Liang Chen Mei Jin

Chapter 185: A Leaf

Ye Xian stood waiting in the flower hall, with his guard Li Xianhuai stationed nearby for protection.

When he saw her approach, Ye Xian unfolded what he held in his hand to show her.

"For you," he said succinctly.

Jinchao invited him to sit and instructed Qingpu to serve lotus root powder sugar cakes, dried peanuts, Salty Crust Cake, and other tea snacks. She noticed a leaf resting in Ye Xian’s palm—vibrant red and delicately shaped.

"What is this?" Jinchao asked, puzzled as to why he would suddenly gift her a leaf.

Ye Xian replied, "Don’t serve tea. The Ten Thousand Springs Silver Leaf Tea I had here last time was stale… Just now, while passing by the small pavilion by the pond in the western courtyard, I noticed this oddly colored leaf. None of the others had this hue." Bright red and tender, it was unclear what kind of new leaf it was. Ye Xian thought Gu Jinchao might appreciate such peculiar things.

Jinchao was both amused and exasperated. "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Ye."

He had gone out of his way to pick this leaf from the pond pavilion… He spoke indifferently, "I came to tell you something. This June, I will be promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

Only then did Jinchao smile and offer her congratulations.

Ye Xian glanced at her with a faint smile—Gu Jinchao didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

Of course she wasn’t. Ye Xian would become Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review this year, and within four years, he would rise to Minister. The speed of his promotion was astonishing, but later, he would also commit outrageous acts like sentencing criminals to death by a thousand cuts. A few years after that, he would transfer to the Ministry of War, becoming a favored confidant of the emperor.

By the time of her death, Ye Xian had already become the all-powerful Minister of War. Fortunately, the Gu Family later produced an exceptionally outstanding figure—otherwise, Chen Xuanqing alone wouldn’t have been able to suppress him. She remembered the Chen Family’s matriarch once describing Ye Xian: "...A master of cunning tricks, supremely intelligent, yet utterly shameless!"

A clever person wasn’t frightening—what was truly fearsome was when that cleverness strayed from the right path.

She said solemnly to Ye Xian, "Young Master Ye, you must now strive for the welfare of the common people."

Ye Xian lowered his gaze to look at her, his tone languid. "...Considering the common people in everything? How exhausting." He paused, then added earnestly, "Besides, what do the common people have to do with me?"

Before Gu Jinchao could respond, he pointed at the leaf on the table. "...Keep it well. In the future, you can use it to ask me for one favor. I’ll grant whatever you request."

He lifted the hood of his cloak and murmured, "...Let’s go." His guards, hidden in the shadows, escorted him out of the Beautiful Embroidery Hall.

Gu Jinchao exhaled softly. For someone like Ye Xian, straying onto the wrong path was all too easy. In this life, his father hadn’t died, and the Changxing Marquisate hadn’t fallen into decline—perhaps he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of his past life.

Spring had only warmed for a few days when Third Master Chen began wearing only a thin white inner robe beneath a crimson court robe with embroidered insignia. Just as he boarded his carriage to rest with closed eyes, Jiang Yan whispered beside him, "...The Grand Secretary was furious this time. Lord Wang, who previously served in the Court of Judicial Review, once claimed it was the most incorruptible institution. Yet Zhang Ling, one of his subordinates, was exposed for colluding with salt smugglers and fabricating evidence to shield them... The Grand Secretary didn’t even give Zhang Ling a chance to defend himself—Senior Minister Guo from the Ministry of Justice had him arrested immediately. Did you notice how Lord Wang didn’t dare say a word earlier..."Third Master Chen said indifferently, "Guo Anda is from Marquis Changxing's household. It’s no wonder the Grand Secretary lost his temper. Now that the position of Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is vacant, who do you think is most likely to be promoted... Wang Xuanfan couldn’t even outmaneuver Ye Xian, despite all these years he’s spent in the Court of Judicial Review."

Jiang Yan looked at Third Master Chen, somewhat puzzled. "Then what do you intend to..."

Third Master Chen continued, "Lord Zhang is pleased to see me and Wang Xuanfan at odds. He promoted me in the past, but now he wants to use Wang Xuanfan to counterbalance me... I find it a waste of effort." He frowned slightly. "Wang Xuanfan’s vision is too narrow... Have you uncovered what he discussed with Yao Ping last time?"

Jiang Yan chuckled twice.

Third Master Chen opened his eyes to look at him, sensing something odd about Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan clasped his hands and said, "This matter is quite amusing—it actually involves you! Remember when you went to Daxing to drink with Lord Wang... and saw the two young ladies of the Gu family? And that time at Bao Xiang Temple, when you accepted something from the Gu family. Word of this reached Lord Wang’s ears, and he became convinced you had taken a fancy to one of the Gu ladies—the one betrothed to Yao Ping’s legitimate son, Gu Lian. Lord Wang was overjoyed, thinking he’d found a weakness to exploit. He went to Yao Ping to report that you had designs on his future daughter-in-law. Yao Ping wouldn’t dare offend you—if you fancied someone, he wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her. But he was still half-skeptical, so he sent someone to the Gu family to delay the wedding..."

Third Master Chen shook his head with a smile. Wang Xuanfan, with his head full of romantic nonsense, had even dragged him into it!

"Because of this, Yao Daren grew closer to Lord Wang. He even put in a good word for Zhang Ling at the Ministry of Justice..." Jiang Yan added.

Third Master Chen fell into thought upon hearing this.

When the carriage arrived at the Chen residence in Wanping, Third Master Chen had barely settled in when a young maid came to relay a message—Madam Chen wished to see him.

