After the Waking of Insects, the capital city seemed to be instantly painted in a dreamlike hue by the gentle strokes of nature's magical painter. Willow catkins danced through the sky, resembling lingering winter snowflakes or drifting spring clouds, scattering and scattering, adding a touch of poetry and romance to this bustling capital. The carved window lattices of Jinyun Bookstore, like a gentle lady, stood quietly amidst this poetic beauty, covered in pure white down, as if meticulously adorned with a layer of soft white gauze by nature.
Su Jinli was immersed in her illustrations for "The Oil Seller." The wolf-hair brush in her hand danced across the rice paper like a nimble spirit. At that moment, the tip of the brush rested precisely on the depiction of the courtesan's embroidered shoes, the delicate brushstrokes seeming to bring them to life. Just as she was absorbed in her work, she suddenly heard a clear and resounding gong from the front yard. The sound shattered the tranquility of the bookstore, like a pebble dropped into a still lake, sending ripples flying.
"Miss, the Empress Dowager has issued an imperial decree!" Lingge hurriedly entered, her hands trembling slightly with excitement, her voice filled with undisguised nervousness and excitement. "She says...she wants you to enter the palace and serve as Princess Shou'an's tutor!"
Hearing this, the wolf-hair brush in Su Jinli's hand involuntarily dropped into the inkstone with a "click". The thick ink splashed on the corner of her moon-white skirt like a frightened ink dragon, and smudged an irregular ink stain, just like an abstract ink painting. The lively and lovely, yet somewhat mischievous appearance of Princess Shou'an instantly emerged in her mind - at that time, Princess Shou'an was squatting in front of the sugar painting stall, her eyes fixed on the magical spoon in the hands of the sugar painting master, her saliva almost flowing down. Thinking of this, Su Jinli couldn't help rubbing her brows with a headache, and secretly complained in her heart: "Study companion? How can I have the free time for this? The bookstore is going to open a Jiangnan branch next month! How can I get away from all these complicated things and go to the palace?"
Jiang Yan heard the noise and poked his head out from the accounting office. There were still spots of ink on his glasses that he had accidentally stained while doing the accounts. Under the refraction of the sunlight, they gave off a strange luster. "Madam, the Queen Mother loves Princess Shou'an very much. I'm afraid this decree cannot be refused." As he spoke, his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the abacus beads, making a slight "crackling" sound. At this moment, his mind suddenly emerged the image of Su Jinli who fell asleep by the stove last night while rushing to finish the manuscript. There was a trace of fatigue on her face, but she still held the pen tightly, and the manuscripts were scattered on the floor beside her. Thinking of this, Jiang Yan felt distressed.
At this time, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was sitting in the main hall leisurely drinking tea. The curling steam from the tea blurred his face. Jiang Yan looked at the scene in front of him, and his heart suddenly moved. He slammed the abacus, and heard the beads rolling "clattering" across half the table. The sound was particularly harsh in the silent bookstore. "Oh!" Jiang Yan looked at the account book, and his face turned pale as paper in an instant, as if he had seen something extremely terrible. "Oh no! Last year's grain transport tax silver... I miscalculated three thousand taels!" There was a hint of fear and panic in his voice, as if the three thousand taels of silver were an insurmountable gap.
Su Jinli was stunned when she heard this. She stared at Jiang Yan with wide eyes in disbelief and blurted out, "You're the top scholar...how could you make a mistake with such detailed accounting?"
"Perhaps I'm just tired from working these days and feeling restless." Jiang Yan held his forehead and feigned weakness, his voice trembling as if he'd truly been devastated by this sudden mistake. "Looks like I need to take a few days off and recuperate at home." He gave Su Jinli a furtive wink as he spoke, his sleeve inadvertently revealing a handkerchief stained with mercurochrome. The vibrant red stood out against the white cuffs.
The eunuch delivering the imperial edict heard the noise, set down his teacup, and was about to ask when Jiang Yan suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit, his face flushed red, as if he were coughing up his heart and lungs. "Please inform the Queen Mother that your daughter-in-law... I'm afraid I'll need personal care and won't be able to enter the palace," Jiang Yan said with difficulty, coughing.
The eunuch looked at the sickly Jiang Yan, then at Su Jinli, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He sighed softly and said helplessly, "Then... I'll return to the palace to report." With that, he stood up, straightened his robe, and slowly walked out of the bookstore with a hint of regret and dissatisfaction.
When the eunuch disappeared outside the bookstore, Su Jinli's tense nerves finally relaxed. She looked at Jiang Yan, angrily and amusedly saying, "You're acting so convincingly. If the Queen Mother finds out, we'll be in big trouble."
Jiang Yan straightened up, the sickly look on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by a sly smile. He walked over to Su Jinli, took her hand, and whispered, "Madam, I have no choice. I know you're so devoted to the bookstore, and the Jiangnan branch couldn't be built without you. If you were to enter the palace as a tutor, what would become of the bookstore? I can't put you in a difficult position."
Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan, her heart filled with emotion. She gently leaned into Jiang Yan's arms and said, "Thank you, Jiang Yan. It's great to have you by my side. But this matter can't be kept secret after all. What if the Queen Mother blames me..."
Jiang Yan gently stroked Su Jinli's hair and comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. There will always be a way out. The Queen Mother has always been kind and may not blame you too much. Even if she really pursues the matter, I will bear it with you."
As they were talking, Lingge came in with a basin of water. Looking at the beads and account books scattered on the ground, she asked curiously, "Miss, son-in-law, what's going on? You really scared me just now."
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