She didn’t care. She had no desire to marry those so-called "young talents" and end up like Jun Xiukun, becoming either someone's "humble wife" or the nameless "Lady Jun."
"Jiangjuan, your stepmother says you’re planning not to marry?"
"Everywhere I look, all I see are men like Zheng, or those who want to marry into the Jun family for status. No matter what their social standing, none of them are the type I want to marry. Let people talk if they want! Big Sister, let’s protect the Jun family together."
"You’ve grown up, but that kind of thinking will ruin you," Jun Qiluo said, gently stroking her sister’s head.
After being apart for nearly half a year, she couldn’t help but see her sister in a new light; she had never realized how mature Jiangjuan’s thoughts had become.
"I don’t care. But you, you must give birth to a son! Now, Father is holding things together, but if he passes away, many people will look down on us just because we’re women. I don’t want the Jun family’s business to fall into Zheng’s hands—he would only squander it. He reads all day, thinking himself a scholar, and even says we reek of money! Does he not realize that everything he eats and uses comes from our family? How can a mere scholar enjoy the luxuries of numerous servants? The son of a fool like him could never become a business genius." Jiangjuan had no faith in Zheng Shuting.
"A small fish in a pond has never seen the great ocean; there’s no need to argue with him. Even if we handed the business to him, he wouldn’t dare take it. Though he’s pedantic and conceited, he does have some literary talent. Perhaps one day he’ll pass the imperial exams and leave our family. Then, he won’t be around to annoy you anymore."
"Pass the exams? Only if the heavens are blind!" Jiangjuan glanced at the sky, hurriedly gathering the parchments on the table.
"Wow! It’s getting dark. I need to have the porter prepare the carriage for the business office. If I’m any later, Mother won’t let me leave the house."
Jun Qiluo patted her belly, feeling her stomach churn again, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. These two little ones were just like their father, always tormenting her!
But she had no complaints. All of this…
The past was like light smoke, vanishing without a trace. No matter how intense the emotions had been, they now only lingered in her heart. Perhaps a touch of sweetness would come to her in midnight dreams, but in reality, they would never meet again.
She was dead, wasn’t she? Now, at last, he could marry those three princesses with a clear conscience, no longer angered by her.
He had tolerated her, after all. Otherwise, during the three months they had spent together, she would have died several times over. She wasn’t unaware of his kindness, nor ungrateful for it; but to accept his heart and affection meant truly surrendering her own heart. Once she offered her true heart, mere kindness wouldn’t be enough. She wanted his love, and only for herself.
But his status and circumstances didn’t allow him to decide for himself, and she knew this, yet she couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t watch another woman share the man she loved. So, she chose to retreat, choosing death to express her protest and condemnation.
Did fate spare her because their connection wasn’t finished? What would be the end of a love without destiny?
Yelü Lie…
Thinking of him made her heart ache. Was this the torment she would have to endure for the rest of her life? Was this the consequence of the ending she had chosen?
Was she wrong? Or is it really that difficult to find true love and sincere affection?
* * *
The heat of the sun had already begun to bring out a light sweat.
It was a bright and sunny day, the sunlight enchanting, and the Jun family garden was a sea of blooming flowers.
Jun Jiangjuan helped her heavily pregnant sister, who for once wasn’t suffering from morning sickness, outside to soak up some sun.
The two sisters returned to the "Flower House," a place where they had often played as children, to relive old memories.
The so-called "Flower House" was a thick cluster of tall shrubs planted in the central courtyard garden of the Jun residence. When they were young, the three sisters had chosen the densest clump of bushes behind the pavilion and dug out a small hollow in the middle to rest in when they were tired of studying.
Now that they were back, although they had grown, the space was still big enough for two people to squeeze in.
Jiangjuan, holding a copy of the Book of Songs, earnestly addressed her sister’s belly: "My dear little one, today Auntie is going to teach you a passage from the Airs of Wei in the Book of Songs, called 'The Wood-Pea.' Listen closely! ‘A wood-pea given to me, in return, I give a fine jade. Not in return, but to establish a bond. A wood peach given to me, in return, I give a fine gem. Not in return, but to establish a bond. A wood plum given to me, in return, I give a fine stone. Not in return, but to establish a bond.’
What this means is that when you grow up to be a great merchant, dashing and charming, if you fancy a girl, you just buy a wood-pea and throw it at her, and she’ll throw a jade pendant back at you. Not only will you win the beauty’s heart, but you’ll also make a huge profit! A wood-pea costs ten coins, and a jade pendant can be worth anywhere from twenty to over a hundred taels of silver. In other words, it’s a business with a thousandfold return. If we plant wood-pea trees, peach trees, and plum trees at home, we’ll even save on the cost…"
"Jiangjuan! What nonsense are you talking about! You’ve turned a beautiful love poem into something so vulgar—aren’t you afraid Confucius will come to you in a dream to scold you?" Jun Qiluo scolded her, both amused and exasperated.
