Yining hadn’t spoken yet when Cheng Lang smiled and placed another chess piece. “Why am I telling you this?”
Yining had heard from Wei Ling that Lu Jiaxue had been somewhat cold towards Cheng Lang lately. The Ministry of Personnel had an opportunity for promotion, but Cheng Lang hadn’t been elevated. Noticing the faint weariness in his delicate features, she felt a twinge of sympathy. This young man appeared cheerful, but he wasn’t happy at all. It seemed as if he harbored a profound sadness in his heart, though no one knew what he was thinking.
What was on his mind?
Lost in thought, Yining suddenly realized she had fallen into a disadvantageous position on the chessboard. Cheng Lang pressed his advantage, forcing her pieces into a corner.
She grabbed a handful of pieces, thinking to herself how formidable he was!
Seeing her impending defeat, Cheng Lang’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Sister Yining, why resist the inevitable?”
Just then, a maid lifted the curtain and entered, bowing to inform Yining that a steward wished to see her. Yining stood up with relief, looking up to see Cheng Lang watching her. She couldn’t help but say, “There’s an urgent matter in the household…”
Cheng Lang smiled and said, “Go ahead and see to it!” He dropped his chess pieces back into the container.
After Yining left to discuss matters with the steward, she realized she couldn’t make decisions on many issues without Wei Ling present. It took quite some time to settle things. When she returned to the side room, she learned that young Ting had gone out to play with a little maid. Cheng Lang, probably bored from waiting, was leaning against the armrest with his eyes closed.
Yining approached him quietly, and Pearl whispered, “Young Master Cheng must be too tired. He didn’t even drink the tea I served him.”
Yining realized he had fallen asleep, with faint dark circles under his eyes, in a deep slumber. She waved for the maids to withdraw, letting him sleep for a while as she studied the chessboard. Suddenly, she felt it was just like when he was little. She would be looking over account books while little Cheng Lang slept beside her.
She put down the chess piece in her hand when she heard a very soft murmur: “Aunt…”
What was he calling? Yining looked up at Cheng Lang. His handsome face seemed to wear an expression of profound sadness, his brow furrowed tightly. Still asleep, he had a childlike helplessness and fear about him.
When he was little, he never slept soundly unless he was clutching her sleeve. Yining looked at his tall frame curled up. She suddenly thought of Lu Jiaxue’s exploitation of him, of Zhao Mingzhu’s affection for Lu Jiaxue, of Xie Yun’s fondness for Luo Shenyuan. It seemed no one truly cared for him… Yet he was the distinguished scholar who placed third in the imperial examinations, the future Vice Minister of War. He was heaven’s favored child, the boy who once leaned on her shoulder lamenting that the dragonfly had flown away.
Yining felt a pang of sympathy. She walked to his side and stroked his forehead, hesitating before softly saying, “… A-Lang. Sleep well… I’m here.”
He seemed very uneasy, but upon hearing a familiar voice calling him ‘A-Lang’, he gradually calmed down. He felt the warm sunlight from the window and sensed that person still by his side. As long as she remained with him, his heart was content; nothing else mattered.
A quarter of an hour later, he woke up. Yining was talking to the parrot when she suddenly saw him stand up and look around. She asked, “Cousin Cheng Lang, what’s wrong?”
They were still at the place where they had been playing chess. Cheng Lang gradually regained clarity, but when he looked at Yining again, his gaze was cold and distant.
He shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.” Then he added, “I need to pay my respects to Grandmother. I’ll be going now.”
He was about to leave when he paused at the threshold, suddenly turning back to ask indifferently, “Did anyone come in earlier?”
Yining smiled and said, “Cousin, did you perhaps have a dream?”
This time, Cheng Lang left without a word. After he left, the smile disappeared from Yining’s face. Regardless of Lu Jiaxue’s actions, Cheng Lang… had never harbored ill intentions towards her. However, since she had already decided not to get involved, she naturally wouldn’t tell Cheng Lang that she was still alive.
The crested parrot tilted its head, looking at Yining, and suddenly said, “A-Lang, A-Lang!”
Yining was startled. Seeing that Cheng Lang had already left her courtyard, she fed the bird a few corn kernels to quiet it. Wasn’t this silly creature unable to speak? Why was it called out like that? The crested parrot, seemingly rewarded for its performance, even more proudly repeated, “A-Lang, A-Lang!”
