Seeing that Seventh Miss did not speak for a moment, Feng Jin was not anxious either.

This handsome and distinguished young man retreated back to the bell, lightly tapping the bronze surface, leisurely tracing the intricate scriptures with his fingertips, as if whether Seventh Miss agreed or not was not a matter of concern to him.

Seventh Miss’s heart turned cold, immediately thinking of that rumored incident.

She was merely an official family’s concubine-born daughter—how could she compare with that legendary figure of pure virtue, heavenly endowment, and dragon-like phoenix-like bearing?

Not to mention that newly risen scholarly families all struggled desperately and cautiously to climb upward. Feng Jin’s position was awkward, holding intelligence authority. Outside, he was not accepted by the scholar-officials; inside, the Crown Prince’s two adoptive mothers and the Crown Prince’s consort might not tolerate him either.

She feared that although Feng Jin’s cousin was fortunate, his wife would not have an easy time of it! Marrying down with the weight of obligation would only make the situation more complicated… Favor and affection still needed to be clearly distinguished!

“Cousin’s deep affection, Little Qi is deeply grateful for.” She spoke softly. “However…”

“No need to say more.” Feng Jin gently interrupted. “Shanheng, in Feng Zixiu’s life, only others owe me—rarely do I owe others. Only Eldest Aunt and you have bestowed upon me deep kindness, saving me in my most destitute circumstances. I only wish that in this life you can be happy and peaceful, and I will protect you for a lifetime of peace. Whether you marry into the Feng family or another family, as long as you can be happy, that is very good.”

In Seventh Miss’s two lifetimes, only two people had ever spoken to her this way.

She lowered her head, swallowing the choking sensation in her throat. After a long while, she finally broke into a tearful smile. “Then, many thanks to cousin.”

Feng Jin smiled faintly, gently nodding his head but saying nothing, only turning his jade-like face to gaze out the window.

For a moment neither spoke, and the room quieted again.

Although she knew full well that her time in the bell tower had already exceeded what was reasonable, at this moment Seventh Miss felt only a peaceful tranquility in her heart.

So what if Nanny Dong grew suspicious?

She was no longer that trembling little girl from those years. In this great household, she too had her own power base.

“Regarding the raised embroidery technique…” Feng Jin turned his head again, gazing at the bell surface, and spoke softly. “I won’t be polite with Shanheng. This is a Feng family ancestral craft. Although Zixiu has no intention of profiting from it, there will come a day when I must take it back into my hands. Starting from Qianxiu Workshop would make too much commotion, and when I meet Shanjiu in the future, it would inevitably be awkward. Later, when the time is right, Shanheng can take a disciple close at hand and pass this craft back to the Feng family. Would that be acceptable?”

Seventh Miss’s heart tightened—she understood Feng Jin’s subtext.

He still wanted Qianxiu Workshop!

The current Feng Jin no longer lacked silver. It was just that Qianxiu Workshop must have left an extremely deep impression on him in his youth. Whether it was longing or resentment, it had certainly occupied the young man’s thoughts constantly. Now that he had prospered and wanted to fulfill this long-held wish, it was only human nature.

She had already made her decision in her heart, but showed nothing on her face, only naturally agreeing: “What are you saying, cousin? Passing the raised embroidery technique back to the Feng family was also Mother’s dying wish. Even if cousin hadn’t mentioned it, I would have brought it up.”

The expression on Feng Jin’s face immediately shifted.

“Speaking of Eldest Aunt…” He began, then showed some difficulty in continuing, his face rarely displaying a bit of awkwardness. “The Feng family has been in disarray for many years, and ancestral treasures have been scattered and lost. Does Shanheng still have any of Eldest Aunt’s embroidery works that could be passed to the elders, to fulfill their wish?”

Seventh Miss’s heart stirred. In an instant, Huang Xiunniang’s words flowed past her ears again, and the words embroidered stitch by stitch on that yellowed handkerchief appeared vividly before her eyes.

“A devoted heart secretly meets with a clever heart. On the acacia tree, branches intertwine. Beneath twin flowers, at the place of two hearts together, a pair of children born of transformation.”

This handkerchief could not possibly have been left by Ninth Yiniang to Huang Xiunniang as a keepsake. From its design, it was truly something Ninth Yiniang had prepared for her own trousseau. From Huang Xiunniang’s words, the two had tangled grievances. This handkerchief was very likely taken privately by Huang Xiunniang—either as a memento, or to try to comprehend the true essence of the raised embroidery technique, or it was left behind when Ninth Yiniang hurriedly entered the household and picked up by Huang Xiunniang.

