Chapter 589: Resentment and the Cause of Calamity

The fifteenth day of the third month, the fifteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao.

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

By the marble screen outside the hall, Wu'er wore a pale yellow, dark-patterned, front-buttoning jacket over a moon-white skirt embroidered with plum trees. A young maid followed behind her, carrying an exquisite bamboo basket.

Just then, Yuanyang came out from the hall and said with a smile, "Sister Wu'er, you sent word for me—is there some good news?"

Wu'er smiled. "On the East Prefecture side, because the Cong Sanye is about to enter the spring examinations, Lingguan went out and purchased a batch of top-quality southern goods. She's preparing to have them cooked for the Cong Sanye to take into the examination cells."

"Now that the Second Young Mistress is with child, these fine southern goods are quite nourishing. The Cong Sanye asked for some to be sent to her. This portion is for the Old Matriarch, just so she can have a taste of something fresh."

The quantity of top-tier southern goods Lingguan bought was not small; Jia Cong only needed a little for the examinations, so most of it was actually left over.

Jia Cong had thought that Wang Xifeng, regardless of whether she was managing the household or restructuring the West Prefecture's staff, had been quite diligent—even if she had her own selfish motives, it was ultimately beneficial to the household.

So he had Wu'er pack up a few of the best southern goods to send to Wang Xifeng. Since he was sending them to her, it wouldn't do to leave out the Old Matriarch.

Yuanyang smiled. "The Cong Sanye is truly thoughtful, always remembering the Old Matriarch in these matters. And who is this Lingguan? Is she the young lady the Cong Sanye brought back from Jiangnan?"

As the two were talking, they heard the clinking of jade pendants and saw the rustle of skirts as several female relatives approached, led by Lady Wang.

Wu'er did not recognize the two people following behind, but Yuanyang had seen them at Lady Wang's birthday banquet—they were the mother and daughter of the Xia family from the Osmanthus trade.

That day, when Lady Wang heard that more than half of Baoyu's maids and pages had been dismissed by Wang Xifeng, she felt she had lost a great deal of face.

Fortunately, Mother Xia had persuaded her on the side, saying that a few fewer maids for Baoyu was not a major issue; as long as he could secure his status in the West Prefecture, that was what mattered for the long term.

Only after listening to Mother Xia's seductive words did Lady Wang quell her urge to go to the West Prefecture to argue with Wang Xifeng and complain to the Old Matriarch.

Perhaps it was the panic over the decline of the Second Branch, the pressure of internal and external factors, plus Mother Xia's instigation about "relying on one's father's status," that finally made Lady Wang develop some thoughts regarding Xia Gu Niang.

Mother Xia was shrewd and cunning; having calculated Lady Wang's intentions, she naturally pushed the boat with the current. In recent days, the two families had been interacting more and more closely.

Since it was past the middle of the third month, it was the season when camellias were in full bloom. Because the Xia family dealt in flowers and trees, their collection of rare flower species was truly no less than that of the Imperial Garden.

To curry favor with Lady Wang, Mother Xia gifted her a pair of rare "Vermilion Purple Robes." These precious camellias only grew in the Yunnan region and were extremely rare in the Divine Capital.

Lady Wang didn't know if she understood the value of this tea flower, which was worth more than gold, but because she had thoughts about Xia Gu Niang, as long as the Xia mother and daughter came to visit, it suited her wishes.

Mother Xia was an extremely clever person; not only was she good at swaying people's hearts, but she also knew how to strike while the iron was hot.

Seeing that she had already made Lady Wang happy, she said that she had been to the Jia Prefecture twice but hadn't paid her respects to the Old Matriarch, which was somewhat impolite.

Lady Wang had already taken a fancy to Xia Gu Niang and was looking for opportunities to visit Jia Mu more often; with Jia Mu's intervention in the matter, things would naturally proceed more smoothly in the future, so they were naturally of one mind.

Thus, she took the mother and daughter of the Xia family, exited through the black-oiled main gate of the East Prefecture, and took a detour to visit Jia Mu in the West Prefecture.

She just hadn't expected that before even entering the Rongqing Hall, she would run into Yuanyang and Wu'er at the hall entrance.

……

Lady Wang could overlook seeing Yuanyang, but seeing Wu'er also appear at the entrance of Rongqing Hall, she couldn't help but slightly knit her brows.

Perhaps due to the sentiment of "hating the house and its crow," Lady Wang detested Jia Cong and naturally found all the maids around him displeasing to the eye.

She always felt that those maids were all born with a seductive air, and just looking at them, they didn't seem like good things.

