Ji Cheng had fallen ill with a cold and was bedridden the next day. The physician came to examine her, and the sisters from the Shen family also visited.
Having many people in the household brought its troubles. Though well-intentioned, Ji Cheng’s efforts to entertain visitors while ill worsened her condition. After two or three days, she remained listless, lacking energy and appetite. Her frailty lent her an air of delicate beauty.
Shen Jing kept Ji Cheng’s illness in mind. Though he returned to Dongshan Academy the day after the Hundred Flowers Banquet, he stayed informed of news from the manor. The academy was on the outskirts of the capital, making it convenient for servants to travel back and forth. Moreover, Ji Yuan also studied at the academy and corresponded regularly with Ji Cheng.
In recent days, Ji Yuan hasn’t received any letters or secret deliveries from Ji Cheng. Shen Jing deduced she must still be unwell.
On the academy’s rest day, Shen Jing left early in the afternoon with Ji Yuan to return to the Shen residence. Ji Yuan rarely left the academy due to the precious opportunity to study there, usually exploring nearby with classmates on rest days rather than returning home. This time, he accompanied Shen Jing out of concern for Ji Cheng’s illness.
They arrived at Iron Hat Hutong as evening fell. Ji Yuan and Shen Jing paid their respects to Ji Lan and the Third Lord, Shen Ying, in the inner courtyard.
Ji Lan said to Ji Yuan, “Acheng must miss you. It’s been so long since you’ve seen each other, and she’s still ill. Go visit her quickly.”
Ji Yuan nodded in agreement. Shen Jing grew anxious upon hearing this – without Ji Yuan, how could he justify visiting Ji Cheng alone? He quickly said, “Cousin Cheng hasn’t recovered from her chill after falling in the water last time? I’ll go check on her too.”
Ji Lan’s almond eyes darted toward Shen Jing, but his face betrayed nothing unusual. Fearing she might be overthinking, and worried that saying more might draw Shen Jing’s attention, she held her tongue.
In Ji Yuan’s presence, Ji Lan couldn’t say much, but she didn’t nod in agreement either. She merely averted her gaze, hoping Shen Jing would recognize the impropriety himself.
Shen Jing, of course, pretended not to notice and followed Ji Yuan out.
By now, the moon hung in the treetops, but this year’s weather was already so hot that people were splashing water on the ground for coolness.
As Shen Jing and Ji Yuan entered the courtyard, they saw Ji Cheng reclining on a bamboo lounge chair. Yüqian’er and Liuye’er sat beside her, fanning away mosquitoes. Fruits were arranged on a small table nearby, creating a scene of leisure.
Ji Yuan approached without hesitation.
Shen Jing, however, remained by the moon gate at the courtyard’s entrance.
From his vantage point, Ji Cheng appeared like a white jade orb wrapped in a cloud of cherry-tinted mist, emanating a lustrous glow that made even approaching feel like sacrilege.
But as Shen Jing finally drew near, he realized Ji Cheng was wearing a soft smoke silk dress with cherry-pink ground and dark silver cloud patterns. Soft smoke silk was renowned for its lightness, and Ji Cheng had always favored such thin garments, layering gauze to create a misty effect.
Ji Cheng’s cheeks seemed to have thinned somewhat, and the usual rosy glow had faded from her face, replaced by a fragile, translucent paleness. She resembled a freshly cooked glutinous rice ball, with a soft, luminous whiteness.
“Cousin, are you feeling any better?” Shen Jing felt deeply guilty towards Ji Cheng. That day, he had seen her body but lacked the courage to take responsibility, causing her to fall ill from shock. The more he thought about it, the more he felt his weakness and incompetence. He also admired Ji Cheng’s goodness, as she had unhesitatingly jumped into the water to save someone despite her frail constitution.
If only he dared to defy his mother, Shen Jing thought. But he knew he lacked the power to contest the marriage arrangements before passing the imperial examinations. In truth, even after becoming a Jinshi, he realized he would still be powerless against filial piety.
