Madam Han realized she had misspoken and blushed deeply.
Ji Qi, not wanting his wife to feel embarrassed, changed the subject. “Any news from Grandfather?”
Somewhat relieved, Madam Han pouted, “The letter was sent just a few days ago. How could there be a response so quickly?”
“Then you must pay close attention to Jianming’s situation,” Ji Qi advised before leaving for the magistrate’s office.
After some thought, Madam Han went to visit Ji Lingze.
Coincidentally, the Han family’s fourth daughter-in-law, Lady Liu, and the tenth young miss, Han Su, were also visiting Ji Lingze.
The room, filled with Han family members, exuded an especially intimate atmosphere.
Lady Liu, originally from the Liu family of Yixing, had married into the Han family of Huzhou. Having known Madam Han since childhood, she immediately approached her, offering loud congratulations. Taking tea from the maids, she served it to Madam Han, sitting close beside her. After exchanging pleasantries, she inquired about Ji Yong’s marriage prospects. “…Aunt, you can’t simply let your nephew have his way. When it’s time to be firm, you must be firm.”
Ji Lingze suppressed a smile, exchanging a knowing glance with Han Su.
The Liu family had many daughters, and Lady Liu herself had two unmarried sisters. One of them had even exchanged couplets with Ji Yong, earning praise from the Ji family’s old master.
Madam Han, already troubled by the matter between Ji Yong and Dou Zhao, frowned in displeasure. “Jianming has grown up under the old master’s care since childhood. Naturally, his marriage should be decided by the old master. As a woman of the inner quarters, my insight and judgment cannot compare to the old master’s. I’ve washed my hands of this matter and am simply waiting to become a mother-in-law!”
Inwardly, she thought that if the old master were to hastily arrange a marriage to end her son’s infatuation, she hoped it wouldn’t be with a Liu family daughter. If nothing else, her son would certainly dislike such a gossipy girl.
She then felt a twinge of regret. She had come hoping to inquire about the Dou family’s fourth young miss, but with Lady Liu present, it seemed impossible to do so.
Madam Han patiently exchanged pleasantries with Lady Liu.
Meanwhile, Ji Yong was conversing with Dou Qijun.
Dou Qijun had failed the metropolitan examination this time.
“Why rush back so hastily?” Ji Yong urged Dou Qijun to stay. “Why not wait for the palace examination results? You could compare your work with the successful candidates’ essays to identify your shortcomings.” He added, “I also have business in Zhending. We could return together.”
Dou Qijun was surprised. The Ji family was already residing in the capital; what business could Ji Yong have in Zhending?
Ji Yong explained with a smile, “The fourth young miss has come of age, and I was unable to send a gift due to the examinations. After the palace examination, I’ll be busy with the Hanlin Academy internship and unlikely to leave the capital. This is a perfect opportunity to take a trip.”
His explanation was straightforward, and everyone knew that Dou Zhao was already engaged. Dou Qijun, not suspecting any ulterior motive, laughed, “You want to sneak away for fun and use me as cover. Well, since you’re my elder, I’ll indulge you.” He agreed to accompany Ji Yong to Zhending.
Delighted, Ji Yong ordered a feast. The two ate and discussed the recent examinations until the moon rose high in the sky.
A few days later, on the first day of the third month, Ji Yong donned a new sapphire blue Hangzhou silk robe and went to the Western Palace.
After a full day of palace examinations, Ji Yong was, as expected, named the Third-Place Scholar.
The Ji family’s aunts and uncles all came to offer congratulations.
However, Ji Yong felt a knot of frustration in his chest that he couldn’t dispel. His face remained gloomy.
He took out the wooden hairpin he had carved for Dou Zhao and gazed at it for a long time. With a “thud,” he tossed the box into the corner of his bed and lay on the study’s “Drunken Old Man” chair, pretending to doze. He remained motionless, ignoring the stream of guests outside.
His servants anxiously paced about but dared not urge him to greet the visitors.
Madam Han, dressed in a bright red gold-embroidered jacket, entered. Seeing the servants standing outside the study, she lowered her voice, “What’s wrong?”
The servants quietly informed her about Ji Yong throwing the wooden hairpin box into the corner of his bed.
Madam Han felt both alarmed and pleased. She was alarmed that her son indeed cared deeply for the Dou family’s fourth young miss, but pleased that this might prevent him from facing her, which could be beneficial in the long run.
As she was about to instruct the servants to take good care of Ji Yong, she heard a creak. The study door swung open, and Ji Yong emerged.
Seeing his mother, he showed no surprise.
It was expected that she would come to check on him, concerned that he wasn’t greeting the guests who had come to congratulate him on his high achievement.
He nodded to his mother, saying, “I’ll go to the front courtyard to receive the guests now.” Then he handed the sandalwood box to a servant, instructing, “This is my coming-of-age gift for the Dou family’s fourth young miss. Deliver it to Zhending by express horse.”
His composure made Madam Han and the servants feel somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, the servant was quick-witted and quickly concealed any awkwardness, respectfully stepping forward to accept the box and departing.
Preoccupied, Ji Yong didn’t notice his mother and the servant’s unease. After the servant left, he asked his mother, “Would you like to sit in my room for a while? I’ll change clothes and then go to the front courtyard.”
“Certainly!” Unsure of her son’s intentions, Madam Han followed him into the hall.
Five days later, Dou Zhao received Ji Yong’s gift. After reading the letter in the sandalwood box, she burst into laughter.
