"I came to thank you," Wei Qinglou said.
He already knew who had gone to persuade Song Baopu. He was somewhat surprised by this result, but it also seemed to make sense.
What was unexpected was that Zhu Jiayu would get involved in this matter, while what was reasonable was that Song Baopu was persuaded by her.
The two matters were intertwined and had a great impact on him. It took him a lot of effort to finally calm down and stop thinking about Zhu Jiayu's intentions. He only wanted to see her one last time before leaving and thank her in person.
"It's nothing, just a small matter." Zhu Jiayu smiled. "If you made a special trip just for this, it would seem like I didn't take your life-saving grace to heart yesterday."
She had only said a few words, yet Wei Qinglou had made a special trip. Compared to yesterday when Wei Qinglou rescued her on the spot, and she only offered verbal thanks, it really made her seem insincere.
Wei Qinglou smiled and said, "There's no need for such formalities between us. I've come to thank you and to say goodbye. I'll be setting off for the capital tomorrow, and I don't know when we'll meet again."
He had so much to do. Although he didn't know when they would meet again, he was even more afraid that they would never see each other again. That's why he thought he should see her one last time before leaving.
He never believed that life should be lived slowly and steadily. He knew that the connections between people were always one less time to meet. If one always thought there would be plenty of time in the future, he was afraid that there would be no time to cherish it before the future was gone.
He smiled casually, but there was a hint of sincerity in his eyes: "I hope that next time we meet, it won't be so rushed. When old friends meet again, we should at least sit down, have a pot of wine, and admire the flowers."
Zhu Jiayu's smile faded: "I hope that day will come."
The rain stopped after a while, and she closed her umbrella, looking at Wei Qinglou with clear eyes: "Does Lord Wei have anything else?"
Wei Qinglou was momentarily lost in thought, but then he came to his senses and shook his head, saying, "I should go back."
Zhu Jiayu nodded and watched him get into the carriage. She was about to turn and leave when he leaned out and called to her, "Zhu Jiayu."
“Go to Yujing if you have the chance. Those people are so boring. If you were there, it would be great,” he said.
Zhu Jiayu stared at him intently for a while before nodding gently: "If there's a chance."
She knew she would have to go to the capital one day, so thinking about it, it was a good idea to befriend the favored minister beforehand.
Hopefully, Wei Qinglou will continue to have smooth sailing.
Wei Qinglou's carriage quickly turned around and drove out of the alley. Zhu Jiayu turned around and saw Qi Xiuyuan leaning against the pillar under the eaves.
Qi Xiuyuan was very clear about his purpose in coming to Heling, so he paid close attention to Zhu Jiayu. Now that he saw Zhu Jiayu meeting with a young man and they seemed to be quite familiar with each other, he couldn't help but be wary and asked tentatively, "I haven't heard that Cousin Ayu has any close friends in Heling."
Zhu Jiayu slightly raised her eyes and said indifferently, "I had never heard of a cousin coming to Heling, but you still came. It shows that hearsay is unreliable."
After she finished speaking, she brushed past Qi Xiuyuan, showing none of the docility she had displayed when they first met at Songhe Pavilion.
Qi Xiuyuan touched his nose and followed her into the mansion, asking her as he went, "Cousin, do you usually read any books?"
To become the heir apparent of the Marquis of Kaiping's household, even without an outstanding family background, one must be well-versed in the Four Books and skilled in literature, right? Otherwise, how would one deal with the social interactions and worldly affairs among the noble ladies and wives of the capital?
This was something his great-aunt had repeatedly told him to ask clearly before he left Beijing.
Although Cousin Yongsi is still bedridden and his future is uncertain, the heir apparent of the Marquis's mansion still needs to be presented to the public. If this Zhu family girl is coarse and lacks literary talent, making her unsuitable for a refined occasion, the marriage between the two families will naturally fall through.
Zhu Jiayu walked ahead without turning her head, and lied to him with her eyes wide open: "Cousin, you don't know, my mother passed away early, and my father raised me all by himself. It's not easy for me to grow up alive and well, so how could I have time to study and learn to read?"
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" After she finished speaking, she waited for a while, but when she didn't hear Qi Xiuyuan say anything more, she stopped and turned to look at him, asking him in a good-natured manner.
"My grandmother told me to keep in touch with you, so shouldn't I return the favor and ask my cousin what books he usually reads?"
Although she had already sent Lüzheng to Yujing to inquire about the relationship between the Marquis of Kaiping's mansion and the Qi family, it would take time to gather and transmit information. Zhu Jiayu also wanted to take advantage of this time to gather as much information as possible in order to make the right judgment that would benefit her.
She didn't care what Qi Xiuyuan's intentions were when he asked her what books she had read, but her asking Qi Xiuyuan this question did indeed reveal her ulterior motives:
Judging by the timeline, these past two years have been the period when the renowned scholar Fu Shilai rose to fame. Many scholars in the capital admired his literary talent, and some even declared that one could not write an essay without reading Fu Shilai.
However, few people know that the emperor did not admire this man, considering him a fame-seeker. But scholars are passionate and willing to risk their lives. If they knew that the emperor disliked the scholar they so highly respected, some hotheads might try to create trouble and make a fuss over it.
Therefore, the emperor only discussed this matter with his close advisors. However, precisely because of this, the noble families at the center of power in the capital would warn their sons not to openly claim that they enjoyed reading Fu Shilai.
Qi Xiuyuan replied, "Recently, my family has encountered some misfortunes, so I haven't been reading much. And the books I have read are just miscellaneous ones, not worth mentioning."
If the mountain won't come to me, then I'll come to the mountain.
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "Oh? I've heard there's a great scholar named Fu in Yujing. Have you read his articles, cousin?" She said shyly, "Although I don't know many characters, I admire scholars and always want to hear people talk about these things. I hope you won't laugh at me, cousin?"
Qi Xiuyuan pursed his lips, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "It's a good thing that my cousin is eager to learn. How could I laugh at you? It's just that this Mr. Fu... it's best if my cousin asks fewer questions."
"What's wrong? Does your cousin know something that others don't? Or do you simply dislike Mr. Fu?" Zhu Jiayu asked innocently and curiously, as if determined to get to the bottom of it.
Qi Xiuyuan hadn't expected her to be so difficult. Perhaps he was truly at a loss and couldn't find a suitable excuse, or perhaps he intended to warn her. He said earnestly, "When superiors have certain preferences, subordinates will follow them to an extreme; when superiors have certain dislikes, subordinates will abandon them. Cousin Ayu, sometimes knowing too much can be a bad thing for you. Do you understand?"
If those above dislike something, those below will surely abandon it.
Qi Xiuyuan's identity is indeed extraordinary.
Zhu Jiayu's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, cousin. Since you've come all the way from Yujing, did you visit any of the Lin family's uncles before you came?"
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