Chapter 81 Let Me Teach You How to Be a Man
Ruan Qingyan invited Lian Ding and Qiu Yelan for dinner. They chatted after the meal and then Lian Ding went back as he had to reply. Ruan Qingyan wanted to talk more with Qiu Yelan, but two or three bunches of people came successively and asked him to go to Jinpa Pavilion. Qiu Yelan stood up and said, “Go there, cousin. Anyway, it won’t be long before we have time to talk again.”
“Be careful in Prince’s Mansion. If something happened, just send someone here and tell me.” Ruan Qingyan had no choice but sent her on the carriage. He didn’t let her go until he thought he had given her enough cautions.
When Qiu Yelan left General’s Mansion, she heaved a long sigh of relief, “My cousin is more and more like a senior. I feel a headache whenever I see him!”
Su He said with a smile, “Young Master Ruan cares about you.”
“Didn’t you see I was lectured?” Qiu Yelan looked askance at her.
“That’s for Your Grace’s own good!” Su He said with a smirk. “I also think Your Grace is too high-spirited. Your Grace is 13 and young master won’t let you go on like this.”
Qiu Yelan pretended to be angry, “Whose maid are you? I will give you to my cousin as his little concubine and let my future sister-in-law bully you!”
Su He wasn’t scared by her words at all. She stuck her tongue out and said, “Didn’t Your Grace say you wanted to be a good sister-in-law and get on well with your cousin’s wife? Is it proper to send your close maid to Young Master Ruan as his concubine?”
“How clever are you!” Qiu Yelan poked her in the forehead with false anger.
They bickered like this on the way back to Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. Before they entered the room, Xiaran came out and reported, “Chunfu Princess and Young Lady He next door sent an invitation and asked you to go to Yunyi Restaurant at Mirror Lake in the south of the city for Begonia Poetry Party.”
Qiu Yelan was surprised, “How can I go there during the mourning period?”
Xiaran followed her into the room and said, “It’s okay. The guy who sent the invitation said that although there was a patch of begonia woods beside Yunyi Restaurant, the flowers were not so beautiful. Thus, Chunfu Princess planned to bring some begonia bonsais there, one of which is the birthday gift from your father to the lady of Marquess Qin. When you were young, your father had pa.s.sed away. It’s proper to go and see the thing that is relevant to him.”
“But I sense this so-called poetry party is designed particularly for me.” Qiu Yelan sat down and was about to take the teacup when something occurred to her. “April 9th? Isn’t it the day of the Courtesan Compet.i.tion?”
Xiaran said, “It is not only the day of the Courtesan Compet.i.tion — do you know where Yunyi Restaurant is? It’s not far from Spring House and is across the lake from Jinpa Pavilion. The Courtesan Compet.i.tion will be held right on Mirror Lake!”
“I see!” Qiu Yelan said seriously. “I know cousin shouldn’t be involved in the Courtesan Compet.i.tion! Look, Chunfu Princess is upset.”
Xiaran also agreed with her, so she told her about the location of Yunyi Restaurant, “It’s lucky that we can still save the day, or her highness would not have asked you there with an appropriate excuse!”
Qiu Yelan thought for a while and said, “I have to think of a good reason for my cousin, or else we will be enemies instead of families and that will be big trouble!”
They discussed it for a long time. But as neither of them knew the extent to which Jiang Qizheng was suspicious, they had to react according to the situation there.
“Now that it is called Begonia Poetry Party, how do you think of making some poems beforehand? Your Grace” Xiaran reminded.
Qiu Yelan shook her head, “I don’t have that mood now. Plus, I will go there because of my father, not for poetry.”
Xiaran thought and agreed.
In the following days, Qiu Yelan kept considering how to explain Ruan Qingyan’s thing to Jiang Qizheng, so that her mind wandered in cla.s.s.
Shao Yuemei had taught for more than a decade and with her rich experience, she knew Qiu Yelan had something in her mind.
So Jiang Qizheng got the latest news, “Since Commandery Princess Ningyi received the invitation from you and Young Lady He, she was so anxious that she couldn’t concentrate in cla.s.s.”
