The First Jasmine - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Strolling the Streets

Concubine Zhao was indeed a clever woman. Without needing any assistance or guidance from Ye Li, news spread from the manor the very next day that Concubine Zhao was pregnant—and rumor had it that she was carrying a male heir. Wang-shi almost instantly forgot all about looking for trouble with Ye Li, turning her attention entirely to scheming and figuring out ways to deal with Concubine Zhao.

Wang-shi’s foundation within the Ye family was already rock-solid. If truth be told, the idea that she would worry about what a young lady on the verge of marrying out could do to her was a joke. The reason she targeted Ye Li, to put it plainly, was still rooted in that difficult-to-utter jealousy and resentment she harbored toward Ye Li's late biological mother. Now that a matter concerning the status of her precious only son within the manor had arisen, Wang-shi naturally shelved all other matters without a moment's hesitation.

With Wang-shi failing to look for trouble, and Ye Ying's vitality heavily drained from her disappointment at the Hundred Flowers Grand Gathering, Ye Li found herself enjoying a rare spell of leisure and ease.

Having shown her brilliance for the first time at the Grand Gathering, Ye Li also gradually entered the social circles of the capital’s noble young ladies. Aside from continuing her dowry preparations, whenever she had free time, she could invite Qin Zheng, Hua Tianxiang, and Murong Ting out to enjoy themselves. Three days after the Hundred Flowers Grand Gathering, that young lady who had originally held the top spot in poetry before being overtaken by Ye Li—who also happened to be surnamed Qin, specifically Qin Yuling, the younger sister of the Capital Governor, Lord Qin Mu—sent an invitation card to Ye Li.

Although they hadn't interacted much before, Ye Li had a rather good impression of this sister of the "Iron-Faced Judge." After a few exchanges of letters, a mutual affection blossomed between them. Finding herself in a very good mood, Ye Li no longer minded much when Concubine Zhao occasionally came to the Qingyi Pavilion to pay her respects and chat. She naturally understood Concubine Zhao's intentions; as long as the woman remained dutiful and kept her promise, Ye Li would not break her own word and would naturally ensure her safe arrival in Yunzhou to give birth to the child.

On this day, Ye Li accepted an invitation from Qin Zheng to go out and stroll the streets. Having quieted down these past few days, Ye Li was also preparing to purchase some books for herself. She had pretty much finished reading the books her mother left behind over the years when she had nothing else to do.

However, Ye Li was well aware of her own limitations. Even if she possessed a photographic memory and could memorize every single book in this world, she would never become a talented woman like Qin Zheng, who was proficient in everything from the zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting, to poetry and classical tunes. To put it colloquially, she lacked that spark of genius, even though her mother had once been the number one talented woman in the capital.

More importantly, possessing the memories of her past life meant her thinking and vision had long since been fixed; even after all these years, she remained unable to comprehend the artistic conception and philosophy of the ancients. Therefore, she could probably churn out a few doggerel verses, but if she wanted to compose truly outstanding poetry herself, it was fundamentally an impossible task. Thinking of this, Ye Li felt that her grandfather, who had once forced her to memorize so many ancient texts, was truly wise. At the very least, it allowed her to dredge up a couple of poems from her mind to make up the numbers when she couldn't wiggle her way out of a situation.

"Sister Qin, Tianxiang, Murong." When Ye Li arrived at the designated teahouse, the trio of Qin Zheng and the others had already arrived early, drinking tea and laughing together.

Qin Zheng turned her head to look at her, smiling gently. "Li'er."

Murong Ting pulled her down to sit, saying, "You've finally arrived. How about it? That dead sister of yours didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"

Ye Li arched her brow. "My apologies for being late. But why would you think she'd make things difficult for me?" These past few days, not to mention Wang-shi, even Ye Ying seemed to have vanished to who-knows-where. She couldn't even catch a glimpse of them, so where would they find the time to make things difficult for her?

"It's still better to be careful. I heard that Her Ladyship Zhaoyi in the palace has been in a foul mood these past few days." Hua Tianxiang held her teacup, her smile reserved and elegant.

Ye Li blinked, understanding dawning in her heart. She silently conveyed her thanks to Hua Tianxiang. Hua Tianxiang raised her beautiful brows, lifting her teacup slightly toward her in acknowledgment.

Murong Ting looked left and right at her friends beside her, and couldn't help but laugh as well. "Sigh, it wasn't easy to gain another friend, but it's a pity that it won't be long before Ah Li gets married."

"Even after marriage, we'll still be friends," Ye Li said. "Could it be that once I'm married, you won't recognize me as a friend anymore?"

Murong Ting slumped onto the table, completely lacking the demeanor of a noble young lady, and said dejectedly, "Of course not. But once you become the Princess Consort of Ding, where will you find the freedom you have now?"

Hua Tianxiang pressed her lips together and stole a laugh. "It'll be the same for you once you get married."

"I don't want to!" Murong Ting cried out, her spirited almond eyes widening into perfect circles. "I would never marry that idiot!"

"Oh?" Ye Li raised her eyes in surprise, looking at the huffing Murong Ting before turning her gaze to Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng suppressed a laugh as she leaned over to whisper into Ye Li's ear. Only then did Ye Li learn that Murong Ting had actually been betrothed to Leng Haoyu, the Third Young Master of the Northern Pacification General's Manor, right from birth. But compared to his eldest brother Leng Qingyu, who was accomplished in both civil and military arts, Leng Haoyu was a profligate son who excelled in nothing but eating, drinking, and merrymaking.

