Jiang Qinghe pursed her lips as she flipped through the brand new thread-bound books: "Why did Songyi buy so many? Even the maids in Langhua Garden can open a bookstore."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince likes to read it, too." Jiang Songyi stacked the storybooks neatly. The title page of the topmost copy, "Feng Qi Wu," still stained with the scent of ink, reminded her of her silhouette holding a scroll at the desk in the Eastern Palace in her previous life.
Jiang Qingzhi sipped her plum soup and said, "I think we should write more stories about female champions! Last month, I went to the Imperial College disguised as a man, and those sour scholars...
"Shh—" Jiang Qinghe suddenly tugged at her sleeve. On the second-floor railing, Jiang Yuyao was leaning against Jiang Yihuan, looking down. Bai Linxi stood up with a jerk, and the tassel of his red-tasseled spear knocked over the teacup.
"Isn't that Brother Yihuan?" She had barely finished her words when Jiang Yuyao came downstairs, her skirt in hand. A lilac-colored shawl brushed past the storytelling platform, startling the old gentleman so much that he forgot his words.
"What a coincidence, Sister Linxi." Jiang Yuyao sat down next to Bai Linxi affectionately. "Third brother said he wanted to buy me some rouge from East Street. Would you like to go with us, sisters?"
Jiang Songyi lowered her eyes and flipped through the pages. Suddenly, a gold-inlaid jade hairpin appeared between the pages. Jiang Yihuan said coldly, "This is from Yuyao."
"No need." She pushed the hairpin back. "The jade pendant that the second young master pawned the day before yesterday has not been redeemed yet."
Jiang Yihuan's face suddenly changed. The Pisces jade pendant was a Jiang family heirloom. Last month, when Jiang Baichuan lost his last decent piece of clothing, he saw the pawnshop clerk throw the jade pendant into the counterfeit basket.
"Third brother?" Jiang Yuyao shook his arm coquettishly, "Didn't we agree to go pick out earrings?"
The storytelling stage suddenly erupted in applause. As the old man was recounting the scene where a fairy waved her sleeves and created a sky full of stars, the young ladies in the audience began tossing coins into the copper tray. Bai Linxi fished out some small change and was about to throw it, but Jiang Qingzhi held him back, saying, "Save it for buying new stories."
"Do you think Mr. Zizhu is a man or a woman?" Jiang Qinghe suddenly asked.
"It must be a sister!" Bai Linxi replied quickly, "Only women understand what we like to read. Those girls written by scholars are always willing to die for a poor guy."
Jiang Songyi glanced at the annotation in the storybook that read, "Women can also be made marquises and ministers," and recalled the resistance the Crown Prince faced in his previous life when he promoted girls' education. At that time, Xinyi Daoyi stroked Mr. Zizhu's new book and sighed, "If I had this man as my advisor, there would be no need to worry about the new policy failing."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
