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Dear Nihuang,
Greetings. I hope that all is well with you since your return to Yunnan. Please send my regards to General and Lady Mu.
Ok, now that the blah, blah, blah that you can report to your father is done, how IS life for you?
You must be bored to tears. I mean, what could possibly be more glorious than coming swimming after trainings with Jingyan and I in summer? If begging your father to send you back here doesn’t work, I’ll persuade Great-Granny to write to him to say she misses you.
Even Jingyan misses you greatly. He doesn’t say anything but I can just tell. As for me? Well, it IS a whole lot harder beating Neifeng than you in the training yard, so, I suppose I wouldn’t mind my short opponent back again.
Lin Shu
Dear Nihuang meimei,
I hope all is well with you in Yunnan.
Having said that, I do wish you would come back soon. If you do not, I fear Lin Shu will drive us all crazy whining about you being away. The funny part is that he insists he wants you back because I am the one who is restless without you.
Yesterday, the sword-master even told Lin Shu that if he doesn’t start focusing on practice, that you will be beating him at swordplay by the time you’re back. That finally got Lin Shu to shut up and practice. (Although that lasted only an hour.)
So have mercy on us and return before Lin Shu gets us into (more) trouble?
Jingyan.
PS My mother sends her love with these baked goods that she made!
Lin Shu gege,
My parents send their regards to you, Marshal and Lady Lin as well. They would further like to extend an invitation to you and Prince Jing to come to Yunnan to visit this autumn.
Ha! Good thinking on the upfront greetings so I could honestly tell father and mother how polite and thoughtful your letter was. You always were the cunning one amongst us!
Jingyan gege’s been tattling on you and says you got a scolding for being restless. You better watch out, because I, on the other hand, have been training hard. I wasn’t kidding that my goal is to take on Niefeng by the time I’m back in Jinling!
Oh yes, you and Jingyan must take up my parents’ invite- you will love Yunnan! We’ll practice in open, green fields with the scent of autumn tea in the wind, I’ll show you how to make lanterns from reeds and paper, and we can ride all day in the rolling hills, cross a hundred crystal-clear streams and never cross the same one twice.
Nihuang
Jingyan gege,
It’s so nice to hear from you, and please send my regards and thanks to Aunt Jing for the lovely pastries. My parents are inviting you and Lin Shu Gege to visit Yunnan, and you must come!
There are no dazzling maple trees like Jinling in the Fall, but the autumn breezes are warm, the fresh harvest vegetables, fruit and seeds make wonderful meals, and, best of all, the streams and wind are so cool that you can ride for hours and never tire.
Nihuang.
PS As a souvenir for you, I am enclosing this carving of a water buffalo that I found at the market.
Nihuang,
I’m calling “No fair!” that you’re playing favorites!
You sent Jingyan an adorable water buffalo carving and me nothing? I’ll remember this!
Now for the good news: Jingyan and I got permission to go visit you! I can’t even believe I’ve never been to Yunnan. You’ve told me so much about it, I feel like it’s my second hometown.
Ha! If you can beat me at swordplay by the time we arrive, I’ll give you my favorite bow! (But I advise that you start looking around at your belongings for what you could possibly offer me that will match my bow when you lose.)
And yes, you may start counting down the days to my arrival.
Lin Shu.
Lin Shu gege,
It’s a deal! Just remember, as you hand over your bow in two months, that you were the person who suggested the bet. You don’t even let Jingyan touch the bow. As a friend I warn you that it'll be pretty humiliating to lose, hand over the bow AND be crying at the same time.
If I lose? I’ll personally oversee the transplanting of all the plum trees that you so admire in the Mu Manor in Jinling to anywhere you want.
Yes, I’m that confident.
I would point out, while we’re being petty about gifts, that Jingyan gege’s letter included delicious cookies from Aunt Jing and yours was just a letter.
Besides, carvings of water buffalos are everywhere here, carvings of phoenixes I’ve seen a few, but fire-people? What do fire-people even look like?
We are all thrilled that you and Jingyan gege are coming. Little Mu Qing has been practicing his poetry diligently all morning because I told him that that is what would really leave you a good impression about Yunnan!
Nihuang.
Nihuang,
Silly! Obviously fire-people look dazzlingly beautiful, talented and brave… like me!
And you’re on! Those plum trees really are the best in Jinling. Mother will be so pleased to add it to our manor yard. Or perhaps I’ll keep them for myself next year when I get my own manor. Tell Mu Qing he should be practicing digging up plum trees instead.
But as a concerned friend I feel it my duty to warn you: People are going to say that you're desperate to marry me, from the way you’re rushing to send me your dowry.
Lin Shu
Lin Shu gege,
No one's going to say I'm desperate about anything, because in the very unlikely event I lose, it’ll only be because I’m trying to help you out. Remember you promised to line the streets of Jinling with plum blossom petals when we get married?
