The Banquet (5)
Unable to turn away her son's earnest plea, Ding Yuan had begun staying in Luoyang — and lately, one concern weighed on her mind. She had far, far too many guests.
"Please continue to look favorably upon us in the days ahead!"
A middle-aged man with a rustic, honest face had brought Ding Yuan silk so rare it would have been considered a treasure even in Xiliang. Its gleaming, lustrous sheen made her eyes go wide with astonishment.
"Oh my, thank you."
"Haha! I'm simply glad it pleases you!"
The man called Ma Teng boomed with laughter at her thanks.
"The General-in-Chief doesn't much care for things like this, you see!"
"He doesn't care for them?"
"Indeed! He told me not to bring such things to him but to resell them instead and put the proceeds toward the affairs of state. But as a vassal, shouldn't the most precious gift of all go to one's lord?"
Ding Yuan couldn't hide her puzzlement. Her husband and she herself were helpless before rare treasures, so who on earth had her son taken after to be so utterly free of greed for possessions?
Wondering this to herself, she accepted the gift.
"I really must have a dress made from this. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you."
"Thank you! And if you find the time later, please do tell him to share a drink with my daughter!"
...Daughter?
Come to think of it, she seemed to recall he had a daughter called Ma Chao. The word snagged in Ding Yuan's mind, and she gazed at the empty spot where Ma Teng had stood, lost in brief thought.
The general had stayed in her memory — a girl with bluish-silver hair that gleamed like a jewel. And her beauty! Even Ding Yuan, a fellow woman, had found exclamations of admiration rising unbidden at the sight of it. If the girl ever bore children of her own, wouldn't they be remarkably good-looking?
"Hmm..."
Staying at the General-in-Chief's residence thanks to her son's hospitality, Ding Yuan mulled something over intently, then had a servant nearby summon a certain person.
A short while later, the door opened and a figure appeared.
"You called for me."
The woman with an air of pristine refinement bowed politely at the waist as she entered the room.
Ding Yuan opened her mouth to ask.
"Are you the child called Diaochan?"
"Yes. I applied to become the General-in-Chief's maid so that I might, in however humble a way, be of service to him."
"Why?"
She was the adopted daughter of Wang Yun, the Minister over the Masses — one of the Three Excellencies, no less. With charm like hers, and with Wang Yun's rank to consider, plenty of men would have been willing to ruin their entire families to take her away. It wasn't as if he was marrying his beloved daughter off to another house — he'd simply left her to become a mere maid? For Ding Yuan, who would weep buckets and cling for dear life if she ever heard her own son was going to serve another household, this was beyond comprehension.
"I once spoke with Minister Wang about it, and he said the child's will was so strong he couldn't talk her out of it."
Since settling in Luoyang, Ding Yuan had spent her days meeting the many officials who managed the great and small affairs of the city. Among them was Wang Yun, who like her hailed from Bing Province. As expected, people from the same homeland shared a certain unspoken bond, and the two of them had passed the time most pleasantly.
"I really should take this chance to ask. Why did you become a maid of our household?"
"That is..."
"Oh, don't tell me..."
Ding Yuan smiled slyly.
"Could it be you've taken an interest in my son?"
"..."
Diaochan's lips fluttered, but as though something had caught in her throat, no voice came out.
Ding Yuan's eyes gleamed like a woman who had just unearthed a delicious piece of gossip.
"My, my — why ever can't you answer? Am I right? Hm?"
"Well..."
The woman who always maintained such pristine composure flushed faintly.
There are things in this world one can understand without hearing them spoken aloud. Having caught the meaning behind Diaochan's behavior, Ding Yuan couldn't suppress her smile.
"Of course, my son is just that charming! No wonder women keep falling head over heels for him!"
Ding Yuan nodded vigorously.
"That aside, though..."
With that, she began looking Diaochan over from head to toe. Her very faintly brown hair spilled down beautifully like silk, and her eyes — the same color as her hair — sparkled as though cradling starlight. And her face! Ding Yuan couldn't find the words to describe it, but one thing she could say with certainty: the kingdom-toppling beauties said to have ruined nations in ages past must have looked exactly like this. Even Ma Teng's daughter, whom she'd just been recalling, would pale beside this woman.
"Hmm..."
"...?"
