Chapter 18 No Regrets

Xie Lingjiang is dressed in men's clothing again today.

She was tall and slender, with a fair complexion, dark hair, a black silk turban on her head, a royal blue robe with a narrow sleeve and a turned-down collar, a purple silk belt around her waist, and high-heeled brocade shoes on her feet.

Even the discerning Ouyang Rong couldn't help but admire that this Xie woman was indeed beautiful. Dressed in men's clothing, she was more dashing than most men. The only odd thing was that her pectoral muscles were a bit too big, which would make any man jealous.

This kind of women dressed as men was not unusual in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Since the founding of the Great Gan Dynasty, this trend had spread from noble ladies in Chang'an and Luoyang and become a fashion for women in the empire.

Perhaps it was because the Li clan had Di ancestry and an open and tolerant culture, or perhaps it was because the struggle for power during the Northern and Southern Dynasties resulted in the deaths of too many men, leading to a significant increase in women's participation in various social production and activities, and their status rising considerably. In ordinary households, women held up half the sky; in the upper echelons of the empire, female nobles actively participated in politics, eventually even giving rise to a formidable figure like the Empress Wei, who indiscriminately slaughtered members of the Li clan.

So, for someone like Junior Sister, who dresses as a man in her daily life and studies at the academy, kicking two big men away in a row is no big deal at all.

So what exactly constitutes a problem?

It would be a big deal if I suddenly wanted to marry you.

"Teacher, I don't quite understand." Ouyang Rong met Xie Xun's smiling gaze and said, "Why is my junior sister staying to keep me company? The county government is busy with official business, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of her."

"Hey, how can you talk like that..." Zhen reached under the table to pinch her clumsy nephew's thigh, but the latter put his legs together and turned away.

Xie Lingjiang looked at him and shook his head seriously: "It's not Brother Lianghan who took care of me, it's me who took care of Brother Lianghan."

Is there a difference?

Hmm, there does seem to be a difference.

It seems that the Xie family's daughter prefers to be on top. However, it's not impossible for her husband to be on the bottom. He can endure being on the bottom during the day and then turn the tables on top at night... Zhen thought to herself.

Seeing that the student had fallen silent and did not reply, Madam Zhen seemed to have misunderstood something.

Xie Xun first addressed the woman in the silk skirt:

"Thank you for your concern yesterday, Madam. However, Wanwan is currently more focused on her studies and gaining experience. I also hope that she can inherit this family's Confucian knowledge in the future. In the past few years, I have been trying not to bother her with other things."

This is a polite refusal.

"However, Lianghan should not follow his junior sister's example. Now that he has become an official, he should indeed consider some important matters in life. Managing one's family is also a kind of cultivation. Madam, you said something that was half right yesterday. I am not sure whether the Jiangzuo gentry still value people, but my Chenjun Xie family certainly does. When I go back, I will look in the other branches to see if there are any suitable young ladies of marriageable age for Lianghan."

This is a strategy of retreating first and then advancing.

It's also possible that it's just empty promises.

Madam Zhen froze, remained silent for a moment, then stuffed the bracelet back into her sleeve. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "That is indeed a pity... Are the other branches of the family direct or collateral lines?"

Xie Xun's expression remained unchanged as he patiently explained, "Outsiders might call us collateral branches, but within the clan, we all consider ourselves one family. There's no distinction between direct and collateral branches. Madam, please rest assured, what's suitable is best."

"Oh, is that so..." Madam Zhen slowly lowered her eyes, looking at the cold porridge on the table.

Zhen's disappointed reaction made Xie Xun's face show some apology. In fact, there were young Xie family women in the direct line of Jinling, but most of them were not suitable. Those girls were not even half as good as Wanwan, but they were all arrogant and proud of their family background. Unless they were powerful and influential people in the court, they would not even give a man with the surname Xie a second glance.

However, compared to Zhen's forced smile, Ouyang Rong was indeed silently relieved, thinking to himself, "That makes sense."

Xie Lingjiang, who had been looking down and sipping her porridge, suddenly looked up at her senior brother across from her.

She wasn't being malicious; she was simply curious about his reaction.

However, it was discovered that this senior brother did not blush with anger, nor did he laugh it off, nor did he feign a haughty chuckle, or simply remain calm and silent.