But in any case, the fact that Ninth Yiniang once had a fiancé was glaringly obvious.

Although she was a famous embroiderer from Jiangnan, her embroidery works weren’t valuable enough to be worth a thousand gold pieces. Because the raised embroidery technique had been mass-produced, Ninth Yiniang’s exclusive skill was no longer very valuable—who knew which embroiderer’s work this handkerchief was? No one would particularly care about this.

It wouldn’t be a Feng family aunt, otherwise Feng Jin wouldn’t have vaguely referred to “elders.”

Then, who could it be?

She glanced at Feng Jin, wanting to probe, but swallowed her words again.

If it could be stated clearly, Feng Jin would not hide it from her. From climbing the tower until now, although their conversation contained hidden implications, this was merely a habit of clever people conversing. What Feng Jin found inconvenient to state explicitly, he expressed through subtext, which Seventh Miss naturally could understand.

Best not to put cousin in a difficult position!

“When Mother was in the Northwest, she often rushed embroidery work to sell locally. Speaking of it, I don’t have much remaining by my side. However, returning to Yang Family Village in the Northwest, there are certainly still some works preserved locally. I’ll take this matter upon myself—I’m more familiar with Yang Family Village after all.” She promised without hesitation.

A flash of regret passed through Feng Jin’s eyes, then he smiled with light detachment, looking at Seventh Miss and nodding.

“When I met Shanheng years ago, you were such a small person, yet your behavior and conduct were perfectly proper and appropriate in every way, making me feel ashamed of myself.” He walked toward the staircase opening, and Seventh Miss hurried to follow at a measured pace, knowing that Feng Jin was seeing her out. “Now that you’ve grown, you’re even more elegant and refined, making people forget worldly cares upon seeing you… With such a daughter, Eldest Aunt can be said to have descendants!”

Although this was an improper secret meeting, Feng Jin made it feel as warm and comfortable as two old friends having tea together.

“Speaking of silver, I imagine Shanheng would never accept my money.” He remembered to instruct Seventh Miss again. “However, now that I have silver in hand as your cousin, Shanheng must not be polite. If you ever find yourself short of silver to use, just send someone with a message. I’ve made it clear with Shanjiu—whether in the capital or in Suzhou, there are ways to contact me…”

He stood still on the steps, gazing at Seventh Miss, smiling lightly. “Men and women are different. After this parting, who knows when we’ll meet again. Shanheng, take care.”

Seventh Miss nodded solemnly and descended the steps.

After walking a few paces, she looked back at Feng Jin.

Feng Jin’s dark blue robes were lifted by the spring breeze blowing in from the window. He stood in the sunlight looking down at Seventh Miss, his features already blurred by the halo of light.

“Cousin.” Seventh Miss spoke softly, stopping in her tracks.

Feng Jin raised one eyebrow at her questioningly.

“But cousin, are you happy now?” she asked quietly.

“Ah…” Feng Jin murmured softly.

“I suppose you’ve also heard the rumors circulating in court and countryside.” A hint of amusement seemed to color his eyes. “These rumors are not exactly glorious, yet I have no evidence to clear my name—would Shanheng mind?”

Having such a cousin was convenient in many situations—even Great Master couldn’t help being tempted. But in many situations, it was also disgraceful. Ancient scholar-officials’ requirements for advancement were harsh to the point of cruelty. Even Wei Qing couldn’t avoid accusations of being a favorite, let alone Feng Jin who first received a eunuch’s patronage and then the Crown Prince’s special favor. These two consecutive incidents both violated major court and public taboos. After Seventh Miss married in the future, she would inevitably face criticism because of this.

“As long as cousin is happy, that is very good.” She answered without hesitation. “Living in this world, there are too many difficulties. Who can be a perfect person throughout history? To be able to live this lifetime freely and fully is already a blessing cultivated in a previous life!”

For a moment, she couldn’t help thinking of Fifth Miss, thinking of herself, thinking of Sixth Miss.

She sighed softly in her heart.

These three Yang family sisters clearly hadn’t cultivated enough blessings in their previous lives.

Feng Jin’s eyes were tinged with a smile.

