Guo Jienian was nearing 30 years old. When not angry, he was a very cultured gentleman. Compared to Eldest Martial Brother Tian Guang, he had a bit more of the shrewdness of a merchant.
Just now when his hot blood rushed to his head, he just wanted to teach this brat a lesson, completely forgetting that junior martial sister was still present. If she was given a "ferocious" label at first sight, he would have no choice but to cry himself to death.
Thinking of this, Guo Jienian was rather careful in saying: "That, junior martial sister, actually senior brother is not fierce at all. Just now, I was just angered and lost my mind for a moment. Really!"
Jiang Yuqing nodded: "Mmhmm, I know. I'm not scared of Second Martial Brother at all!" At least this second martial brother had very upright morals.
Jiang Yuqing put the messy things on the table into a cloth bag and pushed it back to Lu Yi, smiling embarrassedly: "Third Martial Brother, I've received your kind intentions. These things are all hard-earned by you. You travel the jianghu all year, they are more useful to you!"
Lu Yi picked up the things with one hand and put them back in front of her. Rather smugly he said: "No need, for your martial brother here, this face is more useful than any famous brand. They're for you, keep them, throw them around and play with them if you don't need them."
Jiang Yuqing: "......Thank you, Third Martial Brother!" Now that you've put it like that, what more can I do? I certainly can't throw them away!
Guo Jienian also didn't eat dinner with his subordinates.
Jiang Yuqing told Yu Zhu to make another trip to the kitchen and told them to hurry up and prepare dinner for 20 more people again, no need to mind what it was, just make sure the portions were large.
After Yu Zhu left, she soon came back carrying a tray, with another little maid following behind also carrying dishes of food.
Hot steaming dishes of four vegetables and a soup were set on the table. Jiang Yuqing politely said: "It's so late, there's nothing good to eat at home. Two martial brothers will have to make do with eating a little."
Guo Jienian said: "This is already very good. On the road, we eat rations every day."
There was even less need to mention Lu Yi. He wolfed the food down, not even lifting his head.
This guy wandered the jianghu, not taking the normal paths.
Sometimes offending people and being chased down, sometimes to pick some rare poisonous grasses and insects, often travelling in primitive forests. He often didn't even have a piece of hardtack to mix in, just eating whatever he could catch.
Generally just simply roasting it a bit before eating it. He didn't care at all for taste, as long as it wasn't poisonous enough to kill. Let alone such proper cooked dishes like these. For him, this was already heaven.
After eating, the three martial siblings chatted for a while. Jiang Yuqing then arranged for the two to go wash up and rest.
After travelling all day, they were exhausted. Anything else could be talked about tomorrow.
The next day after lunch, Guo Jie brought his people back to the capital. Lu Yi on the other hand stayed behind.
This guy's thoughts were rather gloomy, but his temperament was good and he was extremely patient with Jiang Yuqing.
He even allowed Jiang Yuqing to practice acupuncture on him. Even while screaming in pain from the needles, he didn't run away.
When encountering somewhere inappropriate, he would even take her hand to demonstrate where to insert the needles, how deep, how many inches, whether to twist or lift the needles...
In short, he let Jiang Yuqing successfully turn her impression of him around 180 degrees with real action.
Martial brother was a good martial brother. Perhaps just a little quirky in ideological awareness.
Martial brother and sister stayed at the estate for four days before finally returning to the capital on the 11th of May.
Because tomorrow was the day Lady Yuan came to get her stitches taken out.
Jiang Yuqing's days in the capital were extremely wonderful. Meanwhile, thousands of li away in Qingzhou:
That day, Jiang Wenyuan who was working in his office received an imperial commendation edict from the Emperor and a letter from the capital.
The commendation edict's contents were the Emperor praising him for teaching his daughter well and raising a clever and smart child who could serve as a model for the women of this generation.
The other letter... with just one look at the tiny ant-sized words, it was clear his precious daughter had written it.
The letter asked after the elders' wellbeing first. Then talked about what she had done these days in the capital and what interesting things she had encountered.
Finally she said, the young master of the former Qin county magistrate's manor turned out to be the Crown Prince.
She said the Emperor and Empress really liked her and the Emperor had even bestowed her the title of Magistrate of Linghui County with tax income from that county's fields. She was very happy and such.
After the couple read the letter, they were shocked and overjoyed.
In just over half a month after this little stinker arrived in the capital, she had earned herself a "county magistrate" title. She really was amazing!