Yet if he could prove to his mother that he could achieve greatness without marrying into a noble family, perhaps he and Ji Cheng might have a sliver of hope.
But that hope was so faint that Shen Jing didn’t dare to bear his heart to Ji Cheng. He could only care for her from afar.
“Thank you for your concern, Cousin Jing. I’m much better now and should be able to return to lessons in a few days,” Ji Cheng said with a faint smile.
Shen Jing opened his mouth to speak but, with so many onlookers, could say nothing. He closed his mouth and listened as Ji Yuan instructed his sister on rest and recovery.
When he heard Ji Cheng say, “Everything’s fine, except it’s rather boring staying in the courtyard all day,” Shen Jing interjected, “I have some books – poetry collections, travelogues, and works about our capital’s customs. If you’re bored, Cousin, I can send them over for you to read.”
Ji Cheng hurriedly thanked him.
The next day, she indeed received books delivered by Shen Jing’s maid. As Ji Cheng flipped through them, a note fell out, reading, “I will never speak of what happened that day.”
Though unfamiliar with Shen Jing’s handwriting, Ji Cheng assumed it must be from him. She burned the note in the candlelight but felt some resentment towards Shen Jing. Such secret correspondence could be indefensible if discovered. Moreover, what exactly did he mean by “what happened that day”? If others found out, it would invite scrutiny.
She could only be thankful the note hadn’t been discovered.
When Ji Lan learned that Shen Jing had sent books to Ji Cheng, she regretted finding out too late. Uncertain if they had exchanged any private messages, she couldn’t help but blame Ji Cheng somewhat. She became eager to arrange marriages for either Shen Jing or Ji Cheng, to quash any inappropriate notions between them.
By early May, Ji Cheng had finally recovered. Any longer and she would have missed the Dragon Boat Festival festivities. One day, she went to pay her respects to Ji Lan, who kept her talking: “At the Hundred Flowers Banquet, did you notice which young lady had the most outstanding character?”
Ji Cheng instantly understood Ji Lan’s meaning and waited for her to continue.
Ji Lan wore a worried expression as she said, “We finally got your cousin to take leave from the academy for the Hundred Flowers Banquet, hoping he’d look around. But that bookworm just hid in a corner drinking tea with your cousins Shen Yu and Shen Che. It was so frustrating.”
Ji Lan sighed repeatedly, “Nearly all the eligible young ladies in the capital were there that day. What a wasted opportunity.”
She continued, “Oh, I’ve been fretting endlessly over your Cousin Jing’s marriage. As the eldest son, we must be cautious in choosing his bride. I dare not make any hasty decisions without thorough investigation. You and Cui’er often have chances to interact with these young ladies. Do keep an eye out for your cousin’s sake. We mustn’t let him marry the wrong woman.”
Ji Cheng nodded, promising to pay attention privately.
Satisfied with Ji Cheng’s attitude, Ji Lan smiled and patted her hand. “You’re such a sensible girl.”
A sensible girl shouldn’t set her sights on her cousin.
But with such outstanding cousins and the Shen family at its peak, it was inevitable that some female cousins would have designs on them.
As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, Dongshan Academy went on break. Even government offices closed for three days. The Shen residence was livelier than ever, with many more young ladies in the garden.
Second Madam Huang’s niece, Lu Yuan, also came to stay at the Shen residence. She was the daughter of Madam Huang’s younger sister, and her father was a general in the northern frontier. The whole family usually resided at the border, but Lu Yuan had returned to the capital with her mother, ostensibly because she had reached marriageable age.
With the Shen family’s young masters still unmarried, they had become prime targets for relatives hoping to make advantageous matches.
Thus, Lu Yuan came to stay at the Shen residence, arranged by her mother and Madam Huang. From Ji Cheng’s observations, however, Madam Huang didn’t seem intent on making Lu Yuan her daughter-in-law. She likely hoped to strengthen ties with the main branch of the family.
