35 It's Him
◎That handsome man I once met!◎
Mrs. Wu and her husband were talking with Uncle Lu in the front hall. They learned the news that Lu Jiaan and the Marquis of Mingxuan were getting engaged, a step later than Chu Jinhe. By the time they arrived at Hefeng Courtyard, their daughter had been crying for a long time.
Looking at the celadon shards scattered across the floor, she felt both distressed and frustrated. She sent the maids away, strode over to the bed, and sat down. "What do you usually do for dinner? Prince Zhao is about to get engaged to Miss Lu, and you didn't even notice?"
Chu Jinhe curled up in bed, covering her face and sobbing. "The prince is always gentle to everyone, how could I tell? He clearly, clearly praised my poetry and prose last time!"
It was impossible for Wu not to feel disappointed. It would have been fine if Prince Zhao was engaged to a noble lady from another family, but she never expected that the golden bead would end up in the home of her sister-in-law. The lady she had carefully cultivated was ultimately no match for a wild girl from the countryside who came to Beijing!
Chu Jinhe's tears trickled down her cheeks, wetting her temples. Hatred filled her eyes and brows. "Mother! It would be fine if it was anyone else, but it had to be her! It's my fault too, I was too concerned about my reputation and refused to ask the second girl to go to the Marquis's residence with me for the consultation! If I had more contact with the prince, if he knew how good I was, how could he have fallen for Lu Jia'an?"
Wu sighed, picked up a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and coaxed her, "Alright! Actually, if you think about it carefully, being with the Lu family is actually better than being with someone else. After all, it's your aunt's family, and we're also related to the Mingxuan Marquis Mansion."
"Mom!" Chu Jinhe looked at her with red eyes, "You, don't you know that my cousin and I don't get along?"
Everything about Lu Jia'an came so easily. She easily won her grandmother's favor and smoothly arranged a marriage with the Marquis. She had spent over a decade studying and learning the piano, and all the hard work seemed like a joke! She wasn't as good as herself, so how could she have achieved so much so easily?
Mrs. Wu lowered her eyes and reached out to smooth her hair. "So what? Now that things have come to this, can you still go and rob me? The important thing now is to find you a new partner."
She leaned over and hugged her daughter, patting her on the back: "Don't worry, don't worry, mother will definitely find you a good one." She murmured, as if she was talking to Chu Jinhe, but also as if she was talking to herself.
A breeze blew from somewhere, gently lifting the light green bed curtains.
"No more, there's nothing better!" Chu Jinhe hung her hands at her sides, tears streaming down her face.
Among the remaining noble young men in the capital, those who are good-looking don’t have a good family background, those with good family backgrounds don’t have a good reputation, and some with good reputations are not talented enough. How many of them are equally good?
"If you look for someone with the appearance and family background of Prince Zhao, there will naturally be fewer." Mrs. Wu grabbed her shoulders and shook her, signaling her to cheer up.
"Your father has invited quite a few young men of the right age to attend the poetry gathering in a few days. Mother has considered the grandsons of Prime Minister Liu and Grand Tutor Li. Both are quite educated. They didn't enter the government through favoritism, but earned their places through their own examinations. They also come from first-rate families, so they have bright futures ahead of them! We still have a long way to go, so let's take our time. Who has the last laugh is still uncertain!"
Chu Jinhe bit her lip, staring at the orchid pattern on the soft pillow, and silently shed tears. After a while, she replied softly, "I will do whatever I want."
-
The night before the poetry reading, Chu Yufu went to bed early and had a dream in the middle of the night.
In the dream, it was summer and the sun was shining brightly. She ran to the Chu family garden to play alone. When she looked up inadvertently, she saw Chu Jinhe playing the piano in the pavilion high up. Behind her stood the teacher hired by Wu for her.
At this time, Chu Jinhe looked about ten years old. She was wearing a smooth pure white silk dress embroidered with dark patterns, which shimmered in the sunlight and made her look ethereal.
In the dream, I was standing far away in a corner, digging my fingers into the tree trunk, staring at my elder sister in a daze.
The dream ended here. An indescribable envy filled her heart. Chu Yufu opened her eyes, put her hand on her chest, and realized that she was probably dreaming about her original childhood again.
Why do you say again?
Because ever since she came here, she would have similar dreams every ten days or half a month. The dreams were like fragments, pieced together bit by bit the childhood of Miss Chu Er.
It was already getting light outside, and she could hear the sounds of cleaning and talking coming from the yard. She couldn't sleep much longer, so she simply got up and washed up.
Hearing a noise in the main room, Lanzhu and Yunsui pushed the door open and helped her put on her shoes and wash up. Sitting in front of the brass mirror, she yawned lazily and let Lanzhu comb her hair.
"Miss, you have finally gained some weight recently and your complexion has improved a lot. You just need to put on some makeup. How about I do a tassel bun for you?" Lan Zhu tilted her head to look at the girl in the mirror.
In the past, the girl was thin, with a pointed chin, and looked a little delicate and weak. Recently, she has eaten well during the New Year holidays and has fewer things to worry about. Her face has gradually become rounder, revealing a bit of cuteness, which is most suitable for a tassel bun.
"Just do whatever you want." Chu Yufu closed her eyes, her mind involuntarily drifting to the poetry reading that was about to begin.
If nothing unexpected happens, in a few hours she will be able to meet the future General Zhenbei, who will also be her future husband.
She recently sent someone to inquire about Pei Yue, but this man rarely showed up on weekdays and mostly stayed in the military camp in the capital, so she couldn't find out anything for the time being.
