When the brocade box was opened, a hush rippled through Qinxiang Courtyard.
Within lay a bracelet no larger than a woman’s palm—its gold base hammered thin yet strong, edged with delicate granulated beads (a technique favored in palace workshops), tourmaline carved into plump peaches (symbol of longevity), jadeite shaped into tender leaves, each vein polished to a luminous sheen. It was magnificent without vulgarity, opulent without heaviness—an heirloom forged not merely for adornment, but for memory.
A young lady versed in such treasures leaned forward, her breath quickening.“Is this not the dowry bestowed by the imperial court upon Princess Wenyi?”
(Such dowries were prepared by the Ministry of Rites, each piece recorded in official archives and crafted by imperial artisans).Bai Siruo beamed, pride sparkling at the corners of her eyes.
“Sister, your discernment is exceptional. I pleaded with Mother for days before she agreed to let this serve as today’s prize. Well? Does it tempt you?”“In that case,” came a lively voice at once, “I shall not show restraint. That bracelet must be mine.”
The speaker of the voice was the Fourth Daughter of the Duke of Zheng—renowned for her fondness for jewels. Her eyes shone brighter than the bracelet itself. She gathered several cousins and close companions at once and chose the red bracelet, laughter bright as wind chimes.
Bai Siruo, unwilling to be outdone in spirit, selected the white bracelet and in gher team she selected
Feng JIinyao,Xu Mingyue and a close family freind .They stood together, as there sleeves brushing in quiet solidarity.
Soon the yellow bracelets were claimed as well.
Only the purple remained.
Bai Siruo had just drawn breath to invite volunteers when a clear, firm voice rang out.
“We choose purple.” So the Purpel team consist of
WEI LANXUAN — prominent noble lady of Dongdu; cousin within the Wei clan aligned with Consort Wei
LIANG LUO — legitimate daughter of the Minister of Justice
WEN YUWEI — niece of the Vice Minister of Personnel
The three advanced, each taking a purple bracelet.Yet one was lacking to complete their four.
A slender figure stepped forward from behind the crowd to join them .It was Bai Sihan
She performed a graceful curtsy toward Wei Lanxuan.“If Sister Wei does not object, Sihan would be honored to join your team.”
Wei Lanxuan regarded her coolly. “And you are?”
“Bai Sihan, daughter of the third son of Bai family.”
The courtyard stilled. Eyes shifted—first toward Bai Sihan, then toward Bai Siruo.
Among Bai Siruo’s companions, curiosity also flared; few had ever heard her mention a sister. Among Wen Yuwei and Liang Luo, however, something sharper gleamed like a barely restrained mockery.
Wei Lanxuan’s lips curved with diplomatic warmth. She stepped forward personally to raise Bai Sihan.“Sister Bai. It has indeed been long. In future, we should have more opportunities to meet.”
“Thank you, Sister,” Bai Sihan replied with her , head bowed with obedient humility.
It pleased Wei Lanxuan.
Prime Minister Bai had never openly opposed Duke Wei. Yet Duke Wei stood firmly within the Ninth Prince’s faction. After repeated attempts to draw Prime Minister Bai into alliance failed, subtler methods were employed—schemes that ultimately bore no fruit.
Thus the Bai and Wei houses maintained a polite distance—one laced with unspoken resentment.
They are not mortal enemies.But neither mourners should the other stumble.Bai Siruo’s gaze shot toward Bai Sihan, warning clear as drawn steel.But Bai Sihan did not so much as glance her way.
So Fury rose hot in Bai Siruo’s chest, at this time Feng Jinyao’s hand tightened gently around her sleeve.
“Remember our aunt’s instructions,” Feng Jinyao murmured softly. “No disturbances today.”
“Hmph. Let her enjoy her fortune for now. After Grandmother’s banquet, we shall see,” said Bai Sirou.
To Bai Siruo, Bai Sihan’s conduct was disgraceful—offering herself like tribute before the Wei household. The shadow of her mother’s ambition seemed to cling to her like perfume too heavy for the season even observe by an straightforward person like her .
“In that case,” Xu Mingyue spoke calmly, stepping forward to smooth the rippling tempers, “let us establish the rules. Without order, how can there be fairness?”
Her voice was measured, scholarly.Liang Luo’s eyes flashed with a chill so faint when she heard it, it might have been imagined if not paid attention.
Because Miss Xu is engaged to the Liang family’s eldest son (a match arranged between two eminent houses), yet she would not spare Liang Luo a single cordial word. Each attempt at closeness to her had met with cool politeness. And now she stood firmly beside the Bai household.
A public slight, was it not for her Liang family?
