Blossom

Dou Zhao's attitude was extremely resolute, and in the end, Ji Shi left disappointed.

Ji Lingze couldn't help but softly ask her aunt, "Does Cousin Dou have a very poor relationship with her stepmother?"

Ji Shi had brought Ji Lingze to Zhen Ding to attend Dou Zhao's coming-of-age ceremony with another purpose in mind.

Ji Lingze was already engaged to the Sixth Young Master of the Han Family from Huzhou. The young master had been studying in the Capital, and Ji Lingze's wedding was scheduled for October this year, which was also one of the reasons she had come to the Capital early. After her marriage, Ji Lingze would reside in the Capital with her husband. The Wei Family would complete their mourning period next July, after which they would surely quickly set a wedding date with the Dou family. When Dou Zhao came to the Capital, she would have a companion. Moreover, Ji Lingze was exceptionally intelligent, having studied under her learned aunt who had returned to her parents' home after being widowed. She was poised and clever in all her dealings. The Han Family was also an official family, with two members currently in office—one serving as a county magistrate in Huguang and the other as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, overseeing national water conservancy projects.

For Dou Zhao to associate with Ji Lingze would bring only benefits, no drawbacks.

Now, hearing Ji Lingze's words, which seemed to carry some misunderstanding of Dou Zhao, Ji Shi didn’t want her to mistakenly think Dou Zhao was unfilial. So she quietly recounted the past grievances to Ji Lingze.

Ji Lingze was stunned and sighed after a long pause, "If it were me, I doubt I could remain calm either!"

"Indeed!" Ji Shi sighed. "So some things can't entirely be blamed on Shou Gu." She added, "It seems I'll have to return for a while next year to help Shou Gu prepare for her wedding."

Ji Lingze laughed and said, "Aunt, you treat Cousin Dou so well!"

"Of course," Ji Shi replied with a smile, gesturing. "I've watched her grow from this tiny little thing to what she is now—it's no different from having my own child." She continued, "She's been alone and pitiable since childhood. In the future, you must treat her as your own cousin."

"Understood!" Ji Lingze playfully linked arms with her aunt. "You're being a bit too partial. First, you had Jianming acknowledge her as a cousin, and now you want me to do the same. Luckily, Mengchun isn't here—if he were, would you have him recognize her as a cousin too?"

Ji Mengchun, also known as Ji Yang, was Ji Yong's cousin. Though not as renowned as Ji Yong, he was more amiable and steady in his actions, earning higher esteem among the younger generation of the Ji family.

Ji Shi declared matter-of-factly, "Naturally!"

Ji Lingze couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Then do you know that Jianming has written 'Dou Si' on a slip of paper and placed it on his study desk? He looks at it and mutters about it several times a day before he starts studying."

Ji Shi was shocked. "What happened?"

"Thirteenth Uncle saw it when he visited Jianming," Ji Lingze explained. "He didn’t dare ask Jianming directly, so he questioned Zi Shang and Zi Xi for information." Her expression grew serious. "Zi Shang and Zi Xi didn’t hide anything. They said Jianming resolved to take the imperial exams because of Cousin Dou's taunts. They also said Jianming never loses to anyone but keeps suffering setbacks with Cousin Dou. When Thirteenth Uncle heard I was coming to Zhen Ding, he asked me to find out what exactly is going on between Jianming and Cousin Dou. He’s worried Jianming might act impulsively and play tricks on her, causing rifts between relatives and making things difficult for you with the Dou family.""Is there really such a thing?" Ji Shi frowned deeply. Upon returning to the Capital, her first action was to summon Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang for questioning.

Dou Zhengchang grew anxious upon hearing this and said, "This matter... should we inform Father? Given Jianming's temperament, it might not necessarily be Fourth Sister who provoked him!"

Dou Dechang, however, was unconcerned and laughed, "If Cousin Ji had the upper hand, why would he look so furious? I think it's best we pretend not to know for now. After all, we’ve been studying at Shuntian Prefecture School these days, and if he makes any moves, we’ll surely notice as long as we’re vigilant. The examinations are approaching, and if this matter causes any further trouble for Cousin Ji, it would be our fault."

Ji Shi found her younger son’s reasoning sound and nodded slightly, repeatedly instructing both sons, "Keep a close watch, and we’ll address this after Jianming finishes the Metropolitan Examination. It would be best if this knot could be untied; if not, we’ll have no choice but to seek help from your great-grandfather."

The two nodded and began discreetly observing Ji Yong in their daily lives.

Ji Yong, however, seemed completely unaware. He studied diligently every day, rising at the crow of the rooster and working late into the night, skimming through five years' worth of current essays. By the ninth day of the second month, without even paying respects to the Ji family ancestors, Zi Shang and Zi Xi went out to select a finely crafted examination basket, packed his usual writing tools, some food, and entered the examination hall. By the time Ji Qi and others arrived, Ji Yong was already gone.

Ji Qi stamped his foot in frustration, scolding Zi Shang and Zi Xi for their thoughtlessness.

