A Wuxia Tale: Blades and Flowers

Meeting

(WANG DAO)

"Are you still sulking?" Baba grinned at me while we were having dinner, two nights after our match.

"Yes. My side is still hurting," I grumbled while picking on my rice bowl.

"Eat your rice, Dao." Father gently placed a piece of sliced braised pork on Hua's bowl.

"Listen to your Father. You should eat more to become stronger. Then maybe...you'll finally get a chance to scratch me." Baba grinned. I used my chopsticks to stab a piece of meat on the serving dish.

"Stop that before he slit your throat as we sleep," Father patted Baba's arm.

"He can try. But I sleep with my ultimate guard," Baba smiled affectionately at Father. I rolled my eyes on them. "I feel good now. I should go back to guarding my Crown Prince. Manchu has been moaning to get a vacation." I grumbled.

"What? What about your match with me?" Hua said.

"Later," Father said. "You should let your brother's body heal and for him to report back to his duty. Oh...there is also the matter of his marriage..."

"Marriage? Mine?" I sat straighter at that.

"Yes. Yours. Its about time your aunt and the girl they chose for you to come back here in the capital to officially meet you." Father explained.

"Oh. Imagine that. Dao might even get married before me." Hua gave me a teasing looks and smiles.

"Thats not something you should be proud of," Baba sighed. "At eighteen, you are in the right age to get married and start your own family."

"How old was mother when you married her?" I asked Baba.

Hua's eyes widened at me. Its like she couldn't believe I had the audacity to open up a conversation about our mother in front of our Father.

But both our parents seemed unperturbed at my inquisition. "She was twenty one when I married her. Twenty three when she died." Baba replied evenly.

"Hmmm...that means I have enough time to contemplate marriage. I could get married at twenty one." Hua smiled.

"Your mother was engaged to a noble man in the South for quite awhile before that engagement was dissolved and gave way to my arrangement with her," Baba said. He turned to Father. "Like I said before, it was a mutual decision for us to be married with known benefits on both families."

"I understand," Father explained. "Don't worry. I'm not jealous of her."

"Why should you?" I said. "We love no one else more than we love you."

Father laughed. "True."

Baba's eyes returned to Hua. "Your mother could have been married at fifteen but her family refused until their demands were met. Her long engagement to an old friend didn't materialized because her family has conditions that only my family has provided. You could marry a prince by now, why hesitate?"

"Ahm, because its the wrong prince?" Hua smiled prettily at our parents.

"Does it really have to be Prince Jin?" Father winced while asking that.

"We love each other. Maybe like how you two love each other. Maybe even more," Hua said. "I know you don't like him but you could at least admit that Jin is not a bad match for me."

"True." Baba nodded. "But your engagement to the Crown Prince is still in effect and is helping to shield the heir to the throne from vultures who want to ally themselves to the next Emperor."