Chapter 99: Ji Yao
After holding Chun Ge'er and playing with him for a while, Grandmother seemed much happier.
Jinchao watched from the side, feeling a slight pang of emotion. Ji Yao was nearly eighteen, yet he didn’t even have a bed-warming maid, let alone children. At his age, most fortunate men already had several children. Grandmother could have been holding her great-grandchild by now...
She felt it was time to seriously consider this matter. Ji Yao didn’t like her, and she certainly didn’t want to force anyone to marry her. But her own marriage prospects were also a problem—after all, once the Mid-Autumn Festival passed, she would be sixteen.
If she wanted to stay in the Gu family without marrying, she needed capital. Her mother’s dowry didn’t count, as it wouldn’t truly belong to her unless she married out. She also needed someone reliable to depend on. Her father wouldn’t remain unmarried forever, and once a stepmother entered the household and bore children, Jinchao doubted she would enjoy the same carefree life she had now. As for relying on Gu Jinrong, she found him utterly unreliable...
Moreover, her reputation in Yanjing was far from favorable.
Just thinking about these problems gave Jinchao a headache. For now, she could only take things one step at a time. At the very least, she needed to properly manage her mother’s dowry and keep the profits for herself. With enough silver saved up, she wouldn’t have to fear so much.
After chatting with Grandmother for a while, the two went to the western courtyard. Grandmother wanted to introduce her to Madam Xu.
Jinchao had some impression of this Madam Xu—not because she was the wife of the Xu family’s Minister of Transmission, but because of her daughter.
After Jinchao married into the Chen family, she learned of the Luo family, who lived just a lane away. The Luo family’s patriarch had once been an imperial merchant, dealing in silk transport and presenting Shu brocade and Hangzhou silk to the palace annually. By the time the business passed to his son, the family had begun to decline, losing their status as imperial merchants and becoming ordinary wealthy merchants. The patriarch’s grandson was even more useless, frequenting brothels until he died on a woman’s belly—carried back from the Spring Delight Pavilion in a most disgraceful manner.
And Madam Xu’s daughter had married this Luo grandson.
Madam Xu was shrewd and capable, so her daughter was no fool either. However, the girl was plain-looking yet overly proud, rejecting suitors for years until, at nineteen, she finally panicked—but by then, no one came to propose. The Xu family had no choice but to marry her off to the Luo grandson, thinking that since the Luo family had once been imperial merchants and had officials among their descendants, it wouldn’t be a bad match. Who could have guessed the Luo grandson would turn out like that?
When the Luo grandson died, neighbors paid their respects, and Jinchao finally saw Madam Xu’s daughter. She remembered only the woman’s red-rimmed eyes and eerily calm expression as she flawlessly managed the Luo family’s funeral affairs. Jinchao couldn’t help but sigh at the pity of it all.
When word spread that Ji Wu Shi had brought Jinchao to the eastern courtyard, the eldest aunt, second uncle, second aunt, and others came to greet them. Everyone gathered in the main hall first. Ji Can had just gotten engaged, and when Ji Wu Shi asked about it, he blushed furiously. Jinchao remembered he got along well with Chen Xuan and smiled at him.
Ji Yao, however, didn’t enter the main hall until much later. He wore a stone-blue Hangzhou silk straight robe, a pair of white jade pendants hanging at his waist, his handsome face devoid of expression. Ji Wu Shi called him over and asked where he had been.Ji Yao replied, "I was just speaking with the manager of Xianggui Tower for a while." He then cupped his hands toward Jinchao with a smile, "Cousin, you've come too."
Ji Wu Shi frowned slightly. Judging by Ji Yao's demeanor, he still seemed rather indifferent toward Jinchao.
She took Jinchao's hand and said, "Your second cousin is now learning management with me. Since you have questions about business matters, you can ask him. He just spent a month at the Villa in Tongyi two months ago—I made him learn farming. Don't you think he's gotten much darker?"
Jinchao could only smile. She didn't remember whether Ji Yao had been fair or dark before, and there didn't seem to be much difference now.
Hearing Ji Wu Shi's words, Ji Yao pressed his lips together. Madam Song, his mother, noticed this and felt even more distressed for her son. She smiled and interjected, "I suppose our cousin doesn't quite remember... Madam Xu is still in the side chamber. Perhaps we should go see her first."
Jinchao understood—Madam Song didn’t want her son to suffer the indignity of marrying her.
Why not grant their wish? After a moment's thought, Jinchao said to her grandmother, "You can't just shake me off. Tomorrow when you go to Immortal Crossing Pavilion, I'm coming too. Cousin Ji Yao learned management from you—won’t you teach your Chaojie as well? Chaojie isn’t much dumber than Cousin Ji Yao..." She then gave Ji Wu Shi a pitiful look, which made the old lady burst into laughter.
Ji Yao, hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Xu was drinking tea in the side chamber with Madam Song and the second aunt, who accompanied them there.
On the way, Madam Song said to Jinchao, "Your third cousin, Ji Yun, has gone to Wanping and won’t be back for a few days. Otherwise, he could have seen you too."
Jinchao asked, "...What is Third Cousin doing in Wanping?" Shouldn’t he be studying at the Imperial Academy?
Madam Song smiled. "He’s now a Recommended Student and doesn’t need to stay at the Imperial Academy all the time. His tutor said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, so he sent him out to broaden his horizons. He has a classmate at the Imperial Academy who ranked third in the provincial exam for Beizhili—he’s following him to study!"
Grandmother chuckled and explained to Jinchao, "...It’s the seventh young master of the Chen Family. When your grandfather was alive, he and Old Master Chen were the closest of friends. Like your grandfather, their family started in Baoding Prefecture. The roads and temples being built in Baoding now are all funded by our family and the Chens. That’s why our ties are especially close. Your fourth cousin’s betrothal to the Chen Family’s Second Miss was arranged long ago. Otherwise, given the Chen Family’s current prominence, how could your fourth cousin ever marry their Second Miss?"
