To a person one detests, even a single glance is an act of cruelty toward oneself.
Yun Qiya couldn’t be bothered with Zhou Yuzhi. She rolled her eyes, turned around, and walked away.
Even when a beauty rolled her eyes, she was still a sight to behold. Zhou Yuzhi didn’t care in the least about her cold attitude. He shamelessly dismounted his horse and tried to flatter her, hoping she would spare him another look.
His servant watched this, pacing in circles with anxiety. If the Young Master didn’t fix his habit of being infatuated with beauty, he would eventually cause a disaster.
“Stay away from me, or I’ll go to the Jingzhao Prefecture and file a complaint against you,” Yun Qiya said, her smile vanishing completely as she saw Zhou Yuzhi brazenly following her. “As an official of the Hanlin Academy, following a strange woman on the street is a disgrace to your refinement.”
“You misunderstand, Miss. I have no ill intentions…”
Yun Qiya took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. She decided she would let her grandfather and Eldest Uncle settle the score with the Zhou family once she got home.
After walking only a few steps, she saw her Eldest Uncle, Yun Boyan, riding toward them. She immediately stopped, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin defiantly, her spirit suddenly soaring.
“Eldest Uncle!” She put a hand on her hip and pointed at Zhou Yuzhi, complaining to Yun Boyan. “This man won’t stop pestering me!”
“Master, please help the young lady! This lecherous man has been hounding her and won’t let her go!” Helu glared fiercely at Zhou Yuzhi.
Now that she had someone to back her up, Yun Qiya was as proud as a little peacock. She didn’t even look at Zhou Yuzhi properly, vividly demonstrating her habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Yun Boyan had just finished breaking off his niece’s engagement and was on his way to meet a friend. Seeing his little niece being harassed on the street, he immediately jumped off his horse, whip in hand, and approached her in a few swift strides.
“Uncle Yun?” Zhou Yuzhi stared at the aggressive Yun Boyan, stunned for a moment before cupping his hands in greeting. “This junior greets Uncle Yun.”
“Why is Compiler Zhou not at the Hanlin Academy performing his duties? What are you doing here?” Yun Boyan did not acknowledge the title of “Uncle.” He said coldly, “As a court official, your conduct is improper and your words are indecent. Tomorrow, I shall certainly submit a memorial to impeach you.”
“Uncle Yun…”
“I cannot accept the title of ‘Uncle’ from you, Compiler Zhou. We are both officials in the court; you should address me as Vice Minister Yun.” Yun Boyan snorted coldly. “How absurd.”
*When you were engaged to my niece, I didn’t mind you calling me ‘Uncle.’ Now that my niece doesn’t want you, for a sixth-rank Compiler like you to call me ‘Uncle’ is nothing but shameless social climbing.*
Yun Boyan didn’t leave him an ounce of face. Zhou Yuzhi’s face turned bright red from the reprimand, and he bowed low, not daring to speak.
Yun Qiya cupped her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yun Boyan, her face filled with admiration.
Being stared at with such a gaze by his niece, Yun Boyan felt himself glowing with majesty and towering height.
“Eldest Uncle.” Yun Qiya trotted over to Yun Boyan and said in a soft, sweet voice, “It’s a good thing you showed up in time, or I would have been bullied.”
“Don’t be afraid, Yaya. I’ll take you back first.” Yun Boyan’s icy gaze shifted from Zhou Yuzhi to Yun Qiya, softening into a gentle smile. “Is there anything else you want to buy? I’ll pay for it.”
“There’s nothing else,” Yun Qiya shook her head. “You have things to do, Uncle. Helu and I can go back on our own.”
“It’s nothing important.” Yun Boyan was very patient with his niece. “Let’s go. It’s not far from the Marquis’s Residence.”
“Mm-hm.” Yun Qiya followed obediently behind Yun Boyan, asking with admiration and curiosity, “Uncle, the way you jumped off the horse just now was so impressive. Aren’t you a civil official? Why are your riding skills so great?”
