Chapter 104: Disdain
At this moment, Ji Anchun, who had been playing outside, sneaked in quietly. Ji Yun hadn't seen the child in several months since his travels, but he felt it inappropriate to mention Ji Anchun among his scholarly friends. Chen Xuanqing was only sixteen and unmarried. Although An Songhuai was betrothed, marriage and children were still far off for him. Being the eldest among them yet already with a nearly two-year-old child made Ji Yun feel somewhat embarrassed, so he pretended not to notice and continued speaking with Ji Wu Shi.
Ji Anchun, clutching a mountain walnut in his tiny hand, rolled his eyes around before running toward Jinchao. He tugged at her sleeve with his small hands and said in a childish voice, "Aunt Jinchao, little walnut, there's a little walnut..."
As a young maiden, Jinchao found herself in an awkward position—neither able to withdraw nor ignore the situation—so she had remained silent while listening to their conversation. She hadn't expected Ji Anchun to grab her sleeve. She was somewhat surprised; hadn't the child been afraid of her just moments ago? Now he dared to pull her sleeve.
The sudden appearance of this little figure in the room drew everyone's attention.
Seeing him holding up the walnut with an expectant look, Jinchao smiled and asked, "Chun Ge'er, what do you want to do?"
An Songhuai interjected with a laugh, "...Perhaps he wants to give you the walnut to eat!"
But Ji Anchun shook his head seriously and said, "Chun Ge'er eats... Chun Ge'er can't open it. Aunt Jinchao opens it."
Everyone burst into laughter. Ji Wu Shi tapped his little head and said, "Such a clever little imp at such a young age!" She then instructed Mama Song to fetch the small hammer used for cracking walnuts for Ji Anchun. Jinchao also found Ji Anchun amusing as he leaned against her earnestly, staring at his walnut, waiting for her to crack it open.
Jinchao went ahead and cracked the walnut for him, carefully peeling it and feeding him piece by piece. Ji Anchun obediently opened his mouth to eat, and Jinchao showed no impatience whatsoever. When walnut crumbs stuck to the corner of his mouth, she took out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe it clean.
An Songhuai noticed the cluster of orchids embroidered on the handkerchief and couldn't help thinking, "How can someone as beautiful as her be content with such plainness? She should... she should be adorned in vibrant reds and purples to match her radiant beauty!"
Ji Yun also noticed An Songhuai's unusual behavior and grew suspicious.
He coughed a few times, still unwilling to discuss Ji Anchun, and led An Songhuai and Chen Xuanqing to the dining hall for a meal.
After the meal, Ji Yun took them to pay respects to his father, Master Ji. During his visit, Ji Yun inevitably heard about Ji Can's upcoming marriage and was overjoyed. When he congratulated Ji Can, the latter seemed somewhat embarrassed and said, "...Don't congratulate me yet. There's something I need to tell you!"
Puzzled, Ji Yun listened as Ji Can continued, "Isn't Third Sister-in-law Liu's eldest brother serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the Pacification Office in Hebei? He sent word ahead that he'll arrive in Tongzhou tomorrow for his official report to the capital. Uncle has already arranged a welcoming banquet... You'd better make a good impression and not let your brother-in-law laugh at you!"
Liu Shi's elder brother was over ten years older than her, now in his thirties. A Scholar of the Two Boards, he held a fifth-rank official position.
Hearing this, Ji Yun couldn't help but feel nervous and said, "I haven't even heard Grandmother mention it!"
Ji Can chuckled, "Grandmother is too busy these days. Uncle is handling all these matters now."
After hearing this, Ji Yun became somewhat distracted. An Songhuai teased him, "...Just meeting your brother-in-law makes you this nervous. What will happen when you meet your father-in-law? Will your legs turn to jelly?"Ji Yun said irritably, "What do you know! Liu Min, the eldest son of the Liu family, is an extremely formidable... Not only is he outstanding in the Eight-legged essay, making it difficult for us to compete, but he also has an impressive alcohol tolerance. When I went to propose marriage, he quietly poured me two pots of wine, and that night I was so drunk I couldn’t make sense of anything. He also dislikes me for being too bookish and always gives me a hard time whenever we meet..."
An Songhuai chimed in, "Seventh Young Master is right here! Let him help you."
Among their circle of aristocratic young men, Chen Xuanqing was neither the one with a hereditary title nor the wealthiest, but he was the most influential. After all, he was the son of Third Master Chen, whose power in the court was not to be underestimated. Hence, they jokingly referred to Chen Xuanqing as Seventh Young Master.
Chen Xuanqing, however, smiled faintly and said, "Although Liu Min ranked second in the imperial examinations back then, I’ve read his essays. Zizhan is certainly no match for him... And don’t compare me to him either—I won’t be involved in such matters!" He clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the willow trees in the distance, his tone calm. An Songhuai understood that Chen Xuanqing was more than eighty percent confident he could surpass Liu Min. Third place in the Northern Metropolitan Region... The top two were already over thirty. To achieve such glory at a young age—how could he be ordinary?
An Songhuai also knew Chen Xuanqing well. To put it nicely, he was aloof and had a proud spirit. To put it bluntly, he was a bit rigid. When classes at the Imperial Academy ended, their group often arranged to visit Pinfang Tower, which had entertainers and thus a somewhat unsavory reputation. Listening to songs and drinking a little wine was no big deal, but Chen Xuanqing always refused to go, citing strict family rules.
