Shen Yuan said, “We were all surprised at the time. First, the Princess refused. It was the Second Brother who persuaded her, saying we shouldn’t dismiss someone’s words or skills because of their background. Moreover, Aunt Hanbi remained pure despite her circumstances, making her even more worthy of respect.”
However, there were many untainted people in the world, and it wasn’t necessary to insist on inviting Hanbi. Shen Yuan continued, “You haven’t heard Aunt Hanbi’s qin playing. Her ‘Three Variations on Plum Blossom’ is simply extraordinary, embodying both the noble purity of frost-defying plums and the cold fragrance that fills one’s nostrils. Second Brother said that if Sister Qian wanted to learn the qin, she must study under the best teacher, otherwise it would be better not to learn at all.”
Such words could only be uttered by the young masters and ladies of Duke Qi’s mansion.
“I quite agree with Second Brother’s view. But even if Second Brother couldn’t explain himself well, Princess couldn’t do anything about it. You may see the Princess as lofty and unapproachable, but she’s helpless before Second Brother. He’s the best at coaxing people,” Shen Yuan covered her mouth and laughed.
Princess An He had only this one son, naturally spoiled from childhood. No wonder he turned out to be such a prodigal. However, given the Duke Qi family’s wealth, it was enough for him to squander for several decades.
“Cousin Cheng, what do you want to learn?” Shen Yuan asked again. “You don’t have to learn with us sisters. If there’s something you want to learn but are too shy to tell Third Aunt, just tell me. I can’t promise everything, but arranging a teacher for you is certainly possible.”
Ji Cheng hurriedly thanked Shen Yuan but didn’t want to cause trouble for others so soon after arriving. “I’ll learn culinary skills with Third Sister.”
“You’re learning cooking? Could it be you’re also thinking of marriage?” Shen Yuan joked. As a daughter raised according to the requirements of a clan matriarch, she was naturally clear-headed. Ji Cheng was fifteen this year, typically the age for waiting at home for marriage. Her sudden long-term stay at the Duke’s mansion spoke volumes about the underlying reasons.
Ji Cheng’s face reddened. Although she had anticipated that others would easily guess her intentions with a little thought, when faced with it, she still couldn’t help but feel her face hot enough to boil an egg.
Shen Yuan took Ji Cheng’s hand, “Look at me, what kind of elder sister am I, making you so embarrassed.”
Ji Cheng stammered, unable to speak.
Shen Yuan half-covered her mouth with the back of her hand and said, “To be honest, I don’t like learning culinary skills. But you know my marriage is arranged with the Zeng family of Tongxiang, right?”
Ji Cheng knew nothing about the Zeng family of Tongxiang. Although Shen Yuan mentioned it as if everyone should know, their upbringings were so different that Ji Cheng naturally had no contact with such people.
However, it wouldn’t be long before Ji Cheng learned what kind of family the Zeng family of Tongxiang was. The Zeng family was a centuries-old scholarly family that had produced over a dozen jinshi degree holders, one of whom had even been appointed as Chancellor. They were considered a family with very deep cultural roots.
Shen Yuan didn’t notice this and continued, “Their family tradition is that on the first day a daughter-in-law enters the household, she must prepare a family feast. All these culinary skills I’m learning now are for that day.”
The branch of the Zeng family that Shen Yuan was marrying into was the Beijing Zeng family, which had once produced a Chancellor. Although the Zeng family originally came from Tongxiang, they hadn’t returned to their hometown for a long time. However, they still maintained their hometown traditions.
Ji Cheng finally understood why Shen Yuan had joked with her earlier. “I never knew there were such customs,” she said. But now, continuing to learn culinary skills with Shen Yuan would make it seem as if she also had ambitions to marry into a family like the Zengs. However, playing was noisy, and she didn’t particularly like needlework. For a moment, she didn’t know what to learn.
