Qi Hua looked at Ji Cheng, her heart filled with jealousy. Her dowry amounted to no more than five thousand taels of silver at most, while judging from Ji Cheng’s tone, her dowry likely reached a hundred thousand taels. If she could marry into their family, not only would her mother have the thousand-year ginseng, but Ji Cheng would surely add to her dowry when she married. Then her brother wouldn’t have to endure the cold treatment from his superiors due to lack of funds.
“By that account, Ji Cheng’s dowry must be no less than a hundred thousand taels, right?” Qi Hua asked curiously.
Ji Cheng smiled and said, “It’s merely some material possessions.”
Qi Hua inquired further, “Sister Ji, how is it that the manager Li of Changchun Hall listens to you so attentively? He brought out the shop’s most prized possession at your request.”
Ji Cheng replied, “Father added Changchun Hall to my dowry list long ago. He said that money is dead once spent, but with a shop, money becomes a living thing, providing for a lifetime.”
Qi Hua nodded, “That’s exactly right, isn’t it?”
Although Changchun Hall’s scale couldn’t compare to the three major pharmacies in the capital, Qi Hua had heard that it had branches not only in the capital but also in neighboring counties and provinces. If Ji Cheng indeed owned Changchun Hall, she was truly a golden child.
After parting with Ji Cheng, Qi Hua practically ran to her mother Madam Qi’s room.
“Why did you go to fetch medicine again? Didn’t I tell you not to go? Your brother says the world is unsettled now, and as the daughter of an Earl’s household, why should you be out and about?” Madam Qi complained, holding Qi Hua’s hand. However, her body was so weak that after speaking such a long sentence, she found herself short of breath.
Qi Hua tucked in Madam Qi’s blanket and mentioned her encounter with Ji Cheng today, but didn’t dare utter a word about the thousand-year ginseng.
“Oh, from your tone, it seems you quite like this Miss Ji,” Madam Qi observed.
“Yes, she’s beautiful, and her temperament and character are excellent. At the last Hundred Flowers Banquet painting competition, she tied with Fourth Miss Wang. If Fourth Miss Wang wasn’t from the Wang family, she wouldn’t have been able to match Sister Ji at all,” Qi Hua praised Ji Cheng unreservedly.
Although Madam Qi had been bedridden for years, her mind wasn’t paralyzed. Qi Hua wasn’t usually sociable, and when mentioning other young ladies in the past, she would always find fault with this or that. It was rare to hear her praise someone like this. Madam Qi’s first reaction was to worry that Ji Cheng might have ulterior motives and was deceiving Qi Hua.
“Oh, what’s this Miss Ji’s background?” Madam Qi asked.
“She’s the niece of Third Madam Shen, from the Shen family in Iron Hat Lane,” Qi Hua replied.
“I see.” Madam Qi nodded. She naturally knew of the Shen family of Duke Qi. In her younger years, when she was still healthy, she had paid respects to Old Madam Shen and had a vague impression of Ji Lan, most notably her beauty. Madam Qi had also heard of Ji Lan’s legendary stories back then.
The Ji family were merchants, and despite Qi Hua’s deliberate avoidance of the topic, Madam Qi recalled this based on her faint memories.
“Her brother studies at Dongshan Academy and will take the provincial examinations next year,” Qi Hua added.
Madam Qi nodded. If the Ji family’s son could become a Jinshi, the Ji family would naturally enter the ranks of the gentry.
Qi Hua chatted with Madam Qi for a while longer, and seeing her tired, she took her leave.
Lying in bed, Madam Qi closed her eyes and pondered Qi Hua’s words. She saw through Qi Hua’s little scheme at a glance—praising Ji Cheng so highly was likely for the sake of her brother’s marriage prospects.
Although Madam Qi was unwell and Concubine Wu now managed the household affairs, Wu still reported the accounts to Madam Qi every month.
Madam Qi was well aware of the Earl’s household’s situation. Money had been spent like water on her illness, and both her son and daughter were filial, as was the Earl, who had done his utmost for her. Now the Earl’s household was just an empty shell. Rather than finding a noblewoman with a small dowry as a wife for Qi Zheng, it would indeed be better to find a daughter-in-law with a substantial dowry.
Ji Cheng’s family background wasn’t too bad either. Her brother was ambitious, and her aunt was Third Madam Shen. In the future, Qi Zheng would be considered a relative of the Shen family, which would make things easier in court. The Shen family had a good reputation in the military, so Qi Zheng’s future would be somewhat secure. If he could achieve merit, the title of Earl of Yunyang might even be reclaimed.
As Madam Qi pondered, she drifted off, but her spirits remained high through the night. Perhaps it was because a potential daughter-in-law had been found, lightening her worries. However, she didn’t yet know Qi Zheng’s thoughts, nor whether the young lady from the Ji family would look favorably upon the Yunyang Earl’s household and be willing to use her dowry to fill its deficits.
On this day, Qi Zheng returned from his palace duty and, as usual, first went to Madam Qi’s room to pay his respects and inquire about her well-being.
Madam Qi looked at Qi Zheng’s face. He was extremely handsome, with delicate features like hers, yet not lacking in masculine valor. He had his grandfather’s bearing, and more importantly, he was upright, filial, and considerate. There was no finer young man under heaven.
