At the onset of spring, just after a heavy snowfall, Third Master Chen visited the Ji family in Baodi to seek a favor from Master Ji.
At that time, the Ji family’s third young master had recently passed the provincial examination, and the household was still celebrating. Master Ji received Chen Yanyun and had the servants brew a pot of premium Huoshan yellow bud tea. “You’ve come at the perfect time—the household is in high spirits!” Master Ji said with a smile as he poured tea. “I heard Seventh Young Master ranked first in the classics division of the Northern Zhili examination this time, quite reminiscent of your own achievements back in the day…”
His tone was noticeably more deferential.
Third Master Chen, however, paid it no mind. Over the years, those who feared or revered him had only grown in number.
Setting down his teacup, he remarked, “I’ve read his essays. Ranking first in the classics division might be a bit of an overestimation.”
In his youth, he had been the Top Candidate of Northern Zhili, so his understanding of fame and prestige ran far deeper than Chen Xuanqing’s. A mere classics division ranking hardly impressed him. Still, Chen Xuanqing had grown up under the Chen family’s protection, and he worried the young man might let empty accolades go to his head.
After a while, Ji Yun arrived with Ji Yao to pay respects to Third Master Chen.
Master Ji asked Chen Yanyun to offer Ji Yun some guidance. Though Chen Yanyun declined at first, he eventually gave a few pointers on Ji Yun’s eight-legged essays. Ji Yun, for his part, treated the advice like treasure.
Once everyone else had withdrawn, Master Ji finally said to Third Master Chen, “I’m aware of the matter you mentioned. No need for formalities—just tell me what you need, and I’ll see it done.” Given Chen Yanyun’s smooth career ascent and his elevated standing before Zhang Ju Lian, Master Ji naturally dared not treat his request lightly.
Third Master Chen rose to express his thanks, but Master Ji quickly waved it off and insisted he stay for the banquet.
The Ji family’s feast was extravagant, with delicacies like sea cucumbers and shark’s fin served in abundance. Seated at the same table as Third Master Chen were Master Ji and a few officials from Tongzhou. Noticing their restraint in his presence—none dared even to drink—Chen Yanyun excused himself and left the hall early.
By the time he stepped outside, the snow had stopped. The sun reflected off the white expanse, almost blindingly bright.
The last time he had visited, the gardens had been lush and verdant. Now, withered branches and lingering snow lent the frozen lotus pond a desolate air.
Taking a deep breath of the crisp air, Third Master Chen narrowed his eyes and said, “Prepare the carriage. We’ll head to Daxing this afternoon to see Zheng Yun.”
Chen Yi acknowledged the order and withdrew. The steward who had escorted them out led the way ahead.
Beyond the lotus pond lay an open flowerbed, though nothing was visible now except snow blanketing the courtyard. The area seemed rather barren. A moon gate stood half-hidden, leading to a narrow path that extended toward an elegant compound with vermilion beams—likely the women’s quarters.
After a brief, disinterested glance, Third Master Chen grew weary of the cold and decided to return to the banquet and rest area.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded behind him, putting him instantly on guard. Turning, he saw a girl in a green skirt dashing down the path as if being chased. She ran so fast, glancing repeatedly over her shoulder, that she nearly collided with him. Frowning, he sidestepped just as she turned and spotted him. Her eyes widened in shock, and in the next moment, she tripped over a dead branch and tumbled into the snow.
The fall was undignified—snow clung to her clothes, and the melting slush had darkened the knees of her green skirt.
Her small face was flushed from the cold. Panting, she demanded, “Which household do you belong to? What are you doing here? You made me fall!”Chen Yanyun found it amusing. The girl looked about fifteen or sixteen, still young but with strikingly beautiful features, albeit a bit childish and somewhat disheveled.
Her commanding tone felt oddly familiar to him.
"Didn’t you see someone standing right in front of you?" Chen Yanyun asked with a smile.
There was something familiar about her face. The incident from years ago had left a deep impression on him, so much so that he recognized the vividness of her expression despite the changes in her appearance. He could tell—this was the child he had saved back then.
That little girl who had once threatened to sell him into the mountains had grown up in the blink of an eye.
Gu Jinzhao’s eyes were red, tears threatening to spill as she rubbed them. "I didn’t know, my eyes hurt so much—it feels like there’s sand in them. I can barely see..."
Chen Yanyun sighed and slowly stepped closer. "Can you stand? Should I call someone to help you?"
"You just help me up!" she snapped irritably. "How can I stand when I can’t even see?"
Men and women shouldn’t touch, so how could he just pull her up?
Chen Yanyun could only extend his hand, letting her grip his sleeve to steady herself. But Gu Jinzhao suddenly clutched it tightly. "I—how come I was fine just a moment ago, and now I can’t see? My eyes hurt so much—am I going blind?" Her voice trembled with fear.
Chen Yanyun only asked, "Have you been staring at the snow this whole time?"
"Mm," she answered uneasily. "I snuck out without telling the nanny. She told me to rest..."
He let her hold onto his sleeve and guided her to the covered walkway. "Here, sit down. Close your eyes and don’t open them."
"What’s wrong with me?" she asked nervously, terrified of going blind.
"Just snow blindness," Chen Yanyun replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It’s nothing serious—your vision will return soon. Why didn’t you bring a nanny with you when you went out? You didn’t even know about snow blindness. What would you have done if you really couldn’t see?"
