Upon hearing this, Yu Zhongquan immediately flared up, "You truly have no sense of your own limitations! You want to challenge that Xiao now? Do you think what you learned in military academy can stand against Xiao Beichen's battle-hardened experience?! A domesticated eagle trying to fight a wild vulture! I'm afraid you don't have what it takes!"
Yu Changxuan, unable to swallow his anger, retorted directly, "If Father says so, then my abilities are indeed insufficient. Why bother making me a commander? I won't accept honors I haven't earned!"
Though Yu Zhongquan's face had been clouded with anger, he didn't explode at Changxuan's words. Instead, he slammed the Military Strength Insignia in his hand onto the table with a sharp "smack" and simply said, "Nonsense! Get out!" Seeing his father's ambiguous attitude, Changxuan still felt unwilling, but having pushed this far, he couldn't defy further. He had no choice but to withdraw.
Gu Yigang, Chief of Staff of the Army Department, watched Changxuan leave and noticed Yu Zhongquan's displeased expression. He quickly chuckled and said, "I never expected Changxuan to have such pride—truly living up to Eldest Brother's legacy from back in the day."
Zhang Xiaoxian nodded in agreement, "Lao Gu and I have watched Changxuan grow up. His temperament is most like Eldest Brother's. Once he gains real battlefield experience, he'll achieve great things. Rest assured, Eldest Brother, Changxuan won't disappoint."
Yu Zhongquan gazed at the Sand Table for a long time before slowly sighing, "You both know our Yu family only has this one remaining heir left. I can't help but worry. Fortunately, he has spirit, which gives me some comfort. If he were truly hopeless, I would have given up on him long ago."
After leaving his father's study, Yu Changxuan descended the stairs and saw his second sister Jin Xuan's seven-year-old son, Kuang Zening, toddling out from the north hall. Spotting Changxuan, the boy immediately stopped, looked up, and called out in a childish voice, "Uncle." Then, with chubby hands clasped behind his back, he added gravely, "Auntie was saying bad things about you inside. I didn't say anything."
Changxuan couldn't help but laugh at Zening's earnest tattling. He called toward the north hall, "Qixuan, stay right where you are!" and strode in. Inside the north hall, a mahjong table was set up, where his eldest sister-in-law Minru had gathered his second sister Jin Xuan, sixth sister Qixuan, and Jun Daiti for a game. The moment Qixuan saw Changxuan enter, she pushed her tiles away, stuck out her tongue playfully, and said, "Oh dear, the reckoning has arrived. I'm out!" With that, she leaped from her chair and dashed out in a flurry.
Noticing Jun Daiti's presence, Changxuan thought to retreat, but Minru rose with a slight smile and blocked his way. "Where are you running off to, Fifth Brother? We finally set up this game, and now you've made it short one player. At least play a couple rounds, or where are we supposed to find someone at this hour?"
Changxuan pointed upstairs and grinned, "Eldest Sister-in-law, you're asking for my life. Father is right upstairs."Minru laughed, "It's just a few rounds to relieve boredom. If Father blames you, I'll handle it." She pushed Yu Changxuan into her original seat, placing him directly across from Jun Daiti, while she took Qixuan's vacant spot. Waving to the maid Ruizhu nearby, she instructed her to wash the newly bought loquats and bring a plate over.
Yu Changxuan glanced up and saw Jun Daiti wearing a pale yellow brocade gold thread satin long cheongsam, a smooth and lustrous bracelet on her wrist, with a handkerchief twisted around it. She sat with her head bowed, focusing on arranging the tiles in her hand, an involuntary tension evident on her face, all of which he took in at a glance. Minru chuckled, "Let's set the rules first: no secret glances or private exchanges allowed during the game."
Jin Xuan laughed, "Then there's no way to play! Forget the rest, but Sister-in-law has already won so much from me—I was hoping you'd go easy on me. Why so strict all of a sudden?"
Minru replied with a smile, "Don't complain. We'll play, take our cuts, and enjoy some snacks. If I win from you, I'll buy treats to sweeten your lips, little sister-in-law. If Daiti wins, she can treat Fifth Brother to a Western meal."
Daiti kept her head down, the ginkgo pendants at her ears swaying chaotically. Yu Changxuan coughed, shuffling the tiles messily on the table before they resumed playing. After just two rounds, Minru, sharp-eyed, had already clearly seen Daiti's hand. She deliberately discarded a two-dot tile, smiling pointedly at Jun Daiti, clearly setting her up to win. Yet Jun Daiti remained seated there, seemingly lost in thought, letting Jin Xuan take the two-dot tile while she stayed dazed—a clear sign her heart was in turmoil.
As they played, Qixuan's voice came from outside, speaking with Ze Ning at the hall entrance: "Ze Ning, who else is in the north hall?" Ze Ning ran into the room, stood by the mahjong table, and shouted outside, "Auntie and Mother are here, along with Uncle and Uncle's girlfriend, Daiti…"
Yu Changxuan's face instantly darkened, his temper flaring. He slammed his tiles down with a "smack" and snapped angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Who taught you that?!"
The words frightened Ze Ning into immediate silence, his lips trembling on the verge of tears. Second Sister Jin Xuan stood up, pulled Ze Ning over, and said soothingly, "Fifth Brother, don't be angry. He's so young—how would he know what 'girlfriend' means? He must have picked it up from someone and repeated it randomly." Then, turning to Daiti, she added, "The child doesn't understand—he's been rude to you, Daiti. I'm truly sorry; please don't be upset."
