Chapter Fourteen: Wandering Thoughts

Last night, the young county lady and her maids played dominoes until dawn. Although she had summoned her handmaidens, her mind was elsewhere, and by the end of the evening, she had lost quite a bit of silver.

The maids exchanged glances, each assuming she was pretending to lose deliberately out of embarrassment over past events. As they left, they expressed heartfelt gratitude.

Ganqing was so moved she nearly wept again. Jing Hu, feeling somewhat embarrassed, shared the remaining money with them.

Having not slept all night, Jing Hu was still preoccupied with Kemin Xu’s affairs and did not want to rest. Attended by Dou Lu, she washed up and dressed before going to pay respects to her mother consort.

Since the mother consort was ill, Jing Hu did not visit in the presence of the princess consort. It would have been futile; the princess consort would rather not see her than have her inquire after her or massage her.

The marriage of her third elder brother, Jing Xun, was set for the tenth day of the eighth month. Now that it was already May, the princess consort was busy every day, preparing for the wedding of her beloved son.

As for the mother consort—she was a truly devoted mother consort. Jing Hu, despite her sleepless night, did not feel out of sorts when she looked in the mirror. Yet the moment she stepped through the door, her mother consort immediately sensed something was amiss.

Pulling her close, she asked, “Hu’er, what’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept a wink, so listless.”

Startled, Jing Hu didn’t feel particularly fatigued; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come. However, she did have a request for her mother consort today and decided to use it as an excuse.

The young county lady put on a somewhat sorrowful expression. “Not long ago, I went out and happened upon Qing Jie’er from the Dingguo Duke’s household. She looked quite haggard.”

“You know I was close to her before. Seeing a friend in such a state makes my heart ache. Yesterday, Father allowed me to go out and play. I chanced upon one of her elder sisters, and on the way back, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was so upset I couldn’t sleep all night.”

Raising her face to her mother consort, her eyes glistened. “Mother consort, could I please visit the Dingguo Duke’s household to see her? I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”

Her voice gradually softened. “If I can’t see her and offer some comfort, I fear I won’t sleep well for some time.”

Usually, when she acted like this, her mother consort would scold her, clearly seeing through the act.

But today, her mother consort was unusually agreeable. “If you want to go, then go. I quite like that girl from the Dingguo Duke’s household. If you can learn to be more refined from her, that would be wonderful indeed.”

The princess consort hailed from the Dingguo Duke’s household; she was the daughter of the current Duke’s half-sister, who was also Qing Rou’s father.

In theory, the mother consort and the Duchess should be somewhat close, but for some reason, their interactions were infrequent. This was true when the Duchess managed affairs, and now that she no longer did, contact had ceased altogether.

Previously, the mother consort was noncommittal about her relationship with Qing Rou. After all, the Dingguo Duke’s household had long been rivals of the princess consort’s family, and with the princess consort vouching for her, the Xu family likely did not favor her either.

But that did not matter; the mother consort had her own reasons. She was already pleased to allow Jing Hu to visit the Dingguo Duke’s household.

Jing Hu then clung to her mother consort’s hand, acting coquettishly for a while before cheerfully setting out with the only maid who hadn’t stayed up—the pale green-clad Liu Huang.

She did not send a formal invitation in advance. However, as the Dingguo Duke’s household was the foremost noble family in Yanjing, their servants naturally knew proper etiquette and soon ushered her into Xihe Garden, where Qing Rou resided at the Spring Straw Cloak Tower.

Qing Rou was not at home; only her maid served tea. She said Qing Rou had gone to the Red Heritage Hall in Xihe Garden to visit her mother, the Duchess.

Since last year, when the Duchess suddenly fell ill, she no longer lived in the Meizhen Hall, the traditional residence of the Dukes and Duchesses, but had moved to a remote courtyard within Xihe Garden called Red Heritage Hall.

The young county lady disliked tea; to her, all tea tasted bitter. Only someone like Qing Rou, with her scholarly temperament, could appreciate its subtle flavors.

She stood up and looked around the courtyard.

Xihe Garden was beautiful, no matter the season. Numerous buildings displayed the style of the Jiangnan region. Having lived in Jiangnan for a time, returning to Yanjing and seeing the white walls and green tiles felt especially familiar.

Two large Qiong flower trees stood within the Spring Straw Cloak Tower, now in full bloom. Their pure white blossoms clustered like fans. Though spring had passed, summer offered its own unique charm.

The Yongning Prince’s estate had many flowers too, but lacked the architectural beauty of Xihe Garden. Closing her eyes and opening them again, it was as if she had returned to the gentle, elegant waterside towns of Jiangnan.

Jing Hu stood beneath the Qiong flower tree, tilting her face upward and closing her eyes. Warm sunlight filtered softly through the petals and leaves, bringing a gentle warmth.

“Jing Ling, what are you doing? Aren’t you afraid of getting tan?” came Qing Rou’s voice.

Jing Hu opened her eyes and looked toward the voice. Qing Rou’s mood seemed poor, her eyes slightly reddened. Since the Duchess had moved away, she often sank into such melancholy.

Jing Hu did not rush to respond. Instead, she leapt up, plucked a branch of Qiong flowers, removed the excess leaves, and walked over to pin it into Qing Rou’s hair.

“Summer is just right. Young lady, why so sad? Look at the Qiong flowers on the tree—full of life and joy.”

Qing Rou reached out to touch the flower in her hair and then smiled. “The young county lady is teasing me again.”

Jing Hu took her arm and led her inside the tower. “Not just any young county lady—remember last time I told you? The elegant young county lady. You forgot again.”

They had barely sat when Jing Hu asked, “What’s wrong today? Is the Duchess’s illness still troubling?”

After all, Qing Rou had become like this; if Jing Hu only cared about herself, she would not be much of a friend. They had always been close, and Jing Hu was not one to forget her friends for beauty.

Qing Rou gently shook her head and dismissed the maids.

“My mother is not ill. To be honest, I don’t know what happened. Last October, one night, my aunt came to visit my mother. She seemed to have spoken with my father, grandmother, and fifth sister in the study.”

“The next day, my mother began packing up things in Meizhen Hall, claiming illness, and soon moved into the Red Heritage Hall.”

“I don’t know what happened. No one has told me. I haven’t asked my father, mother, or grandmother—they won’t tell me.”

“I asked my fifth sister, but she refused to say anything, only that after my spring banquet, she would tell me everything.”

Qing Rou’s gaze darkened. “My spring banquet is still nearly two years away. So, for these two years, she wants me trapped in my own wild imaginings. Is that really for my own good?”