Just then, Suxin entered with freshly made peach pastries from the kitchen. Seeing Dou Zhao’s amusement, she asked, “What did Young Master Ji write in his letter?”
Dou Zhao tucked the letter away, still smiling. “He said that during the palace examination, the Emperor walked around the great hall and, seeing that Ji Yong was the youngest, scrutinized him closely. Ji Yong suspects the Emperor didn’t even read his essay but chose him as the Third-Place Scholar simply because he was the youngest. He claims he carefully examined the essay of Cai Guyuan, the First-Place Scholar, and says it wasn’t as well-written as his own…”
Suxin couldn’t help but laugh as well.
Dou Zhao tasted a peach pastry and remarked, “Cousin Ji is still like a child. He knew my birthday but deliberately waited until he became the Third-Place Scholar to send a gift. If he had failed this exam, he probably wouldn’t have acknowledged me for years. Ultimately, he still remembers what I said about him and Dou Ming fooling around.”
Suxin nodded, pouring Dou Zhao a cup of tea. “Young Master Ji, though quite proud, is straightforward and easy to get along with.”
“Indeed,” Dou Zhao agreed, heading to her study. “I’ll write him a reply letter. I imagine everyone thinks he must be elated and full of ambition right now, but only he sees this Third-Place Scholar title as a kind of humiliation, something he’d rather not mention!”
Suxin thought about it and realized Ji Yong was indeed capable of such behavior.
She smiled and began grinding ink for Dou Zhao.
When Ji Yong received Dou Zhao’s reply, he was still undecided about taking up his post at the Hanlin Academy.
Ji Yong’s uncle Ji Song and father Ji Qi were anxious. Ji Qi complained, “Why hasn’t Grandfather sent any news yet? How are we supposed to proceed with Jianming’s affairs if he doesn’t make a decision?”
Ji Song could only offer a bitter smile.
A servant requested an audience.
Both men eagerly allowed him to enter and report.
“The young master instructed me to inform the sedan chair bearers,” the servant said, slightly out of breath from running, “that he needs a sedan chair early tomorrow morning to go to the Ministry of Personnel to register.”
Ji Song sighed in relief.
Ji Qi, however, stood up abruptly, exclaiming, “Why has Jianming suddenly changed his mind?”
The servant caught his breath and explained, “The young master just received a letter from the Dou family’s fourth young miss. I don’t know what she wrote, but the young master chuckled after reading it and then asked me to inform the sedan chair bearers.”
Ji Song and Ji Qi exchanged glances.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ji Qi quietly asked the servant, “What exactly did the Dou family’s fourth young miss write in her letter?”
The servant shook his head.
Ji Song stroked his beard and softly suggested, “Then find a way to see what the Dou family’s fourth young miss wrote.”
The servant was taken aback and looked towards Ji Qi.
Ji Qi cleared his throat lightly and took a sip of tea, pretending not to have heard the suggestion.
The servant inwardly sighed but had no choice but to agree. The next day, while Ji Yong was out, he quickly glanced at Dou Zhao’s letter to Ji Yong and hurriedly reported back to Ji Song and Ji Qi: “…There wasn’t much else. The fourth young miss merely wrote about her thoughts on gardening.”
“Thoughts on gardening?” Ji Song was puzzled.
“Yes,” the servant replied respectfully, keeping his head lowered. “The fourth young miss wrote in her letter that to arrange a courtyard, besides planting evergreen boxwood and holly, one should also intersperse trees and plants that bloom in all four seasons to make the courtyard scenery more pleasant. Flowers that bloom in spring include narcissus, cymbidium, camellia, azalea, and winter jasmine… Narcissus is elegant, cymbidium is fragrant, camellia is graceful, and azalea is as bright as the morning sun, but winter jasmine is the most common.
At the edge of trees or corners of pavilions, as soon as the weather warms, it blooms brilliantly like golden clouds, leaving an unforgettable impression. Anyone mentioning spring would speak of this harbinger of the season. This shows that a flower’s value lies not in its rarity but in when it blooms… Even common street-side plants, if they provide the first touch of color in early spring, become the world’s finest flowers. Why be confined by whether a flower is of a famous variety?”
Ji Song pondered thoughtfully.
Ji Qi mused with a headache, “If only we knew what Jianming wrote in his letter to the fourth young miss!”
The servant broke out in a cold sweat.
Surely the two masters wouldn’t ask him to probe the young master’s thoughts? If that aroused the young master’s suspicions, it would be troublesome!
Just as he was feeling anxious, Ji Song waved his hand at him, saying, “You may go now. Don’t mention this matter to anyone else.”
The servant hastily agreed and withdrew.
Ji Song worriedly said to Ji Qi, “Stop guessing. The fourth young miss’s words are a metaphor, encouraging Jianming to strive for success. In principle, after ten years of hard study, Jianming has already achieved great success. What more could he be dissatisfied with? Why would he rather confide in the fourth young miss than his own family? And how does the fourth young miss know that such encouragement would be effective?”
They had often urged Ji Yong to study hard and advance himself, but the more they pushed, the more rebellious he became, to the point where they no longer dared to advise him.
“Indeed,” Ji Qi agreed. “If only we knew why the Dou family’s fourth young miss could persuade Jianming, we wouldn’t be at such a loss with him!”
Ji Song sighed and, upon returning to his room, immediately wrote a letter to their grandfather, the old master Ji.