52. Residence
◎It definitely wasn't a token of love.
"Hmph, at least you know how to come back." Marquis Jianchang said coldly, his face displeased. "Enter quickly. Do you expect your guest to wait outside with you?"
Zhao Zhonggan had prepared himself for a scolding; based on his past experience, it would take at least half an hour to get in. But he never expected it to be so easy today!
He glanced at his old man suspiciously and muttered, "No way? Is he really dying soon?"
Marquis Jianchang: "...Leave that pile of scrap metal here! Don't let it get in your mother's way!"
The servants around them stared intently at the tips of the shoes, unfazed by the verbal sparring between the father and son. Suddenly, a maid in a light green dress emerged from a side door, bowed to Du Zhijin, and extended her arm in greeting, "Please, gentlemen."
Du Zhijin was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Ying Jianhua. Seeing that he also looked surprised, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow: "Thank you for your trouble."
The maid in green, who called herself "Tan Yun," was entrusted by Lady Hou to lead them to their residence.
The path wound its way through the corridors, with pavilions and waterside terraces appearing one after another. After passing a moon gate, there was a hexagonal pavilion. Du Zhijin counted carefully; in a quarter of an hour's walk, they passed three small ponds.
She whispered to Ying Jianhua, "No wonder storybooks always tell tales of girls falling into the water. With so many lakes and rivers, it would be strange if they didn't fall in."
Ying Jianhua deeply agrees.
A quarter of an hour later, Tan Yun led them to a spot in front of a courtyard. Ying Jianhua looked up; the sunlight was blazing, but it couldn't compare to the dazzling gilded characters on the plaque.
"Shuyu Zhai," Du Zhijin read aloud.
Tan Yun smiled and said, "The young marquis wrote in his letter that Miss Mu is a person of great integrity. So the marquis's wife specially ordered the Shuyu Zhai to be cleaned up, taking the meaning of 'rinsing stones and pillowing on flowing water, the sound of jade and gold resonating'."
"What an exquisite courtyard!" she exclaimed. Even from the outside, without seeing the whole thing, one could imagine the interior from the swaying golden bells under the eaves, the bamboo branches peeking over the vermilion walls, and the faint sound of flowing water.
It's somewhat similar to her residence on Dengxian Mountain.
Tan Yun still smiled faintly: "I'm glad you like it, Miss."
Ying Jianhua noticed another issue: "Is this a room reserved for women only?"
Wealthy families often divided their residences into inner and outer courtyards. Ordinary men were not allowed to enter the inner courtyard, lest they disturb the women. As he passed through the various courtyards, he paid special attention to one that was slightly wider than the others: Qinyun Lake, which connected two moon gates. This was probably the marker separating the inner and outer courtyards.
Coincidentally, Shuyu Zhai is very close to Qinyun Lake. You can cross the boundary with just a short walk to another courtyard called "Sangyu Hall".
Though the sun has set in the east, it is not too late in the west. He had reason to suspect that this encouraging saying came from Zhao Zhonggan's house.
But why did Lady Jianchang instruct Du Zhijin and Zhao Zhonggan to live so close together?
Tan Yun's answer was exactly what he expected: "Yes, this is Miss Mu's courtyard. Please don't be offended, Young Master Mo, I will take you to your residence now."
Du Zhijin also realized: "I don't live with Amo?"
From Wuling Village to Wanze City, even if they didn't live in the same room, the furthest they were separated was only a wall. But looking at the scale of the Jianchang Marquis's mansion, there were countless artificial hills and streams separating the courtyards.
Upon hearing her words, a hint of surprise flashed across Tan Yun's face, but she quickly recovered. She explained, "Madam Hou has arranged other accommodations for Young Master Mo. Please follow me."
Ying Jianhua nodded, Tan Yun led the way, and Du Zhijin followed without saying a word.
The Marquis of Jianchang's residence showed no favoritism, arranging for Ying Jianhua the elegant and spacious "Secluded Bamboo Courtyard," a place that was impeccable. The only drawback was...
"Aren't they too far from me?" The three of them walked from east to west, almost traversing the Jianchang Marquis's residence. It took them almost half an hour to walk, and by the end, Tan Yun was sweating profusely.
