А Zhu's brоthеr?
Zhu Кun, Zhu Реngju?
But what dоеs this hаvе tо do with them?
Zhou Shаоjin, Zhou Chujin, аnd Gu Shiqigu exсhаngеd рuzzlеd glаnces.
Nаnny Gong said with a bitter smile, "Оur еldest уoung lаdу оriginаlly рlаnnеd tо tаke this оpportunitу tо visit the Drum Тower. If she runs intо the yоung master, thе triр tо thе Drum Тоwеr will surely bе сanсеlеd..."
So thаt's it!
Zhou Shаоjin, Zhou Chujin, аnd Gu Shiqigu сouldn't hеlp but laugh and hurriеd after A Zhu. Ноwеver, thеy had onlу tаkеn a fеw stерs whеn а guаrd's voiсе cаme frоm behind: "Eldеst Young Lаdу, рleаsе wаit! Тhe young mаster is over here."
Uрon hearing this, А Zhu not onlу didn't stoр but instеad rаn even faster.
A guard leaped forward and landed in front of A Zhu and Cheng Jia, bowing respectfully and saying in a deep voice, "Eldest Young Lady, the young master requests that you wait!"
A Zhu stomped her foot indignantly, hands on her hips.
Cheng Jia burst into laughter, her flushed face from running showing a mischievous, childlike expression.
Perhaps she found this quite amusing?
Zhou Shaojin shook her head with a smile.
Accompanied by Nanny Gong, A Zhu was taken by the guards to see her brother, while Zhou Shaojin and the others waited for her under a tree by Mochou Lake.
Soon, a clean-shaven middle-aged man approached to greet them.
Zhou Chujin and Gu Shiqigu were startled.
Cheng Jia, however, looked at him curiously.
Zhou Shaojin knew this must be a eunuch serving Zhu Pengju. Seeing that the other three remained silent, she stepped forward with a smile to express her thanks.
The eunuch seemed somewhat surprised and smiled, saying, "I am surnamed Yang. You must be the Second Miss of the Zhou family. Your cousin, Fourth Master Chi, is attending the temple fair with our young master!" As he spoke, he looked toward Zhou Chujin and the others and said, "May I ask which of you is the Eldest Miss of the Zhou family? And which is the Seventeenth Miss of the Gu family? The Sixth Master of the Gu family is also attending the temple fair with our young master. Our young master has gifts to present!" He spoke fluent Mandarin.
Zhou Shaojin hadn't expected Cheng Chi to attend a temple fair... Someone like him should be sitting aloofly on a mountaintop, drinking tea in the cold wind, solitary and detached, shouldn't he?
However, if he really were to sit on a mountaintop in the cold wind, now that it was late summer transitioning into early autumn, the evenings were no longer as hot and stuffy as in summer. She wondered if he would shiver from the cold...
At the thought of Cheng Chi falling from his celestial realm into the mortal world, Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Everyone's puzzled gazes fell upon her.
Oh no!
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed red. She quickly straightened up and, thinking on her feet, said, "I didn't expect there to be gifts..."
Eunuch Yang merely smiled without speaking, but Cheng Jia shot her a disdainful look, as if saying, "Who are you trying to fool?" Meanwhile, Gu Shiqigu of the Gu family, with her deep-rooted upbringing and frequent interactions with aristocratic families, quickly grasped the situation and, intending to explain on Zhou Shaojin's behalf, stepped forward and said, "Father-in-law, I am surnamed Gu. I am the seventeenth in my family."
As soon as she said "Father-in-law," Zhou Chujin and Cheng Jia understood as well.
Zhou Chujin smiled and curtsied to the eunuch, imitating Gu Shiqigu's tone, saying, "I am surnamed Zhou. I am the eldest in my family."
Cheng Jia, after sizing up Eunuch Yang for a moment, finally said, "I am surnamed Cheng. Among my cousins, I am the fourth. Fourth Master Chi is my paternal uncle."