“Why was she so nervous? Will we eat her?” this time He Shuijin was not here, so Jiang Qizheng went to her sister-in-law Little Tao for discussion. “But do you think she was nervous for herself or she worried that her affairs with Ruan Qingyan are known by us so she felt guilty?”
Little Tao said smilingly, “I have never seen her and you want me to tell you this. How can I know? But whichever reason that makes her so anxious, you will see it when you meet on that day.”
Jiang Qizheng agreed with her, so she put it aside and continued to prepare for the poetry party.
When she left, Little Tao’s maid Lvzhan asked, “Young madame, I remember you guessed that Commandery Princess Ningyi kept mentioning Ruan Qingyan in front of Chunfu Princess and Young Lady He because she wanted to be the matchmaker rather than she fell in love with him. Why didn’t you tell Chunfu Princess?”
Little Tao said in a low voice, “It’s only my guess. If it proves wrong, I will be too embarra.s.sed. If right, although Ruan Qingyan is a Jinshi under 20 years old, there are still too many good men for Chunfu Princess and Young Lady He to pick and marry. If Commandery Princess Ningyi annoys them by this, as she is the one Jiang Yashuang likes, there will be a conflict between them!”
Lvzhan said, “You are so kind.” But she didn’t think alike, “I’m afraid she didn’t tell them on purpose as she has a plain look and is not liked by the eighth young master. So when she heard that Commandery Princess was so beautiful that the nineteenth young master couldn’t stop missing her and helping her, she was jealous and wanted Chunfu Princess to think that Commandery Princess was not good!”
As she thought so, she knew she was now 16 and would be married to someone in a few years. Suddenly she got a good idea, “The eighth young master and the nineteenth young master are brothers. Though they don’t often be with each other because of the age gap, they still care about each other. If I tell young madame’s thoughts to the eighth young master, he will surely remind the nineteenth young master.”
Certainly, the point was not to make Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan a couple but that: “In this way, I can have a chance to talk with the eighth young master…. Which clothes should I wear? The new light yellow dress has a collar so high that it can’t present the beauty of my neck, but the luminous green one is not made of high-quality cloth….”
Lvzhan made up her mind to sleep with Jiang Yadan, so she thought of all the ways to carry out her plan quickly.
When the day when Jiang Yadan came to greet Madame Tao came, she dressed up and found an opportunity to meet Jiang Yadan at a quiet place. Then she told him Little Tao’s “jealousy” softly.
Jiang Yadan had seen so many women and Lvzhan was not so attractive to him. He knew her plan immediately but he didn’t care. Seeing Lvzhan was beautiful after dressing up, he held her in his arms readily before she finished her words….
After that, he came to Little Tao and told her that he would make Lvzhan his concubine. Seeing his always gentle and quiet wife became surprised and angry with tears, Jiang Yadan seldom felt guilty. He didn’t scold her for Lvzhan’s words but comforted her. In the end, he inquired about Jiang Yashuang, “I heard he fell in love with a girl?”
Little Tao had been used to his affairs. Although this time was her close maid, it had happened and she still had to go on with life. So she answered him listlessly, “They all say so, but he himself doesn’t admit.”
“He was taught by grandparents to be a nerd. At his age, he hasn’t had any concubine. I feel shameful for him!” Jiang Yadan didn’t think he was strange. “Now he finally likes someone and it is normal for him to deny.”
Then he asked about the detail, “Commandery Princess Ningyi? Then why you didn’t let her cancel the engagement with Deng Yi?”
Little Tao answered, “That’s grandmother’s order. Jiang Qizheng and He Shuijin met her twice and found that she often mentioned Ruan Qingyan so they worried that she loved him. Grandmother said if so, it was better to let her marry Deng Yi or Ruan Qingyan and we would let her go. If there is nothing between them, since she is still in the mourning period of her mother, she can’t be married. It’s good to let Madam Shao observe her in these years.”
Jiang Yadan smiled and said, “No wonder Shao Yuemei moved from our family. I know she taught Jiang Qisheng and Jiang Qizheng well and grandmother asked her to stay here permanently to teach the girls of the next generation. You sent her there to be a spy.”
