Chapter 231 – Setting the Date For The Grand Wedding - Part 3
In a quiet courtyard, Li Yuan handed Zhu Ban’s letter to the long-legged maid who had come out to greet him. Early autumn had arrived, and the grass was turning yellow but had yet to wither.
After giving the letter, Li Yuan waited in silence. Beyond the door, Cui Huayin evidently finished reading, yet said nothing. Li Yuan didn’t prod her.
Time passed, enough for one stick of incense to burn. Still, no response. Outside, the clan head was starting to fidget.
“What’s going on in there?” he muttered. “Why is it so silent?”
But silent it remained. Li Yuan stood in the courtyard; Cui Huayin sat within the house. One door separated them, neither of them moving. The wind rustled, leaves shimmered faintly golden. Another stick of incense’s worth of time went by.
At last, Cui Huayin seemed to make a decision. She whispered instructions to her maid, Yao Jue.
Yao Jue scurried to the door and smiled brightly at Li Yuan. “Mister Li, may I trouble you to recite a poem for us?”
Li Yuan had come prepared. After a brief pause, he began pacing as he spoke—
“Clear waters flow untroubled,
Peach blossoms bloom by the shore.
Blossoms stir the surface,
Spring’s light ripples with each wave.