CHAPTER 16

Chu Jinyao blinked, not understanding. Qin Yi was really an unpredictable person. She was sincerely asking, so why did he laugh? She was somewhat unhappy and planned to question him after he finished laughing but the fellow laughed endlessly. As such, she could only interrupt him: “I am asking you properly. Be more serious about it and don’t laugh.”

With a relaxed smile on his lips, Qin Yi replied lightly, “It could be that the teacher that taught me was better.”

The Crown Prince had been specially taught by scholars since he was a child and these people must not only have profound knowledge; they had to have noble morals and prominent reputations too. In the entire court of civil ministers and Generals, it could be said that the Prime Ministers and important ministers throughout the dynasties who could be the tutor of the Crown Prince would be proud of it. It was not just normally good to be Qin Yi’s teacher.

However, Chu Jinyao did not know the value of the teacher that Qin Yi mentioned. When she heard that the other party’s teacher was good, her thoughts paused. “It is said that famous teachers make valued students. If the teacher is good, then normal people would not be able to imitate them, no matter how much they learn. It is better for me to honestly practice.”

Qin Yi took a step to the side and hooked his fingers to signal Chu Jinyao to come closer. She hesitated, “This…” Qin Yi currently had the visuals of a young male. As it was improper for male and females to touch each other’s hand when passing objects, how could she be so close with him?

When Qin Yi saw that Chu Jinyao had not moved, he stretched his hand out and pulled her directly over, “Hurry up. I cannot leave the jade pendant for too long. If one does not teach by hand, there would not be any result in practicing.”

As Chu Jinyao’s wrist was being held, she could only see the other party’s slender fingers. Qin Yi was still in a spirit state, thus his fingers were still translucent, but even so, it did not prevent him from covering her wrist with only one hand. With just a little force, he was able to pull her over.

Chu Jinyao strangely felt that this was a pair of hands that practiced martial arts. If one did not practice martial arts, their fingers would not be this long and powerful.

How long has Qin Yi been cultivating the belief that he is this powerful in both martial and scholarly arts? As Chu Jinyao was thinking about it in a daze, there was a sudden flick on her forehead. Even though it was not painful, it was enough to wake her up.

“What are you doing?” Chu Jinyao clutched her forehead, displeased, She glared at Qin Yi.

Qin Yi raised his brows and said, “Oh, is there a reason at your side for being distracted? Hold the brush properly and write as I have spoken.”

Chu Jinyao’s heart was set on learning and if she did not concentrate, her pigtail would be caught by Chu Jinmiao. She immediately retracted her thoughts and listened carefully to Qin Yi’s words. Standing beside her, he taught her how to handle the brush, move the brush, lift it up and when she was unable to do it well, he would directly reach out and hold the brush to correct her, as he was of an impatient character. He was to her left, and every time he wanted to hold the brush, his arms would stretch out from behind her as he monitored her corrections. Chu Jinyao was very uncomfortable. She told herself that Qin Yi was a spirit and did not have any sense of guarding against males or females so she should not be calculative with him on such matters. When such matters recurred often, she slowly got used to it. She let him hold her hand and move on the paper and her writing became smoother.

Chu Jinyao had previously rarely written. She was very afraid of the brush and ink, but now, with Qin Yi, she has actually started to get used to them quickly. When he let go afterwards, she could write a few decent words. Chu Jinyao was very happy in her heart and turned around to say, “Look, I can write by myself!”

Chu Jinyao had forgotten that Qin Yi was standing behind her. Now that she had turned her head very quickly, it seemed to make the distance between them quite close. When she turned around like this, she almost hit his chin.

Qin Yi had to go around Chu Jinyao to hold the brush; thus, it was inevitable for him to stand closely. As he was much taller than her, he could only use one hand as support on the table and the other to encircle her and guide her calligraphy. Now that she suddenly turned around, she almost hit him.

When Chu Jinyao saw that Qin Yi’s face was so close when she turned around, she was stunned on the spot, but Qin Yi reacted very quickly and immediately raised his chin before lowering his eyes to look at her. “What are you doing?”

Chu Jinyao felt embarrassed in her heart. This was her first time being so close with a male, and at this moment, she clearly realised that Qin Yi was a male and she could no longer interact with him like before. Just as she wanted to speak to ease the atmosphere, she discovered that Qin Yi’s chin was much thinner than before, and his face was so transparent that he almost melted into the air. It had a type of fragile beauty to it, which made his features more exquisite.

