“I’m feeling a bit tired. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first,” Ji Cheng said, not bothering to decipher Shen Che’s intentions. She stood up and walked out. It wasn’t until she felt the cold, hard ground beneath her feet that she realized she had rushed out without her shoes and socks.
Ji Cheng wanted to maintain her dignity and not turn back, but it was the twelfth lunar month, and the ground was so cold that each step felt like her blood was freezing. She hopped from one foot to the other, trying to warm up, but eventually accepted that she couldn’t walk back barefoot.
Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Ji Cheng held her head high and walked back with as much dignity as she could muster. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find her shoes and socks when she scanned the room. It wasn’t until she looked past Shen Che that she saw her light green satin shoes neatly placed in front of him.
As her feet touched the long-haired snow rug, she felt alive again. She realized she had not only forgotten her shoes and socks but also the cloak she had draped over herself, which explained why she felt so cold when she stepped outside.
Since she was already back, pretending to be dignified seemed pointless. Ji Cheng’s anger had mostly dissipated. As she had said, what kind of cousin was she to Shen Che? Watching Shen Cui fall into the abyss without offering a hand was indeed unkind, so she couldn’t blame Shen Che for his sharp words.
“Second Young Master, aren’t you leaving?” Ji Cheng asked, sitting across from Shen Che and forcing a “clear skies after the rain” smile as she put on her shoes and socks. Fortunately, there was a natural table between them, so it wasn’t too awkward.
“I don’t want to waste good tea,” Shen Che replied, pouring himself another cup.
“Then I…” Ji Cheng began, intending to leave, but as she moved her shoulder, a sharp pain stopped her. It felt like a mountain was pressing down on her, making it impossible to stand.
At first, Ji Cheng thought she had encountered a ghost, but when she saw Shen Che’s expression, she realized he was the culprit.
“What is Second Young Master doing?” Since she couldn’t stand, Ji Cheng decided not to move.
Shen Che poured Ji Cheng another cup of tea. “You have such a hard temper in front of me, but why do you turn to mush in front of your brother Ziyun?”
Ji Cheng was puzzled as to why Shen Che suddenly mentioned Ling Ziyun.
“The charcoal-grilled beef and thinly sliced beef at Sanyuan Tower are indeed the best in the capital. It’s surprising that someone as cautious as you would dress up to accompany your little childhood friend for a meal,” Shen Che said, sipping his tea slowly.
“Peeling shrimp and picking bones for him—if you can’t bear to part with him, why did you abandon him to come to the capital?” Shen Che teased.
Ji Cheng retorted sarcastically, “Nan Gui is diligent, isn’t she? Does she report every word I say and every move I make to you?”
“You wrong her. Such trivial matters aren’t within her reporting scope. I just happened to be dining at Sanyuan Tower at noon,” Shen Che replied.
Ji Cheng frowned. “Forgive my ignorance, but why is Second Young Master bringing this up? Since Brother Ziyun came to the capital, I naturally have to play the host. Besides, I’m counting on the Ling family to help us with matters in Jin.”
Shen Che glanced at Ji Cheng. “Oh, so that’s why you’re so soft with your little childhood friend. Ah Cheng has always been adaptable.”
Shen Che’s tone was strange, and Ji Cheng wondered if he was implying that the Ji family was indiscreet. Oddly enough, Ji Cheng didn’t feel angry anymore—perhaps she was numb. If it were Ling Ziyun in front of her, she would have rushed to explain, not wanting him to misunderstand. But Ling Ziyun would never say such things.
As for Shen Che, Ji Cheng smiled faintly. “The world is bustling for profit, and people come and go for gain.” Ji Cheng essentially admitted to Shen Che’s point.
Shen Che raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so it seems I haven’t offered Ah Cheng enough benefits.”
“Probably,” Ji Cheng replied, pretending not to catch the teasing in Shen Che’s tone. “I’m really tired. Second Young Master, please spare me.”
Shen Che stared into Ji Cheng’s eyes for a long moment without speaking, making her feel a chill down her spine, before finally responding with a simple “Hmm.”
After that, Ji Cheng didn’t visit Lan Yue Zhai for several days, mainly because she was still shaken. Unable to win in a fight or argument, she could only keep her distance.
The days passed peacefully, indicating that Shen Cui hadn’t told Ji Lan about the incident. To avoid getting involved, Ji Cheng feigned illness and stayed in bed until the Laba Festival, when she had to get up despite her sickly appearance.
On Laba, there’s a tradition of eating Laba porridge. Early in the morning, the palace sent Laba porridge to the Shen family, and their kitchen also prepared a large pot to distribute among everyone.
On such a day, everyone had to visit Rui Ying Hall to pay respects to the matriarch.
