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Chapter 15: He Got Rejected?

At the start of spring, on the first day the government reopened, a new group of female officials officially assumed their posts.

Ju Chen was appointed Dianji (Registrar), an official of the eighth rank.

When new officials enter service, it’s customary to receive small congratulatory gifts from colleagues. In the current court, the Empress Dowager holds the reins of power. As someone close to her, Ju Chen naturally received attention from the Six Ministries.

This morning, the ministers sent their gifts to the Li residence. Technically, it should have been the officials themselves or their direct subordinates delivering the gifts personally, but most only sent female family members, observing the etiquette reserved for the inner court.

They still believed that, after all, a female official was just a woman—not one of them.

Ming Luan was a simple-minded girl—happy as long as gifts arrived, never questioning whether the protocol was correct. She cheerfully opened each gift box, and among them, the most extravagant and eye-catching was a red coral bonsai sent by the Minister of Personnel.

“Minister Liao seems quite generous. Looks like he really values you,” Ming Luan said happily, then opened another box and examined the bird’s nest sent by the Minister of Revenue. “Minister Wang is so stingy, just sent a few small bowls of this.”

Ju Chen chuckled, “He’s in charge of the treasury. Of course he can’t afford to be generous.”

Ming Luan pouted. Still, she felt the Personnel Ministry’s gift seemed more sincere.

She brought it over for Ju Chen to admire, but Ju Chen’s expression remained indifferent.

She was no longer the naive girl who used to be flattered by a bit of attention.

In her previous life, Liao Wenze had sent the exact same gift.

Back then, she was young and foolish. Grateful for even a little kindness, she thought she was truly valued. She worked tirelessly on every minor task the Personnel Ministry gave her.

Only to end up set up, scolded by the Empress Dowager, and demoted.

It wasn’t until she reached high rank later that she realized how cheap her youthful labor had been.

Ju Chen was silent for a moment, then closed the red coral box and said, “Put this away. Find a chance to return it later.”

“Return it?” Ming Luan was surprised.

“I shouldn’t take rewards for work I haven’t done.”

Ming Luan looked regretful, but followed her instructions, packing the gift away. After a moment, she asked, “Do we return the bird’s nest too?”

Ju Chen smiled gently, “A few bowls of bird’s nest—your lady can afford that much goodwill.”

Besides, she had just asked Song Mi for a position under the Revenue Ministry; she’d be dealing with them more often from now on.

Still, Ming Luan was a bit indignant, believing her lady was capable of affording ten coral trees, let alone one.

Ju Chen burst into laughter. “You’re right. Your lady is quite capable. One day, we’ll have so many antiques and treasures that they’ll fill entire storerooms.”

Ming Luan nodded vigorously. “Exactly! No matter how rare, my lady deserves them all!”

Ju Chen’s smile softened. “But those aren’t what’s truly precious.”

“Then what is?”

Ju Chen looked at her own reflection in the mirror and sighed, “Some kindnesses… you can’t repay even in a lifetime.”

Ming Luan didn’t quite understand. Scratching her head, she made a noise of acknowledgment and went off to store the gifts in the back room.

By the time she returned, Ju Chen was already seated at the dressing table, combing her hair.

Through the mirror, Ju Chen saw her approaching. Turning, her pale, elegant face lit with a brilliant smile. “Ming Luan, help me do my hair! Today is my first official day on duty!”

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At the sound of the morning bell, Ju Chen entered the Imperial City’s ceremonial path and stopped before the Phoenix Pavilion.

The Phoenix Pavilion was a new administrative building established in the first year of Jiahe by the Empress Dowager.

While the late emperor was alive, he and the Empress Dowager ruled jointly. Before his death, he left a will granting the throne to the crown prince but entrusting state and military affairs to the Empress Dowager.

Thus, the Phoenix Pavilion was created—serving as the Empress Dowager’s secretarial office and link to the court. Before this, there had never been female officials involved in such matters, and the official system was still developing. For now, it followed the ranking structure of inner court female officials.