Because Zhi Shao usually stayed in the East Prefecture and rarely moved about in the West Prefecture, and also because she had some connections with the Imperial Palace that made people somewhat wary, Lady Wang didn't dare to show her ill will.

Qingwen was originally Jia Mu's maid and had some standing in the West Prefecture, while Zhen Ying Lian was not a servant of the Jia household at all; moreover, she was born with a charming appearance, and even Jia Mu looked upon her with affection.

Lady Wang couldn't easily put on a cold face toward these few, but she felt that Wu'er, in her eyes, was merely the daughter of a kitchen servant, and she could express her disdain without any reservations.

Added to this was the fact that Wu'er had received Jia Cong's appointment and was now managing household affairs in the West Prefecture alongside Wang Xifeng; Lady Wang, clinging to her old position, felt all the more that a lowly maid had climbed over her head.

Therefore, she naturally had no pleasant expression upon seeing Wu'er, and even when Wu'er and Yuanyang paid their respects according to protocol, she only nodded to Yuanyang and treated Wu'er as if she were invisible.

……

However, Xia Gu Niang, who was to the side, was different; she had just arrived at the entrance of Rongqing Hall and noticed Wu'er almost at a glance.

That day, Lady Wang had slandered Jia Cong in front of her and her mother, saying that he only chose the prettiest maids in the entire mansion to use and even brought beautiful nuns and actresses from outside into the mansion.

Xia Gu Niang had heard these remarks and felt resentment in her heart that Jia Cong was too flirtatious, but by now, Jia Cong and she were still worlds apart, and such thoughts were too ridiculous.

Her mind seemed to have been cursed by this matter, and she was somewhat morbid and strange; once she entered the West Prefecture, she would always stare at the passing maids, looking to see if there were any beauties who could catch Jia Cong's eye.

But all the way here, there were quite a few maids in the Rongguo Prefecture who were decent-looking, but she hadn't seen any who could truly deserve the word "beautiful," which made Xia Gu Niang feel satisfied in her heart.

It wasn't until she reached the entrance of Rongqing Hall that she noticed Wu'er all at once.

Xia Gu Niang had seen Yuanyang at Lady Wang's birthday banquet, but this was her first time seeing Wu'er; she saw that this girl was pretty, delicate, and graceful, truly born with a very charming appearance.

Xia Gu Niang had always been proud of her beauty, but upon seeing Wu'er's grace, she actually felt a hidden pressure.

She also saw that Wu'er's clothes were exquisite, adorned with gold and jade, and her attire was not common; she didn't look like a maid at all, but rather like a young lady of the mansion.

However, she had seen all the young ladies of the Jia family at Lady Wang's birthday banquet that day, and none of them looked like the one before her.

She did not know the reason behind this; the cause was nothing more than Jia Cong's doting and protective nature toward his personal maids, as he did not like them to wear the rigid attire of red jackets and green coats like ordinary maids.

Ever since he established his own household, he had purchased new clothes and jewelry for his maids, choosing whatever looked best; now, among those in his rooms, from Zhi Shao downwards, who still wore the attire of a maid?

Because Wu'er had received Jia Cong's assignment to enter the West Prefecture to assist Wang Xifeng in managing household affairs, and because she was already doted on by Jia Cong and had the prestige of the East Prefecture, her daily attire also had to be elegant.

Wang Xifeng, because she was Jia Cong's trusted aide, and given her own slick and sophisticated nature, how could she not try to win over and show favor to Wu'er, sending her many high-quality clothes and jewelry?

Therefore, when Xia Gu Niang saw Wu'er, not only was she outstandingly beautiful, but her attire also showed no trace of a maid's appearance.

……

Once Lady Wang brought the Xia mother and daughter into Rongqing Hall.

Jia Mu naturally liked liveliness, and Mrs. Xia was a person with a sharp tongue; just by accompanying Jia Mu with a few pleasantries, she made Jia Mu very happy.

With Jia Mu in a cheerful mood, she couldn't stop praising Xia Gu Niang for being charming, having the demeanor of a young lady from a great family, and being very rare, and so on.

Lady Wang saw that the atmosphere was harmonious, which was exactly what she wanted, and she echoed her words frequently; Mrs. Xia felt more and more certain in her heart, having a sense of being firmly in control.

At this moment, Yuanyang carried an exquisite bamboo basket and told Jia Mu about the southern goods that Wu'er had sent.

Jia Mu also felt a bit of face in front of others and said, "Cong-ge'er only knows how to hide in his room and study foolishly, and he doesn't pay attention to household matters; it is this Wu'er who is more meticulous than him and understands worldly affairs."

Yuanyang smiled upon hearing this and naturally did not expose the truth.