Although Shen Cui had been avoiding meals in public, as soon as she entered the matriarch’s room, she smelled the Laba porridge. The Shen family’s Laba porridge traditionally included sausage and ham, and the meaty aroma made Shen Cui cover her mouth and rush outside.
“What’s wrong?” the matriarch asked anxiously. “Is Ah Cui feeling unwell?”
Ji Lan was also worried. Not long ago, when Shen Cui vomited, she had wanted her to see a doctor, but Shen Cui insisted it was just a cold stomach and nothing serious. Ji Lan, busy with year-end matters, hadn’t followed up.
“Oh dear, it seems to be a stomach issue. She vomited once before, but she didn’t take it seriously, and I didn’t pay much attention,” Ji Lan explained.
The matriarch was displeased. No matter how busy things were, how could one neglect a child?
“I’ll go check on her,” Ji Lan said, more worried than the matriarch about her child.
Ji Cheng put on a concerned face. “Grandmother, I’ll go check too.” This was the concern a cousin should show for her cousin.
After Ji Cheng hurried out, she clumsily twisted her ankle on the steps. A young maid quickly came to help her up. “Miss Ji, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Ji Cheng replied, though she winced in pain when her foot touched the ground.
The maid helped her to a nearby corridor to sit down.
“Could you call Liu Ye from my room? I don’t think I can walk,” Ji Cheng politely asked the maid.
The maid immediately agreed and ran to Ji Cheng’s small courtyard to find Liu Ye. Liu Ye, upon hearing that Ji Cheng had twisted her ankle, was worried but didn’t forget to give the maid a handful of copper coins, which was why the maids were always willing to run errands for Ji Cheng.
With this delay, Ji Cheng naturally couldn’t catch up with Ji Lan and Shen Cui.
Meanwhile, Ji Lan, chasing after Shen Cui, hadn’t considered the possibility of pregnancy. “You child, you don’t take care of yourself. I told you to see a doctor last time, but you wouldn’t listen. Now who knows what trouble you’ve caused?”
Shen Cui, her stomach churning, vomited until she was teary-eyed and scared. Hearing Ji Lan’s words, she retched again, this time bringing up bile with traces of blood, which frightened Ji Lan. “What are we going to do?” Ji Lan hurriedly called for Linglong. “Take the master’s name card to Doctor Liu’s house on Guozi Lane and invite him over.”
Shen Cui panicked. “I’m fine, no need for a doctor. I’ll be alright after some rest.”
“You’re not fine! Look at you, you’re as thin as a monkey. I can’t let you have your way this time,” Ji Lan scolded.
“I’m fine! I’m fine! I said I’m fine!” Shen Cui shouted, her outburst startling Ji Lan.
Ji Lan’s eyelid twitched, and suspicion arose in her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, laughing at herself for thinking something so absurd.
“Alright, my little ancestor, let’s get you back to bed, okay?” Ji Lan, seeing Shen Cui was ill, didn’t want to argue with her.
Shen Cui was helped back to her bed by Ji Lan. She had just closed her eyes when she heard Ji Lan quietly instruct Linglong to fetch a doctor. Shen Cui sat up abruptly. “If you want to kill me, go ahead and call a doctor.”
Ji Lan felt her eyelid twitching again. She turned to look at Shen Cui, who was sitting on the bed with tears streaming down her face, and her heart sank.
Ji Lan steadied herself and told Linglong, “You may leave. I have some words for Fifth Miss. No one is to disturb us.”
“Tell me honestly, what’s going on?” Ji Lan struggled to restrain herself from slapping Shen Cui.
Shen Cui just kept crying, saying nothing.
“Are you pregnant?!” Ji Lan’s tears flowed as she grabbed Shen Cui’s arm. “You foolish girl, you’re trying to kill me! What have I done to deserve this?”
After her outburst, Ji Lan regained some composure. “Who is it? Who’s the father?!”
Shen Cui hesitantly whispered Qi Zheng’s name.
“How could it be him? How did you two get involved?” Ji Lan couldn’t fathom when Shen Cui had any interaction with Qi Zheng. She had always kept a strict watch over Shen Cui and couldn’t figure out when Qi Zheng had ruined her reputation.
Shen Cui, sobbing, recounted the incident when she and Ji Cheng visited the Qi family and met Qi Zheng. In truth, Shen Cui had already been infatuated with Qi Zheng since their encounter in Sansheng Alley. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have insisted on going to the Qi family with Ji Cheng. Now, to avoid Ji Lan’s wrath, she blamed everything on Ji Cheng.
Upon hearing this, Ji Lan’s hatred for Ji Cheng deepened, but now wasn’t the time to deal with her. She needed to sort everything out first. “Are you stupid? You weren’t even married, and you… Are you trying to kill me?”
