Bruised (A Fengqing Fanfic)

Chapter 10: epilogue

After raising her hand for silence, Ling Wen held a hand out to a row of silky robes laid on a large table, each beautiful in their own right. "Which is the highest quality?"

Zheng Min, a quiet boy from Mu Qing's palace, was flushed red, put off by having to do things in front of everyone. But aside from being one of Mu Qing's best deputies, he was the only one Mu Qing trusted completely with his clothes.

Feng Xin did have a squire he trusted with his clothes, and no one in the crowd thought Feng Xin dressed badly. Most people could tell the difference between fabric quality by touch, even if they weren't a specialist, so this seemed like they'd both get it right.

"Isn't it just up to taste in the end?" murmured Xie Lian, eating melon seeds.

"Xianle," scoffed Pei Ming. "You've never bought gifts for a lover, have you? Of course, there's more than taste involved. You can't just buy whatever's most expensive."

Each outfit was labeled with the price and where the garment was from. Carefully, the two checked the garments, touching and unfolding, looking at embroidery and beadwork. Feng Xin's disciple wrote his answer down and handed it over while Zheng Min looked uncomfortable.

Flushed, he glanced up at Ling Wen, lips twisting, and he seemed like he would rather die than approach her, but he did, leaning across the table and speaking with her quietly.

Ling Wen looked at him and then put two fingers to her temples. Momentarily, one of her clerks appeared. The clerk looked at their scroll, the garments, and then their scroll again. Another clerk appeared with a scroll, and after some discussion, Ling Wen straightened.

"It seems this garment, though it was sold to us as being from Kaifeng, cannot possibly be from Kaifeng as this orange color is only available in Leifeng and the cloud pattern sewn into it is a distinct trademark of a Leifeng shop."

"Who wins, then?" demanded a god as Zheng Min tried to retreat to his brother's disciples, getting a lot of enthusiastic pats on the back.

"It was unfair, so it shouldn't count!" said a goddess.

"But he has the greater knowledge, so it should go to Xuan Zhen's squire!"

"As the fault was with the materials and information from my Ling Wen Palace, I cannot, in good faith, count this round," said Ling Wen, which many people in the crowd had issues with. Some of them had money riding on this, so it mattered to them.

"My clerks will prepare another garment-based test," said Ling Wen. "In the meantime, let's continue with the next round.

Next was a selection of desserts.

Mu Qing's fiercest deputy official was Wen Qiu. He was also an incredible chef, but the ox Feng Xin's palace sent out was Yan Dalei, a former baker who regularly cooked for Feng Xin's palace of brutes. This might be something.

"Please list ingredients from each dessert," said Ling Wen. The entire palace was silent, and it was a little ridiculous that these many immortals were silent just to watch two young men take bites of dainty, colorful treats.

While Wen Qiu and Yan Dalei tasted lovely cakes, Mu Qing looked over where Feng Xin was frowning and watching.

As if feeling his eyes, Feng Xin looked over. He scratched his hairline and smiled a little sheepishly; the furrow between his brows smoothed away. Feng Xin approached the ribbon that separated their two sides, and Mu Qing went to meet him, heart thudding.

When they both met on either side of the ribbon, Feng Xin reached across it and touched Mu Qing's cheek, getting him to smile. Maybe half the crowd began watching this instead. Truthfully, they'd all momentarily forgotten that this competition was between two people who were about to get married. The Heavenly Court was so used to them fighting that everything had been tense, but now they all remembered.