Chapter 019: Disappointment

Jiang Xuening spent the entire night with a question swirling in her mind, but found no answer.

It was said that when the news about the selection of companions reached Jiang Xuehui, she remained silent for a long time. However, she neither argued nor made a fuss. It seemed that her sister took some time to slowly accept this fact.

This made Jiang Xuening think: No wonder everyone liked her in the previous life. At this time, she should have already had some contact with Shen Jie, but perhaps she didn’t know which prince he was. If it were her, experiencing such a shift from hope to disappointment, she would never have accepted reality so calmly.

The next morning, more news about Princess Leyang’s selection of companions came out.

For example, the initial list of companions. Naturally, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Cheng, Xiao Shu, who had played with Shen Ziyi since childhood, was on the list, along with eleven other young ladies from families of ministers and nobles, all of whom were well-educated and well-mannered.

Among them was the “fortunate” Jiang Xuening.

She also noticed that the young lady from the Fan family, who was named the top poet at the Qingyuan Mansion, and the second young lady from the Qingyuan Mansion, You Yue, who was named the top painter, were also on the list.

As for the specific subjects to be learned.

Men in Daqian had to learn rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing, and mathematics, while daughters of ordinary families at most learned a few characters and focused on embroidery, poetry, and painting, which were not essential.

But Princess Shen Ziyi was different, as she had specific requirements.

Among the six arts of a gentleman, rites, music, and writing were to be learned, along with elegant pursuits such as perfumery and painting. Additionally, the emperor favored Shen Ziyi and knew she always wanted to sneak into the Wenhua Hall to listen to lectures, so he arranged for several knowledgeable scholars from the Hanlin Academy to teach her books that were typically reserved for men.

The most astonishing of these scholars was “Master Xie”—

The current Crown Prince’s tutor, Xie Wei!

It was said that he would teach two subjects: one being the qin (zither), which fell under “music,” and the other being a book selected from the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, though the specific book had not yet been decided.

When Jiang Xuening heard this news from Lian’er’s chattering mouth, she almost wanted to bang her head against the ground!

Then there were the arrangements for entering the palace.

Preparations to enter the palace would begin the day after tomorrow, with a stay of about three to five days to learn the palace etiquette and understand the taboos to avoid making mistakes.

If one couldn’t learn the etiquette or was deemed unqualified, they would be politely dismissed.

After that, they would return home for a few days before officially entering the palace as companions.

They would mostly stay in the palace, with a day off every nine days to return home, until they completed the studies arranged by the scholars, which was estimated to take more than half a year.

—This was definitely a good opportunity.

Jiang Xuening felt overwhelmed at the thought of entering the palace as a companion. She couldn’t openly refuse the emperor’s decree, so she needed a suitable reason.

If she couldn’t learn the etiquette or was deemed unqualified and “politely dismissed,” wouldn’t that be perfect?

She decided to “slack off”!

Tang’er and Lian’er were in the room packing the things Jiang Xuening needed for her first trip to the palace. They mentioned that since she would meet many young ladies from noble families, it would be best to buy some gifts to bring along.

Jiang Xuening, sitting by the window reading a book, couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

“Anyone who knows would say it’s for being a companion reader, but those who don’t might think it’s a family visit.”

Lian’er pouted, “Miss is going to the palace, so everything must be prepared thoroughly. This time, we can’t go in with you, and who knows what the palace maids are like? If not needed now, it might be useful later. Besides, our miss is the only one whose name wasn’t originally submitted but still made it to the companion list. We can lose in everything, but not in appearance!”

Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched at this.

Maybe she should find a matchmaker to sell this girl first?

Why did she have to bring up the most sensitive topic?

She picked a piece of candied fruit from the plate and ate it, flipping through her book, ignoring their fuss. After all, she didn’t plan to stay in the palace for long. But this couldn’t be said out loud. If people knew she was scheming to avoid entering the palace, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

The fewer people who knew, the better—ideally, none.

She had just turned a few pages when she heard a “pop” sound, as if something small had hit the window.

Jiang Xuening looked up, seeing only the sunlight outside. Just as she was about to continue reading, there was another “pop” sound. This time, it hit the window lattice, bounced off, and landed on her book.

