Blossom

Without Chen Jia's consent, Huzi came to see Jiang Yan, and his gaze couldn't help but flicker when he saw her.

He stammered, "Miss Jiang, our master just received news yesterday that he's been promoted to Assistant Prefect of the Imperial Bodyguard."

"That's wonderful!" Jiang Yan's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. "Being transferred from the Pacification Office to the Imperial Bodyguard means he won't have to deal with those prisoners anymore. Amitabha, truly the Bodhisattva's blessing!"

Huzi looked as if he wanted to cry but had no tears left.

Jiang Yan was taken aback. "Is there something unusual about this?"

Huzi immediately put on a mournful expression. "Miss Jiang, think about it—which department in the Imperial Bodyguard is the most important? Of course, it's the Pacification Office. But our master was doing just fine there, and now he's been quietly transferred without a word. Don't you think there must be something fishy about this?"

Jiang Yan's face paled as a possibility occurred to her.

She hesitated to speak.

After all, Huzi was Chen Jia's attendant. How could she speak ill of her own brother in front of him?

After a long silence, Jiang Yan asked, "Then... how can I help Master Chen?"

Her voice was as thin as a thread, sounding very fragile.

Huzi shifted his feet uneasily and muttered, "I just wanted to ask Miss Jiang to put in a word with the Young Lord, so our master won't be ostracized by his colleagues like before... Those days were truly unbearable."

"I understand," Jiang Yan nodded, though her heart was filled with confusion.

If Chen Jia was indeed suffering because of her, wouldn't her brother become even angrier if he found out Chen Jia had sent someone to plead with her?

But she couldn't just stand by and watch Chen Jia suffer unjustly either!

Restless, she spent the whole day thinking at home until she remembered Jiang Lizhu.

Twelfth Sister is so clever—she would surely know what to do!

She hurried to Dou Zhao and said she wanted to visit Jiang Lizhu.

Dou Zhao, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Yan and Chen Jia, couldn't possibly miss Huzi's visit.

She was somewhat disappointed in Chen Jia. Seeing Jiang Yan's eagerness to confide in Jiang Lizhu, and knowing Jiang Lizhu was steady, generous, and considerate, she thought it would be good for Jiang Yan to have someone to talk to. So she asked no questions and simply smiled, instructing the maids to prepare for Jiang Yan's visit.

The Wu family, eager to honor Jiang Lizhu, treated the matter with great importance. When Jiang Yan arrived, not only did the Jiang family's matriarch reward her with a gold hairpin, but the gesture also left Jiang Yan blushing with embarrassment, her gaze full of apology toward Jiang Lizhu.

Jiang Lizhu comforted her, "If you feel uneasy, just remember to send a gift for any future Wu family events."

This was something Jiang Yan could certainly do.

"Of course, of course!" She sighed in relief and hid away with Jiang Lizhu to discuss Chen Jia's situation.

Jiang Lizhu was astonished.

She hadn't expected Dou Zhao to never mention Chen Jia to Jiang Yan and to have secretly demoted Chen Jia despite his apparent promotion. It was clear that Song Mo and Dou Zhao disapproved of this match.Jiang Lizhu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She first praised Jiang Yan: "It's good you didn't rashly go to plead with cousin. Given his temper, he would surely think Chen Jia was unwilling to accept his fate and was using you to intercede. Then Chen Jia wouldn't just be transferred to the Imperial Bodyguard as an Assistant Prefect—he might be sent to some remote military garrison as a Captain or even lower." She continued, "Cousin and his wife aren't narrow-minded people. Since they've already punished Chen Jia, as long as he doesn't make any more mistakes, they won't keep targeting him. You can rest assured! Minister Chen is capable. In a few years, when this storm blows over, his career will brighten again."

Jiang Yan listened with tears falling. "But it's all because of me that he's suffering! I've heard that official promotions depend heavily on seniority. After sitting idle for these years, his seniority won't compare to others', and future promotions will likely be affected... Had I known this, I shouldn't have asked about uncle's affairs. I found peace of mind, but I've harmed Minister Chen!"

Jiang Lizhu quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, consoling her: "Just don't see Minister Chen anymore from now on."

Jiang Yan nodded repeatedly, but a thorn seemed to lodge in her heart, making her uneasy.

After barely spending half a day at the Wu residence, she returned home.

Within the Imperial Bodyguard, everyone assumed Chen Jia was making way for Liu Yu, while secretly speculating whether he had offended Song Mo. Their attitude toward him gradually shifted from flattery to cautious observation, which annoyed Chen Jia greatly. Liu Yu, however, who vaguely knew some inside information, treated Chen Jia with great respect. The two smoothly completed their handover, and Liu Yu even hosted a farewell banquet for Chen Jia at the Drunken Immortal Tower. Shi Chuan then sent a trusted subordinate to personally escort Chen Jia to his new post at the Imperial Bodyguard office. Seeing this, the Imperial Bodyguard members realized Chen Jia still had powerful backing, and they took turns hosting welcome banquets for him. The flurry of social activities lasted four or five days before settling down. Only then did Chen Jia belatedly discover that Huzi had gone to see Jiang Yan.

He broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

Jiang Yan couldn't keep a secret to save her life. With Huzi making a scene like this, she would surely go plead with Song Mo. If Song Mo thought he could manipulate Jiang Yan, he'd skin Chen Jia alive!

