Chapter 132: Emerald Brows, Crimson Lips

After Jin Cai left, Xue's madam remained restless; though her son was reckless, he was her only child, the one she loved more than her own life, and now that this had happened, she had no idea what fate awaited him.

Just as she was in a frenzy of anxiety, a young girl stepped swiftly into the hall—slender and graceful, her glossy black hair coiled into a bun, emerald brows and crimson lips, almond eyes like water, skin like jade.

A golden pearl hairpin adorned her head; she wore a pink cross-collared jacket on top and an orange-yellow pleated gauze skirt below, with sparkling golden jeweled necklaces, her beauty so exquisite and otherworldly that the entire room seemed to glow.

"Mother, you just asked me to write a note—your maid said Brother is outside fighting someone and actually killed a man. What exactly happened?"

Xue's madam wept, furious and enraged, recounting the whole affair, then added: "This wretch—if he had half your sense, I could die content right now."

He's always been riding horses, cockfighting, drinking, and causing trouble—that's one thing—but now he's taken a life! Better you kill me first, so I won't have to see or hear it anymore."

The girl's face paled as she listened. "Mother, don't be angry yet. Brother is foolish and unworthy, but now that this has happened, we must handle it properly—delay will only make it worse."

"I just heard from Jin Cai that a young master named Jia Cong has arrived at the old Jia residence in Xinglong Fang—he's close friends with the Prefect of Yingtian, Jia Yucun. I've already sent a formal invitation, asking him to visit. Perhaps he can mediate and help smooth things over."

Though worried for her brother, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is this the same Jia Cong that the shopkeeper from Shenyang mentioned—the one from Lady Rongguo Mansion who topped the county examination?"

The old Jia residence in Xinglong Fang.

He glanced at Jin Cai standing below, and beside her the sharp-eyed Xue household boy.

"Yes, it's him."

Many things in this world follow cause and effect; unless you intervene with prior knowledge, you cannot escape the subtle threads of fate.

I already saved Xiang Ling—but he still killed Feng Yuan, his malice too deep to redeem.

Yet I never expected events to unfold so swiftly—Feng Yuan still lost his life. He altered Xiang Ling's destiny, yet Feng Yuan could not escape his doom.

Still, there's Jia Zheng's reputation to consider—I must go. I've already planned how to handle him.

He frowned slightly. Jin Cai was too talkative, dragging him into this mess.

But he had no desire to get involved in the Xue family's affairs.

Yet now he bore the name of a Lady Rongguo Mansion scion, raised under the care of the second branch. Had Jia Zheng not supported him back then, he'd likely still be languishing in the Eastern Courtyard, barely clinging to life.

Jia Cong read the invitation and fell silent.

He had always remembered this favor. Xue Xue Yima was Wang's younger sister, his nominal elder. If he ignored her invitation, the gossip would be unbearable.

The Xue family mansion.

He would never be like those Jia family members, breaking laws and burying secrets to save such a man—only to leave himself a source of future disaster.

Xue Pan was a dissolute, brutal man. In the original timeline, he forcibly bought Xiang Ling, treated her cruelly, and she eventually died from the abuse.

As for him saving Xue the Fool? Only if he himself were a fool. Better to shift blame entirely onto the Jia household.

The Xue household boy said that this morning, Xue Pan had killed Feng Yuan—just as Yingtian's constables arrived to arrest Dong Dong Laier. They didn't catch Dong, but ran straight into Xue the Fool.

…

The boy sent to deliver the invitation to the Jia mansion returned: "The Jia family's Third Young Master, Jia Cong, has received the note. Since it's a formal visit to an elder, he's preparing a modest gift and will arrive shortly."

…

The day after he took Xiang Ling away, he wrote to Jia Yucun to report the case, expecting Dong Dong Laier's arrest to end the matter.

Xue's madam sighed in relief. After all, they were kin—she had sent the invitation, so he would come. Her hope that Jia Cong could help rescue her son grew stronger.

Beside her, the radiant, exquisite girl's gaze stirred with quiet curiosity.

