book
Mu Qing returned to the Lu residence under the moonlight, feeling annoyed that she hadn't said more before leaving and had rushed off, making her seem particularly guilty.
The phrase "he has her in his heart" is definitely meant to distract her.
Mu Qing changed into her nightgown, shook her head, trying to banish those words from her mind, and lit a small amount of sleeping incense, hoping to forget the conversation completely when she woke up.
On this day, the weather was fine and the spring breeze was pleasant. When the Lu family's carriage drove out from the backyard, it was still early morning.
Sitting in the carriage, Lu Tongxue asked with some concern, "Sister Qing, are you really alright? Otherwise, we can go out another day."
Mu Qing leaned softly against the car wall, propping her eyelids open, "Okay, I'm fine."
For some reason, the sleeping incense didn't work last night, and she couldn't sleep until dawn. Feeling both annoyed and restless, she decided to go out for a walk with Lu Tongxue to clear her head.
Seeing that her eyes were half-open and she was clearly listless, Lu Tongxue couldn't help but feel listless as well.
They remained silent for the rest of the journey. When the carriage stopped, the driver announced that they had arrived at Kangping Tower.
Mu Qing looked at Lu Tongxue in surprise. Why did she have to hide herself when she came to Kangping Tower?
Seeing her scrutinizing her, Lu Tongxue turned her head slightly and said, "Sister Qing and Du Jiniang are on good terms, aren't they? Please introduce me to her."
Born into a scholarly family, as the daughter of an official, it would be beneath her dignity to take the initiative to meet a merchant's daughter. However, if her cousin took her there, it wouldn't be considered her fault.
Mu Qing looked at her with confusion, wondering why she wanted to see Du Jiniang. On the day of the City God Temple Fair, Lu Tongxue and Jiniang didn't get along very well.
It was early, and Kangpinglou had not yet officially opened, but the staff inside were already busily preparing. Upon seeing the arrival of two young ladies wearing veils, they immediately went to inform the owner.
Soon after, the waiter returned and invited Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue to a side room in the backyard, where he served them tea and snacks, saying that his young mistress would be there shortly.
Inside the side room, there was a large embroidered screen displaying a hundred flowers in full bloom, vibrant and lifelike.
Mu Qing sat down in front of the screen, her light blue dress with cloud patterns standing out against the plain background. She asked, "Sister Tong, what brings you to see Ji Niang? Tell me so we can talk later."
Lu Tongxue, dressed in an apricot-red brocade robe with floral patterns, was quite dazzled by the screen. She sat to the outside of Mu Qing, sent the others to stand guard outside the door, and then whispered, "Do you know that Ji Niang has a younger brother just like you?"
Mu Qing thought for a moment, "She does have a younger brother who is fifteen years old and studies at Wansong Academy. But why didn't you ask last night? It doesn't seem appropriate to talk about these things in someone's home now."
"I was already embarrassed to say it." Lu Tongxue pouted, her face flushed. "Isn't Wansong Academy famous far and wide? I heard that scholars from neighboring prefectures come here to try their best to get into Wansong Academy. It has gathered many talented young talents."
Knowing that her cousin was worried about finding a husband, Mu Qing roughly understood why she had come. But what did this have to do with Ji Niang? Ji Niang also seemed to be worried about finding a husband.
Lu Tongxue continued, "Du Jiniang has a younger brother studying at Wansong Academy, which gives her an advantage. She has plenty of money, so she not only had her brother send gifts and host banquets to get to know the unmarried young men in the academy and learn about their family backgrounds, personalities, and preferences, but she also asked an artist to draw the appearances of those young men and compile them into a booklet."
"She's really smart," Mu Qing exclaimed. "How did you know all this?"
“There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Many young ladies in the city have heard about it, but no one has borrowed the booklet to read it yet.” Lu Tongxue looked at her cousin with bright eyes. “If Sister Qing goes to borrow it, I think Du Jiniang will most likely not refuse.”
Mu Qing understood that she was to be the one to make the decision, and deliberately said, "Isn't marriage decided by the parents? It's not necessarily of any use for you to see it."
"If you find something you like, we can talk about it later," Lu Tongxue pleaded softly. "Good sister, please borrow it for me to take a look first."
Just as Mu Qing was about to speak again, Du Jiniang arrived. She was not dressed as lavishly as usual, but only wearing a plain brocade skirt with pearls and a gold hairpin in her hair. She smiled as she stood outside the door and said, "What wind blew in today to bring my esteemed lady here?"
Upon entering, seeing Mu Qing wearing a veil, she paused slightly, her smile fading as she walked slowly to a chair. Her loud voice softened considerably as she asked Mu Qing, "Not fully recovered yet?"
Previously, upon hearing that Miss Lu had contracted severe urticaria, she sent some rare ingredients over and inquired about urticaria, learning that it was neither difficult to treat nor easy to cure.
The young prince did not cancel the engagement, but merely changed the wedding date to May. This became a popular topic of conversation in the city. However, some cunning people said that Miss Lu was seriously ill and would not live to see May, as she rarely left her house or received any guests. They claimed that the young prince was just trying to appease people.
Unaware of the rumors circulating outside, Mu Qing simply said, "It's almost healed, but some traces haven't faded."
