Yan Wanning

Biodata

Background

Yan Wanning’s father, Yan Chengyuan, died on the battlefield, and the dukedom passed to her second uncle. Her mother died of illness when Wanning was five. Orphaned, she grew up cautiously under her uncle and aunt’s care; after the old duke’s death, there was no one left to restrain their mistreatment 8.

Before her death, Wanning’s mother entrusted her dowry and Yan Chengyuan’s belongings to Wanning’s uncle and aunt, to be returned when Wanning married. They instead spent or withheld much of the inheritance 40 41.

Appearance

Yan Wanning is a petite, slender woman noted for her delicate beauty and graceful bearing 2 9 37.

• Hair: Long, glossy black hair 3.
• Complexion: Fair, smooth skin 3 9.
• Features: A charming face and bright, expressive eyes 3.

Personality

Wanning is gentle, courteous and easily embarrassed, but she is also affectionate with people she trusts. She initially hoped for a merely respectful marriage, having assumed that Si Yunqi was unlikely to devote his heart to one woman. As they grew closer, she openly expressed her affection and her unwillingness to accept a concubine 1 7 24 28.

Her compassion is matched by practical judgment. She helped refugees directly, then devised a fundraising banquet that appealed to donors’ reputations. Although usually soft-spoken, she can be firm: she challenged Bai Lian’s treatment of An Yingying and confronted her relatives over her inheritance 14 17 41.

Skills

Poetry and riddles

• Defeated Gu Shuang in a flower-themed poetry exchange at the Sun family’s banquet 9 10.
• Solved snake and chicken riddles at Yucheng’s night market, winning rabbit and horse lanterns 37.

Embroidery and sewing

• Embroidered a pouch for Si Yunqi and tied it around his waist 25.
• Made him a gold-woven brocade robe with her name embroidered over the chest; it took her two or three months to complete 45.

Organization

• Planned a charity banquet that secured money and supplies for displaced people. She arranged shelter, clothing, food and medical care, while Steward Mu recorded contributions and their uses 17 18.
• Received the storeroom keys for the prince’s capital residence from Nanny Cheng 39.

Possessions

• Purple jade bangle — A Si household heirloom traditionally given to daughters-in-law, presented by the Old Princess Dowager 4.
• Rabbit — Given to Wanning by Si Yunqi during an outing; she kept it as a pet 7 8.
• Golden butterfly hairpin — A gift Si Yunqi bought on his return from Yucheng 25.
• Ice-blue jade hairpin — A New Year’s Eve gift from Si Yunqi 47.

Relationships

• Si Yunqi — Husband and Prince Anbei. Their marriage was arranged by imperial decree, but they developed a close, affectionate relationship 1 28 29.
• Old Princess Dowager — Si Yunqi’s grandmother, who welcomed Wanning as a granddaughter, defended her and supported her refugee-relief plan 4 17.
• Xiao He — Wanning’s maid and close attendant, who accompanied her north and helped check her inheritance against its inventory 2 41.
• An Yingying — A close friend whom Wanning met at the Sun family’s banquet. Wanning later comforted her over her troubles with Gu Qingshi and gave a jade bracelet for her unborn child 10 23 35.
• Yan Yuqin — Her cousin, who accompanied the wedding procession north and carried her out at her wedding 2 3.
• Duke Yan and Chen Shi — Her second uncle and aunt, who raised her but mistreated her and appropriated much of her parents’ property 8 40 41.
• Yan Wanwen — Her cousin and Chen Shi’s daughter, who resented Wanning’s marriage and later tried to seduce Si Yunqi 1 49.
• Yun Yin — A guard who protected Wanning, including catching her when she fell near the lotus pond 10.

Story

Marriage and life in the north

Emperor Zhaoyuan ordered Wanning to marry Si Yunqi and depart for the Northern Borderlands within three days. She welcomed the decree as an escape from the Duke Yan Household. After the journey north, she married Si Yunqi and was warmly received by his grandmother 1 2 3 4.

At the Sun family’s flower-viewing banquet, Wanning defeated Gu Shuang in a poetry game and befriended An Yingying. She later met more of Si Yunqi’s companions at Fragrant Fullness Tower 9 10 13.

Refugee relief

After fighting broke out, Wanning encountered displaced families in Ningguan City. She gave a freezing infant her cloak and hot-water bottle and took the family to a clinic. She then organized a banquet to solicit donations, contributing 100,000 taels herself. Within three days, she arranged huts, bedding, meals, clothing and medical care; a stele recorded the donors’ names 16 17 18.

Return to the capital

Wanning and Si Yunqi left the Northern Borderlands after bidding farewell to the Old Princess Dowager and their friends. During the journey, a physician confirmed that Wanning was pregnant after she suffered vomiting, exhaustion and weight loss 35 36.

In the capital, Wanning returned to the Duke Yan Household to reclaim her parents’ belongings. Xiao He’s inspection found less than half the inventoried property in the chests provided, and Si Yunqi ordered the couple to return everything within three days 39 41.

At New Year, Wanning suspected Yan Wanwen was pregnant and later concluded that her relatives had tried to drug Si Yunqi so they could pass the child off as his and force him to take Wanwen as a concubine. The attempt failed 47 49. Wanning subsequently attended the emperor’s birthday banquet with Si Yunqi 50.