Well, where else are you going to be able to get 200 trees worth of plum blossoms? As a concerned friend, I wouldn’t want people to call you a braggart.
Nihuang.
PS You forgot to add “modest” to the list of characteristics of fire-people.
Nihuang,
It pains me to correct you, but I didn’t say I was going to line the street of Jinling with plum blossoms, I said I’ll make it rain plum blossoms the entire way of the marriage procession. That means I need 2,000 trees worth of plum blossoms.
In case you're now worried that you’re going to remain a spinster, rest assured that I have a plan. You need only remember to tell our grandkids, when we’re old and decrepit, how your amazing Lin Shu gege made it rain flowers the day you married him.
But your last point is a very good one: my modesty knows no bounds. I am gratified that I haven’t taught you all these years for nothing afterall.
Lin Shu.
Lin Shu gege,
Taught me? Is that what you call inciting me to climb trees, steal peaches and play truant when Prince Qi instructed us to practice?
Let’s see what Jingyan gege thinks of your fine ‘teachings’!
I guess I’m just going to have to beat you soundly when you arrive here then, since you clearly don’t need the measly 200 plum trees from the Mu Manor.
But you should be aware that people will say you’re hen-pecked. Giving your fiancée your beloved bow even before she crosses the threshold? Neifeng will shake his head at your bleak future.
Nihuang
Nihuang,
You can’t use Jingyan to scare me. He was always the one who came to our rescue the times things went wrong. Do you remember when he had to secretly get you to Aunt Jing to apply a poultice to your knee after you scrapped it falling out of the Empress’ peach tree? You gave me a real scare, crying like you were going to die from that tiny, little scrap!
Wait, Neifeng shaking his head at me being hen-pecked? He's one to talk! Married two months, and still day-in-day-out, it’s Xia-Dong-mei this, and Xia-Dong-mei that. The men around camp roll their eyes, and I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Poor Neifeng!
Lin Shu
PS There’s rumors that the Northern Yans are mobilizing. Father has already gone North on reconnaissance.
Lin Shu gege,
I didn’t “cry like I was going to die”. Plus, even if I did, I was only 6! You were 9 and bawling even more loudly than I was. It wasn’t even your knees that were scrapped!
Nihuang.
PS We heard about that. Father is quite concerned. How many troops are we talking about?
Nihuang meimei,
I trust you are well.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s no question now that the full Chiyan army will be sent North, it’s only a matter of when. I’ll keep you up-to-date, although I myself will be heading East on a mission soon.
Sorry Nihuang meimei, this means postponing the trip to Yunnan.
However, I am taking requests for gifts from the East, so write me what I can get you? Lin Shu has already given me his shopping list. I'm sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you that I think you'll like it.
Jingyan.
PS Maybe you can explain this to me: This morning Lin Shu pulled me aside in the middle of all the work and interrogated me about which of you was crying more when you fell out of the Empress’ tree?
Lin Shu gege,
You haven’t written in three weeks, but I know from father and Jingyan how busy the Chiyan mobilization has been.
I tried to convince father to let me join you, but he wouldn't even consider it. I told him that I’m old enough and strong enough now- why I’m just as good at Jingyan at the bow! But father tells me that his indulgence of my martial interests does not extend that far. Indulgence! I wish I could make him understand that this isn’t a whim. I want to be there, fighting beside you.
Go quickly, do what you must, and come back soon. Come back safe.
I’ll be waiting. Promise.
Your Nihuang meimei, as always.
PS Not to beat a dead horse, but I remember clearly that you were crying louder under the peach tree. Falling from the tree was terrifying, and crying was my way to tell the world how it felt to be hurt and scared. But by the time Jingyan arrived, I had stopped crying because you were wailing. You already understood.
My Nihuang,
Ok, you win. I did cry more than you. And because you were right, I’m going to grant you one wish.
Since I already know what it is you most desire, I’ll hurry the victory against the Yans, then come to Yunnan personally in summer next year to formally propose a wedding date. But you’re still going to have to pine for me till the spring after, since even I can’t command 2,000 plum tress to bloom in autumn.
Oh, and don’t bother with those silly mandarin-ducks-embroidered pillows. Firstly, I’ve seen examples of your handiwork and we’d best spare the innocent bedding the torture. Secondly, once you have your veil off, no one in their right minds will be looking at the pillows.
And don't be silly- of course you'll be there with me. You always are. You don't even need to physically be there. Just practice hard and try not to miss me too much.
Instead, think about how beautiful 10,000 plum blossoms falling from the sky would look. And how, no matter how lovely they are, I wouldn’t notice, because you’ll be there.
I’ll be back. Promise.
Your Lin Shu gege.
PS The other thing about wonderful, talented, beautiful (and modest) fire-people? They always keep their promises.