How could Murong Ting, born into a military family and the only daughter of the General of Resounding Valor, look highly upon Leng Haoyu? The two of them had been at odds since childhood; essentially, they would break into a fight whenever they crossed paths. It just so happened that Murong Ting had inherited the true teachings of the General of Resounding Valor, mastering a fine display of martial arts, whereas Leng Haoyu actually couldn't beat Murong Ting. Every single time, he would be beaten into a wretched state, which only caused Murong Ting to look down on him even more.

"Hmph! My father is just stubborn. He keeps saying that a real man must keep his word once it is spoken, and refuses to break the engagement even if it kills him. If that idiot dares to marry me, this young lady will beat him so hard even his father won't recognize him." Murong Ting tilted her little chin up, speaking with huffy indignation.

Hua Tianxiang lazily propped up her fragrant cheek, her face brimming with smiles as she said, "On the contrary, I think Little Three Leng treats you quite well. In this entire capital, have you ever seen another man so obedient? If you tell him to go forward, he absolutely won't step back; if you tell him to turn left, he never veers right."

Murong Ting huffed and offered no reply.

Ye Li watched her reaction with amusement. It was only natural for a girl to admire excellent and powerful men. A Third Young Master Leng who couldn't even defeat a woman naturally failed to catch Murong Ting's eye. However, it seemed Murong Ting didn't actually detest this fiancé of hers as much as she herself believed. And... for a man who had grown up taking beatings, who lost every single time yet still constantly sidled up to seek another thrashing—was he truly that weak? If that were really the case, then Leng Haoyu must actually be a masochist, right? Ye Li's thoughts wandered wildly in her head.

Yet she didn't speak up to advise Murong Ting either; casually interfering with a friend's choices wasn't something she liked to do, and besides, she truly didn't understand this person named Leng Haoyu.

Murong Ting’s anger came quickly and vanished just as fast. Very soon, she tossed that annoying fiancé to the back of her mind, clapping her hands as she stood up. "Let's go, time to hit the streets. We didn't come out today just to drink tea."

Three young maidens plus one pseudo-maiden joyfully threaded through the capital's famous commercial shops, selecting various jewelry and garments to their liking. Before long, everyone had gathered a bountiful harvest.

Looking at the servants following behind them whose hands were piled high with large and small packages, Ye Li found it amusing as she tags along with the three of them, secretly conceding that no matter the era, a woman's desire to shop was incredibly potent. Ye Li didn't idle around either; while strolling with the three of them, she casually cast a few glances at the progress of several shops under her own name that were currently undergoing renovations. Though she didn't step inside, judging the results from the outside was quite satisfying; she believed they could reopen a month prior to her wedding date. When the time came, perhaps she could also ask her Eldest Cousin to write a plaque for the Pavilion of Hidden Treasures, Ye Li quietly planned in her heart.

After dismissing the servants who were helping to carry their purchases, the young ladies, growing weary from their excursion, planned to find a place for lunch. Murong Ting, who was most familiar with the capital's culinary delights, recommended the capital's most famous establishment: the Chu Fragrance Pavilion.

The Chu Fragrance Pavilion was indeed the most renowned tavern in the capital. The moment one stepped into the grand lobby and beheld the luxurious and elegant decor—which didn't pale in comparison to that of a prestigious noble clan—one could easily deduce that the backer behind this tavern's proprietor was bound to be of no small standing.

Although they hadn't arrived particularly late, the business at the Chu Fragrance Pavilion was even better than imagined. A waiter dressed in clean, proper attire respectfully apologized to the four of them, explaining that there were no vacant private rooms left. Murong Ting frequently moved about outside and didn't care much about whether they had a private room or not. She directly had the waiter lead the four of them up to the second floor, finding a vacant table with a reasonably good location to sit down. Ye Li swept a glance around and noticed no shortage of noble young ladies dining in pairs or trios within the main hall; therefore, the four of them sitting out in the open didn't appear particularly conspicuous.

Once the dishes were ordered, Murong Ting smiled with immense satisfaction. "The Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish here at the Chu Fragrance Pavilion is considered an absolute specialty in the capital. I came twice before and didn't get to eat it. Who would have thought that inviting you all out today would actually mean it's available? Today is truly a day of good fortune."

Ye Li asked curiously, "Does Murong often come out to stroll the streets?"

Murong Ting laughed. "My father doesn't like to restrict me, and I can't bear to stay cooped up myself, so I frequently come out to wander around. Furthermore, my father loves fine food. I... I don't have much talent in that area, so I just look around everywhere to see where there's delicious food to buy back for him to eat." Speaking of this, Murong Ting felt a bit embarrassed, but anyone could see that the father-daughter affection within the Manor of the General of Resounding Valor was completely different from that of the Minister's Manor. At the very least, it was worlds apart from the dynamic between Minister Ye and Ye Li.

Hua Tianxiang smiled. "That's why whenever I go shopping, I always drag Murong along. There isn't a single place in this capital that she doesn't know about."

Just as the four of them were conversing merrily, the door to a private room on the other side burst open with a loud bang from within. A fiery red silhouette charged out from inside.

The four of them turned in unison to get a clear look at the person. Murong Ting gasped in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that... Watch out!" Before her voice could fade, Murong Ting had already leapt up from her seat and bolted forward with incredible speed.