They parted on bad terms. Yan Zhi’an had come storming in and then hurried off, leaving the servants below frozen in place, not daring to move, with no idea what had happened. Their mistress, however, sat leisurely inside sipping tea, a spring breeze on her face, and even remarked, “This year’s snow is much heavier than last year’s.”
The servants kept silent, none of them knowing what had occurred. Judging by their mistress’s expression, the Left Prime Minister hadn’t gotten the better of the exchange. As for what the two had said, no one knew.
By the afternoon, news of their discord had spread, though no one paid it any mind.
By evening, the snowman in front of the Left Prime Minister’s bedroom was a bit bigger than last night’s, with an especially chubby belly. It looked very festive, utterly at odds with the silent, lifeless bedroom.
That snowman enjoyed a decent lifespan, for no one dared knock it down. Even Chen Qingrong, upon seeing it, would remark in surprise, “Only Xunqi would dare build such an ugly snowman in front of her mother’s door.”
It was this blatant favoritism that gave Xunqi her audacity, yet she never presumed upon the indulgence and remained perfectly obedient.
Chen Qingrong’s discontent was gradually dispelled by Xunqi’s obedience. With a child around, the household had become much livelier. In the past, it had been dead and dreary—her daughter wouldn’t even crack a smile when she returned to the residence. Now, whenever she saw Xunqi, her face would be wreathed in smiles, and she’d even ask a few questions.
Chen Qingrong had gone out to listen to opera again today. She didn’t dare take Xunqi along to gallivant about, because Xunqi’s studies were heavy. Every rest day, she still had to attend lessons at the Right Prime Minister’s Residence, leaving her no time to rest even within a month. Yet she never complained, staying cheerful day after day.
When Yan Zhi’an returned, Xunqi was crouching in front of the snowman, swapping a new sword into its hand. Her light-colored clothes were rather inconspicuous, like a stretch of river water—not rushing, yet full of warmth, merging into the spring scene and gradually drawing the eye.
“How’s the handiwork coming along?” Yan Zhi’an teased. Seeing the plump, victorious general, she felt a sudden urge to play and patted its round belly.
With today’s additions, the fat snowman had grown a bit larger, gaining eyes and a nose, making it even more lifelike.
Xunqi was quite pleased with her masterpiece. She brushed the snow off her clothes. “It’s done. Why are you back so early today, Mother?”
“I came back to tell you something.” Yan Zhi’an’s good mood was doused by those words. Recalling that she needed to discuss Xunqi’s marriage with her made her head ache with worry.
She lowered her head and turned to go inside. Seeing this, Xunqi followed her in.
The two entered one after the other. Yan Zhi’an had just sat down when Wuqing arrived from outside the door. “Head of the Family, the Seventeenth Miss has been found.”
Both of them were startled. Yan Zhi’an immediately rose to her feet. Xunqi asked, “Where?”
“About a hundred li from the Capital City,” Wuqing replied. She looked at the Head of the Family. “However, people from the Yan family are also there. The Sixth Master has gone.”
“Mother, let Wuqing and me go, shall we?” Xunqi decided on the spot, her eyes clear and bright. “Mother, I want to bring the Seventeenth Aunt back and hand her over to you for judgment.”
The Sixth Master might dote on his daughter, but when faced with family interests, he might not be able to hold on to his fatherly affection.
Yan Zhi’an had wanted to refuse, but remembering Shangguan Li’s words, she nodded. “I’ll give you both Wushuang and Wuqing. Be careful. Xunqi, remember—your life is the most important thing. Everything else can be cast aside. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
“Alright.” Xunqi nodded, stepped forward to hug her mother, then immediately turned and left with Wuqing.
It was her first time going out. Yan Zhi’an still couldn’t rest easy, so she added several capable hands to the escort and gave her the Prime Minister’s Residence Token—even the Female Emperor’s token. As long as she didn’t make a fuss, no one on the road would dare provoke her.
