"Don't worry," Yu Ziyuan's mother says. "You're so beautiful the master of Yunmeng Jiang will surely fall in love at first sight."
Yu Ziyuan scowls. "I'm not worried."
In the mirror, her mother frowns. "You must not show him your temper, either."
Yu Ziyuan presses her lips together in annoyance, at least until her mother bids her open her mouth for the lipstick paper.
Jiang Fengmian is a handsome young man; he's polite, and he smiles at her, but it never reaches her eyes and conversation with him is as dull as a block: he barely responds beyond simple courtesies. He does not fall for her at first sight, but then, the stories say that he's still pining for a woman who left him for a common retainer. Yu Ziyuan cannot abide such sentiment. Nor does she want a man who wants another woman.
They share tea and he praises her mother's blend, and then her mother leaves them alone to get to know each other. She's already told Yu Ziyuan to show him the garden -- she thinks the blooming lotuses in the pond would surely please the master of Yunmeng Jiang.
Instead, Yu Ziyuan proposes that they go out of the estate into the mountains. "Meishan is beautiful at this time of year. The alpine flowers are blooming, and from the top of the peak, we'll be able to see the sea of clouds. Come with me, Jiang Fengmian."
Jiang Fengmian does not refuse her; this whole meeting. She leads him on foot at first, claiming that the scenery is best experienced with a hike. They make their way through thick brush and along rocky paths; sometimes they must climb or leap across crevasses.
"If you need a rest, please let me know," she says. "If you're tired, we can go the rest of the way on our swords."
"I'm well," he says. Indeed, he's kept up with her easily enough; he is not even breathing hard.
She smiles coolly. "I must admire Yunmeng Jiang's cultivation skills then."
He's silent. They walk for hours, and she makes something like conversation by pointing out the flowers, blooming purple and blue on the slopes. Usually, the sight of them is a balm to her soul, but now she uses them as a barrage of courtesy. She thinks about calling Zidian, scattering the flower petals to the ground. What would Jiang Fengmian think about that? If only he would turn away from her in disgust, proclaiming the third lady of Meishan Yu to be far too intemperate--but of course her mother has already made sure that cannot be.
He does not tire and he does not fall, no matter where she leads him. At last she admits defeat and proposes that they go the rest of the way by sword.
On Meishan's peak, with the trailing clouds and the other mountains below them, Yu Ziyuan asks Jiang Fengmian to marry her, because she is a filial daughter and her sect requires it. Jiang Fengmian accepts, because his answer is already preordained and no sect leader is ever free.
Untamed, Yu Ziyuan/Jiang Fengmian (and no one is happy about it)
Yu Ziyuan scowls. "I'm not worried."
In the mirror, her mother frowns. "You must not show him your temper, either."
Yu Ziyuan presses her lips together in annoyance, at least until her mother bids her open her mouth for the lipstick paper.
Jiang Fengmian is a handsome young man; he's polite, and he smiles at her, but it never reaches her eyes and conversation with him is as dull as a block: he barely responds beyond simple courtesies. He does not fall for her at first sight, but then, the stories say that he's still pining for a woman who left him for a common retainer. Yu Ziyuan cannot abide such sentiment. Nor does she want a man who wants another woman.
They share tea and he praises her mother's blend, and then her mother leaves them alone to get to know each other. She's already told Yu Ziyuan to show him the garden -- she thinks the blooming lotuses in the pond would surely please the master of Yunmeng Jiang.
Instead, Yu Ziyuan proposes that they go out of the estate into the mountains. "Meishan is beautiful at this time of year. The alpine flowers are blooming, and from the top of the peak, we'll be able to see the sea of clouds. Come with me, Jiang Fengmian."
Jiang Fengmian does not refuse her; this whole meeting. She leads him on foot at first, claiming that the scenery is best experienced with a hike. They make their way through thick brush and along rocky paths; sometimes they must climb or leap across crevasses.
"If you need a rest, please let me know," she says. "If you're tired, we can go the rest of the way on our swords."
"I'm well," he says. Indeed, he's kept up with her easily enough; he is not even breathing hard.
She smiles coolly. "I must admire Yunmeng Jiang's cultivation skills then."
He's silent. They walk for hours, and she makes something like conversation by pointing out the flowers, blooming purple and blue on the slopes. Usually, the sight of them is a balm to her soul, but now she uses them as a barrage of courtesy. She thinks about calling Zidian, scattering the flower petals to the ground. What would Jiang Fengmian think about that? If only he would turn away from her in disgust, proclaiming the third lady of Meishan Yu to be far too intemperate--but of course her mother has already made sure that cannot be.
He does not tire and he does not fall, no matter where she leads him. At last she admits defeat and proposes that they go the rest of the way by sword.
On Meishan's peak, with the trailing clouds and the other mountains below them, Yu Ziyuan asks Jiang Fengmian to marry her, because she is a filial daughter and her sect requires it. Jiang Fengmian accepts, because his answer is already preordained and no sect leader is ever free.