Ju Chen’s position of Dianji (Registrar) held the eighth rank, equivalent to a food supervisor in the imperial kitchen.

But she had no need for cooking skills and served no concubines. She was the Empress Dowager’s Attendant Recorder, later becoming most adept at drafting imperial edicts for the future Empress.

Though her current qualifications were still modest and required more training, one day when the Empress Dowager ascended the throne, Ju Chen would be appointed the first-ever female Grand Academician, breaking the fifth-rank ceiling for women and attaining a prestigious fourth-rank post.

And any decree written by Grand Academician Li was virtually never rejected.

Ju Chen lifted her hem and stepped over the threshold of the Phoenix Pavilion.

Her mentor, Palace Attendant Shen—now the Pavilion’s director—was currently assigning duties to each new female official.

When her sharp gaze landed on Ju Chen, Ju Chen quickly bowed and smiled.

Shen frowned slightly but nodded in return. Although she had never liked Li Ju Chen, the Empress Dowager had chosen her, so Shen was determined to teach her well.

She first taught Ju Chen the basic duties of an Attendant Recorder and the crucial points for documenting the Empress Dowager’s daily life. Then she handed Ju Chen a fish-shaped token, sending her to the archives to study past records of emperors’ daily routines.

This alone revealed the Empress Dowager’s ambition to claim the throne—she had already begun appointing her own recorders.

Ju Chen followed orders and immersed herself in the historical archives all morning. At noon, Xue Wan and Lu Yun peeked in and called to her, “Come on, time for lunch!”

Unlike inner court servants, Phoenix Pavilion officials followed the full civil schedule: on duty at dawn, one hour of rest at noon, and off duty at dusk. Days off were every ten days.

The Phoenix Pavilion had its own staff dining room, and the Empress Dowager, in her kindness, also gave lunch stipends. If the food wasn’t appealing, officials could freely dine out.

So every noon, people in the court could see elegant female officials laughing and chatting as they walked toward the restaurants on Gold Market Street.

Ju Chen and her two companions headed to Taiyuan Pavilion, the nearest restaurant to the palace. The moment the three graceful young women entered, the corridor stirred with noise—many private rooms peeked through their curtains.

Xue Wan glanced at the mesmerized male gazes from the railings and whispered to Ju Chen, laughing, “Why does this happen every time we go out with you?”

Ju Chen answered truthfully, “I think a lot of them are looking at you two.”

Lu Yun’s lips curved as she shook her head. “They look at us for status. You—for beauty.”

“Tch. It’s not like I don’t want status,” Ju Chen frowned. “If my ancestors had worked harder, what could I have done?”

Just as she finished speaking, a teasing male voice floated down from the stairway.

Lin Zongbai covered his mouth and smiled. Seeing her look up, he rose and greeted her with a warm and familiar voice—one that seemed to pierce through the years:

“Chen-meimei (Little Sister Chen).”

Ju Chen was momentarily stunned.

The last time she saw that gentle face in her past life, it had been lying cold in a wooden coffin.

The return of an old friend filled her heart with joy.

Her lips curled into a bright, familiar smile, and she nearly called out playfully, “Brother Bai”, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of the man seated beside him.

Song Mi sipped his tea slowly, his gaze sweeping coolly in her direction.

Ju Chen quickly corrected herself and bowed politely, her voice soft:
“Young Master Lin, I hope you’ve been well.”

Lin Zongbai blinked in surprise.

Xue and Lu also greeted him politely, then respectfully acknowledged the man seated at his table—Prince Pengshan.

Lin Zongbai smiled and asked, “Just off duty? Come to eat?”

Ju Chen nodded obediently.

He grinned, his charming peach-blossom eyes sparkling. “Order whatever you like. Today, lunch is on me.”

---

Ju Chen subconsciously started to worry. “No need, you…”

Lin Zongbai directly cut her off. “I have money now.” He paused briefly, glanced back at her, and smiled. “Thanks to the prince’s help in making connections, I just bought Taiyuan Pavilion today.”

Ju Chen was genuinely happy for him, her smile deepening. She bowed again, and while Song Mi wasn’t looking, whispered softly, “Congratulations, Brother Bai.”

