If Wen Shu had been given ten brains, she still would not have expected to run into Grand Chancellor Chu at Li Chu’s home banquet.
She had even less expected that the elegant and gentle Grand Chancellor—who could calculate others to the point of leaving them with nothing but their undergarments during court discussions—would appear on the other side of the door wearing a worn-out, faded red old robe, with a brand-new, light pink lace-trimmed apron tied around his waist, and a look of smug triumph as if he were exploiting a junior.
Wen Shu was somewhat dazed; it was very difficult for her to associate the person before her with the Grand Chancellor at the Qionglin Banquet, who held a wine cup and could resolve her troubles with a single nonchalant sentence.
It was clear that the Grand Chancellor had also not expected to meet the newly-ranked Third Place Scholar (Tanhua) at a home banquet today.
The man, who originally had his sleeves rolled up high to his elbows as if he were dying to go down to the river to catch fish, calmly lowered his sleeves while untying the overly pink apron from his waist, draping it gracefully over his forearm. The sly grin on his face was replaced by the gentle, helpless smile of an elder. “Your Auntie Nian likes this apron; she insisted I wear it.”
Chu Xiu was the Grand Chancellor. The moment he spoke, he brushed away the slight awkwardness of the previous moment. As if nothing had happened, he folded his hands over his abdomen and looked left and right, teasing, “Oh, we have a newcomer at home.”
Wen Shu was stunned, left speechless by the Grand Chancellor’s ability to control the situation.
Is this the composure and nonchalance of someone in a position of power, being unperturbed by any incident?
Li Chu, however, curiously reached out to tug at the light pink apron on the Grand Chancellor’s forearm.
However, before her hand could touch the edge of the apron, the Grand Chancellor laughed and swatted it away. His peripheral vision then shifted toward Li Chu, signaling her to quickly introduce in what capacity Wen the Scholar had come to the banquet.
Li Chu raised her hand to touch the bridge of her nose, her ears turning red for a rare moment, her eyes shining as she looked at Wen Shu.
Wen Shu looked back at her in a daze, and upon realizing the situation, she quickly raised her hands to pay her respects to the Grand Chancellor.
The Grand Chancellor did not dwell at the door asking questions; he simply gestured for them to enter. “We are family; there is no need to be so formal in private.”
After speaking, he walked into the courtyard, his pace steady and unhurried.
Just looking at the Grand Chancellor’s steady back, Wen Shu felt that he remained the same figure from the Qionglin Banquet, high as a god, an existence regarded as a beacon by all scholars.
Wen Shu’s heart throbbed with excitement, and her face even flushed slightly.
She was actually able to meet the Grand Chancellor in private—this was something she never dared to imagine before.
Whether hindered by the Grand Chancellor’s majesty or out of respect for him, Wen Shu lagged several steps behind and whispered to Li Chu beside her, “Did you specifically invite the Grand Chancellor here to introduce me?”
Was it to make it easier for her to state the Yang family’s coercion against her in front of the Grand Chancellor?
Wen Shu looked at Li Chu with watery, clear eyes, feeling quite moved.
So Li Chu is a good person!
Knowing that her official rank was low and her words carried little weight, she had specially borrowed this home banquet to invite the Grand Chancellor to act as a bridge for her.
Li Chu crossed her arms over her chest, raised an eyebrow at Wen Shu, and sneered.
Wen Shu, “?”
Before Wen Shu could decipher her expression, she heard a woman’s soft laughter coming from the direction of the kitchen, which had been obscured by the grape trellis. “If you like it, why are you not wearing it?”
The woman spoke with slight pauses, her tone soft and warm, sounding as if she were gently teasing her lover.
The Grand Chancellor turned her head to look back, simultaneously pressing her index finger to her lips to signal “shh.”
However, her wife, Yu Nian, did not understand her intention at all and lightly hummed, “If you don’t wear it, at night, I won’t wear it either.”
Chu Xiu, “…”
The two of them had agreed that Chu Xiu would wear the apron for the day, and at night, she would wear nothing but that apron.
Yu Nian tilted her head and smiled at Chu Xiu. “Will you wear it or not?”
Almost as soon as her voice fell, Li Chu led the red-faced and distracted Wen Shu around the grape trellis.
Wen Shu no longer knew what expression to display on her face; her heart was crumbling, and she felt that the tall, god-like sculpture was cracking, making her dare not look any longer.
Li Chu, on the other hand, looked left and right with a straightforward gaze. “Wear what?”
In front of the child, although Yu Nian’s earlobes were hot, she appeared dignified and serious on the surface, sighing softly, “She likes this, she insists on wearing it. Really, the older she gets, the more gaudy she dresses.”
The Grand Chancellor, who had been trying to maintain her image just a moment ago, “…”
Wen Shu, who had been forced to hear all of this, “…”
For a time, neither of them had the heart to look at the other; one looked at the sky, the other looked at the ground.
Li Chu slowly shifted her gaze toward Chu Xiu, her skin exceptionally thick.
Chu Xiu looked up at the sky. Seeing that her image had already shattered, she had no choice but to shake the apron and tie it back on. Since her face was already lost, if she couldn’t get the benefits for the evening, she would really be at a loss.
She generously maintained her dignity, “Since there are no outsiders, wearing it is fine.”
Yu Nian’s attention was no longer on Chu Xiu but on the new face, her eyes moving back and forth between Wen Shu and Li Chu. “Little Li Chu, who is this?”
Li Chu introduced her to Wen Shu formally. “You should be familiar with the Grand Chancellor.”
