Yao ngxian saw soone going to the restroom, and it was Kong Shuhuan.
Three years ago, she was on fairly good terms with Kong Shuhuan. Since it had been a long ti since they last t, she followed along, intending to chat with her for a while.
They had just t earlier but hadn’t had the chance to share their thoughts!
Gu Chengyu followed the servant in the direction of the restroom, admiring the scenery at the Princess’s Mansion along the way, feeling a sense of awe at the lavishness of this place!
He couldn’t help but think about his own residence. It seed he should have soone keep an eye on the northern house.
Now that he was a minor official, still living in the south, it seed quite low-class and really beneath his status!
Gu Chengyu’s mind was filled with wild thoughts along the way, paying no attention to what was happening behind him.
Ji Mingxuan dismissed the servant, trailing far behind Gu Chengyu.
He had an idea in mind, and to deeply embarrass Zhu Pang, he had to make a move on Gu Chengyu.
Kong Shuhuan brought Ji Yuying to the restroom area and waited just outside.
"Sister Kong!" Yao ngxian hurriedly brought Lianxin along to catch up with Kong Shuhuan.
Seeing Yao ngxian, Kong Shuhuan was pleasantly surprised, "Sister, you went to Jingyuan Prefecture and stayed for three years. If it weren’t for the occasional letters, I would’ve thought you’d forgotten about !"
Yao ngxian quickly smiled apologetically, "What are you saying, sister? I wanted to see you as soon as I returned, but you’ve already been engaged, so eting you isn’t easy. Besides, you know my situation at ho, it’s not easy for to go out."
Seeing this, Kong Shuhuan quickly stepped forward, holding Yao ngxian’s hand and comforting her, "Of course, I know it’s not easy for you to go out, how could I really bla you? It’s my fault as well, I’ll make sure to invite you to our residence often after I return."
Actually, Kong Shuhuan felt embarrassed about her engagent!
Yao ngxian knew she was thin-skinned, so she didn’t bring up the engagent again. The two of them enjoyed a pleasant conversation at the pavilion outside the restroom.
Ji Mingxuan saw Gu Chengyu enter the restroom and suddenly noticed a maid carrying a teapot hastily walking in the direction he ca from.
Ji Mingxuan’s eyes lit up, this was a great opportunity!
He waved his hand to beckon the little maid over.
The young maid wasn’t sure what this young master wanted, but since he was a distinguished guest of the estate, she couldn’t afford to offend him and approached to pay her respects.
Ji Mingxuan whispered a few words to the maid, who quickly shook her head, her face a bit pale.
Ji Mingxuan frowned, took out a silver note worth twenty taels from his pocket, and placed it on the tray the maid was holding.
The maid hesitated for a mont, but Ji Mingxuan added another twenty taels, and the maid happily agreed.
Ji Mingxuan handed over two slips of paper from his sleeve, which the maid accepted along with the silver notes before hurriedly leaving.
After the maid left, Ji Mingxuan smirked.
Thinking about what was about to happen, he felt a surge of satisfaction.
He glanced at a pavilion connecting the two courtyards ahead and then happily retraced his steps.
After using the restroom, Gu Chengyu wasn’t ready to go back, so he dismissed the servant when he noticed a pavilion in front of the restroom and decided to sit there for a while.
By the ti he returned, the poetry contest should have results.
"Sister, it must have been comfortable in Jingyuan Prefecture; you must have been so happy that you didn’t want to return, right?"
Kong Shuhuan had never been far from ho, with the furthest place being BaoAn Temple outside the Capital, so she naturally looked envious talking about it.
"It’s the sa as in the city, still unable to go out, but the days were quieter! When you get married, won’t going out be even easier?"
In fact, Yao ngxian was just comforting Kong Shuhuan. Her grandmother wasn’t strict when she was in Jingyuan Prefecture, and she had even gone out with the Prefecture School teacher’s daughter.
Sotis to offer incense, sotis to the costic shops, those days were truly leisurely.
Unfortunately, back in the Capital, such carefree days were no longer possible.
She didn’t say it to prevent Kong Shuhuan from yearning for it more!
Besides, saying that going out after marriage would be easier was even less likely; one would still need the mother-in-law’s permission to go out.
Every day, there would be household chores to manage, not a single day of leisure. When children ca, it’d be even busier.
Actually, Kong Shuhuan knew all too well that once a woman reaches a certain age, marriage is inevitable, a path everyone must tread.
Confined within the inner quarters, having never experienced the outside world, she naturally didn’t understand what it was like outside.
Thus, there were just a few more sighs!
"In the future, we sisters must keep in touch, you’ve returned to the Capital, and we haven’t had the chance to et, as my mother is strict. If it weren’t for bringing my cousin today, I might not have been able to leave!"
She’s about to get married, and her mother’s strict, spending her days embroidering her dowry, and cannot go out.
Yao ngxian found it strange, having noticed earlier that Kong Shuhuan was with a beautiful young girl.
The girl’s looks were decent, but she carried herself timidly, lacking the deanor of an aristocratic lady.
However, having seen the two always together, she had been curious about which family’s daughter she was.
Now hearing that she was Kong Shuhuan’s cousin, she finally understood Kong Shuhuan’s intentions today.
"Was that young girl earlier your cousin? Why haven’t I seen her before?"
At the ntion of her cousin, Kong Shuhuan pursed her lips, with a mixture of disdain and helplessness in her heart.
"She is my grandmother’s grandniece, fourteen years old, her maiden na is Ji Yuying."
Upon hearing this, Yao ngxian already understood.
Kong Shuhuan’s grandmother’s family, the Ji Family, had mbers who held court positions in previous generations and were influential in Hejian Prefecture, qualifying them as an official family.
However, by Kong Shuhuan’s grandmother’s generation, they had significantly declined, collapsing rapidly due to the lack of new officials erging from the Ji Family.
With three generations having no officials, a family’s decline could be incredibly swift.
Losing influence at court, if the family continued poor managent and descendants acted profligate, it wouldn’t be long before they squandered their resources.
This was the current state of the Ji Family, marginalized by aristocratic families in Hejian Prefecture.
Ji Yuying was already fourteen, at the age for engagent. Visiting the grandmother’s house clearly had the intention of discussing marriage.
With elders being ordinary people, and the household in decline, seeking a good marriage would naturally lead them to the grandmother in the Capital.
However, with Ji Yuying’s current status, finding a good match in the Capital wouldn’t be easy.
The legitimate sons of those aristocratic and official families were out of the question, as they wouldn’t marry a daughter of ordinary stock.
Even considering illegitimate sons was daunting, for though it’s hard for them to propose, there were many aristocratic illegitimate daughters. It wasn’t difficult for an illegitimate son of a noble family to marry a legitimate daughter from a minor official family.
So, with Kong Mansion’s leverage, they could only focus on wealthy rchant families.
But from the few glances at Ji Yuying, her restless eyes suggested she wasn’t one to stay put.
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