Yining took it down from its perch and said in a low voice, “Be quiet, stop calling out.”
When Pearl came in from outside, she saw her mistress staring at the parrot, unsure of what was happening.
She smiled and bowed, saying, “Miss, the Third Young Master Luo and the daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Dingbei have come to see you! They’re with the Old Madam now.”
Yining hadn’t seen Luo Yihui for a long time, probably not since the New Year when they barely exchanged a few words. Hearing that her third brother and elder sister had come together, Yining hurriedly washed her hands and rushed to Jing’an Residence. When she arrived, she saw her elder sister sitting in the hall talking to Old Madam Wei, who was inquiring about Old Madam Fu’s recent condition.
Yining saw that her elder sister wore a gold-threaded wide-sleeved jacket, her hair coiled high, exuding an elegant and refined aura.
Delighted, she walked in, paid her respects to Old Madam Wei, and immediately took her elder sister’s arm, asking, “Didn’t young Yu come with you?”
“He went to offer incense with his grandmother, so I could find time to visit you,” Luo Yihui smiled, allowing her younger sister to hold onto her.
Though they weren’t blood-related, they were as close as real sisters. Yining was raised by her, a bond that could never be changed!
Yining was in the Duke of Ying’s household, which always made her feel uneasy. Fortunately, the Duke of Ying’s household was simple; if it were any other noble family, she would have more reasons to worry.
Seeing Yining’s natural affection towards Luo Yihui, Old Madam Wei smiled and said, “You two sisters chat for now. I’ll go instruct the servants about lunch.” She then had Song Mama help her walk out.
Yining looked around but didn’t see Luo Shenyuan. When she asked Luo Yihui, she replied, “…We just ran into Cheng Lang, and they went to play chess.”
After taking a sip of tea to moisten her throat, she continued, “Yesterday’s news is that your third brother has just been appointed as the Junior Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature.”
Yining was surprised. Luo Shenyuan had become the top scholar in February, and he had only been a Compiler at the Hanlin Academy for two months! Typically, new jinshi officials would first accumulate experience in the Hanlin Academy or the Six Ministries for three years before taking office. Even then, they would usually go to the Six Ministries, but her third brother had directly become the Junior Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature, which handled criminal cases.
“Why suddenly become the Junior Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature?” she asked. “Even for an official position, shouldn’t one start as a Remonstrance Official or a Section Chief in the Six Ministries?”
Other options included serving as a county magistrate or as a participant in the Court of State Ceremonial. It was unprecedented to suddenly become the Junior Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature, a high-ranking official of the fourth grade!
Luo Yihui shook her head and said, “Minister Xu of the Cabinet strongly recommended him. Many disapprove… but your third brother hasn’t said anything. You can ask him yourself when you see him later.”
Yining remembered that Xu Wei was a pillar of the Purist faction.
The factional struggle at court was quite clear, mainly between the Purist faction and Wang Yuan’s party. After Wang Yuan killed Minister Liu, the Purist faction hated him to the extreme. But Wang Yuan was the Chief Minister, and his suppression of the Purist faction was severe. They had been repressed for years and were probably forced to seek new forces out of desperation.
Surprising as it was, she was still happy to know that her third brother had become the Junior Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature.
“Then I must congratulate him in person!” Yining said with a smile, calling a maid over to ask where Luo Shenyuan was.
The two men were playing chess in the pavilion.
When Yining arrived, the chessboard was already covered with black and white stones. Yining had played against both of them before. Cheng Lang’s skill was indeed high, but he couldn’t compare to Luo Shenyuan.
His chess skills could be described as terrifying. He could set up formations and devise strategies with ease.
Seeing her approach, Cheng Lang glanced up and said, “Earlier it was student against student, now it’s master against master.”
Yining then saw her third brother across from her, toying with a chess piece, looking at her calmly and saying, “You can’t beat him.”
Not only could Luo Yining not beat Cheng Lang, but even Dao Yan couldn’t beat him in the past.
Yining sat down next to her third brother. As she sat, his left sleeve brushed against her, and he placed another piece. “It would be an unfair victory for Lord Cheng to beat my younger sister.”
“Lord Luo is too modest. Yining’s chess skills are extremely high. I think she could even compete with the renowned Second Miss Xie in the capital,” Cheng Lang said with a smile.
