Perhaps because her heart was burdened with concerns, Qu Qing found it impossible to sleep any longer even though the sky was just beginning to brighten. She gently peeled Qu Yi, who was clinging to her with both arms and legs, off her body, tucked the blanket securely around her, and then quietly got up. Without even eating breakfast, she headed straight for Chunjiang Lou.
Chunjiang Lou was built along the river, standing three stories tall. Due to its excellent scenery, many scholars and literati often reserved the third floor for elegant gatherings such as poetry meetings and tea ceremonies.
In reality, Chunjiang Lou was actually the largest stronghold of Shumiao Pavilion in Yan’an Cheng.
Qu Qing lightly knocked on the side door on the northern side of Chunjiang Lou. Soon, a voice came from inside, “Who is it, so early in the morning?”
The person who answered was an elderly man dressed only in coarse linen clothes. When he opened the door and saw it was Qu Qing, he said nothing, glanced around to make sure no one was passing by, quickly invited her into the courtyard, and then closed and locked the door.
The old man hurried to Qu Qing’s side, knelt down, and bowed his head. “Greetings, Pavilion Master.”
Qu Qing swept a cold glance over him, not even offering a word of greeting or inquiry, and directly commanded, “Two tasks. First, investigate everything that happened between the Prince of Nan’an’s son and Qu Yi. Second, look into all families with the surname Jing in the capital. I want to know every detail about that Jing San.”
The old man replied, “Yes.”
After delivering these orders, Qu Qing went straight up to the third floor and entered a hidden room concealed behind one of the private chambers.
The old man was extremely efficient. In less than half an hour, he had dispatched all available personnel in the building. He walked to the door of the hidden room but hesitated to enter.
Inside the hidden room, Qu Qing lowered her gaze, spinning the teacup in her hand, and spoke indifferently, “Uncle Wang, since you’re here, why not come in?”
The old man’s frail figure trembled slightly, then he reacted and stepped into the hidden room. “Pavilion Master, I have already given your orders.”
Qu Qing did not look up. “Uncle Wang, you are getting older. Leave the tasks to them. Why not sit down and chat with me about the business at Chunjiang Lou, or if there are any new developments in the capital.”
Uncle Wang said, “Yes,” and then indeed sat down beside Qu Qing, beginning to discuss business matters.
Meanwhile, Qu Yi abruptly woke from a nightmare.
“Sister!” she exclaimed softly, slowly coming to her senses. Her gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling beams, it took her a long time to fully emerge from the nightmare.
Qu Yi reached out and felt the cold, empty space beside her on the bed, unsure where Qu Qing had gone. She raised her voice and called, “Jian’er, Jian’er?”
“Ah, coming!” Jian’er, who was about to do laundry, rushed in carrying a large basin of dirty clothes, flustered as she asked, “What’s wrong, Miss Yi?”
Seeing this, Qu Yi felt both amused and slightly annoyed. She pursed her lips and muttered, “You… couldn’t you have put the basin down outside before coming in?”
“Ah… Miss Yi called urgently, I… I forgot for a moment.” Jian’er freed one hand and shyly touched her forehead.
“Never mind, never mind. Have you seen my sister?” Qu Yi asked.
“Miss Qing? Jian’er seems… probably… hasn’t seen her.” Jian’er hesitated and shook her head.
Qu Yi looked up at the sky and sighed helplessly. “Go fetch me a basin of water.”
“Alright!” Jian’er picked up a small basin from the wooden stand, stacked it on top of the basin filled with dirty clothes, and then carried both basins, which towered over her head, out to fetch water.
While Qu Yi was quietly grooming herself in the backyard, the front courtyard was in chaos, bustling with noise and activity.
Yesterday, that Jing San who had caught the embroidered ball actually arrived at Qu Fu early in the morning with several carts laden with gold, silver, jewels, and baskets of precious medicinal herbs, swaggering in to present the betrothal gifts!
Qu Youyu and Du Youxia were still having breakfast in the dining hall when Tian An rushed in frantically, shouting, “It’s terrible! It’s terrible! Master, that Jing San is here with gongs and drums to present the betrothal gifts!”
Qu Youyu could no longer eat. He hurried to the front courtyard and saw Jing San leading a large crowd blocking the entrance of the mansion, with many commoners already gathering around.
Seeing Qu Youyu arrive, Jing San immediately beamed with joy, raising his hand and shouting, “Brothers, start the music! Put all your effort into it! We must let my father-in-law hear the sincerity of his son-in-law!”