Jun Daiti sat there, gripping a tile tightly, her face flushed crimson, biting her lip hard. Seeing this, Minru gave Daiti a gentle push and mediated with a laugh, "It's all a child's thoughtless chatter. Our Daiti isn't angry—she's not like Fifth Brother, making a scene over every little thing people say!"Yu Changxuan then said to Minru, "Sister-in-law is right to scold me; I was in the wrong." As he spoke, Madam Yu entered holding a lightly annotated "Lotus Sutra," followed by Qixuan. Madam Yu walked while saying, "I asked you to help me copy the sutra, but all you do is play around. It's been three or four days, and you haven't even finished one page."
Qixuan pouted and said, "It's so dull and boring. I don't have the patience for it." Madam Yu looked up and noticed the four people at the card table all had different expressions on their faces. She asked, "What's going on here?"
Yu Changxuan replied, "I said something inappropriate and upset Sister-in-law." His words completely ignored Jun Daiti, which she could not tolerate. Tears immediately fell from her eyes, and she stood up abruptly, pointing at Yu Changxuan and saying, "Yu Changxuan, how dare you bully me like this! I know you have the Second Miss Tao now, so you're turning around to humiliate me. Do you really think I can't live without you? If that's the case, let's make a clean break." Wiping her tears, she turned and ran out. Minru panicked and called out, "Daiti, what are you doing?" before quickly chasing after her.
This outburst left Madam Yu stunned. First, she watched Jun Daiti run off, then turned to see Yu Changxuan sitting there, completely unmoved. Naturally siding with her son, she said, "This Daiti... she seemed well-mannered and polite as a child, but now that she's grown up, she's really... For someone from a prestigious family, she has no sense of propriety. Crying and carrying on like this in someone else's home—what is this supposed to mean?"
Yu Changxuan said nothing more but gave Jin Xuan a meaningful look before standing up and walking out. He went downstairs and stood in the flower-adorned covered corridor, enjoying the scenery while waiting. Sure enough, before long, he heard the sound of leather shoes tapping—it was Jin Xuan, who came over and pulled Yu Changxuan aside, smiling as she said, "What's going on with you lately? You used to treat Daiti quite well, but now you're paying less and less attention to her."
Yu Changxuan smiled and said, "Isn't it all for you, Second Sister? If I really married Jun Daiti, and both Jun sisters entered our family, they might gang up on you. While Father and Mother are still here, it might be fine, but if they're gone someday, I'm afraid your future wouldn't be so easy, would it?"
Jin Xuan looked him up and down and laughed, "What do you mean by that? Was that scene just now all an act for me? I feel like there's something more to what you're saying today." Yu Changxuan chuckled, "I just want to stand by your side, Second Sister, and have nothing to do with Jun Daiti. But you have to do me a favor in return, alright?"
Jin Xuan smiled faintly, "Whenever you open your mouth, it's never anything good. Let's hear it."
Yu Changxuan said, "I'm going with Father to inspect the military defenses on the western front. I'll be gone for over half a month. If you have time, go to Maple Terrace and have some fun." He paused, then leaned in and whispered a few words into Jin Xuan's ear. Jin Xuan was taken aback at first, then said quietly, "You're truly insane. If Father finds out about this, it'll be a disaster."Yu Changxuan said indifferently, "So what if she knows? If she really makes a scene, I might as well make her my official wife." At these words, Jin Xuan gave him a light tap on the head and said through gritted teeth, "Now you're talking nonsense. Where did this seductress come from, to have bewitched you like this?"
Yu Changxuan immediately retorted, "She's not, and she didn't bewitch me. It's me... who's bewitched by her." After a pause, he added in a low voice, "Anyway, I don't care. I just like her."
Seeing him like this, Jin Xuan could only cautiously advise, "This doesn't look good to me. Think it through clearly. What kind of family are we, the Yu family? And what is your status? There's simply no possibility between you and her. Why go through all this trouble? I advise you to let her go sooner rather than later."
Hearing Jin Xuan's words, Yu Changxuan was well aware of the implications, yet he lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes flickering with an indescribable light. After a long silence, he murmured, "If only it were that simple. But now, I just can't let her go!"
Threading the Need, A Silken Affair
Since Yu Changxuan had accompanied Yu Zhongquan to inspect the western defense lines, he hadn't been to Maple Terrace for quite some time. Only then did Ye Pingjun feel somewhat at ease. During the day, she would occasionally come out of her bedroom and sit in the living room for a while. The living room was furnished with a carved partition adorned with colored glass patterns of hibiscus and peonies. Beside the partition stood a velvet thick sofa, and on a nearby low table sat a gramophone, shaped like a morning glory in full bloom. Ye Pingjun would sit on the sofa, sometimes picking up a film magazine to read. Having studied some English in school, she could understand the English descriptions in the magazine.
One day, she curled up on the sofa reading a magazine. Feeling tired, she reached for the tea beside her and took a sip, only to find it cold. Realizing she had been sitting for too long, she called to a young maid who had just entered, "Could you please change this tea? It's gone cold."
The maid cheerfully agreed and hurried over to replace the tea. Just then, a voice came from outside the living room, "Ni Ni, you're getting lazier by the day. You're just a maid, yet you act like a young lady. Why aren't you in the kitchen washing the bowls?" Ni Ni turned around and saw Qiu Luo walking in. She quickly withdrew her hand, gave Pingjun an apologetic glance, and scurried away sheepishly.
Qiu Luo stepped forward and said to Ye Pingjun, who was seated on the sofa, "Miss Ye, as you can see, we're all too busy to spare a moment. Why not make do with what you have? Cold tea quenches thirst just as well, doesn't it?"
Ye Pingjun slowly turned a page of her magazine without saying a word. Unrelenting, Qiu Luo added with a smirk, "I've heard that poor families brew coarse hat brims as tea. Cold tea surely tastes much better than that, doesn't it?" This was nothing short of bullying. Ye Pingjun's fingers paused on the magazine page, her lips pressed together tightly, yet she swallowed her anger once again.
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