Seeing Ji Cheng’s dilemma, Shen Yuan said, “If you like learning culinary skills, just come with me to see Aunt Liu. In the future, when you get married, even if you don’t encounter such customs, it will still be useful for showing filial piety to your mother-in-law in daily life.”
Ji Cheng looked gratefully at Shen Yuan, inwardly marveling. Truly worthy of being a lady from the Duke’s mansion – graceful, meticulous, considerate of every aspect, and still mindful of saving face for her. This was indeed something worth learning.
After classes in the afternoon, Ji Cheng didn’t return to her room but went directly to Teacher Lian’s residence. Lian Puhui lived in the northwest corner of Qing Garden, with a side door connecting to Qing Garden, but the main door opened onto San Jing Lane as if it were a separate household.
As soon as Ji Cheng entered, a young maid came to greet her. Upon entering the room, she smelled the familiar aroma of wine.
“So the teacher already knew I would come?” Ji Cheng smiled, her smile even carrying a hint of playfulness.
“When you came a few days ago, I happened to be out visiting friends. Xiao Cong has already told me, and I thought you would certainly come today,” Lian Puhui poured a cup of wine for Ji Cheng as well. “It’s kind of you to remember that I like the plum wine you brew and bring it from so far away.”
The wine Ji Cheng brewed best was the grape wine from “In the Crystal Goblet, Shining Wine.” She even had a collection of many luminous cups from the Western Regions and her vineyard. But after Lian Puhui came to the Ji family, she said she liked plum wine, so Ji Cheng brewed a jar for her, which became Lian Puhui’s favorite ever since.
Although Ji Cheng brewed wine, she only enjoyed the aroma and rarely tasted it herself. So she could only use water instead of wine to accompany Lian Puhui during dinner.
“I heard from Third Sister and the others that you often mention your former students,” Ji Cheng said.
Lian Puhui glanced at Ji Cheng and smiled, “Sometimes I can’t help but speak quickly. Besides, with such students, why should I hide it?”
Ji Cheng knew that Lian Puhui was a very low-key and elegant person. It was rare for her to praise someone so wholeheartedly, so Ji Cheng knowingly toasted Lian Puhui with a cup of wine.
“Why did you go learn culinary skills with Shen Yuan?” Lian Puhui asked. To be honest, unless one was marrying, there were few opportunities to showcase this skill, and even if appreciated, it was unlikely to bring great fame. It really shouldn’t have been within Ji Cheng’s consideration.
Ji Cheng and Lian Puhui were both teachers and friends. She never intended to hide her thoughts from Lian Puhui, nor could she. “Teacher, how come you address the Third Young Lady directly by her name?”
Lian Puhui chuckled. Ji Cheng knew her personality – serious on the surface but quite informal, with some shocking thoughts. It was difficult for unconnected people to gain her favor.
“Teacher knows me. I have no talent for needlework, so I won’t go embarrass myself,” Ji Cheng said. Moreover, she liked horseback riding and archery, which were very important for protecting her eyes, while needlework was too straining on the eyes. “Sister Jun and Sister Qian are learning the qin together. If I join, I’m afraid Aunt Hanbi will find it too noisy.”
“If you’re interested in learning painting, I could recommend a teacher for you,” Lian Puhui said.
Anyone recommended by Lian Puhui would be exceptionally skilled. Even if she wasn’t interested, Ji Cheng wouldn’t miss the opportunity, especially since she already had some interest in painting. She had learned a bit in the Jin region but couldn’t find a good teacher. “What does the teacher mean?”
“Madam Yu.”
Ji Cheng, in her limited knowledge, had truly never heard of this name.
“It’s not strange that you haven’t heard this name, but have you heard of ‘Three Harmonies Hermit’?” Lian Puhui asked.
Of course, she had heard of that. Anyone with even a slight interest in painting would have heard of this Three Harmonies Hermit, whose paintings could sell for a thousand gold pieces each and were always in short supply.
“Teacher, you really can’t judge a book by its cover. To think you even know the Three Harmonies Hermit,” Ji Cheng exclaimed with wide eyes.
