Hello all my beautiful people! Welcome to another chapter of Love or Law on this lovely Wednesday. Please enjoy!
The next morning Mulan was awakened by the sound of horses entering the courtyard at a fast clip and voices calling for assistance. Curious as to who could be arriving at such an early hour, she carefully levered herself into a sitting position and swung her legs around to rest on the floor. Before she could get any further though, her door slid open to reveal a harried looking Mei.
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"
"What's going on? Is something wrong?"
"Most people would say no but when my cousin comes by, you never know what will go wrong." Mei answered as she bustled across the room and dove headlong into the wardrobe. Mulan gingerly stood up and was relieved to feel no twinge from her wound. With slow, careful steps she made her way over to where Mei now stood surrounded by the contents of the wardrobe.
"Is he really that overbearing?"
"Who?" Mei asked distractedly.
"Your cousin."
"What? Oh! I suppose I should explain myself properly. The cousin who's visiting now is the child of my mother's older brother. My uncle is a powerful member of the Emperor's Council and a very honorable man. This property actually belongs to him. When our father died he offered to allow our family to reside here.
The problem lies with his only daughter, Peijing. She's the youngest of the family and has been terribly spoiled by her father and brothers because her mother died when she was very young. She has the whole lot of them wrapped around her finger and has cultivated the mindset that the world owes her anything and everything her heart desires.
Anyway, she enjoys expressing her prestige over her poor country cousins by occasionally dropping by completely unannounced and then giving us a hard time over our ineptitude to host and entertain properly. And, of course, we can't exactly turn her away because, as she likes to constantly remind us, this is her father's property."
"That seems unnecessarily cruel." Mulan remarked, already irked by this unknown female.
"Yes, well, that's Peijing. Please accept my apologies for her behavior in advance." Mei remarked as she began holding up different articles of clothing against Mulan and then discarding them at a rapid fire pace.
"What do you mean?"
"Word travels fast in this small corner of our country. My guess is that she heard about a certain, single, military hero coming to visit and couldn't wait to sink her claws into him."
"Huh?" Mulan was thoroughly confused by this point.
"Li Shang, Mulan! He's single, has an incredible military lineage, is rumored to be good-looking, and is now a war hero to boot! He's exactly the kind of man her father wishes her to marry! On top of it all, Peijing loves a challenge. Luckily, you already have his full attention. However, it's never a bad thing to go the extra kilometer to ensure you keep it. Which is where I come in."
"His attention?"
"Trust me, Mulan. When that man sees you this luncheon, he won't be able to take his eyes off of you. Now sit! We've got some work to do."
An hour and a half later, Mei was standing back to examine her handiwork while Mulan sat meekly before her. If she had thought her morning before meeting the matchmaker was bad, this morning blew it out of the water. At least with the matchmaker's morning all decisions had already been made for her. All she had to do was sit and be their doll to dress and make up. Whereas this morning she had been bombarded all morning by Mei asking questions she barely understood.
"Does Shang prefer the natural look?"
"Have you ever rag-tied your hair? The curls might emphasize your bone structure more."
"Which shade matches your skin tone?"
"Pink is overrated. This blue will make all your features pop, don't you think?"
Mulan answered all of them the best she could.
Shang did seem to prefer nature over staying in a village.
She used to tie a rag over her hair when she did her farm chores to keep the sweat out of her eyes but she didn't remember it curling. Getting incredibly tangled and filled with hay, yes.
What was skin tone? And she didn't know there were different kinds of shade to stand in. Was there a large difference between the shade of a building and the shade of a tree?
She never really liked pink and she thought blue might be Shang's favorite color but she had no idea her features could pop!
Most of her answers had made Mei laugh so she supposed she got most of them wrong but they still had a good time. The hardest part was the clothes. Mei had her try on a dozen outfits before she was finally satisfied enough to move on to her hair and makeup. To Mulan's enormous relief, Mei's idea of makeup was much simpler than the matchmaker's. Mulan's face was not caked over in white stuff, for one thing.
"Yes. This is it. You're perfect!" Was Mei's final verdict, "Here, come see!" Tugging on Mulan's hand, she pulled her over to the large, expensive glass mirror standing in the corner of the room and stood her before it.
Mulan was dressed in an ivory skirt paired with a very pretty, sky-blue blouse. The longer of the two overskirts was a soft dove gray, flowing down over the ivory to just above knee length. The shorter was a dark navy reaching mid-thigh over the gray, over which was tied a sash that matched the light color of the blouse. The crossed collar of the blouse was the same dove gray as the longer overskirt.