She picked it up and saw it was a golden pine nut with a small crack.

With a squeeze, it opened.

It was a roasted pine nut.

Cooked.

Jiang Xuening didn’t see anyone, but she knew who it was and couldn’t help but laugh, “The walls of this mansion might as well not exist. If my father knew you sneaked in again without using the main gate, he’d probably complain again.”

“But he didn’t see me this time, did he?”

Yan Lin’s voice came from above. He appeared from the dense shade of the tree by the wall, leaped down, and walked to her window with a smile, wearing a long robe with a small pouch at his waist and holding a handful of pine nuts.

“Unless you tell on me.”

It had been a few days since they last met, and he seemed a bit tanned. His originally handsome face now had a shallow scratch, not deep or numerous, not ruining his looks, but adding a touch of ruggedness to his noble demeanor, making him look even more striking.

Jiang Xuening asked, “How did you get that?”

Yan Lin, somewhat concerned about his appearance, touched his cheek and coughed, “When I went to the Tongzhou camp, I drank a bit and couldn’t resist sparring with a few of my father’s subordinates. Fists have no eyes, so I got a little hurt. But it’s no big deal. The military doctor said it would heal in a few days.”

The Fengtai and Tongzhou camps had stationed troops for generations to protect the capital.

But since the rebellion of Prince Pingnan twenty years ago, when the Fengtai and Tongzhou camps couldn’t respond in time to quell the chaos, the late emperor established the Imperial Guard in the capital, selecting the best from the two camps to guard the city.

In the current dynasty, after Shen Lang ascended the throne, he further strengthened the Imperial Guard.

As a survivor of Prince Pingnan’s rebellion, he had a deep fear of rebellious princes and the slow response of the army, leading to the declining status of the Fengtai and Tongzhou camps.

The Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion, one of the few noble families holding military power, mainly managed the Tongzhou camp, which was farther from the capital.

The Fengtai camp, closer to the capital, was managed by the Duke of Cheng’s mansion.

The most important 26 Guards of the Imperial Army were now jointly controlled by the emperor and the Ministry of War.

From this, it can be seen that although the Yan family and the Xiao family are both prestigious noble families in the capital, the Xiao family of the Duke of Cheng’s mansion, being the maternal family of the current emperor Shen Lang, is clearly more trusted than the Yan family.

It’s unclear who is behind the affairs of the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion.

Jiang Xuening looked at Yan Lin and asked, “What do you think of Zhou Yinzhi?”

Yan Lin glanced at the busy maids in her room, placed the handful of pine nuts on the table by the window, and then climbed up to sit on the windowsill, one leg hanging outside and the other bent on the sill. He casually took a piece of candied fruit to eat.

Then he said, “This person is quite interesting.”

He recalled with a somewhat appreciative expression, “I met him before I left the capital. He was neither humble nor arrogant, very composed. Perhaps because he was originally with the Jinyiwei, he is well-informed about the affairs of the court and seems capable. But I think he is useful not just because of that. Recently, there was an incident involving him. Have you heard about it?”

Jiang Xuening was curious, “There have been assassins in the capital recently, it’s been unsafe. I haven’t gone out and haven’t paid attention to outside matters. What happened?”

Yan Lin said, “This person had a beloved horse that he personally fed every day. Since there are no open spaces in the capital, he would take it to the outskirts to run whenever he had time. But recently, while he was handling official duties at the guard post, a child came urgently from his home saying his horse was sick and about to die. He immediately asked his superior for leave, went home to see the horse, and then drew his own sword and killed it.”

Jiang Xuening was stunned.

Yan Lin laughed, “The next day, he went to the Zhenfu Department. His superior asked, ‘How is your horse?’ He replied, ‘The horse is dead. I killed it.’ The superior was greatly surprised and asked why. He said that he had raised the horse for over two years, it was like family to him. But seeing it suffer from illness, he couldn’t bear it, so he gave it a quick death to spare it from further pain, repaying the two years of companionship.”

That horse…

How could Jiang Xuening not know?

