small gathering
"Sister is here, come and sit down!"
In a courtyard outside Chang'an City, a small gathering was about to begin. As Xiao Wan'er entered the garden, Shangguan Wan'er pulled her to her side. Shortly after they sat down, a waiter arrived with drinks and snacks.
Shangguan Wan'er casually picked up a piece of dessert and ate it very gracefully, then picked up the drink and took a sip. When she stopped, she saw that Xiao Wan'er didn't move, so she called her.
"These drinks and snacks are made by the palace chef. Please eat them while they are cool."
Seeing Xiao Wan'er staring into the distance in a daze, Shangguan Wan'er stretched out her hand and waved it in front of her eyes. Only then did Xiao Wan'er come back to her senses, retract her gaze, and sit up straight to eat.
Shangguan Wan'er smiled knowingly when she saw this.
"Sister, you've never seen such a sight before. You're embarrassed."
It was May, the height of summer. The weather was hot, and people dressed coolly. Shangguan Wan'er had invited a large group of young scholars, all dressed in light, transparent clothing. While this kept them cool physically, it inevitably left them feeling a bit warm mentally.
Xiao Wan'er was like this. The scenery before her was so beautiful that she was afraid to look at it.
Shangguan Wan'er smiled happily when she saw her reaction.
"Sister, you can't accept it? You are a Taoist priest, not a nun. It's okay for you to look at men more often."
As she spoke, she summoned a young scholar and had him accompany Xiao Wan'er. The young scholar was handsome, his clothes light but neatly arranged, and his smile exuded the gentle grace of a gentleman.
Xiao Wan'er looked at him and quietly moved her butt to the other side.
Shangguan Wan'er laughed heartily upon seeing this: "Sister, you are so adorable!"
"Alright," a commanding voice came at this moment, and Princess Taiping came slowly over with her servants and handsome men. "She's very shy, Wan'er, don't scare her."
Shangguan Wan'er winked playfully.
"There are two Wan'er here. Which one are you talking about, Your Highness?"
"You." Princess Taiping laughed.
With the current emperor's ascension to the throne, Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er both held immense power. With power comes the temptation to pursue other interests, and these two close sisters, unanimously, both began keeping concubines.
Seeing that Xiao Wan'er was indeed uncomfortable, Princess Taiping dismissed most of her lovers and only kept one by her side. Shangguan Wan'er did the same.
The three women each kept a handsome man by their side, eating, drinking and chatting with them.
"By the way, haven't any of my senior brothers and junior brothers expressed their feelings to you?" Shangguan Wan'er asked casually, causing Xiao Wan'er to spit out the drink in her mouth. Shangguan Wan'er understood, "It seems someone has expressed their feelings to me."
"Sister, why are you suddenly talking about this?" Xiao Wan'er was embarrassed.
Shangguan Wan'er smiled and joked, "What's so sudden about this? Don't your two senior brothers and junior brothers know anything about you?"
Xiao Wan'er was shocked, couldn't believe it, and was speechless.
"Alright," Princess Taiping said, smoothing things over. "Sister Xiao obviously didn't see anything. Shangguan, please don't make fun of her."
Xiao Wan'er looked at Princess Taiping gratefully, then pondered her words carefully before asking doubtfully, "So you all think they both have other feelings for me... uh...?"
She still felt that this was unlikely, but Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er nodded in agreement.
"That's obvious, isn't it?" Princess Taiping said as she recalled, "The way Deputy Commander Pei and Captain Liu looked at you is exactly the same as the way Xue Shao looked at me back then."
Shangguan Wan'er drank some wine and leaned on the table, her eyes a little hazy. She asked Xiao Wan'er curiously, "So, was it Deputy Commander Pei or Captain Liu who expressed his feelings to you?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Taiping looked at Xiao Wan'er curiously, waiting for her answer.
Xiao Wan'er didn't answer. She held the cup in her hand and pondered for a long moment before finally saying, "Is Senior Brother really as His Highness and Sister Shangguan say? I've always felt like he treats me like a junior he can't trust."
Shangguan Wan'er burst out laughing.
"It seems Captain Liu is the one who bravely speaks his mind. But in my opinion, Captain Liu is indeed better than Deputy Commander Pei. Compared to an old man who meddles in everything and regards the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues as his guiding principles, a young man who is loyal and means what he says is more pleasing to me. Besides, young men are in better health!"
"Uh..." The sisters' gathering turned into a men's discussion session, and Xiao Wan'er looked embarrassed.
Shangguan Wan'er, still drunk, continued, "Besides, we've worked so hard to climb up the ladder, finally reaching this point. Do we still need a man who will constantly control us? So, listen to me. Deputy Commander Pei is truly unsuitable. Being with him is like finding another fake father."
Shangguan Wan'er's words truly struck a chord with Xiao Wan'er. Now that she had left home and assumed power, she absolutely shouldn't seek out someone who wanted to be her master. But this didn't really concern her.
"Sister, I think my senior brother wants to be my teacher rather than a fellow Taoist partner." She didn't feel the same feelings as Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er at all, and no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find any clue that Pei Yingguan was moved.
