Han Jingyan had been promoted to a higher rank, and it was also two ranks in a row. The Han family should have held a big banquet attended by many guests for such a big happy event. However, they didn't do so because of the deeper meaning behind this promotion.
Qiu Shi told Yuxi happily, "Your father is now an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel, and your future marriage will be a lot smoother." The di daughter of a third-ranking official was very marketable. It had only been a few days, but there were already many people asking her about Yuxi.
Yuxi muttered in her heart, "My marriage will be a lot smoother when the decree for the marriage is issued." In her previous life, Yurong was blessed by Yuchen and married into a good family. At the same time, she could even marry into the Jiang family because of Yuchen's blessing. Of course, it was a blessing that she did not want to receive.
As the two were talking, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from outside. The old woman servant trotted in and reported, "My Lady, my Lady, an Imperial Decree has arrived. A eunuch has come to announce the Imperial Decree."
Qiu Shi was unable to calm herself down this time. When one received the Imperial Decree, all those with rank had to adorn themselves. Thus Qiu Shi had to freshen herself up and wear her formal court attire.
What the ladies wore at the beginning of the video are how a formal court attire for ranked ladies looked like, from head to toe.
Yuxi guessed that this was the Imperial Decree for the sanctioned marriage. "Eldest Aunt, I will go back to the Taoran House first." It was not her job to receive the decree.
As Yuxi had expected, it was indeed the Imperial Decree that sanctioned marriage between Yuchen and the 10th Prince. Once the decree was issued, the entire State Residence was overflowing with joy.
Zisu looked at Yuxi's indifferent expression and carefully asked, "Miss, what's going on?" With her Miss' attitude like this, Zisu could not feel whether her Miss was happy or unhappy.
Yuxi didn't even raise her head as she said, "When I finish practising my calligraphy, I'll go and congrats my San Jie." There was nothing for her to be happy about. Since she had experienced it once, it did not make any waves to her emotion after it was repeated. Of course, the most important thing was that she was not the one to whom the marriage was given, so there was nothing for her to be cheerful about.
Yuxi was the last person to arrive at the Main Courtyard. At this moment, Qiu Shi, Wu Shi, Ye Shi, and the others were all sitting there with their faces looking joyous. The Duke of the State's Residence had been quiet for so many years, and now there would be a Prince's Fei coming out from the residence. It was a great joy to the family!
Yuxi entered the room and said to Yuchen, "Congratulations, San Jie."
Looking at Yuxi, who had a decent smile on her face, Yuchen said with a smile, "Si Mei, sit on my side." Yuchen had saved a vacant seat next to her, which she had specially prepared for Yuxi.
Seeing this, Wu Shi said, "Yuxi, why are you so late?" She deliberately pointed it out to let everyone know that Yuxi had a grudge against Yuchen for having a sanctioned marriage. Otherwise, why would Yuxi come late for such a big event?
Yuxi didn't lie either and said with a smile, "I was practising my calligraphy in the study just now, and my maid didn't tell me about this happy event until I finished practising."
The Old Lady looked at Yuxi's face. She couldn't see any surprise there, nor did she see any jealousy or resentment. Yuxi's expression was very ordinary. "There will be a banquet held at the residence in the next few days. You should accompany Yuchen in entertaining the guests properly then." This girl's mind was becoming even more elusive.
Yuxi answered with a smile, "Okay!"
When everyone finished talking, they went back to their own places.
When Yuxi returned to Taoran House, she went to her study again and waited until she had her evening meal before coming out. Bingmei waited for Yuxi to eat before asking, "Miss, why don't you go to Tingyun Pavilion to have a chat with Third Miss?" It was unbelievable her opportunistic Miss would rather stay in the study and read a book. [T/N]
Yuxi felt a little strange that she asked, "Why should I go and chat with my San Jie?"
Bingmei said cautiously, "Miss, the times are different now. Third Miss is already a prospective wangfei. If you don't make good relations with her while you are at the residence, it will be too late later on." The Fifth Miss was still at Tingyun Pavilion with the Third Miss! The future wangfei was not someone whom you could easily curry favour with.