An Songhuai chuckled and dropped the subject, turning instead to Ji Yun to talk about Ji Wu Shi. "Your grandmother is truly an extraordinary woman. Even my father admires her—few in Yanjing haven’t heard of her reputation! But I didn’t know you had a cousin. You’ve never mentioned her before..."
Ji Yun smiled wryly. "You may not have heard of her, but you’ve heard plenty about her—you even mocked her once!"
An Songhuai looked puzzled, so Ji Yun continued, "My cousin is the Eldest Miss of the Gu family... Don’t you remember? The infamous Gu Jinzhao! The one who publicly slapped a maid at the flower festival. At the time, my elder brother, Seventh Young Master, and I were all at the Duke of Ding’s residence... When the news spread, you said anyone who dared marry this Eldest Miss Gu would have their hands full for the rest of their lives!"
He then turned to Chen Xuanqing and asked, "I wonder if you saw it..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xuanqing replied indifferently, "No." He had no intention of mentioning that the slap had been provoked by him.
At the time, the maid had accidentally tripped over a stone while serving tea, spilling the hot liquid not only on him but also all over herself. Seeing this, he had stepped forward to help her up. Unexpectedly, Gu Jinzhao witnessed the scene, summoned the maid under some pretext, and slapped her in front of everyone. He still remembered the maid’s hands, red from the burns, her face covered in messy finger marks, her eyes wet and swollen—yet no one came to her aid.
Chen Xuanqing glanced at the maid, feeling that even a look from Gu Jinzhao was unnecessary. If before this incident, he had merely been impatient with Gu Jinzhao, afterward, his feelings turned entirely to disgust.Bullying maids because of his status, and it was all because of him—what kind of behavior was that?
An Songhuai was astonished. "How could that be... When we saw your cousin today, wasn’t she extremely gentle?" She had even fed the child walnuts so carefully—how could she be a cruel person?
Moreover, he hadn’t expected the legendary Gu Jinzhao to be... so beautiful. Like the splendor of a blooming crabapple, breathtakingly captivating. Though she dressed so plainly, the radiance of her beauty couldn’t be suppressed, overwhelming him the moment he saw her.
Ji Yun, observing An Songhuai’s expression, finally understood what he was thinking. After all, he was a married man now and not as oblivious as before.
He glared at An Songhuai and said, "You’re already engaged—don’t even think about my cousin!"
An Songhuai muttered, "I wasn’t thinking anything..." His words lacked any conviction.
An Songhuai still found it hard to believe that this Miss Gu was that Gu Jinzhao. If she was truly like this, he couldn’t bear to say those harsh things about her anymore. Considering himself a man who cherished beauty, he couldn’t help but add, "...Men are always like this, but it’s nothing serious."
Ji Yun chuckled. "Why don’t you ask our Seventh Young Master if he agrees!"
But Chen Xuanqing said nothing and simply walked ahead. Others might be fine, but Gu Jinzhao—he wanted nothing to do with her.
By evening, Ji Wu Shi had received news of Liu Min’s arrival. Since Master Ji had already taken care of everything, she didn’t need to worry. Ji Anchun had finished his walnuts and even taken a nap in Duanhua Pavilion, waking up drowsy and still clinging to Ji Wu Shi, ignoring anyone who called him.
When Liu Shi came to take Ji Anchun back, Ji Wu Shi asked her about Liu Min.
Liu Shi replied respectfully, "My elder brother has returned to the capital for his official review. Father mentioned he might be promoted. He has done exceptionally well in pacifying the borders and overseeing military affairs in the northwest regions of Hebei. Given that he is a Scholar of the Two Boards, achieving this is no small feat."
Ji Wu Shi was very pleased and instructed Liu Shi to retrieve two exquisitely carved golden-starred sandalwood Buddha statues from the storeroom as gifts for Liu Min. Liu Shi smiled and carried Ji Anchun back, asking the nanny along the way how well-behaved he had been in Duanhua Pavilion today.
The nanny answered cautiously, "Today, Tai Furen asked Chun-ye to greet the young mistress, but he cried. Tai Furen seemed displeased... Third Madam, you must teach Chun-ye properly!" In the Ji family, anyone who displeased Ji Wu Shi would have a hard time.
Liu Shi fell into thought, but Ji Anchun tugged at his mother’s sleeve and happily chattered about eating walnuts today.
Liu Shi murmured softly, "I know I should try to please the young mistress... But if Gu Jinzhao were to marry into the Ji family, things would become difficult for me..." She left the rest unsaid—if Gu Jinzhao married into the Ji family, given how much Ji Wu Shi doted on her, wouldn’t Gu Jinzhao dominate the household? Where would that leave her? Even though she served Ji Wu Shi so diligently and thoughtfully, how much favor had Ji Wu Shi truly shown her? The thought alone made her uncomfortable!
The nanny couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Will the young mistress marry into the Ji family?"Few people knew about Ji Wu Shi's intention to have Ji Yao marry Gu Jinzhao. Liu Shi only became aware of it after catching hints in her mother's words and observing Ji Wu Shi's inclinations over time.
She didn't wish to dwell on the matter further and sighed, saying, "Never mind. If even Mother and Ji Yao can't stop it, what can I do? Let's go check on the preparations for Elder Brother in the outer courtyard instead..." With that, she headed to the outer courtyard with her maids in tow.
PS:
Thanks to Little Zhaocai, 17189376, Green Caterpillar Paipai, Seven Gauze Dances, and Bookfriend 091127163949684 for the pink votes. Thank you all! Double update today—heading off to write the second chapter now. Mwah!
OpenNovel