When she went to find Zhou Yinzhi, the horse was fine. How could it suddenly be so sick and in such pain?

The only thing she could think of was the excuse she had casually made up for the child to fetch him from the guard post: Lord Zhou’s beloved horse is dying…

A chill spread from her feet throughout her body.

Jiang Xuening’s fingers trembled slightly as she pressed down on the book.

Yan Lin continued, “Whether his explanation is true or not is hard to say, but the fact that he killed the horse is true. His decisiveness is evident. Recently, the emperor has intended to let the Jinyiwei handle criminal cases, but the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate, which originally managed these matters, have strong objections. This time, the Censorate impeached Zhou Yinzhi, giving the three judicial offices an opportunity to make a fuss. The emperor couldn’t withstand the pressure and recently removed Zhou Yinzhi from his position. I have arranged for someone in the court, and this vacancy has just fallen to Zhou Yinzhi.”

Zhou Yinzhi is not one to act without seeing the rabbit.

Yan Lin is efficient in his work, which is good.

Although Jiang Xuening was reborn, she knew nothing about the court politics during these events in her previous life. She only knew the final outcome but was unaware of how things happened, the specific details, or the various forces at play.

If she were to warn someone rashly, she wouldn’t know whose attention she might attract.

She feared that instead of helping the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion, she might bring harm to herself. However, if she used Zhou Yinzhi to deliver the warning, she could remain hidden, and Zhou Yinzhi, being a Jinyiwei agent sent to investigate the relationship between the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion and the rebel party of Prince Pingnan, would know more about the matter and could provide credible information to make the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion take it seriously.

Even if disaster couldn’t be avoided, early precautions and preparations could prevent a repeat of the previous life’s tragedy—

Although some people died during the confiscation of the property, more died during the exile.

Some died of old age and frailty, some were attacked by bandits, and others succumbed to poverty and illness…

This included Yan Lin’s father.

Jiang Xuening felt a heavy burden in her heart, realizing that in her previous life, she had been thoroughly used by Zhou Yinzhi. In this life, although she still used him, she had to be extremely cautious.

Today, he could flawlessly lie and kill his beloved horse;

Tomorrow, he could raise a knife against her for his career and future.

She couldn’t help but warn Yan Lin, “I think this person loved his horse, but he killed it without hesitation. While decisive, he’s also ruthless.”

Yan Lin’s expression softened, knowing she was concerned for him, and he said, “I know.”

Jiang Xuening didn’t say anything more and just lowered her head to peel the pine nuts he had placed down earlier. The pine nuts were small and peeling them was slow and tedious.

As she peeled, she frowned.

Yan Lin laughed at the sight and then untied the bulging pouch from his waist and tossed it to her, “I knew you’d be impatient with peeling. Open it and see.”

She caught the pouch, feeling its weight.

Opening it, she found it full of already peeled pine nuts, golden and gathered together.

Although not valuable, peeling them took effort.

Just looking at the bulging pouch, she could imagine the young man sitting on her windowsill, carefully peeling each pine nut with hands that usually held a sword.

Then gathering them.

And casually tossing them to her.

Yan Lin, seeing her silent, thought she didn’t like them, “Don’t you like them?”

Jiang Xuening shook her head, “No, I like them very much.”

Yan Lin was puzzled, “Then why don’t you eat them?”

Jiang Xuening didn’t know how to explain. The gift was small, but the thought behind it was heavy, and she feared she couldn’t repay it.

A cool autumn breeze blew by the window, and September was nearing its end, with the fragrance of osmanthus gradually fading.

Yan Lin, not hearing her speak for a long time, suddenly remembered the strange words she had said to him that night. He looked up and saw her maid bringing a few more books, asking her, “Miss, do you want to take a few books to read when you enter the palace tomorrow?”

Jiang Xuening didn’t turn her head: “No need.”

Yan Lin then remembered the matter of entering the palace and took another piece of candied fruit, smiling: “You’re going to be the princess’s companion reader and will even be taught by Master Xie. How do you feel about that? Excited?”

Jiang Xuening couldn’t be less excited.