Third Master Chen changed into a stone-blue straight robe and went to the rear annex where Madam Chen resided. The elderly lady preferred tranquility, and the rear annex was connected to the family’s small Buddhist shrine, surrounded by blooming Chinese flowering crabapples in soft pink and white. Beyond lay a winding stone path leading to a vast lotus pond.

Madam Chen sat on an Arhat bed inlaid with lacquer and mother-of-pearl, wearing a sandalwood-colored jacket embroidered with endless longevity symbols, her hair styled in a round bun adorned only with a dark green stone hairpin. Advanced in years, she was not fond of much movement. Fortunately, her daughters-in-law were all very considerate, especially Lady Qin of the second branch, who as the principal wife managed all affairs of the Chen family, big or small, with impeccable care.

Madam Chen’s life was peaceful and content. Her sons had all brought honor to the family, allowing her to hold her head high before the Chen ancestors. Such a life should be spent in serene retirement, yet she still worried endlessly about her most beloved son.

In truth, Third Master Chen was the legitimate eldest son of the Chen family, while Second Master Chen was born to Madam Chen’s former maid who accompanied her as part of her dowry.

After several years of marriage without conceiving, Madam Chen, though her husband never complained and treated her as kindly as ever, felt deeply guilty. She voluntarily arranged for her maid to serve as his bed-warming maid. The maid soon became pregnant and gave birth to twins, but complications during delivery led to a hemorrhage, and she passed away within a month. The elder twin, whose neck had been entangled by the umbilical cord at birth, fell ill and did not survive past his first year.Second Master Chen was raised by Madam Chen as her own, and she brought him up with great care. It wasn't until he was six years old that she became pregnant with Third Master Chen.

From a young age, Third Master Chen was intelligent and sensible, treating his elder brother with respect. But his excessive maturity made Madam Chen uneasy.

Later, she happened to overhear Chen Yanyun asking his wet nurse, "...You say I'm Mother's own child, but I see she treats Second Brother best. If he has the slightest headache or fever, she gets terribly anxious, and even if he eats a little less, she fusses over him. I do everything well, yet Mother barely pays me any attention. Last time, when Second Brother's essay was praised by the tutor, she made him a cloak. When I was praised, Mother didn’t say a word..."

Her heart ached upon hearing this. The child kept everything to himself, suffering alone in silence.

From then on, she made an effort to show Chen Yanyun more affection.

But his distant nature never changed, though he remained highly independent, never giving her cause for worry.

Chen Yanyun had a natural talent for studies and passed the provincial examination at the age of fourteen. She arranged his marriage to the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family in Hangzhou, though he never said whether he liked her or not. After the wedding, the couple treated each other with mutual respect. When Jiang Shi fell ill and passed away two years ago, he kept vigil by her side for days, not even removing his outer robes. On her deathbed, Jiang Shi had said to him, "Don’t feel guilty. I know everything... I don’t blame you. I’m already on my way... You’ve treated me very well..."

It was the first time she had ever seen Chen Yanyun cry, silently holding Jiang Shi’s emaciated hand.

After the funeral, Chen Yanyun came to speak with her. He intended to observe two years of mourning for Jiang Shi.

Madam Chen had wanted to dissuade him, but in the end, she said nothing.

When Third Master Chen entered, Madam Chen smiled and gestured for him to sit on the stool. "...I hardly see you these days. It’s good to have a proper talk with you."

Third Master Chen bowed in greeting before replying, "Doesn’t Sixth Uncle’s daughters come to keep you company every day? If you’re still feeling bored, perhaps Second Sister-in-law could accompany you to the temple for some fresh air."

Madam Chen shook her head with a smile. "I wanted to talk to you—why bring up others?"

She sighed deeply, her gaze drifting to the blooming Haitang flowers outside the lattice window. "Look how beautifully they’ve bloomed, almost unnoticed..." Seeing Third Master Chen silently tracing the rim of his teacup, she continued, "You should have someone new in your household to attend to you. It’s just Shumo and Shuyan serving you now—how can they possibly take proper care of you? If you marry again, this old woman will at least have someone to talk to."

"...Why not see who might be suitable? Once you’ve decided, we can send a matchmaker." She hesitated before tentatively asking, "What do you think of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wuding?"

Third Master Chen remained silent.

Madam Chen quickly amended, "If you don’t care for noble families, we can look elsewhere..."

Given her son’s current status and influence, who couldn’t he marry if he wished?

But Third Master Chen only smiled faintly. "Mother, there’s no need to worry about this. I have my own considerations."

Without another word, he stood. His attendant Shumo draped a cloak over his shoulders, and he took his leave.

Jiang Yan soon caught up to him and asked in a low voice, "Third Master, what do you intend to do about Yao Ping and Lord Wang?"

Without even glancing at him, Third Master Chen replied as he walked, "Turn their own plot against them."

Turn their own plot against them? What did that mean?Jiang Yan was utterly confused.

Third Master Chen, however, came to a stop. Closing his eyes briefly, he murmured in a low voice, "...This matter is truly unfortunate."

Jiang Yan wondered if he'd misheard. What had Third Master Chen just said was unfortunate?

When Jiang Yan looked at Third Master Chen again, trying to gauge his thoughts, he noticed a faint, resigned smile at the corners of his mouth. Yet his tone became resolute, as if he'd reached a firm decision.

"Go call Chen Yi over."

PS: Thank you all for the pink votes and tips—we actually made it into the top twenty! Mwah to everyone!

I've been struggling with the plot recently—there's so much to consider, and the mourning period is such a big issue, sigh! That's why updates have been so slow, alas...

I'll double update after I come back from dinner