Du Zhijin frowned. She could fly on a sword, so even a long distance was no problem. But what if Amo wanted to find her? If they encountered a monster, by the time he crossed the entire courtyard to inform her, it would be too late.
Tan Yun clearly hadn't expected this, and could only reply that she should report to the Lady of the Marquis. Ying Jianhua, however, said, "It's alright, being a little secluded is good, it'll be peaceful."
Du Zhijin was still somewhat sullen, but since the person in charge had already agreed, he had no choice but to give up.
Tan Yun breathed a sigh of relief, put on a smile again, and said to Du Zhijin, "Miss Mu, the Lady of the Marquis invites you."
She froze again. After confirming that Lady Hou had only seen herself and not A-Mo, her suspicions grew even stronger.
Why did the Lady of the Marquis invite her twice in just half a day? Has she done anything wrong?
Receiving her questioning look, Ying Jianhua shook her head, indicating that everything was alright. Only then did she straighten her back and follow Tan Yun, quickly slipping something to him before leaving.
It's a smaller version of Xingyue.
He held it in his hand, watching her figure recede into the distance. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, turned, and stepped into the secluded bamboo courtyard.
————
Lady Hou lived in the main house in the middle, and it took quite a while to get there from Youhuang Courtyard, which showed how remote Ying Jianhua's residence was. Seeing that Tan Yun had to stop to catch her breath from time to time, looking like she was exhausted, Du Zhijin handed her a handkerchief: "Wipe your sweat."
Tan Yun was taken aback, took the handkerchief, and thanked him. Then she saw that the young marquis, who had praised Miss Mu so highly in his letter, had put the handkerchief back after she wiped her sweat?
"Well... how about I wash it and then return it to you?"
Du Zhijin shook his head and said firmly, "I'll wash it myself."
This is the handkerchief Ah Mo gave her. The stories all say that if a young lady accidentally loses her personal handkerchief, there are only two possible outcomes. One is that it's found by her beloved and becomes a token of their love, which would be a beautiful story. But if it falls into the hands of someone with ill intentions... the consequences would be unimaginable.
Although Amo was not an unmarried young lady, she was determined to keep his things safe. The people in the Marquis's mansion were treacherous, and they were separated as soon as they arrived, just like the beginning of a storybook.
But why did Amo give her the handkerchief?
Du Zhijin pondered for a while, then suddenly realized.
Ah Mo must have thought she sweated too much from practicing swordsmanship all day, so he gave her a handkerchief so she could wipe her sweat whenever she wanted. Yes, that must be it.
While they were pondering, Tan Yun had already reported this, and two more maids came out and lifted the curtain to welcome them in.
As soon as she entered, Du Zhijin was overwhelmed by the scent of sandalwood. It wasn't that the incense was particularly strong, but rather that her senses were exceptionally sharp, with a nose far more sensitive than the average person; even the slightest fragrance would be amplified to her.
Noticing her unusual behavior, Lady Hou, who had been sitting, quickly stood up and said, "Tan Xue, quickly open the window and tell Tan Yue to put out all these incense burners."
Du Zhijin quickly replied, "It's nothing. I was just not used to it for a moment, but I'm much better now."
She could tell that the Lady Hou was unwell, as she was keeping the doors and windows tightly closed and the stove burning in the sweltering summer heat. She knew a trick: it would be better to weaken one's senses if they were too acute.
However, it turned out that all three of the Lady Hou's maids were named "Tan" (檀)... Du Zhijin's gaze swept over the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist and the Diamond Sutra on the table, and he understood.
This Lady Hou is a Buddhist.
Lady Hou gestured for her to sit down, which she did. Tan Yun stepped forward to collect the writing brush and ink, and soon cleared the table. Tan Xue closed the window and brought in a pot of tea, pouring a cup for Du Zhijin.
Holding the white porcelain cup, she belatedly realized that she had not yet performed the proper greeting. Just as she was about to get up, she was stopped by Lady Hou: "Wu Jiu told me that you come from the immortal sect and do not need to observe such formalities."