Because of Lu Yuan’s visit and the Old Madam’s fondness for young ladies, all the girls in the family were asked to move to the garden, ostensibly to escape the heat but really to allow the young ladies to socialize.
Ji Cheng was particularly fond of Old Madam Shen, who was kind-hearted and generous, treating all the younger generation equally, regardless of status.
The servants were very efficient, and the young ladies, especially Shen Qian, were eager to move. So by the second day of May, everyone had settled into the garden.
Shen Wan, Shen Qian, and others chose their accommodations. Ji Cheng had no particular preference and simply followed Shen Cui. This time, however, Shen Cui was clever. Following Ji Lan’s guidance, she chose a courtyard near Shen Wan.
Though the Qing Garden was large, there weren’t many suitable places for the young ladies to stay. Since the point was to gather everyone together, their quarters were not far apart.
Moving took considerable time, and there was much women’s work to be done for the Dragon Boat Festival. The school specifically gave a holiday, and the young ladies spent their days together, guided by Lady Fu in making small crafts for the festival.
Shen Wan made strings of colorful, thumbnail-sized zongzi for everyone. Shen Qian crafted crepe silk spiders, phoenixes, and other ornaments for everyone to wear in their hair on the fifth day of the festival.
Su Yun was particularly skilled with her hands. She made sachets filled with fragrant herbs for everyone. For young Master Hong of the second branch, she embroidered a design of fighting cocks chasing rabbits, both comical and adorable.
Ji Cheng didn’t see the sachets Su Yun made for their male cousins, but judging by Su Yun’s expression while embroidering, Ji Cheng guessed that Su Yun also hoped to remain in the Shen family in the future.
Ji Cheng’s needlework was quite poor. In her childhood, she had been a wild child, and later, when she finally “reformed,” she had to cultivate herself into a talented lady. The time-consuming and eye-straining needlework was beyond her capacity. So this time, she cleverly chose to make longevity threads for everyone.
Longevity threads were simply five-colored threads braided together and tied around the wrist, not complicated at all. But the young ladies competed to see who was the most clever and skillful, and with few things to compare, these small Dragon Boat Festival crafts became especially elaborate.
This trend was particularly strong in the capital. Ji Cheng, following local customs, had to hurriedly learn new skills. While ill, she had learned some knotwork from Lüying, a maid in Shen Wan’s courtyard, for a few days. This allowed her to braid the longevity threads.
As a result, Ji Cheng’s longevity threads featured small zongzi, bats, lizards, and other cute designs. With their bright colors, they didn’t look too bad among the other girls’ creations.
This was because there was one that was even worse – Lu Yuan’s.
Lu Yuan had grown up on the frontier. Although both her parents were from noble families and had raised her strictly, good tutors were hard to find in the border regions. So Lu Yuan’s skills in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework were only passable. However, she was more skilled in horsemanship and archery than ordinary young ladies.
For this Dragon Boat Festival, Lu Yuan made cloth snakes, scorpions, lizards, and other representations of the Five Poisons. Ji Cheng couldn’t in good conscience say they were well-made, but they were somewhat realistic – at least realistic enough to make several eight or nine-year-old girls cry.
On the fourth day of the month, Ji Cheng and the others had to help Chef Liu make zongzi to send to the elders and siblings of the family for tasting.
After a busy day, it was already dusk. Ji Cheng’s arms were sore. She sorted the longevity threads and packed them in boxes, asking Yüqian’er and Liuye’er to deliver them to her male cousins in the manor. She had already personally delivered those for the family elders during morning greetings.
However, Liuye’er didn’t take the box. Instead, she said, “Miss, I noticed that Miss Yun and Miss Yuan delivered theirs personally. That shows more sincerity.”