This was followed by a deafening clamor of gongs and drums, startling countless birds from the trees. Qu Youyu clutched his chest with one hand and stretched the other forward, shouting, “Stop playing! Stop playing!”
Jing San, however, pretended not to hear. He craned his neck, leaning his ear forward with a hand cupped behind it, and yelled, “What did my father-in-law say? Was the sound not loud enough?”
As he spoke, he pulled out a pair of gongs from who knows where and struck them with a loud “clang-clang.” While striking them, he turned to the crowd and declared loudly, “My heart for Miss Qu, witnessed by heaven and earth, heard by the elders, and pledged by the embroidered ball, shall never change!”
The onlookers, moved by this heartfelt speech, applauded and cheered, urging, “Master Qu, quickly betroth your daughter to him!”
Some younger women even wiped tears from the corners of their eyes, lamenting, “Why have I not met such a fine young man? The Matchmaker is so unfair!”
Amidst the thunderous cacophony and the chattering crowd, Qu Youyu nearly collapsed. He grabbed Tian An’s ear and shouted, “Quickly find someone to drag them all into the mansion—!”
Tian An, dazed by the shouting, steadied himself for a moment before locating the mansion’s entrance. He called over a group of burly men and finally managed to “drag” Jing San and his entourage into the mansion.
Du Youxia had long heard the commotion outside. Now, seeing Qu Youyu approach with one hand massaging his temple and the other clutching his chest, she hurried forward to support him. But then she noticed a handsome young man following behind Qu Youyu and couldn’t help sizing up Jing San with curiosity.
Jing San showed no discomfort at all. Instead, he grinned obsequiously and bowed to Du Youxia. “Greetings, Mother-in-law. Your son-in-law pays his respects.”
After a moment’s thought, Du Youxia guessed who he was. After helping Qu Youyu sit down, she calmly took a seat on the other side. First, she picked up a teacup and took a sip, then smiled gently and asked softly, “Are you Young Master Jing San?”
Upon hearing this, Jing San immediately looked up, grinning widely. “Your son-in-law is indeed Jing San.”
“How many people are in your family?”
Jing San smiled without answering.
“Where do you live?”
Still no answer.
“How old are you?”
Again, no answer.
Seeing this, Du Youxia picked up her teacup and hurled it at Jing San. Jing San dodged, and the cup shattered with a loud “crack” as it hit the ground.
After standing firm, Jing San continued grinning as if nothing had happened, his demeanor utterly infuriating.
Du Youxia’s voice turned cold. “Do you know what manners are?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Then why don’t you answer?”
“Since meeting and befriending Miss Qu, every encounter we’ve had has been wasted speculating about each other’s intentions. Thus, I have yet to have the opportunity to inform the young lady of my true identity.”
At this point, Jing San’s smile faded as he lowered his head and shook it, appearing deeply conflicted. “I thought that if Yi’er were to learn I had revealed my identity to you two elders first, she might be displeased. And if Yi’er is displeased, I would have committed a grave error!”
Seeing how swiftly Jing San could switch between acting and changing expressions, Du Youxia was convinced this man was anything but simple. If he wasn’t coveting the Qu family’s wealth, he must have ulterior motives. No wonder Qu Qing had told her last night, “This man is glib-tongued and no good match.”
Thinking of this, her anger grew even more intense. She reached out, grabbed the teacup in front of Qu Youyu, and with a loud “bang,” smashed another one.
Du Youxia angrily scolded, “Yi’er? Who gave you permission to address a young lady by her intimate name? Yi’er never steps outside her home—how could she possibly have come to know and befriend someone as dissolute as you?”
Jing San jumped aside to avoid the teacup, even darting forward a step. “Mother-in-law, there’s no need for anger. Whether to marry or not should be entirely up to Yi’er—ah, no, Miss Qu. How about that?”
Du Youxia only wanted to drive him out as soon as possible. She glared coldly and snapped, “I won’t let Yi’er see you.”
“I shall obey Mother-in-law’s wishes.” To Du Youxia’s surprise, Jing San grinned, turned, and began to leave.
Finally catching his breath, Qu Youyu hurriedly reached out and called, “Young man, come back—” His voice still sounded somewhat weak.
Jing San turned back, wearing a smug, ingratiating smile. “What instructions does Father-in-law have?”
