Elder Uncle, the brother of one’s wife.
Yuan Yunzhong and Song Jiyun both were stunned.
Then Yuan Yunzhong seemed to realize something, and laughed, "What did you say? You are my elder uncle? There are no brothers in my fiancee’s family, how could you possibly be my elder uncle. You must have misspoken, you are my great-uncle."
Great-uncle, the brother of one’s mother.
Speaking of which, his gaze turned slightly cold, and with a mocking curl of his lips, he said, "I’ve been looking for a concubine for my father recently, and the somewhat reputable families in Capital City all despise my old man. Although he is powerful, he is old after all, and already has an adult eldest son by blood, so they’re unwilling to get involved in this murky situation, and I’ve been worrying about finding no suitable candidates."
"Shao Qing!" he said, "Take the man to my father. Tell them that they are willing to be an uncle to him, and let him treat them well."
He also said sarcastically, "Though I wonder if the customs in Capital City have changed by now? Do the brothers of concubines now count as legitimate relatives?"
"Yes!" Shao Qing complied, dragging Wei Jie by the collar to leave.
Wei Jie turned pale, desperately shouting, "You can’t do this to me. My father is the Shandong Administrative Commissioner. Yuan Yunzhong, our family was truly about to discuss marriage with yours. My mother has already arrived in Capital City, and she had dinner with your mother just yesterday, agreeing that my sister would succeed your Yuan Family’s lineage in the future."
Yuan Yunzhong sneered, his face, which looked handsome from any angle without a single flaw, as cold as frost, like a sculpture of ice. The hand half-hidden in his sleeve had unknowingly clenched into a fist.
Song Jiyun suddenly felt a bit of heartache for Yuan Yunzhong.
With parents like that, his path to growth must have also encountered many heart-wrenching issues.
With a silent sigh in her heart, she stepped forward and took Yuan Yunzhong’s clenched fist into her hand, softly saying, "Let’s go back! It’s rare to have a breather. Last time you said you wanted to take me to that temple to eat, you haven’t taken me there yet!"
Yuan Yunzhong turned around, and his eyes were surprisingly a little red.
Full of guilt, he lowered his head, "I’m sorry, Yun Duo. Just yesterday I said I wouldn’t let you be wronged, and today I just..."
He struggled to continue speaking.
Song Jiyun’s heart felt sour, and she forced a light "hmpf" and said, "Shouldn’t I be the one who is more upset? How come before I even say anything, you start feeling sad first?"
Yuan Yunzhong was not comforted, and his eyelids drooped, casting a shadow on his eyelids from his distinct lashes, "I sort of understand why you don’t want to marry me. Our family does have a lot of issues. And you, if it weren’t for me, wouldn’t have to suffer this kind of humiliation."
He looked as despondent as a flower damaged by frost.
Song Jiyun became unhappy.
"Hey!" She prodded his chest firmly, "How can you be like this? At times like this, we should be clenching our fists tighter, more resolved than ever, shouldn’t we? Why is your fist turned downwards? No, I can’t stand for this. If they want to make us unhappy, I’ll make them unhappy too. They just want to teach me a lesson, to show me how tough they are, don’t they? Well, I refuse! Not only am I going to rise to the challenge and grip onto Yuan Yunzhong, the eligible bachelor, tightly in my hands and turn him into my ear-puller, but I will also figure out a way to compete again for the selection at Cining Palace! If you want to stand here feeling sorry for yourself, then step aside. I won’t admit defeat!"
Before her words had finished, her waist tightened, and her face was pressed against his chest.
The scent of agarwood lingered on the tip of her nose.
"Yun Duo," he said in a low voice, his chest resonating uniquely next to her ear, "I am truly lucky to have met you!"
Song Jiyun’s ears heated up, and after hesitating for a moment, she hugged him back just as tightly.
Passersby glanced sideways as they passed.
Yuan Yunzhong did not let go, nor did Song Jiyun.
Lord Liu cleared his throat several times, but no one paid any attention.
Instead, it was Yuan Yunzhong who suddenly said, "I’ll be your ear-puller for sure."
Song Jiyun couldn’t help but let out a laugh, a "pfft" sound escaping her lips.
*
Naturally, they didn’t make it to the temple.