“What method do you propose, Miss Xu?” Liang Luo replied, tone edged with provocation. “Let all present serve as witnesses. Should we win, do not let there be excuses about propriety preventing us from claiming the prize.”
Bai Siruo’s chin lifted at once.
“A jest! I swear by my title as county princess (a courtesy rank bestowed upon noble granddaughters) that there shall be no favoritism. If Miss Liang possesses the skill, then take it.”
Liang Luo smiled thinly. “Very well. Let us see.”
There are ten riddles. The first team to solve them all would claim victory.
A jade chime rang clear as winter frost struck by sun, and the competition began. Bai Siruo immediately unfolded all ten slips and distributed them among her companions. She herself lacked patience for riddles—but she had Xu Mingyue. As there was scarcely a volume of books in Dongdu that Xu Mingyue had not read, raised amid the vast Xu family library, she possessed both the memory and the insight for this competition.
“We need not concern ourselves with childish provocations,” Xu Mingyue murmured between the group, as her eyes scanned the first riddle. Though no name was spoken, all knew she meant Liang Luo.
“Childish?” Liang Luo nearly laughed aloud.
Bai Siruo on the other hand nudged Xu Mingyue playfully. “You are not allowed to retreat. Before she becomes your sister-in-law, you are still mine.”
Xu Mingyue lowered her lashes on her comment, her laughter hidden behind elegance. But to the Purple Team, it looked like mockery. “Ungrateful,” Liang Luo muttered beneath her breath.
While tension simmered on the white side, Bai Sihan had already bent her head over the first slip which said,
“The wind comes and goes, leaving no trace; wild geese fly in a slant before the lonely peak…”
Her fingers moved swiftly. Two characters appeared upon the paper: Feng Xian.
[Explanation: This is a “Character Riddle.” The “Wind” (风 – Fèng) is the first character. For the second character, “Xian,” the riddle uses visual cues: “Wild geese flying in a slant” represents the sweeping strokes (丿) placed next to a “Lonely Peak,” which is the radical for mountain (山). When combined, they form the character for “Fresh/Bright” (𡵓 or 仙 variations).]
“Elder Sister, your wit is remarkable!” Wei Lanxuan exclaimed with genuine interest. She had expected Bai Sihan to be little more than a pawn to irritate Bai Siruo.
“Sister flatters me,” Bai Sihan replied, modest and soft. “I merely read a few more books at home. This line happened to appear in one of them.”
Her humility soothed Wei Lanxuan’s pride like warm tea on winter hands. Even Liang Luo’s disdain eased by a fraction. She was about to speak—when laughter rang bright and unrestrained across the courtyard.
Bai Siruo’s voice was, clear, delighted, unapologetic.
And in that crystalline note of mirth, rivalry sharpened anew beneath silken sleeves and jeweled wrists, as if the bracelet of Princess Wenyi had become not merely a prize—but a banner in a far subtler war.
Beneath the lanterns swaying from carved eaves and the glow of the braziers, silk sleeves brushed like drifting clouds as they try to solve the puzzles .But Bai Siruo could endure no more. She lifted her chin and, in a voice clear as struck jade, recited:
“A warrior in jade armor who walks only sideways; he carries twin unicorn-scissors to cut the reeds, and wears eight pointed hairpins to dance upon the sand.”
Then, with triumphant delight, she declared, “It is a Crab!”
[Explanation: This is a “Metaphor Riddle.” The “Jade Armor” is the hard greenish-grey shell; the “Unicorn-scissors” are his powerful claws; and the “Eight hairpins” are his thin, pointed legs. The sideways walking is the final, undeniable clue.]
She cast a sidelong glance at Liang Luo—and saw her face pale. Satisfaction blossomed bright within her. “Do not stare—hurry and finish before you embarrass yourself!”said Wei Lanxuan.
“Yes.”
Though Liang Luo’s pride smarted, she lowered her head obediently. In rank and standing, Wei Lanxuan was their natural center; she was older, politically advantaged, and accustomed to command. Once she spoke, no protest followed.
Meanwhile, Feng Jinyao held her own slip.
“Look to the Southern sky: a single star hangs above, while a new moon curves beneath a roof of thatch.”
Her brows knit gently. She was not adept at riddles. Yet she stilled her breath, traced the strokes in her mind, and then—clarity dawned. She dipped her brush and wrote swiftly: Zhuang.
[Explanation: This is a “Structure Riddle” for the character 庄 (Zhuang). The “Roof of thatch” is the top-left radical (广). The “Single star” is the dot at the very top. The “New moon” is the long downward sweeping stroke on the left. Inside this structure sits the character for Earth (土), completing the word.]
The ink settled dark and sure. Beside her, Xu Mingyue had already solved three more. When her gaze drifted to Feng Jinyao’s paper, surprise lit her refined features.
