Chapter 222: The Book of Changes
Chen Yanyun changed into a straight robe and came out to see several dishes laid out on the heated bed table, while Jinchao sat on the other side reading a book.
Jinchao rose to assist him in sitting down and said with a smile, "I suddenly felt hungry, so I had some dishes brought in. Won’t you eat a little as well?"
Chen Yanyun glanced up at her before sitting down and picking up his bowl. Jinchao occasionally spoke a few words to him, and he responded gently. Noticing she was eating little, he placed a piece of braised bamboo shoot in her bowl. "Didn’t you say you were hungry? Then you should eat more."
Was he still angry? Gu Jinzhao observed Third Master Chen’s calm expression, silently wondering to herself.
After the meal, a servant came to report that Mr. Jiang had matters to discuss with Third Master Chen. Chen Yanyun told her, "If you’re tired, go to bed first," then left with Chen Yi for the study. Jinchao had a maid light a candle and picked up the Book of Changes again, leaning against a large bolster to read. Shortly after, Qingpu brought in a cloak scented with pinewood and placed it on the heated bed table before withdrawing.
In the study, candles were also lit. Jiang Yan placed a letter on the desk and said, "...As you instructed, we’ve been secretly monitoring Zhang Ling’s movements. He is indeed still in contact with Lord Wang, using the name of Lord Wang’s fellow townsman’s grandnephew for correspondence. However, the letters still reveal clues."
Chen Yanyun took the letter and read it. Half a year ago, Vice Minister Zhang of the Court of Judicial Review was stripped of his position and exiled for colluding with salt smugglers. At the time, it was the heir of Marquis Changxing who investigated the case, and within half a year, he was promoted to Vice Minister. Ye Xian’s competence was undeniable—he simply hadn’t dug deep enough.
Zhang Ling was an exceedingly cautious man. No matter how greedy he was, he wouldn’t collude with salt smugglers. He had served diligently in the Court of Judicial Review for over a decade, reviewing case files three times before approving them. He wouldn’t dare do something like conspiring with salt smugglers. Chen Yanyun had sensed something amiss and had kept Zhang Ling under surveillance.
When Chen Yanyun reached a particular section, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "...Nanjing is Wang Xuanfan’s stronghold. His influence is deeply rooted in Yingtian Prefecture, Huai’an Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture. Zhang Ling escaped during his exile but went to Yuqing..."
Yuqing was the largest official salt-producing region in the Huai River area.
Chen Yanyun set the letter down on the desk and instructed Jiang Yan, "Retrieve the case records of the river bandit trial Zhang Ling presided over. Document every detail of Zhang Ling’s activities and contacts in Yuqing and report them to me." Jiang Yan bowed in acknowledgment.
Chen Yanyun tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment before adding, "The salt transport commissioner in Yuqing was originally Wang Xuanfan’s protégé. Pay special attention to him."
After Jiang Yan withdrew, Chen Yanyun asked Chen Yi, "...Did Wang Shi bring her personal servants with her?"
Chen Yi bowed and replied, "I’ve been keeping watch. She brought two people, and they both left in a hurry. The one who didn’t come is said to be Xu Xing, the former manager of the late madam’s shop..."
Chen Yanyun closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and said coolly, "Though loyal, he has overstepped."
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Chen Yi, then walked back to the main chamber along the covered corridor. The scarlet gauze curtains were half-drawn. A cool breeze drifted through the lattice window, but Jinchao had already fallen asleep against the bolster. Caifu, who was keeping watch over Jinchao, started in surprise and hurriedly bowed to him.
Third Master Chen shook his head and said softly, "You may leave."
After Caifu exited and closed the lattice window, he moved to lift Jinchao up, only to find her body slightly cold... How dare she fall asleep on the arhat bed—wasn’t she afraid of catching a chill!Jinchao was half-asleep when she felt herself being lifted, causing her to blink drowsily. All she could see was Third Master Chen’s firm jawline and the solid arms holding her. That sudden flutter in her chest returned, and she instinctively buried her face against his chest, breathing in his scent like a child.
