"Аh!" Сhеng Jiа еxclаimеd in dеlight, роinting at Li Jing, "I remembеr nоw... you'rе Cousin Li! Wеrеn't уоu lеаving? Why arе you still in Jinling City?"
Seeing thаt shе reсognizеd him, а glimmеr оf light flashеd in Li Jing's еуеs аs he smilеd and said, "I was оriginаlly rеady to lеave, but whilе paсking mу things аt thе inn, thе innkееper tоld mе that tоdау is the Ghоst Festivаl, аnd there аrе manу peoрle releаsing lаntеrns by Мochou Lаkе аnd the Qinhuаi Rivеr—it’s sаid tо bе vеry аusрiciоus. I thought sinсe I cаme tо Jinling Сitу, I hadn’t visitеd Мосhou Lake уet, so I brought a servаnt along... Uneхpeсtedlу, I rаn into thе guards of the Liangguo Duke’s residence. Hearing from the people nearby that they were escorting the young ladies of the Liangguo Duke’s residence and the Cheng family to release river lanterns, I asked about it... and actually ran into Cousin Jia!"
Cheng Jia giggled.
Li Jing then said, "How long will you be staying out, Cousin? I brought a few guards with me—would you like me to escort you back?"
"No need, no need," Cheng Jia replied with a smile. "The guards from the Liangguo Duke’s residence are enough. Cousin, if you have nothing else to do, you should go enjoy yourself. Besides the Shengqi Pavilion with Emperor Taizu’s calligraphy, the Baoyue Pavilion and the Mid-Lake Pavilion at Mochou Lake are also worth visiting. You might as well go take a look."
Li Jing smiled and agreed, hesitating briefly before bowing and taking his leave.
Cheng Jia let out a long sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Zhou Shaojin asked in confusion, "Why are you sighing like that?"
Cheng Jia replied curiously, "Don’t you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Zhou Shaojin asked.
"Don’t you think the way he looks at people is very sharp?" Cheng Jia said. "For some reason, whenever I see him looking at me, I feel nervous, as if I’m afraid of doing something wrong. I couldn’t wait for him to leave quickly."
How could that be?
Zhou Shaojin fell silent, wondering whether Li Jing truly wanted to visit Mochou Lake as he said, or whether he had suddenly decided not to leave after seeing Cheng Jia.
Cheng Jia had already exclaimed, "Let’s not talk about him anymore. Today is the fifteenth of the seventh month... the gates of the underworld open at midnight... we should go back early."
A Zhu nodded repeatedly. The group agreed to meet again in September before each heading home.
While Cheng Jia was being questioned by Madam Jiang about the boating trip, Zhou Shaojin was pondering how to find an opportunity to discuss Eunuch Yang’s matter with Cheng Chi. Unexpectedly, Cheng Chi sent someone to see her.
The woman appeared to be twenty-three or twenty-four years old. Though clearly a young lady, she wore her hair tied up like a married woman. She wore a moon-white silk standing-collar shirt inside, fastened with pearl buttons the size of lotus seeds, and a lotus-purple sleeveless jacket embroidered with treasure-patterned floral borders over it. She had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a dimple on the left corner of her mouth when she smiled. Though she had some charm, she was far less striking than Jiying, yet compared to Jiying, she carried a gentler and more delicate grace.
She introduced herself as Nanping.
Zhou Shaojin was greatly startled and said, "Nanping? The Nanping in charge of Uncle Chi’s needlework?"
Nanping smiled and nodded.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but examine her carefully.
She stood there smiling, allowing Zhou Shaojin to look her over. Not only was she composed, but her demeanor was also poised and dignified.
She didn’t seem like a maid at all. Even the young ladies of ordinary families lacked her presence.
Zhou Shaojin muttered to herself inwardly before asking Nanping, "I wonder what Uncle Chi needs me for?"
Nanping glanced at Shi Xiang, who was attending to Zhou Shaojin.