Zi Shang and Zi Xi, having borne the brunt of Ji Yong’s misdeeds countless times, knelt trembling and begged for mercy, though they weren’t truly afraid. They knew that unless Ji Yong gave his approval or they offended the family patriarch, no one else in the household would punish them.

True to form, Ji Qi merely sighed a few times before letting Zi Shang and Zi Xi rise.

After the three examination sessions concluded, Ji Qi dared not ask how his son had performed—if his son felt confident but ended up failing, he would lose face in front of his father and might avoid him even more; if his son felt he had done poorly, all his hard work would seem wasted, and he would still feel humiliated. So Ji Qi avoided the topic entirely, mentioning only that Han Shi, knowing he had taken the exams, had rushed over from Yixing to personally cook his favorite dishes and was waiting for him at home.

After some thought, Ji Yong followed Ji Qi back to Yuqiao Hutong.

Ji Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Yong had been raised by the Ji family matriarch from birth, and as he grew older, he stayed close to the family patriarch. Han Shi had fewer opportunities to see her son than even Ji Yong’s pages, leaving her feelings toward him complex.

She took pride in Ji Yong, yet sometimes felt this son of hers didn’t truly belong to her but to the Ji family—as if he had merely borrowed her womb to be born. Occasionally, she even thought, "If only he weren’t so brilliant..." But she never dared voice such thoughts, and Ji Yong’s affairs were beyond her interference. She could only hold his hand and ask about his daily needs.

If even the couple felt this way, the rest of the Ji family naturally avoided overstepping. They treated Ji Yong as if he had merely stepped out for a visit, asking about everything except the imperial examinations.Actually, Ji Yong felt he had performed quite well in the exams and was confident of ranking within the top five. He really wanted to discuss it with someone, but since no one brought it up, how could he mention it himself?

Even if he did, they would probably just smile perfunctorily and say things like, "You're sure to be named on the Golden List."

If only Dou Zhao were here.

She would definitely ask him what the exam questions were, how he answered them, and might even question why he answered that way.

Thinking of this, he recalled Dou Zhao’s bright, almond-shaped eyes—always full of energy, never seeming tired.

His mother’s cautious inquiries suddenly made Ji Yong feel particularly disinterested, even deeply frustrated.

He wasn’t the type to endure grievances for the sake of harmony, so he simply stood up, said impatiently, "I’m going back to my room," and strode off.

Han Shi sighed.

She really had nothing to say to this son of hers.

Lying in bed, Ji Yong’s thoughts drifted to the small camphorwood box in the study of the Shuntian Prefecture School residence.

He instructed Zi Shang, "Go and fetch that box for me."

Zi Shang obeyed and left.

On his way back, he encountered Han Shi.

Feeling unsettled, Han Shi had called Ji Lingze over for a chat.

Seeing Zi Shang out so late, she asked him about it.

Zi Shang, being someone Ji Yong trusted, naturally knew his place. He respectfully stepped forward to answer.

Though puzzled, Han Shi didn’t press further.

Early the next morning, she went to her son’s room to help him pack, only to find he had already left for the Shuntian Prefecture School residence.

"Why so early?" Han Shi was disappointed.

The maidservant attending Ji Yong’s room hurriedly explained, "Madam, the young master said the books at Shuntian Prefecture School are mostly the Four Books and Five Classics, along with current essays and Eight-legged Essays. Since he won’t need them anymore, he decided to give them all to the two young masters of the aunt’s family. He arranged for them to come and move the books—it’s not that he plans to stay there."

Hearing this, Han Shi brightened and asked the maid, "So, does that mean he did well in the exams?"

The maid, not daring to answer definitively, stammered, "This servant doesn’t know. Last night, the young master returned and paced around the house until Zi Shang came back before he finally rested."

Han Shi paused, her gaze inadvertently catching a glimpse of the corner of a camphorwood box peeking out from beneath Ji Yong’s blue square pillow.

She walked over, pulled it out, and opened it.

Inside was a camphorwood hairpin.

A simple long pin, its body intricately carved with various camellias—some budding, some still in tight buds, others in full, unrestrained bloom. The craftsmanship wasn’t particularly refined, nor was the material especially luxurious, but the design was strikingly novel. Moreover, while wooden carvings often exude an air of rustic elegance, the flowers on this pin clustered together, each seemingly vying to outshine the others, creating a dazzling, almost radiant effect.

The carver’s skill was ordinary, but the designer’s artistry was extraordinary!

This judgment suddenly surfaced in Han Shi’s mind… followed by a memory of Ji Yong as a child, standing on a small stool at the garden pavilion’s large drafting table, painting the camellias in their home…She couldn't help but gasp sharply, snapping the box shut with a "pop." Urgently, she asked the maid, "What is this..."

The maid smiled and replied, "This is the box Zi Shang sent over yesterday." Then, looking puzzled, she added, "Last night, I clearly saw the young master put it away in the chest. How did it end up under the pillow..."

Han Shi's head buzzed, and an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her.

She carefully placed the box back where she found it and hastily instructed the maid, "Don't let the young master find out anyone touched his things." Then, she hurried back to her inner chamber and instructed her wet nurse, Granny Han, "Wait by the Hanging Flower Gate. The moment the young master returns, come and inform me immediately."