Lin Zongbai raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t comment on the change in how she addressed him. Instead, he called for the shopkeeper and personally led them to be seated and well taken care of.

Thanks to Lin Zongbai, the three women were given the best seats across from them.

Ju Chen accepted the tea poured by the shopkeeper with a nod. During a pause while sipping her tea, she couldn’t help but glance back.

At that very moment, Song Mi happened to lift his lashes.

Their eyes met. Ju Chen froze, her heart thudding uncontrollably before she quickly turned her head back.

Lin Zongbai poured tea for Song Mi. Following his gaze from just now, his eyes landed on the three young women across from them.

Lu Yun was seated directly opposite Ju Chen. Noticing Lin Zongbai’s gaze, she looked over at him. That noble, elegant figure was still as charming as before. She couldn’t help but sigh to the other two, “The eldest son of the Lin family had a brilliant reputation in his youth. Even my grandfather, after reading his essays, said he had the potential to become a top scholar. It’s such a pity he chose a path in business instead.”

Xue Wan gently blew the foam from her tea and sighed, “It’s not that he didn’t have ambition. He simply didn’t have a choice.”

That year, when Lin Zongbai was supposed to take the imperial exam, the Lin family suddenly fell into ruin. His parents died, and as the eldest son, he had to support an ailing grandmother and four young, inexperienced siblings. With a massive debt looming over him, becoming an official would have meant living on meager wages—nowhere near enough to support his family. With his upright nature, he could never resort to corruption.

Even when Ju Chen and Princess Xuyang secretly filled his rice jar with fine bran, he returned it all. If forced to accept anything, he would insist on recording it as a loan.

For years, he toiled endlessly just to survive, rarely seeing his old friends. But now, at last, he had made it.

Ju Chen traced the rim of her teacup with her pale fingers, a warm layer of nostalgia in her eyes. “In truth, there’s more than one way to realize one’s ambitions. As long as one holds a heart loyal to the country, no matter the status or position, when the nation is in danger, they will rise to defend it.”

In a past life, when 200,000 Turkic troops invaded, if Lin Zongbai hadn’t poured his wealth into sending provisions to the front lines, the state of Liang would have crumbled against the Turks. She and the King of Pengshan likely wouldn’t have even held the Eastern Capital—let alone lived to see the days when foreign envoys came in tribute.

Xue Wan and Lu Yun exchanged a look, silently agreeing with Ju Chen’s words. They raised their cups in salute.

The three toasted together. Ju Chen smiled gently, and when she glanced back again, Lin Zongbai and Song Mi were already chatting with arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

In her past life, Ju Chen had been close friends with Lin Zongbai. Later, she often saw him hanging around with Song Mi and used to feel irritated, thinking he was favoring outsiders over her.

Now she finally understood what it meant to be kindred spirits.

At this point, Lin Zongbai still thought of himself as just one of Prince Pengshan’s idle companions. He had just been turned down by Song Mi, who said he needed to return to the Inner Court that afternoon. Lin Zongbai smiled, raised a brow, and casually remarked, “I just returned from a business trip in Yangzhou yesterday. The Empress Dowager summoned me to the palace.”

Lin Zongbai paused intentionally, waiting for Song Mi to ask questions. Song Mi merely cast him a cool glance.

Feeling a bit deflated, Lin Zongbai gave up the game and got straight to the point. “Nothing major. She just asked whether you’ve had any new romantic prospects these past six months.”

Now that Lin Zongbai was running most of the restaurants and entertainment venues in the capital, he was more attuned to gossip and whispers than anyone.

Song Mi raised a brow. “She asked you to spy on me?”

Lin Zongbai shook his head with a laugh. “She wouldn’t do something that would irritate you. If she really did send someone to tail you, wouldn’t you raise hell?”

The truth was, the Empress Dowager still carried guilt toward Song Mi and didn’t want to provoke his resentment.

Song Mi drank his tea in silence. Lin Zongbai rested his chin on his hand and commented leisurely, “I told her you’ve been busy with official duties. Just promised Lu Feng you’d let him work under you, and oh—gave his blind date a ride home.”

