Chapter 288 Thoughts

At this time, Ji Yong was visiting He Yu's home.

He Yu's wife, Chen, was already seven months pregnant. She was directing the maid to serve tea and water with her big belly.

Ji Yong stood up, bowed to Chen, and said, "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law," very politely.

Chen smiled, and looked at Ji Yong from time to time with her beautiful eyes, with an undisguised curiosity in her eyes.

Ji Yong has been looked down upon since he was a child, but he never took it seriously. He did what he was supposed to do, neither humble nor overbearing, and was generous and polite, with the elegance and grace of a child from an aristocratic family.

Chen couldn't help but nodded secretly.

He Yu laughed.

Chen led the maids back.

Ji Yong immediately revealed his true colors, and slumped down on the armchair, his face looking gloomy as if it was going to rain: "What do you want from me?"

"Can't I come to you if I have nothing to do?" He Yu asked, forking a piece of snow pear for him to eat, "I'm locked up at home studying every day, so I have to call you home to talk - I'm almost bored to death!"

Ji Yong was upset, so her words were particularly sharp: "What does it have to do with me if you are almost bored to death? I'm busy these two days!"

"What are you busy with?" He Yu said nonchalantly, "Isn't that crappy book almost finished? Old man Yu won't ask you to copy it again, right?" He said with surprise on his face, "Does he really want you to copy the book again? I've heard him praise your good handwriting..."

Yu Li and He Wendao are of the same age.

Ji Yong rolled her eyes at him and stood up: "I'm leaving first, you can just sit here and let your imagination run wild..."

He Yu stopped Ji Yong and said, "Don't bother me, don't bother me! I really have something to talk to you about."

Ji Yong looked at He Yu coldly.

He Yu hurriedly pulled Ji Yong: "Come with me!" and walked out.

Ji Yong hesitated for a moment and followed.

The two of them walked out of the hall one after the other, turned around a flower wall, and entered a small courtyard.

Two ginkgo trees were planted in a corner of the courtyard. Under the trees, a flower bed was built with bluestone, on which were placed several pots of camellia flowers of different colors in full bloom.

Ji Yong was stunned.

He Yuyi said, "I'm going to give this to Master Yu. Aren't you good at growing camellias? Can you help me take a look at the quality of these pots of flowers?"

Ji Yong glanced at He Yu and said, "Does Lord He want you to become Lord Yu's disciple?"

He Yu smiled awkwardly and said, "I can't hide anything from you - I heard that Master Yu likes to grow camellia..."

Ji Yong nodded and looked carefully at the pots of camellia.

They are all common varieties, but they have beautiful leaves and gorgeous flowers, which are pleasing to the eye.

"How is it?" He Yu saw a glimmer of satisfaction in Ji Yong's eyes and smiled, "This camellia is nice, isn't it? It was planted by my cousin, Chen Zexi's youngest sister. She has a gentle temperament, outstanding appearance, is proficient in music, and is also good at growing camellias..."

Before he finished speaking, Ji Yong was secretly alert, feeling as if someone was watching him. He turned his head suddenly and looked in the direction of his feeling, and saw a room with half-open windows not far away.

Ji Yin's gaze suddenly became very sharp.

There was a faint commotion in the compartment.

Ji Yong frowned, and looked at He Yu with a cold gaze: "What on earth do you want to do?"

He Yu saw that Ji Yong had already noticed something, so he simply made it clear: "Jianming, we are not strangers, so I will tell you the truth - my uncle Chen Zexi has always admired your talent, and seeing that you have not started a family, he wants to become an ice man..."

"So the camellia and apprenticeship are all excuses?" Ji Yong interrupted He Yu and asked aggressively, "You called me here just to show me to the Chen family?!"

When he said this, there was a cold light in his eyes.

He Yu's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively felt that Ji Yong was not only very disgusted with this matter, but also very angry.

Perhaps it was because he was caught off guard by being looked at and the woman took the initiative, which made him feel humiliated?

A thought flashed through He Yu's mind, and he smiled and said, "What do you mean by whether we like each other or not? Just based on Brother Jianming's character and knowledge, which family with a daughter waiting to be married would not treat you as a guest? But I am relying on our special friendship. Since my uncle mentioned it, I just want to drink a glass of matchmaker wine from you..."

But before he could finish his words, Ji Yong had already walked away.

He Yu could not help but feel annoyed and complained to Chen: "I told you long ago that Ji Jianming is a very arrogant person. If you want to meet each other, you might as well ask him to meet my sister-in-law. Anyway, you will meet each other in the future. Now, you have done something wrong..."

Chen hesitated after hearing this and said, "Talent is important, but temper is more important... I don't know how many talented people ended up ruined by temper. Although it was embarrassing for him that we took the initiative to meet him, he just walked away without caring about anything. His temper is too bad." At this point, she glanced at a young girl with bright eyes and white teeth beside her, "I think it's better to call off this marriage..."

The girl called out "Sister" unwillingly, her face flushed.

Chen couldn't help but sigh and said, "Then I'll go tell my aunt."

The girl nodded, feeling shy.

Ji Yong put the matter behind her.

If you want to be his wife, you can, but first you have to match the couplet that he painted on the gate of the Ji family’s ancestral home.

He went straight to Cat Alley.

Dou Shiheng happened to be at home.