Yun Boyan burst into laughter at her words. “If one is not skilled in riding and archery, how can one serve as an official in the court?”
“Father often tells me how good your calligraphy and poetry are, Uncle. I didn’t know your riding skills were also so formidable.” Yun Qiya’s eyes shone like little stars. “Then, do you know how to play any instruments?”
“I know a thing or two.” Yun Boyan stroked his fine beard, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
“Wow!”
Hearing his niece’s exclamation, the faint wrinkles at the corners of Yun Boyan’s eyes smoothed out. *These are just minor skills for leisure; they aren’t worth mentioning.*
Zhou Yuzhi stared blankly as the two figures disappeared around the street corner. He turned to his servant and asked, “What did that girl call Vice Minister Yun just now?”
The servant forced a difficult smile. “Young Master, that lady called Vice Minister Yun ‘Eldest Uncle’.”
“Then she is…”
The servant continued his strained smile. “She is likely the only granddaughter of Marquis Chengping.”
*Exactly. She is the fiancée who just dumped you. And now that you’ve pestered her on the street, she definitely won’t want you back.*
As the commotion downstairs ended, the man standing by the window slowly withdrew his gaze, returning to his usual deathly silence.
“Young Master, the General of the Imperial Guards has come to pay his respects. Would you like to see him?” An attendant walked up to him, carefully holding a calling card and presenting it.
“I am a dying person. What use is there in him flattering me?” The man looked listless. “I won’t see him.”
“Yes.” The attendant did not dare say more and retreated, trembling while holding the card.
The teahouse remained lively, but the man slowly walked downstairs, passing through the cheerful and bustling crowd, and left.
Even in a noisy crowd, happiness and excitement belonged only to others.
***
“Hahahaha!”
Yun Qiya was telling the Old Madam and the First Wife how her Eldest Uncle had descended like a god, scaring Zhou Yuzhi so much he couldn’t say a word. The story kept the women of the house laughing.
“It’s a blessing that the engagement was broken. That Young Master Zhou is truly not a good man.” After laughing, the Old Madam couldn’t hide her distaste for Zhou Yuzhi. “Marriage is a major matter; one must never act in haste.”
“Mother is right.” The First Wife comforted Yun Qiya. “In our Da An, there are many women who remain unmarried past twenty. Qiya, you are still young. You can take your time picking a future husband.”
If she really couldn’t find a suitable match, it wouldn’t be so bad to follow the example of her own niece.
“After we eat, Yaya, come with me to offer incense to the ancestors.” The Old Marquis strode into the room. Although he was over sixty, his spirit was so high he looked like he could go up a mountain and kill two wild boars with his bare hands. “At least let your great-grandfather know that he wronged you by hastily setting that engagement. He should bless you more from the underworld.”
The Old Madam smiled but said nothing. The First Wife pretended she hadn’t heard; the Old Marquis could say such things, but she wouldn’t dare listen.
Yun Qiya not only dared to listen but also dared to reply, “I’ll do as you say, Grandfather.”
The First Wife lowered her head to sip her tea.
The Yun family’s filial piety was truly ancestral; even when a junior broke off an engagement, they didn’t forget to tell the ancestors about it.
The Yun family’s main ancestral hall was in their old home in Guozhou, while the one in the Chengping Marquisate Manor was for their specific branch.
Yun Qiya had heard from her father that the Yun family weren’t originally a prominent family. Later, they followed the founding emperor in his uprising. Their ancestor became one of the five non-imperial clan princes.
What happened next wasn’t anything new. Some of those princes became arrogant due to their merits, while others got caught in succession struggles. In the end, they either died or were ruined. Only the Yun family remained, continuing the glory of their ancestors.
Yun Qiya held the incense, kneeling on a prayer mat as she listened to her grandfather mumble to the ancestors. He talked about which family’s descendants were useless and which family had risen again in recent years.