Stroking her own chin, Ding Yuan let herself imagine the future a little. If a child were born between this beauty to topple kingdoms and her son — precious beyond all measure — what sort of child would it be? She couldn't be sure whether it would be a grandson or a granddaughter, but of one thing she was absolutely certain: it would be unimaginably adorable.
When she'd spoken with Minister Wang, even Wang Yun himself had, without quite realizing it, let a note of anticipation slip into his voice. He, too, was at the age when a man starts longing to hold a grandchild in his arms.
In truth, her son could have children whenever he set his mind to it. It was only natural — with all those women practically dripping honey around him day and night, how could he fail to produce even one child? Yet there was still no news, and Ding Yuan felt a little stifled.
...Surely it isn't that he can't perform a man's role?
"Hmmm..."
After a moment's deliberation, Ding Yuan seized Diaochan's hand.
"You can do it! I'll be rooting for you with everything I have!"
"Ah, that..."
The quick-witted Diaochan rolled her eyes in visible flusterment, then at last answered in a tiny voice.
"...Yes."
"Son."
Not long after the banquet ended, Mother caught me as I was making my rounds through the government offices. I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at her.
"What is it?"
"What on earth happened in Luoyang?"
At Mother's out-of-nowhere question, I made a bewildered face.
"...Pardon?"
"I'm sure my son has it all thought out, but if you keep adding too many more, it could end in disaster."
"..."
I held my silence for a moment, then spoke.
"Keep adding what, exactly?"
"Aigoo, must you hear it from your own mother's mouth?"
Hearing my question, Mother chuckled.
"Lately, this mother of yours has been receiving an absolutely enormous number of gifts."
"...From whom, may I ask?"
"A great many people."
With that, Mother nodded. So that was why goods of unknown provenance had been piling up in the warehouse lately — they were all gifts sent to Mother.
"Raising one fine son sure has me living in the lap of luxury."
"So, specifically, who's been sending—"
"Ah! It's been a while — want to have a meal together?"
"..."
The way she slipped out of my questions was truly an art form. One look told me she was doing it on purpose.
"Very well. Let's have a meal together."
Seeing Mother's evasive little act, I gave up on prying and let out a sigh.
"Wonderful! This mother will just have to show off her skills for once!"
"Don't you dare burn the food — leave it quietly to the servants."
"..."
When I said this in a flat voice, Mother fell silent.
I opened my mouth.
"Mother."
"...What now?"
Mother answered in a slightly deflated voice.
"There's nothing wrong with receiving gifts, but you mustn't accept them from just anyone."
In this world, there is no such thing as kindness without reason. Accept something with ill intent behind it, and trouble could well arise later. Pretending not to know and quietly washing your hands of it is one option, but the surest way is simply not to accept gifts with suspicious motives in the first place.
"Don't you worry."
As if she understood my concern, Mother said with a smile.
"A parent can't go holding their child back forever, after all."
With that, Mother declared proudly.
"I've been listening to the opinions of those around me before accepting every last one!"
"That's a relief."
When I nodded, Mother added:
"Was it Jia Xu? That girl is remarkably sharp!"
"...Is that so?"
It was just an ordinary compliment about another person — why did it feel as though some other intent lay behind it? Even as I wore a faintly dazed expression, Mother's words carried on.
"So, son."
"Yes."
"When are you going to make a baby?"
"...Pardon?"
I answered with unwitting bewilderment, and Seo Yeo, who stood guarding me nearby, froze for an instant as well.
"This mother is starting to want to see her grandchild!"
"...Mother."
I opened my mouth to rein in my excited Mother, but it didn't get through.
"My son was perfect at everything from childhood — but there was exactly one thing he lacked!"
"And what was that?"
"He had no cuteness!"
"..."
"I wanted to coo at a crying baby and soothe them in my arms too, you know, but he never cried in the first place — it was so disappointing!"
Why did my head throb a little? I placed my palm against my forehead and let out a sigh.
"You'll regret those words someday."
"Hm?"
Mother looked at me with a puzzled expression. Grandchildren are only adorable in ones and twos — with an absolutely massive brood, that prediction was bound to come true. I imagined Mother buried under a mountain of little children and laughed inwardly.
It was a secret that Seo Yeo had been gazing at me with a faint air of expectation.