Shen Cui cried, “I didn’t want this either—” At the time, Shen Cui indeed didn’t want it, but when her beloved desired it, what could she do but half-heartedly resist? Moreover, the more you hide and forbid them from seeing or doing things, the more curious and eager they become.
“When Sister Cheng was injured, I moved to share a tent with Sister Yuan and the others. There were too many people in the tent, and I found it noisy…” Shen Cui explained half-heartedly. In truth, it wasn’t that Shen Yuan and the others were noisy; Shen Cui was just eager to sneak away to meet her lover.
But Ji Cheng had to take the blame for Shen Cui once again.
Ji Lan closed her eyes, feeling as if she could swallow Ji Cheng whole. “Alright! Just tell me, have you informed Qi Zheng about your pregnancy?”
In this matter, Ji Lan and Ji Cheng shared a common understanding. Qi Zheng had managed to seduce Shen Cui before marriage, so it was impossible for Ji Lan not to suspect his intentions. Otherwise, how could the Qi family, with their status, marry Shen Cui?
Shen Cui nodded.
“What did he say?”
“He said we can’t keep the child. If anyone finds out, I’ll never be able to hold my head up again,” Shen Cui cried.
Ji Lan squinted. What nonsense was this? Who was responsible for Shen Cui’s disgrace? “Did he mention when he would come to propose?”
This was the crucial question. As long as the Qi family came to propose, everything could be smoothed over. At this point, even if Ji Lan didn’t agree, she had no choice.
But when it came to this, Shen Cui hesitated. Pressed by Ji Lan, she finally cried, “He doesn’t dare to come. He said his mother is unwell and can’t handle any stress, and they’re currently looking for a match for him.”
Ji Lan collapsed at Shen Cui’s feet. How could she have raised such a fool?
“When did you see Qi Zheng again? Are you brainless?” With such a big handle, it was no longer the Qi family seeking to marry Shen Cui; now, it was the Shen family begging Qi Zheng to marry her.
“It was Sister Cheng, Sister Cheng took me,” Shen Cui sobbed.
Shen Cui was like this—she wasn’t malicious, but in small matters, she always wanted to take the best without bearing any responsibility. When trouble arose, she pushed it onto others. She had told Ji Cheng about the situation, hoping to find a scapegoat.
Daughters naturally have a way of dealing with their mothers. Even if Shen Cui was foolish, she had her ways with Ji Lan.
Sure enough, Ji Lan couldn’t bother scolding Shen Cui anymore. She pushed open the door and headed straight for Ji Cheng’s small courtyard, not caring about her dignity as a noblewoman, lifting her skirt and rushing over.
Hearing the commotion, Ji Cheng stood up, only to be slapped hard by Ji Lan, staggering two or three steps before steadying herself.
The maids in Ji Cheng’s house were more sensible than those in Ji Lan’s. Seeing something was wrong, they immediately closed the door from outside, leaving only Ji Cheng and Ji Lan inside.
“What sin have I committed to have you, a troublemaker, in my house? Ji Cheng, has your conscience been eaten by dogs? What good does it do you to harm Ah Cui?” Ji Lan, with red eyes, wanted to hit Ji Cheng again.
Ji Cheng, having taken one slap, didn’t feel she owed Ji Lan a second. She blocked Ji Lan’s hand and said coldly, “Aunt, as you said, I gain nothing from harming Ah Cui. I was more surprised than you when she came to me.”
Perhaps Ji Cheng’s calmness affected Ji Lan. Although she still glared at Ji Cheng with hatred, she stopped her outburst.
“Since you knew about this, why didn’t you tell me?” Ji Lan demanded.
“Ah Cui stayed by my side, not leaving for a moment. I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to. I thought if she wasn’t pregnant, I would take her to Changchun Hall. We didn’t show our faces, just had the doctor check her pulse through the curtain. That day, there was an incident at Changchun Hall, and Ah Cui, saying she couldn’t stand the smell of medicine, insisted on leaving. I couldn’t stop her, so I let her go back first. But she went to see Qi Zheng. I knew this would be trouble. Aunt and I already had a rift, and if I went over to Ah Cui to tell you, you’d both hate me,” Ji Cheng explained the whole situation.
Unfortunately, mothers naturally favor their daughters, and Ji Lan didn’t want to believe a word Ji Cheng said.
“Ji Cheng, don’t think I don’t know you hold a grudge. You had feelings for Qi Zheng back then; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been so eager to visit the Qi family. If it weren’t for you, how would Ah Cui…” Ji Lan started crying again.
“Aunt should remember when we returned that day, I told you everything, but you didn’t take it seriously. I couldn’t control Ah Cui,” Ji Cheng replied.
Ji Lan squinted. She did remember.
