Liang Chen Mei Jin

Chapter 141: Third Master Chen

Jinchao turned at the sound and saw her eldest and second uncles standing behind her. Before her eldest uncle stood a man dressed in a blue-gray straight robe, draped in a dark blue crane cloak with a pleated silk surface, wearing a Hetian black jade pendant at his waist.

Tall and imposing, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his strikingly handsome features carrying an air of refined elegance that seemed to defy the passage of time.

A faint smile graced his lips as his gentle gaze settled on Gu Jinzhao, sending a shiver down her spine. It felt as though he could see right through her, peeling back the layers of her heart.

Despite his refined appearance, his penetrating gaze seemed capable of dissecting everything, laying bare the depths of one’s soul!

When Jinchao looked at the man’s face again, she found it oddly familiar.

...If she wasn’t mistaken, this man should be Chen Yanyun—the current Minister of Revenue, Grand Secretary of the Dongge Hall, Third Master Chen.

The very same Lord Chen who had bloodily suppressed Fan Chuan’s faction just months prior and personally overseen the execution of Xu Bing Kun.

Her husband in her past life.

The one who had coughed earlier was Master Ji, who now smiled and said, “Lord Chen, this is my niece… I’m not sure why she’s here. Young girls can be rather thoughtless—please forgive her!” He hurriedly signaled to Gu Jinzhao with his eyes, but it took her a moment before she curtsied in greeting.

Her eldest uncle didn’t introduce Chen Yanyun to her—her status wasn’t high enough for that.

Chen Yanyun continued to watch Jinchao, still smiling. Just as she was about to bow and withdraw, he unexpectedly spoke, his voice deep yet soft: “...It’s fine.”

Master Ji then said, “...Then please, Lord Chen, let us proceed to the banquet and rest area to talk.” He instructed the servant behind him to brew a pot of Ten Thousand Springs Silver Leaf tea and gestured politely for Chen Yanyun to follow. In a low voice, he added to Jinchao, “Chaojie, go and inform your grandmother…”

With someone of Chen Yanyun’s stature, Master Ji’s presence alone was far from sufficient.

Jinchao acknowledged the instruction but found her uncle’s words strange. Even if she had unintentionally entered Ji Can’s study, he shouldn’t have said, “Young girls can be rather thoughtless,” as if seeking Chen Yanyun’s forgiveness.

She took another careful look at the painting of the mountain ascent. Beneath the inscription “Ascend the highest peak,” there was a red seal stamped with the words “Bamboo Mountain Hermit.”

Chen Yanyun, styled Jiuheng, also known as Bamboo Mountain.

This painting was done by Chen Yanyun himself!

She had just criticized Third Master Chen’s painting—and he had heard every word!

Jinchao felt cold sweat prickle her skin.

She had said that “Ascend the highest peak” was grand but seemed pretentious for an ordinary scholar.

But the painter was Third Master Chen! The first man in decades to enter the Grand Secretariat before the age of thirty. Among all the civil and military officials now divided under Zhang Ju Lian’s faction, who would dare underestimate Third Master Chen? For him, what was a line like “Ascend the highest peak and see how small all other mountains are”?

Seeing Jinchao silent, Qingpu whispered, “This Lord Chen must be someone important for the master to be so cautious… Miss, perhaps we should go inform Tai Furen first.”

Jinchao also found it odd. It was only the marriage of Second Master Chen’s illegitimate daughter—there was no need for Third Master Chen to come personally. Why had he come to the Ji family?

As she walked toward the eastern courtyard, Jinchao pondered the matter of Chen Yanyun.Although she had married Chen Yanyun in her past life, she truly didn't understand this man. She was familiar with Third Master Chen—though perhaps not as familiar as she was with the personal maidservants around Chen Xuanqing. In her previous life, after Third Master Chen married her, he rarely visited her quarters, and gradually stopped coming altogether. At that time, she had been only too glad for it. In her memory, she only recalled him as a man of few words, with a rather gentle temperament.

He was different from Ye Xian. If Ye Xian was a sword honed to sharpness, then he was a blade sheathed in its scabbard—his edge concealed and unassuming.

In a way, dealing with Third Master Chen was far more challenging than dealing with Ye Xian, because no one knew what lay beneath that mild-mannered exterior.

Jinchao felt that her earlier remarks could, in a sense, be considered a kind of compliment. After all, Third Master Chen was a high-ranking official, a Grand Secretariat academician. He wouldn’t bother holding her words against her. Thinking this, she felt somewhat reassured.

She returned and told Ji Wu Shi about Third Master Chen’s visit, to which Ji Wu Shi reacted with great seriousness. "...It’s just the wedding of a concubine-born daughter. Why would Third Master Chen suddenly come?" He was no idle nobleman but a Grand Secretariat grand academician. With the new emperor ascending the throne and the dynasty in transition, Ji Wu Shi hurriedly rose from the daybed to put on her shoes and called for Mama Song to accompany her to the banquet and rest area in the western courtyard.

Jinchao also wanted to see for herself. She had always harbored a question about Third Master Chen in her heart.

Following Ji Wu Shi to the western courtyard, she entered through a side door and listened from behind the half-drawn curtains.

Through the partially obscured view, she could see that besides her eldest uncle, second uncle, and Ji Yao, there were others like Ji Can, who had just returned from the bridal escort. Seated nearby were her eldest uncle’s superior, the Prefect of Tongzhou, Lord Wen, and the Magistrate of Sanhe County, Lord Sun. A few unfamiliar faces were also present, but judging by the rank badges on their official robes, they must have held positions of the fourth or fifth rank. All of them surrounded Third Master Chen like stars encircling the moon, while he sat in the first seat to the right, sipping tea unhurriedly.