He simply... listened attentively to her father while finishing off the two large bowls of thick porridge in front of him, and even the two small jars of pickled radishes on the table were completely devoured by him without a word. If her father and she hadn't barely touched their food, the last small jar of pickled radishes on the table might have been gone as well.

Xie Lingjiang was somewhat speechless, but then she became curious, so she picked up a pair of chopsticks, tapped them lightly on the table, and picked up a piece of pickled radish.

Is the pickled radish at Donglin Temple really that delicious?

"Lianghan."

“Hmm, the student is here.” Ouyang Rong put down his chopsticks and bowl.

Xie Xun turned his head and gestured to Xie Lingjiang, explaining to him:

"It's like this, your junior sister suggested staying. Before coming up the mountain, she saw the severe flooding in Longcheng and felt compassion, wanting to stay and assist you. Moreover, I also feel that your junior sister has studied enough at the academy and should indeed go out and gain some experience to shed her naivety."

Ouyang Rong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Xie Xun added, "Just let her stay by your side as an advisor. You don't need to take special care of her; she'll take good care of herself. Actually, your junior sister... has some martial arts skills, so she might be able to help you sometimes."

Ouyang Rong wanted to say that he had the county constable Yan and others protecting him and didn't need his junior sister's help, but he immediately remembered his junior sister's legs at Sanhui Courtyard yesterday, so he shut up. To be honest, those long legs were indeed quite deadly in every way.

However, Ouyang Rong still felt that letting Xie Lingjiang stay as a staff member was like playing a joke.

But faced with his mentor's kindness and earnest gaze, he still nodded.

"Alright, but Junior Sister has to promise to listen to me."

Xie Xun nodded in satisfaction, "Wanwan, don't cause trouble for your senior brother. Watch and learn carefully."

"Oh." Xie Lingjiang nodded casually.

Her mind is completely focused on the pickled radishes now; they are indeed delicious and crunchy.

It seems there's another reason to stay.

...

"Lianghan's aunt was talking to me about this this afternoon. What do you think?"

"Does Father want his daughter to get married?"

"Men should marry when they are of age, and women should marry when they are of age. What's there to think about?"

"Is Father quite satisfied with this Senior Brother Ouyang?"

"Whether I am satisfied or not, it doesn't represent you. I can only offer you my opinion. The decision is yours."

“Your mother used to have this attitude, and I still do. If you want to get married, I will prepare a dowry for you. If you don’t want to get married, there will always be a place for you in this family.”

"Did you choose your father and mother yourselves?"

"No, your mother and I were married by order. Before our wedding night, we didn't even know what each other looked like, only her nickname."

"But later, my father and mother became a loving couple, living in perfect harmony."

"That's why your mother and I understand how rare and precious it is for people to fall in love after marriage. So we won't interfere in your life's important matters, but will only prepare your dowry and blessings for you."

"What is Father's opinion of Ouyang Lianghan?"

"As your father, I think...it's not bad. Hmm, you choose for yourself."

“Father, I don’t look down on others because of their social status.”

"But I still have many books I haven't finished reading, many principles I haven't figured out, and one wish I haven't fulfilled. I'm still stuck at the level of a 'gentleman' and haven't been promoted to 'book reader'."

"My daughter doesn't want to get married yet."

"good."

"Father isn't angry?"

"Don't be angry. It's your own choice. As long as you can bear the possible consequences, it's never wrong. Just don't regret it later."

"Regret?... My daughter won't."

"Alright then. I will go and refuse tomorrow."

"good."

"However, you've actually progressed very quickly in terms of rank advancement."

"Not fast at all. There's a female cultivator from Wuyue named Zhao Qingxiu in the Yunmeng Sword Swamp nearby who's faster than my daughter."

"Zhao Qingxiu is the 'virgin of Yue' of this generation, don't compete with her."

Why can't a daughter be compared?

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

"The family I just met on my way down the mountain... So, Father, do you want your daughter to stay?"

"Yes. It would be perfect for me to work as an advisor for Liang Han."

Should we tell him about this?

"Don't do it for now. You can only say it when that family allows it. When that time comes, give Lianghan this handwritten letter from your father on your desk. He will understand after reading it."

"Father, does that family... really have a chance to return to Luoyang?"

"I don't know. It was Master Di who sent me."

"My daughter understands."

"Remember, never let your guard down. The water in Longcheng County down this mountain... is quite deep."

(End of this chapter)