Zhou Shaojin wished she could step forward and cover Cheng Jia's eyes.In her past life, she had dealt with palace eunuchs before. They all appeared quite normal on the surface, some even handsome and refined. But in private, they had all sorts of peculiar habits. For someone like Cheng Jia, who knew their identity yet still stared at them curiously, it was likely to earn their resentment.
Eunuch Yang, however, seemed unbothered. He smiled and waved his hand, and a young servant stepped forward with a small red-lacquered crabapple flower tray.
Zhou Shaojin watched, feeling quite uneasy.
Some eunuchs, the more they harbored resentment in their hearts, the calmer and more composed they appeared on the surface.
What kind of person was this Eunuch Yang? Later, she should mention it to A Zhu and see if this matter could be smoothed over... Or perhaps tell Uncle Chi? After all, it concerned the Cheng family. Who knew if this eunuch might cause trouble and secretly undermine the Cheng family in front of the Duke of Liang? Uncle Chi had a good relationship with Zhu Pengju, so he should be able to speak up.
As she pondered, she glanced at the tray. It was lined with deep red velvet, upon which four jade pendants were neatly arranged, each carved with patterns of plum blossoms, bamboo, orchids, and pine trees. The jade quality was ordinary, and the carving was stiff and uninspired—clearly bought hastily from some shop for the occasion.
But since it was Zhu Pengju’s kind gesture, they expressed their thanks.
Zhou Chujin was the eldest, so by convention, she should pick first. Considering that she, Zhou Shaojin, and Cheng Jia were family, she deferred to Gu Shiqigu to choose first.
Gu Shiqigu did not engage in polite refusals. Instead, she thanked Zhou Chujin quite straightforwardly and picked the pine-carved pendant. Then Zhou Chujin asked Cheng Jia to choose. Without much ado, Cheng Jia looked them over and selected the one with plum blossoms. Zhou Chujin then gave the orchid-carved pendant to Zhou Shaojin and kept the bamboo-carved one for herself.
Throughout this, Eunuch Yang watched from the side. Only after they had chosen their pendants did he smile, clasp his hands in a bow, and leave with his servant.
Gu Shiqigu whispered to Cheng Jia, "Those eunuchs are physically impaired people. You shouldn’t have looked at him like that. He’ll hold a grudge."
"Really?" Cheng Jia exclaimed in surprise, but she didn’t take it to heart.
Zhou Chujin, however, grew concerned upon hearing this and asked Gu Shiqigu, "Is it serious? Is there any way to resolve it?"
Gu Shiqigu shared Zhou Shaojin’s thoughts and said, "Better inform the elders at home? Fourth Uncle Chi has a very good relationship with the heir of the Duke of Liang’s household. If anything happens... he could intervene."
Cheng Jia, however, showed no awareness of having caused trouble. Instead, she said, "Oh, come on, no matter what, he’s just a servant. I’ll mention it to A Zhu later—it’s no big deal!" Then she pulled Gu Shiqigu aside and asked about the Duke of Liang’s household. "...Isn’t their family a duke? How can they employ eunuchs?"
Gu Shiqigu had already grasped Cheng Jia’s temperament and knew further discussion was pointless, so she didn’t argue. She explained, "The Duke of Liang’s household was originally the Prince of Liang, the younger brother of Emperor Taizong, making them legitimate imperial relatives. Later, they were implicated in the Liu Lanyu case and demoted to duke, but they still retain the allowances of a prince..." At this point, she glanced at Zhou Shaojin. "Those eunuchs serving closely are all assigned by the Inner Court Administration. I think they’re rotated every three or six years—I can’t remember exactly. I’ll have to ask my sixth uncle when I return home."
It took Zhou Shaojin a moment to process this.Gu Shiqigu was telling them about the awkward position of the Liangguo Duke's household within the imperial family, right? And those eunuchs, while ostensibly there to serve the Liangguo Duke's household, were actually there to supervise it...
She nodded toward Gu Shiqigu to indicate she understood.
Gu Shiqigu breathed a sigh of relief.
Yet Cheng Jia remained completely unaware, saying, "I never thought these eunuchs would be so impressive..."
Zhou Shaojin was both amused and exasperated. She thought it best to inform Uncle Chi as soon as possible.