“I’ve played against Xie Yun,” Luo Shenyuan said calmly. “She can’t beat Xie Yun.”
Yining was about to speak when she heard them mention Xie Yun, feeling a bit strange. She quickly said, “Third Brother, I haven’t even competed with Second Miss Xie yet. We should wait until after we’ve played to say that.”
Luo Shenyuan glanced at her, simply patting her head and saying, “Alright, we’ll talk about it after you’ve played.”
Yining didn’t know what to say. Was this her third brother’s way of comforting her?
Cheng Lang’s chess skills were also learned from a master, and he was naturally talented. He had thought it impossible for anyone to surpass her. Unexpectedly, this new top scholar was also a master, and the two of them hadn’t determined a winner even by mealtime, truly meeting their match. Instead, several girls walked towards the pavilion, stopping at a distance to watch them, whispering with occasional exclamations of surprise.
Yining looked up to see Shen Jiarou hiding shyly behind Zhao Mingzhu, her large, moist eyes fixed on Luo Shenyuan, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Cheng Lang glanced at her, covering his mouth with his fist and lowering his head to chuckle.
Luo Shenyuan still maintained his stony expression. He tossed the chess pieces back into the container and said to Yining, “… Isn’t it time for your household to serve the meal?”
Yining also found it amusing and wanted to watch more. But she refrained, calling a maid to inform Fangshan to prepare the meal. When they reached Fangshan, she saw Shen Yu, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, talking to Old Madam Wei. Upon seeing her, Shen Yu stood up and nodded with a smile, “Sister Yining, it’s been a long time!”
Yining acted as if he had forgotten about the previous incident and smiled back at him, “Brother Shen Yu, how are you?” Behind her, Luo Shenyuan and Cheng Lang walked in, standing behind Yining. Yining was about to lead her third brother to eat, forgetting about Shen Yu.
After the meal, Luo Shenyuan and Cheng Lang wanted to continue their chess game. Old Madam Wei had invited a theater troupe and was watching a play with Luo Yihui on the back mountain of Jing’an Residence.
Yining had never been particularly interested in watching plays. She reluctantly accompanied her elder sister for a while, which was enough. The sound of gongs and drums gave her a headache. She bid farewell to Old Madam Wei and her elder sister, intending to rest in a side room for a while. Seeing everyone engrossed in the play, she didn’t want to disturb them, so she only took Pearl with her as she left.
As she walked away from the theater, the sound of singing and percussion faded. Yining noticed the delicate pink lotus buds newly emerging in the early summer pond, thinking they looked beautiful. She didn’t have a lotus pond in her area, so she said to Pearl, “… Have someone pick some lotus flowers later and put them in the study. Ting likes lotus leaf rice, make some for him tonight.”
Pearl acknowledged the instruction. Yining felt a slight headache from not sleeping well the night before. She rubbed her temples and had Pearl support her as they gradually walked away.
Zhao Mingzhu had been standing behind Yining, watching her for quite a while. She had followed her out when she left the theater.
Looking at Luo Yining reminded her of Lu Jiaxue and her humble origins… But what could she do? After the two disappeared, she took a deep breath, just about to return. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her ask, “Sister Mingzhu, do you know where Sister Yining went?”
Zhao Mingzhu turned around to see Shen Yu standing behind her. He wore a brocade robe, looking youthful and handsome, smiling at her.
Zhao Mingzhu was momentarily speechless, but she suddenly remembered what Su Xi had told her about what would happen if Yining were to marry. She knew Shen Yu had feelings for Luo Yining… If she could truly match them, and Luo Yining married into the Loyal and Diligent Marquis’s family, perhaps there would still be a place for her in the Duke of Ying’s household… She smiled slowly and pointed toward the corridor, “I saw Sister Yining go that way.”
Shen Yu thanked her again and headed in the direction she indicated.
Cheng Lang, who had paused his chess game midway to take a walk, was also admiring the new lotus leaves undulating in the gentle breeze. From a distance, he saw Shen Yu talking to Zhao Mingzhu and even overheard their conversation.
He leaned against a pillar, listening expressionlessly for a moment, then turned back. Whatever happened to Luo Yining was none of his concern. Since he had decided not to get involved with her… he’d better not meddle in her affairs.