Yuxi glanced at Bingmei and said, “I have my business to do. Likewise, San Jie also has her business to do. If something comes up, she will have someone call me over.” If she kept sticking to Yuchen in Tingyun Pavilion, she would instead be in Yuchen's way. Moreover, she didn’t need to curry favour with Yuchen. She hadn’t done all that work before for nothing.
When one spoke of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao would arrive. The two of them were just talking about Yuchen when Yuchen’s maid, Shiqin, came over. She came to invite Yuxi to Tingyun Pavilion.
Yuchen asked Yuxi to come to Tingyun Pavilion because she wanted to give Yuxi gifts. Since the Imperial Palace had sanctioned marriage for her, it came with a large number of rewards. There were so many things that Yuchen simply asked Yuxi to come and pick them out herself.
Yuxi was now very much the jiejie. When she looked at Yurong, whose eyes were glowing green, she ushered, “Wu Meimei, you pick first!” This time, all the gifts were valuable and exquisite.
Yurong chose a set of pearl headdresses made of pure gold and dotted with emeralds. The Imperial Household Department had exceptionally made the headdresses, and it could not be bought on the market. [+]
Yuxi looked at the pile of things on the table, took two random items, handed them to Zisu, and then smiled at Yuchen. “Thank you, San Jie.”
Yuchen smiled a little and said, “Si Mei, no more hiding at this banquet. You should show all your skills.” The subtext of these words was, ‘Now that you have me as your backer, you don’t have to worry anymore and show off your speciality.' Other people didn’t know, but Yuchen knew what Yuxi was capable of. Yuxi was half as good at painting as Yuchen was at chess, but Yuxi was extremely good at calligraphy and chess, especially at embroidery, which no ordinary embroiderer could match.
Thinking of this, Yuchen added, “Yuxi, do you have any double-sided embroidered work?” Seeing that Yuxi nodded, Yuchen said, “You can take it out then.”
Yuxi was embarrassed. “I’ve embroidered a fan. It’s not hot right now, so it will be embarrassing if I bring it out!” She had only embroidered one fan, and it was the only one she had finished in the past few years. And it was the only thing inside her box!
For the first time, Yuchen felt that Yuxi was particularly sincere that she said, smilingly, “You don’t have to bring it. Just send it over, and I’ll display it inside the room.” When that time came, she could also take the opportunity to publicise the fact that Yuxi could embroider double-sided embroidery, which would undoubtedly give Yuxi a lot of extra points.
It was a fan that Yuxi had worked so hard to embroider that she couldn’t even use it herself. Thus, she really couldn’t bear to give it to Yuchen. However, Yuxi was not a person who did not know how to distinguish good from the bad. She knew that Yuchen was trying to build up the momentum for her. She also knew that Yuchen wanted to find a good family for her, so she would not refuse even if she couldn’t bear to. Yuxi nodded her head and agreed, “Okay!”
When she returned, Yuxi had Kufu sent over her embroidered fan.
Yuchen had seen a lot of good things, but when she looked at the fan embroidered by Yuxi, she loved it right away. The fan was embroidered with two little white kittens pouncing on a butterfly. One kitten had rolled itself into a ball and somehow got covered in mud. It looked like it had missed the butterfly and tumbled itself. At the same time, the other kitten was looking at the butterfly landing on the rosebush with its wings stirring. The embroidery was so vivid that it looked real!
Even Momo Gui, who had always been wary of Yuxi, could not help but give words of praise after looking at the fan. “Fourth Miss’ embroidery work is comparable to those of the top embroiderers in the Imperial Household Department.”
Yuchen shook her head and said, “This embroidery is full of spirit that even the embroiderers in the Imperial Household Department cannot match.” Yuchen had always known that Yuxi’s embroidery skill was outstanding, but she had never expected that it would reach this level of perfection.
No one could blame Yuchen on this matter. Yuxi had done some embroidery over the years, but she had not come up with any double-sided embroidery work. So it led to many people muttering in their hearts whether Yuxi could embroider double-sided embroidery or not, only that no one dared to ask this query out loud.