"How come you have time to come here today?" Dou Shiheng has always been very fond of this young and knowledgeable nephew. "I heard that the editing of Wenhua Daxun is almost finished? What are your plans next?"

Ji Yong, however, answered the question irrelevantly: "Uncle, are you familiar with the new Shuntian prefect Huang Qi?"

In his impression, the ancestor of the Dou family started his family as a historian in the Censorate. Later, Dou Shiqi and others had worked in the Censorate. The Dou family should have deep connections in the Censorate.

Dou Shiheng asked curiously, "What do you want to do in Shuntian Mansion?"

"Nothing!" Ji Yong said, "Just asking."

"He has a cousin who is the same age as us, and we have a pretty good relationship," Dou Shiheng said. "I wouldn't dare to say anything about big things, but he will definitely help with small things."

Ji Yong said, "Then please, uncle, write me a note!"

"What do you want to do?" Dou Shiheng read the books of sages and felt that people should live up to the heaven and earth. If it is reasonable, why bother to find acquaintances or smooth over any relationships? Just go and beat the drum to complain. Anyone who wants to write a post like this is morally untenable, and Ji Yong is a young man he likes. He must not let Ji Yong's reputation be ruined, so he asked extra carefully.

Ji Yong had no choice but to say, "I want to ask if there has been any progress in Shuntianfu regarding Shougu's matter."

Dou Shiheng put his worries aside and wrote a note to Ji Yong.

Ji, who came in to bring them some fruit, was shocked when she heard this. She used the excuse of sending Ji Yong out to repeatedly warn her, "Some things are over and done with. If everyone knows about it, relatives will be embarrassed to see each other. You grew up with Shou Gu, and she is all alone. You should be like her brother and protect her. Don't make things difficult for her!"

Ji Yong sneered: "Song Mo has already married Shou Gu. If he suspects Shou Gu because of this, Shou Gu might as well divorce him and go back home! If you in the Dou family don't like her eating idle food, since I am like her brother, I will just support her."

"You..." Ji was so angry that she didn't know what to say, but Ji Yong said perfunctorily, "Aunt, don't worry, I won't do anything rash," then jumped on the carriage and headed straight for Shuntian Prefecture.

On the bustling Chang'an Avenue, Ji Yong's carriage and Gu Yu's carriage passed each other.

Gu Yu went straight to the Duke of Ying's Mansion.

Before the carriage came to a complete stop, he jumped out and asked the doorman who was waiting attentively, "Is Brother Tianci at home?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Menzi smiled flatteringly, "It's really better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. The prince and his wife have just returned. If you go over now, the prince and his wife should have just finished washing up."

Gu Yu was stunned and asked, "Where did the prince and his wife go?"

"I don't know." The doorman bowed and led Gu Yu into the side door. "He should have left early in the morning with his maids and servants. When I came on duty at dawn, the prince and his wife had already left."

Gu Yu was not in the mood to listen to the doorman's chatter, so he nodded and entered Yizhi Hall.

Dou Zhao was about to change his clothes when Song Mo, who had already washed up, walked in. Dou Zhao reminded Song Mo: "I'm just about to change my clothes."

Song Mo said "hmm" and sat on the big kang next to the window.

Dou Zhao had no choice but to hide behind the screen at the end of the bed with his clothes.

Song Mo followed and said, "When will Mr. Chen and the others come? I'm afraid I have to go to Cangzhou in the next few days. I'm really worried about you not having anyone to protect you."

He leaned against the bedpost, looking somewhat solemn.

Dou Zhao, who had taken off half of his clothes, couldn't help but stop when he saw Song Mo coming in, but after hearing what he said and seeing his expression, he felt a little guilty.

I have always been straightforward in my actions and words, when did I become so shy? When I saw Song Mo coming in, I thought he wanted to hang out with me.

They are already a married couple with skin-to-skin contact, so it is normal for him to be so casual, just like I will have to help him change clothes and bathe in the future.

Despite this, she still felt a little uncomfortable letting Dou Zhao change clothes in front of a man.

Dou Zhao turned his back, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound calm and natural: "The appointment is in early October. If the prince is in urgent need of someone, I will let Duan Gongyi and others come first. But where they will live after they come, and how to rotate with the guards of Yizhitang, I need the prince to make a decision..."

In the dim light, Dou Zhao's body was exquisite and flawless like snow, which made Song Mo's throat tighten and he quickly turned away. However, that figure that looked like a sculpture of beautiful jade seemed to be branded, deeply engraved in his heart, making him linger on it.

After talking for a long time without hearing any response, Dou Zhao turned around and saw Song Mo looking outside the screen with a slightly suspicious flush on his face.

"Prince!" Dou Zhao tried to call him.

"Oh!" Song Mo came back to his senses and said, "You should still call me by my nickname!" After saying that, he felt that such a request was a little inappropriate - as a wife, who would call her husband by his nickname? "Don't I call you Shougu?" He hurriedly added, "The prince, the prince, I feel so uncomfortable with it."

Dou Zhao laughed, thinking of the past. She blinked at him and said jokingly, "How about calling your Master Mei?"

This kind of playfulness was different from her usual boldness and charm, which made Song Mo's heart itchy. He couldn't help but step forward and hug Dou Zhao's waist, lowered his head to stare into her eyes, and softly responded "Okay".