Understanding the hint, Zhou Shaojin made an excuse for Shi Xiang to wash some grapes and bring them in, sending her away before inviting Nanping to sit and talk."I dare not!" Nanping smiled, insisting on standing with hands respectfully at her sides before Zhou Shaojin. She said deferentially, "Our Fourth Master sent me to ask the Second Young Lady: yesterday when you went boating with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Liangguo’s household, Miss Zhu, besides your elder sister and the Gu family’s seventeenth young lady, was the eldest young lady of the third branch, Miss Jia, also present?"
"Yes!" Zhou Shaojin, worried that Cheng Jia might have gotten into some trouble, quickly replied, "She was with me the whole time and didn’t go anywhere else... Even if she did go somewhere, I would have known very quickly... at most within twenty breaths."
Nanping nodded with a smile and said, "Second Young Lady, please don’t misunderstand. Fourth Master meant no other implication." Then she paused thoughtfully and continued, "It’s like this, Second Young Lady. Yesterday, Fourth Master was boating with the heir of the Duke of Liangguo’s household. Later, he heard from the guards that they had encountered the eldest daughter of the Duke of Liangguo’s household, so the heir went after her. But when the heir returned with the eldest young lady, he ordered Eunuch Yang to buy four jade pendants, saying they were to be gifts for the four young ladies. At first, Fourth Master didn’t pay much attention, but after Eunuch Yang whispered something to the heir, the heir suddenly became very attentive to Fourth Master and even asked about the Cheng family’s affairs... Fourth Master couldn’t easily investigate what had happened at the time, so thinking that you were present, he sent me to ask."
If that were all, Cheng Chi wouldn’t have specially sent someone to ask her.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but ask, "Did Uncle Chi only say this? Was there anything else he wanted to tell me?"
Upon hearing this, Nanping gave Zhou Shaojin a deep look and smiled, "Fourth Master only asked me to confirm whether Miss Jia was among those who accompanied the eldest young lady and the second young lady that day. He didn’t say anything else."
Zhou Shaojin felt that Nanping wasn’t telling the whole truth, but she couldn’t force her. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Shaojin told Nanping about Cheng Jia sizing up Eunuch Yang and added, "I’m not sure if it’s important, but please ask Uncle Chi to help mediate if needed."
"Thank you for your concern, Second Young Lady," Nanping said with a smile, curtsying before taking her leave.
Zhou Shaojin had Shi Xiang escort Nanping out.
As Nanping left, she noticed an unfinished embroidered border tossed on the daybed in the main hall. Her gaze lingered for a moment, and she paused briefly before following Shi Xiang out the door.
Zhou Shaojin grew more and more puzzled.
If Uncle Chi only wanted to know who had accompanied her to the Duke of Liangguo’s household, he could have simply asked the gatekeeper. Why did he specially send Nanping to ask her?
Could there be some deeper meaning behind this?
Why did Uncle Chi want to know who had accompanied her?
What exactly had happened?
Unable to make sense of it, she decided to set the matter aside for now and turned her attention to Li Jing.
Zhou Shaojin asked Cheng Jia, "Has your cousin Li Jing left yet?"
Cheng Jia had been released from house arrest, but Madam Jiang hadn’t allowed her to resume her studies, so Jing’an Hall remained on break.
"Who knows," Cheng Jia groaned lazily from her bed. "My shoulders are so sore. My legs feel like they’re about to break. I don’t want to learn etiquette."
Madam Jiang had somehow found a former palace maid to teach Cheng Jia etiquette. After just one morning of lessons, Cheng Jia looked as though she had lost half her life.
Zhou Shaojin frowned slightly.
Madam Jiang must have seen that Cheng Jia had befriended A Zhu and thought Cheng Jia’s marriage prospects had broadened, which was why she had hastily hired someone to teach her etiquette.This way, Li Jing would find it even more impossible to seek Cheng Jia's hand in marriage.