This smile made all his previous light laughs, gentle smiles, and faint smiles pale in comparison, making even the spring sunlight lose its color. On his calm, gentle, bright and clear face, there seemed to be an indescribable radiance that gave him the distinguished bearing of “among thousands wearing flowers, none match the top scholar.”

“I am very happy now.” He answered frankly. “There is someone who treats me very well, and I treat him very well too. To meet such a person in this world—isn’t that also not easy?”

Seventh Miss stared at Feng Jin in a daze, nodding with a trace of envy, softly agreeing: “Yes, truly not easy at all…”

She turned with a smile and went downstairs.

#

When Seventh Miss and Ninth Brother emerged from the bell tower together, Nanny Dong was already leaning against the reclining chair by the door, dozing off. Her snoring came in fits and starts, her head bobbing—it appeared she had been sleeping for quite a while.

Seventh Miss and Ninth Brother exchanged a smile. Ninth Brother personally went forward to pat Nanny Dong’s shoulder, startling her awake. When she came to her senses and saw Ninth Brother, she quickly rose to apologize: “This old one is aged and drowsy—I’ve made Fourth Young Master laugh…”

The group didn’t have lunch at Hanshan Temple but went straight to the boat, entering the city from the Fengjiang waterway outside Hanshan Temple through the large and small river channels as dense as a spider’s web, returning to the small dock outside Wanhua.

It was just past lunchtime. The Yang family members had all gone for their afternoon naps. After exchanging a few words with Ninth Brother, Seventh Miss sent him back to Jidi Residence to study. Ninth Brother had been preoccupied lately and running around outside for family matters, so his studies had been neglected for several days. Now that matters had finally reached a lull, he himself was anxious to review his lessons. After the siblings exchanged a few words, they parted ways in front of Juba Pavilion.

Nanny Dong had naturally gone home to eat long ago. In the vast Baifang Garden, it seemed only Seventh Miss and Lixia remained, walking slowly toward Yuyu Pavilion.

Seventh Miss walked while deep in thought.

Returning to the main hall, Shangyuan and Qiqiao had naturally prepared a table full of dishes. After Seventh Miss changed clothes and sent Lixia down to eat, she allowed Qiqiao to serve her. “Look at this spicy vegetable powder soup—it’s a new dish the small kitchen has carefully prepared. Sister-in-law Cao figured you love sour and spicy flavors and specially sought out Sichuan facing-heaven peppers…”

Qiqiao truly had a gift for serving people. Despite Seventh Miss being full of puzzles, she still ate most of a bowl of rice before having the maids clear the table. She then called Lixia, who had finished eating, to the east side room to discuss today’s meeting at Hanshan Temple.

“Last time Master Huang sent a safety letter, was it during the March Third Girls’ Festival?” She flipped through her book case, found the letter from Huang Xiunniang and looked it over, then smiled. “I wonder if Master Huang is living happily in Yuhang, and how the Li family is treating her…”

Lixia’s expression was calm. “For the sake of Eldest Miss’s face, the Li family would never treat Master Huang poorly under any circumstances. Does Miss wish to send Dragon Boat Festival gifts to Master Huang?”

Regardless of what grievances had existed between Huang Xiunniang and Ninth Yiniang, she had after all taught Seventh Miss pearl needle embroidery and the raised embroidery technique. Seventh Miss sent gifts and inquired after her well-being during festivals and holidays. Over the past half year, their correspondence had been quite frequent.

Seventh Miss pondered for a long while before faintly humming in agreement.

“This time, have Sister-in-law Zhou accompany me to deliver the festival gifts. I’ll also bring a letter to inquire after Master Huang’s well-being.”

To embroider inscriptions well, both Huang Xiunniang and Ninth Yiniang had learned several thousand characters. Although they couldn’t be called elegant in literary style, reading and writing letters was not difficult. Otherwise, how could Huang Xiunniang exchange letters with Seventh Miss?

Seventh Miss calculated repeatedly in her heart before having Lixia grind ink and personally writing a letter. She then instructed Lixia: “In a moment, open the chest and find two bolts of silk. Then go ask Nanny Yao for the mid-grade gifts our family gives to people. Say that this year is Master Huang’s birthday—her birth date falls around the Dragon Boat Festival. We’d rather be early than late. I’ve personally prepared two embroidered handkerchiefs to celebrate Master Huang’s birthday. Since these are a young lady’s handiwork and shouldn’t be seen by others, it would be best if Sister-in-law Zhou could accompany the gift-bearing servants and personally deliver my gift to Master Huang’s hands—only then would the propriety be complete.”