She was about to say she didn’t want to go at all. But before she could speak, she saw Yan Lin’s beaming smile and sensed a hint of pride in his words, which gave her a bad feeling.

Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched: “You just got back and already know about the companion reader thing?”

Yan Lin blinked at her, his dark eyes sparkling, and his expression even more smug: “I knew about the princess selecting a companion reader early on. I mentioned you to her a long time ago and told her to include you no matter what. You always said you wanted to see new places, and weren’t you always curious about the palace? With such a great opportunity, how could I forget you, Ning Ning? How did I do? Pretty good, right?”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

So it was you who set me up!!!

She resisted the urge to push him off the windowsill, her mouth twitching as she forced a smile, gritting her teeth: “Great! You did a fantastic job, what a ‘pleasant’ surprise!”

Yan Lin didn’t know why, but he felt a chill down his neck. However, seeing Ning Ning happy made him happy too, so he said: “Although we don’t know what Master Xie will teach you, learning the qin is certain. I’ve already had people gather some fine qins, some of which are ancient, hundreds of years old. Master Xie loves the qin, so if you bring a good one to the palace, even if he’s strict, he’ll be more lenient with you. Today is perfect, let’s go pick a qin!”

Jiang Xuening shivered at the mention of “Master Xie” and felt even more overwhelmed at the thought of the qin. She wanted to say she’d be back with a “dismissal” soon and didn’t need it.

But Yan Lin was insistent.

Before long, he had forcibly taken her to a carriage to go pick a qin.

*

Fourteen days had passed since the Double Ninth Festival.

You Fangyin didn’t know how many times she had entered this shop. After inquiring about the price of raw silk today, she frowned but still sincerely thanked the clerk despite his disdainful looks.

After more than ten days of staying up late learning to read ledgers and practice bookkeeping, her eyes were bloodshot.

As she walked out of the shop, she felt dizzy.

The streets outside were bustling with people and carriages.

She thought that her family had been watching her more closely lately, and if her two sisters, especially the second sister, found out she had sneaked out again, she would be in for more torment. She should go back early today.

She had only slept for two hours last night and was really exhausted.

But as she walked, she saw a street stall with many beautifully embroidered handkerchiefs and sachets. One sachet, embroidered with green-stemmed orchids in a unique stitch, caught her eye, and she stopped.

You Fangyin remembered the white peony she had stained.

So she reached out and picked up the sachet to take a closer look.

Unexpectedly, someone passing by accidentally bumped into her. Already unsteady on her feet, she stumbled forward, and in her panic, her sleeve swept across the neatly arranged handkerchiefs and sachets, knocking most of them to the ground.

The vendor, running a small business, immediately shouted, “What’s wrong with you, girl? Are you trying to ruin my business on purpose?”

You Fangyin felt deeply guilty, “I’m sorry, I just wanted to look at the sachet, I didn’t mean to…”

All eyes around her were on her, making her feel extremely embarrassed. She quickly bent down to help the vendor pick up the items from the ground, repeatedly apologizing.

The commotion on the street drew the attention of many, who began to point and whisper.

Jiang Xuening, who had just followed Yan Lin upstairs to the elegantly decorated Youhuang Pavilion, turned her head at the sound. Seeing the flustered and clumsy You Fangyin in the crowd, she felt a pang in her heart.

No matter what, she couldn’t get used to it.

She couldn’t get used to such a clumsy You Fangyin.

Even at this time, she still had the mind to look at sachets…

She suddenly laughed at herself.

What was she expecting?

She had long known that a girl from the inner chambers, who had never learned to manage a household, probably couldn’t even read a ledger or write more than a few characters. Even if she had money, she would only buy some cosmetics. Did she really expect her to buy raw silk and do business?

The outstanding and unconventional You Fangyin from the previous life was unique.

Yan Lin followed her gaze and recognized the girl as the illegitimate daughter of the You family whom Jiang Xuening had saved that day. He frowned, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xuening withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyes, “You can cure an illness, but you can’t save a life. Sometimes, even when you know something is impossible, seeing it with your own eyes can still be a bit disappointing…”

Yan Lin looked at her intently.

She smiled slowly, “Honestly, it’s nothing.”