However, Chu Jinyao no longer had the mood to appreciate Qin Yi’s outstanding appearance. She anxiously spoke, “What is the matter with you? Are you uncomfortable?”

Qin Yi put on an indifferent expression, “It is nothing. It has been too long since I stepped outside the jade pendant, so my soul cannot take it. It would be alright once I go back inside and rest.”

What alright once he goes back to it and rests? Were matters of the soul a joke? Chu Jinyao was really furious. “Since you cannot come out for too long, then you better go back quickly! It is all my fault. I was just focusing on practicing calligraphy and did not pay any attention to you.”

“I am fine.” Saying so, Qin Yi finished speaking; he could not help but add, “Don’t think too much about it. It has nothing to do with you.”

“All right. I know. Quickly go back!”

Qin Yi was someone who could not stay idle since he was a child and hated being restrained the most. However, he was being restricted to the jade pendant, so there was an unspeakable boredom to it. It would have been alright if there was no other way out, but now that he could escape from its confines, he did not want to go back to it again. However, Chu Jinyao was so anxious that she was almost in tears. As such, he had no choice but to return to the jade pendant, albeit reluctantly.

Back inside, his weak soul immediately felt much better. Qin Yi sighed softly and immediately comforted the flustered girl. “I am fine. Don’t cry.”

Is this called fine? Chu Jinyao was about to cry out of anger. How could this person not take his health seriously? She fell silent for a while, not knowing who she was angry with. Finally, she said, “Don’t do this the next time.”

“En. All right.” Qin Yi carelessly replied. He yawned lazily, “You should practice your calligraphy. This is a skill that requires milling. You cannot be lazy at all.”

“I understand.” Chu Jinyao sat in front of the desk, picked up the brush, and said while she dipped it into the ink, “I will be here practicing. If you are tired, then take a rest first. I will accompany you.”

Qin Yi laughed. “I am not a child, so why the need for accompanying?” Although he said this, the effect of his weakened soul was just too great. He could only hold on for a while before falling into a deep sleep.

Seeing that there was no more sound from Qin Yi, Chu Jinyao moved even more carefully. One could only hear the rustling of the brush nib in the study.

As the night gradually turned deeper, the maids lit the lanterns along the long corridor. The many courtyards in the residence of Marquis Changxing had all been brightly lit up. At this time, there were very few people walking around the house. Regardless of what was said or done during the day, those people who sat under the same lamp at this time were the ones that were truly close.

Chu Jinmiao placed the lampshade on the candle and asked, “Father is not coming here today?

“The time is such already. One fears that the Marquis will stay in that courtyard,” Zhang Momo replied.

It stood to reason that Chu Jinmiao was a young lady and should not be asking about matters concerning her father and Concubines. But she had been very close with Madam Zhao since she was young, and as Madam Zhao had suffered grievances from Concubines, she liked to speak about them to Chu Jinmiao. Over time, the people around Madam Zhao became used to it.

Marquis Changxing had a wife and three concubines. Although Madam Zhao had a stable position as the official wife, it was actually only on the surface. The one that actually was favoured was Concubine Huang.

Just like tonight, Marquis Changxing stayed at Concubine Huang’s courtyard again.

When Madam Zhao entered the family, she was the eldest daughter-in-law and was also the Marquis Madam. One did not know how many people were paying attention to her belly. She only got pregnant almost a year into her marriage. However, even with everyone’s expectations, she was unable to obtain a male and gave birth to Eldest Young Lady instead. Even though Old Madam Chu was disappointed, she still gave Madam Zhao face and carried Eldest Young Lady away, strictly raising and grooming her as what an Eldest Di-Granddaughter should be. Even though, in terms of relationship, it was very unfair to the mother to carry the child away upon birth, in noble families, it was an honour for the elder generation to personally educate the granddaughter, and it would highlight the mother and child’s position. After Eldest Young Lady was carried away, Madam Zhao was under the utmost pressure and had no other choice but to stop the medication for a few Concubines.

When Madam Zhao was pregnant with Eldest Young Lady, she was unable to serve the Marquis of Changxing; thus, it was inevitable to take in concubines. Old Madam Chu had sent over a maid, Fu Rong, to serve Madam Zhao, but she would not be able to know the real reason. Madam Zhao did not like her mother-in-law interfering with matters of the bedroom and kept on suppressing Fu Rong and not allowing her to serve. When Old Madam Chu learned about it, she did not say anything. A few days later, Marquis Changxing went out socialising and brought a female back. The female had the surname Huang and was given to Marquis Changxing by a Taiyuan official. It was said that she was brought over from Yang Zhao, was specially taught, and was to be given to officials.