The colors were a little more muted than what she would generally wear but she had to admit the overall effect was very pretty and softly feminine. Maybe she could wear these colors more often. They made her feel more mature. Less of the girl she was when she left home, more of the woman she had found within herself.
Her hair was too short to properly pull back so Mei had kept it simple. Using a jade comb carved into the shape of a lotus flower, she pulled the front half of her hair on the right side back away from her face.
For makeup, she had drawn soft lines of kohl just under Mulan's lashes and in the outside corners of the bottom of her eyes, making them look larger and the color deeper. Lastly, Mei had applied a light layer of paint only one shade darker than her natural color to Mulan's lips, drawing more attention to their shape. The effect was a natural looking enhancement of features meant to lure the male specimen. At least, that's what Mei claimed. Mulan was just happy she could still move her face without it cracking weirdly!
"Well? What do you think?!"
"I love it!" Mulan quickly assured her and she really did, "I've just never really worn these colors before. Or seen myself in such a big mirror, now that I think about it."
Mei laughed happily, "Good! Let's go show you off to the boys."
Ignoring Mulan's stuttering protests about showing off, Mei pulled the girl out of the room and down the hall towards the great room and courtyard.
"Okay, wait here. I want you to make a grand entrance all by yourself. Really make a statement!"
"That really isn't necessary..."
"Of course it is! Wait right here." With that she was gone around the corner. Mulan waited about three seconds before deciding she really didn't care to make a grand entrance of any kind and followed.
Mei was talking to Ai who was, thankfully, alone in the room. Ai was facing towards the hallway and so saw Mulan first.
"Ah! Hello dear, you look absolutely wonderful!"
"Oh. Thank you." Mulan answered with a shy smile. When dressed like a young man among other men, you didn't often get complimented. Certainly not on your looks. Insulted, yes. Complimented, no
"Mulan, you were supposed to wait!" Mei pouted at seeing her. Mulan grinned and shrugged, "Where is everyone?"
"The boys are out at the practice field right now. I was just about to send Jia to fetch them in for meal time. Judging by how you and Mei are dressed, I'm assuming you noticed our guests. I want the boys to have time to clean up before greeting them."
"I can go get them if you want." Mulan volunteered, seeing the tall, stoic Jia busily setting the table for the noon meal behind Ai.
"Oh, no dear. It's quite alright. I don't want you straining yourself..."
"I insist! It'll be good for me to get outside!" Mulan called, already heading towards the door leading to the gardens and practice field. Ling had tried to describe it to her when he had come to tattle on Shang but Mulan wanted to see it for herself. She had a feeling it would quickly become her favorite place. She didn't see Mei and Ai share knowing smiles behind her.
Walking slowly, she made her way down the winding paths that led through the estate's expansive gardens. This was the first time she had spent so long standing up since the fight at the palace and she didn't want to overdo it. She was pleased with how well she was doing, though. She only felt a slight twinge around her wound as she walked.
This really was a beautiful estate. Far larger than her family's humble farm. It boasted a beautiful sprawling home with enough bedrooms in the guest wing to host her, the boys and now this cousin visitor. The home had a cooking space Mulan had yet to see, and a great room large enough to house a dining table big enough for ten people to sit at comfortably. There was also plenty of lounging space in the front room meant for entertaining guests. The front room opened to a large courtyard, complete with stables and stable yard and the great room opened to the gardens. Beyond the gardens, tucked back near the orchard was a practice yard for military personnel. To the right of the home lay the harvesting fields and barns for the working part of the farm, as well as cottages for the workers and their families. To the left of the home, tucked within a bamboo forest for privacy, was Mei's home that she shared with her husband; who Mulan had yet to meet.
From what Mulan could garner, Po's family acted as caretakers of the large property for his uncle, who preferred life within the Capitol. It was to be his eldest son's inheritance but, for now, both men were content with allowing their extended family to live on and care for the property.
Hearing the sound of wood staffs clacking together accompanied by grunts of exertion and the occasional thump and curse when a staff made contact with flesh, Mulan turned in that direction. Within a minute she was crossing an arched wooden bridge over a small lily pond and was able to see the impressive practice yard spread out before her.