Momo Gui nodded and said, “It is indeed full of spirit. Fourth Miss indeed has a unique talent for needlework. Such embroidery will be sure to cause a sensation when it’s being taken out. It’s just a pity......” Unfortunately, Yuxi was too busy to embroider another work, and it would take another few years for Momo Gui to see another kind of this fan.
Yuchen looked at the naive and cute kittens on the fan, smiled a little and commented, “Things are valuable when they are rare. The rarer something is, the more valuable it is.”
The banquet was held the third day after the Imperial Decree for the sanctioned marriage was issued. Most people who received the invitation came, and on this day, the State Residence was bustling with activity. Although the 10th Prince was not as popular as the 9th prince, he was still the Emperor’s favourite son. Plus, the 9th Prince had always been very kind to his didi. In the future, when the 9th Prince had been crowned Emperor, it was inevitable for the 10th Prince to be given the title Qinwang.
Under Yuchen’s careful arrangement, the news that Yuxi could embroider double-sided embroidery naturally spread. Some people were sceptical. After all, double-sided embroidery was not an everyday product, and since they had not been told anything about it, it was only natural that people were doubtful. However, as Yuchen had released it, no one questioned it to her face.
In terms of receiving people, Yuxi has been well-trained over the years, so she didn’t make any mistakes in the course of the whole morning. [+]
Only after lunch and the guests had been sent away that Zhou Shiya had a chance to talk to Yuxi alone. She complained to Yuxi, “Everyone now knows that you know how to do double-sided embroidery, and they all come to ask me. I helped you say that you do, but I haven’t got any of your double-sided embroideries yet! When the time comes where they want to see the embroidery, what then?”
How could Yuxi still not know what Zhou Shiya had in mind? Hence, she shook her head and said, “I’ve been so busy lately that I don’t have time to embroider anything.” She didn’t even have enough time to read, so how could she spare any more time for embroidery?
Seeing Zhou Shiya’s unhappy face, Yuxi hurriedly added, “Don’t worry. Once you’re going to get married, I will embroider a good pair of embroideries for you. However, that embroidery will be considered as additional dowry for you.”
Zhou Shiya said discontentedly, “I’ve never seen someone as stingy as you. When I’m getting married, you want to send me off with a pair of embroideries only.”
Yuxi couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Someone whose fiancé is not even in the picture yet is thinking of adding her dowry.” Zhou Shiya had been influenced by the Second Lady Zhou that she was not at all shy about the matter of marriage.
Zhou Shiya said, “Talking about a fiancé, you don’t know that my mother has been frightened recently.”
Yuxi felt a little strange. “What’s wrong with your mother?”
Zhou Shiya asked with great surprise, “You didn’t know that Marquis Taining's Eldest Miss has been scared sick? My mother said that she would never find me a martial family, but a literary family instead.”
Yuxi’s heart beat wildly. It couldn’t be that Yun Qing had slaughtered a city, could it? When she thought till here, she shook her head, thinking that it couldn’t be. Yun Qing’s act of massacring a city would only take place a few years later.
Zhou Shiya said helplessly, “What else do you know besides being in the boring study all day long! A few days ago, a victory report came from the border, and Yun Qing’s name was mentioned in the war report. I heard that he was the one who took the most credit. Only then did everyone know that Yun Qing had not gone to Liaodong, but the northwest.”
Yuxi was a little surprised. “Even if Yun Qing had gone to the northwest, now that he has achieved success on the battlefield, shouldn’t the Eldest Miss Chen be happy?
Zhou Shiya lowered her voice and said, “The problem is that people outside say that Yun Qing kills without blinking an eye. He can kill anyone around him if they disagree with him. The guards around him have all died.”
Yuxi lost her smile. “Nonsense. If Yun Qing could even kill those around him, who would dare to follow him? If no one followed him, how could he still fight? I don’t know who’s making up this kind of nonsense.” According to this trend, the fact that Yun Qing killed without blinking was probably just a rumour.
Zhou Shiya said, “No wind will come out of an empty cave. There must be a reason for this rumour to come out. It’s just that Eldest Miss Chen is unlucky enough to marry such a horrible man.”
Yuxi smiled a little, and then she changed the subject.
Noob Translator's Musing
Just like I said, the ML will be mentioned here and there. 😌
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi