Threads 501-Temple 1

The dawn of the next day came rather late the next day, all things told. Of course, the sun still rose on its mark, but there were very few in Xiangmen to rise with him. The whole of the city lay in the throes of the recovery from the riotous celebration of the wedding day, from the lowest fieldhand out on the root hills to the highest nobles up in the cloud district.

And she did mean the highest. She did not think there was any person in the Emerald Seas who would dare intrude on the Duchess’ chambers before the new brides were ready to leave of their own accord. The planners for the day had known this, and so had gone with something of a “flex schedule,” as Cai Renxiang had explained to her with just a little disgruntlement.

“You are all looking very spry today,” Ling Qi greeted lightly, entering the dining room where her fellow retainers were gathered. It wasn’t even that much of a jab. Gan Guangli was holding his head, rubbing his temples, and Cai Renxiang’s eyes were a touch narrower than usual.

Xia Lin was impeccable, of course, and she was pretty sure that Meng Dan had probably disheveled his hair on purpose. Her suspicion, she felt, was confirmed when he caught her looking and smirked.

“Indulging like this is sometimes necessary to fulfill expectations.” Cai Renxiang sighed. “I see you had your own, less conventional indulgences.”

Ling Qi swept her way to the last open seat at the table, sliding in between Meng Dan and Xia Lin. “Training can be rough sometimes, but the lesson took.”

“As expected of Lady Ling, to cultivate through the night and not show a spot of exhaustion in the morning!” Gan Guangli laughed.

Cai Renxiang glanced over her one more time, clearly noting the slightly strained nature of her smile, and nodded.

The scent of the simple breakfast fare was rich and tempting to her nose, the various buns and pastries set out for early refreshment each tantalizing in their own way. She plucked a plum dumpling dusted in some light brown seasoning from the paste, and bit in, humming happily.

“Oh, what is this?” Ling Qi wondered, blinking after swallowing the first bite.

Meng Dan glanced over to the bun in her hand. “Hm? The seasoning? Cinnamon, I believe. There are a few places it grows in the Meng lands, but it mostly comes from the Thousand Lakes.”

“Ish good,” Ling Qi declared.

Xia Lin leaned forward in her seat and took one of the dumplings as well.

“So, we’re on call for the temple tour today?” Ling Qi asked after polishing off the snack. She considered her slightly sticky fingers but used the provided cloth to wipe them off. They could be informal here, but not that informal.

“Correct,” Xia Lin said, around a mouthful of her own dumpling.

“The diviners estimate we will begin in no more than four hours,” Meng Dan said.

“There are diviners at work on that?” Gan Guangli asked with good humor.

“Of course there are,” Meng Dan replied.

“As Baroness Ling is now here, I do have some business to discuss. While it was not a high priority in the lead up to the ceremony, now that we are merely waiting for the second day’s tour to begin, I shall share the reports from Shenglu regarding the progress of projects there.”

They all made sounds to the affirmative, and Gan Guangli poured himself a cup of fresh water, and Xia Lin and Meng Dan filled their plates.

“Temple construction, as I recall,” Xia Lin said.

“The structures for Snowblossom Lake and the geyser, Boiling Deep, ‘” Cai Renxiang agreed. “The latter is mostly in improving accessibility to the site. Your spirit’s regular route has driven away most hostile spirits along it. The priests tell me that his authority is strong where he walks with such regularity, but paving a path, installing stairs along the steeper slopes, and providing some outbuildings at the site for ritual supplies will assist in establishing his authority.”

“That is good to hear. I am glad Zhengui is finding things to help with the fief while we are all away. I take it that there were no unexpected problems with the lake shrine?”

“Nothing of note. Some minor exorcisms needed to be done, and there were corrections made in some rites for the priests being trained, but nothing which has altered the schedule. It will all be ready by the time we return,” Cai Renxiang replied.

“The last item was refilling our local supply of construction materials,” Meng Dan said. “There’s not yet enough local production of wood and stone to keep up with all of the projects being enacted, or so I understand.”

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“The workers are doing their utmost, but a properly built wall is material hungry, let alone everything else. There are not enough people in the fief yet, despite the enthusiasm of those who have arrived,” Xia Lin supported.