3

-

Zhao Jiayi

-

They had come so soon, catching us all of guard and giving each of us so little time to prepare.

Not even so much a note, a letter, a messenger to get ahead of them....

Nothing!

Luckily Zhen-Ting and I had already spoken to each other about how we were going to be dressed, but it surprised me when Ai-Li showed up not long after us.

I would've thought that she would have taken longer to prepare and present herself. Eh, no matter, she looked beautiful anyways.

"He said to wait outside until the others have arrived. I'm assuming he'll have you lined up by age order...Ah-Zhen, stand on the side; you're not part of this."

Zhen-Ting nodded and sat down at the table bench, I did the same with a sigh, glancing up hopefully at my eldest sister.

"Jie-jie...are you ready? This could finally be it!" Sister Ai-Li twisted a strand of loose hair absent-mindedly. "Or this could not be...I'm twenty-one Ah-Yi, I might as well join a monastery and live a life of solitude, what's the point if this doesn't work?" I rose form my seat and grasped her shoulders comfortingly. "Don't speak like that. The only reason that Father would accept something like this was for you...he finally realized that he can't keep you locked in Qi Zhao Manor forever. You'll get married; don't doubt it." Sister Ai-li only smiled her thanks before sitting beside us.

The next two to arrive were the twins, the youngest of us seven. Shenzhen ran up the stairs and leapt at us with a laugh, only Ai-li had jumped slightly. "Are they finally here?" Ai-Li nodded, realization finally coming over her as she turned to face both I and Zhen-Ting. "Jiayi...Zhen-Ting, don't tell me you'll be going in there to greet the guests like this?" I glanced down at my clothing. The midnight blue dress I had decided to wear was nothing close the ones the others were wearing, it was rather plain but also my favorite to wear when practicing with Zhen-Ting, who happened to be all in black as she more often than not was.

I smiled and nodded, Cousin Zhen-Ting only smirked.

"It's all part of the plan Ai-Li...all eyes must be on you. This Li Xiao person needs to see the woman who matters most when we all go in there." Little Wen-Ling voiced her agreement as she finally joined us.

"The others will be here in a moment...then we could all go in." Shenzhen grinned. "Then you could be at the end of the line!" Her twin sister frowned. "Stop boasting at the fact that you were born minutes before me...they mean nothing, it wasn't even a different hour!" I could only shake my head in amusement at their dispute. "You two are making more of a fuss than usual...you are not even of age as of yet so there's no need for any of it! Just don't embarrass the rest of us once we all go in there."

"Who would embarrass the family?" Every head turned as the second eldest of us came with the fifth. I tensed, a frown marring my calm demeanor as they joined the crowd. Shenzhen sat down. "No one...where is Lili?" One by one the girls shrugged, I did the same and second sister Roaxi only sighed. "She'll be late, we might as well go in." Ai-li shook her head. "No, we all have to go in together...she'll be here, don't forget she just recovered from the injury." Roaxi walked towards the stairs. "Then we'll never go in."

I exhaled slowly with futile attempts. "Why must you be so impatient...if you wanted her to be here so quickly why didn't you go back and help her walk here...she could barely stand yesterday." Second Sister Roaxi huffed.

"And why didn't you? And while you're over there go change...we're welcoming members of the Imperial family, not merchants of your class." My fists tightened as I glared at the jade hairpiece she wore. "One, you are just as much a merchant's daughter as I am...two, that hairpiece was mother's gift to me, why are you wearing it...and three, this whole visit is for Ai-LI, why are you trying to compete with her?" Roaxi crossed her arms mockingly at my frustration. "I am borrowing it Ah-Yi, I promise I won't keep it forever."

Fifth sister Qiu-Yue sensed the rising tension and forced out a laugh. "You two have been like this for a week, both of you are acting worse than the twins."

I sighed and forced myself to sit back, it would not be a good impression on the family to see sisters bickering upon their arrival. I rushed out quickly as I saw Lili's figure appear on the path, Ai-Li following shortly behind to help aid her. Lili smiled weakly. "Thank you..." I glanced over her worriedly. "Are you feeling any better?" Third sister nodded, tightening her grip as she tripped over a pebble.

