Edited by Larkspur
Chu Jin Yao secretly sighed in relief. Fortunately, there was still string and the jade pendant was hanging tightly around her neck. Otherwise, it would have been very bad!
Rather displeased, she turned around to see who was behind scaring others. She discovered that it was a clean and upright young gentleman.
Edited by Larkspur
After Qin Yi was sent to the border of Great Tong, the Imperial Tutors were very worried about it. However, he felt what the eyes did not see was regarded as clean. He was really fed up with that dog couple.
The frontier was poor and bitter, the guards could not relax even for a moment. Qin Yi brought people to the border a few times to pursue the Tatar cavalry. During the first lunar month, these Tatar younglings had harassed the commoners and robbed a few things before fleeing. He led some people and chased for five hundred Li (modern: 1 Li = 500m or 1,640 feet). When he surrounded the Tatar cavalry, he planned to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, but there were some accidents when he was not paying attention.
Edited by Larkspur
The courtyard that Chu Jin Yao resided in also had five rooms at the front. There were two wing rooms, at the east and west, and one at the south. Chu Jin Yao stayed in the main room, the eastern room was the study and the western the bedroom. She slept in the westernmost room and the western wing was usually where she spent most of her day. Instead, the main hall was not used and wasted. She would often do needlework and meet the servants here.
Now Ding Xiang and Qiu Ju brought the sewing basket over and stood at the eastern room to wait for Chu Jin Yao. Qiu Ju caressed the brocade nostalgically as she asked, “Young Lady, this bolt of brocade is ten Zhang (1 Zhang = 1 feet) and since the clothes are used for meeting guests, then the pleats must be made tighter together. That would need at least two Zhang and the jacket would also require one Zhang. This is only for the outer layer and the inner lining will need to be cut separately. Will we be doing it ourselves or handing over to the embroidery house?
Edited by Larkspur
Will it be better in the future? It was difficult for Chu Jin Xian to say. If it was only Chu Jin Yao, then Chu Jin Xian would not be as worried, but there was also Chu Jin Miao. Chu Jin Xian originally had a weak relationship with Chu Jin Miao and now upon knowing that she was a fake, she had no thoughts about this one at all. How could she not be biased towards her only Younger Sister? However, Chu Jin Miao had a lot of thoughts and her lips were best at getting what she desired. Besides, that girl had favourable time, geographical and social conditions so Chu Jin Xian did not feel assured at all.
Chu Jin Yao understood Chu Jin Xian’s thoughts. She smiled at her. “Eldest Sister, no need to say more, I understand. Money is dead and people are alive, so how could the dead baffle the living? You just need to embroider your dowry at ease and not worry about me.”
Edited by Larkspur
Chu Jin Yao thought for a long time but was still unable to figure it out. Thus, she could only put the matter of her GuMu down. After a while, the maid brought the taels. Madam Zhao spoke a few more words to them before letting the young ladies prepare the clothes that would be used to greet the guests.
As it was rather free in the boudoir, the young ladies would spend most of their time in front of their elders, stay by their mothers, talk to the maids and sew a few stitches to pass an afternoon. It was like this for ordinary people but upon arriving in the Residence of Marquis Chang Xing, Chu Jin Xian did not choose to stay in front of her mother to do needlework but instead said, “Mother, you still need to meet with the maids and servants for household management. I will not disturb you then. I will return to my room.”
Edited by Larkspur
“That day, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince was also present. When he saw the Palace maid beating the drums, he went directly to the Emperor and Her Ladyship. According to the Darens who were at the city walls, the Crown Prince said to the Emperor that the military drums were important tools for the military and not a plaything. The troops were in formation but a female was beating the drums with laughter. What sort of decorum was this? The Emperor was not happy and perhaps the Empress was angered with the word plaything and said some things to the Crown Prince. The Emperor’s expression was not good either. When the cabinet ministers saw that something was not right, they quickly helped the Crown Prince and the Imperial Tutor let the Crown Prince withdraw first.” Marquis Chang Xin then sighed, “Who knew that at that time the Crown Prince was perfectly fine and thus the Darens all thought everything was all right. Who knew that the Crown Prince would take two steps, suddenly grab the bow and arrow from the guard, turn around and shoot the Palace maid dead? For the Emperor to see blood, the Chief Grand Secretary and JiYiWei were so shocked that their face turned white. Her Ladyship was screaming and the tens of thousands of soldiers below were up in an uproar when they saw someone die at the city walls.”
When the females of the Chu family heard that the Crown Prince dared to kill a Palace maid in front of everyone and this Palace maid was favoured by his mother, they were so shocked that they covered their mouths with handkerchiefs. Marquis Chang Xin wanted to sigh when he thought of the scene. “And just like this, the Emperor was in a rage and personally decreed the Crown Prince to head to Da Tong to defend the border. DaTong is a location that often has battles with the Tatars, and where people die. How could the Crown Prince come to such a place? The cabinet ministers took turns to intercede but could not move the Emperor. The Crown Prince was also stubborn and refused to give in to the Empress and really went to the border.”
Edited by Larkspur
Qin Yi had always been thinking of ways to leave here.
The red flakes in Chu Jin Yao’s jade had been reduced by nearly half but Qin Yi felt that recovery from his injury was still far away. The meaning behind it was chilling. After the red flakes were consumed, could it still cultivate the soul? Qin Yi did not want to gamble.
Edited by Larkspur
Qin Yi listened quietly. That mistake, all those years ago, had disrupted two families. Even if everything was restored to the correct places, the scars would not disappear in a short while. Moreover, to put it bluntly, the one who was hurt the most was Chu Jin Yao. She was forcefully separated from the Su family, left a familiar environment, and upon returning home, had to adapt to the difficulty of living with a new environment, enduring indifference and rejection. Throughout this process, what did Father Su, Mother Su, and even Chu Jin Miao, pay in return?
“No.” Qin Yi comforted in an unprecedented instance. He softened his voice with great unfamiliarity and said to Chu Jin Yao, “You have already done a good job. Your gratitude and grudges are clearly defined and benevolence exists in your heart. This is very good.”
ChubbyCheeks 