"It's all because you're useless. All you do all day is eat, drink, and have fun. You're never around. As your father, I can only help you find a good wife to keep you in check. This Miss Qin is a lady from a prominent family. She's proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She's a top-notch talent in the capital. Marrying her to you is a real bargain for you."
"I think you've gone senile, messing around with matchmakers! Whoever wants to marry that talented woman, go marry her yourself!" Lu Huai stomped his feet in anger.
"Lu Changjue, I think you've been waiting too long to get a beating, and you're itching for a beating!" Minister Lu grabbed a teacup from the table and threw it at him, but Lu Huai dodged it.
"I don't care, I won't marry her no matter what!" Lu Huai shouted as he ran.
"Smack—"
Minister Lu slammed the ruler, handed to him by the steward, onto the table: "This is not up to you!"
The steward shook his head upon seeing this. The madam had passed away early, and from childhood to adulthood, Young Master Changjue had suffered countless beatings from the master.
-
That night, at the Prime Minister's residence.
Qin Xi had a dream.
In her dream, war raged, and the people suffered. The person sitting on the dragon throne couldn't see his face, but he had stripped her father of his official hat and cut off a section of his little finger, ordering the extermination of the entire Qin family. Qin Qi broke out in a cold sweat. Just then, a young man in white extended his hand to her. Qin Qi hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. He stood beside her, a head taller than her, about eight feet high. He held her hand; behind them was a sea of fire, raging waves, and the fear in her heart. They walked through the chaos, through year after year.
When she woke up, it was already broad daylight. Qin Qi hadn't slept well for the first half of the night and had only managed to get some sleep later. Rubbing her head, Qin Qi called for her maid to help her wash and dress.
When she had finished washing up, a maid came in, curtsied, and said demurely, "Reporting to Miss, Miss Shu has arrived."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a woman's voice was heard: "Yizhi, why did you wake up so late today?"
Qin Xi turned her head and saw that the person who came was her good friend Shu Hua.
Shu Hua's father was a renowned merchant who built his fortune from scratch in the capital, amassing a considerable wealth. Many prominent figures were his friends, making him a well-known figure even in the bustling city of Beijing. Besides him, Shu Hua also had an older brother named Shu Zhan, who, like Lu Huai, was rumored to be a dissolute playboy.
Young ladies in the capital city loved to gather, and Qin Xi and Shu Hua met at a poetry gathering. Because their names together sounded like "qin, qi, shu, hua" (琴棋书画, meaning the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting), they got to know each other. Later, they found they got along very well, and their relationship gradually grew stronger.
Qin Xi smiled, revealing shallow dimples, and said, "The weather has been nice these past two days, so I've been sleeping in a bit."
Shu Hua smiled and said, "That's exactly why I came to see you. You're always so lazy; I have to come looking for you to see you."
“You really understand me,” Qin Xi touched the hair ornament on her head and looked at Shu Hua: “Has Zi Hui had lunch yet?”
"It's been a long time, so of course I have to dine with you. I've heard that the chefs at the Prime Minister's residence are even better than those at Yuxianzhai, so of course I won't miss this opportunity," Shu Hua said playfully, blinking her eyes.
Qin Xi reached out and tapped her forehead, smiling, "It's been a few days, and Zi Hui has become quite the talker."
-
While Qin Xi and Shu Hua were having lunch, Lu Huai and his good brother Shu Zhan had already finished eating and were standing outside the wall of the Prime Minister's residence.
"Changjue, why aren't we using the main entrance? Aren't you the future son-in-law?"
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