But if she didn't use this method, Cheng Jia couldn't be released either!
At least now Li Jing had taken a liking to Cheng Jia just as in her previous life. As for whether Cheng Jia liked Li Jing or not... well, whoever liked the other more would have to endure a bit more hardship. In the matter between Cheng Jia and Li Jing, it was better for Li Jing to suffer than for Cheng Jia to suffer...
She comforted herself with these thoughts when Old Madam Guan summoned her and her sister for a talk.
Zhou Shaojin didn't know what had happened and went to Jia Shu Hall with her sister, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Cheng Mian and Madam Mian were also there, and everyone's faces were beaming with joy.
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin were completely bewildered.
Old Madam Guan took Zhou Chujin's hand and said to Zhou Shaojin, "Your father has written a letter saying he has received a transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel. He has been appointed as the prefect of Baoding. He will hand over his duties at the end of July and must assume his new post by late August. If time permits, he wants to return to Jinling to offer incense to our ancestors."
In her previous life, she had learned this news only after her father had already taken up the post of Baoding prefect. In this life, however, she knew about it as soon as her father received the transfer order.
Did her grandmother now think she was as steady and trustworthy as her sister?
Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed.
Madam Mian, afraid she might not understand, explained to the sisters, "Only those who pass the imperial examination can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only those from the Hanlin Academy can enter the Grand Secretariat. But to stay in the Hanlin Academy, one must pass the examination to become a Junior Scholar Candidate. When your father was previously assigned to a provincial post, if he wanted to return to the capital as a capital official, he would need a court recommendation. To receive such a recommendation, he must have the proper qualifications, and to gain those qualifications, he must serve as a prefect in places like Baoding or Jinling. Once he enters the capital as an official, with your father's abilities, he can certainly work his way up to a minor ministerial position. Chujin, Shaojin, although your father's official rank hasn't been promoted, serving in a different place will lead to different opportunities in the future."
Zhou Chujin beamed with delight, too excited to speak.
But Zhou Shaojin knew that in her previous life, her father had not entered the capital as an official. Instead, he had gone to Guangdong to serve as a provincial administration commissioner... and never returned to Jinling City again.
Was it because her actions had brought him such shame that he couldn't face his former colleagues and peers with equanimity? Or did he hold a grudge, unwilling to accept the Cheng family's assistance? For her, it would always remain a mystery.
But in this life, her father wouldn't follow the same path as before, would he?
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but tear up.
Madam Mian smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, chiding gently, "Silly child, this is a joyous occasion! Why are you crying?"
Zhou Shaojin smiled, wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and asked with a choked voice, "Then when can Father return?"
"So Shaojin misses her father!" Old Madam Guan chuckled. "He said he would hand over his duties to the new prefect of Nanchang as soon as possible. It would be wonderful if he could make it back in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly.
That night, she slept in her sister's room and asked Zhou Chujin, "Do you still remember what Father looks like?"
She could no longer recall her father's facial features, only remembering that he had kept a very handsome beard."I remember." Zhou Chujin couldn't sleep, her eyes wide open as she stared at the bed canopy, recalling, "He was as tall as Uncle Mian... with fair skin, dressed very plainly... very serious... the household servants were afraid of him... but he would smile when he saw us... when teaching me to write, he liked to hold you on his lap, watching me practice while playing with you... he would also buy kites and take us to fly them by Mochou Lake... taught me to recognize the signs on the streets... bought pine nut candy for me to eat..."
Zhou Shaojin buried her face in the pillow and wept bitterly!
Zhou Chujin also had tears streaming down her face.
This life and the previous one would surely be vastly different.
Zhou Shaojin silently swore to herself.
Although the fourth branch didn't make a fuss, each household had its own channels. Soon, news of Zhou Zhen's transfer to become the prefect of Baoding spread throughout Nine Prosperities Lane.
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o(n_n)o Haha... finally able to update on time!
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
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