Now there were only the Second Grandmother and the Old Lady as masters in the West Prefecture; just listening to Wu'er's words, the Cong Sanye actually only sent things to the Second Grandmother and probably didn't even mention the Old Lady, so it was most likely Wu'er helping her master handle things thoughtfully.

Lady Wang felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing Jia Mu praise that dead girl Wu'er in her words.

Suddenly, she heard someone beside her ask, "The young lady who was just talking to Miss Yuanyang, which young lady of the mansion is she? She sounds like she is from the East Prefecture; why haven't I seen her before?"

Lady Wang and Mrs. Xia were both a bit strange to see Xia Gu Niang suddenly speak up and ask such an irrelevant question.

They did not know that Xia Gu Niang's desires were twisted, and because of Lady Wang's slanderous words, she had developed a strange obsession with beautiful women moving about the West Prefecture.

Jia Mu smiled and said, "She is Cong-ge'er's personal head maid, Wu'er; she is no young lady, but a maid born into the Jia family, though she is indeed a clever and capable one."

Mrs. Xia flattered from the side, "The Rongguo Jia family is worthy of being a noble family of military merit; the Old Lady's management of the household is also remarkable. I saw with my own eyes just now that even a maid is so outstanding; it truly opened my eyes."

Jia Mu beamed with joy upon hearing this, feeling satisfied in her heart, and smiled, "This Wu'er has served Cong-ge'er since she was small, so her appearance is naturally better.

Now she also helps Cong-ge'er manage the West Prefecture's household affairs; it's not that every maid in the household is like this."

Yuanyang smiled inwardly upon hearing this; the Old Lady's words made it sound as if she herself valued the Cong Sanye and had specially chosen a good maid to serve him, which was also a good face in front of outsiders.

Jia Mu continued, "Originally, after Cong-ge'er turned fifteen, I was prepared to choose a good one for him to enter his room, but he insisted on having this Wu'er first; he is also a protective one."

Mrs. Xia was somewhat accustomed to such matters in great families and didn't take it to heart, just echoing a few words.

Xia Gu Niang, who was to the side, felt a surge of sourness rush to her head upon hearing this, and her whole person became somewhat twisted.

After all that, that woman was just a slave of the Jia family, Jia Cong's head maid, and he even wanted to take her as a concubine; no wonder she had that seductive look!

Jia Cong, whom she had thought was a good person, turned out to be a lecher who only liked this kind of wanton type; she didn't know if the nuns and actresses he had were also this kind of goods.

The Jia family was also a place without law; Jia Cong had no proper wife to restrain him, so he acted recklessly, actually raising a slave maid to such a high position!

……

Shenjing, Wenhan Street, Xiao Family Bookstore.

After Sun Shou-zheng left the Huang residence, he did not immediately return to his own residence, but called for a carriage and headed toward Wenhan Street to find the Xiao Family Bookstore that Huang Hong-cang had mentioned.

He was grateful for Huang Hong-cang's kindness in promoting him and had long heard of Huang Hong-cang's literary talent and fame; after the conversation in the Huang residence's study just now, he felt even more admiration for his knowledge and breadth of mind.

He heard Huang Hong-cang speak highly of Liu Ji-chuan's articles, and his curiosity naturally grew stronger.

When he was studying as a youth, he had occasionally heard of Liu Ji-chuan's deeds; because this person missed the former Song Dynasty, he had once written articles attacking the founding of the dynasty by the Taizu Emperor. Although the Taizu Emperor did not punish him for this, it was inevitable that this person would not be recognized by the Da Zhou government and would even be intentionally cold-shouldered and excluded.

In the first fifty years of the founding of Da Zhou, Liu Ji-chuan's articles and books, although not officially banned by name, were probably in a state of being semi-banned.

But even so, Liu Ji-chuan's literary fame still circulated among the literati, which shows that he must have had extraordinary qualities.

For a talent like Huang Hong-cang, who was a second-place scholar, and other famous figures in the officialdom and literati circles to speak so highly of his articles, it shows that this person's literary foundation was extraordinary.

In fact, when Sun Shou-zheng was a youth, he had not been without a desire to investigate such taboo figures.

It was just that a scholar at the age of youthful vigor would inevitably yearn for strange and adventurous things, but Liu Ji-chuan's literary records were rare, and he had never had the opportunity.

Da Zhou had been founded for nearly a hundred years; with the passage of time, no one cared about Liu Ji-chuan's old troubles, but it was still difficult to change the fact that his writings circulated narrowly.

Now that he had received Huang Hong-cang's guidance, Sun Shou-zheng naturally would not miss such an elegant interest.

