When it came to adding things for Ji Can’s wedding, Jin Chao naturally had nothing much to add. She could only join in the festivities.

By the next day, gold-embossed wedding invitations were sent out one after another. The Ji family began their final preparations. During this time of light snowfall, the mansion was decorated with lanterns and festive ornaments. Paper-cuts adorned the latticed windows and screens, red gauze lanterns hung everywhere, and the servants all changed into crimson jackets or cotton robes.

Jin Chao helped Madam Ji Wu prepare red envelopes containing silver ingots or ten-tael bank notes, intended as rewards for maids and servants with status, or for children who came to pay respects. These days, many of the Ji family’s old relatives had come from Baoding, as well as wealthy merchants from Yanjing who were friendly with the Ji family, and colleagues of First Master Ji and Second Master Ji. Guests filled the mansion, creating a lively atmosphere. They needed to prepare more red envelopes.

On the day before the wedding ceremony, Ji Can and his entourage changed into formal clothes. Servants carried large red and gold-lacquered dressing cases holding whole pigs and sheep as they went to the Chen family in Wanping for the bride’s dressing ceremony. Ji Can felt very awkward about it but was forced onto a horse by Ji Yun, An Songhuai, and several others working together.

Meanwhile, the Ji family began setting up canopies and testing the kitchen stoves, hosting banquets for relatives and friends who came to offer congratulations.

It was at this time that Gu Dezhao arrived, bringing a gift of five hundred taels of silver, along with a red coral bonsai and a pair of white jade figurines. After leaving his gift at the reception area and speaking with First Master Ji, he came to pay respects to Madam Ji Wu.

When Madam Ji Wu saw him, she was reminded of Ji’s death and naturally showed him no pleasant expression.

Gu Dezhao’s demeanor became awkward. As he was in mourning, he wore at most a brown straight robe to indicate this. Seeing Jin Chao also present, talking with Madam Liu and paying little attention to him, he inevitably felt lonely.

Finally, a servant came to call him, saying that the First Master requested his presence for drinks. Only then did he rise to say goodbye, also saying to Jin Chao: “After I’ve had drinks, you don’t need to rush back, but you should return before the twelfth lunar month. Be sure to show proper respect to your grandmother!”

Jin Chao bid him farewell: “Please go have drinks with my eldest uncle. You can be of help there.” There were many distinguished and wealthy guests, so the Ji family had to be cautious, especially since they didn’t have many male family members. Ji Can and Ji Yun had gone to attend the bride’s dressing ceremony. Now only First Master Ji and Ji Yao were in the outer courtyard entertaining guests.

As soon as Gu Dezhao left the east wing courtyard, Madam Xu arrived with Xu Jingyi.

Madam Ji Wu had servants bring over stools. She took Madam Xu’s hand warmly and said, “I was just wondering when you would come! Let’s have a small banquet here, so we don’t have to squeeze into the west wing courtyard.” Madam Xu smiled along, but couldn’t hide her worried expression. Madam Ji Wu then glanced at Xu Jingyi and noticed her red-rimmed eyes, as if she had been crying.

Madam Ji Wu lowered her voice: “What’s wrong with Miss Yi?”

Madam Xu sighed, feeling it was difficult to speak of: “It’s still about Miss Yi’s marriage. I heard that the Luo family’s eldest son is improper. All the maids in his chambers have ‘opened faces.’ That’s not even the worst part. Yesterday, his carriage was passing through Qingfeng Lane. Someone blocked his way and couldn’t move aside in time. That Luo eldest son jumped out of his carriage and lashed the person with a whip, nearly beating them to death.”

Hearing this, Jin Chao raised her head. So the Xu family knew about these matters regarding the Luo family.

Knowing this and still marrying their daughter to them meant they truly had no other choice. Xu Jingyi sat nearby, tears falling uncontrollably, yet not making a sound. Feeling her loss of composure, she turned to wipe her tears with a handkerchief.

Madam Ji Wu already knew what kind of person the Luo family’s eldest son was and felt somewhat helpless: “Their family is like that. The root is already crooked, so the sprout that grows can’t be straightened. Sister, if you’ll listen to me, marry her to anyone but someone from the Luo family!”

Madam Xu also couldn’t stop crying: “There’s no other way. If Yi doesn’t marry soon, she can only remain an old maid at home. She doesn’t have a full-blood brother, so who will support her when I’m old? Sister, you don’t know. Now rumors are spreading everywhere that our Yi has a wicked temperament, which is why she hasn’t found a husband. When I went to speak with Madam Luo, she acted as if their family was the one suffering a loss.”

The problem was that Madam Xu hadn’t given birth to a son, so Xu Jingyi couldn’t remain unmarried all her life.

Having said this much, Madam Xu wiped her tears and smiled: “This is a joyous day for sister’s family. How could I talk about such things!”

Madam Ji Wu felt helpless and said to Jin Chao: “Why don’t you accompany Miss Yi for a walk outside? I need to have a few words with Madam Xu.”

Jin Chao also wanted to go out for a walk. The west wing courtyard was at its liveliest now. On the day of the wedding ceremony, she wouldn’t be able to go there. So she took Xu Jingyi’s arm and smiled: “Why don’t you come with me to the west wing courtyard? They’ve set up canopies there. If we go now, we might even get some food.”

Xu Jingyi nodded and smiled at Jin Chao, thanking her softly.

She had a fair complexion, and though her features weren’t especially beautiful, her smile was very gentle.

Jin Chao didn’t remember seeing her smile much in her previous life.