Hearing this, Jinchao fell silent. She was well aware of the deep connections between the Chen and Ji families.
She just felt a pang of emotion—Chen Xuanqing had once again placed third in the spring imperial exams this lifetime. The following year, during the autumn exams and palace examination, he would be personally named Third Scholar by the emperor, granted the title of Advanced Scholar, and appointed as a compiler in the Imperial Academy. While the Chen Family’s influence certainly played a role, Chen Xuanqing himself was exceptionally brilliant. With his Third Scholar distinction and the backing of Third Master Chen, his official career flourished. By the year Jinchao died, Chen Xuanqing had already risen to Grand Secretary of the Dongge Hall and held the third-rank position of Vice Minister of Revenue.
Jinchao sighed. In this life, she wanted nothing to do with Chen Xuanqing—why bother about his future?The little maid announced their arrival, and Madam Xu personally came out to greet them. Behind her stood a woman dressed in a silver-red embroidered jacket and an eight-paneled dark green moonlit skirt. Her features were merely delicate, her hair styled in a Round Bun and adorned with a pair of gilded hairpins inlaid with yellow tourmaline. She smiled faintly and curtsied to Ji Wu Shi.
Ji Wu Shi smiled and pulled Gu Jinzhao forward, introducing her to Madam Xu, "...This is my granddaughter, the eldest daughter of the Gu family from Shi'an."
Madam Xu praised Jinchao warmly, "...She’s as lovely as a flower. I took a liking to her the moment I saw her."
Ji Wu Shi then introduced Madam Xu, and Jinchao curtsied in greeting. Next, Ji Wu Shi introduced the woman behind Madam Xu, "...This is the Second Miss of the Xu family." The Xu family had an illegitimate daughter before her.
Jinchao smiled at her and called her "elder sister." Naturally, she recognized Xu Jingyi, the Second Miss of the Xu family—they had crossed paths in her past life.
Xu Jingyi also addressed her as "younger sister," and the group entered the house to chat.
Yet, Jinchao couldn’t help but think to herself: it seemed Madam Xu was truly desperate. Bringing her daughter along to social gatherings now must mean she was eager to secure a marriage for her. And no wonder—Xu Jingyi was already nineteen this year.
As Madam Xu spoke with her grandmother, she repeatedly asked about Ji Yao—whether he had been betrothed since childhood or what he was currently doing. Even though Xu Jingyi was composed, she blushed furiously and tugged at her mother’s sleeve in embarrassment. Madam Xu, however, paid no heed.
...This was far too obvious. Listening from the side, Jinchao couldn’t help but feel awkward on Xu Jingyi’s behalf.
Ji Wu Shi smiled faintly but skillfully deflected Madam Xu’s questions, "...Though he hasn’t been betrothed yet, I believe he has someone in mind—he’s just too shy to say. If the opportunity arises, I may even ask you to act as a matchmaker." She had already decided that Ji Yao would marry Jinchao and wouldn’t allow any other woman to interfere. Even if he didn’t marry Jinchao, Xu Jingyi wouldn’t stand a chance—she was two years older than Ji Yao, and her prolonged unmarried state raised suspicions of hidden flaws. Ji Wu Shi certainly didn’t want her own grandson to settle for leftovers.
Madam Xu was disappointed. Given her status, she had hoped to strengthen ties with the Ji family by acting as a matchmaker for Ji Can. She had long set her sights on Ji Yao—among the young men of noble families, he was exceptionally steady, and to this day, he didn’t even have a Bed Warming Maid...
She smiled and dropped the subject of Ji Yao. Noticing the mourning cloth sewn onto Gu Jinzhao’s chest, she inquired and expressed deep sympathy upon hearing of Madam Ji’s passing.
Gu Jinzhao and her grandmother stayed for a meal in the western courtyard before returning. Later, her grandmother spoke to Jinchao about Xu Jingyi, "...For a young lady, being too proud is no good. Once you’re past the right age, finding a suitable match becomes difficult."
Jinchao thought to herself that Xu Jingyi wasn’t necessarily proud—perhaps just stubborn. She was also a woman of strong will. In her past life, after her husband’s death, the Luo family remained firmly under her control. Though it was frowned upon for a widow with a young son to appear in public, the Luo family patriarch never objected. People might gossip behind her back, but no one dared say anything to Xu Jingyi’s face.The next morning, Jinchao got up early and went to the Immortal Crossing Pavilion. Her grandmother was already handling affairs there. Currently, the inner household matters were managed by her eldest aunt, while her grandmother received only the most distinguished Villa stewards and shop managers from the merchant houses. After all, the Ji family was a vast mercantile household. Stewards and managers came and went like flowing water, with Mr. Zeng standing by with his abacus while several accountants recorded in ledgers nearby.
Jinchao greatly enjoyed watching her grandmother at work. A maid brought her an embroidered stool to sit behind the curtains, where she listened to how her grandmother instructed the managers.
"That Luzhou silk shop in Xianghe—the location is excellent, but with ready-made clothing shops, second-hand clothing stores, and Hangzhou silk shops opening nearby, it's simply not thriving enough. What a waste of such a fine Villa," her grandmother said to the chief manager. After a moment's thought, she added, "Why not move the Luzhou silk shop to the storefront across the street and convert that location into a restaurant? The Xianghe area is about to have its riverbanks repaired. Once it connects to the canal, business is bound to prosper..."
PS:
I heard today starts double pink votes. Everyone, please help cast one for me—it's the final days for the new book! Help me hold steady, mwah!
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