Warm sandalwood, with a hint of aged parchment.
“Awake?” His gentle voice reached her.
Jinchao hummed in response, suddenly thinking that this wasn’t so bad. Feigning sleepiness, she tightened her arms around his waist and closed her eyes again.
Third Master Chen sighed softly. “Now you’re being obedient.” He set her down on the heated bed table, and thinking she was still asleep, pressed a light kiss to her cheek.
He went to the adjoining room to extinguish the lamps and spotted the cloak draped over the heated bed table—a pale cyan cloak embroidered with pink dianthus patterns. It was a design he had taught her, and she had learned quickly and well. Chen Yanyun picked it up, catching the faint scent of pinewood.
He remembered how Jinchao had sat by the window that day, carefully stitching the cloak, needle and thread moving with painstaking care.
Gu Jinzhao waited a long while before Third Master Chen finally returned. He lay down beside her with barely a sound—no wonder she never woke to his movements.
The night was so quiet that Jinchao could hear his steady breathing. She hesitated, knowing exactly why he was upset. The kinder he was to her, the guiltier she felt, and she couldn’t bear the tension between them any longer.
Something slipped under his blanket, and Third Master Chen reflexively caught it, though his eyes remained closed.
Gu Jinzhao wriggled out from under his covers and propped herself over him, whispering, “Third Master, I was reading the Book of Changes earlier, and there’s a hexagram I don’t understand…”
Chen Yanyun lowered his gaze to her. “Which one?”
The Four Books and Five Classics were essential for the imperial examinations, and he had, after all, ranked second in the Metropolitan Exam. He knew them inside out—answering her questions wouldn’t be difficult.
Jinchao continued, “The Wu Wang hexagram says: ‘Supreme success, perseverance is favorable. If one is not upright, there will be misfortune, and it will not be beneficial to go anywhere. The first nine: proceeding without falsehood brings good fortune. The second six: without plowing, there is harvest; without clearing, there is cultivation—then it is beneficial to go forth…’ I don’t understand this passage.”
Chen Yanyun pulled her into his arms, his deep, soothing voice murmuring above her. “This hexagram speaks of ‘thinking without deceit’—actions and thoughts must be upright, aligned with righteousness, and one should not delude oneself into expecting rewards without effort. That is the surface meaning, but interpreting the lines is far more complex… This is an unusual hexagram, with Qian as heaven and Zhen as thunder. Only by adhering to purity and avoiding reckless action can one attain fortune. Without falsehood, there will be gain, and blessings will follow.”
A full explanation could take all night.
The Book of Changes was notoriously abstruse, and Jinchao had already spent the afternoon poring over it until her head spun. She still couldn’t grasp it. Leaning against his arm, she murmured, “Then you’ll have to explain it to me properly when you have time. I can’t make sense of it right now.”
Chen Yanyun chuckled. “I started studying the Book of Changes at twelve, learning under my uncle, a Lecturer of the Imperial Academy, for a full year before I dared say I had a basic understanding. Of course you wouldn’t grasp these lines so quickly. Why were you reading it in the first place?”
Jinchao replied, “I took it from your study. I just wanted to see what you usually read…”Chen Yanyun lowered his head. Her eyes gazed at him like limpid spring water, her raven-black hair cascaded over him like satin, her delicate figure pressed close, her skin as fair as warm jade... Just imagining how silky that skin would feel to the touch made his mouth go dry.
Unconsciously, his grip around her waist tightened.
Gu Jinzhao only noticed his body had grown somewhat stiff, thinking she might be too heavy, and carefully shifted slightly. She asked him, "Since you practice Buddhism at home, does that make you a monastic? Shouldn't there be certain precepts to follow?" It seemed most monastics observed precepts like abstaining from killing, false speech, and such.