Initially, Madam Qi had been determined to find a noble match for Qi Zheng, but her illness had delayed matters until now. She had little contact with those noble ladies and knew little about their daughters. Qi Zheng showed no interest in marriage, so things had been put off until now. Seeing that her health was declining, Madam Qi feared delaying her only son and daughter’s marriages and was anxious to arrange them. Thus, her requirements had been greatly lowered; otherwise, Ji Cheng wouldn’t have met her standards.
“Zheng, I fear my illness is incurable, and I’m merely prolonging the inevitable. My only worry is your and Xiaohua’s marriages. I can’t rest easy, even in death, without seeing you two married,” Madam Qi said, holding Qi Zheng’s hand.
This was an old refrain from Madam Qi. Qi Zheng comforted her with familiar words, urging her to focus on her health and ease her mind.
“Zheng, my poor health prevents me from seeking a match for you. Last time, Xiaohua mentioned Miss Ji, praising her endlessly, saying she’s both beautiful and of good character. Have you heard of this Miss Ji?” Madam Qi asked.
The first image that came to Qi Zheng’s mind was Ji Cheng’s breathtakingly beautiful face.
“Which Miss Ji?” Qi Zheng asked.
“I heard she’s the niece of Third Madam Shen from the Shen family in Iron Hat Lane,” Madam Qi said, watching Qi Zheng closely. However, her son had always been good at concealing his thoughts, and Madam Qi couldn’t discern much.
Qi Zheng said, “She’s the one who saved Xiaohua when she fell into the water at the Shen mansion last time.”
The incident of Qi Hua falling into the water had been kept from Madam Qi at the time, fearing it would worsen her condition. By the time she was told, Qi Hua had fully recovered, so Madam Qi hadn’t paid much attention to it. Hearing Qi Zheng mention it now, she said, “So it was her. She seems kind-hearted.”
Qi Zheng remained silent.
Madam Qi continued, “Since you’ve seen Miss Ji, what do you think of her?”
Qi Zheng frowned slightly, “I’ve only seen her from afar two or three times and never spoken to her. How could I know Miss Ji’s character?”
Madam Qi assumed Qi Zheng was being cautious. “Xiaohua seems to like her very much, saying she’s cultured, intelligent, and quick-witted. I was thinking, you’re not getting any younger, and I don’t have much time left. If I can’t see you and Xiaohua married, I won’t be able to close my eyes in death.”
Qi Zheng said, “Mother, you’re talking like this again. The doctor said your condition is gradually improving.”
Madam Qi shook her head, “Zheng, tell me honestly, do you fancy this Miss Ji?”
Another face flashed before Qi Zheng’s eyes, bright and charming, with a mouth slightly larger than most, which should have been unattractive but was surprisingly beautiful on her face. However, the difference between them was too great, and Qi Zheng didn’t dare to hope he could marry her. Since he couldn’t marry the one he truly wanted, it didn’t matter to him whom he married.
But Qi Zheng had never considered Ji Cheng. Indeed, Ji Cheng was stunningly beautiful, and he would be captivated every time he saw her, but Qi Zheng wasn’t Shen Jing. He had too many worries.
His mother had been bedridden for years, and his father was incompetent, having reduced the once-great Earl’s household to an empty shell. They couldn’t even afford a proper dowry for Qi Hua, delaying her marriage prospects. All these matters weighed heavily on Qi Zheng’s mind, leaving him breathless.
Qi Zheng’s future was also uncertain. He should have been promoted based on seniority, but lacking money to bribe the eunuchs, he had no one to speak for him at court, and others always got ahead of him.
If he could marry into the Wang family, all these problems would be solved. Qi Zheng sighed softly. There was nothing wrong with Ji Cheng—she was beautiful and intelligent, shared his love for painting, and the Ji family didn’t lack money. But after years of enduring cold shoulders and disdainful looks, Qi Zheng knew clearly that while money could indeed open certain doors, some prospects couldn’t be bought. He needed a powerful family as in-laws.
For this reason, Qi Zheng always paid special attention to his appearance when going out, almost to the point of perfection. He knew that to win over his future in-laws, he first had to win the hearts of those young ladies.
“Mother, please don’t trouble yourself with these matters,” Qi Zheng didn’t directly answer Madam Qi’s question.
Madam Qi, however, took Qi Zheng’s response as shyness.
Two days later, Madam Qi summoned Qi Hua and said, “Last time I heard from your brother Miss Ji was your lifesaver. I haven’t personally thanked her yet. Next time you meet her, invite her to our home for a visit.”
Qi Hua immediately understood that her mother wanted to assess Ji Cheng as a potential match and readily agreed.
Ji Cheng received Qi Hua’s letter from Shen Cui’s hand.
“When did you start corresponding with Qi Hua? What did she write to you?” Shen Cui waved Ji Cheng’s letter but wouldn’t give it to her.
Ji Cheng stood still, watching Shen Cui hop around. She was taller than Shen Cui and more agile. Seeing an opportunity, she reached out and effortlessly plucked the letter from Shen Cui’s hand.
“Hey!” Shen Cui stomped her foot in dissatisfaction. “Let me see, what did she write to you?”
Ji Cheng had already walked away, looking back to say, “Why should I let you see?” With Shen Cui, if you were too nice to her, she’d take it for granted. It was better to go against her grain occasionally to keep her in check.
Shen Cui couldn’t do anything about Ji Cheng and only regretted not opening and reading the letter earlier.
Ji Cheng opened the letter, and its contents were as she had expected. Qi Hua invited her to visit the Yunyang Earl’s mansion, saying her mother wanted to thank Ji Cheng in person for saving her life back then.