Back in Pocket Alley, Yuan Yunzhong discussed with her, "I’ll have someone inquire in the palace to see who’s behind this. The Empress Dowager is quite amiable, so if we tailor our approach, it shouldn’t be hard to change her mind. And who knows, it may not be her idea but someone close to her."
For someone of the Empress Dowager’s status and position, what might be seen by others as a life-changing opportunity, to her, is nothing more than a casual decision.
Song Jiyun had once stood above the clouds and understood this logic very well.
Moreover, since Yuan Yunzhong said the Empress Dowager was quite amiable, it was not impossible that someone dared to offer unsolicited advice on her behalf.
Song Jiyun yet said, "No, I will handle this matter myself. You have other things to do."
Yuan Yunzhong was puzzled.
Showing dissatisfaction, Song Jiyun hummed a few times and said, "You don’t think this matter is over just like that, do you?! That Wei Jie dared to be so arrogant; how can you not make sure this matter is cleared up? You must ensure that such things never confront me again, right? This is your responsibility!"
Yuan Yunzhong hesitated before saying, "But the selection at Cining Palace..."
"That’s my business!" Song Jiyun said resolutely, "We will have many more issues to face in the future. We need to bear them and face them together, with single-minded dedication. It should be a case where one plus one is greater than two, not one plus one equals one, or even zero."
Yuan Yunzhong, being proficient in mathematics and very intelligent, had never heard such a saying before but immediately had his eyes light up, understanding what Song Jiyun meant.
Still, he was a little worried and said, "I have a contemporary in the Board of Rites, how about I write you a note?"
"No need!" Song Jiyun rejected the idea without even thinking.
Dealing with palace affairs with the help of a court official would mean crossing two departments at once; it sounded troublesome just to hear it, let alone to actually deal with it, and it might not help but be a hindrance instead.
Yuan Yunzhong was about to say something when Song Jiyun’s finger was already raised to his lips: "Didn’t you say you wanted to be a good listener? It’s time to start learning from now!"
Yuan Yunzhong made a sound of acknowledgment, glanced at her sideways, and gently kissed the finger she had raised to his lips.
Song Jiyun was startled.
Yuan Yunzhong’s face was already flushed red.
Song Jiyun couldn’t help but chuckle.
Yuan Yunzhong hurriedly turned his face away, as if he dared not take another glance at her, and his tone became somewhat flustered as he said, "I understand. I will go back and figure out what the situation is. Um, Shao Qing is an official, which would make it too obvious to involve him, but if you have any issues, just send him a message. Wang Hua is very clever; I intentionally left him for you..."
He started to ramble a bit.
Song Jiyun merely watched him with a smile.
His face appeared calm, but his reddening ears betrayed his embarrassment.
Suddenly, Song Jiyun pounced forward and sealed his lips with hers.
*
By the time Yuan Yunzhong emerged from the study, the lamps had been lit.
He mounted the carriage with a poised and collected demeanor.
The surprised Shao Qing, who had been waiting outside, asked, "How come Boss Song didn’t see you out?"
Yuan Yunzhong shot him a look and countered, "Who ruled that Boss Song must see me out?"
Shao Qing responded with an "Oh," bewildered, thinking to himself, wasn’t that just a casual greeting? Why does the young master have to take it so seriously?
However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the accessories on Yuan Yunzhong’s waist, the pouch and sachet, and other items were hanging in disarray. He instinctively reached out to help arrange them properly, claiming, "Who was on duty today? They can’t even take care of these little things. I should mention this to the steward and have them establish some rules."
Yuan Yunzhong usually didn’t pay much attention to such trivial matters. When he had first returned from the Wang Family to the Yuan Family, a maid, who had served Yuan Yunzhong’s deceased grandmother and relying on that connection, together with the fact that Yuan Yunzhong wasn’t very close to Madam Wang, had somewhat neglected Yuan Yunzhong, once letting him leave the house without even a gold accessory.
But before his hand could touch the sachet on Yuan Yunzhong’s waist, Yuan Yunzhong had already turned to him, urging, "Hurry up and get in the carriage; when did you become so fussy?"
After that, he promptly jumped into the carriage.
Leaving Shao Qing staring agape.
What had he done?
The young master was avoiding him as if he were a viper.
And besides, he hadn’t seen it wrong, had he?
The young master’s face seemed to suddenly flush red.
He hadn’t done anything, so why should the young master blush?
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