing me toward where Master Mu awaits, and the three of us approach her.

When we reach her, I take a deep breath and compose my best imperial princess expression before speaking in a voice loud and formal enough that anyone watching the scene, and I'm sure there are quite a few, can hear me clearly.

"Master Mu, this humble Apprentice is deeply grateful that you have had the kindness to receive us personally and hopes she has not kept you waiting too long", I say, inclining my head slightly in a gesture of respect my Etiquette tutor would approve of without reservation.

Master Mu, playing along with a naturalness indicating that this type of courtly performance is not unfamiliar to her, responds in an equally formal tone and with a bow of the head that is precisely appropriate for someone of her standing addressing an imperial princess.

"The Zhāohuán honors this humble servant with her presence", she tells me, every word leaving her lips with the precise cadence of the most refined etiquette.

"I hope she finds her visit to her liking." Once the formalities have been observed, Master Mu makes an elegant gesture with the hand holding the fan and indicates we should accompany her, after which she turns and begins walking toward the sumptuous doors of the Merchants' Guild, which stand wide open on account of the event the building is hosting. Lianhua pushes my chair after her while Xia walks at my side, and the three of us cross the building's broad threshold.

And the instant we enter, Master Mu slows her pace slightly until she's level with me and tells me in a more relaxed tone than the one she used a moment ago "Perhaps you shouldn't have brought the chair. You may run into difficulties with it in here."

"Perhaps", I concede with a slight nod, since it's impossible that anyone here designs buildings with the word accessibility in mind.

"But bringing it is a statement of intent." Master Mu arches an eyebrow with curiosity and waits for me to continue.

"Anyone who wants to invite me to an event in the future needs to consider that I'll be bringing the chair", I explain in a tone more serious than is usual for me.

"I'm growing, Master Mu, and soon I'll be too old for someone to carry me around in their arms without it being inappropriate." My words hang in the air for a moment, and I see Master Mu's expression shift subtly toward something resembling approval.

"It's a good idea to plan for that sort of thing in advance", she tells me, nodding once with that cadence of hers that lends weight to her words without the need to emphasize them.

"Rather than trying to fix things once they're already happening." I nod in response as we continue forward, and while we talk, I can't help my attention splitting between what Master Mu is saying and the surroundings, because the corridor we're moving through is, quite simply, obscene in its opulence. The walls are clad in panels of carved dark wood featuring motifs that combine landscapes, flowers, and what appear to be scenes of trade caravans, all adorned with inlays of what looks to my eyes like jade and gold.

The columns flanking the corridor are wrapped in embroidered silk, while the lanterns, all clearly enchanted, hang from the ceiling on frames that appear to be silver, and even the floor has a finish so polished it could serve as a mirror. It's as though the building's owners decided that every square centimeter of this corridor had to scream at the top of its lungs that money is no object, and judging by the result, they have achieved their goal and then some.

At last, after traversing the corridor, we arrive at a pair of open double doors that reveal an enormous hall, and when I say enormous I mean it could easily rival the throne room of the Imperial Palace in size. We enter, and the first thing I notice is the sheer number of people.

The hall is already occupied by a considerable crowd of lavishly dressed individuals distributed in clusters and small groups, conversing among themselves with that particular cadence of courtly conversation I've learned to recognize at my birthday celebrations. In addition, a group of handmaidens moves among them with discretion, carrying trays laden with drinks and what appear to be small bites of food, attending to those present with a silent efficiency and trying to make everyone as comfortable as possible.

As is inevitable, many of the attendees turn their heads toward the door when we enter, and I can feel dozens of gazes converge on me, or more precisely, on the princess in a wheelchair who has just entered accompanied by Master Mu, while a mixture of recognition, bewilderment, and surprise that tells me they know who I am but didn't expect to see me here flickers across their faces. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The surprise, however, is short-lived, and one by one those present seem to return to their affairs with that practiced naturalness the nobility employs to feign indifference, though watching them do so I'm almost certain that the majority of the conversations they were having have just veered abruptly to the subject of me.