But like mother, like daughter. Shen Cui shirked responsibility, just as Ji Lan had taught her. She hadn’t disciplined her daughter properly and now blamed Ji Cheng for not watching over Shen Cui.
“Aunt, blaming me now is useless. You should know I’m the last person who wants something like this to happen to Ah Cui,” Ji Cheng said. She was right; with Shen Cui’s scandal, it would be difficult for the unmarried Ji Cheng to secure a good match in the capital.
Ji Lan slumped into a rosewood chair, realizing Shen Cui’s little schemes. She had delayed telling her mother out of fear of her anger, showing no responsibility or decisiveness. Ji Lan wondered what she would say if the matriarch asked.
That foolish girl, Ji Lan thought, wanting to kick Shen Cui.
“Aunt, the important thing now is to cover this up,” Ji Cheng said, worried for the mother and daughter. All their shouting and yelling might have been overheard by the people in the courtyard.
Ji Lan wiped her tears. “What do you suggest?”
Ji Cheng sighed. “We still need to call a doctor. I’ll have someone fetch a doctor from Changchun Hall. As for Ah Cui’s situation, that depends on your decision.”
The child had to be aborted. Despite Shen Cui’s reluctance, she had to take the abortifacient. To outsiders, they would say Shen Cui had a stomach ailment and needed rest.
As for the marriage with the Qi family, Ji Lan had already spread the word during her social visits that she favored the Qi family’s eldest son. If Qi Zheng had any sense, he would come to propose.
But after five or six days, there was no movement from the Qi family. Ji Lan finally saw through Qi Zheng’s intentions. Only Shen Cui foolishly insisted, defending Qi Zheng by saying his mother’s illness had relapsed, preventing him from coming.
Qi Zheng indeed couldn’t come, but not because of his mother’s illness. It was because, during the New Year, creditors were knocking on their door.
Madam Qi’s illness consumed money like water, and the Qi family, poor at managing their affairs, had been buying on credit under the Yunyang Earl’s name. But at year’s end, everyone came to collect, leaving the Qi family unable to cope.
Ji Cheng had heard the news, and so had Ji Lan. “Fifty thousand taels of silver, what a ridiculous demand!” Ji Lan slammed her hand on the small table. “Does Qi Zheng think I won’t do anything to him?”
Ji Cheng kept her eyes down and said nothing.
Shen Cui said, “It’s just fifty thousand taels, Mother. Brother Qi’s family is indeed struggling, and he’s a filial son. He wants the money to make my dowry look good. Can’t you consider it as my dowry?”
Shen Cui’s words nearly made Ji Lan spit blood. She wasn’t even married yet, and her heart was already with the Qi family.
Just fifty thousand taels? Such arrogance. In the past, Ji Lan could have easily produced that amount, but not now.
Ji Cheng returned to her small courtyard, thinking that Ji Lan’s performance was likely a ploy to force her to provide the money. Honestly, to settle this matter, if Ji Lan couldn’t produce the money, Ji Cheng would have to. But she couldn’t swallow this indignation. Shen Cui’s indiscretion was one thing, but pushing all the blame onto her and then expecting her to pay was too much.
“Miss, the Young Master said he’s moved a few more boxes of account books to Lan Yue Zhai,” Nan Gui said, reluctantly interrupting Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng cursed Shen Che several times in her heart but didn’t show it to Nan Gui. She just smiled, “I understand.”
Nan Gui sighed with relief as she left. Although she had never seen Ji Cheng lose her temper, she was somewhat intimidated by her, though she didn’t know why.
Since Shen Che had sent word, Ji Cheng had no choice but to visit Lan Yue Zhai that night. As expected, there were two more large boxes of account books, along with a fresh bouquet of winter plum blossoms in the corner.
The natural table held Ji Cheng’s usual snacks, and the kettle on the stove was already boiling. Ji Cheng entered Lan Yue Zhai without a word, untying her cloak with her back to the door, when she heard Shen Che’s voice behind her, “Have you calmed down?”
Ji Cheng turned to see Shen Che leaning against the door, smiling at her. “I wasn’t angry, so there’s nothing to calm down about. I made the mistake once and don’t want to make it again.”
Shen Che chuckled softly.
Ji Cheng knew her words were somewhat petulant. She had no right to be angry with Shen Che, so it was no wonder he found her amusing.
“I was wrong last time. I shouldn’t have held you back,” Shen Che apologized.
His hot-and-cold behavior made Ji Cheng wonder if something was wrong with him. But she didn’t want to dwell on it. “I didn’t take it to heart,” Ji Cheng said, kneeling behind the natural table. “I’ve reviewed the accounts from last time and have a rough idea…”
Ji Cheng’s immediate shift to business made it clear she wanted to draw a line between herself and Shen Che.