Lately, many rumors had come from Shenyang: this Jia Cong had not only topped the county examination but had also been appointed an eighth-rank official by the Emperor, and was famed for his literary brilliance—poetry and prose both peerless, his name echoing through the capital.

He was said to be the final disciple of the great literary master Liu Liu Yanxiu.

Just hearing of these things stirred the heart—she longed to see what manner of man he truly was.

If he possessed such ability, perhaps he could ease her brother's suffering. But that brother was too arrogant and reckless—if he continued like this, no one could say how it would end.

At that moment, a maid announced: "The Jia family's Young Master Cong has arrived at the second gate." Xue Xue Yima hurriedly ordered him brought in.

The girl's eyes turned involuntarily toward the hall entrance.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the courtyard's flowers and branches, then streamed through the hall's doorway, casting silver-speckled shadows across the jujube-wood floor.

Suddenly, those beams of light rippled as if disturbed—then a young man stepped into the hall.

He wore a moon-white Shu brocade robe embroidered with silver bamboo patterns, his waistband tightly cinched. His long, glossy black hair was neatly combed into a topknot, secured by a smooth, lustrous white jade hairpin.

His bearing was noble and radiant, his brows thick and straight, his eyes like autumn pools. The lines of his nose and lips were as clear and graceful as mountain streams—uniquely beautiful. He stood like a jade tree in the wind, as if stepped straight from a painting.

The girl stared, spellbound. The disturbed light at the doorway made her feel faintly dizzy.

Jia Cong saw a middle-aged woman seated above, dressed in luxurious silks, adorned with pearls and jade, her face gentle, with fine lines around her eyes and brows.

Beside her stood a radiant young girl—her brows naturally emerald, her lips naturally crimson, her almond eyes shimmering, her beauty utterly unearthly.

"Jia Cong pays his respects to Aunt Xue."

Xue Xue Yima gazed at the boy before her—like a jade tree and orchid—and praised: "I've long heard you were exceptionally talented, but I never imagined you'd be so striking in appearance. Your grandmother truly has great fortune."

She studied him again, unable to stop praising, asked his age and birth details, and exchanged a few pleasantries.

She pointed to the girl behind her. "This is my daughter, Xue Baochai. She's older than you—today, you two are officially acquainted as brother and sister."

Jia Cong looked at the girl whose name he knew well, and smiled. "Sister Xue Baochai."

Xue Xue Baochai responded with equal poise. "Brother Cong."

Xue Xue Yima, still weighed down by her son's crisis, exchanged a few more idle words, then cut straight to the point and explained her request to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong listened, thinking quietly. Beside him, Xue Xue Baochai watched his expression intently.

"Aunt Xue, you don't know—I've only just met Jia Yucun. We've never had any prior connection."

Xue Xue Yima's expression froze. Disappointment flickered across her face. She was worldly-wise—she heard the evasion in his words.

Xue Xue Baochai gazed at Jia Cong, her eyes glinting.

Jia Cong continued: "In truth, when I arrived in Jin Ling, Jia Yucun treated me with such courtesy for another reason entirely."

"When he was dismissed from office and awaiting reinstatement, he had once been Lin Lin Meimei's tutor. Her father, Lin Lin Ruhai, introduced him to your Second Master."

"Your Second Master helped him secure the post of Prefect of Yingtian. He then claimed kinship with the Jia household as a junior relative. So it's not for your sake—he's showing respect to your Second Master."

Xue Xue Baochai suddenly spoke: "So the Jia family is truly Jia Yucun's benefactor. Brother Cong, as the Jia family's outstanding scion and a man of great wisdom—could you offer us some advice?"

"My brother acted recklessly and brought this disaster upon himself and others—but he is still flesh and blood. Please, Brother Cong, guide us. Your humble sister thanks you in advance."

She bowed gracefully before him.

Jia Cong was slightly startled. Xue Xue Baochai was composed, magnanimous, sharp and insightful—her reputation was truly deserved.

(End of Chapter)