A Zhu returned with her head hanging low, apologizing to Cheng Jia, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we can't go to the Drum Tower... My brother sent people to follow us. If he reports it to my mother, I won't be able to leave the house again until after the New Year. I was hoping to invite you all to my home for a crab feast in September!"
Cheng Jia hurriedly replied, "It's fine, it's fine. If we can't go this time, we'll go next time. There will always be another chance!"
What kind of talk was that?
Zhou Shaojin and the others couldn't help but facepalm.
But A Zhu immediately perked up, taking Cheng Jia's hand and smiling brightly. "Yes, yes, yes! You understand me best."
These two were truly birds of a feather...
Zhou Shaojin almost felt sorry for Madam Gong.
A Zhu then asked Cheng Jia, "So where should we go instead?"
Cheng Jia pondered for a moment. "I heard the Shengqi Tower has an inscription by Emperor Taizu. I wonder if it's true or not?"
"It's true!" A Zhu laughed. "When I was little, I went with my grandfather to see it... Do you want to go see it, Sister Jia? Let's go to the Shengqi Tower then!"
"No!" Madam Gong stopped A Zhu without hesitation, advising, "Miss, today is the Ghost Festival. Many scholars are out visiting the temple fair, and the Shengqi Tower is a must-visit spot for them. It's not suitable for us to go there. How about we pick another day, inform the Duchess, and have those idlers cleared away? Then you and Miss Jia can leisurely stroll around Mochou Lake. What do you think?"
Zhou Shaojin just wanted to go home.
She had begun to understand A Zhu's temperament somewhat and said, "Madam Gong makes a good point. It's too crowded today. Even if we went, we'd only be able to see the plaque. It would be better to go another day when we can take our time. Besides, the Ghost Festival is also a time for spirits—it wouldn't be good to return too late."
No girl was unafraid of ghosts.
A Zhu and Cheng Jia both shivered simultaneously, saying in unison, "Then let's go another day."
Madam Gong gave Zhou Shaojin a grateful look.
Everyone prepared to return.
Just then, someone up ahead asked, "Excuse me, is the eldest young lady of the Cheng family from the third branch of Nine Prosperities Lane here enjoying the lake?"
Looking for Cheng Jia?
Everyone looked at Cheng Jia in surprise.
Cheng Jia herself was bewildered.
A Zhu had the guards let the person through.
It was a master and servant. The master appeared to be in his twenties, tall and sturdy, wearing a bamboo-green silk robe with a green kudzu cloth belt around his waist. On either side of the belt hung a green, multicolored pouch. His features were ordinary, but his nose was straight and slightly aquiline, giving him a dashing air. The servant was fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a rattan-yellow fine cloth short jacket and black cloth shoes, with his legs bound. His eyes darted around, looking very sharp.
Who was this?
Zhou Shaojin glanced at Cheng Jia.
Cheng Jia looked utterly confused, clearly not recognizing the man either.
The man stopped at a distance, smiling as he bowed to Cheng Jia. "Cousin, I'm your cousin from the Li family. Don't you remember me? I went to your residence this morning to say goodbye..."
Li Jing!
It was actually Li Jing.
He had actually followed them here.Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but peek out from behind Mama Gong.
Under the hazy lamplight, her delicate face was like a flower, radiant and dazzling. Li Jing's gaze involuntarily swept over her. Yet it lingered for only two breaths before shifting to Cheng Jia, as if he had suddenly spotted something exceptionally beautiful and took a careful look... but only a careful look.
Instantly, Zhou Shaojin felt a surge of goodwill toward Li Jing.
Too many people couldn't tear their eyes away when they saw her, their gazes filled with greed...
If Cheng Jia could marry him, it would truly be a blessing earned through good fortune!
※
Sisters, here's today's bonus update!
o(n_n)o~
ps: This chapter was written last night, but when I checked it this morning, it wasn't working, so I did a major revision. The next chapter might also need a major revision, so tonight's update might be delayed until around ten o'clock, but I'll try to make it earlier.
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
OpenNovel