As Lianhua pushes my chair deeper into the hall, my gaze sweeps the space searching for points of reference, and among the scattered crowd of nobles, or so I've assumed from their behavior and their clothing, I make out three clearly defined groups that keep themselves separate from the rest. In one of them I immediately recognize two familiar figures.

Sun Rui, with that impeccable posture and those calculating eyes I remember from the encounter in the park, and at his side, half a step behind as is his habit, Sun Hong, with his reserved expression and that characteristic unhurriedness of his. Another of the groups clusters around Sun Quiming and Sun Lan, whom I also recognize without difficulty, since Sun Quiming's smile is hard to forget once you've seen it and decided it reminds you far too much of the Joker's when he's looking at you.

But it's the third group that captures my attention, because it surrounds a man I don't recognize. He appears to be in his thirties, dresses with an elegance that rivals Sun Rui's, and has features that, when examined closely, strike me as far too familiar, since they are the same features I've seen repeated with variations in every one of the half-brothers I've encountered so far. He is another Sun, and therefore another of my half-brothers. Of that I have no doubt.

"Lianhua", I whisper as quietly as I can without taking my eyes off the front.

"Who is the man in the third group?" Lianhua leans forward slightly, just enough that her reply won't travel beyond my ears.

"That is Sun Liang, Zhāohuán Wen", she whispers.

"The First Prince, and also the elder brother by the same mother as Sun Chao." Lianhua's words land on my mind like a stone dropped into a pond, and my body tenses slightly in the chair. The brother of Sun Chao, who vanished in the Celestial Fragment of the Sands and whose disappearance, however much we officially had nothing to do with it, is connected to us closely enough for someone to, at the very least, suspect.

And if Sun Liang is his elder brother, I don't need to be a military strategist to deduce that our presence in this hall probably does not sit well with him. So, just in case, I mentally tag Sun Liang as an enemy. I don't need proof that he hates us, nor a formal declaration of hostility. Knowing who he is and who his brother was is enough for prudence to dictate that, until proven otherwise, the wisest course is to assume the worst and keep my distance.

Master Mu, who has said nothing while I surveyed the hall and spoke with Lianhua, now takes the initiative.

"Follow me", she tells us in a light tone, and begins walking toward one side of the hall. Lianhua pushes my chair after her while Xia follows, and our group weaves through the clusters of nobles, who part for us with a mixture of deference and curiosity that is starting to feel familiar.

When we reach the side of the hall, I see a handmaiden waiting for us with a tray on which rest some delicate-looking small cakes alongside a teapot and a porcelain cup that, even at a glance, appears to be of considerable quality. But before presenting me with the tray, Master Mu reaches into her sleeve, that bottomless well from which she always seems to produce whatever she needs, and extracts a talisman I recognize as a privacy one, which she activates with a gesture that by now feels familiar.

"I prepared this for you", she tells me, indicating the tray with her fan as the talisman's effect unfurls around us.

"A few small delicacies so you won't have to send anyone running for food and drink." A small flash of gratitude crosses my chest at the gesture, because the thoughtfulness of having arranged it says far more than the words accompanying it.

"Thank you, Master Mu", I tell her with a sincerity I don't bother to disguise.

"That's a very considerate touch." Then I turn to Lianhua "Lianhua, take the tray." Lianhua nods and takes the tray from the handmaiden's hands with a graceful motion, dismisses her, and then, without missing a beat and with that ability of hers to go from perfect handmaiden to sergeant in half a second, turns to Xia. Xia, who until that moment had been surreptitiously studying the hall and its occupants while maintaining her handmaiden's pose, nearly jumps when Lianhua's voice pulls her from her absorption.

"Ling Xia, start serving Zhāohuán Wen", Lianhua tells her in a tone that admits neither argument nor delay. Xia, to her credit, reacts almost instantly. She nods with a seriousness that contrasts with the curiosity that had been ruling her a second ago, approaches the tray Lianhua is holding, and carefully picks up one of the small cakes and a cup she fills from the teapot before bringing them to me.