Because of certain reasons, Da Xia dynasty had no imperial princesses. Aside from the two princesses in the palace, only the county magistrates held the highest status among unmarried women.
Now his precious daughter's status, in terms of rank, was almost equal with him.
It was just there were no proper adults around her after all so Jiang Wenyan feared his precious daughter would be bullied by others.
Lu laughed and said he was worrying too much: "That precious daughter of yours is more clever than anyone else. Now that she has also entered the palace and caught the eyes of the Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince, it'd be impressive if she doesn't bully others instead."
Jiang Wenyan thought about it and agreed she was right.
The couple went to the yamen in the afternoon and returned to Xijindu to tell the good news to everyone at home. So the family had another round of lively joy and celebration.
In the capital:
May 12th, the agreed date.
Lady Yuan indeed came with Yuan Wuyang as expected. She had recovered well under care.
Jiang Yuqing swiftly removed her stitches and told her as long as she was careful and didn't make any big movements recently, and rested for a few more days, she would be completely healed.
As she spoke, she took out a small porcelain jar and handed it to her: "This Ice Skin Jade Dew balm was formulated by my master, it specializes in removing scars and is quite effective. Because the medicinal ingredients are rare, it is hard to come by. Take it back to apply morning, noon and night and there likely won't be any scars left."
Upon hearing it was Ice Skin Jade Dew balm, Yuan Wuyang quickly tucked it carefully into her bosom.
Just as Jiang Yuqing said, because the raw ingredients were rare, a small jar was already speculated to thousands of gold on the market, yet still couldn't be bought at any price.
With the status of their Prince's manor, they had only heard there was a small box of it treasured by Her Majesty the Empress that she cherished greatly.
To now have gained a whole jar of it herself, how could it not delight her immensely?
Thus, the mother and daughter were extremely grateful. By the time they left, they had bestowed upon Jiang Yuqing 2000 taels worth of silver notes and a whole box of Eastern Pearls.
Regarding this, Jiang Yuqing only wanted to say, damn, these old prestigious aristocratic families really were extravagantly rich, truly tycoon level wealthy households!
Then thinking again of how her grandfather had only gotten 180 taels for selling such a huge Lingzhi back then. This could have been flipped for at least ten times that much in the capital.
The next day, Jiang Yuqing went into the palace again to accompany Empress Qin for lunch. When she came back in the afternoon, Housekeeper Zhao sent in another gilt-edged invitation.
Saying she was invited to participate in some "Furui Forum" forum.
As a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the capital, Jiang Yuqing didn't know anything about whatever debating forums. Just hearing the name, it sounded similar to the flower banquets from before so she had considerably little interest.
She asked Yu Qing next to her: "Do you know what this Furui Forum or whatever is?"
Yu Qing said: "I know about it. When I didn't enter the palace with Mistress yet, I had gone once... "
But it turned out, at Baoyue Tower by Baoyue Lake in the south of the city, there was a three day event held there yearly for students to compare and compete in their literary and artistic talents.
The competition included the six arts of gentlemen and qin (a string instrument), chess, calligraphy and painting and kicking ball games.
And also because every year when the grand meeting was held, it happened to be when the furui in Baoyue Lake bloomed. Thus this debating meeting was also called the Furui Forum.
At the same time, several well-known great Confucian scholars in the capital would serve as judges. The various great academies in the capital as well as even the Imperial Academy would send people to participate.
Aside from that, the accomplished young masters and ladies of the various great manors of nobility in the capital would also be invited to watch. It could be considered one of the capital's grand events.
Jiang Yuqing finally understood. She found this was quite similar to university student debate competitions plus sports meets in her past life. Her interest was piqued at once.
"Since that's the case, let's go join in on the liveliness too. But I'm just a little country girl freshly arrived in the capital, so how would the organizing committee give me an invitation?" This was what she still couldn't figure out.
Yu Zhu spoke with some helplessness: "My lady, have you forgotten about the poems you wrote at Princess Ronghua's peony banquet at her manor?
They have already spread through the entire capital now. People all say you have inherited the true teachings of your father, the Marquis of Qingzhou, and your literary talents are outstanding.
I estimate they invited you because of this.
The Furui Forum Grand Meeting has much higher standing than Princess Ronghua's flower banquet. When the time comes, all the common people in the capital will go watch too. It's very lively."
"I see, I understand now."
Jing Yan knew she had also received an invitation so he specially left the palace to see her and explain to her in detail some things that needed attention at the Furui Forum Grand Meeting.