The two of them, accompanied by their maids, went to the west wing courtyard just as the banquet was starting. The second Aunt invited them to sit in the flower hall and served them walnut cakes and peanut cakes. Xu Jingyi gazed at the busy scene outside and became lost in thought.

The second Aunt smiled and said to them: “Today we’re serving bird’s nest soup with two flavors. The savory one is mixed with ham strips and bamboo shoots, simmered in chicken broth. The sweet one is stewed with rock sugar or has steamed pigeon eggs added to it. If you’d like to try some, I’ll have someone bring it over.”

Some guests who arrive a few days early might eat different banquet foods each day. But for the Ji family to be so generous as to serve bird’s nest soup at so many tables was quite rare.

The second Aunt called for someone to bring two bowls of sweet bird’s nest soup.

Xu Jingyi praised the soup, saying it was extremely well-made—tender and smooth on the palate, sweet but not cloying.

Jin Chao, however, was looking outside the flower hall where her eldest uncle was exchanging pleasantries with someone. The person looked somewhat familiar; she should recognize him but couldn’t recall at the moment. Seeing how respectful her eldest uncle was to this person, yet the man was dressed like a guard—how could her eldest uncle, who at the very least held the position of Deputy Magistrate, show such deference to a mere guard?

Jin Chao asked Second Aunt about it, who replied: “He’s someone from the Chen family, seems to be Grand Secretary Chen’s guard. As they say, even a seventh-rank official at a Prime Minister’s gate is not someone to offend.”

After a few words, her eldest uncle’s expression became solemn. He found Second Uncle, and together they went to the front courtyard.

It seemed that some important person was about to arrive.

Second Aunt took Jin Chao’s arm and smiled: “Why don’t I take you to see your fourth cousin’s new chamber? It’s boring to just sit here. Would Miss Xu like to come to see as well?”

Xu Jingyi smiled and shook her head. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to go; she’d rather just sit here for a while.

Jin Chao hadn’t yet seen Ji Can’s new chamber. She had only heard her grandmother say it was very well-decorated. Leaving a servant woman to keep Xu Jingyi company, she followed the Second Aunt to see Ji Can’s new room.

Ji Can’s new chamber was next to First Master Ji’s, a courtyard with three rooms and seven rafters. Going through the covered corridor led to her eldest uncle’s courtyard. In this courtyard, the window frames and pillars had been freshly painted black, fitted with ornamental brackets, and the latticed windows had been replaced. Outside the perforated windows grew a winter plum tree in full bloom. Maids and servant women bustled about the courtyard, hanging lanterns adorned with large red “double happiness” characters.

Jin Chao followed Second Aunt to look at the east wing room. Inside, everything was newly renovated with a lacquered and carved wooden bed, bright red bed curtains with four happiness patterns, and a gilded lotus-shaped silver incense burner hanging from it. In the western side room, the large kang bed was covered with cyan satin bedding featuring four-season floral patterns. There were two Dongpo chairs and various vases and bonsai displayed on the treasure shelves.

“This is the Chen family’s matron who came to help with the arrangements,” Second Aunt pointed to a servant woman wearing a purple satin jacket. The servant woman curtseyed to Jin Chao.

This servant woman wore a bamboo-patterned red gold bracelet and spoke with unusual refinement, likely the wet nurse or household manager of the Chen family’s second young lady. She came to help decorate the new chamber, generally arranging things according to her young lady’s habits at home, to prevent any inconvenience after moving in.

The servant woman happened to have something to discuss with the Second Aunt and pulled her aside.

Jin Chao then took Qing Pu out of the main hall. Outside, it had started snowing again, and a layer of fluffy snow covered the flowers, plants, and trees beyond the corridor. Qing Pu handed the hand warmer to Jin Chao, looking worriedly at the falling snow: “It looks like the snow is going to get heavier.”

Jin Chao shook her head: “I won’t need the hand warmer. There should be a fire burning in the west wing room. Let’s go there to look around and warm ourselves.” The west wing room was the study. Ji Can’s habit was to keep his study warm throughout winter as he enjoyed reading leisure books. Jin Chao had borrowed several books on art appreciation from him.

Jin Chao entered the study, where indeed a stove was lit. There was a writing desk, several treasure shelves filled with books, and by the window stood a long table with an incense burner and a cloisonné vase. On the wall hung a painting depicting continuous mountain ranges and an eastward-flowing river, very grand in style.

“This painting is truly excellent. Who would have thought that besides Third Young Master, Fourth Young Master is also such an accomplished painter,” Qing Pu remarked to Jin Chao.

Jin Chao laughed: “This doesn’t look like Fourth Cousin’s work at all. He’s fine with reading books, but when it comes to wielding a brush, he gets a headache!”

She still remembered that Ji Can’s former tutor was an old scholar retired from the Hanlin Academy who had taught several successful examination candidates in his lifetime. He once said Ji Can was “clever in abundance but lacking in diligence.” Ji Can often received punishment from his teacher, but no matter how many times he was disciplined, it made no difference. His calligraphy was average, and his painting skills were even more mediocre.

Jin Chao glanced at the inscription beside the painting, ‘Overlooking All Mountains Below.’ It was written in the formal style commonly used by scholars—neat, powerful, and imposing. Such skill could only be achieved after decades of practice. It must have been a painting he obtained from some old scholar.

After looking at it, Jin Chao said softly: “Although the painting is grand, this kind of ‘Standing atop the highest peak, looking down upon all mountains’ ambition, if placed on an ordinary scholar, seems too pretentious. I think a simple ink bamboo painting would be more elegant.”

After she finished speaking, she heard a slight cough behind her, seemingly from a man.