As soon as Madam Huang entered, she displayed her strong skills in fighting for favour. Madam Zhao did not take it seriously, thinking that Marquis would tire of it soon, but as she watched as Madam Huang’s power grew, Madam Zhao felt restless. She could only quickly let Fu Rong serve so that she could divide Concubine Huang’s favour. After Madam Zhao gave birth to the eldest young lady, she did not get pregnant for a long time. She could not tolerate the pressure from her in-laws and reluctantly stopped the medication for Madam Huang and Fu Rong.

In the courtyards of the nobles, the Concubines’ positions were those of half a servant. As long as the official Madam did not agree, they had to drink the pregnancy prevention soup after serving at night, as the Shu-bloodline was not allowed to disturb the hierarchy of the family clan. The eldest son and eldest daughter could only be born from the official wife’s womb.

When Madam Zhao stopped the medication for the Concubines, that meant that there was a possibility that the Eldest Son could be Shu-born, and this was not a decent thing for the official wife. However, Madam Zhao had too much pressure and only gave birth to the Second Young Master with great difficulty. However, it did not take too long for Concubine Huang and Fu Rong to become pregnant one after the other and give birth to Shu-sons. Madam Huang was favored, and now that she stopped taking the pregnancy prevention soup, she gave birth to the Third Young Lady, Chu Jinchan, the year after having a short rest from giving birth to the Third Young Master.

Madam Huang had given birth to a son and daughter, and her status in the Inner Courtyard had risen a lot; she became more arrogant. After Madam Zhao gave birth to the second daughter, there were no other movements. Other than the first and fifteenth of every month, Marquis Changxing would seldom come over to the main house to stay overnight. Even if he were to stay overnight, he would only sit down to talk. Madam Zhao saw that there was no other way to continue the Di bloodline; thus, Zhang Momo gave Madam Zhao an idea to let the dowry maid, Bai Ling, serve. As long as Bai Ling was able to retain Marquis Changxing, it was considered to be remaining at Madam Zhao’s place.

Madam Zhao had very reluctantly let her dowry maid, Bai Ling, serve and raised her officially to a Concubine. However, Bai Ling was no opponent of Madam Huang’s. It took several years before she gave birth to twins, the current Seventh Young Master and Eighth Young Lady, who were six years old at the moment.

In the Inner Courtyard, Concubine Huang was truly the one who had the sole monopoly. Fu Rong was after all Old Madam Chu’s people, and thus, for the sake of face, Marquis Changxing did not treat her coldly. After all was said and done, the most deserted place was Madam Zhao’s.

Chu Jinmiao had always been close with Madam Zhao and knew about the bedroom matters here. When she heard that Marquis Changxing went to Concubine Huang’s again, she was so angry that she almost slammed the teacup onto the table. “Why is Father always unable to differentiate the degree of severity? What kind of person is Madam Huang, and how can she be worthy of such respect?”

An unmarried young lady could not speak of such matters of Concubines, and it was just unsightly. However, there were no outsiders present, and thus Zhang Momo and the rest just closed the other eye and let it pass.

Madam Zhao continued, “That is exactly so. Madam Huang is used to putting up an act. Look at her waist and legs. She cannot even sit properly and is so foxy, but men always fall for this trick.” Madam Zhao got angrier as she thought about it and could not help but scold, “All are sluts to the bones.”

Madam Zhao’s words were not appropriate, but Zhang Momo and Chu Jinmiao remained silent as they did not know how to persuade her. After a while, Chu Jinmiao comforted her. “Mother, don’t be angry with them. No matter how favoured they all are, can they supersede you? No matter how confused Father is, he would not allow matters like annihilating the official wife.”

Zhang Momo also said, “Yes. Madam, men’s favour in the Inner Courtyard is all temporary. Children are one’s true support. You still have the Second Young Master!” Zhang Momo wanted to say that you have the Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Lady, and the Fifth Young Lady, but she remembered that Chu Jinmiao was still present and that it was not good to mention Chu Jinyao, so she omitted all the young ladies.

Zhang Momo had instantly changed her words, and thus Madam Zhao had not heard it, but Chu Jinmiao had. Her expression did not change, but she coldly looked at Zhang Momo.