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Chapter 10
Tao Sheng then comforted Mother Tang with a few more words, completely calming her anxious heart.
Tao Sheng accepted the gloves from Mother Tang and personally stood up to see her out.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw her cousin Ji Yanming standing outside.
Today, Ji Yanming looked a little different from the icy young man when they first met. Although his face still seemed a bit cold and distant, there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Tao Sheng remembered that in the original text, Ji Yanming had always been indifferent and moody, a political machine without any emotions. The only thing that could make his mood fluctuate was usually when he had harmed some political enemy.
Tao Sheng noticed that Ji Yanming seemed to be in a good mood and wondered if someone had already fallen for the future Prime Minister’s trap.
Ji Yanming, who would later become a powerful official in the capital, was now just a young boy dressed in thin clothes, his ears reddening from the cold wind outside the door.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were relatively few restrictions on women, and the barriers between men and women were not very strict. This was especially true in families like theirs, where normal interactions between cousins were common.
Tao Sheng called out to Ji Yanming, “It’s very cold, cousin. Please don’t stand outside. Come in if you want to talk.”
Ji Yanming initially just wanted to tell Tao Sheng that he was going out tomorrow, but he found it hard to refuse after hearing her confidence and admiration for him.
Tao Sheng took Ji Yanming inside to the study where guests were received and motioned for him to sit in the guest seat.
From their first meeting, Tao Sheng was determined not to return to the Marquis’ Mansion. Ji Yanming realized she was not an ordinary girl and had her own personality.
Su Jia always valued her niece highly. With her mother’s love for her, she would definitely allow Tao Sheng to decorate the house however she liked.
However, once inside, Ji Yanming saw that the tables, chairs, and furnishings were the same as before. They were all items his mother had originally bought, reflecting her tastes, mostly suited for female elders around 40 years old, which was not appropriate for a 15-year-old girl.
The only change in the room was the bookshelf. It used to be filled with decorative novels and some Four Books and Five Classics [1]refers to the core texts of Confucianism., but now there was an extra row of shelves filled to the brim. This was the only difference since Tao Sheng moved in.
Two thick law books lay open on Tao Sheng’s desk, and she was turning to a section on clan household registration disputes, filled with her own notes written with a fine wolf-hair brush.
Ji Yanming’s slightly cold voice broke the silence: “Have you been reading these books recently?”
“Yes,” Tao Sheng replied. “The situation with my biological father… I find it hard to explain.”
Given the tempers of the people in the Marquis’ Mansion, it was uncertain whether more trouble would arise. In the original story, they did not want to recognize Tao Sheng, and after she refused to acknowledge them and left the plot, no one could predict their next move or if they would go to court.
This was not a criminal case, but a civil dispute, which is a situation involving disagreements between individuals or organizations. It is likely that personal biases of the judge would affect the resolution process.
There were no full-time lawyers in those days. With her current skills and financial resources, and without help from supporters or legal advisors, she would probably have to defend herself. It’s always wise to prepare early.
Don’t engage in a battle you’re unsure you can win.
Ji Yanming’s slender fingers skimmed the pages of the book as he said, “There are a few mistakes here.”
Tao Sheng was surprised: “Cousin understands these too?”
Ji Yanming responded, “I’ve dabbled in it a little during my free time after school.”
Then he took a blank piece of paper, picked up a pen, and made notes on the places where Tao Sheng had misunderstood.
From previous conversations with Tang’s mother, Tao Sheng learned that Ji Yanming was the top student in local exams and later entered Yuelu Academy, known for its rigorous workload.
It seemed he didn’t have much time to study these things, and he had admitted he only dabbled in some of them. However, judging by his notes, it was clear he had read them thoroughly.
His intelligence was impressive.
No wonder he later became the biggest villain in the story.
Ji Yanming’s writing style was completely different from his personality.
He was usually quiet and concise when talking with others, but the notes he wrote for Tao Sheng were surprisingly detailed and clear. He made complicated legal terms easy to understand without showing off his knowledge, allowing even a layperson like Tao Sheng to grasp his points quickly.
Tao Sheng noticed that he moved smoothly and calmly, showing little emotion. She guessed he probably had an instinctive academic mindset. After noticing her mistakes, he seemed to have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, sitting down to explain each point in detail.
However, Ji Yanming’s expression while commenting was too cold and serious. For a moment, Tao Sheng thought of the high school director busy grading winter vacation homework. Coupled with his strong future court performance, Tao Sheng felt a heavy pressure even through the paper.
In the thick atmosphere of learning, half an hour passed unknowingly.
After Tao Sheng had changed Ji Yanming’s tea three times, she began to feel a bit guilty.
Since returning to Beijing, Ji Yanming had been studying hard, hardly leaving his room and even eating there. This meant he had delayed his own work for half an hour.
Fortunately, Ji Yanming didn’t seem to intend to stay long. After making the notes, he handed them to Tao Sheng, signaling the end of their study session.
Tao Sheng watched as Ji Yanming quietly entered and left without explaining his purpose or saying a word. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Was he just passing by and happened to notice her mistakes, so he decided to help her?
She really couldn’t understand the mind of a scholarly person.
It was only after Ji Yanming said goodbye and left that he remembered he had been so focused on correcting her mistakes that he forgot to mention their plan to go out together.
When he turned back to the corridor, he saw Tao Sheng reading a book with her head down. Her fair neck slightly bent, forming a beautiful curve.
She was quiet and serious, radiating a focused beauty.
It was like a specially painted picture of a lady in winter, capturing an exquisite stillness.
Ji Yanming suddenly felt reluctant to disturb her.
These things don’t seem important. It won’t be too late to tell them when I go out tomorrow.
_
Maybe helping Tao Sheng with her notes changed his mind, so Ji Yanming read much faster that afternoon than usual.
He had a dreamless night.
The next morning, when Ji Yanming woke up, he saw it was still early. He reviewed two articles in his book before pushing the door open.
It had snowed all night, and now the ground was covered with a thick layer of white.
Tao Sheng was outside making a snowman with two maids. She wore a scarlet gold-woven jacket with a lotus pattern, a crimson cloak with a peony pattern, and a delicate white rabbit fur trim. She looked fluffy, reminding Ji Yanming of a kind of sweet rice dessert that his teacher’s wife used to make when he was studying in the south.
However, this kind of snack is rarely found in the north, and he didn’t know if his little cousin would like it.
There hadn’t been much rain or snow in Beijing this year. The first few snows since winter began were light and lasted less than half a day, leaving the ground mostly bare. This always made people feel like something was missing.
The snow that came so close to the New Year was clearly much more beautiful. Tao Sheng was so happy seeing the heavy snow that she hadn’t slept well all night and kept wanting to get up to enjoy it.
After building the snowman, she had some time before going out. Tao Sheng skipped a meal with her aunt and cousin, eating just a few cakes before getting into her carriage with the gift list.
The Su family’s carriage was small and exquisite, with enough charcoal fire to keep it warm. Tao Sheng hadn’t slept well the night before, so she leaned against the carriage wall, holding a hand warmer and feeling drowsy.
She didn’t know how long it had been when she felt the carriage stop.
A bony finger lifted the curtain, and sunlight flooded in. Brighter than the sunlight was a boy’s three-dimensional, almost perfect face.
No matter how she looked at him, he resembled Ji Yanming.
Tao Sheng rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was under too much stress lately and starting to have hallucinations.
***
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References
| ↑1 | refers to the core texts of Confucianism. |
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