Although it was not Little Tao who put forward this idea, her face was still red and argued, “After all, it is the first time that Jiang Yashuang has fallen in love and we are afraid that he will be hurt.”
Jiang Yadan said, “He’s not a girl and how can he be hurt? I say you should have let me take him along to meet girls for a few years and no one will hurt him anymore. But by the way….”
He wore a thoughtful look, “That little Commandery Princess is still growing but has a stunning look that other beauties can’t compare.” He said with pity, ” Now that she’s the one Yashuang likes, I will let her go.”
Little Tao’s expression was rigid as she knew what he meant. If Jiang Yashuang didn’t fall in love with Qiu Yelan, Jiang Yadan would pick her up.
She didn’t know what to say. After she calmed down, she said, “Do you have anything else?”
Jiang Yadan squinted at her with a half-smile, “What? Are you driving me off?” The Jiang Family’s males all had a good look. Although Jiang Yadan had long been chasing women, he was still at a golden age. His eyes were like bright stars and his brows were like long swords. Little Tao’s cheeks became pink when he looked at her.
Stunned for a moment, she said in a hurry, “No, it’s about the time when the servants come for the report.”
“Then you should go.” Jiang Yadan had intended to flirt with her and decide whether to stay for the night depending on her reaction, but when he heard what Little Tao said, he cursed “dull” in his mind and ignored the disappointment on her face. Standing up, he said, “I’ll go to Yashuang.”
Seeing his brother come, Jiang Yashuang was not surprised at all, “I did return the money left last time. Now I only got a couple of hundred taels saved from my allowance. If you need it, just take it.”
Jiang Yadan laughed and scolded him, “Do I come just for money?” He said it with some guilty. Actually, the adult male member of the Jiang Family had a generous allowance each month. He was a level five military official and also had a salary. Besides, his inferiors also gave him payoffs. But all these were not enough for him to spend, so when he ran out of money, he had to come to his brother and cousins for help.
However, most of the Jiang Family men were spendthrifts who did not get much money at hand, except Jiang Yashuang.
Since he saw someone give Jiang Yashuang a large sum of money last time, when he came here, he would come to Jiang Yashuang and see if he could grab some again.
At the moment, he was seen through by his brother and felt embarra.s.sed. He hurried to change the topic, “I just think the triennial Courtesan Compet.i.tion will be held three days later. You are a young man. How can it be interesting to write and practice martial arts in your room all day long? What about going with me there to have some fun?”
Jiang Yashuang didn’t even consider it, “No, that’s not a clean place. Grandfather said….”
“Stop!” Jiang Yadan felt restless and said. “I have told you many times. Don’t mention the lecture of grandfather and grandmother before me! I hate it!”
He knew his younger brother was virtuous and it was not easy for others to persuade him into watching the Courtesan Compet.i.tion. But it was not hard for him, “In fact, Jiang Qizheng and other girls also want to watch, but you know in their position, they can’t go there openly, so they plan to hold a Begonia Poetry Party at Yunyi Restaurant as an excuse. But the Courtesan Compet.i.tion is a big event. There will be full of people around Mirror Lake. Will you rest easy when our sister and cousins are also there? Thus we should order a room next to them and protect them!”
Jiang Yashuang didn’t know the real aim of the Begonia Poetry Party. When he heard it, he hesitated, “Why do they like to watch that?”
“Just for fun. It’s not a big deal,” Jiang Yadan said. “Other male cousins all have to work and are not available, except me. And you are free at home. If you don’t go with me, I can’t take care of all the girls by myself!”
Jiang Yashuang felt he got some other designs but he also knew Jiang Yadan would not harm him as they were brothers. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, “OK!”
“This boy is taught to be a nerd by the old men so that when he likes a girl, he becomes such a coward that his sister and female cousins need to help him…. Even the female teacher was sent to be a spy for him! That’s not the Jiang Family-style!” Jiang Yadan walked out of his younger brother’s courtyard slowly and snorted. “Let me teach you how to be a man!”