Chapter 52 Destiny
That smile vanished in an instant, and even the warmth in those almond-shaped eyes instantly turned to freezing point.
They might not even be considered strangers, but rather like enemies.
She froze, turning her head away, her face showing obvious unease.
Ji Jinghe stood at a distance, holding onto the railing, suppressing the surging bitterness in his heart, and turned to disappear into the bamboo forest path. Yu An caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of her eye and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Lingyin sensed something and turned to look, but saw nothing.
With a hint of doubt, he said, "I won't bother you any longer today."
Yu An nodded, and just as she was about to agree, that familiar figure suddenly came into view.
Yan Lingshi said goodbye, and only when he turned around did he suddenly notice Ji Jinghe's presence.
The two had many disagreements in the court, and even though they saw each other all the time, they never exchanged a word. Yan Ling gave a casual bow, his face more indifferent than anything else, and without saying a word, he brushed past Ji Jinghe and left.
Ji Jinghe looked at her intently, his gaze never wavering, filled with regret, sorrow, and scrutiny.
Yu An wasn't afraid of him misunderstanding. Before it was Pei Chengyu, now it's Yan Ling. If he wants to overthink things, then so be it.
Just as she was about to leave, Ji Jinghe spoke first, "I've been looking for you for a long time. I heard from others that you came this way."
"The banquet is about to start, come with me," he said again.
Yu An glanced at him again before saying, "Grandpa, you don't need to worry about me. I just came here to get some fresh air."
After saying that, she walked out, and Ji Jinghe's subconsciously outstretched hand missed.
Since male and female guests are not seated in the same area, it would be pointless for him to call them, so Yu'an didn't want to leave with him.
It's a pity that Yu'an couldn't meet Xia Zhao and his son; he could only exchange a few words with Madam Xia during the banquet.
For Yu Yu'an, the closer she appears to the Xia family, the better.
The previous political differences between the two families were broken by a birthday banquet. If word got out, it would surprise not only the officials but also the wives of the officials present.
I spent the entire day navigating the crowds, and only took a car home late at night.
Before setting off, Yu'an had someone prepare hot water for her to wash up. After hurriedly asking Baozhu to remove all her accessories, she plunged into the clean room and didn't come out until about an hour later.
Nice clothes can't compare to the comfort and coolness of everyday clothes. After sweating profusely, you have to wash yourself clean before bed to feel comfortable.
During the banquet, Ji Jinghe drank quite a bit of wine. After taking off his outer robe, he sat by the window to sober up, doing nothing but sitting on the couch, enjoying the cool breeze, and quietly gazing at the moonlight outside the window.
Hearing a noise behind her, she turned around and saw Yu-an with wet hair stepping out.
She raised her hand to lift her wet hair, causing her collar to loosen and reveal a corner of her tan belly.
"The water has been changed, sir, you can go in and wash now."
Ji Jinghe slowly stood up, his expression still unpleasant, but his tone was tender, "There's some herbal tea on the table, just delivered from the kitchen."
Yu An was busy wiping the water droplets from the ends of her hair. By the time she came to her senses and answered, Ji Jinghe had already gone inside.
She glanced at it, then sat down on the couch to air her hair.
Yu'an came out of the clean room and went to the small courtyard. She brought half a cup of bird's nest for Yu'an. "Miss, Yunxiu said she sent it over."
She took the towel from Yu'an and started drying her hair. Yu'an held the bird's nest in her hand, and her chest felt much better.
She selected some secret letters that the Xia family and Li Yan had previously exchanged and asked Yunxiu to deliver them to them that evening.
Before, it was a gamble, but now I'm about 70-80% sure.
She had a chance encounter with Pei Chengyu at the restaurant that day, and she privately asked someone to inquire about him. They were all officials who were at odds with the Xia family or were neutral.
Upon closer observation of Madam Pei today, it was found that she rarely took the initiative to speak with members of the Xia family. Even when others chatted and laughed with Madam Pei, their smiles were forced and insincere.
The Pei family intends to sever ties with the Xia family, but without putting in some effort, how can they achieve a clear separation?
The Xia family's boat isn't something you can just disembark from whenever you want.
We need to add fuel to the fire...
When their hair was half-dry, Ji Jinghe had finished washing. It was late at night, and Baozhu went downstairs to rest. Everyone in the entire Banmu Courtyard, except for the two of them, was asleep.
The dampness from the clean room seeped into the house, and only by sitting by the window could it become a little drier. Yu-an finally felt cool and reluctant to go back to bed for a while.
Ji Jinghe sat with his back to her, pondering how to start the conversation, when his gaze involuntarily fell upon her.
The pale moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating half of her face. Her unadorned skin appeared even more translucent and fair. One could never get enough of looking at her.
"If you want to sleep, then go to sleep. I'd like to sit here for a while longer."
Ji Jinghe took a deep breath, "You've had a long day, you can go to sleep now."
The smell of alcohol on him had completely disappeared, replaced by a clean feeling after washing. Yu An sighed helplessly and got up to walk towards the bed.
"When... will you learn to speak to me normally?"
The words were spoken, but there was no response for a long time, so much so that the crowded house seemed to become empty.
Ji Jinghe: "If you clearly don't want to, why don't you just say so? Why do you choose to endure it? Do you really not want to talk to me?"
"As long as it's not me, you can speak properly to anyone else." And you never hold back your laughter.
Yu An stood there, losing patience, and simply took off her shoes and got into bed.
