Chapter 91 Let's take a moment to witness the power of Fishbone Red-Eyed Pinch-Waist Literature...

Lady Chen's slightly contemptuous and perfunctory "Oh" not only made Guo Niang despise her, but also made Changsun Qingjing unhappy and slightly annoyed.

“Aunt,” she said solemnly, “my elder brother is an expert in phonetics. His mentor, Lu Fayan, son of Lu Kaiming, recently passed away. My brother was commissioned to proofread and annotate Lu Fayan’s manuscript of the Qieyun. However, because my brother grew up in Chang’an, he has many questions about the phonetic changes in the Heluo dialect, so he is staying here, planning to visit various renowned phonetic scholars in Luoyang after the spring to correct the manuscript. He met Shimin before I did and they became close friends. My mother also greatly appreciated his talent and allowed her beloved son to associate with him. My brother is not a clinging vine; he is capable of self-reliance. In his spare time, he humbly serves as a tutor to the children in the countryside.”

Lady Chen squinted, only half understanding what she was hearing. She looked down on the petty tricks of the Qi people, and felt it was improper for the son of a ninth-rank official to associate with such lowly peasants. The thought of Li Shimin suddenly having so many in-laws with no regard for rank or social status made Lady Chen feel dizzy and almost faint.

With what she considered the utmost refinement, she asked, "What is your brother thinking about these things for?"

Changsun Qingjing said, "The purpose of studying the Qieyun rhyme scheme is to promote education, so that scholars from Liaodong to Linyi, from the Western Regions to the Three Hans, can not only share the same language and communicate with each other, but also share the same sounds and rhythms, and compose poems and essays in harmony with the musical scale."

While this statement may be somewhat exaggerated, it was indeed the intention of the tuners. Of course, the highly pragmatic Duchess was completely bewildered by it.

"Lady Changsun, you make it sound so easy, as if a scholar could easily have his wish granted by making a vow before Buddha," Lady Chen said somewhat irritably.

"There must be a few stubborn people in this world who uphold the great principles in their hearts," Changsun Qingjing joked with Lady Chen, but she didn't seem to appreciate it.

"Lady Changsun..." Lady Chen said earnestly, "I have come here for this very reason!"

"My aunt can just call me 'Qingjing'."

"Yes, Qingjing is willing to listen to your instructions."

She didn't want to hear a single word!

Changsun Qingjing did not consider him a respectable elder.

First, judging from Lady Chen's repeated emphasis on her close relationship with the royal family, which led to her missing her nephew's wedding and her sister-in-law's funeral, it's clear she wasn't particularly fond of her husband's nephew, nor was she particularly close to her husband's sister. Second, her experience of being abandoned by her family and living under someone else's roof, followed by the family's decline, led Changsun Qingjing to meet some talented individuals facing temporary hardship, prompting her to lament the vicissitudes of life. Therefore, she never liked judging heroes by temporary success or failure. Third, she felt somewhat narrow-minded, and her intuition told her that Lady Chen harbored a subtle hostility towards her. Perhaps after being rejected multiple times in marriage proposals, her damaged self-esteem drove this arrogant aunt to try to prove that Lady Dou and her son's judgment was nothing special.

Not long after Changsun Qingjing entered the house, not wanting the conversation with his elders to be too awkward, he suggested, "Auntie must not have visited the villa for a long time. Why don't we go for a visit to the pavilion and hanging spring that Mother loved most? Mother often said that she would rather sit and explore the mountains and valleys than leave the banquet hall. The mountains and forests in the villa are indeed very charming."

The two entered the garden along the Niexia Path, following the path deeper into the bamboo thicket. Suddenly, they heard a roar of water, and the view opened up before them. A three-tiered waterfall cascaded down. On the man-made stone cliff were engraved two lines of poetry: "Leaping waves roar on the rocky islet, splashing foam embraces the sandbar."