What would a man who could crawl out of a military camp look like? She thought of the generals she had seen in TV dramas before—tall and burly, wearing scale armor, with a full beard, the kind of rough man who could lift two hammers with one hand.
She couldn't help but grin and wrinkle her face.
Alas, although it is said that character is what matters when getting married and appearance is not important, which girl doesn’t want her future husband to be more handsome than Pan An, and feel comfortable just by looking at him!
Lan Zhu put down the comb, opened the jewelry box, and pinned a water drop jade hairpin in the middle of her hair. She also inserted a light pink flower hairpin with rice bead tassels on each side of her bun: "Girl, take a look."
Chu Yufu opened her eyes.
The girl in the mirror has fair skin and beautiful looks. Her long black hair is all tied up on top of her head. Two pink flowers decorate her temples. Finally, two strings of tassels hang down from her hair to her ears. With a slight shake, the tassels sway gracefully, lively and graceful.
She smiled and reached out to touch the tassels: "It's really beautiful, but isn't it a bit ostentatious with such long tassels?"
Lan Zhu shook her head: "She is not ostentatious and is very beautiful. Besides, if the girl doesn't dress up today, when will she dress up?" Ever since the girl recovered from her illness in the autumn, she has deliberately been more restrained in her dressing, saying that she doesn't want to attract attention at home. But today is different from the past, and of course she has to look beautiful when meeting others.
Yun Sui came from behind the screen, holding two sets of clothes. "Miss, which one do you want to wear?"
There are two sets of clothes, one is a pure white satin jacket with a light green orchid pattern pleated skirt; the other is a light pink satin jacket with a smoky purple long skirt.
Chu Yufu pointed to the second one without hesitation: "This is it."
The first outfit was indeed elegant, but when she saw the white, she remembered the dream she had last night. It was also because of that dream that she vaguely understood why there were so many white clothes in the original owner's suitcase.
The capital does not need a second Little Lotus Fairy, and the Chu family does not need two white lotuses in today's poetry gathering. She just needs to be herself generously and be a fresh and tender hibiscus flower.
When the sundial passed the hour of Chen, Chu Yufu took a few snacks to fill her stomach and hurried to the outer courtyard.
The poetry reading was held in the Poetry Collection Building. There was no separation between men and women, just a screen to provide some separation. Young people were on the first floor, and the second floor was for older guests.
Since a few days ago, Wu and her servants have been making preparations. As the daughters of the host family, she and her elder sister have to arrive early to check whether there are any missing pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and whether the invited musician is ready.
As she entered the library, she saw a white figure in front of her. She was standing next to the zither player, watching him tune the instrument. She walked forward and greeted him, "Sister."
Chu Jinhe had lost a lot of weight in the past few days. Her eyes were dark and she was wearing a white dress, which made her look like a cold fairy. However, her complexion was not very good, and the dark circles under her eyes could not be covered up even with powder.
"Second sister." Chu Jinhe nodded slightly and looked her up and down. "You are dressed quite decently today."
Walking past the zither player, the two sisters slowly wandered around the building, examining the papers and pens on the desks one by one. Chu Jinhe said calmly as they walked, "The young master of the Pei family has a good family background and a promising future. He was chosen by our father himself. You must seize the opportunity."
Yesterday, Wu told her that Minister Hu had been ill recently, quite seriously, and seemed to be considering retiring. If her second sister could successfully marry Pei Yue, her father's chances of being promoted to Minister would be even greater. If her father were promoted, she would have more confidence in choosing a son-in-law.
Mother is right. Even without Prince Zhao, there are still other people. She should take advantage of her youth and choose a good family. As long as she chooses a good husband, her future may not be worse than Lu Jiaan's.
"Sister is right." Chu Yufu nodded heavily, agreeing with her.
What the eldest sister said was absolutely right. Pei Yue had a very successful future. Although he died young, he really did achieve great success. If she wanted to escape from the Chu family, she really had to rely on him. She had to seize the opportunity!
-
The sun was hanging high above the treetops, and carriages and horses were stopping in front of the Chu Mansion one after another. Soon the front yard became bustling.
The Chu family was very concerned about their reputation, so this poetry gathering was held in a particularly elegant manner. Brocade was spread on the tables, famous calligraphy and paintings were hung on the walls, and there was even a musician playing "High Mountains and Flowing Water" in the open space in the building, creating a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Chu Jinhe and Chu Yufu were on the female guests' side, helping Wu to usher in the guests.
Chu Yufu knew few people, and most of the time she just followed her elder sister and watched her chatting and laughing with others. She just stood there and smiled. After half an hour, she felt her face was a little stiff from laughing, and she was a little hungry, so she simply slipped into the side room to rest.
The snacks at the poetry gathering were exquisite. Lan Zhu brought a plate and took a sip of tea and a bite of snack, then hid away in the house. Just as she swallowed the last bite, she heard a notification from outside.
"Mr. Pei Yue of the Pei family has arrived—"
She choked on the crumbs of a snack and coughed until her face turned red. Lanzhu raised her hand and patted her on the back. When she had caught her breath, she quickly lifted the hem of her skirt, ran over, opened the door a crack, and looked out.
I saw a man in black with a stern temperament slowly walking in from outside the building.
A high nose bridge, long sword-like eyebrows, and a pair of peach blossom eyes with sharp creases.
Chu Yufu covered her chest and took two steps back.
Is it him? Is he Pei Yue? The handsome man I had once met in the Li family's Yuancui Pavilion! Really...
What a lucky guy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
