After playing with Tun’er for a while, Grandmother appeared much happier.
Jin Chao watched from the side, feeling somewhat emotional. Ji Yao was nearly eighteen but didn’t even have a concubine by his side, let alone children. Usually, men of his age with good fortune would already have several children. Grandmother could have been holding her great-grandchildren from the eldest line…
She felt she should think carefully about this matter. Ji Yao didn’t like her, and she was even less willing to be married to someone reluctantly. And her marriage was indeed a problem, after all, past the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would be sixteen.
If she wanted to remain in the Gu family without marrying, she would need capital in her hands. Her mother’s dowry didn’t count—as long as she didn’t marry, those assets couldn’t truly belong to her. She also needed someone reliable to depend on. Father couldn’t possibly remain without a new wife his entire life. Once a new wife arrived and had children, she feared she wouldn’t enjoy the freedom she had now. And if she relied on Gu Jin Rong, she felt he was truly unreliable…
Moreover, her reputation in Yanking wasn’t good at all.
Jin Chao found these problems headache-inducing; for now, she could only take things one step at a time. At least she should manage her mother’s dowry well, and put the income into her private treasury, and with money saved up, she wouldn’t have to worry so much.
After talking with Grandmother for a while, they went together to the west wing. Grandmother wanted to introduce her to Madam Xu.
Jin Chao did have an impression of Madam Xu, not because she was the wife of Communication Minister Xu, but because of her daughter.
After she married into the Chen family, there was the Luo family in Luo Xian Alley, separated by just one alley from the Chen family. The Luo family patriarch had been an imperial merchant in his early years, dealing in silk, and had to supply Shu brocade and Hangzhou silk to the palace every year. When the business passed to his son, it gradually declined, unable to maintain the imperial merchant status and becoming an ordinary large merchant. The patriarch’s grandson was even more incompetent, frequenting brothels, and in the end, died on a woman’s body—he was carried back from the Chunyi Pavilion, looking extremely unseemly.
And Madam Xu’s daughter had married this Luo family’s grandson.
Madam Xu was capable and shrewd, and her daughter naturally was no less so. However, she was only average in appearance, yet proud and haughty. She had rejected many suitors over the years until she became anxious at nineteen, but by then no one came to propose. The Xu family had no choice but to marry her to the Luo family’s grandson—after all, the Luo family had once been imperial merchants, and their descendants had officials among them, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Who would have known that the Luo grandson was such a person?
When the Luo grandson died, neighbors would come to offer incense, and that was when Jin Chao saw Madam Xu’s daughter. She only remembered her eyes being red, but her expression was extremely composed, and the Luo family funeral was handled very appropriately. She had felt it was a pity for such a person.
When the east wing heard that Ji Wu-shi was bringing Jin Chao over, First Aunt, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and others came to welcome them. Everyone first sat in the main hall. Ji Can had just gotten engaged, and when Ji Wu-shi asked about him, he blushed deeply. Jin Chao remembered that he and Chen Xuan were very harmonious, so she smiled at him.
Ji Yao, however, only entered the main hall after quite some time. He wore a greenish-blue Hangzhou silk robe with a pair of white jade pendants at his waist. His handsome face was expressionless. Ji Wu-shi called him over and asked what he had been doing.
Ji Yao replied: “I was just talking with the manager of Xiangguilu.” Then he cupped his hands toward Jin Chao and smiled slightly, “Cousin is here too.”
Ji Wu-shi frowned slightly, seeing that Ji Yao’s attitude toward Jin Chao was still lukewarm.
She took Jin Chao’s hand and said to her: “Your Second Cousin is now learning management with me. If you have business matters you don’t understand, you can ask him. He spent a month at the Tongyi estate two months ago. I had him learn about farming—see how much darker he has become?”
Jin Chao could only smile; she couldn’t remember whether Ji Yao was originally dark or fair, and he didn’t look any different to her.
Hearing Ji Wu-shi’s words, Ji Yao pressed his lips together. First Aunt Song-shi, watching from the side, felt sorry for her son and said with a smile: “I suppose our young lady cousin doesn’t remember clearly… Madam Xu is still in the side room. Why don’t we go see her first?”
Hearing this, Jin Chao understood that First Aunt also didn’t want her son to marry her reluctantly.
Why not fulfill their wishes? Jin Chao thought for a moment and said to her grandmother: “You can’t get rid of me. Tomorrow when you go to Shexian Tower, I must go too. Cousin Ji Yao learned management from you—won’t you teach your Chao as well? Chao isn’t much less clever than Cousin Ji Yao…” Then she looked at Ji Wu-shi pitifully, which made Ji Wu-shi burst into laughter.
Ji Yao, hearing this, seemed relieved.
Madam Xu was drinking tea in First Aunt’s side room, with First Aunt and Second Aunt accompanying them there.
On the way, First Aunt told Jin Chao: “Your Third Cousin Ji Yun went to Wanping and won’t be back for several days, otherwise he could have seen you.”
Jin Chao asked: “…What is Third Cousin doing in Wanping?” Shouldn’t he be studying at the Imperial Academy?
First Aunt smiled: “He’s now a tribute student and doesn’t need to stay at the Imperial Academy all the time. His teacher said one should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles, so he sent him to travel for a while. He has a classmate at the Imperial Academy who ranked third in the Northern Capital region in the provincial examination, and he’s studying with him!”