No blame?
“…Zhong Gan?” She remembered that A Mo had mentioned that “Zhong Gan” was a fake name and that Zhao Wujiu was the real name.
As for the source... forgive her for not remembering it properly. The only book she ever seriously read in her life was a medical book by Ying Jianhua that she read out of boredom while she was seriously injured and living in Wuling Village.
She was able to get into the book because it was richly illustrated and engagingly described, unlike the dry and boring medical books on the market.
He said it was his mother's keepsake, and he didn't know where Amo's mother got it from... If the scriptures used in the lectures could be replaced with that kind of book, she would definitely be able to remember them!
Lady Hou spoke up, pulling her back to reality: "Oh dear, Zhong Gan even told you his name? Really, he didn't write to us earlier. That boy is always so irresponsible."
Du Zhijin blinked, unsure how to respond, and simply buried her head in her water.
The more Lady Hou looked at her, the more she liked her. Her background in a celestial sect meant she could keep Zhao Zhonggan in check; she also had a good temperament and cared for servants like Tan Yun; most importantly, she was steady, taciturn, unlike that noisy, rebellious son!
In an instant, the Lady Hou's gaze shifted from ordinary kindness to affection. Seeing that she enjoyed tea, she steered the conversation towards it: "How is it? This is Dongting Snow from the south. I don't like it; I find it too astringent."
Upon hearing her question, Du Zhijin's mind went blank for a moment, then she suddenly remembered Ying Jianhua's words, "When the tea is strong, it is not arrogant; when it is weak, it is not unpleasant," and said them aloud. Madam Hou was delighted and pointed at Tan Yue, saying, "Good girl, tell me what kind of tea you like, and I will have Tan Yue send it to you."
Du Zhijin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Laojunmei." She remembered that Ying Jianhua liked to drink this.
"Good, good, good," Madam Hou said three times. Perhaps due to her excitement, she suddenly coughed after speaking. Tan Yun was shocked and hurriedly took out a pill from her sleeve, but before she could help Madam Hou take it, a hand descended from the sky and snatched the pill away.
Du Zhijin looked up.
It was Zhao Zhonggan.
He frowned: "Didn't we say this was fake medicine? How dare you give it to the Lady of the Marquis? Don't you want to live?!"
Previously, Du Zhijin's impression of Zhao Zhonggan was that he was either unconventional or unruly, but in general, he was a simple-minded young man, not much different from her. However, at this moment, looking at the servants kneeling all over the ground, she realized his true identity for the first time.
He is Zhao Wujiu, the young master of the Jianchang Marquis's mansion.
"Cough, cough... Miss Mu is still here, what are you doing putting on airs?" Madam Hou paused, immediately reprimanding her son. Zhao Zhong pursed his lips, his previous imposing manner completely gone, seemingly reverting to the familiar demeanor of Du Zhijin.
He leaned over and ingratiatingly squeezed the Lady Hou's shoulder, grinning as he said, "What kind of look haven't my senior sister seen? She wouldn't care."
Indeed, she had seen people get beaten down and bitten by snakes.
Du Zhijin nodded, which was taken as acknowledgment of his statement.
Lady Hou's eyes lit up, and her face beamed with smiles. She shook hands with each of them, her lips never drooping.
Having not been so close to her elders for a long time, Du Zhijin felt a little uncomfortable and unconsciously twitched her left hand. Zhao Zhonggan noticed her movement and whispered in her ear, "Good senior sister, my mother is rarely this happy, please help me."
I owe you a favor.
She remembered the case of Prince Chengduan, so she silently put her hand back and stopped struggling. Zhao Zhong chuckled dryly, took out some trinkets he had bought from Wanze City, and told some amusing stories from his journey, making the Lady of the Marquis smile from ear to ear, filling the room with a joyful atmosphere.
Outside, Tan Xue stopped the group: "Madam Hou has already retired for the night. Please ask Miss Biao to come another day."
The woman in white, addressed as "Miss Cousin," remained silent for a moment, bowed towards the main room, and left with her maid.
[Author's Note]
Zhouzhou always manages to perfectly avoid the correct answer.
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