Chapter 13 "Since you're burdened by the inner quarters, why not stay here..."
Neither of the couple was willing to lower their heads, but today only Yu An could do so.
She couldn't just ignore Chu Zhuo'an's health.
When she arrived, Qingque was waiting at the door. Upon seeing her, she immediately approached and greeted her, "Young Madam."
Yu An smiled slightly. "I just heard that the old man has returned. I wonder if he has eaten yet. I happened to have made some food myself today, so I thought I'd bring it over."
Qingque glanced at the lunchbox in Baozhu's hand, looked at the smile on Yu'an's face, and hesitated to speak.
Qingque: "Master just returned from the palace. He was worried about government affairs and just sat down at his desk."
Yu'an wasn't stupid; she could tell from those words that she was being told to be careful.
She understood, responded, and followed Qingque inside with the lunchbox.
After Qingque went in, she knocked on the inner door again. Only after Ji Jinghe gave her instructions did she feel at ease and let Yu'an in.
Ji Jinghe originally did not want to see him, but since their marriage a month or so ago, there had been various misunderstandings between them, and he did not want to deliberately make things difficult for them in any small matters.
He married her as a temporary measure, but he was not such a heartless person. As long as she remained virtuous and obedient, the position of the young mistress of the Ji family would always belong to her.
He sat upright at his desk, still wearing his official robes, his expression calm and no different from usual.
Yu An tightened her grip and placed the lunchbox on the other table. Ji Jinghe's desk was covered with documents and memorials, and she was afraid of accidentally soiling them.
“I specially prepared some food today, knowing that the old man hadn’t eaten, so I brought it over directly,” Yu’an said as she set the table.
Ji Jinghe picked up the tea beside him, took a sip, glanced at it indifferently, and said nothing.
Looking at the dishes on the table, Yu An hesitated on how to speak, and the more silent Ji Jinghe became, the more anxious she felt. After that unpleasant argument, she didn't know how much face she had in front of Ji Jinghe, or how much he would agree to let her go to the Imperial Academy to see Chu Zhuo'an and apply some medicine.
As for seeking redress, it's estimated that we'll have to wait until Chu Xingjian returns before we can figure out a solution.
After all, Chu Zhuo'an's punishment was mostly Ji Jinghe's idea, and it's probably hopeless to get him to retract his decision.
Seeing that she was standing still and not moving for a long time, Ji Jinghe said, "Do you want to share with me?"
Yu An shook her head repeatedly, "No..."
She turned around and stared straight at him, her hands already clenched tightly in her sleeves. Ji Jinghe, with his keen eyes and sharp mind, quickly understood the source of the hesitation in her eyes.
She gets news really fast.
Ji Jinghe lowered his eyes coldly, casually flipped through the documents beside him, and said in a deep voice, "If they are here to plead for mercy, there is no need for them to speak."
Seeing that he got straight to the point, Yu'an had no need to hesitate and said directly, "Although Zizhuo is a bit mischievous on weekdays, he is ultimately kind and steady. He is definitely not the kind of person who would hurt people casually. I have watched him grow up and know his temperament well. Why don't you let him off the hook, sir? He will definitely know he was wrong."
She didn't know the Zheng family's temperament, nor did she know what the Wang family was like. The Zheng and Wang families had always been on good terms; what difference could there be? They were just in cahoots.
Chu Zhuo'an had practiced martial arts since childhood to strengthen his body, and Chu Xingjian's teachings to him were quite strict. How could he easily let the other party attack him? That young master of the Zheng family was almost twenty years old; wouldn't it be a laughing stock if word got out that he was fighting with a twelve-year-old?
Ji Jinghe sneered, "So you mean you want me to show leniency and let him go, is that it? Have you forgotten the accident at the City God Temple that day?"
Yu An frowned, not expecting that he was still troubled by the incident of the carriage being startled that day.
"You understand the principle of 'a small punishment to teach a lesson,' but do you really expect the Ji family to settle things for you in the future?"
His tone was questioning, yet tinged with sarcasm. Even though it was just the two of them, she already felt incredibly embarrassed.
Yu An gasped slightly, her heart choked with emotion, unable to speak. All the emotions she had been holding back for days poured out like water released from a dam.
“I’m not asking you to show any favoritism towards my Chu family, sir. I just hope you can open your eyes and see that our Chu family isn’t the kind of family you think we are, relying on power and causing trouble everywhere. But you never even give us a chance to explain. If our Chu family is so despicable, then why did you marry me in the first place?”
"presumptuous!"
The two words were almost shouted out, but the last syllable carried a hollowness that neither Ji Jing nor he himself noticed.
Ji Jinghe suppressed the rage in his chest and looked into those unyielding eyes. The flames in his chest kept licking at his reason, as if he was about to unleash the resentment that had been building up in his heart for many years.
"go out."
He said in a hoarse voice.
Yu An raised her head, unwilling to lower herself any longer, and turned to leave without looking back.
Baozhu and Qingque, who were guarding outside, heard no commotion and had no idea what was happening inside.
Baozhu saw that Yu'an had come out early and thought it was a done deal.
Qingque noticed that Yu'an's expression was strange, so she went into the study with a cautious look in her eyes. Sure enough, she saw her master's face, which was so dark it could drip water.
"Take it."
Qingque paused for a moment before realizing that she was referring to the food on the table.
He was about to speak to persuade him, but seeing the expression on Ji Jinghe's face, he could only swallow back what he wanted to say.
He dared not provoke someone who was angry.
Yu An: "Prepare the carriage and call the servant from the back gate. We're going to the Imperial Academy now."
Baozhu exclaimed excitedly, "Did the young master make an exception? I knew it! He could still consider the young lady's feelings..."