Grandmother smiled and told Jin Chao: “…It’s the Chen family’s Seventh Young Master. When your grandfather was alive, he and Old Master Chen were close friends. Like your grandfather, their family also started in Baoding Prefecture. The road and temple repairs in Baoding now are funded by both our family and the Chen family. That’s why our relationship is particularly good. Your Fourth Cousin’s marriage to the Chen family’s second daughter was arranged early on. Otherwise, with the Chen family’s current prominence, how could your Fourth Cousin marry the Chen family’s second daughter?”
Jin Chao fell silent upon hearing this. She was naturally aware of the deep connection between the Chen family and the Ji family.
She was just feeling emotional—Chen Xuanqing had still ranked third in the spring examination in this life. When he participated in the autumn examination and palace examination the following year, he was appointed by the Emperor as the Number Three Scholar, granted the title of Jinshi, and assigned as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Although the Chen family’s influence certainly played a role, Chen Xuanqing himself was extremely intelligent. As the Number Three Scholar, with Chen San-ye backing him, his official career was smooth. By the year Jin Chao died in her previous life, Chen Xuanqing had already become a Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and a third-rank Vice Minister of Revenue.
Jin Chao sighed—in this life, she didn’t want to have any connection with Chen Xuanqing, so why should she care about his future?
A little maid announced their arrival. Madam Xu personally came out to welcome them, followed by a woman wearing a silver-red embroidered padded coat and an eight-panel dark green skirt. She was only moderately pretty, with her hair in a round bun, adorned with a pair of gold-plated hairpins inlaid with yellow beryl. She smiled slightly as she curtseyed to Ji Wu-shi.
Ji Wu-shi smiled and pulled Jin Chao forward, introducing her to Madam Xu: “…This is my granddaughter, the eldest daughter of the Gu family from Shi’an.”
Madam Xu smiled and praised Jin Chao: “…She’s as beautiful as a flower or jade. I like her just by looking at her.”
Ji Wu-shi then introduced Madam Xu, and Jin Chao curtseyed and greeted her. Ji Wu-shi also introduced the woman behind Madam Xu, “…This is the Xu family’s Second Young Lady.” The Xu family had a concubine-born daughter before her.
Jin Chao smiled at her and called her “Sister.” She naturally recognized Xu Jingyi, the Xu family’s Second Young Lady, having interacted with her in her previous life.
Xu Jingyi also called her “Sister,” and they all went inside to talk.
Jin Chao thought to herself that Madam Xu must truly be desperate. She had brought her daughter to attend the banquet, presumably trying to seize the opportunity to arrange a marriage for her daughter. Indeed, Xu Jingyi was already nineteen this year.
As Madam Xu spoke with Grandmother, she kept asking about Ji Yao—whether he had been betrothed since childhood, or what he was doing now. Despite Xu Jingyi’s composure, she blushed deeply and pulled at her mother’s sleeve. Madam Xu pretended not to notice.
…The questioning was too obvious. Jin Chao felt uncomfortable for Xu Jingyi as she listened from the side.
Ji Wu-shi smiled slightly but answered Madam Xu’s questions without revealing anything: “…Although he’s not yet engaged, I think he has someone in mind, but the child is too shy to say. Perhaps when the time is right, I will still need to ask you to be the matchmaker.” She had already decided to have Ji Yao marry Jin Chao and would certainly not give other women an opportunity. Besides, even if he didn’t marry Jin Chao, it wouldn’t be Xu Jingyi’s turn… She was two years older than Ji Yao, and who knew if she had some hidden ailment that had prevented her from getting married all this time? Ji Wu-shi naturally didn’t want her legitimate grandson to pick up someone else’s leftovers.
Madam Xu was somewhat disappointed. With her status helping to arrange Ji Can’s marriage, she aimed to build a good relationship with the Ji family, and she had long set her sights on Ji Yao. It was rare to find such a steady young man from a prominent family and one who still didn’t have a concubine…
She smiled and stopped mentioning Ji Yao. Noticing the hemp cloth sewn on Jin Chao’s chest, she inevitably asked about it. When she heard about Ji-shi’s death, she expressed great regret.
Jin Chao and her grandmother ate in the west wing before returning. Grandmother then told Jin Chao about Xu Jingyi: “…For a young lady, being too proud is not good. Delaying until you’re older makes it difficult to marry well.”
Jin Chao thought that Xu Jingyi wasn’t so much proud as she was stubborn, and she was certainly a woman with strong methods. In her previous life, after her husband died, the Luo family remained under her control. Although a widow with a young son appearing in public wasn’t well-regarded, even the Luo family patriarch said nothing. Others might gossip behind her back, but no one dared speak in front of Xu Jingyi.
The next day, Jin Chao rose early and went to Shexian Tower. Grandmother was already handling matters. Now First Aunt managed the inner courtyard affairs, while Grandmother received important estate managers and shop managers. After all, the Ji family was a large merchant family. Managers and shopkeepers streamed in, with Mr. Zeng holding an abacus beside her, and several accountants recording in ledgers.
Jin Chao enjoyed watching her grandmother handle these matters. A maid brought her a stool to sit behind the curtain as she listened to how her grandmother instructed the managers.
“That Luzhou silk shop in Xianghe, although in a good location, has tailor shops, second-hand clothing shops, and Hangzhou silk shops opened nearby, making it not prosperous enough, wasting such a good property,” Grandmother told the head manager. After thinking, she continued, “Why not move the Luzhou silk shop to the store across the street and convert that place into a restaurant? The Xianghe area is now renovating its embankments. Once connected to the Grand Canal, business will certainly be good…”