There were privacy hedges mostly enclosing approximately five acres of flat grassy area. Within their boundary was an archery range, a wrestling sand pit, an intense looking obstacle course, five posts with punching sand bags hanging from them, an area with a row of sparring dummies set up, a shed to house weapons and plenty of open ground for sparring with live partners as well. Looking even closer she noticed a dirt track running along the inside border of the hedge as well. This was probably the most amazing thing Mulan had ever seen. She couldn't wait to test it out! She was already mentally tackling the obstacle course when her gaze strayed to a sight that took her breath away.
Shang. Shirtless. Muscles flexed and straining as he sparred with another, taller man. His hair was pulled up in its usual topknot, drawing emphasis to his tightly clenched jaw and intensely focused, dark eyes. Sweat glistened along his shoulders and forehead and Mulan could not tear her eyes away. She was staring. Well, more like gawking. She knew she was, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.
"Mulan!"
Ling. Ling was running towards her, shouting her name. She'd been so focused on Shang she hadn't even noticed her other friends were also there. His shout had Shang's head turning towards her. His eyes found hers and a smile touched his lips, drawing a blush to her cheeks. Drat! She'd been caught. Then his expression became pained and Mulan watched in shocked amusement as he took a staff blow to the gut from his opponent and was thrown off his feet to land hard on his back.
The man he'd been fighting roared with laughter, "Not the first time I've bested a man because of a pretty girl!" He exclaimed loudly to Mulan's extreme embarrassment. Then Ling, Yao and Po were there, excitedly chattering to her about her recovery and appearance and Mulan was all too eager to turn her attention over to them.
Shang lay on his back, fighting to get his breath back and not just from Jing Hai's hit. He had not been expecting to see Mulan out there, certainly not in all her feminine glory. A man needed some warning before a sight like that stopped his heart.
"So that's your Mulan?" Jing Hai asked, holding out a hand to help Shang to his feet, "Pretty little thing."
"She's not mine, but yes. That's Fa Mulan." Shang answered as he got his feet under him. Pretty? That was like saying a sunset was alright to look at. She was stunning!
"Not yet anyway, hmm?" Jing teased him with a wink, "Come. Introduce me."
They made their way across the field over to where the boys were gathered. When they saw the two leaders, the three quickly stepped aside. Shang felt his breath leave his body for a second time. She was so beautiful and it filled his heart with warmth when she directed her full smile at him, dark eyes sparkling with energy and good humor.
"Captain Li, good morning!" She greeted, keeping her eyes firmly on his face despite the warm color rising on her cheeks. That's when he remembered that he was shirtless, sweating and grass-stained. Of course, she had seen him that way before but that was different. She had been Ping, the young soldier he treated like a little brother who he had been determined to train. Now she was Mulan, the beautiful young woman looking like a properly bred lady before him who he loved with all his heart. This was certainly not the best impression he could make on her but there wasn't a lot he could do about it now.
"Fa Mulan." He greeted formally, "May I introduce General Zhang Jing Hai?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Mei has told me alot about her dear husband." Mulan greeted prettily with a small bow of respect.
"The pleasure's all mine, Mulan. Please call me Jing."
Mulan grinned at the man and Shang was astounded to feel a stab of jealousy. He, of course, trusted Mulan completely and Jing was a married man who was quickly becoming a good friend. There was absolutely no reason to feel jealous, yet there it was. Apparently he was destined to be a fool in love.
"This is a phenomenal practice yard you have here, Jing." Mulan was saying, looking around in obvious excitement.
"You're welcome to whatever you wish to use. Perhaps we might even spar some time? I would love to test myself against the Hero of China!" Jing offered with a grin.
"Sounds like fun!" Mulan agreed readily.
"Once you're completely healed, of course." Shang quickly added in, drawing a pout from Mulan.
"Kill joy." She grumbled half-jokingly, "Anyway, Ms. Chien sent me to find you boys and tell you the noon meal will be served soon. She also asked me to ask you to please clean up nicely because there are guests who have just arrived."
"Did you happen to catch who it was?" Jing queried.
Mulan nodded, "Your cousin-in-law, Peijing, and who ever has accompanied her."
Jing Hai couldn't quite hide the grimace that was his response to hearing their guest's name. "Oh, joy." He muttered, "I best be off before Mei attempts to kill the girl. I'll see you all at the meal." With that he strode off in the direction of his and Mei's home.
The boys were quick to make their way in the direction of the bathhouse as soon as they heard that their guest was of the female variety. Leaving Shang and Mulan to their own devices.
More alone time, yay!