Du Jiniang smiled like a spring flower, "That's good. You're very beautiful, so please take good care of yourself. What made you decide to come here today, and bring this younger sister with you?"
Mu Qing glanced at Lu Tongxue, and was about to speak when Lu Tongxue spoke first.
She smiled faintly, "I didn't expect Gisele to still remember me."
Du Jiniang turned to look at her with some surprise. At the last temple fair, this Miss Lu had been reluctant to smile at her and didn't think much of her. But now she was showing her kindness.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she understood, but she didn't show it on her face. She smiled and said, "Of course I remember. I've never been able to get close to the daughters of wealthy and powerful families. Only Miss Lu was willing to befriend me. You're her sister, how could I forget?"
Lu Tongxue knew that she had been rude first, so she didn't bother to argue and forced a smile, saying, "That's great. Sister Qing and I have always been good friends. Sister Qing's friends are also my friends."
Du Jiniang smiled but did not reply.
Having been out in the public eye for many years, she was no stranger to opportunism and would do the same if necessary, but she would always have to reap some benefits before handing over the booklet.
Then the simple-minded Miss Lu Qingxue said, "My sister has come with a request. She heard that Lady Ji has compiled a very useful booklet, which has aroused the envy of all the young ladies in the city. She also wants to take a look. My sister is always generous. If Lady Ji is willing to lend it to her, she will definitely repay her with a large sum of money."
This statement revealed the truth.
Lu Tongxue looked embarrassed; these words had essentially labeled her as a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
“I see.” Du Jiniang smiled at Mu Qing. “Given our friendship, I would certainly be willing to lend it to her. Lending it to her alone is fine. But this is like revealing a secret; once it’s told to another person, the secret will spread like wildfire. I’m afraid that once it’s lent out, copies of the book will be all over the city.”
Lu Tongxue straightened her back and said, "Don't worry, I won't show it to anyone else."
Du Jiniang shook her head. "Who can say what the future holds? If I really let you borrow a lot of money to see it, and you feel you've lost out, you can let someone else borrow a lot of money to see it and maybe they'll earn more than me."
Who wants to make money from this? Lu Tongxue was dumbfounded.
She hadn't even considered paying a large sum of money to borrow the book, and couldn't help but look at her cousin with a resentful gaze, wondering what kind of person she was for making a casual promise on her behalf.
Mu Qing didn't understand her expression, but she could tell that Du Jiniang didn't want a large sum of money, but something else.
“Ji Niang is right,” Mu Qing said. “I was short-sighted in saying those things. I wonder what would make Ji Niang willing to lend it to me?”
“You’re so straightforward, it makes me feel embarrassed to speak up.” Du Jiniang covered her mouth and laughed. “That booklet was actually just finished. Much of the content was found out by my mischievous younger brother. I don’t know how much of it is true and how much is false. But he has been to school for a few years, so I let him write it. But he is still young, and he is bound to be biased.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue exchanged a glance and simultaneously thought of Lu Fei. If someone like Lu Fei were to compile a booklet, it would be completely unreliable.
Du Jiniang added, "Of course, it's also possible that I, as the older sister, have a prejudice against him. So, we still need to confirm whether the contents of that booklet are accurate or not."
She looked at Mu Qing and said, "If I have the opportunity to enter Wansong Academy and personally witness and confirm that the records in the book are accurate, I can rest assured that I will not mislead people when I lend it out."
Lu Tongxue lowered her eyes and thought to herself, "This Du Jiniang is really cunning and audacious. What do you mean by 'let's recognize each other'? She probably wants to help her with her secret affair."
Mu Qing's thoughts were not far-reaching, but she was also in a dilemma. In the two years since she entered the Lu family, she had only been to Wansong Academy once, and that was when she went with the Third Madam to deliver something to the Third Master. It would be too strange if she went to the academy on her own initiative.
Du Jiniang was skilled in bargaining and hadn't really wanted to go to the academy. Seeing that the two of them had fallen silent, she laughed and said, "The academy is very strict. Even if you get through the gate, you might not be able to see the person you want to see. My request seems too difficult."
"But if they leave the academy, it's not hard to see them. Judging by the dates, the academy is on holiday today, and the scholars will be out for half a day. How about we go and meet them?"
Lu Tongxue originally believed that going out to meet men without the permission of her elders was not something a young lady should do. However, recently, she has been less restrained and has been going out to meet friends almost every day. She has become less discerning about what is right and wrong, and when she heard Du Jiniang's suggestion, she couldn't help but feel tempted.
She turned to look at Mu Qing, thinking that with her cousin by her side, it would be like going shopping and sightseeing.
Mu Qing assumed they would only be looking from afar and asked, "Where are we meeting?"
Du Jiniang said, "Yiyeju in the city has hired a qin player. The qin player is a young woman. She always covers her face when she goes on stage and never talks about her background. She is very mysterious, but her qin skills are superb and she often has new pieces. My brother said that his classmates go to Yiyeju to listen to music whenever they have the chance."
Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue visited Yiyeju during the City God Temple Fair and remembered hearing the Forget-Worries Melody there, which left a good impression. They agreed to meet Du Jiniang at Shenshi (3-5 PM) to go together.
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