Wen Shu gave an awkward smile, not even daring to raise her head.
Originally, she wasn’t unfamiliar, but now, she seemed a bit more unfamiliar…
Li Chu added, “This is my Aunt Liu; you can also call her Auntie Nian.”
She leaned into Wen Shu’s ear and whispered, “Aunt Liu was lost in her childhood; she was originally called Yu Nian. Later, she returned to her ancestral home and changed her surname to Liu following her mother.”
Wen Shu didn’t know this; she only heard that the Grand Chancellor and her wife had been childhood sweethearts, having accompanied each other before the Grand Chancellor rose to prominence. Later, she was enfeoffed as the Princess of Fu’an and addressed the current Emperor as her aunt.
Wen Shu bowed and honestly called out, “Junior Wen Shu, greetings to the Grand Chancellor and the Princess.”
Yu Nian smiled. “Just call me Auntie Nian.”
It was Wen Shu’s turn.
Li Chu walked behind Wen Shu, placed her hands on Wen Shu’s shoulders, patted her lightly, and smiled, her tone slightly proud. “Aunt Liu, this is Wen Shu, the Tanhua of this year, currently a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.”
A seventh-rank official was introduced by her with the imposing manner of a first-rank official.
Wen Shu was startled by the pat, her cheeks flushing hot and embarrassed. Her eyes widened, and she stood there quietly and obediently, too nervous and restrained to even breathe, letting the two elders look her over.
The Princess of Fu’an walked down the steps. Only then did Wen Shu realize that the Princess was overly beautiful, like a blooming light pink peony—dignified without being vulgar, gentle in temperament, and loving to smile. Standing with the Grand Chancellor, who always had a smile on her lips that rarely reached her eyes, they were truly a perfect match.
Yu Nian was also observing Wen Shu, sincerely exclaiming, “This child is truly lovely.”
Her gentle and delicate temperament was somewhat similar to Xiao Jing’s, but Xiao Jing had carried too much from a young age; her nature was externally soft but internally resilient. Meanwhile, Wen Shu’s family must have loved her dearly, which nurtured such a gentle and soft temperament, a pure heart, and a shy, timid nature. Just looking at her made one feel happy.
Yu Nian looked for a meeting gift on her person but finally realized with regret that she hadn’t brought anything valuable today, so she had to promise one for later.
Chu Xiu, however, walked slowly to Yu Nian’s side with her hands behind her back, pretending to be puzzled as she looked at Li Chu, her tone teasing. “That’s not right. How come I heard that Wen Shu is going to marry into the Yang family, and you want to have Feng Zhang marry into your family as a son-in-law?”
Li Chu, “…Is that all the outside world is spreading?”
The Grand Chancellor said righteously, “Anyway, you didn’t send any news home, so naturally, I only listen to what interests me.”
Li Chu, “…”
Chu Xiu complained half-jokingly to Yu Nian, “The child has grown up. After returning to the capital, she didn’t rush to see us. I suppose she was busy with her own major affairs.”
When Li Chu was six, she entered the palace and left the capital around age eight. During that period, she spent a lot of time eating and drinking at the Princess’s mansion. Plus, because she was young and Chu Xiu and Yu Nian had no children, they raised her as their own daughter.
Li Chu’s calligraphy was taught to her by Chu Xiu personally; Li Chu’s shoes were made by Yu Nian, who was not skilled at needlework.
Yu Nian narrowed her eyes at Li Chu, blaming her for not coming home first upon returning to the capital. If it weren’t for today’s banquet, Li Chu wouldn’t know when she would have bothered to come find them.
Li Chu felt a bit guilty and hid behind Wen Shu. “I was just waiting for the gifts to arrive in the capital.”
She looked at Yu Nian ingratiatingly. “I know you are sensitive to the cold, so I specially brought you some high-quality fur, so you can make a cloak for winter outings.”
Yu Nian was not lacking in such precious things, but the child’s filial piety still made her heart happy. She scolded, “You only learn glib talk from her.”
Referring, of course, to Chu Xiu.
Li Chu nodded heavily. “It’s all Uncle Chu’s fault for teaching me poorly.”
Chu Xiu smiled somewhat dangerously.
Li Chu knew when to stop and asked quickly, “Where is the chicken? I’ll go pluck the feathers.”
After saying this, she pulled Wen Shu into the kitchen and found her a gray apron, bowing her head to help her tie it around the narrow waist of her moon-white robe.
Wen Shu gripped Li Chu’s wrist through her narrow sleeve, looked left and right with red ears, her face full of hesitation.
Li Chu understood. “You don’t like this color? Could it be that you like the pink one Uncle Chu is wearing? She certainly can’t give it to you, but I can buy you the same style next time.”
Wen Shu, “…”
Wen Shu just didn’t want Li Chu to tie the apron for her!
Wen Shu pulled the apron into her arms, hesitating as she asked, “Are there others at the banquet today?”
Why did it seem wrong to her? There were only four of them—where was the need to kill chickens, clean fish, and stew pork knuckles?
Li Chu smiled and tied the apron on herself, exposing a sturdy and powerful section of her waist in front of Wen Shu. “There are two more, but it’s fine; you should have met them both.”
Wen Shu, “?”
Wen Shu gasped, thinking to herself that it wouldn’t be her parents, would it?!
She was panicked, fearing that today’s meal was an engagement banquet for her and Li Chu’s families.
If that were the case—if that were the case, she wouldn’t even eat a single bite!