Yin Zhen Tea from Jun Shan

The atmosphere was tense for the rest of the tea ceremony, leaving me with a sense of guilt.

Perhaps if I hadn't attended as always, they would be able to get along. The tea tasting had continued, but there was no more joking or laughter.

The concubines were solemn and detached even when commenting on the tea, and no one would make eye contact with me. It was the ultimate ostracism. I could almost hear the funeral march playing.

Was it impossible for me to get along with the harem? Why was it that as soon as I tried to integrate into the harem, there were so many pricks and thorns? Maybe I didn't belong in the harem...

Due to the strange, placid atmosphere, thankfully, no one was interested in my opinion of the tea, so I didn't have to pretend I knew what they were talking about.

Finally, the last cup was served.

I was looking forward to making an excuse so I could leave early.

This tea also had a yellow likeness. After hearing how the other concubines justified their guesses, I was now somewhat able to tell what was a bud and what was a leaf. And right now, this cup of tea looked exceedingly familiar.

A collection of buds sat in the tea, stray bits floating at the top. Earlier, the maids had taken the buds out from a small hand-wrapped bundle and heated them up for a short moment - likely about 2 minutes. A sweet, fruity aroma wafted from the tea, and it tasted very faintly like sugarcane.

I had this tea before.

Perhaps after witnessing them give me the cold shoulder, Noble Concubine Ju turned to me and asked in a kind manner "Sister Ling, would you like to give it a try?"

I was in a slight daze, feeling a bit numb from having tasted so many teas. Although I was zoning out, I didn't want to make eye contact with any of the concubines seated opposite to me, so I merely focused my gaze on a nearby tree behind them.

What tea was it? Yellow tea... sugarcane taste... flower buds...

Slowly, I attempted to run through the booklet I had been given last night. Not far off at the outside of the pavilion, I could see Qiu Ci and Qiu Le waiting around with the other maids.

They had put in so much effort to help me succeed... surely I could get at least 1 tea correct. I didn't come here just to be dragged through the mud and leave empty handed, right?

"Elder Sister Ling, it's alright to not know the answer. All guesses are alright." Concubine Ran said faintly.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. After what she had pulled earlier, I came to realise her words had another layer of meaning. False guesses? That would just give them more ammunition to use against me.

But I indeed wasn't too sure of the answer either...

My gaze drifted over to the tray of prizes. After many thinly veiled taunts by the concubines who had won prizes before, with them deliberately picking up my brooch, making a show of it and putting it back down, my poor brooch was now upside down, buried under someone's necklace in a corner of the tray.

It wouldn't hurt to try. If I embarrassed myself again, they already didn't like me.

"Yin Zhen Tea from Jun Shan (君山银针 Jūn Shān Yín Zhēn Chá)" I said.

Noble Concubine Ju's eyes lit up, and she smiled in relief.

"Would you care to elaborate, Sister Ling?" Noble Concubine Shao asked.

Noble Concubine Shao had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the tea ceremony, and barely spoke up. I wondered if she enjoyed watching the harem spar, like older ladies gossiping at the market.

Fortunately, I had an explanation. It looked like I was right.

"Yin Zhen Tea from Jun Shan (君山银针 Jūn Shān Yín Zhēn Chá)... is very rare, and only a small portion is produced every year. It is a yellow tea, and like other yellow tea, the original standard of buds are preserved when making the tea. It is steeped for approximately 2 minutes, and has a fruity aroma, but has light sugarcane notes."

"Very good, Sister Ling! Please pick a prize." Noble Concubine Ju said.

Without hesitation, I very ungracefully took back my brooch, unceremoniously shaking the necklace off to untangle it.

"That concludes the tea ceremony. Hopefully our next agenda can help us nurture our sisterly bonds. What shall we do? Shall we recite poems?" Noble Concubine Ju said.

As she said this, the tea maidens made an entrance again and cleared the tables.

"Poems? Are there any suited for this occasion?" Concubine Lay asked.

"No, no, poems wouldn't be appropriate. Just take a look around, sisters. Depictions of famous lakeside poems are on the pavilion windows." Concubine You said.

We all turned to look, me with likely a bit more indifference.

I had no idea about poems either. Actually, I had no idea about anything women in this era liked to do. After shuffling through the previous Ling Yue's memories, I discovered she too had just passed her classes and hadn't taken any particular interest in any of the four arts.

"Shall we do painting?" Concubine Rong suggested.

Painting... now that was something I might be alright at. My painting wouldn't be up to standard and properly wouldn't look anything like what the other ladies would paint, but at least I wouldn't be clueless.

"Sisters, It's a fine day out on the lake. We rarely sit at the lake when its still frosted over. What about a qin performance to accompany the views?" Noble Concubine Shao said.

Noble Concubine Shao held a lot of power in the harem. As soon as she said this, no one dared to argue with her.

"What a wonderful idea, Sister Shao! What shall the format be?" Noble Concubine Ju said.

"An individual performance of course. We're all at varying skill levels, and the pavilion may not be wide enough for more than 2 qins side by side." Concubine Rong said.

The other concubines murmured their agreement.

"That's settled then. The maids will bring one of my qin over. It needs to be polished and carried over, so why don't we all take a break for the time being." Noble Concubine Ju said.

Everyone liked the sound of this. We had been sitting in the pavilion for ages. Getting up and taking a short walk around to stretch our legs sounded like a great idea.

Concubine Lay made eye contact with me, signalling me to come over.

I regarded her as my sole ally as she was the only person who cared to get to know me in the harem.

Just as I was about to join her to exit the pavilion, Noble Concubine Ju tugged at my sleeve delicately.

"Sister Ling. Why don't you join us? We're taking a look over there."

She gestured in the opposite direction as where Concubine Lay and I had intended to head.