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Chеng Jia giggled dismissivelу, tаking her hаnd and saying, "Gоod sister, dоn't be angrу. I'll dо аnуthing tо mаkе it up to уоu!"
Zhou Shаоjin sаid irritablу, "Thеn givе me yоur mаid Cui Нuan?"
"That wоn't do!" Cheng Jiа wаsn't аngry аt all, still smiling as she sаid, "Ноw abоut I givе уоu mу 'Аutumn Tung'?"
Аutumn Тung was Сheng Jiа's favoritе zither.
Shе асtuallу wаntеd tо give this zither to hеr!
Zhou Shaojin was verу surprised and finаlly loоked Сhеng Jia squаrely in the face.
Cheng Jia's smile gradually faded, her expression turning serious. She let Zhou Shaojin stare directly into her eyes and said candidly, "Shao Jin, I know I was wrong. I'll do anything to make it up to you!"
She spoke so earnestly that Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.
For a moment, the two stood facing each other, the atmosphere tense.
Zhu Zhu hurried over, putting one arm around Zhou Shaojin's shoulder and the other around Cheng Jia's, laughing, "Hey! I heard the lotus flowers in your mansion have all bloomed, and I'm bored at home with nothing to do. How about one of you send us an invitation to admire the flowers? Everyone here is invited, how about that?"
Zhou Shaojin felt very ashamed.
Today, she was half the hostess, yet instead of entertaining her friends, she was here quarreling with Cheng Jia. What kind of situation was this?
Fortunately, there were Zhu Zhu and Gu Shiqigu—they were true friends who came to help her when she was in a difficult situation!
She glanced gratefully at Zhu Zhu and smiled, "Then let's punish Cousin Jia to host! She has plenty of fine wine and delicacies; we simply must go and mooch a meal off her to be satisfied."
Zhu Zhu, Gu Shiqigu, and the others all laughed heartily.
Cheng Jia patted her chest, "No problem, leave it to me. I'll send out invitations to everyone as soon as I get back."
"Then we'll be waiting!" Gu Shiqigu chimed in cheerfully, looking delighted.
The two Miss Guos pursed their lips and smiled, clearly still very interested in going out as guests.
Zhou Shaojin watched and sighed inwardly.
The Guo family's young ladies were too reserved.
If Uncle Chi married a girl from the Guo family, two taciturn people together—how dreary life would be!
In the end, the Shen family won the dragon boat race.
Shen Qingyun was overjoyed and said he wanted to treat everyone to drinks.
"Everyone" referred to those who had private rooms in the Misty Tower.
Everyone congratulated him one after another.
Zhu Pengju tried to pull Cheng Chi out for drinks.
Cheng Chi politely declined.
Zhu Pengju wouldn't take no for an answer. Knowing that Old Madam Guo was in the adjacent private room and relying on the close friendship between their families, he came over with a cheeky grin to pay his respects to Old Madam Guo, asking her to agree to let Cheng Chi go out for drinks with him: "Zi Chuan must be worried about you. I'll have our Chief Steward personally escort you back; what could Zi Chuan possibly still be concerned about!"
Old Madam Guo chuckled and called Cheng Chi in, saying, "Si Lang, why don't you go out and have fun with them? I have Er Ya here to keep me company!"
In front of outsiders, Old Madam Guo usually referred to Zhou Shaojin as Er Ya.
Cheng Chi thought for a moment and smiled, "It's not that I don't want to drink with Pengju; I just have some matters to attend to here. Once I'm done, I can come find you—it won't be too late." The last sentence was directed at Zhu Pengju.Zhu Pengju's eyes flickered with a hint of strangeness as he smiled and said, "Do you have a guest? Why not invite your guest to join us for some fun! Could it be that Qingyun is reluctant to spare a bit of wine?"
"Not at all," Cheng Chi replied with a laugh. "We have business to discuss, and it's at a critical moment. Don’t cause trouble for me now. Let me see off my guest first."
Zhu Pengju could say no more and repeatedly urged Cheng Chi with several "You must come" before finally leaving.
Old Madam Guo hadn’t expected Cheng Chi to have a guest. With a somewhat apologetic expression, she said, "Then go attend to your matters! I’ll be fine with Shaojin accompanying me."
Cheng Chi smiled at Zhou Shaojin and said, "Take good care of Mother," before rising and heading to the private room next door.
Zhou Shaojin recalled how Cheng Chi had closed the door when she went to find him earlier, and her curiosity grew intense.
As she left, she couldn’t help but glance toward Cheng Chi’s private room.
The door remained tightly shut, with Lang Yue standing guard outside, ready to serve.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin and Old Madam Guo approaching, he hurriedly bowed respectfully and whispered to Zhou Shaojin, "Fourth Master has gone to see off the guest and will return shortly!"
Zhou Shaojin’s heart jolted.
What kind of guest would make Uncle Chi pretend he was still entertaining in the private room?
Since this person was so important, why had Uncle Chi brought them to Qingyan Tower in the first place?
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t make sense of it, and as she exited through the side door of Qingyan Tower, she couldn’t help but look around restlessly.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she craned her neck to peer toward the bustling street outside the alley, as if she had spotted something or someone unusual. This caught Old Madam Guo’s attention, who turned to look and asked, "Shaojin, is something wrong?"
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment but couldn’t suppress the shock in her heart. She said, "I think I saw someone familiar. Please wait for me a moment—I’ll go take a look!"
With that, without caring how Old Madam Guo might view her, she dashed to the mouth of the alley.
Outside, the crowd surged.
Zhou Shaojin searched for a long time before finally spotting a familiar face in a green robe in front of a stall selling incense and candles.
It really was him!
Shi Kuan, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial after the Fourth Prince ascended the throne.