“Ancestors, after you receive the incense I’ve offered, remember to bless Boyan with a smooth career in court, bless Shuhua and me with long lives and good health, and bless our juniors with peace and safety.” Her grandfather made a long list of wishes before placing the incense in the burner. “Come, Yaya, kowtow to the ancestors so they can bless you with a smooth path and success in everything.”
Yun Qiya kowtowed obediently. *Ancestors, please don’t forget to bless me with overflowing wealth.*
The grandfather and granddaughter made their heartful wishes. Seeing the smoke from the incense swirling like auspicious clouds, they left the small ancestral hall with satisfaction.
With such thick incense smoke, the ancestors must have heard their wishes.
“Yaya, come here.” Her grandfather pulled her into a corner and took two banknotes of one hundred taels each from his sleeve. “Take this money and spend it.”
“Thank you, Grandfather!” Yun Qiya held the money, her smile so wide her teeth showed.
The Old Marquis coughed lightly. “Keep this between us.”
“Mm-hm.” Yun Qiya quickly tucked the money into her robe. Her large eyes were round as she looked around warily. “Grandfather, is this your private savings?”
“What does a child know about private savings?” Her grandfather tapped her on the head. “I’ve arranged for two maidservants who know martial arts to stay with you. When you go out to play in the future, remember to take them along. If you meet a shameless cad, hit him. If you can’t win, run.”
“Okay, okay!” Yun Qiya pulled a jade bead bracelet from her robe and put it on her grandfather’s wrist. “Grandfather, I bought this at a jade shop this morning. The shopkeeper said wearing this kind of jade is good for the health.”
The jade beads were warm and bright, with a fine texture and pure color. It was clearly high-quality material.
“I get one too?” During lunch, he had learned that his granddaughter had bought jewelry for his wife and two daughters-in-law while shopping.
“Of course!” Yun Qiya looked around sneakily and whispered, “But the things in that shop were too expensive. I only bought them for you, Grandmother, Mother, and Eldest Aunt. Father, Eldest Uncle, and my brothers don’t have any.”
So, among the Yun family men, only he received a gift from his granddaughter?
The Old Marquis looked at the jade beads on his wrist, liking them more the more he looked. After returning to his room, he kept stroking them, waiting for his wife to ask about it.
“What are you pacing around for?” The Old Madam finished her last stroke on a painting, put down her brush, and asked, “If you’re truly that bored, go fishing with your old friends.”
The Old Marquis waved his arm.
“Since when did you like wearing such things?” The Old Madam noticed the jade beads. “Didn’t you used to complain that bracelets were cumbersome? What’s going on today?”
“It’s a token of my granddaughter’s affection. How could I, as her grandfather, refuse?” The Old Marquis touched the beads. “Look at these beads. Isn’t every single one pure and lustrous?”
The Old Madam touched her own jade bracelet. “They are indeed nice.”
But they couldn’t compare to the bracelet Yaya gave her. A jade bracelet had to be cut from a whole piece of prime material, while a jade string was probably made from the leftovers of her bracelet.
***
Before Yun Qiya had been back at the Marquis’s Residence for even five days, everyone in the manor treated her with immense kindness. Even the servants from the first branch were all smiles in her presence.
Worried she might be lonely, the Old Madam hosted a banquet on her third day back, inviting family friends and helping Yun Qiya get to know several girls her age.
These girls were all distantly related to the Yun family. After spending a few days together, they became friends and never forgot to bring Yun Qiya along when they went out to have fun.
Song Daohuan was the First Wife’s niece. She publicly claimed to enjoy spiritual cultivation and didn’t want to be tainted by the mundane world, which was why she remained unmarried at twenty-three.
In private, she spent her days eating and enjoying herself, knowing the capital’s entertainment spots better than anyone.
“Qiya.” Song Daohuan brought Yun Qiya to a villa, a mysterious smile on her face. “Come, I’ll take you to see a real treasure.”
Yun Qiya looked up at the plaque of the villa, which read *Carefree Hundred Joys Villa*.
*Sister Song, is this treasure you’re talking about… decent?*