The Journey Forward | ONC 2023 Version

11. Festival

Huizhong smiled as he removed his hand from my head, and the warmth of his healing power waned.

"It is perfect timing for a quick trip to the sanctuary," he confirmed. "The baby isn't drawing as much of your heart stone energy now, so you don't need such close monitoring."

"Brother, I'll be fine. I have felt so much better in the last week," I sat up and straightened the light blue hanfu that discreetly covered my bulging belly.

I wasn't lying to my brother; I did feel much better. Horrible nausea and vomiting in the first trimester were followed by heartburn and fatigue in the second. I swear all the symptoms I learned about during medical school obstetrics rotations hit me at one point. Most of these symptoms seemed to calm near the beginning of the third trimester in the seventh month of my pregnancy. Though my back hurt almost daily, otherwise, my body felt like it was my own again.

"It will only be a few days. Tengfei will remain here to guard you." I think Huizhong reassured himself more than me with his repetitiveness.

"I know, and I won't argue with you about it again." It was silly to leave Tengfei here when I had Bao and Jing, but it was the only way Huizhong would go. "You have to hurry home before the Longest Day!"

"I will be home before then, I promise. Be careful about the crowds in the city, I know you are anxious to be out and about again, but this is a busy time for Meicheng. People from all over the Empire descend on the city on a normal year, but now that the war is over, it will be so much more crowded."

"I'm fine. Lady Song is at court, and no one has done anything that would threaten the baby or me since I returned. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding."

"Stay vigilant, sister," Huizhong warned. "Your desire for harmony may cloud your judgment."

After I promised again to be careful, he left, and I lay down for a short nap. Though I felt better, sleep always felt good.

"Mistress Mei has sent you an invitation for an outing tomorrow. She invites you to one of the acrobat shows," Jing announced later while preparing my hair for lunch.

"Oh, that sounds fun." I had yet to go to the festival. Bao had promised to bring me, but he was so busy at court that we rarely saw each other. Now that he was in town, the Emperor seemed unable to live without him. I missed the togetherness of our days on the front. The baby kicked me out of my gloom, and I laughed. Bao came home whenever he could and had promised to bring me to the Fireworks at the end of the Longest Day Celebration. "Who else will be coming?"

"I believe just Master Yize and Mistress Mei will be coming, and of course, their maids. You can bring Tengfei since Master Yize is coming," Jing answered, stepping back to admire her complicated handiwork.

Perfectly styled clothes and hair were my armor during the meals without Bao. Even if no one was trying to kill me, the subtle politics of a Qianggou household strained my fortitude. Beside Madam Wei and Mistress Mei, concubines and unmarried aunts fought for a few places at the main table. With my return, I had pushed someone off the dais, and the battle to return had been fierce. Apparently, being my friend was one of the ways to get to the main table, and I was tired of all the overtures.

Neither Yize nor Bao had concubines, but General Wei had many. Most had been political matches made by the old master of the house or the Emperor, and some were nearly the same age as Bao and Yize. None of the concubines had born a son for the General, which would have granted them a permanent place at the main table, but Bao had several young sisters that had been sent out to cultivate or marry. Many of my sisters-in-law visited during the festival, giving the dining hall a lively feel. With all these additions, several new tables appeared, and the infighting for the main table died down as the mothers enjoyed their children and grandchildren. But the concubines and aunts without families still vied for a room with the legitimate wife and children of the House of Wei.