Of course, Sun Shou-zheng cared about this matter, and as soon as he left the Huang residence, he went to look for the Xiao Family Bookstore; there was another hidden reason for this.

Just now, when he went to visit the Huang residence, he saw that the classics were piled up on Huang Hong-cang's desk, many of which were in a state of being read, and there were also several sheets of rice paper filled with writing.

!

Although it was not convenient for him to look closely, he could guess that Huang Hong-cang, as one of the chief examiners for the Spring Examination, bore the responsibility of preparing the examination questions.

Those piled-up classics and those ink-stained sheets of rice paper must be Huang Hong-cang racking his brains to compile the examination questions.

And that book, "Liu Ji-chuan's Literary Records," whose title he was the only one to see clearly, was also in a state of being read; was it also related to Huang Hong-cang compiling the examination questions...

Sun Shou-zheng speculating like this was not because he had any bad intentions, but mainly because he was currently a co-examiner for the Spring Examination, and he would naturally pay more attention to matters related to the Spring Examination.

……

When the carriage driver took him to find the Xiao Family Bookstore, Sun Shou-zheng couldn't wait to enter the bookstore.

The Xiao Family Bookstore was quite spacious and was one of the bookstores with a larger storefront on Wenhan Street.

Perhaps because the Spring Examination was approaching, most of the candidates were studying hard behind closed doors, and very few people would stroll around the bookstore.

Added to the fact that in the current world, books were luxury items for scholars and officials, and ordinary people were busy with their three meals and warmth, who had the spare money and spare heart to buy books?

Therefore, in the large bookstore, there were not many people coming and going to buy books, and the popularity seemed a bit sparse.

He saw a young man at the counter, wearing a light brown long robe with a dark circular flower pattern, with a neat appearance and a calm expression, who was clicking an abacus and checking the account book; he looked like the bookstore manager.

In the shop, there was an old man doing odd jobs, aged fifty or sixty, with wrinkles on his cheeks and a face full of wind and frost, wearing clean coarse cloth clothes, holding a feather duster, and slowly dusting the bookshelves.

The old man saw Sun Shou-zheng walking in front of the bookshelf and asked with a smile, "Is this official looking for any books?"

Sun Shou-zheng asked, "Old man, I heard that your shop has printed and sold 'Liu Ji-chuan's Literary Records'; I don't know where it is placed."

The old man's gaze froze slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "This official, please come with me."

He took Sun Shou-zheng to a bookshelf, took out a book, and handed it to Sun Shou-zheng; the cover was written with the words "Liu Ji-chuan's Literary Records."

Sun Shou-zheng smiled and said, "Liu Ji-chuan's books are very rare; I heard that only your shop sells them, and it is indeed true."

The old man also smiled and said, "Although Liu Ji-chuan himself is not very famous, his articles are quite unique; this official specially looking for his literary records shows that you are a well-learned and knowledgeable person."

Sun Shou-zheng had just seen the old man cleaning the bookshelf and thought he was just a servant in the bookstore, but he didn't expect his conversation to be quite extraordinary, and he felt slightly strange in his heart.

However, he didn't care; it was reasonable for an old man doing odd jobs in a bookstore to be able to read and write and have some ink and eloquence in his belly.

He asked casually, "Liu Ji-chuan's fame is not obvious, and his literary records are even rarer; only your bookstore in Shenjing has them. Are there many people who come to buy them?"

The old man smiled and said, "This book is obscure, and not many people know about it; even fewer know that our shop has printed it, so it doesn't sell much usually.

But every month, we can always sell a few copies; a few days ago, two young men came to buy it, and listening to their tone, they were candidates for this year's Spring Examination. Although Liu Ji-chuan's fame is not obvious, his literary fame still circulates somewhat.

Our manager is also a person who loves books and literature and didn't want to rely on Liu Ji-chuan's literary records to make money; it's just to promote the articles of the sages as an elegant interest."

Sun Shou-zheng's face also showed a smile upon hearing these words, and he felt a bit more favor toward this Xiao Family Bookstore.

The old man doing odd jobs in this bookstore had an ordinary appearance, but his conversation was elegant and he spoke in literary phrases; he must have been a scholar when he was young.

The manager inviting such a person to help was probably also a business tactic to make people entering the shop feel that "there is no talk with the unlearned, and no unlearned people come and go," which was also an interesting thing.

Moreover, the manager knew that Liu Ji-chuan's literary records couldn't make money but still printed and sold them; such an act of spreading literary spirit could be considered a Confucian merchant with literary spirit, which was enough to be praised.

……

Sun Shou-zheng smiled and paid for the book, took the book, and walked out of the Xiao Family Bookstore, but just as his feet stepped out of the entrance, he suddenly stopped.