Song Mi’s hand paused mid-air as he set down his teacup and glanced sideways.

Lin Zongbai slapped his forehead dramatically. “Ah—I forgot to mention the blind date to Her Majesty.”

As soon as he spoke, he sneaked a glance at the dainty figure across the room. The amused curve of his lips clearly indicated he had picked up something from Song Mi’s subtle reaction.

That a woman had actually ridden in Song Mi’s carriage? Only someone as dense as Lu Feng wouldn’t find that unusual.

But just what place did this “newcomer” hold in Song Mi’s heart? Lin Zongbai couldn’t figure it out.

He gave a light laugh, leaned toward Song Mi, and lowered his voice to probe: “If you ask me, Sister Chen is truly remarkable—not only beautiful, but also fascinating.”

Song Mi narrowed his eyes. “Are you very idle lately?”

Lin Zongbai acted as though he hadn’t heard and went on, “Unlike me, you don’t need to worry about marrying into status to elevate your family. In Dongdu City, who has higher standing than your household? So the only thing that matters is whether your heart’s in it.”

Song Mi’s lips straightened, a cold sneer escaping.

If feelings were all that mattered…

Even if he wanted to, what could he do if she didn’t return the sentiment?

Seeing his brows furrow deeper and deeper, Lin Zongbai grew uncertain.

Was Song Mi feeling unworthy?

Only thinking of taking her as a concubine?

Or did he just want a fleeting, nameless romance?

Just then, a maid brought over a tray of pastries. Among them was one adorned with white orchids, releasing a faint, elegant scent.

Lin Zongbai frowned. “I didn’t order that.”

The maid bowed. “The shopkeeper said this is a new recipe from the kitchen. He hopes the owner will sample it first.”

Lin Zongbai nodded and offered politely, “Want to try?”

As expected, Song Mi shook his head, set down his tea cup, and stood up. “I should go. There’s still a pile of paperwork waiting on my desk.”

Lin Zongbai rose as well to see him off.

Song Mi paused before leaving, then pointed at the white-orchid pastry. “Pack that one for me.”

Lin Zongbai blurted, “But you don’t like sweets—”

He stopped mid-sentence, immediately realizing—he didn’t like sweets, but someone else did.

The maid quickly packed it up. Song Mi tucked the parcel into his sleeve with care.

Watching this careful gesture, Lin Zongbai frowned and couldn’t help but say, “If you don’t really mean it, best not to mess with her. That girl… she’s the type who’s black and white about everything. Once she decides on something, not even ten oxen can pull her back.”

His warning was well-meaning—afraid that if Prince Pengshan was just toying with the girl’s feelings, it would end in heartbreak and quiet tears.

Unexpectedly, the moment he spoke, Song Mi’s face darkened completely. A cold glint passed through his eyes—along with a barely perceptible trace of sorrow.

Lin Zongbai quickly covered his mouth. Wait—had he already been rejected?

“Forget I said anything.”

Then he gave an awkward little smile, clenched a fist, and gave Song Mi a subtle thumbs-up.

—

The early spring sun was warm, gentle rather than harsh.

When Ju Chen returned to the Phoenix Pavilion, she found a small parcel of pastries in her drawer. Wrapped in oil paper, it was still sealed, yet its fragrance already escaped through the folds.

On the back of the paper, there were just two characters—“Ci You” (lit. “farewell to sorrow”). The brushstrokes were neat and bold, the ink strong and elegant.

Ju Chen stared at those two familiar characters. The longer she looked, the more her heart skipped a beat.

As the sun moved westward, golden light spilled across the courtyard steps.

Ju Chen brought a brocade box to Ci You Villa. Song Mi had not yet returned from the Inner Court.

She placed the box on the dressing table, then undressed and bathed.

With damp hair draped over her shoulders, she sat on the bed, waiting.

By the time dinner was served, there was still no sign of him.

Unable to resist, Ju Chen leaned on the window-side floor mat and looked outside.