When he saw Ji Can, he nodded slightly and said, "Your father-in-law is delayed by the snow disaster in Shaanxi and cannot return. He asked me to come in his stead..."

Ji Can, usually quick-witted, knelt with trepidation and stammered out, "Uncle."

Third Master Chen acknowledged with a hum and motioned for the guard behind him to present a red-lacquered tray as a gift for Ji Can. Only then did Jinchao recognize the guard as the same man from the courtyard earlier. She suddenly remembered why he had seemed familiar—in her past life, this guard had been Third Master Chen’s right-hand man, named Chen Yi. The man moved without a sound, his breathing steady and unbroken, a clear sign of formidable martial skill.

Ji Can accepted the gift without daring to look at it and withdrew at once.

Just then, Ji Wu Shi entered, and Third Master Chen stood up, cupping his hands in greeting. "I hope the elder madam is well. My mother is unable to travel, so she asked me to convey her regards."

Ji Wu Shi urged him to sit, smiling. "You flatter me, Grand Secretary! A high-ranking official of the second rank need not bow to an old woman like me!"

Third Master Chen rubbed the string of Kynam Agarwood Beads on his left wrist, his smile warm and amiable. "You are my elder."

The friendship between the late Elder Ji and Third Master Chen’s father had been deep.Beside him, Lord Wen smiled and chimed in, "The Grand Secretary is truly a man of deep sentiment. After the wedding banquet concludes, this humble official would like to invite you to my modest residence for a brief visit. Currently, the canal embankments in Baodi require repairs. I've submitted several memorials but received no response... I wished to seek your esteemed opinion."

Third Master Chen shifted his sitting posture slightly, his left hand still idly turning his prayer beads. Yet he remained silent.

The banquet and rest area fell into complete quietude, all eyes involuntarily turning toward Third Master Chen.

Only then did Prefect Wen realize his blunder—his memorials had reached the Grand Secretariat, and their rejection surely indicated underlying issues. To raise this matter directly before Third Master Chen—what must he be thinking! Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead as he hurriedly added, "Even setting such matters aside, I merely wished to invite the Grand Secretary for a few cups of wine. I've recently acquired a jar of Autumn Dew White Wine from Shandong..."

Third Master Chen lifted his gaze to meet his, smiling faintly. "Regarding the canal repairs, those matters have been delegated to the Ministry of Works, Sichuan Department Director. I'm not particularly informed on the details."

Prefect Wen naturally took the hint with an understanding smile.

Matters of court were beyond the purview of women like Ji Wu Shi. Waiting until Prefect Wen fell silent, she then said with a smile, "The Grand Secretary must be weary from his journey. This old woman has prepared a feast in the main hall—would you honor us with your presence?"

Third Master Chen replied, "I appreciate the elder madam's thoughtful arrangements. However, I must return to the capital shortly. Perhaps another day." He then summoned Chen Xuanqing from his seat nearby. "...After the wedding concludes, you must return promptly to the Imperial Academy. The spring examinations approach—do not delay your preparations."

Chen Xuanqing bowed respectfully. "Father need not worry. Your son has already had his bookcases sent ahead to the Imperial Academy by his attendant."

Third Master Chen nodded in acknowledgment before rising to bid farewell to Ji Wu Shi. Chen Yi stepped forward to drape a gray squirrel fur cloak over his shoulders. Prefect Wen and several officials wearing fourth and fifth-rank mandarin squares hurried after him, while the elder and younger uncles lagged behind. Like stars clustering around the moon, the entourage escorted him to the screen wall.

Gu Jinzhao returned to Eastern Dwelling with a troubled heart.

In her previous life, one question had remained unresolved—why had Third Master Chen married her?

Even if he sought a second wife, every noble family in Yanjing would have vied fiercely to wed their daughters to him. Marriage into the Chen Family represented an unparalleled social ascent. Let alone someone like her—a morally questionable eldest daughter in mourning attire—even the daughters of the Earl of Yongyang or the Marquis of Wuding's legitimate heirs would have been within his reach.

The mystery confounded her.

Before marrying Third Master Chen, she hadn't even met him.

Even after their marriage, they rarely crossed paths. In her memory, their conjugal relations could be counted on one hand. Most days, Third Master Chen resided alone in his courtyard, attended only by pages and guards, while his concubines scarcely saw him either.

Gu Jinzhao could recall every detail about Chen Xuanqing, yet remembered nothing of Third Master Chen. Their interactions had been virtually nonexistent, and within five years of their marriage, he had perished in Sichuan while suppressing bandits.

If he hadn't wanted her for herself, then why had he married her at all?While Gu Jinzhao was deep in thought, Ji Wu Shi returned from behind the screen wall. After settling down for some tea, she began speaking about Chen Yanyun: "...He's truly remarkable. Back when he took the Northern Zhili Provincial Examination, he ranked first as the Top Candidate, and later achieved Second Place in the metropolitan exams. He was directly appointed as a Hanlin Academy Compiler and entered the Office of the Directorate of Instruction by the age of twenty... Now, at just thirty, he's already a Grand Secretariat elder and a second-rank official... The guards waiting outside his gate are all from the Thousand Households Camp, each one exceptionally skilled." Ji Wu Shi sighed deeply. "Back in the days of the Chen family's patriarch, their family stood shoulder to shoulder with our Ji family. Now, we'd be considered reaching above our station..."

Jinzhao smiled lightly. "What does it matter who's reaching higher? I don't think such a household is necessarily better. Grandmother's life is far more comfortable, with children and grandchildren to care for you."

Ji Wu Shi chided her, "You've always had a clever tongue. Let's see what sweet words you'll manage when your new sister-in-law comes to pay her respects the day after tomorrow."

Gu Jinzhao giggled as she poured more tea for Ji Wu Shi.