"The eldest son of the Hua Clan..." Mei Jiu pondered for a moment before exclaiming, "Ah! Could he be the Privy Council Commissioner?"
Yao Ye nodded with sparkling eyes, "Exactly! His future prospects are truly limitless."
The Privy Council and the Secretariat-Chancellery were known as the Two Departments, the most centralized government institutions of the Song Dynasty's political power. The Secretariat-Chancellery handled civil affairs while the Privy Council managed military matters. However, the Privy Council didn't oversee troop management—it only held authority over troop deployment.
The Privy Council Commissioner was a deputy position, with ten appointed officials. Although the Privy Council governed military affairs, its highest-ranking officials and deputies were all scholars.
"Young Master Hua attained such a high-ranking position at a young age purely through his own merits, not by relying on his ancestors' influence." Seeing Mei Jiu's lack of enthusiasm, Yao Ye began listing the virtues of this outstanding talent. "There are always many taboos between the emperor and powerful ministers. With the Hua Clan wielding such overwhelming influence at court, His Majesty must be deeply wary. If this Young Master Hua weren't truly a rare genius, why would the emperor appoint him?"
An Jiu didn't understand much about politics but found Yao Ye's reasoning quite persuasive. She also privately congratulated herself on her good judgment of character.
Mei Jiu remarked, "What does it matter? They say those obsessed with power schemes are cold-hearted. His wife passed away barely a year ago, yet he's already taking a new bride—proof enough of that saying."
Yao Ye sighed, "My lady, for someone of his stature to remain unmarried for a whole year already shows considerable devotion."
Mei Jiu disagreed, "If there were no children, perhaps. But his late wife left him with two. For childhood sweethearts, one year of mourning hardly counts as devotion."
Seeing she couldn't sway Mei Jiu's heart, Yao Ye changed tactics. "My lady, opportunities like this are rare. Most daughters of our family don't marry outside. Elder Zhi has only accepted you as his disciple in all these years. Even if ordinary families took a liking to you, you'd have no chance to marry out. In all the world, apart from the imperial palace, you can only marry into the Hua Clan. Isn't this exactly what Yan Niangzi and you wished for? Becoming the second wife of the Hua Clan's eldest son is no disgrace."
"You... have a point."
Having read numerous poetry collections, Mei Jiu had developed a sentimental nature. While she could discuss others' romantic affairs with great insight, this young girl in the bloom of youth had no real understanding of marriage. Mei Yanran had neglected this aspect of her education.
As for An Jiu—she had even less concept of it.
Remembering An Jiu's earlier questions about the Hua Clan, Mei Jiu asked Yao Ye, "How many legitimate sons does the Hua Clan have?"
"Oh, there are many!" Yao Ye thought carefully. "So many! The Hua Clan is currently divided into twelve branches. Their ancestral home is in the north—only two branches reside in Bianjing, both extremely prestigious. Just counting these two branches, there are about ten."
Noticing Mei Jiu's attentive expression, Yao Ye elaborated on Hua Zihong's lineage. "Young Master Hua's father previously served as the Crown Prince's tutor and now holds the position of Chief Councillor in the Secretariat-Chancellery. He has three legitimate sons: the eldest is Hua Rongtian, the second is named Zimiao with the courtesy name Rongjian, and the youngest is named Ziping with the courtesy name Rongjun."
"You gathered all this information so quickly?" Mei Jiu's eyes widened.
"I already knew much about the Hua Clan's affairs," Yao Ye replied with a smile. "Speaking of which, among the Chief Councillor's three sons, Hua Rongtian is the most outstanding. The second son Hua Rongjian is just a wastrel. I've never heard anything about Hua Rongjun—probably quite ordinary."
Hearing the implied meaning in Yao Ye's words, Mei Jiu flushed red. "His excellence is his own business—what does it have to do with me?"When first love blossoms, there's often a sense of admiration. Just by repeatedly praising someone in her ears, it's bound to have an effect.