"Careful...be careful...." We climbed up slowly, the rest of the girls crowding around once we arrived.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?

"We could just say you are sick...that isn't a lie."

"Lili...don't stress your body like this.

Lili only laughed at us all. "I'll be fine, let's line up to go in alright?" Hesitantly we did so, standing in order of our birth. Ai-Li glanced behind her before calling out our names one by one. "Roaxi, Lili, Jiayi, Qiu-Yue, Shenzhen, Wen-Ling....Zhen-Ting?" We answered respectively, Zhen-Ting being the same age as me stood by my side...yet not in the line.

Cousin Liang-Jie walked up to us. "Are you all ready...like this?" He pointed skeptically at myself and his sister, we simply glanced at each other, grinned and nodded. Liang-Jie exhaled and looked on in disbelief. "Alright then, wait a moment."

-

Li Xiao

-

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, waiting for the girls to walk in as the man named Liang-Jie went out to summon them. I couldn't help the dread that tugged at my chest subtly.

I had no choice, one of the Zhao daughters would be my future wife, and there was no way I could avoid it. Silently I glanced at Mei who sat across from me, yet she was too occupied staring at the entrance.

And then they walked in.

No exaggeration, the rumors were true. Seven beauties, lining up one by one in the center of the hall like goddesses sent by the Jade Emperor.

I was exaggerating of course, some were more beautiful than the others. But the difference from most was their skin, it was bronzed, darker than all the others and a clear witness to their Persian heritage. Dark curled hair instead of the straight ones, fuller figures and more intimidating stances.

Wait...that girl.

She stood at the center, looking all too familiar in the way she stood and the way her eyes danced around the room.

Elder brother Jin spoke up and drew me from my thoughts. "The stories were in no way made up...your daughters are beauties." Zhao Ren-Yi laughed heartedly. "Your flattery is appreciated...these are my daughters General Xiao....Introduce yourself." One I assumed as the eldest stepped forward and bowed.

"I am Ai-Li." He could do nothing but stare as the next stepped forward "I am Roaxi."

"Wo shi Jiayi..."

I stared at her confused, trying my best to put a finger on where I had seen such a face before, but the memory escaped my grasp as the next stepped forward. The last ones stepped forward as well: Qiu-Yue, Shenzhen, and Wen-Ling.

Wait...

The beggar-girl.

Zhao Jiayi was the beggar-girl from Chang'An. That same girl was the daughter of Zhao Ren-Yi?

"People like me, poor...we may be the kindest people around and yet we have nothing...how much would I sell for, enough to have him respect me, or little enough to still have to bend down when he walks around."

Her words had lodged themselves in my mind...and now I found her.

I couldn't help the small smile spread over my lips.

-

Tang Zhen-Ting

-

Jiayi's hands were trembling, I could tell from where I was standing how nervous she was. Could the others as well?

I didn't know which of the three men General Li Xiao was, but it mattered not. Every one of the men fit the profiles painted in my mind by the various stories. I was at a distance, yet that whichever one was Li Xiao, at least Cousin Ai-Li husband would be both handsome and powerful, there could be no doubt of it.

Jiayi turned to steal a glance at me, surprised to see me already looking at her. I smirked, fully aware that she was thinking the same thing I was as we waited patiently.

"These are my daughters, Zhen-Ting is also one of them." I nearly jumped as Uncle mentioned me, quickly taking the cue as I walked over to the line and stood between Jiayi and Qiu-Yue and bowed as they did.

From the corner of the room the Imperial matchmaker spoke up, we had nearly forgotten that he was there. "Now that we all are here, the Imperial order is best to be read immediately."

With his nod a servant walked up, handing him the gold and silk decorated box containing it. Quickly Uncle and the guests all rose from their seats, moving to the center of the hall before bowing to the ground. We did the same, an evident air of nervousness hanging densely over us. It only became thicker once he began to read.