He immediately took up a paddle and gave Huzi a sound beating: "Since when do you make decisions for me? How dare you go see Miss Jiang behind my back! Do you think the Duke of England's Mansion is someplace you can come and go as you please? If I don't teach you a lesson, who knows what disaster you'll bring down on us!"

Huzi gritted his teeth and refused to beg for mercy. "If not for Miss Jiang, would you have been driven out of the Pacification Office?"

"Still talking back!" Chen Jia administered twenty more strokes. "Without the young master, could I have entered the Pacification Office in the first place? Now just because I've suffered a little setback, you can't take it and go shouting everywhere—is this how someone destined for great things behaves? Do you want me to stay in this Assistant Prefect position until I die?"

Only then did Huzi feel remorse.

Determined to reform Huzi's temperament, Chen Jia left him in the courtyard without care, changed clothes, and went to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Unable to request an audience with Jiang Yan directly, he used Li Liang's affairs as an excuse to speak with her, asking Duan Gongyi to relay the message.

Having heard Jiang Lizhu's advice, Jiang Yan found it very reasonable and had been wanting an opportunity to counsel Chen Jia to focus on his duties. Upon hearing Chen Jia wished to see her, she immediately received him in the Small Flower Hall.Chen Jia met Jiang Yan and immediately asked anxiously, "Have you pleaded my case with the Young Lord yet?"

Jiang Yan felt somewhat embarrassed and replied guiltily, "N-not yet..."

Chen Jia sighed in relief and quickly said, "Good, that's good!"

Jiang Yan was puzzled. "Didn't you want me to intercede with my brother?"

"No, no," Chen Jia hurriedly explained. "That was all Huzi acting on his own." He then recounted the whole story.

Jiang Yan tried to console him with Jiang Lizhu's words: "...My brother isn’t the type to hold grudges against people. After some time passes, it’ll all blow over."

Song Yantang wasn’t the type to "hold grudges against people"? Who else could possibly be called "the type to hold grudges against people"?

Chen Jia found this amusing, but he couldn’t show it in front of Jiang Yan, fearing she might press him for an explanation. So he simply nodded along with a smile and said, "Yes," before revealing the purpose of his visit: "Matters outside are very complicated. Not just for an inner-household woman like you—even someone like me, who’s used to navigating official circles, has to think twice before speaking when things come up. If you ever encounter such situations in the future, don’t interfere, understand?"

Jiang Yan was stunned.

Realizing she was as naive as a blank sheet of paper and that his words might not convince her, Chen Jia thought for a moment and added, "Although I lost my position as the Pacification Officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Garrison Command this time, I was compensated with a hereditary Captain rank. This was likely the result of negotiations between the Young Lord and Minister Shi behind the scenes—not some punishment from the Young Lord as you imagined. Huzi doesn’t understand these things and just blabbers nonsense. Don’t listen to him." He then sighed in relief, "Luckily, you didn’t immediately go to plead with the Young Lord this time. Otherwise, it would’ve turned into a huge joke."

His words left Jiang Yan flushed with embarrassment.

She had mistakenly believed Chen Jia was suffering because of her, and now she could only imagine how he must be laughing at her for her naivety. She wished she could vanish into the ground. In a voice thick with shame, she muttered, "I understand," and turned to leave.Chen Jia noticed her expression was off and, in a moment of urgency, called out to Jiang Yan. But when Jiang Yan obediently stopped and lowered her head, waiting for him to speak, he found himself at a loss for words as he gazed at her lustrous black hair. Yet saying nothing was even more inappropriate, so he stumbled awkwardly, "Did I speak too harshly? I only meant it for your good—please don’t take it to heart. You tend to overthink things, keeping everything bottled up inside. Sometimes, the more one dwells on something alone, the easier it is to imagine the worst. Before anything even happens, you scare yourself. I know you don’t feel at ease in this household, but First Madam Wu seems quite straightforward. If you ever have any troubles, you might discuss them with her..." As he spoke, he grew increasingly uneasy. His original intention had been to encourage Jiang Yan, knowing he might not see her again, hoping she’d face future challenges with more courage. Yet his words had somehow twisted into criticism. She was already sensitive—now she might even shed tears. Hastily, he backtracked, "But you handled this situation very well. You didn’t immediately go to the Young Lord. I only just learned about this matter myself. At the time, I thought, ‘This is it—the Young Lord will surely misunderstand.’ Yet you remained so composed and didn’t say a word to him. Meanwhile, here I am, rushing over in a panic, looking rather ridiculous..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Yan, who had been standing quietly, suddenly turned and ran.

Chen Jia was dumbfounded.

He hurried after her.

But just as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, Duan Gongyi stopped him. "Zan Zhi, I relayed this message to you because Madam permitted it. If you barge into the inner quarters like this, it would hardly be gentlemanly."

Sweat beaded on Chen Jia’s forehead, but he forced himself to calm down.

Right!

He couldn’t afford to be entangled with Jiang Yan any longer.

If Song Mo or Dou Zhao found out, even a non-issue would become a scandal!

The thought struck him like a bolt of panic, and he grabbed Duan Gongyi’s sleeve. "Brother Duan, what did you just say? That my meeting with Miss Jiang was approved by Madam?"

Duan Gongyi nodded.

Chen Jia felt his legs give way beneath him, nearly stumbling to the ground.