If she thought about it carefully, it was impossible that the two people around her had feelings for her that went beyond being from the same sect, right? She wasn't a silver coin.
"Ah, yes, yes, that's right," Shangguan Wan'er said, having drunk a considerable amount of wine while chatting and laughing, and now she was clearly drunk. "So, what did Captain Liu say to you, my sister?"
Xiao Wan'er was struck by lightning. Do you even need to say this?
Princess Taiping dismissed the attendants and the last three concubines present, leaving them alone in the room. She adjusted her clothes and hair accessories, then smiled at Xiao Wan'er, clearly interested.
Xiao Wan'er sighed helplessly.
"Where do the sisters want their younger sisters to begin?"
"Let's start from the moment Captain Liu entered Chang'an." Princess Taiping made the decision.
With such a lavish invitation, Xiao Wan'er had no choice but to accept.
"On the day my junior brother returned, I suppressed my cultivation and sparred with him. He had made great progress during this period. Afterwards, he called me over, as if he wanted to say something, but my senior brother returned with his lunch box, and the matter was dropped."
"Oh?" Shangguan Wan'er was excited. "Your junior brother didn't show any behavior at the dinner table?"
"No?" Xiao Wan'er looked confused. "Everyone was eating. I didn't notice."
"As soon as the word '吧' is uttered, the wateriness of the '没' can be seen." Princess Taiping commented sarcastically.
Xiao Wan'er was suddenly choked and took a moment to calm down before continuing her speech.
"After that, Junior Brother finished his report and stayed at home, sparring with Senior Brother whenever he had the chance."
"We're sparring right before your eyes?"
"Yes," Xiao Wan'er thought it was natural. "I'm in the Transcendent Realm and the abbot. Isn't it normal for me to watch them sparring? At least my junior brother let me give him some pointers after they're done."
Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er looked at each other helplessly.
"So how did their sparring go?"
“We’ve both won and lost.”
"Oh, both sides won and lost," Shangguan Wan'er repeated, then asked, "What happened next?"
"After that? Then it was New Year's Eve. After the palace banquet that night, my junior brother took me to a corner of the house and said that he had been fond of me for a long time."
"Excellent!" Shangguan Wan'er praised. "So, sister, what did you say to him?"
"Me? Actually, I didn't react at first."
Shangguan Wan'er smiled.
"Sister, what are you laughing at?" Xiao Wan'er looked suspicious.
"Nothing," Shangguan Wan'er coughed twice, "Go on."
"Afterwards, he told me to pretend he hadn't said anything. I saw he was quite upset, so I told him not to take it to heart and told him I was only focused on my training and my duties, and that I didn't dislike him. He adjusted himself before the grand court meeting the next day, and then continued to spar with his senior brothers as usual. After the Lantern Festival, he returned to the Eastern Capital."
"Sister, you are hopeless." Shangguan Wan'er commented as soon as Xiao Wan'er finished speaking.
She stroked her forehead, her words filled with helplessness: "You are really a piece of wood."
There was a huge flash of doubt in Xiao Wan'er's eyes.
She looked at Princess Taiping for help, but Princess Taiping agreed with Shangguan Wan'er and said, "Sister Shangguan is right. You are indeed a piece of wood."
"Forget it, let's not disturb Mu Tou's devotion to the Dao," Shangguan Wan'er ordered the servants to bring the actors up. "I wanted to invite you to admire this handsome young man, but now let's just watch the music and dance."
The three of them played until very late, and it was almost curfew when they finished.
"It's getting late, I should go." Xiao Wan'er said goodbye.
"I have guest rooms in this villa. Why don't you stay here tonight?" Princess Taiping tried to persuade him to stay.
"No, I have to go on duty tomorrow, so I should leave now."
"Go, go," Shangguan Wan'er waved her hand. "Go home and prepare for duty. My sister and I are having fun here with our lovers. You're really missing out."
"Goodbye." Xiao Wan'er turned around and walked away, walking faster and faster, but she couldn't help but look inside the manor.
After she left, Princess Taiping ordered her attendants to bring up her favorites. They lined up in a row, and Princess Taiping chose one to stay, while the others withdrew. Shangguan Wan'er chose the one who had accompanied her before.
Seeing them leading people to the dormitory, Xiao Wan'er hurriedly regained her composure, patted her cheeks, and rushed home at an even faster pace. Finally, she opened the door with her last breath before curfew.
"You're finally back." As soon as she closed the door, she heard Pei Yingguan's voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw Pei Yingguan walking towards her from the corner of the yard with a sword in his hand.
Xiao Wan'er thought of what Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er said, and then looked carefully at Pei Yingguan with a serious expression, and always felt that they had seen it wrong.
"Why are you back so late?"
"I played for a while, so I came back late," Xiao Wan'er said unconcernedly, "but it's within curfew, so it won't delay my shift tomorrow."
Pei Yingguan frowned.
"Are you with His Majesty Taiping and Shangguan Zhaorong again?"
Xiao Wan'er was rarely perceptive and noticed Pei Yingguan's displeasure.
She asked back: "Why? Can't I?"
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