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墨書 Inktalez
She smiled and said, "What you said is very true, Sister. I understand now."
"Then let's go back."
The group returned to the room, inevitably discussing Princess Ying's marriage. They all remarked that if they had known Princess Ying would become so plump, it would be a miracle if she could get married at all. They were puzzled about who her intended was, especially since she was trying to escape from the marriage.
The girls chattered away, becoming increasingly unreliable in their gossip. Annoyed by their noise, they were all sent out. Of course, she was also worried that too much talk could lead to trouble; after all, they had no business discussing royal matters.
Just when they thought the matter was settled, three days later, someone from Jiyan Manor came to request several outfits and invited the embroiderers to their residence, specifically asking for San Chun to accompany them.
Ying did not go with them; she needed to stay at the Embroiderer's Workshop to oversee things. She only allowed San Chun to take four embroiderers to Ji Yan's residence.
Before leaving, Ying reminded her a couple of times to be cautious and not to stick her neck out in everything.
She understood that Ying meant well; with her looks, she could easily attract trouble. If some noble took a liking to her, it would be problematic.
Ji Yan's residence was not as affluent as Zhong Xue's and even paled in comparison to the homes of Prince of Chu Jing Ren and the Duke of Yan. This showed that having more sons did not necessarily bring advantages; at least financially, it was tighter. However, Ji Yan had a knack for decoration, and his modest courtyard had a unique elegance.
It was said that this young master lived frugally; his clothing and accessories did not need to be overly elaborate but should be simple and refined. The embroiderers selected several colors of fabric and asked San Chun to sketch designs. Based on her impression of this young master, she drew an orchid. The Book of Songs states: "The streams are clear and flowing. The official and the lady are like holding orchids." Notably, orchids remain evergreen throughout the seasons; when spring orchids fade, fragrant ones bloom; when autumn orchids wither, winter orchids blossom.
This young master Ji Yan appeared simple and innocent, unadorned yet possessing an extraordinary charm that reminded one of the elegance of orchids. However, he resembled orchids only slightly; he was not truly like them.
Thinking of Qing made her put extra effort into her painting. The spring orchid painting turned out so well that even she couldn't help but praise it. After finishing it and handing it over to the four embroiderers, she felt accomplished. The remaining time allowed her to wander around the manor freely; enjoying the scenery was a delightful experience.
Ji Yan's residence was less strict than Zhong Xue's due to fewer people; thus, there were fewer demands on the servants. As long as one did not enter the master's quarters, they could roam freely elsewhere.
As she wandered around aimlessly, she found herself at the stables where there was a white steed. It raised its head high and stared at her with its large round eyes. Its ears perked up, and its mane flowed down its neck in a continuous line. Its eyes looked around while below them sat a large black nose. The horse had a big belly and a bushy tail that waved like a flag when it ran—very impressive indeed.
For some reason, the more she looked at this horse, the more familiar it seemed as if she had seen it somewhere before. Where had she seen it? She rubbed her chin thoughtfully when suddenly an image flashed through her mind: Zhong Xue riding on horseback in full armor—a golden helmet and golden armor paired with a steed—truly an imposing sight.
But could this possibly be his horse? Could he be here?
The more she looked, the more frightened she became, and she dared not stay any longer. Just as she turned to leave, she saw Young Master Ji Yan walking towards her.
He seemed to be in a particularly good mood today, and the smile on his face looked especially warm.
Seeing him, San Chun could no longer pretend not to notice. She bent down and greeted him, "Greetings, Young Master."
Seeing her standing there, Ji Yan was slightly surprised and asked, "Do you like horses?"
"Yes."
She mustered her courage and asked, "May I ask where your horse came from?"
"It was given to me by a friend."
She was secretly astonished. Young Master Ji Yan actually knew Zhong Xue? And they had become friends? This should have been impossible, yet it had indeed happened. It made her wonder what could possibly connect him with Zhong Xue. If there truly was brotherly affection or friendship between them, that would be too absurd.
Before she could ask a few more questions, Ji Yan mounted his horse and rode away. He seemed to have just learned to ride; his movements were not very skilled, and he almost fell off a few times. Later, he simply held the reins and walked slowly. When he saw San Chun staring blankly at him, he waved his hand with a rather proud expression.
San Chun found it amusing. Although very few people in Zhao Country could ride horses, it was quite common in Yan Country. Her riding skills were much better than his.
Not wanting to see his self-satisfied look any longer, she turned to walk back, wondering if she would be able to see Ji Xun on the day of the princess's wedding. In recent days, she had inquired with people in the manor and learned that Ji Xun had returned to the country and was temporarily staying at the residence arranged for him by Zhao Wang. She had already found out where that place was; she just needed to finish this business before going to take a look.
She had recently encountered a series of unfortunate events; perhaps after hitting rock bottom, her luck would suddenly turn around. Just as she was thinking about Ji Xun, he appeared at her door.
From a distance, she saw that picturesque young man appear, and her heart soared with joy.