"If you're going to make things difficult for me like this, I really don't know what to say."
Ji Jinghe stepped forward, "Don't call me 'Grandpa,' I have a name..."
Yu An knelt on the bed, her back to him, and narrowed her eyes with a hint of impatience. But when she thought that it would be over soon, her chest instantly felt lighter.
“Ji Jinghe,” she said coldly.
"Heaven's sins may be avoided, but self-inflicted sins cannot be escaped."
"I haven't forgotten anything you've ever done for me, or anything you've ever said. Have you forgotten?"
"If you remembered even half of it, you wouldn't have been able to ask me this question today."
Yu'an knelt on the bed, looking at the dragon and phoenix quilt cover. Her mind still drifted back to the time when she was still a young woman in her boudoir, waiting to be married.
“You might be wondering, when the Chu family first had their troubles, I wasn’t like this. How did I suddenly become like this? I can’t explain it. Or rather, I’ve wanted to become like this for a long time, but everyone and everything weighed on me. Now that I have fewer things on my mind, I can finally speak out. I feel so much better.”
“You don’t owe me anything about my father’s matter, but you still owe me something.”
After calming down, Yu-an stopped talking at the right time; if she continued to talk about it, she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
When Ji Jinghe saw her turn her back and lie down, the words stuck in his throat could not be uttered. They were just kept inside, pressed down again and again, but the more he pressed down, the more suffocated his chest became.
The person who had just cooled down had a thin layer of sweat on their back again.
Yu An didn't know what Ji Jinghe was really like, but she felt exceptionally relieved after saying it last night, and even slept soundly.
When I woke up early in the morning, Ji Jinghe was nowhere to be seen; he had left too early.
Yu-An had only been resting at home for a day when something came up.
The Empress Dowager wanted to travel incognito to the outskirts of the city.
Having just survived an assassination attempt, the Emperor disagreed, but the Empress Dowager insisted, so they compromised. The Emperor forbade the Empress Dowager from concealing her identity and added a troop of men to accompany her.
Fearing that she wouldn't go, the Empress Dowager went along with Mingjia's wishes and told her to go to the Ji residence to personally fetch the person.
Yu An was going, and she also invited Ji Shu to come along.
The girl of marriageable age is getting on in years, and Yu Annian suggested that she appear in public more often, which might help with her marriage prospects.
We can't afford to completely fail in front of the Duan family and ruin our marriage prospects forever.
On this trip, the Empress Dowager was not accompanied by many people. Apart from Mingjia and Yu'an, there were only a few maids and nannies by her side.
There's nothing interesting outside the city; I just wanted to go to the temple fair.
The Empress Dowager disliked having too many people following her, so wherever she went, people would kneel down and kowtow in complete silence.
"The rebels have all been wiped out, yet the emperor is still so cautious. It's so hard for people to even leave the palace without feeling at ease." The Empress Dowager sat in the carriage, a smile playing on her lips, but her words carried a hint of resentment.
Yu An smiled and said, "His Majesty is very filial. Last time, the Empress Dowager almost had an accident, so His Majesty was inevitably worried. The reason why these people are kneeling is not entirely because of the guards outside."
"His Majesty cherishes the people, and the people will naturally be grateful to His Majesty and Empress Dowager. This is to thank the Empress Dowager for her grace."
Although she appreciated these words, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but scold, "You just love to say nice things to flatter me."
"Those who know where the roof leaks are those under the eaves; those who know where the government fails are those in the fields."
Yu An chuckled: "Anyway, as Yu An sees it, the fact that the Empress Dowager is willing to come here shows that she is a good Empress Dowager who is close to the people and loves them."
The Empress Dowager smiled and shook her head, sighing, "Your parents raised you too well, Yu'an."
She is poised and graceful, and usually keeps her talents hidden. Only through close contact can one truly appreciate what a wonderful woman she is.
After leaving the temple fair, they chose a small stall selling tea and refreshments. While waiting for the tea, the Empress Dowager noticed that she was wearing the same two outfits and advised, "You are still young. Even if you are in mourning, you don't need to dress so plainly. Your father might not be happy to see you like this."
Yu An smiled and said, "Time flies, there's only a little over a year left."
The mourning period lasted for twenty-seven months, and fifteen months have now passed.
A maid brought over the inspected tea, and Yu'an took it and poured a cup for the Empress Dowager.
There are differences between folk herbal tea and the imperial herbal tea. The first time I tasted it, it felt quite novel.
Ji Shu and Ming Jia rarely saw what the countryside looked like, so when they saw it, they completely forgot themselves and wandered around happily.
Yu'an was worried, but the Empress Dowager was completely at ease, feeling that nothing would go wrong.
A few notes of folk song drifted from afar, the melody familiar. At first, they went unnoticed, but once Yu'an realized who it was, her heart leaped into her throat.
Looking towards the sound, they saw it was a teenager begging.
Yu An stared at it for a long time, and the Empress Dowager also took notice, ordering the nanny beside her to send some money over.
“I wonder what that beggar is singing…” Yu An smiled.
Upon hearing Yu'an's words, the nanny naturally took it to heart. After listening to a few words, her expression changed instantly.
The Empress Dowager asked what was being sung, but the nanny remained silent for a long time.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" the Empress Dowager asked, puzzled.
The old woman hesitated: "The court only recognizes Grand Secretary Xia; no one knows His Majesty's name..."
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Author's note: ① This comes from the Book of Documents (Shangshu).
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