Ji Yong didn’t return to Yuqiao Hutong until lamplight time.
Nanny Han didn’t dare mention that Lady Han was looking for him. Instead, she signaled to Zi Xi, who was walking behind Ji Yong.
Zi Xi nodded, indicating he understood. Only then did Nanny Han return to inform Lady Han, “The young master has returned. I’ve spoken with Zi Xi, who will come to report when the time is right.”
Lady Han felt somewhat relieved. She smiled as she accompanied Ji Qi and his son during dinner, then sent Ji Qi to the study to read. She remained in the hall, sipping tea while waiting for Zi Xi.
About half an hour later, Zi Xi, having completed his duties, came to pay respects to Lady Han.
Lady Han arranged for Nanny Han to stand guard outside, then pulled Zi Xi into the warm chamber to talk.
“Does the young master have any romantic interests outside?” Lady Han asked in a lowered voice.
Zi Xi was momentarily stunned, taking a moment to understand Lady Han’s question.
“No, no!” he quickly replied. “The young master never visits brothels.”
Lady Han breathed a sigh of relief.
By all rights, her son was of marriageable age and should have been betrothed long ago. When he had first topped the provincial examinations, prominent families from Jiangnan had rushed to propose matches, nearly wearing out the Ji family’s threshold with matchmakers. However, her son had coldly snorted, consulted no one, and posted a challenge couplet on the main gate, declaring, “Whichever young lady can complete this couplet to my satisfaction will be my ideal match.”
Many educated young ladies from Jiangnan wanted to create a beautiful story. Countless exceptional responses were submitted, with several impressing even the old master. Yet, none met Ji Yong’s approval.
As time passed, people began to understand.
Ji Yong wasn’t looking for a wife; he was indirectly refusing marriage!
The young ladies who had submitted responses felt humiliated and distressed. The Ji family elders, realizing Ji Yong’s intentions, broke out in a cold sweat. The head of the family personally took down the challenge couplet—if this continued, the Ji family risked offending every notable family in Jiangnan.
The matriarchs of families with unmarried daughters felt both love and hate towards Ji Yong, and naturally, no one dared to bring up his marriage again.
Lady Han feared her son might be fooled by some courtesan.
Given Ji Yong’s temperament, if he didn’t keep her outside, he’d bring her home.
What would they do then?
If they didn’t accept her, would Ji Yong comply?
If they did accept her, even if they turned a blind eye to her background, the families whose marriage proposals Ji Yong had rejected would surely not let the Ji family off easily. What would become of the Ji family’s reputation then?
The mere thought made her restless.
Now, hearing that her son was behaving properly, she beamed with joy.
But this joy lasted only a moment before Lady Han realized something was amiss.
That wooden hairpin was meant for a woman!
While the Ji family couldn’t be called as wealthy as a nation, jadeite, cat’s eye stones, and even diamonds weren’t rare. Yet Ji Yong had ignored these, secretly keeping a wooden hairpin that he had likely carved himself… If the recipient of the hairpin were merely an acquaintance, it would be more believable to say an iron tree had blossomed.
Her smile froze on her face as she urgently asked Zi Xi, “Since leaving Yixing, where has the young master been? Whom has he met?”
Ever since Ji Yong had started carving that wooden hairpin, Zi Xi had felt like he was walking on hot coals.
The young master’s treatment of the Dou family’s fourth miss was far too favorable… He wanted to warn Lady Han but feared she might dismiss his concerns. Yet if they let this continue and the young master caused trouble someday, it wouldn’t just be a matter of whether they, as close servants, had been respectful to the Ji family elders. They would be accused of poor conduct and leading their master astray. Even with the young master’s protection, the Ji family wouldn’t tolerate them anymore.
Now that Lady Han was asking, he felt both alarmed and relieved. He fell to his knees before Lady Han and recounted everything: how Ji Yong had decided to visit Madam Ji in Zhending, how he met Dou Zhao, how Dou Zhao dealt with Pang Kunbai, and how Ji Yong had come to regard Dou Zhao differently… He told Lady Han everything in detail.
Lady Han listened with growing alarm. After a long while, she finally regained her composure and asked, “Are you saying that Ji Ming personally carved this wooden hairpin for the Dou family’s fourth miss?”
Zi Xi nodded, “The young master designed it himself and carved it by hand. It took nearly a month.”
Lady Han asked curiously, “Then why didn’t he give it to the Dou family’s fourth miss? If I remember correctly, her coming-of-age ceremony was on the tenth day of the first month.”
Ji Lingze had attended Dou Zhao’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Zi Xi replied nervously, “The young master said that if he couldn’t achieve success in the imperial examinations this time, what right would he have to give the Dou family’s fourth miss a celebratory gift…”
Lady Han’s expression changed dramatically.
To think that the Dou family’s fourth miss held such importance in her son’s heart!
If that was the case, why hadn’t he told her and properly proposed marriage?
Could it be that he feared the Dou family’s fourth miss would look down on him?
As this thought crossed her mind, Lady Han felt a mix of emotions.
Her son, so talented and learned, admired by many and sought after by countless families hoping to become in-laws, was now humbly trying to please a young girl!
What was so special about this Dou family’s fourth miss?
Not only was she the eldest daughter of a widowed mother, but she was also cold and arrogant, willing to beat someone to death if she said she would. If they brought her into the family, with her son already so cautious in trying to please her, what authority would Lady Han have as a mother-in-law? Wouldn’t it be like bringing home a living ancestor?
But if they didn’t agree… Apart from the old master, there wasn’t anyone else in the family who could control her son.