Teaching this girl to read seemed almost unfair to the authors.
"Not at all. I’m merely expounding on the essence of the Book of Songs! We’re talking business, and reading should be applied to real life. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Zheng, wasting a lifetime on books."
"You’re not even trying to understand, and you’re corrupting children in the process."
"I’m teaching him how to do business!" Jiangjuan switched to another book and began to read aloud again: "Once there was a madman, named the Banished Immortal; his pen could stir up storms, his poetry could make gods and ghosts weep. Hmm, very good! Little one, if you don’t go into business, you should become a great figure—don’t become a poor, stinking scholar. If you want to be a literary man, then aim to be like Li Taibai!"
Jun Qiluo could only let her sister ramble on, her eyes gazing toward the north. By now, it should be late spring in the north as well.
"My dear, don’t be angry anymore!" a gentle female voice drifted from the pavilion.
The two sisters exchanged a startled glance—it was Xiukun. Jun Jiangjuan quickly got up to take a look, and sure enough, it was Zheng Shuting and Jun Xiukun in the pavilion, along with four maidservants.
Zheng Shuting’s displeased voice could be heard: “I can’t take it anymore. These past few months, I’ve been afraid to step outside, fearing that if I run into friends, they’ll ask me about your sister. You’ve been spreading the news that she’s newly widowed, and outsiders might believe it, but which of our friends and family could be fooled? She came back with an illegitimate child of unknown origin, and there are rumors of strange creatures in the Helan Mountains. What if she’s carrying some kind of monster? I’m ashamed to have this kind of in-law! If your father doesn’t give me an explanation today, I’m determined to sever ties with the Jun family. Otherwise, how can I face my cultured friends?”
“Husband! Father will never send my sister away. We just need to avoid coming here! Besides, she’s about to give birth—where would you send her?” Jun Xiukun whispered anxiously.
“Send her to the northern estate to give birth, and marry her off as soon as possible. Anyone will do, even a commoner. She’s already ruined her reputation; anyone willing to take her would be good enough. Who knows what kind of creature she’s carrying? The midwife is spreading the word that her belly is too large—if it really is a monster, won’t it bring disaster to the Jun family? Your father is too indulgent with you women, which is why you’ve become so unruly. If you hadn’t married me, you’d end up like your sister, shamelessly disgracing the Jun family and ruining my reputation.”
“Since Father isn’t here, let’s come back tomorrow.”
“Hmph! You can come back tomorrow yourself. Tell your father that as long as Jun Qiluo stays, I, Zheng Shuting, will not set foot in the Jun family home.”
Their voices grew more distant, occasionally mixed with Jun Xiukun’s pleading apologies…
If Jun Qiluo hadn’t held Jiangjuan back, she would have rushed out to confront that fool Zheng.
“Big Sister, he’s gone too far! Who does he think he is? If he really had such high moral standards, why wasn’t he ashamed when he was spending our family’s money? Instead, he has the nerve to come here and try to drive us out? Big Sister, don’t pay attention to him—don’t let him have his way.”
Jun Qiluo smiled coldly.
“He doesn’t have the power to drive me out. I think he’s forgotten who he is. Fine! If he wants to act high and mighty, then we won’t tolerate him any longer. Starting tomorrow, he’ll learn what it truly means to have a scholar’s integrity!”
“Wow! That’s great! Sister, what’s the plan?” Jiangjuan clapped her hands in excitement, eagerly asking; she knew her sister was about to take action.
“Tomorrow, after Xiukun returns with the child, have Stepmother keep her and take her to the estate in Suzhou for three months. Once they’re on the road, immediately reclaim the estate they’re living in now and call back the servants. Have the accountant stop issuing their living expenses. Let’s not be too harsh—give him a small wooden house and a tiny plot of land so he can live like Tao Yuanming. If he comes to the door, don’t let him in—treat him like a mad dog. I’ll take responsibility for everything. In just ten days, he’ll realize how much our ‘money-grubbing’ Jun family has provided for him. In one month, he’ll be in utter despair; in less than two months, he’ll lose all his arrogance and come begging! But I want him to suffer for three months. When we support him and his wife in the future, it will be with restrictions; if we let him take whatever he wants, he’ll forget that he came from a poor family and start thinking he’s a prince. Let’s see if his so-called refined friends will still associate with him!”
Jun Qiluo’s method of revenge was actually well-intentioned. Nearly two years of a comfortable life had turned Zheng Shuting from an ambitious young man into a shallow, pampered dandy, neglecting his studies in the process. If this continued, it wouldn’t be good for Xiukun either. The Jun family’s excessive leniency had only fueled his arrogance—he needed a lesson!
Money can lead people astray, and even the most promising young men are no exception.
Jiangjuan cheered, “I’ll fully support this plan and cooperate completely! I can’t wait to see that bookworm’s miserable expression.” She paused. “But what about Father…?”
“I’ll handle Father! You go rally Stepmother. Can you do it?” Jun Qiluo asked as she stood up.
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