Xunqi went straight out, token in hand. Yan Zhi’an chased after her, watching her nimbly swing up onto the horse, then stepped forward to instruct her: “Don’t stir up trouble. Just bring her back. Only once she’s back can your Seventeenth Aunt be safe. Tell her that no matter who she wants to marry, I can make the decision. If she wants a dowry, she’ll have a dowry. I will never go back on my word.”
That was the confidence of the Head of the Yan Family!
Hearing this, Xunqi looked down. Beneath the dazzling pearl ornaments was her mother’s strikingly beautiful face, graceful and compelling. She was not a fragile woman, nor a helpless madwoman. Her confidence shook Xunqi to the core.
“Alright, I’ve got it. I’ll go quickly and return quickly. The wind and snow outside are harsh, so please go back inside.” Xunqi gripped the reins and gave her mother a faint smile. “Trust me. I won’t disgrace you.”
With that, she clamped her legs against the horse’s flanks and shot off like an arrow from a bow.
Farther and farther she rode, until she vanished from sight.
Yan Zhi’an’s expression did not change, but her hands clenched tightly within her cuffs. Slowly, she turned and went back into the residence.
After Xunqi left, the Left Prime Minister’s Residence quieted down. Chen Qingrong returned from her outing and went to the Main Courtyard, where all was silent. She stopped, puzzled. Had the little thing done something wrong and been punished?
The plump general was still by the door. She walked over, took a look at it, and couldn’t help but laugh. For a moment, she seemed to see Xunqi’s smiling face.
“This child.” She sighed softly and stepped inside.
Once inside, it was so quiet it seemed no one was there—yet her daughter was sitting behind the desk. Chen Qingrong asked in confusion, “Where’s Xunqi?” She hadn’t actually been punished, had she?
“The Seventeenth Miss has been found. Sixth Uncle has rushed over as well. I sent Xunqi to bring her back. If the Seventeenth Miss ends up in Sixth Uncle’s hands, I’m afraid something will go wrong.” Yan Zhi’an’s expression was grim. “What a hassle.”
What was even more of a hassle was Xunqi’s marriage.
Chen Qingrong walked over and looked at her daughter’s face. “That reminds me. I’ve been going out lately, and someone was probing, asking about Xunqi’s marriage. I said she was still young, no rush. But she turns fifteen after the New Year—she’s not that young anymore.”
Yan Zhi’an recalled those people’s scheming and felt a surge of disgust. She couldn’t help but sneer, “They’re meddling in affairs that have nothing to do with them.”
“How is it not related? They want to marry your daughter. You silly girl—someone making inquiries means they want to marry your daughter.” Chen Qingrong couldn’t help but complain. “You won’t marry yourself, so are you going to stop her from marrying too? If not, just recruit a son-in-law into the family. What do you think?”
“Who do you want to recruit?” Yan Zhi’an asked her mother patiently. So the people outside had all set their sights on Xunqi, each one clicking away at their own abacus.
How could she let these people have their way?
Chen Qingrong could still read the meaning behind Yan Zhi’an’s probing words. Her face immediately flushed. “You make me sound like a villain. Do you really intend to keep her for your whole life?”
“I’m not used to adding people to the household, Mother.” Yan Zhi’an’s gaze darkened. “If anyone asks again, just tell them the family isn’t in a hurry and use that as an excuse. Whether the Yan family marries off its daughter is none of their business. A bunch of old foxes.”
They were all scheming over Xunqi, but she was still a child!
Chen Qingrong sighed. More than a decade ago, it had been just the same—people came to sound her out, asking about her daughter. At that time, she and her husband couldn’t make the decision, so they’d used that as a dodge. But now, Xunqi’s marriage lay entirely in Zhi’an’s hands.
She sighed and asked, puzzled, “What kind of son-in-law do you actually want? Let me scout around for you?”
Son-in-law? That word was so unfamiliar. It was a question Yan Zhi’an had never considered in her entire life. For a moment, it truly stumped her.