Yao Ye didn't fully grasp this principle, but she knew that speaking well of Hua Rongtian in front of Mei Jiu was always the right move.
"This servant will go inform Yan Niangzi first," Yao Ye suggested tentatively.
Mei Jiu didn't stop her. She was accustomed to having things arranged for her. After hearing Yao Ye's words, she even thought that marrying under such circumstances might indeed be a good choice.
After dinner, Mei Ru Yan came to seek Mei Jiu's guidance on her studies.
"A bone injury takes a hundred days to heal," as the saying goes. She still had one arm in a sling and had lost a considerable amount of weight. Her already small, palm-sized face had become even smaller.
"Mister Mo must be very strict with his demands," Mei Jiu remarked.
Mei Ru Yan's smile remained as bright as ever. "I can't always let him have the upper hand. These past few days, I've managed to leave him speechless with anger every time. Seeing his face darken is truly satisfying!"
Mei Jiu laughed. "You! Angering him will only end up hurting you in the end."
"You're right. That man may look like an immortal, but he's got a black heart. When it comes to revenge, he doesn't spare any thought for the teacher-student relationship." As Mei Ru Yan spoke of Mister Mo, her phoenix eyes sparkled. Though she was talking about unpleasant matters, not a trace of displeasure showed on her face.
Thinking it was just her nature, Mei Jiu said, "Try to be a bit softer when you can. Didn't Mister Mo say he doesn't hit women?"
Mei Ru Yan grinned. "He may not hit women, but I'm determined to break that rule of his. Let's see how long he can hold back!"
Yao Ye, who had been serving nearby, finally began to see the underlying dynamics.
After chatting for a while, Mei Ru Yan brought up some difficult points from her books. Their discussion was so engaging that Mei Jiu almost invited Mei Ru Yan to stay for a heart-to-heart talk late into the night, had An Jiu not intervened in time.
Yao Ye had someone escort Mei Ru Yan out and then turned back. "Young Mistress, it seems Shishi Niang feels differently about Mister Mo."
To Mei Jiu, they were just teacher and student, so she didn't immediately grasp Yao Ye's implication. Naively, she asked, "How so?"
"Horny," An Jiu succinctly provided the answer.
"Ah!" Mei Jiu covered her mouth, too shocked by the news to notice the crudeness of An Jiu's words. "But they're teacher and student!"
Yao Ye assumed she had just realized the situation. "So, Young Mistress, you might want to gently bring it up occasionally. Mister Mo may be eccentric, but his demeanor is excellent. Shishi Niang is still young, and with them spending so much time together, it's inevitable that some unusual feelings might develop."
After a moment, Mei Jiu calmed down. "I will."
She added, "Yao Ye, you're so knowledgeable."
"You flatter me, Young Mistress." Yao Ye didn't dare accept such praise. She was merely a few years older, and anyone with even a slight understanding of romantic feelings could see through Mei Ru Yan's expression—it wasn't that her perception was particularly sharp.
"This is all so messy," Mei Jiu sighed. "I've heard too many things today, and my mind is stuffed full, a chaotic mess that can't even think straight."
An Jiu praised, "Idiots usually can't think. The fact that you realize it is truly impressive."
"..."
Yao Ye comforted her, "No rush. Take your time to sort through your thoughts."
Such a contrast in handling the same situation!
"Can't you speak properly like Yao Ye does?" Mei Jiu was most dissatisfied with this trait of hers.An Jiu didn't think there was anything wrong with what she had said. "I've carefully considered your suggestion."
"And?" Mei Jiu had merely spoken offhandedly, not expecting An Jiu to actually take it to heart. Never had she imagined that this usually headstrong person would actually consider someone else's opinion...
"I still can't stand wasting time humoring fools," An Jiu stated.
"..." Mei Jiu decided never to offer advice again. (To be continued...)
OpenNovel