Ji Pinglian stayed up late, waiting for her brother Ji Jie to return home. She waited until midnight. A maid reported that her brother had come back after drinking. Ji Pinglian immediately asked the maid to put a warm cloak on her and went out to greet him, also instructing the maid to bring the prepared lotus seed and bird’s nest porridge along with sobering tea.
“It’s almost the middle of the night, why aren’t you resting?” Ji Jie strode forward.
Ji Pinglian didn’t answer but said, “I’ve prepared lotus seed and bird’s nest porridge for you, brother. It has ginseng slices and old ginger to ward off the cold.”
As Ji Jie walked back to the house with his sister, he laughed and said, “Oh, this is quite nourishing.”
Once inside, Ji Jie sat down. Ji Pinglian personally took the porridge from the maid and handed it to Ji Jie. He smiled at his sister and drank it in large gulps. In this cold weather, the warm porridge made Ji Jie feel warm all over.
Seeing him finish a bowl, Ji Pinglian took the sobering tea from the maid and said, “I see you’ve had some wine, brother. You might get dizzy again, so drink this sobering tea.”
Ji Jie took the tea but didn’t drink it. Instead, he placed it aside. He looked at his sister, who was holding it, and could see through her little thoughts. He said, “Don’t worry. Have I ever failed to get you what you want? The painting was passed to Batur early this morning. Batur is an old lecher with no fear. When he was seventeen or eighteen, he even killed his uncle to take his concubine. His father tried to kill him with a knife, but in the end, he even gave him the dancer he fancied…”
Realizing it was inappropriate to tell such stories to his unmarried sister, Ji Jie stopped, feeling he had indeed drunk too much.
Why did he know all this?
The fiefdom of Prince Guangxian was near the Western Regions, and Ji Jie had known Batur for years.
Ji Pinglian sat on the other side of the small table and asked, “Do you think I went too far, brother?”
“As long as you’re happy!” Ji Jie replied without hesitation.
Ji Pinglian knew her brother doted on her, but she didn’t want to be spoiled or looked down upon by him. So she waited not only for the results but also for Ji Jie to return so she could explain to him.
“Brother, I know the incident at the birthday banquet wasn’t a big deal. Who hasn’t spoken behind someone’s back? Moreover, I didn’t say a word about Gu Jianli; it was Pingjuan who was gossiping. If Gu Jianli got angry and privately asked me to punish Pingjuan, I could have done so openly. But she made it public, speaking in front of the entire capital’s noblewomen!” Ji Pinglian’s anger grew as she spoke. “Rumors spread and get distorted. In three days, people will only remember that Pingjuan and I gossiped and Gu Jianli publicly humiliated us. But I didn’t say anything! How can I not feel wronged? Brother, you don’t understand how important reputation is for a woman. These rumors can ruin a woman’s life!”
Ji Jie quickly said, “Don’t be angry. I’m helping you, remember? You don’t need to explain. She bullied you, so I’ll naturally help you. She’s just the daughter of an ennobled family, but our father is a true prince. Don’t think about it anymore. Spend more time with the noblewomen in the capital. If there’s any talk of marriage alliances, look for a suitable husband for yourself.”
Ji Pinglian was taken aback and said, “After the New Year, I’ll be going back home with you. I’m not marrying far away in the capital!”
Ji Jie smiled enigmatically and said, “In the future, our family might move to the capital.”
Ji Pinglian’s eyes flickered with a hidden suspicion. No wonder her brother spoke in such a tone about Prince Wuxian… Ji Pinglian felt uneasy.
Many people didn’t sleep that night.
After Rong Yuanyou left, Gu Zaili lazily leaned back on the beauty couch, asking her maid to bring some wine. She indulged in a refined solo drinking session, clearly unsatisfied with the amount of wine consumed during her earlier gathering with friends. Although she had a carefree personality, she always maintained a certain decorum, never allowing herself to get drunk in public. She had only started drinking this year, initially developing a taste for sweet wines. Gradually, her alcohol tolerance increased, and she moved on to stronger liquors. These strong liquors made her cheeks flush and left her slightly tipsy but never completely drunk. Many times, her maid would come in to assist her, finding her languidly draped over the beauty couch, slightly inebriated and alluring, a sight that captivated hearts.
Gu Jingyuan returned home late and didn’t rest, troubled by his eldest daughter’s matters.
Madam Tao noticed his troubled expression and walked behind him to massage his shoulders. She wanted to probe Gu Jingyuan’s thoughts and asked, “My lord, are you worried about the matter of the Rong family’s young master marrying our eldest daughter?”
Gu Jingyuan was silent for a while before asking, “What do you think?”
He knew he didn’t have a good eye for choosing a son-in-law, a matter that was a sore spot for him. Now, arranging another marriage for his daughter made him even more cautious and anxious. He had never felt so constrained, even when surrounded by enemy forces in battle.
Gu Jingyuan actually asked for her opinion? Madam Tao was somewhat flattered and carefully chose her words, “The family of Duke Xiangxi has a tradition of marrying princesses, and perhaps because of this, generations of men have shown excessive respect and love for their wives. What’s even more admirable is that their household is clean; not only are there no concubines, but they don’t even allow maidservants to serve in their chambers before marriage. There are no illegitimate children either. Just this alone makes many people envious…”
Gu Jingyuan suddenly turned to look at her, surprised, “Is this what makes others envious? Do I have anyone else in my courtyard besides you?”
Madam Tao was a bit stunned, not expecting Gu Jingyuan to say such a thing. However, she didn’t feel much joy because she knew Gu Jingyuan’s actions were not because of her. She averted her gaze and changed the topic with a smile, “At yesterday’s banquet, I heard that the young master has not yet entered the capital, yet many families are already interested in him. He is indeed an excellent son-in-law candidate. But if he were to marry our eldest daughter… I also know you are concerned about his young age…”
“No,” Gu Jingyuan interrupted Madam Tao, “My concern is not that he is four years younger than Zaili.”
Madam Tao asked in surprise, “Then what are you worried about?”
Gu Jingyuan sighed and said helplessly, “Xiangxi is too far. I can’t bear to let Zaili marry far away. It takes over a month to travel there. If she is bullied, I won’t be able to rush there in time!”
“If it really happens, should I go with her?” Gu Jingyuan muttered to himself.
“No, no. If I go with Zaili to Xiangxi, what about Jianli? That scoundrel Ji Dog makes me even more uneasy…” Gu Jingyuan patted his forehead, “There I go talking nonsense again.”
His self-criticism made Madam Tao hesitant to respond.
“Has the prince rested yet?” A servant noticed the lights still on in the room and cautiously knocked on the door, reporting that after Changsheng had visited, Ji Wujing had left overnight, and Gu Jianli was also packing to leave.
“What’s going on? Ji Dog left Jianli behind?” Gu Jingyuan stood up immediately.
Madam Tao quickly tried to calm him, “Maybe there’s an urgent matter at home!”
Gu Jingyuan walked straight out and, before reaching Gu Jianli’s residence, met her hurrying out with Jixia and Changsheng following behind.
“Father, you haven’t rested yet?”
“What trouble has Ji Dog caused this time?” Gu Jingyuan asked with a harsh tone.
Gu Jianli covered for Ji Wujing, saying, “The child is sick, and he had to go back to check. He didn’t want me to catch a cold traveling at night, so he didn’t let me go back. But later, I thought about it and couldn’t help but worry that he might not take good care of the child, so I decided to go back with him.”
“Is that Princess Shengyi’s carriage up ahead?” A high-pitched voice called out.
Gu Jianli was taken aback.
She recognized this voice immediately—it was Dou Hongyan’s voice.