“Sister, your insight is remarkable. Even I might have hesitated over that one.”
Feng Jinyao smiled softly. “You flatter me, Sister Xu. You have solved four; I have but one. You are the true marvel here.”
On the purple side, tension thickened. Wei Lanxuan and Bai Sihan had matched one another answer for answer. And when only one slip remained. Both hands reached for it at once.
Bai Sihan gave the faintest stagger, and the riddle fell into Wei Lanxuan’s grasp.
It states “Spring days are cut short; one traveler is far away. From the heart of the lake, a slender bamboo rises; the moon draws near to hear the silk strings hum.”
Wei Lanxuan read it twice. As silence fell around the group ,but no answer was formed. Across the courtyard, Xu Mingyue’s brush was already moving. Liang Luo seeing this twisted her handkerchief so tightly that the silk wrinkled. Were they about to lose?
Bai Sihan leaned near Wei Lanxuan’s ear, voice low as wind through bamboo. “It is an Erhu.”
[Explanation: This riddle uses “Visual Logic.” An Erhu is a two-stringed fiddle. The “Slender bamboo” is the instrument’s neck; the “Heart of the lake” is the wooden resonator at the base. “Spring days cut short” is a wordplay clue—if you remove the bottom of the character for Spring (春), the remaining strokes resemble the two strings and the tuning pegs (the “Moon”) of the instrument.]
Wei Lanxuan’s eyes brightened. “Of course!” She seized her brush—but a breath too late. Xu Mingyue’s final stroke had already settled upon paper.
The Fourth Daughter of Duke Zheng collected the answer sheets, examining each with careful dignity.
“The white and purple teams answered all ten correctly. The red team nine. The yellow team seven. However—” A pause, ceremonial and deliberate. “—the white team finished first. Thus, the white team claims victory.”
No voice rose in objection. As Xu Mingyue’s brilliance was known throughout Great Jin. Although Wei Lanxuan’s embarrassment flickered in her eyes for a moment but it vanished swiftly.
“To witness Miss Xu’s talent today confirms the sung upon praise .Wei Lanxuan concedes wholeheartedly.”
The bracelet was now placed in Bai Siruo’s hands. She lifted her chin slightly, eyes gleaming with playful provocation toward Liang Luo like an unspoken cheer for triumph.
Liang Luo seeing this flushed crimson, as anger rising—only to be checked by a single warning glance from Wei Lanxuan.
“In that case,” Wei Lanxuan said smoothly, “let us proceed to the banquet hall.”
Bai Siruo gestured to a maid to lead them. Yet her eyes were fixed upon Bai Sihan. Warning burned there unmistakably. Wei Lanxuan, as though unaware, drew Bai Sihan gently alongside her. Before lowering her lashes into obedient decorum, Bai Sihan allowed herself one fleeting, smug smile toward Bai Siruo.
As her teeth nearly ground to powder, Bai Siruo watched them go. “That fool! I knew she had designs. Dressing so extravagantly… clinging to the Wei household… does she truly imagine she will become a Wei daughter?”
“Cousin,” Feng Jinyao’s tone turned firm as she tugged her sleeve, “be cautious.”
Reluctantly, Bai Siruo swallowed her fury. At least she had won. Turning bright once more, she pressed the bracelet into Xu Mingyue’s hands.
“I dislike your future sister-in-law, but I have heard that Young Master Liang is a decent man. Let this serve as my gift to bless your long and harmonious marriage.”
Xu Mingyue laughed—a clear, genuine sound that dispelled the lingering frost.
A decent man?
The Liang family had cultivated their reputation well. But within Feng Jinyao, cold amusement stirred. If he were honorable, would he later annul the engagement and wed another—leaving the Xu family humiliated? No. If dissolution must come, it would be by the Xu family’s hand.
In the warm pavilion, lacquered tables were set with jade cups. The celebration had reached its height. Even His Majesty had taken notice, conferring upon Old Madam Bai the title of Madam Huiming.
Only Feng Jinyao felt no warmth. She knew. Glory today was but oil poured upon flame. In her previous life, what had Emperor Qi done to this very house?
Her gaze brushed the jade ruyi—its whiteness flawless, its curve elegant. And found it unbearable.
Then—a sudden burst of lively cheering erupted from the hall. Feng Jinyao’s brows drew together. The sound rang too sharp. Too eager. And somewhere beneath it, she sensed the faint tremor of an approaching storm.
🌸 Hey! Translating this story takes a LOT of time ⏰💦
If you liked it, leave a comment 📝💖 — it really makes my day!
Your support keeps the story alive and helps me deliver the next chapter faster! 🚀📖