“He disagrees; it was my own decision to go,” Yu’an interrupted, instantly pouring cold water on Baozhu.
Baozhu stared in disbelief and blurted out "Why?", but before Yu'an could answer, she ran after Yu'an to the back door.
Even a clay figure has some earthy qualities; no matter what happens today, she will definitely take care of Chu Zhuo'an.
He summoned a servant from the manor to bring the carriage. Yu'an sat in the carriage early and waited, while Baozhu went back to Banmu Courtyard to bring the best wound medicine.
It was during this delay that she happened to see the servant boy who was attending to Ji Jinghe in the study.
The food that had just been brought was poured precisely into the bowl of the guard dog tied to the small door next to the back door, without the servant even blinking.
Baozhu shouted, but it had no effect. Instead, she was ridiculed and mocked by the two servants.
"Tch, I knew it. The master doesn't value the young mistress. If he really did, would things have turned out like this..."
"that is."
The two boys weren't speaking loudly, but Baozhu heard them clearly. Still thinking about Yu'an waiting for her in the carriage, Baozhu decided not to argue further. She memorized the faces of the two little brats, grumbling as she boarded the carriage.
"What were you yelling about just now?"
Baozhu wanted to keep it a secret, but her straightforward nature made it impossible for her to keep quiet, so she told the truth.
"Young lady, didn't you say you cooked this meal yourself? That's why you're making me act like this..."
Baozhu tried to make amends for Yu'an, attempting to lessen Yu'an's suffering. Similarly, her question was even more unimaginable; she found it hard to believe that Ji Jinghe could do something so humiliating.
A husband who throws the food his wife cooked for him into the dog's food—how utterly disgusted must he be to do such a thing?
In contrast, Yu An could only let out a barely audible sigh after a long while, which contained too many emotions, even she herself couldn't explain them.
The temper that Ji Jinghe had provoked just now dissipated by most of it, leaving him with no backbone whatsoever.
The bitterness in her heart flowed away like water, even though it had long since corroded her heart, leaving her utterly devastated.
Baozhu, worried, patted her hand resting on her lap, "Miss?"
"Seeing Zhuo'er today is the most important thing; I don't care about anything else."
She rarely goes out and is seldom seen by others. She never seemed to notice anything amiss until today, when she had an urgent matter to attend to and realized how strapped for cash and with nowhere to turn for help she was.
The master and servant stood at the gate of the Imperial Academy for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a way to get in. The captain guarding the gate was not one to talk to anyone, and even when Yu An brought up Chu Xingjian, he couldn't persuade him.
Just as Chu Xingjian was pondering which family he was on good terms with, a voice came from behind him.
"Chu Yu'an?"
Startled by the voice, I looked in the direction of the sound... and there was Pei Chengyu. Years had passed since we last met, and seeing him so suddenly today left me feeling dazed.
The childhood playmates I remember now are the days we spent playing in the mud together by the Jiangling River.
At that time, she was a wild girl who played wildly with the neighborhood boys, while he was a pampered young master who returned to his hometown to retire with his grandfather who had been begging for a living.
Young children are not interested in serious matters. When they see two adults chatting, they assume that the other person is their playmate. They might give each other a piece of candy, and the two of them can spontaneously make a "contract" and become each other's best and one-of-a-kind playmates.
However, their happy days together lasted only a year. Pei Chengyu was forced by his family to learn martial arts, and his playmate, whom he used to see every day, could only be seen once a month. Six months later, Yu'an moved to the capital with his family.
Now, when they meet again, she is a married woman, and he has become a young general. The Pei family has made their living through military merit, and they vaguely learned from Chu Xingjian that the Pei family had been guarding the border for many years and had only been transferred back to the capital this year.
It was quite awkward for childhood friends to meet under such circumstances. After Yu An gave a slight bow, he was asked why he was there.
Yu An had mentioned it casually, but Pei Chengyu, though puzzled, did not show it on his face. Instead, he took out his waist token and gestured to the captain.
"How about granting a reward to Marquis Jingyuan for his sake?"
The two captains immediately lowered their heads, completely subdued by a single sentence.
"It's just a superficial wound, it won't hurt inside, you don't need to worry too much," Pei Chengyu reassured Yu An, seeing that she was walking too fast.
When they arrived at the dormitory, Yu'an was pulled aside, and Yu'an was told to bring in her personal servant.
She is already married; it's best to avoid her.
Yu An understood immediately and thanked him.
"My servant has accompanied me to and from the battlefield for many years. He knows every minor injury and illness by heart. You can rest assured about something as simple as applying medicine."
As he spoke, his gaze would unconsciously sweep over Yu An, observing her simple and elegant attire and gentle manner of speaking. Pei Chengyu was indeed comparing her to the little girl deep in his memory.
Aside from that extremely similar face, he couldn't say there was anything similar about them; it was as if they were completely different people.
He had just arrived in the capital in January when he heard about her marriage. He had initially thought that it would be a good match because of Chu Xingjian's official position, but now it seemed that she was not doing well after marrying Ji Jinghe.
Otherwise, why not have the Ji family come forward, instead of being harassed by a mere officer from the Imperial Academy?
Recently, the impeachment against Chu Xingjian in the court has intensified. If it blows up, I wonder how she will face Ji Jinghe.
Yu'an wanted to go and check on the situation in the dormitory, but she heard someone beside her say...
"Since you are so burdened by the inner workings of the household, why not turn back now and venture out into the world to create your own space?"
A note from the author:
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Pei Shaolang: Next time, I want to be the male lead.
Yu Tian: I support this! (When this second male lead character was introduced, I wanted him to take the lead.)
Don't be angry, my darlings, we'll get back at the male lead later [cat paw emoji]
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