He stood not far away and seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight; his body appeared even more slender than before but still stood tall, exuding nobility and elegance. Dressed in pristine white clothes that were untouched by dust, his skin appeared even paler.
A man in his thirties, resembling his older brother, walked beside him. They moved lightly and quickly, as if there was some joyful occasion, laughing as they headed towards the main hall.
She wanted to rush over and tell him that she missed him, to let him know that even if she were dead, she still thought of him. But after considering it, she decided it was better to wait until they were alone; she didn't want to scare him unintentionally.
While pondering how to stop him later, she suddenly heard someone call from behind, "Hey, that girl."
She turned around and saw a young man in purple clothing waving at her from a short distance away.
Looking around, it seemed she was the only one nearby.
"Yes, that's right, I'm talking to you," the young man waved again.
She walked over and bowed slightly, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"What is your name?"
"San Chun."
"Alright, Qidong, brew me a pot of tea."
San Chun frowned, wondering if this young man was hearing things. However, it didn't matter if he remembered her name or not. She replied with a "Yes," turned around, and went back to her room to pour out a bit of her privately stored tea. As for the teapot, she had no idea what kind of tea sets the nobles used, so she decided to make do with her own.
Carrying the teapot and a few teacups into the hall, she handed them over to an attendant outside.
From a distance, it appeared that four or five people were seated inside the hall; they were all Zhao Country Princes, laughing together and seemingly in good spirits. She had often heard that Ji Xun and his brothers were not on good terms, but it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
So who was it that poisoned him in Wei Kingdom? Sooner or later, she would find out who did it. As long as she was around, no one would be allowed to harm him in any way.
Having peeked for too long, just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard Ji Yan in the hall ask, "Who brewed this tea? It's really delicious."
The one who called her to make tea, the Purple-Clad Young Master, said, "It's a maid named Ba Xia."
Ji Yan knew he always had trouble remembering names and teased him, "Eighth Brother, are you sure it's Ba Xia and not Qi Xia?"
Ji Yun nodded, "Her name is indeed Udon."
San Chun found it somewhat amusing and thought to herself that this must be Ji Xun's Eighth Young Master Ji Yun, who was the most innocent-minded and devoted to poetry and literature. In just a short while, he had gathered several names.
Ji Xun had always been particular about tea; he rarely drank it elsewhere. Hearing Ji Yan say it was good, he picked up a cup and took a sip. As soon as it touched his lips, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked, "Who made this tea?"
Ji Yan laughed, "It's not what you think; it's Udon."
Ji Xun stood up and walked outside. Seeing something was off, Ji Yan followed him, asking, "What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for that Udon person; I need to find all of them—Qi Xia, Ba Xia, everyone."
Ji Yan felt a headache coming on; none of those people were in his household. Should he change the name of his personal maid Qidong?
At that moment, San Chun had already returned to her residence. The Embroideress came to find her, saying that the orchid-colored silk thread was missing and asking if she could find another color. She followed the Embroideress to the Embroiderer's Workshop to look for thread, completely unaware that in that short time, Ji Xun had nearly turned his Sixth Brother's residence upside down.
Ji Yan had been following him the whole time and watched as he grew increasingly anxious. It was quite satisfying for him; his brother usually remained calm even in the face of disaster, but today he was acting out of character. Even if there wasn't such a person in his household, he wouldn't tell him.
Ji Xun kept searching for Udon and asked Ji Yan about Qi Xia and Ba Xia while pulling him along for half of Yan Dan. Ji Yan found it funny and said, "Isn't your Prince Yan already dead?"
After a day of fruitless searching, he returned home disappointed and suddenly thought about trying to find San Chun. In his moment of desperation, he forgot that Yan Dan should now be called San Chun. So he got up in the middle of the night intending to go to Ji Yan's residence to ask him to find someone named San Chun or Ju Dan, the Daughter of Ju Rong from the State of Yan.
He casually grabbed some clothes before leaving the house. Once outside, a cool breeze hit him, and he suddenly found it quite amusing—if he really dragged Ji Yan out of bed in the middle of the night, he'd probably be laughed at by the young masters forever.
Turning back into his room, he lay on his bed but couldn't fall asleep at all. He kept thinking about what San Chun had come to Zhao State for—was she here to find him?
He hadn't slept all night and got up as soon as it was light. Just as he was about to call for a maid to help him wash up, there came a gentle knock at the door.
"Is that you, Ying?"
"Yes."
He opened the door to find a graceful young girl entering. She smiled softly at him and said, "I saw that your room was lit all night, and I was worried you might not be well. I made some invigorating ginseng tea for you this morning. Please have some."
"Alright." Ji Xun picked it up and drank, feeling much more refreshed.
He asked, "Is your wound healing well?"
"Thank you for your concern, Young Master. It has improved a lot."
This Ying was the maid he had met in the State of Yan. She had been with him ever since, but later she was sent to Yan as a spy, and they had been separated since then.
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