The old master was advanced in years; he couldn’t manage her son forever, could he?
According to Zi Xi, although the Dou family’s fourth miss had ruthless methods, she was at least decisive. Her son’s willingness to participate in the imperial examinations this time was due to being mocked by the Dou family’s fourth miss.
One should marry for virtue. Being able to manage her husband and encourage him to progress and bring glory to the ancestors was the greatest virtue a wife could possess.
Thinking this way, Lady Han’s feelings began to shift subtly.
Even if her son didn’t marry the Dou family’s fourth miss, would he become any closer to her?
But if her son married the Dou family’s fourth miss… A woman’s domain was the inner courtyard. If she could keep her daughter-in-law close, she could keep her son close as well…
Lady Han couldn’t help but think her idea wasn’t bad.
It seemed she needed to inquire carefully about the Dou family’s fourth miss from her sister-in-law.
Having made up her mind, she instructed Zi Xi, “What we’ve discussed today has gone from your mouth to my ears. It must not reach a third person, do you understand?”
“Rest assured, madam,” Zi Xi, understanding the importance of the matter, swore, “If I mention this outside this room, may heaven strike me down, and may I die a terrible death!”
Lady Han nodded and told Zi Xi to rise, saying, “You need not concern yourself with this matter anymore. I will handle it.” Her expression showed a hint of joy.
Zi Xi understood immediately.
He inwardly exclaimed “Oh no!” and forced himself to say, “Madam, the Dou family’s fourth miss is already betrothed…”
“What did you say?” Lady Han turned pale with shock. “What exactly is going on? Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
“This servant hasn’t hidden anything from you, madam.” Zi Xi, realizing Lady Han had misunderstood the relationship between Ji Yong and Dou Zhao, carefully recounted some of their interactions again.
Lady Han’s expression fluctuated between light and dark. Her mouth half-open, it took her a quarter of an hour before she mumbled, “So you’re saying it’s just Ji Ming’s one-sided affection?”
Zi Xi lowered his head, not daring to respond.
“What are we going to do?!” Lady Han, thinking of her son’s personality, was on the verge of tears.
“What’s happened?” Ji Qi had entered unnoticed. “Has Ji Ming caused trouble again?” He looked very worried at the scene before him.
“No!” Lady Han sent Zi Xi away and composed herself to help Ji Qi change his clothes. “I just called Zi Xi to ask about what Ji Ming has been doing these days.”
Ji Qi’s indulgence of Ji Yong often led him to turn a blind eye to certain matters, but that didn’t mean he was careless.
He held his wife’s shoulders and said seriously, “Do you know why Grandfather didn’t let Ji Ming grow up by our side? Without virtue, a person cannot stand; without virtue, a nation cannot prosper. Ji Ming has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. Grandfather feared we would spoil him, focusing only on his studies while neglecting his character… If Ji Ming has done something wrong, you must not help him conceal it. He’s already unmanageable at such a young age. If you continue to indulge him, even if he becomes the top scholar, he may not become a renowned minister who goes down in history.”
Ji Qi’s words broke Lady Han’s resolve. Tears fell like rain as she said, “Ji Ming, he’s taken a fancy to someone else’s betrothed…” Between sobs, she told Ji Qi everything about the cause and effect, including how Ji Yong had personally carved a wooden hairpin for Dou Zhao.
As Ji Qi listened, his expression gradually became grave. “Are you certain about this?”
“This isn’t something to be happy about. Why would I lie to you?” Lady Han wiped her tears and said, “That wooden hairpin is still under Ji Ming’s pillow!”
Ji Qi was at a loss for words.
His son had never been one to stay out of trouble, from childhood to now.
If this matter wasn’t handled carefully, it could not only ruin the Dou family’s fourth miss’s reputation but also end Ji Yong’s official career before it began.
After some thought, he resolutely said, “We must inform Grandfather about this and ask for his guidance.” He added, “For now, Ji Ming is only thinking about the Dou family’s fourth miss. Don’t alarm him. Just make sure he doesn’t suddenly run off to Zhending in the middle of the night. We’ll wait for Grandfather’s decision before taking any action.”
Lady Han agreed. She helped her husband write a letter, and early the next morning, sent a trusted maidservant to deliver it personally to Yixing.
Ji Yong knew that Zi Xi had been called for questioning by his mother.
The people around him were frequently called for questioning.
Ji Yong believed he had nothing to hide and didn’t take it to heart. After giving all the books from his residence at the Shuntian Prefectural School to Dou Zheng Chang and Dou De Chang, he had wanted to visit Daxing. However, considering that the palace examination was just days away, he thought that if he could achieve a good ranking, he could instruct the Ji family’s steward to handle matters for him. Running around aimlessly would be both tiring and unproductive, so it was better to wait until after the palace examination results were announced. He moved back to Yuqiao Hutong, gathered the past decade’s court gazettes, sought advice from his uncle and father, and pondered the emperor’s intentions, considering all possible scenarios for the palace examination. When the metropolitan examination results were released at the end of the second month, Ji Yong had placed fourth.
The Ji family could no longer, and no longer needed to, conceal their joy.
Given Ji Yong’s age, even if he underperformed in the palace examination, he could still be named Number Three Scholar.
Ji Yong, however, remained composed, going about his usual routine. Inwardly, he wondered: Could Dou Zhao’s prediction come true? Could he only hope for the Golden Proclamation…
Lady Han watched anxiously. She privately asked her husband, “Isn’t this enough to explain the Dou family’s fourth miss?” This earned her a glare from Ji Qi, who couldn’t help but rebuke his wife: “What nonsense are you talking about?”