“I grew up with An Jin. Not to mention whether you can win An Jin’s heart, even if you could, it would never be complete. As a noble lady, becoming a concubine would subject you to countless humiliations, and your future children would be illegitimate and face discrimination. If An Jin tires of you, you’ll be left alone, spending lonely days, with no one sympathizing because this was all your own choice.”
Her face gradually turned pale.
I sighed. “You’re about the same age as my younger sister, which makes me feel compassionate. Think carefully, is all this worth it?”
Miss Song San lowered her head, silent for a long time. I waved to call the waiter and ordered some dishes.
“Try some. This restaurant’s camphor tea duck and steamed tea cake are quite good,” I advised her. “Besides men, there are many good things in this world. If you don’t cherish yourself, who else will?”
Her eyes flickered, and she picked up her chopsticks. She gradually relaxed and ate heartily.
I breathed a sigh of relief. This trick could soothe such a pure young girl.
Objectively, Miss Song San was quite innocent, just with some naive fantasies influenced by romantic stories. Just open the window and show her how beautiful the world is, and she’ll naturally understand.
While she was eating, I secretly glanced over and noticed Green Hat Eastern Palace Xia Zhiyuan sitting nearby, drinking alone. When he saw me looking, he raised his wine cup in a toast. I quickly returned the gesture and hastily looked away.
Come to think of it, I owe this Eastern Palace something. I had indirectly let his future wife go, and now refused to paint for his dancing girl. Moreover, according to Boss Chen, he didn’t show any anger or ill will towards Sai Yue Pavilion, which made my debt feel even heavier.
After finishing, Miss Song San burped, embarrassedly covering her mouth. Just as I was about to solidify my success, someone sat down beside me.
“A Yao.” An Jin gazed at me, a smile at the corner of her lips, her eyebrows full of affection.
An Jin’s actions completely destroyed Miss Song San’s last bit of fantasy. Not long after, I introduced her to my younger sister, and they became close friends, an unexpected outcome.
Chapter Ten: The Romantic Eastern Palace
Miss Song San became close friends with my younger sister.
The two young girls often went out shopping and attending poetry meetings, secretly discussing which of the unmarried gentlemen in Yanfeng City would be the most suitable husband.
“An old problem has occurred again,” Little Sister shook her head with an exasperated expression. “On the road, we encountered a horse-drawn carriage stuck in the mud, and he insisted on helping. If you’re going to help, just get the carriage out, right? But who would have thought that a girl would come out and say her family had a seriously ill relative with no money for treatment? Without hesitation, he pulled out all the money he had and gave it to her.”
Song Sitian added, “We tried to stop Big Brother, but he just said—”
“‘What if it’s true?'” Little Sister continued, imitating her brother’s tone.
“That girl was dressed so well, not at all like a daughter from a poor family,” Little Sister said critically. “If Big Brother doesn’t change this habit, he’ll never find a wife in this lifetime.”
“If we hadn’t noticed something was wrong and quickly pulled Big Brother away, we might have had all the money in our pockets taken. The girl even chased after us, scaring us into running all the way here until we finally shook her off.”
I sighed, thinking this might just be fate.
In the adjacent private room, Big Brother was meeting a girl from the Book Messenger’s family.
This meeting was crucial. I leaned forward, pressing my ear against the thin wooden wall, listening to the conversation next door. Little Sister and Song Sitian imitated me, carefully lying against the wall, communicating only through glances.
The wall was thin, and their conversation came through clearly.
I silently worried for Big Brother. He had always been bad at conversation, especially with girls, often blushing after just a few words.
The girl asked, “I hear Xiao Gongzi works in the Hanlin Academy? Truly promising.”
“Not at all,” Big Brother said modestly. “It’s just a small job helping to transcribe scrolls and take notes. Nothing promising.”
I facepalmed, feeling tense. Little Sister and Song Sitian exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
The girl’s voice came through, “Xiao Gongzi is truly humble. What are your usual hobbies?”
Big Brother seemed to think for a moment before finally saying, “Cooking.”
I facepalmed again, feeling even more tense. Little Sister and Song Sitian exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.
The girl seemed somewhat helpless. “Xiao Gongzi is joking. As they say, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen. Cooking should be a woman’s task.”
Big Brother laughed honestly. “I’ve loved cooking since I was young. My parents and sisters all say my culinary skills are even better than the imperial chef’s.”
Oh, Big Brother…
I looked desperately at Little Sister, mouthing why they hadn’t prepared him better beforehand. She mouthed back that they had already prepared him.
It was clear that Big Brother, nervous in front of the girl, had forgotten all their prepared talking points.
Finally, the girl broke the silence, “Xiao Gongzi is quite unique. I usually enjoy reading poetry. Since you work in the Hanlin Academy, you must be well-read and eloquent.”
Big Brother sighed, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memory. “I hate reading. Transcribing those books often makes me dizzy. What I really want is to open a restaurant and be the head chef.”
Little Sister declared, “Watch me!”
She rolled up her sleeves and rushed into the adjacent room, with Song Sitian close behind. I couldn’t stop them and could only watch as they bombarded the girl with praise about Big Brother. The result of this matchmaking was predictable. The girl was polite, subtly telling me she didn’t think Big Brother was suitable. Big Brother was taken home by Little Sister and Song Sitian for another round of matchmaking education, while I remained in the private room, calling the waiter to settle the bill.
In truth, Big Brother was a good man: kind, upright, filial, and with remarkable cooking skills. Unfortunately, in Yan Feng City, these qualities pale in comparison to good looks, witty conversation, abundant talent, or an impressive official position. In this vain crowd, Big Brother would probably never find his destined partner.
I sighed.
The waiter ran over, saying my bill had been settled. I assumed it was An Jin coming to take me home and was even slightly excited, but unexpectedly, a man in a vermilion robe and feathered crown entered behind the waiter—it was East Palace’s Xia Zhiyuan.
I hurriedly bowed. “Greet—” His fan handle stopped my motion. “No need for formalities, Madam An.”
The current Emperor was in his prime, with a full harem and sixteen children. However, perhaps due to the weak yang energy in Qi State, among these sixteen children, only three were male: the legitimate eldest prince Xia Zhiyuan, the third prince Xia Zhichun born to a concubine, and the still-infant sixteenth prince Xia Zhili.
I had a past with the third prince Xia Zhichun, who had once told me about life in the palace.
Xia Zhichun’s mother was originally just a palace maid, of low status, and consequently, he was marginalized in the palace. He had hoped that upon coming of age and being granted a fiefdom, he could escape the palace’s contempt. Unexpectedly, he was sent to Xiliang as a hostage during a peace negotiation.
Out of sympathy for Xia Zhichun, I involuntarily felt some resentment towards the East Palace’s Xia Zhiyuan, who was blessed with extraordinary beauty and enjoyed supreme honor.