Zhou Shaojin remembered him not only because he later became the emperor’s most trusted confidant but also because he didn’t resemble a eunuch at all.
Shi Kuan was not only scholarly in appearance but also eloquent, graceful, and possessed an exceptional demeanor. Those who didn’t know him would assume he was a well-read scholar.
This was also why Shi Kuan was criticized by the Grand Secretariat but favored by the emperor.
Why would he appear here?
He would later become someone capable of influencing the emperor’s decisions!
Zhou Shaojin urgently called out to Chunwan, saying, "Quick, go find Uncle Chi! Hurry!"
Chunwan didn’t know what was happening but responded in a panic, "Yes," and swiftly ran back into Qingyan Tower.
Old Madam Guo watched with a grave expression, her brow furrowed, but she asked nothing. Instead, she sent her attendants back to Qingyan Tower to wait, keeping only Nanny Lu by her side.
Before long, Chunwan returned, saying, "Second Cousin, I couldn’t find Fourth Master!"
Shi Kuan had also left the incense and candle stall, gradually disappearing into the distance.
Zhou Shaojin’s shoulders slumped.Shi Kuan was a member of the Fourth Prince's former residence. In her previous life, she had heard people say that back then, many saw the Fourth Prince as neither here nor there, a simple and dull man. They all found ways to transfer to other princes' households. Only Shi Kuan stayed behind.
Not only did he stay, but he also took over the duties of the chief steward, managing both internal and external affairs for the Fourth Prince, effectively becoming his chief steward.
If Uncle Chi could befriend Shi Kuan at this time, how wonderful that would be!
She listlessly lowered her head and said disappointedly, "Then let's go back!"
Chunwan nodded and stepped forward to support her.
Old Madam Guo asked softly, "What happened?"
Zhou Shaojin never dared to lie in front of Old Madam Guo. But this matter was truly impossible to explain, so she picked out a part and said, "I saw someone who seemed to be a high-ranking official in the court that Father mentioned, so I wanted Uncle Chi to meet him and see if it really was that person. If so, Uncle Chi could also act as host."
For a family to prosper, connections are important.
Old Madam Guo was still a bit puzzled and asked, "How did you recognize him?"
Zhou Shaojin had no choice but to say, "I saw him before when Father returned."
Old Madam Guo nodded thoughtfully.
Zhou Zhen's success today was not solely due to the Cheng family's connections. He must have befriended others as well.
Perhaps the person Zhou Shaojin mentioned was someone supporting Zhou Zhen behind the scenes.
Thinking of the reason Cheng Chi kept Zhou Shaojin, Old Madam Guo accepted her explanation.
She asked no more and smilingly returned to Nine Prosperities Lane with Zhou Shaojin.
After attending to Old Madam Guo and helping her rest, Zhou Shaojin returned to Floating Emerald Pavilion, freshened up, and waited for news from the Listening Oriole Hall.
It was not until the third watch sounded that Chunwan rushed in breathlessly, saying, "Second Miss, Second Miss, Fourth Master has returned!"
Zhou Shaojin hastily threw on a vest and went to the Listening Oriole Hall.
There, lights twinkled like stars as Huaishan supported the slightly tipsy Cheng Chi over.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin standing at the entrance, everyone was taken aback.
Cheng Chi even chuckled lightly.
His laughter was extremely cheerful as he said, "What are you doing here so late? I've already spoken with Li Jing about Cheng Jia's matter... He didn't expect Cheng Jia to seek him out, just exchanged a few words with her..."
She wasn't here for that!
Since he had taken charge, he would naturally handle everything properly.
Zhou Shaojin grumbled inwardly. Seeing his unsteady steps, she didn't know how much he had drunk outside and couldn't help feeling a bit distressed. After a moment's thought, she still stepped forward to support Cheng Chi's other arm, saying, "Uncle Chi, why did you drink so much today? Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow! Hurry back inside, have a bowl of sobering soup, and get some sleep!"
When Zhou Shaojin's hand touched him, Cheng Chi stiffened slightly, but he soon relaxed, allowing her to support him. He shifted his weight toward Huaishan and said, "It's nothing! I was in a very good mood today, so I drank a few extra cups. This little wine won't get me drunk."
Brother-in-law Liao Shaotang was just like that.
He usually didn't drink, but if he drank too much, he would say this little wine wouldn't get him drunk.
Zhou Shaojin smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons, as she helped Cheng Chi into the room.
Further ahead was Cheng Chi's inner chamber.
Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment.
But unexpectedly, Cheng Chi said to Huaishan, "Just put me on the luohan bed. The air in the main hall is better."Huaishan glanced at Zhou Shaojin and respectfully replied, "Yes," then called for servants to attend to matters.
Soon, the mosquito-repelling mugwort incense burner was lit, the cooling mat was laid out, water for washing the face was brought, and sobering soup was served.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help much, so she sat there watching Qing Feng attend to Cheng Chi as he drank the sobering soup, washed his face in the inner room, changed into fresh clothes, and then lay down on the Luohan bed with the cooling mat. He pointed to the embroidered stool in front of the bed and said, "Come sit here!"
Perhaps the light was too bright—he rested one arm over his forehead and closed his eyes.
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Should I blow out the lamp for you?"
He murmured a low "Mm."
Zhou Shaojin left only the floor lamp in the corner.
Cheng Chi, however, mumbled, "It’s too hot," and turned over.
Zhou Shaojin asked Huaishan for a fan and sat on the embroidered stool, fanning him.
※
Dear readers, here’s today’s bonus update!
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (The novel Jinling Spring will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, along with a 100% prize draw for everyone! Open WeChat now, click the "+" in the top right corner, select "Add Friends," search for the public account "qdread," and follow it. Hurry up!) (To be continued ~^~)
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