"I have heard many praises concerning the Zhao family of Luoyang, and when looking into it, it has seemed to me that these words were too little to describe such a virtuous household. I can think of no better family to marry my dear nephew Li Xiao into. Therefore, I am sending him to Zhao Ren-Yi's manor to choose among the seven daughters as to who he will marry. I am sure that whichever one returns with him will indeed be a woman of Godly talents and character. I am sure that Master Zhao will agree to this arrangement...by the blessed Emperor himself."

I looked over at Jiayi, finding her already staring at Eldest Cousin herself with a small smile on her face. I fought back my own, still more than excited to finally give Ai-Li an escape from the name spinster.

We bowed our heads to the ground twice in kowtow. "Shi...We thank the blessed Bixia." And with that we rose to our feet, every ]one returning to their positions as Jiayi shifted closer to Ai-Li and grasped her arm tightly. She only laughed silently.

Uncle nodded his approval, sitting back with a contented sigh before speaking once more. "Let's go to the dinner hall shall we...I am sure you must be hungered after the journey..."

The daughters and I split in half, four of us on either side of the hall to make way as Father asked for the guests to exit first. All the others kept their heads bowed but me as one by one they left...yet one paused right before Jiayi.

Hesitantly she glanced up.

"Jiayi...am I correct?"

She could only nod

"Nice to meet you...I am Li Wu-Ji." She smiled in response, most likely in relief to find out that he wasn't the Li Xiao. "Nice to meet you as well." He grinned. "We'll be close friends I'm sure...sit next to me at the hall alright?"

Then she gasped as he winked and walked out chuckling.

Eldest sister Ai-Li lifted her head and giggled, reaching over to slightly nudge her shoulder. "It seems that there'll be two people leaving here...not just one." All but Roaxi laughed. And when she looked at me, too bad I was laughing as well.

-

Jiayi was too immersed in her own thoughts to realize what conversations occurred around her, I could tell. But I was the opposite, silently listening as I did my best to gather information from the silent discussions, and for what? I did not even know the answer to that myself.

The dining hall was bustling with the Zhao family and their guests trying to acquaintance themselves; the maids scurried about making sure that the wine cups were never empty and that all went smoothly. We were hosting the Imperial family, any mistake in execution could cause the annihilation of the entire household, and it all rested on my shoulders.

Uncle had set me in charge of the maids in the manor.

Quietly Jing, one of the maids, approached me quietly and leaned down to my ear to speak. "Should we bring the instruments now or later?" I frowned, setting down my cup and glancing at my uncle in hopes that I would catch his attention.

When he finally glanced my way, I signaled my question, to which he simply shook his head. I turned back to face the Jing. "Not yet, but stay at the entrance and wait until I give you a signal for you and the others to get them." She nodded, bowing silently before doing what I had told her.

I returned to my relaxed position at the edge of the group, perfectly content with being far away from the others. I had no place with my cousins, no matter the fact that Uncle had formally adopted me or even that the girls all considered me as a sister...I hated it, and only Jiayi seemed to understand to what extent I disliked being tied down with a name I was never born into.

I was not a Zhao...I was a Tang.

And that was the difference between me and big brother, he would always do whatever he could to live up to his name as the formal son of Zhao Ren-Yi, that was because Uncle need him. Liang-Jie was adopted in order to be the son of the Zhao household, to carry one the name. The only reason I was adopted was because of my brother, to whom I felt both gratefulness and a tinge of resentment.

To me, Zhao Ren-Yi was just an uncle, a kind, gracious uncle who took the two of us into his home but would never replace the father I had grown to love before his death.

"Tell me about your daughters Master Zhao...please." Uncle laughed warmly, straightening his posture with pride since he would get to boast about his precious ones, especially Jiayi, his favorite. "As it's been told, I had married an Persian prince's daughter...My Cheng-Er was fortunate in giving me seven daughters...but both she and my infant son were taken from me too soon..."