In truth, it wasn’t about what kind of son-in-law she wanted, but what kind of person would be worthy of Xunqi and treat her well.
After a long silence, she looked helplessly at her mother. “I don’t know either.”
“You don’t know? It seems you haven’t thought it through. When Xunqi comes back, ask her yourself. Don’t let her follow the same road you did.” Chen Qingrong stood up and sighed. “Your path may look glorious, but I know you don’t have a single close companion. All these years, I’ve thought—whether it’s a man or a woman, if you just brought one back, I’d be satisfied.”
Yan Zhi’an’s gaze sharpened, her face burning red. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t you like Headmaster Yuan? I know all about it.” Chen Qingrong said with serene certainty, insisting her daughter had someone in her heart. “The two of you—one stands atop Mount Yuan, her students filling the realm, her prestige unmatched; the other is the Head of the Yan Family, serving as Left Prime Minister, with equally distinguished students. If either of you so much as stirred, you’d affect half the students in this dynasty. I know your heart is bitter, but you can’t let Xunqi walk your path. That would be too painful.”
Yan Zhi’an could feel her mother’s heartache, but that wind of tenderness blew so fiercely it made her whole body burn. “Mother, you’ve got it wrong. Yuan Fusheng and I don’t have the kind of feelings you imagine.”
“Her feelings for you, I see them very clearly. If not for that, why would she remain unmarried to this day? And why haven’t you married either? Wait—no, that’s not right. Where did Xunqi come from?”
Chen Qingrong was talking to herself when she finally realized it. Her daughter had a child after all.
No, no. She’d gotten the relationships all tangled up.
Yan Zhi’an covered her face, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the ground, unable to comprehend her mother’s train of thought.
Chen Qingrong paused for a long moment, then suddenly asked again, “Are you just going to live like this, never finding anyone? You’re only twenty-eight.”
“Mother, if you like men, go find one yourself.” Yan Zhi’an stood up and strode off, her steps hurried.
The next moment, her mother’s scolding came from behind: “What nonsense are you talking!”
A hundred li from the Capital City, there was a small town. This year, a new academy had opened in the town, accepting only female students and teaching qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. There were two female teachers at the academy—one excelled in calligraphy and painting, the other was unmatched in chess. After the academy opened, the nearby families all sent their daughters to study there.
In just two short months, they forced the neighboring academies to the brink of closure, as the new academy was both crowded and cheap. It was then that the Yan family received a report. Someone, holding a portrait, found Sixth Master Yan, who was searching for his daughter, and told him that a female teacher had come to town who bore a striking resemblance to the person in the painting.
Sixth Master Yan immediately sent people charging into town. Sure enough, they found his daughter. Not only that, they also found a familiar young lady.
A member of the Yuan Family Academy—Yuan Fusheng’s cousin-niece.
Behind the academy, there was only a single bedroom, and the two had long been sleeping together. Sixth Master Yan seemed to realize what had been going on. Furious, he tied up his daughter and sent someone to notify the Yuan family.
The Yuan family’s people arrived quickly and swiftly took the young lady away. Seventeenth Miss suddenly slammed against the door, fighting with all her might to stop the Yuan family from taking her.
Sixth Master Yan was so angry his head spun. He pointed at Seventeenth Miss and cursed, “Make another scene, and you’re no longer a daughter of the Yan family!”
“Do you think I want to be a daughter of the Yan family?” Seventeenth Miss rebelled—a rare sight. She glared at her father, staring straight at him. “You’ve been useless your whole life, hoping to reap benefits from my marriage. Do you think you’re some kind of loving father?”
“Seventeenth Miss! How dare you!” Sixth Master Yan was so enraged his vision went dark. “You wouldn’t marry into the Fang family, so I called off the engagement for you. Even if you married a beggar, I’d buy the beggar a house and land and marry you off with full glory. But you? You fell in love with a woman—a woman of the Yuan family! How can the two families of Yuan and Yan show their faces to anyone after this?”