When Lian Puhui took Ji Cheng to visit Yu Zhenyuan, Ji Cheng learned that Yu Zhenyuan was the concubine of the retired Official Lin. Because the official wife of the family had passed away early, Official Lin had never remarried, so people had become accustomed to calling Yu Zhenyuan Madam Yu.
Coincidentally, Yu Zhenyuan’s background was quite similar to Aunt Hanbi’s. However, she wasn’t sold into a brothel by her uncle but came from an official family. Her father got into trouble, the family was searched, and the women were all to be made official courtesans. It was Official Lin who pulled many strings to rescue her.
Who would have thought that the Three Harmonies Hermit, whose paintings they sought at great expense, would have such a background?
Everyone has their helplessness, but also the right to seek survival for themselves. Even an ant is a life.
Ji Cheng had a dream that night, or perhaps it shouldn’t be called a dream, but rather a revisiting of past events. She wanted to run away, but her feet seemed to be entangled by countless black hairs. She could only wake up screaming.
Liu Ye’er sat up abruptly from her floor bed, her head hitting the nearby embroidery stool with a “thud”, but she ignored the pain and lifted the bed curtain to look at Ji Cheng. “Young Miss, what’s wrong? Another nightmare?”
Ji Cheng’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, her face as pale as if she had lost too much blood. The events from three years ago were indeed a nightmare that continued to haunt her, unwilling to let go. Her second brother, Ji Ze, had been imprisoned for her sake. Zhu Jijun had threatened that if the Ji family didn’t send Ji Cheng in a small sedan chair to the Zhu family, Ji Ze would have only death awaiting him.
Ji Cheng was extremely worried. One night, outside her parents’ bedroom window, she heard her mother, Madam Yun, crying, “What other choice do we have? Should we just watch Ze’er die? Let’s send Ah Cheng to the Zhu family. She’s so beautiful, maybe Master Zhu will truly like her?”
March in the Jin region wasn’t particularly warm, especially at night. Ji Cheng shivered in the cold outside the window, but it was nothing compared to her heart which trembled nearly to the point of suffocation. She didn’t blame her mother. No mother wouldn’t love her child. It’s just that when forced to make a choice, the useless one would be abandoned.
“I’m fine,” Ji Cheng’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Go back to sleep. Let me be alone for a while.” Ji Cheng put on a robe and got out of bed, walking to the window and leaning against the frame to gaze at the moon in the sky. Her heart gradually calmed down. She must become a useful person, she couldn’t be the one who would be abandoned when faced with a choice again.
Ji Cheng wasn’t sent to the Zhu family in the end. Her father had scolded her mother harshly, and ultimately the Ji family gave up half of their property to persuade Ji Lan. But what if there was a next time? What then?
Ji Cheng took a deep breath and walked out of the room. She plucked a bamboo leaf and placed it to her lips, blowing softly, inevitably recalling the person who had taught her to play the bamboo leaf. She owed many people, so she had to keep going, hoping to repay them someday.
But determination alone wasn’t enough. Ji Cheng tossed away the leaf in frustration. Her birthday was in March, making her properly fifteen years old now. Her marriage couldn’t be delayed any longer, yet she had no clues.
Ji Cheng stood up and paced. Although she disliked the Wang sisters, it would be a pity to miss the Wang family’s Peony Banquet.
The night wind was cool but not freezing. The more Ji Cheng thought, the more awake she became. She couldn’t help but open the courtyard door to take a walk in the garden. She didn’t go far, just circling the northwest corner. Liu Ye’er, worried about her, followed her out. Ji Cheng knew and appreciated her maid’s thoughtfulness.
Ji Cheng walked along the garden wall, her mind becoming more cluttered the more she thought. Suddenly, something hit her on the head. She looked up to see a small figure sitting on the low wall beside her, swinging its legs in the air, holding a fruit in its hand, which it threw at her again.