Changsun Qingjing invited Lady Chen to cross the "Sandbar Bridge" and ascend the "Jumping Wave Pavilion." The copper waterwheel appeared and disappeared behind the cliff, drawing water from the "Heavenly Mirror Pool," which was artificially widened and identical to the outer river, and raising it to a groove at the top of the cliff, so that the waterfall could be as if the Milky Way were hanging upside down or as if a beaded curtain were hanging down, depending on the owner's wishes.

Changsun Qingjing and Lady Chen looked down at Tinglai Pool from Tiaobo Pavilion, and gazed at the weeping willows and red smartweed on both sides of Liushang Stream, with its jagged blue stones, and were filled with a sense of rustic charm.

After gathering her emotions for half a day, Lady Chen finally sat on the stone bed in the pavilion and asked, "Qingjing, when your uncle and I were in Luoyang, we heard some strange rumors about Shimin. I originally wanted to ask him about it myself. Now I can only ask you for clarification. Can you answer me truthfully?"

“Aunt, please ask,” Changsun Qingjing replied.

"I heard that during your short stay in Mangshan, you two frequently associated with farmers and weavers?"

"We just felt that since Father had entrusted us with managing the household, we had to personally experience the hardships of farming and the toil of weaving in order to gain the respect of the people..."

Changsun Qingjing naturally understood the implication in Lady Chen's words, which was nothing more than disdain for the young couple for not showing respect and deference. Therefore, she tried her best to defend herself and her husband.

"You only need to answer yes or no?" Madam Chen's voice was somewhat sharp, as if she was genuinely frightened by the young couple's unusual behavior.

"Yes." Changsun Qingjing felt a deep chasm between himself and Lady Chen, so he stopped trying to argue.

"Is there no steward in charge of the Li family's villa or estate? Or are the stewards not doing their jobs properly, so the young master and mistress have to overstep their bounds?" Lady Chen pressed on relentlessly.

"No, Mr. Zhuang has always been conscientious in his duties. We have no complaints about him." Changsun Qingjing did not shirk responsibility, but simply answered truthfully.

"So, do the young nobles of today find new pleasure in personally wielding plows and looms?" Lady Chen felt like she was about to faint from anger. She couldn't help but slap the stone bed, but the force of the stone's reaction made her whole body ache and numb.

“Aunt, this is not a momentary pleasure, but simply a matter of duty.” Knowing that she was facing an unyielding obstacle, Changsun Qingjing, for the sake of Li Shimin, still intended to earnestly explain her feelings to this elder. Even if she did not approve of their actions or insist on opposing them, it would still be considered a success.

She originally wanted to talk about the plight of the refugees she encountered in the first month of the lunar calendar, the danger she and Li Shimin faced in Beiman, the countless skeletons, the soul-summoning banner hanging high on the withered elm, the baby that could be bought with a handful of bran, the giant in the well... and the reason why the two of them decided to treat Yinhu kindly after much painful reflection.

However, Lady Chen impatiently changed the subject: "I heard that you grew up living with your uncle?"

"yes."

"Your uncle is a ninth-rank official in charge of etiquette? You were raised by him?" Such condescending questioning is extremely unpleasant.

"Is this my crime? Her Majesty the Empress was also raised by her maternal uncle. The late Emperor Gaozu Wen chose her as the Princess Consort of Jin, and the current Emperor does not take it seriously and treats the Empress with courtesy..." Changsun Qingjing was overwhelmed with anger and tried his best to defend himself while suppressing his resentment.

"As for my background, Madam, please feel free to ask. I will not hide anything." Changsun Qingjing was certain that this difficult situation had been brought to the forefront, so he decided to simply lay everything out with Lady Chen.

"Your father is Changsun Jisheng, the former Right Valiant Guard General? A high-ranking official of the emperor, revered as the 'Kill Two Birds with One Stone' general?"

"yes."

"Your father was a meticulous man, so why didn't he make proper arrangements for you before his death?" Lady Chen asked with an air of otherworldly arrogance. "I heard that your half-brother didn't like you very much..."

Changsun Qingjing finally faced the question she hated most in her life, the question that made her feel most ashamed and embarrassed.