He thought of the situation in Huang Hong-cang's study and just heard the old man say that a few days ago, candidates for the examination had come to buy "Liu Ji-chuan's Literary Records."

Since this book was so obscure, and yet candidates for the Spring Examination specially came to buy it, could this just be some kind of coincidence...

Sun Shou-zheng had been a supervisory censor for several years and had long formed a fixed mindset of getting to the bottom of things and reporting on rumors, which was probably what later generations called an occupational disease.

Added to the fact that he was appointed as a co-examiner for the Spring Examination, he added an unusual amount of attention to all matters related to the Spring Examination...

He walked back into the shop and asked the old man selling books, "Old man, you said that a few days ago, candidates for the examination also came to buy this book; do you remember their names?"

The old man was quite surprised upon hearing this and said, "Why does this official ask this? That was a few days ago, and I remember it a bit vaguely; I have to think about it carefully."

Sun Shou-zheng stepped forward and said, "I admire Liu Ji-chuan's articles quite a bit; I just want to find a few like-minded people to discuss literature and Dao together."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver and stuffed it into the old man's hand, smiling, "I have to trouble you to think about it carefully."

The old man took the silver without changing his expression, seemed to recall it slightly, and smiled, "I am not yet senile; I can vaguely remember that those two candidates once addressed each other by their courtesy names.

One was in his early twenties, with the courtesy name Xiwen, and the other was nearly forty, with the courtesy name Brother Bao Kun; as for their surnames, I don't know."

Sun Shou-zheng was slightly disappointed upon hearing this; knowing only the courtesy name without the specific surname was equivalent to knowing nothing.

However, he had only asked the old man on the spur of the moment, and even if he didn't find out the bottom of it, he didn't take it to heart.

The old man watched Sun Shou-zheng's departing back and revealed a cold smile with an unclear meaning at the corner of his mouth.

He opened the cabinet under the shelf, took out several brand-new copies of "Liu Ji-chuan's Literary Records," and placed them back on the shelf.

He said to the young man clicking the abacus at the counter, "Jingdong, it was rainy a few days ago, and my old cold legs haven't stopped acting up and haven't healed properly; I'm going to the pharmacy to buy a few plasters to apply."

The young man didn't even lift his head, continued clicking the abacus, and said, "Uncle Qin, just go; I'm here in the shop..."

……

Shenjing, Qingliu Fang, Huang Residence.

After Sun Shou-zheng left, Huang Hong-cang polished the draft of the examination questions again, suddenly thought of something, and walked to the bookshelf to search.

But he searched for a long time and didn't find what he wanted, and his face looked a bit anxious.

At this moment, his daughter brought in another cup of hot ginseng tea and saw her father busy at the bookshelf, asking, "Father, are you looking for something?"

Huang Hong-cang said, "Last month, the son of my former classmate and friend came to visit; out of consideration for the old friendship with his father, I once drafted questions to guide him.

I casually placed the draft of those questions on the bookshelf; I don't know why, but now I can't find it?"

The woman put down the ginseng tea and also walked to the bookshelf to help her father search; after a while, she found a folded sheet of rice paper in another compartment of the bookshelf.

She opened it, took a look, handed it to Huang Hong-cang, and said, "Father, is this the draft?"

Huang Hong-cang took it, looked at it, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Although I placed it on the bookshelf, it doesn't seem to be in that position?"

The woman said, "Father has been busy with the Spring Examination recently and has exhausted too much mental energy; perhaps you placed it somewhere and got confused yourself."

Huang Hong-cang carefully examined the draft in his hand and carefully compared it with the policy questions he had just polished on the table, his expression quite solemn.

The woman saw Huang Hong-cang's abnormal expression and asked with some worry, "Father, is something wrong?"

Huang Hong-cang said, "At the time, I wasn't certain that I would be selected as the chief examiner, so out of old friendship, I drafted questions to guide two juniors; now it seems a bit rash.

However, those two people's temperaments and actions seem to have some sense of propriety, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

It's just that I shouldn't have misremembered the storage location of this draft...

The Spring Examination is a matter of great concern to the world and has always been full of dangers and traps, making it impossible to guard against.

I am suddenly a bit worried; although our household has few people, we are now the target of public criticism, so being careful is never wrong."

Huang Hong-cang carefully organized all the drafts of the examination questions on the desk, including the final draft, into a stack, and carefully checked the study to ensure there were no omissions.

The woman saw the manuscript in her father's hand, especially the final draft on top, and her heart tightened.

Huang Hong-cang lit a candle again, ignited the draft, and threw it into the fire basin, turning it into ashes... (End of chapter)