I accept the cake with a gesture I hope is sufficiently elegant for the setting and take a small bite while maintaining the composure expected of me at an event like this, back straight, gestures measured, every movement calibrated as though the audience present were evaluating me. Which, being realistic, is exactly what's happening.

And to my surprise, the cake is not merely acceptable or simply edible but genuinely delicious, with a flavor I can't quite identify that combines something sweet with a slightly bitter note that gives it depth. I take a sip of the drink to accompany it and that too surprises me, since it's a tea with a subtle yet intense floral aroma and a flavor that complements the cake perfectly.

"This is really good", I tell Master Mu, unable to fully conceal my surprise, and I watch her smile widen slightly, as though my reaction were precisely the one she'd been expecting. While I continue eating and drinking at the slow, measured pace etiquette demands, I decide to satisfy another of my curiosities.

"Master Mu, how long until the auction begins?" I ask between sips.

"Approximately the time it takes for one incense stick to burn", she replies calmly.

"This reception is organized simply to keep people entertained while everyone finishes arriving." I nod as I take another bite of a second cake, which gives me time to observe the crowd and its behavior. Master Mu, after answering me and following my gaze, also contemplates the crowd gathered in the hall with a gesture that looks casual but is probably anything but, then turns back to me.

"Would you like to go and speak with anyone?" she asks. I study the hall for a moment, my eyes traveling over the various scattered groups, and weigh the question seriously.

"The only people I know here are my half-brothers", I say at last, my gaze passing briefly over the three groups I identified when we came in.

"And of those, four only sought me out before so they could get close to you." I leave a deliberate pause, letting the implication settle before continuing.

"And the third one probably hates me, or at the very least, deeply dislikes me", I add in a tone from which I deliberately strip any drama, since Sun Liang's possible resentment toward me is not something I can confirm and isn't going to keep me up at night. Then I shake my head gently "I'd rather stay here. If anyone has something to say to me, let them come over."

And here a mischievous smile spreads across my lips as I add "Besides, I'm also waiting to see whether my mother's words come true and some noble approaches to try introducing me to one of his sons."

"You know", I continue after a brief pause, in a tone that drips with a malice I don't bother to disguise.

"An attempt to marry into the imperial family through the poor crippled princess. My mother warned me it could happen, and I have a certain morbid curiosity to find out whether she was right." Master Mu's reaction to my words is immediate and, to my satisfaction, exactly what I hoped for. She laughs. It's a contained, discreet laugh, but also a genuine and unguarded one that shakes her shoulders and that, were we not wrapped in the privacy talisman's effect, would have drawn the attention of everyone nearby.

When the laughter subsides, Master Mu looks at me with an expression mixing amusement and something that might be affection, and when I hear her next words I understand why the laughter hasn't entirely left her.

"If you don't know anyone here and there's no one who, upon recognizing you, would come to greet you on purpose", she tells me, one finger lightly tapping the side of her fan.

"Then it's very likely no one will approach." I raise an eyebrow at her words, waiting for the explanation I'm sure will follow.

"They've realized I've activated a privacy talisman", she explains matter-of-factly.

"And they're probably frightened of, or worried about, bothering me." Hearing her, my eyebrow stays raised as I look at her with an expression I hope conveys my confusion.

"Frightened of bothering you?" I ask, picking up the cup of tea Xia offers me and taking another sip.

"Why would they be frightened of that?" Master Mu looks at me, and the smile that appears on her face is one I haven't seen from her before. It's not the collector's smile she wears when examining my progress with runes, nor the amused smile that surfaces when I do something she finds funny. It's a quieter, simpler smile and, somehow, a more sincere one, like that of someone about to share a joke whose humor only she fully grasps.

"When you kill the people who bother you too much, it tends to have that effect", she tells me in the most casual tone in the world, as though she were commenting on the weather. And when I hear her, the sip of tea I was in the middle of drinking decides this is the perfect moment to try going down two different paths at once, and I choke.