Chu Jinjin never expected that entering the palace would not only fail to solve the problem, but would make it even worse. Previously, Consort Wang Ruoxiang was only standing up for her sister, but now she has become a mortal enemy.
She gave herself two days to prove herself, and set the departure date for two days later.
The family was prepared and worried, but there was nothing they could do.
Princess's residence and Li Xinzhi quickly sent messengers to the Chu family to see Chu Jinjin off.
These were all people Chu Jinjin wanted to see. She didn't know when she would be able to return from the north, and she was only worried about the Emperor's promise.
Although they were already friends, Princess Le'an and Li Xinzhi were of noble status and naturally deserved a grand reception. When Chu Jinjin looked at the menu, she suddenly thought of Zhan Qin.
According to Princess Le'an, the two looked similar when they were young.
Should we invite him to come along?
After much deliberation, Chu Jinjin decided to test Zhan Qin's words.
Zhan Qin had just finished showering. He was already quite refined, and now that he was wet, he looked even more pleasing to the eye. His expression remained indifferent: "Miss Jinjin, has something serious happened?"
Chu Jinjin quickly looked away: "It's nothing serious. Princess Le'an and Madam Li are coming to see me off."
Perhaps it was because spring had arrived, but Chu Jinjin felt that Zhan Qin deserved to be called a handsome man.
Zhan Qin frowned: "And then?"
"Then," Chu Jinjin shrugged, "I wanted to ask you, do you want to come along?"
Zhan Qin paused for a moment, then asked, "Wouldn't that be inconvenient?"
"I don't mind, and Madam Li certainly won't mind either." Chu Jinjin understood what he meant. It was a gathering of three women, and he was the only man there, not even a member of the Chu family. But from what he said, it seemed he wanted to attend.
Zhan Qin looked at him quietly and nodded.
Chu Jinjin felt she should be clearer: "Princess Le'an will be divorced soon."
Zhan Qin frowned again and asked the same question: "And then?"
Chu Jinjin gave him a look: "That's all, I just wanted to let you know."
Chu Jinjin felt that this matter should be left unresolved.
Princess Le'an said she would not remarry and planned to keep several male concubines, but Chu Jinjin felt that she might have fallen for Prince Consort Zheng and no longer believe in love.
As for Zhan Qin, he is single and not young anymore.
Zhan Qin didn't understand what she meant, and his brows furrowed even deeper: "Why are you telling me this?"
Chu Jinjin felt she couldn't continue, so she waved goodbye and said, "Then just pretend I didn't say anything."
Zhan Qin: "......."
The reception was arranged in Chu Jinjin's own courtyard. First, her own maid cleaned it. Then, Wang Shi and her mother personally inspected it. Dissatisfied, they sent someone to clean it again. Later, her grandfather also came and offered his opinions.
Chu Jinjin felt that the yard was so clean that there probably wasn't a single ant left.
Then, all sorts of flowers were added, turning the small courtyard into a garden.
As early summer approaches, the evenings are already quite warm.
The first person to arrive was Zhan Qin. He didn't dress up deliberately and was still wearing his usual ordinary long gown.
Chu Jinjin was somewhat dissatisfied.
Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. If you can be more handsome, why not dress up a bit?
The Chu family was not short of money. Although Zhan Qin came to teach the third brother to repay a debt of gratitude, they still gave him a high enough tuition fee, and also prepared clothes and other necessities.
But for some reason, Zhan Qin was as aloof as a monk all day long.
There was still some time before Princess Le'an and her companion arrived, so Chu Jinjin decided to probe further: "Mr. Zhan, with your talent, why are you still unmarried? What kind of woman do you prefer?"
Zhan Qin was two years older than her, which would be considered quite old for a young man in this day and age.
Little did she know that Zhan Qin had been asked this question countless times in just two days.
The first person to be asked was, of course, Lady Liu.
Zhan Qin wasn't stupid from reading; he understood the meaning of that sentence perfectly well, even though he had never thought about it before.
What kind of woman do I like?
"I am penniless and dare not have too many desires." Zhan Qin couldn't help but look up quickly and ask, "What kind of man does Miss Jinjin like?"
Night had fallen, and Chu Jinjin, unaware that Zhan Qin was blushing, casually remarked, "He's good-looking."
That's right, she's a sucker for looks. No matter how talented, rich, or powerful someone is, they absolutely can't be ugly.
Zhan Qin breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he definitely fit the description, and then asked, "Anything else?"
"Also, being considerate and gentle is naturally the best." Chu Jinjin actually had many requirements, including a good physique, but since the other party was a man, it wouldn't be appropriate to mention things like pectoral muscles. After thinking for a moment, she sighed, "I also hope that we can be together for life."
She said this to Xu Wenda.
And what was the result?
Zhan Qin blurted out, "That's what I think too."
Chu Jinjin wasn't too surprised. She couldn't explain why, maybe it was just her intuition. Zhan Qin was probably one of the rare people in this era who had a strong sense of emotional purity.
Since he entered the Chu family, at least half of the maids have fallen for him.
They didn't know Zhan Qin's true background and thought she was just a tutor they had hired. As a maid in the Chu family, she might not be able to become the main wife, but she could certainly be a concubine.
As a result, many who considered themselves handsome made such hints.
All of them were rejected.
This made Liu extremely satisfied.
Chu Jinjin suddenly remembered a question she had always wanted to ask: "Mr. Zhan, don't you want to be an official?"
Everyone has their own secrets. Zhan Qin didn't tell anyone, and Chu Jinjin didn't intend to ask, just like her own kung fu, which no one had ever inquired about.
With Zhan Qin's talent, regardless of his ranking, he would definitely be a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
In this era, a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) was called "Juren Master," which meant that he had official rank and the imperial court would issue him a special official position and reward him. If he could pull some strings, he could become a ninth-rank county magistrate when a vacancy opened up.
Anyway, it's better than the current situation.
Zhan Qin lowered his eyes, and after a moment said softly, "Can I not answer?"
Chu Jinjin was taken aback for a moment, then quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I just asked casually."
This has touched on someone's secret.
“Miss Jinjin, there’s no need to apologize.” Zhan Qin looked up and glanced at her quickly, then mustered his courage and said, “If Miss Jinjin really wants to know, please, please allow me to tell you another day.”
"No, no." Chu Jinjin waved her hand vigorously. She didn't want to know; her already dwindling curiosity had long since vanished.
Chu Jinjin didn't have the usual caution women of this era had when meeting men. There were no outsiders tonight, and she was wearing particularly loose clothes. With a vigorous wave of her hand, half of her fair arm was exposed.
Zhan Qin couldn't help but glance at her before quickly lowering his head and saying softly, "Does Miss Jinjin hope that I can pass the imperial examination?"
Chu Jinjin felt that the question was a bit strange and didn't know how to answer for a moment. After thinking for a while, she replied perfunctorily, "If Mr. Zhan has any official rank, that would naturally be a good thing."
Zhan Qin's eyes lit up: "Then I, Zhan, will participate in this year's prefectural examination."
Chu Jinjin felt confused. She didn't seem to have said anything, so why did she suddenly participate? But it was indeed a good thing. Her third brother was also participating. She encouraged him, "Then Mr. Zhan will definitely become the top scholar."
She was just saying it casually; she never expected that Zhan Qin would actually become the top scholar.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