Qu Youyu beckoned to Tian An. “Go, summon the young lady to the side hall to meet this gentleman.”
“Qu Youyu!” Du Youxia stood up and shouted at him. “What are you doing?”
Qu Youyu snorted coldly at Jing San and said bitterly, “Do you really think this young man created such a spectacle outside our gate for nothing?”
Hearing this, Du Youxia suddenly understood. Her gaze sharpened like a poisoned arrow, fixed intently on Jing San.
But Jing San merely grinned, his expression unchanged.
Seeing the situation, Tian An nodded in acknowledgment and left to carry out the order.
“I should head to the side hall earlier to await the young lady, so I won’t disturb Father-in-law and Mother-in-law…” At this point, Jing San paused briefly, “…in their efforts to accept this reality.”
“Get out! Get out of here!” Du Youxia was so enraged that she swept her long sleeve across the table, sending cups, saucers, and teaware crashing to the floor.
Jing San’s smile remained unchanged. With perfect courtesy, he bowed respectfully before striding away with light, brisk steps.
Du Youxia slumped back into her seat and called out loudly, “Qiao’er! Qiao’er!”
Shortly after, Qiao Shi hurried in. Seeing the shattered fragments on the floor, she asked anxiously, “Madam, what… what happened?”
Du Youxia grabbed Qiao Shi by the arms and leaned in close. “Since we cannot control this, the only way is… to quickly bring Qing’er back.” She paused abruptly. “No, you won’t be able to find her… Go to Chunjiang Lou and find Uncle Wang. Have him search for her.”
Qiao Shi hastily accepted the order and left.
“Hah, hah—” Du Youxia let out intermittent cold laughs, her hands clenched tightly, her gaze icy and fierce.
Qu Youyu quickly stood up and patted Du Youxia’s back. “Madam, this is all my fault. Please, don’t let anger harm your health!”
“Don’t call me! You get out too!” Du Youxia shoved Qu Youyu away, causing him to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.
“Your precious daughter! A marriage selection? What kind of selection is this? She’s inviting wolves—cunning jackals that stalk their prey silently, never giving up until it’s dead!”
Qu Youyu steadied himself and approached again. “It’s my fault, it’s Yi’er’s fault, it’s all our fault. Please don’t be angry, my lady. Don’t be angry.”
Du Youxia vented all her fury on Qu Youyu—one willing to strike, the other willing to endure—and they quarreled for a long time.
Qiao Shi hurried as fast as she could to Chunjiang Lou, her old bones nearly falling apart from the rush. But after asking the waiter multiple times, he firmly insisted there was no one named Uncle Wang there. With no other choice, Qiao Shi had to return the same way to the Qu residence.
Qu Qing spent the entire morning flipping through portraits of young masters from Jing families in the capital but couldn’t find a single one resembling Jing San, leaving her deeply frustrated.
Uncle Wang remained by her side, tending to the lamp and refilling her tea.
A few light knocks sounded, and a small recess appeared in the western wall of the secret chamber. Inside lay a folded letter and a note.
Uncle Wang went over to retrieve them. The note was placed on top, but it only mentioned that someone was looking for Uncle Wang, with no indication of who it was or what they wanted.
It turned out Qiao Shi was cautious, always mindful not to reveal Qu Qing’s connection to the Qu family, so she stubbornly refused to say a word to the waiter. Moreover, Qiao Shi had left in such a hurry that she didn’t fully understand what was happening. Had she known that a flood was about to sweep away Qu Qing’s beloved younger sister, she would have surely made a scene.
Uncle Wang kept the note and handed only the letter to Qu Qing. “The matter concerning the Prince of Nan’an’s son and Miss Qu Yi has now been clarified.”
But Qu Qing stared at Uncle Wang’s hand, which still clutched the note, and did not respond.
Seeing this, Uncle Wang knelt on both knees, raising the note to offer it, and explained, “It’s a personal matter, I dare not trouble the Pavilion Master.”
Qu Qing did not take the note. Instead, she chuckled lightly and said, “What are you saying, Uncle Wang? The floor is cold, get up quickly. When you’re old, you must accept your age. If you can kneel less, spend more time thinking about how to kneel less.”
“Thank you for your concern, Pavilion Master. I have learned my lesson.” Uncle Wang did not rise. Instead, he knelt even more properly and respectfully.
Qu Qing paid no further attention to anything else. She unfolded the letter in her hand and read it line by line, carefully.