Ji Cheng was well aware of Su Yun and Lu Yuan’s intentions. Only Shen Qian, who loved the excitement, had suggested they all go together to deliver the gifts. When Su Yun and Lu Yuan remained silent, Shen Wan tugged at Shen Qian’s sleeve, and everyone dispersed.
The Dragon Boat Festival gift-giving was such a good opportunity that some were eager to seize it. Ji Cheng, however, wanted to avoid it at all costs, fearing that displeasing the Shen family elders might lead to unfavorable comments when it came time for her marriage arrangements.
Ji Cheng rubbed her sore arms. “I’ve been wrapping zongzi all afternoon, and my arms are aching. Go ask Third Sister and Fifth Sister if they’ve sent out their gifts, and how they did it. If they’re going, I’ll go with them.”
Liuye’er agreed and soon returned to report, “Third Miss has already sent hers. Fifth Miss is about to go, and when I mentioned your intentions, she said she’d wait for you to go together.”
Ji Cheng nodded, got up to change her clothes, and went out to find Shen Cui. The two of them first went to Shen Yu’s courtyard together.
Shen Yu wasn’t there, only young Master Hong was in the courtyard. Seeing Ji Cheng, he ran over on his short legs, then pretended to be an adult, standing haughtily about a foot away from Ji Cheng with his hands behind his back. “Why are you here?” he asked arrogantly.
Ji Cheng bent down and couldn’t resist pinching Hong’er’s cheeks. “I’ve come to give you a longevity thread.”
Hong’er stretched out his arm, showing Ji Cheng his wrist, and continued haughtily, “I already have one.”
Ji Cheng didn’t care about that. She opened the box in her hand. “Others’ gifts are their goodwill, but this is mine. Would you like to be the first to choose?”
Hong’er glanced at the longevity threads in the box. Though he didn’t find them particularly exquisite, they were interesting. He fiddled with them for a while before choosing one with a small gecko. “I’ll take this one.”
Ji Cheng handed the box to Liuye’er and crouched down to tie the longevity thread for Hong’er.
While they seemed at ease, Shen Cui and Lanxiang, standing to the side, were stunned.
Who was Hong’er? He was the first legitimate grandson of the Shen family’s third branch, cherished by the Old Madam like the apple of her eye. In everything from food to clothing to housing, he always came first. At his young age, he had already developed an imperious air, like a miniature version of Shen Yu.
Usually, Hong’er maintained a cool and aloof demeanor towards everyone. The only people close to him were those who served him, and even they did so cautiously. Someone daring to pinch Hong’er’s cheeks like Ji Cheng had just done was unheard of.
What was most shocking was that Hong’er hadn’t said a word or shown any temper. How could Lanxiang, who had served him for years without earning a single smile, not be astonished?
Shen Cui had little interaction with Hong’er, but she knew her young nephew usually disliked being touched. She hadn’t had time to warn Ji Cheng, but to her surprise, Ji Cheng and Hong’er seemed so close.
“When did Cousin Cheng become so close with Hong’er?” Shen Cui couldn’t help but remark with a hint of jealousy.
Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Shen Cui to be jealous over such a thing. This possessive nature seemed a bit excessive. Having been in the manor for only a short time, Ji Cheng was unaware of Hong’er’s private temperament.
Shen Cui, however, couldn’t help but overthink. In the past, there had been girls who wanted to marry Shen Yu as a second wife. When that path proved impossible, they attempted to get close to Hong’er, hoping Shen Yu might extend his affection to them. Little did they know that Hong’er’s temper was even worse than his father’s. Now, seeing Ji Cheng’s success in winning over even Hong’er, Shen Cui couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration.
Admiration aside, Shen Cui didn’t believe Ji Cheng had any chance of marrying Shen Yu. She couldn’t help but pursed her lips, thinking Ji Cheng was wasting her efforts.
As they were talking, unexpectedly, Shen Yu walked in from outside. Shen Cui hurriedly called out, “Elder Brother.” Though she was domineering towards Ji Cheng, in front of Shen Yu, she became as meek as a kitten.