Lixia rolled up the two sheets of paper that had been airing by the window and placed them in the envelope, solemnly sealing it with wax before asking Seventh Miss: “Should we request an immediate reply?”

Seventh Miss thought for a moment and nodded decisively. “It would be best to see the reply before the Dragon Boat Festival! No later than the tenth of the fifth month at the very latest.”

Eunuch Zhang was already returning from Fujian. The tenth of the fifth month was the day of the Jiangsu provincial selection.

By mid-afternoon, after Seventh Miss had just risen from her nap, Nanny Dong came again to request that Seventh Miss go to the outer courtyard to attend to Great Master.

“The master also just got up and was thinking of Seventh Miss…” Nanny Dong smiled with crinkled eyes. “He even asked me if Seventh Miss encountered any incidents at Hanshan Temple. I said no—how could someone as demure as Seventh Miss cause any disturbances? After offering incense and touring around admiringly for a while, she returned…”

Taking Qiqiao into Yuyu Pavilion truly was the right move.

Seventh Miss placated Nanny Dong with a few words, and the two passed through the corridor, exiting the inner courtyard through the side door.

“When I first came in, Madam had also just risen from her afternoon nap and sent Nanny Liang to invite you for conversation. We actually ran into each other face-to-face.” As Nanny Dong spoke, she led Seventh Miss into the outer courtyard, composed her expression solemnly, and quietly withdrew.

Seventh Miss remained calm and composed.

Of the three major powers, she had already secured Feng Jin’s support. As long as she could persuade Great Master, Great Madam would no longer be a concern.

Having reliable maternal relatives was wonderful. Now that Feng Jin had risen, her position in the Yang family could be said to have advanced another step. In the future, selecting a husband should proceed more smoothly.

While pondering, she entered the inner room and paid her respects to Great Master.

Great Master also looked troubled.

Usually during afternoon naps, he always had Twelfth Yiniang beside him beating his legs and rubbing his shoulders to help him relax and rest… Today, however, Shuxia was nowhere to be seen. Only Great Master sat alone at the bedside, putting on his clothes and shoes.

Seventh Miss hurried forward several steps, crouching down to help Great Master put on his blue-topped cloth shoes. “Father didn’t even call someone to attend you…” Her voice carried a few traces of reproach.

Great Master looked at Seventh Miss with considerable depth in his eyes. “Your father has matters on his mind and prefers quiet—”

Just as he was about to continue, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.

Both Great Master’s and Seventh Miss’s faces showed surprise.

Who was so tactless as to intrude when Great Master had clearly arranged to speak privately with Seventh Miss?

Steward Zhang’s voice rang out from outside.

“Master, General Zhu has sent a calling card, saying that Duke Pingguo’s heir and his party were attacked in Peixian, Pengcheng. Although no one was hurt, that bandit surnamed Liao managed to escape. Duke Pingguo’s heir also sustained minor injuries… He’s asking if Master knows about this. He also said this incident occurred two days ago, His Majesty learned of it yesterday and was very displeased. He asks when Master has time—he wishes to discuss this matter with Master.”

Even with Great Master’s composure, his expression changed slightly.

“Come in to speak!” he ordered in a low voice.

Steward Zhang thus lifted the curtain and entered. Glancing at Seventh Miss, he thoughtfully looked away, awaiting Great Master’s instructions.

“Go invite Teacher Nian. Send a reply card inviting General Zhu to speak at the yamen early tomorrow morning. Also ask Secretary Ma if we have any news on our end, and write a letter to the capital to inquire about Fengjia’s injuries.” As Great Master pondered, he gave instructions in an orderly tone, completely composed. “Also, you personally go to the Li family to send word and see what Wenqing’s attitude is—whether he’s still frightened out of his wits…”

A faint trace of mockery hung at the corner of Great Master’s lips.

Steward Zhang respectfully acknowledged but didn’t move. He glanced at Seventh Miss again before continuing: “In General Zhu’s card, he also said that the capital’s Duke Liangguo of the Quan family has asked him to act as chief matchmaker to come propose marriage. He’s speaking of our family’s Seventh Miss and Second Young Master Quan’s marriage. He wants to first ask Master’s intentions to avoid bringing gifts to the door only to have the match fail, which would inevitably create awkwardness.”

This time, both Great Master and Seventh Miss changed color.