"My father was loyal to the country. Even on his deathbed, he was still concerned about the court's affairs with the Turks. His arrangements for family matters may seem inappropriate to outsiders. However, we, his children, can understand his loyalty to the court and the present, and we do not resent him. I don't know why there are always busybodies in the two capitals barking and distorting my family's affairs to mock my father?"

Lady Chen was about to retort when she was choked by Changsun Qingjing's words, leaving her speechless and unable to utter a word.

"Okay, I'll listen to your detailed explanation."

"My half-brother and my uncle had only disagreements about how to house and raise my brother Wuji and me. Furthermore, my brother was busy with affairs between the two capitals and neglected our upbringing. My mother also suffered from a stroke, making it inappropriate for my busy brother to attend to her medicine. Therefore, my uncle took the three of us—my mother and I—to Chongde Lane to care for and discipline us. There was nothing shameful about it. When the Emperor secretly visited the Tang State Palace on the Lantern Festival, he inquired about my brothers' well-being, and I gave him the same answer. Am I deceiving the Emperor? I haven't returned to my hometown of Luoyang for many years; I truly didn't know that this family affair had become the talk of the town..."

Changsun Qingjing suddenly said seriously, "Madam, if you hear that anyone is spreading rumors to slander my father and sow discord between my siblings and me, please tell me the name of the person spreading the rumors. I will definitely confront them to the end!"

"Very well, I believe you on this matter." Lady Chen said, feeling awkward. "Then let me ask you again. What is the relationship between your mother and those crazy, self-proclaimed emperors of the Qi Dynasty?"

Changsun Qingjing barely suppressed his raging anger: "It is Siqin."

"So we really are one family." The smug satisfaction of Lady Chen prying into other people's privacy disgusted Changsun Qingjing. She was certain that Lady Chen was almost convinced that the delirious souls of those distant relatives of the Gao family also lurked within her.

Since this noblewoman had decided that she was a descendant of the Madman Yi, she was too lazy to argue with her about the issue of madness versus right.

"So what?" Changsun Qingjing looked directly at Lady Chen and said, "Although my maternal grandfather was a member of the Qi royal family, he served in the Zhou and Sui dynasties with loyalty and integrity, and was praised by the people. My maternal uncle and mother, my elder brother Wuji and I are quite proud of this. We do not think that there is anything shameful about such a maternal grandfather who served as the governor of four prefectures."

"Lady Changsun! That's not what I meant." Lady Chen, whose sinister intentions had been discovered by her junior, was eager to cover up her inappropriate words and actions.

"My uncle was appointed as a rites official based on his own talent and learning, which is far superior to those privileged sons who rely on their fathers' and grandfathers' influence to obtain official positions and titles! I don't think it's shameful to be raised by such a talented person!"

Changsun Qingjing finally realized that the source and motivation behind all the changes in Li Shimin that displeased his elders pointed to her!

In the eyes of noble families such as Lady Chen, she, the eldest grandson Qingjing, had lost her father at a young age, her mother was mentally unstable, and she was not tolerated by her family, so she was willing to live a lowly life.

Now, the adopted daughter of this lowly ninth-rank official, who was demoted to Zhuyuan, has passed on her rustic and unsophisticated mannerisms to the young man who should have been enjoying the glory of being the center of attention in Luoyang.

Changsun Qingjing calmed down, but she was not prepared to back down.

“Madam. Shimin has never changed. He has always been the same!” She recalled the scene of looking out at Phoenix Mountain from Jingyin Temple the day before yesterday and blurted out, “He has always taken it as his responsibility to protect the common people. It’s just that he was young at that time and many people looked down on him, so he could only hide his talents and wait for the right time; once he grew up, he naturally spread his wings and soared into the clouds, and boldly fulfilled his ambitions.”

Author's Note: Writing about arguments is so easy! Questioning A-Jing's humble origins, questioning Gao's mother's mental illness, questioning whether she married Li Shimin out of ulterior motives [winking emoji]