That day he would also go and would come directly to the marquis manor to pick her up.
Jiang Yuqing nodded in agreement.
Ever since returning to the capital, Lu Yi had his master Doctor Qiu and two senior martial brothers grab strong men, busy from dawn to dusk every day.
Jiang Yuqing had originally wanted to arrange a courtyard next to the Spring Blossom Court for him, but Doctor Qiu blocked it.
He directly pulled Lu Yi into her own Spring Blossom Court, angering Lu Yi into yelling.
Doctor Qiu was worthy of raising him, clearly knowing the weaknesses of this eccentric third martial nephew, accurately grasping them.
Every time Lu Yi would jump up to resist, yet it was of no use.
There's a saying, your master will always be your master.
As a result, there was a daily ruckus of chaos in the Spring Blossom Court, very lively.
This unexpectedly reduced the cold loneliness of the Marquess of Qingzhou manor somewhat, adding a touch of liveliness.
On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, the Double Fifth Festival, the weather was clear.
Early in the morning, an extremely low-key and plain green canopy carriage stopped at the gate of the Marquess of Qingzhou manor.
A servant-looking person walked up and knocked on the door, and soon a bouncy and cute little maid and an unrestrained, handsome youth in red official robes ran out.
It was Jiang Yuqing and Lu Yi.
As for why Lu Yi was so free today that he could go out with Jiang Yuqing,
it was entirely because he had said to his master: "In a couple days my junior martial sister is going to that laborious grand event with that Mr. Jing, I have to go along to watch over her, lest she be abducted by a big bad wolf at some unknown time."
Miraculously his master and two martial brothers unanimously felt it made perfect sense, and so they released him.
Lu Yi shamelessly squeezed onto the green canopy carriage. Jing Yan expressionlessly glanced at him then ignored him thereafter.
He was also quite speechless about this eccentric third martial uncle of the little girl.
Because of the Furui Forum, all the way were carriages and crowds heading south to the city.
Among them were no lack of luxury carriages engraved with manor crests. Their plain green canopy carriage mixed into the traffic, not eye-catching at all.
Just as the three had gotten off the carriage at Baoyue Lake, they suddenly heard an angry female voice yell: "Lu Yi?"
Lu Yi reflexively turned his head to look, coincidentally seeing a whip enveloped in raging anger swinging towards him, the sound of it cutting through the air.
Lu Yi's face greatly changed. Right then he sprang up from the ground and did an aerial somersault to dodge.
"Crazy woman, it's you again!"
The arrival was a beautiful furious girl in blue.
Seeing him dodge, with no more words the whip lashed out again. Lu Yi quickly used a folding fan to block.
The two fought intensely amidst you advance, I retreat. It also attracted quite a few onlookers.
Jiang Yuqing's grape-like eyes glared huge, filled with stars.
This was her first time seeing the martial arts of ancient people. So they really did have lightness skill, they really could defy gravity and fly midair.
Too cool, simply cool to death!
Especially that lady in blue, so pretty, so heroic.
That whip dancing tigerishly with the wind brought power like it could split mountains and rocks. As if it had eyes, it struck precisely wherever directed.
For a time, Lu Yi was chased into quite a sorry state by her.
After evading another lash, Lu Yi yelled loudly: "I already said I didn't intentionally peep at you bathing, and I've apologized. Why are you still chasing after me!"
Hearing this, the surroundings immediately buzzed.
Looks like a proper man but is actually a rogue. No wonder he's being chased and beaten by the lady. Serves him right!
Jiang Yuqing was excited, thrilled. Heavens, so sensational! The gossip genes in her body excitedly couldn't be suppressed.
There's a modern saying, ah that's it, "Since ancient times, red and blue become a CP." This lady in blue might become her third martial aunt.
She was already imagining what wedding gift to prepare for when they get married...
But that made the lady in blue even more embarrassed and angry: "Shut up! You're still saying it, still saying it!" And increased the force of her whip.
To avoid harming others, especially his cute martial sister, Lu Yi quickly employed his lightness skill to fly towards a place with fewer people.
The woman in blue closely pursued, putting on a live chase scene of "you run, I give chase; you spread your wings yet cannot fly", letting all the melon-eating masses see a lively show.
Only when their figures disappeared from sight did Jiang Yuqing withdraw her gaze.
Damn, too thrilling! She must properly gossip about this with her master and two martial brothers when she gets back.