Gu Jinzhao didn’t answer, twisting her sleeves as she shifted slightly on the railing.
The railing was narrow, and her movement made her lose balance. Before Chen Yanyun could decide whether to catch her, she had already fallen. Gu Jinzhao pushed herself up using the pillar, her hands shaking with anger.
Was she about to cry?
Chen Yanyun frowned. Tears had already rolled down her cheeks, her hands dirty from the melted snow, her face flushed from the cold. But she bit her lip, breathing heavily, not letting out a single sob.
This little girl was proud and spoiled—she must have been truly humiliated.
"Are you crying just because you fell twice?" He found it funny. "Your face is a mess. Just rest a little longer, and you’ll be able to see again. You can go back on your own. You won’t go blind, so don’t be scared."
But Gu Jinzhao burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. All the tears she had held back before came pouring out now.
After all, she didn’t know who this man was, and he didn’t know her either.
Chen Yanyun felt like he’d been saddled with trouble, a little helpless. Chen Yi would be here soon, and this scene would be hard to explain.
But the girl kept crying, pitifully so."If you keep crying like this, you might really lose your sight," he said. "Stop crying now. Where's your handkerchief? Wipe your face."
"All of you are against me..." she sobbed. "None of you like me... Mother is gone too. I don’t need any of you to like me, I..." Her voice choked, "I don’t want any of you to like me."
Only then did Third Master Chen notice a palm-sized piece of hemp cloth pinned to her chest. Its color blended with her dress so well that he hadn’t spotted it earlier.
Had her mother passed away?
Gu Jinzhao wiped her tears with her sleeve and soon stopped crying. She curled up on the ground, hugging her knees, and pressed her lips together in silence.
Chen Yanyun sighed and slowly crouched down to ask her, "Who doesn’t like you?"
But Gu Jinzhao remained silent. She seemed terribly thin, a small, pitiful figure like an abandoned kitten.
Perhaps it was the realization that she had lost her mother that stirred a sudden pang of sympathy in him. He found her deeply pitiable.
This feeling lingered in his heart only for a moment, yet it left him unsettled. He felt an urge to do something to help her—an uncomfortable restlessness.
"There will always be someone who likes you," Chen Yanyun comforted her. "You're still young now. In time, people will come to like you. Life is long, isn’t it?" He was surprised at his own patience, wasting time to console a little girl.
She still didn’t speak but lifted her head to look at him. Yet she could see nothing—only a tall, blurry silhouette.
Gu Jinzhao blinked her sore eyes and whispered, "My eyes hurt..." Then she asked, "You’re not a servant, are you? Who are you?"
Third Master Chen stood up. He had already spotted Chen Yi approaching and needed to leave for Daxing immediately.
"Rest well, and don’t look at the snow," Chen Yanyun said before turning to walk away along the covered corridor.
Chen Yi was indeed waiting for her not far off.
On the road, Third Master Chen asked the steward, "I noticed someone in your household is in mourning. Has there been a misfortune?"
The steward replied, "Our young mistress’s mother has passed. Those in mourning must be the attendants serving her."
Third Master Chen listened without comment. Shortly after returning, he made discreet inquiries and learned Gu Jinzhao’s identity—the eldest legitimate daughter of Physician Gu from the Gu family of Shi’an, raised in her maternal grandmother’s Ji family. Her mother had died shortly after she came of age.
No wonder she had been so distraught that day.
Despite her fearless nature, she had cried so miserably.
Third Master Chen fell into thought for a while.
Chen Xuanqing came to pay his respects.
He motioned for Chen Xuanqing to sit and said, "A few days ago, your grandmother mentioned arranging a betrothal between you and Miss Yu. As for the wedding, if you’re willing, it can take place in a few months. If you’d rather not marry so soon, you can wait until after next year’s Metropolitan Exam. What are your thoughts?"
Chen Xuanqing hesitated only briefly before answering, "Father, I’d like to marry early."
Third Master Chen had initially thought Chen Xuanqing would prefer to wait until after the Metropolitan Exam.
Since he wished to marry early, that was just as well.
From betrothal to dowry and finally the wedding, it would take only three months.These three months coincided with a period of dramatic shifts in the imperial court. The emperor passed away, and a new emperor ascended the throne. Fan Chuan's faction was completely purged, implicating over twenty officials from the Ministry of Revenue. The Right Vice Minister, Xu Bingkun of Cangzhou, was also implicated and removed from office. That night, he personally led the arrest and presided over Xu Bingkun's interrogation for three days before sentencing him to exile in Ili.
He himself was promoted from the Director of the Office of the Directorate of Instruction to Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary of the Dongge Hall, becoming the youngest member of the Grand Secretariat.
Chen Xuanqing's marriage was something he paid little attention to. By the time his hands were stained with blood, he had already achieved fame and success. The realm had likely settled into peace as well, and he sat steadily in the high hall, accepting the hot tea offered by his daughter-in-law.
Third Master Chen said gently to Chen Xuanqing, "You must treat her well from now on."
Chen Xuanqing nodded, gazing at his father for a long time.
His father no longer seemed to be just a father anymore.
Drinking tea, setting down the cup—every gesture carried an undercurrent of authority. Perhaps this was truly the effect of power.
Who could deny it? With the rise of a Grand Secretary, the Chen Family was truly entering its golden age.
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