The wife of the Marquis of Yongding, sitting in the main seat, nearly crushed the tea lid. The third aunt from the side branch leaned over and whispered, "Song Jie'er is quite well-mannered, even better than Yu Jie'er was back then." The words reached her lips but she swallowed them back—Jiang Yuyao was clutching her handkerchief so tightly that her knuckles were white.
Chen Ruyi took a seat at the head of the table, her jade bracelet jingling against the huanghuali wood table. The lady sitting next to her smiled and asked tentatively, "Are you here as a sponsor today, old lady?"
"I can't bear this." Chen Ruyi put down his teacup and glanced at the girl in the courtyard. "She lost her mother at ten, her husband at twenty, and her son at forty—this kind of fate, I'd better not offend the younger generation."
A momentary silence fell at the table. Who hadn't heard of the farce at the Anguo Mansion a month earlier? Cui had preserved her reputation with her death, Deng Xu had volunteered to serve on the frontier, and now this old lady was the only one holding the mansion together.
Amidst the ceremonial music, Jiang Songyi was just about to receive the jade hairpin. She suddenly turned and smiled brightly at Chen Ruyi, startling the ceremonial officer so much that he nearly dropped the tray.
[Old Madam Chen is truly a heroine!] [I'll definitely ask for advice on how to make money someday!] [How did Auntie get to know such a wonderful person?]
Jiang Baichuan put his fist to his lips and coughed softly. He caught a glimpse of his aunt Jiang Shu raising her glass to Chen Ruyi. The two old ladies drank from each other like old friends.
By the time the ceremony was over, dusk had already seeped through the window screens. Jiang Songyi, skirt in hand, was about to run to the side room. Suddenly, she heard the tapping of a cane behind her: "County Lady, please wait."
Chen Ruyi took out a golden bag from her sleeve and said, "I lost a bet with your aunt, and this is the prize." The heavy bag made Jiang Songyi's wrist ache, and when she opened it, there were twelve golden melon seeds inside.
[What are you betting on? Are you betting on whether I'll sneak away today?] [Or are you betting on whether I can hold back and not count the money?] [Older people always win!]
Jiang Shu came over at some point and poked her niece's forehead with her fingertips: "You've got a lot of potential." She turned to Chen Ruyi and raised an eyebrow: "You lost three silk shops to me, don't refuse to pay me."
"What's the rush?" Chen Ruyi walked out with his cane. "I'll send someone to deliver the land deed tomorrow." As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back. "I know a suitable person to sponsor the county lady's coming-of-age ceremony."
Jiang Songyi looked up, clutching a golden melon seed, and saw her aunt's secretive smile. The evening breeze rang the bronze bells on the eaves, and a vague conversation could be heard in the twilight:
"You mean that person?" "Besides her, who else can keep the situation under control?"
…
Bamboo shadows swayed on the blue brick floor. Jiang Baichuan's sword tassel entangled Xin Yiyan's shawl. The purple-clad girl treaded lightly on the Taihu stones by the pool, her pomegranate skirt sweeping off a few osmanthus petals. "Young Master Jiang, chasing after your fiancée like this, if it gets out, you'll be laughed at."
"Who has an engagement with you?" Jiang Baichuan's sword cleaved the water curtain, startling the koi carp out of the water. Xin Yiyan tapped her toes on the duckweed, her restrained steps making a clear sound. "Madam Jiang promised it herself."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"
The sound of ritual chanting cut through the gurgling of water, and the clamor in the courtyard abruptly ceased. Xinyi Daoyi supported Princess Linchuan through the hanging flower gate, her white brocade robe embroidered with silver threads, a pattern that shone like moonlight. Jiang Dinglian's wine cup clanged to the ground, and the amber wine soaked the tiger-embroidered boots.
"This is..." Peng Yuyan looked at the figure like a banished immortal in the corridor, her handkerchief twisted into a knot.
A sneer curled up the corners of Jiang Yuyao's lips beneath her veil. She caught a glimpse of Xinyi Zigu's suddenly gloomy expression, digging her nails deep into her palms. Half a month ago, she had accompanied her mother to the palace to pay her respects, and had caught a fleeting glimpse of him in the Imperial Gardens. That day, the Crown Prince, draped in a black fox cloak, sat beneath a plum tree, brewing tea. The crackle of snow breaking through the withered branches was louder than his cough.
"My royal brother is actually interested in leaving the palace." Xinyi Zigu brushed the fallen flowers off his shoulders, his gilded armor scratching fine marks on the table. "Could it be that the Imperial Hospital's prescription has changed?"
Zhu Sheng hurried to smooth things over, "I've heard the hot springs at the Taibai Mountain villa are incredibly nourishing." Before he'd finished his words, Xinyi Daoyi suddenly covered her lips with her hands and coughed softly, a speck of scarlet seeping through her fingers. Princess Linchuan frowned and handed over a handkerchief, instantly staining the snow-white silk a plum-red.
Jiang Songyi clutched the Pisces pendant at her waist. That day in the mountains when they'd first met, the Taoist had used three copper coins to tell her fortune, his fingertips stained with the same cinnabar color. She gazed at the prince's pale face, suddenly remembering the divination's words, "Phoenix roosts on the phoenix tree."
"I'm late." Princess Linchuan placed the gilded makeup box on top of the ceremony table. The night-shining pearls within the box made Xin Yidao's eyes look even colder. "The Crown Prince heard that the coming-of-age ceremony is today, so he came to ask for a cup of osmanthus wine."
The whole room erupted in an uproar. The Minister of War suddenly stood up, his wine spilling down his front. "May His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, be well!" Several generals behind him hurriedly followed suit, their armor clashing and startling swallows from the eaves.
Jiang Dinglian's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Three days earlier, he had sent ten fine horses from the Western Regions to the Second Prince's residence. The Prince's pale face was like a magic mirror, revealing all his hidden plots. He caught a glimpse of his daughter staring at the Prince in a daze, and suddenly remembered her voice in the Buddhist temple that day—"Master is actually the Prince!"
Xinyi Zigu suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. "My Royal Highness, you've arrived just in time!" He walked down the corridor, carrying a wine pot. "I heard that the snow water from Mount Taibai is the best for making tea. I wonder if it can compare to this eighteen-year-old girl's red wine?"
"Fourth brother." Xin Yidao took the wine cup and tapped the rim with his fingertips. "The imperial physician said that I cannot drink alone." He slowly poured the amber liquid onto the ground. The winding wine marks on the green bricks were like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
Jiang Songyi suddenly stood up. She lifted her skirt and walked through the astonished crowd, taking the warm medicine cup from the maid's hand. "Your Highness, may I use this instead of wine?" The aroma of angelica permeated the air, and when Xin Yidao raised her eyes, she saw the pearl tassels dangling from her hair.
Sweet osmanthus blossoms rustled in the garden. Princess Linchuan suddenly chuckled, "I remember the celestial being for this girl's coming-of-age ceremony hasn't been decided yet?" She plucked the nine-pearl hairpin from her temples. "I wonder if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be pleased."
At the vermilion lacquered gate, Princess Linchuan's crimson skirt swept the bluestone steps. Behind her, eight attendants carried a camphorwood box wrapped in red silk. Unfolded, the gift list stretched over three feet. "These three boxes of sapphire jade ruyi are gifts from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." The princess's fingertips pointed at a spot on the gold-sprinkled paper, and the steward of the Yongding Marquis's residence was so startled that he almost dropped the card.
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