Chen Yanyun responded with a low hum, gently nipping at the side of her neck, his voice muffled: "There should be precepts, but I'm not exactly a monastic..." His adherence to these precepts had become somewhat lax.
Gu Jinzhao didn't know how to react, clutching her sleeves as she tried to shy away, feeling ticklish where his lips touched her neck. He pursued her, flipping her onto her back as he continued, "There should be five major precepts... against killing, stealing, false speech, sexual misconduct, and intoxicants. I usually try to observe them, so you needn't mention bed-warming maids or concubines..."
Then what about her now, with them being so intimate like this... Gu Jinzhao pressed her elbows against her chest, feeling her face grow hot.
Chen Yanyun pinned her hands to the bed without room for refusal, kissing upward along her jawline.
Gu Jinzhao found her entire body tingling and quickly protested, "Third Master, we can't..."
Her sash had already come undone, and a pair of scorching hands slipped beneath her clothes. Chen Yanyun asked in a low voice, "Why can't we?" His hands didn't stop moving.
It wasn't that she wanted to refuse—it was just that her monthly courses hadn't ended yet...
Seeing Jinzhao's hesitant expression, his rationality gradually returned. He couldn't help but smile wryly: "You knew full well... yet you still lay on top of me." Finally releasing her, he retied her sash with some resignation. "You'd better sleep on your side."
Gu Jinzhao quickly retreated to her side of the bed. After lying still with her eyes closed for a long time, she fell asleep once she no longer heard any movement from him.
When she woke at chenshi (7-9 AM) the next morning, Chen Yanyun was still lying beside her.
Since it wasn't the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month, he should have gone to the Grand Secretariat. Gu Jinzhao hurriedly sat up, assuming the maids outside had neglected their duties, and quietly tried to rouse him. But Third Master Chen simply pulled her into his arms, his voice thick with sleep: "No need to go to the Grand Secretariat today, don't rush..."
Finding her embrace comfortable, he drifted back to sleep.
He probably hadn't slept well last night. Gu Jinzhao thought this as she rested against his chest and obediently stayed still.
Third Master was highly disciplined—even if he hadn't rested well, he wouldn't indulge in sleeping until late morning. After about a quarter hour, Third Master Chen got up, changed into a gray-blue zhiduo robe, and had the maids serve white porridge and crispy cakes for breakfast. After the meal, they went together to pay respects to Madam Chen. Fourth Master Chen came to fetch Third Master Chen, saying there were some business matters requiring his decision.
Jinzhao discussed Mama Wang's situation with Madam Chen: "...This daughter-in-law thinks Granny Sun would be suitable and wishes to keep her in our quarters. Mama Wang can oversee the kitchen affairs instead. Originally, Wanshi's wife managed the kitchen—now the two of them can supervise together to prevent any mishaps." She needed to inform Madam Chen about assigning Mama Wang to the kitchen. Wanshi's wife was the daughter-in-law of the Chen Family's steward Wan, newly assigned to serve her, and was quite honest.Madam Chen nodded: "The affairs of your household are naturally yours to decide. Keep those who are good, dismiss those who aren't—it's all up to you." She had assigned Mama Wang to Jinchao originally to make things easier for her, but now it was just adding unnecessary trouble.
Gu Jinzhao understood Madam Chen's temperament. As long as things were explained clearly to her with sound reasoning, she wouldn't dwell on them.
Soon, Madam Qin came to pay her respects, and Madam Chen inquired about Chen Xuanyue: "...Has the physician come to see him?"
Gu Jinzhao couldn't help but look up. Knowing this person's future fate, she found it hard not to pay attention to him.
Madam Qin smiled and curtsied. "He's already been examined. The physician said it's not serious—just a few doses of medicine will suffice." (...)
PS: Thank you all for the pink votes, and to caF War God for the He Shi Bi jade—love you all! ~~I still remember I owe nine more chapters!
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