MYUFPC CHAPTER 15
No matter how good it is, if I don't like it, it's just not good
After the lesson from last time, Wu Yingtong was very cautious now.
Seeing that a nobleman in a sapphire robe had come out of the blue today, he immediately went up to stop him without hesitation.
Pei Yuantang was four years older than Jiashen and was a young scholar. He was tall and handsome, unlike Zhan Yue's cold and stern demeanor. He always had a smile on the corners of his mouth, looking like a jade tree in the wind, making people willing to approach him.
Suddenly stopped, Pei Yuantang just smiled and said, "I am the cousin of the two princesses. If the little brother doesn't believe me, you can send someone to ask the eldest princess. I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'll just wait here."
As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person in the face. Pei Yuantang's attitude was friendly, and Wu Yingtong naturally treated him politely.
While he was asking someone to go and ask, he also perked up and answered Pei Yuantang's intentional or unintentional questions.
After a while, Su Yu and the person sent by Wu Yingtong came together. Seeing that someone from the eldest princess's side had come, Wu Yingtong naturally let Pei Yuantang in.
Just thinking about it, still feeling uneasy, Wu Yingtong sent someone to report to Zhan Yue.
On the other hand, Pei Yuantang had already followed Su Yu to Jiashen's courtyard.
Today the sky was clear and the air was clear, a fine day for autumn.
As September approached, the weather was getting cooler, and the chrysanthemums in the yard should also be blooming.
When Pei Yuantang arrived, Jiashen and Zhao Youze were sitting together in the small courtyard. A table and chairs were placed in front of them, and the little Zhao Youze was sitting upright at the desk, copying scriptures seriously.
Jiashen's progress in copying scriptures was always faster than Zhao Youze's. In order to wait for him, Jiashen simply put down her pen and spent some time painting the chrysanthemums in the yard.
Hearing footsteps, Zhao Youze was the first to grin and raise his head to Jiashen and say, "Sister, cousin is here."
Jiashen put down her pen and saw Pei Yuantang and Su Yu standing far away watching them.
"Why didn't you say anything when you arrived?" Jiashen and Pei Yuantang had a good relationship. When they were young, Pei Yuantang's mother, Zheng Shi, would often bring him to the palace to accompany Jiashen and Zhao Youze.
As soon as she saw him, Jiashen saved a lot of polite words.
Pei Yuantang went straight to a comfortable place and sat down. He had a pair of slightly curved peach blossom eyes, and his black eyes were full of brilliance.
He raised the corners of his mouth and looked very gentle and affectionate: "I didn't speak because I saw you were enjoying your painting and was afraid that if I spoke, I would disturb you."
Zhao Youze said like a sidekick, "Cousin is so considerate."
"That's right." Pei Yuantang picked up the prepared tea and took a sip.
Jiashen raised her eyes and glanced at Pei Yuantang sideways.
This cousin of hers was intelligent and had a talent for reading when he was young. He was also born into the Pei family, a family of scholars for generations. Unexpectedly, he would become an official and have a smooth road ahead in the future.
In fact, this was indeed the case.
However, while his official career was smooth sailing, Pei Yuantang's marriage was full of twists and turns.
Jiashan remembered that in the year after Cousin Pei ranked second in the imperial exams, Uncle would arrange a marriage for him. Pei Yuantang was nineteen this year, and with the Pei family's long-standing reputation and his impressive achievements in the imperial palace, finding a suitable match was easy.
Initially, Uncle had arranged for Cousin Pei to marry the eldest granddaughter of the Yan family. Who held a high-ranking position in the court.
In her previous life, upon hearing this news, Jiashan had not yet married and was curious about who Cousin Pei would marry. She secretly encouraged Jing Fei to invite the Yan mother and daughter to the palace.
Upon meeting Miss Yan, who was well-read, gentle, and considerate, Jiashan was very satisfied. She thought it would be delightful if Cousin Pei had someone to share his life with after returning from court.
So, she sent a special message to Cousin Pei, wishing him a blissful future with his beautiful bride.
However, just two days later, Jiashan learned that Pei Yuantang had gone to the Yan family to call off the engagement. Master Yan, a high-ranking official who had served two emperors, had never been so insulted.
Naturally, the engagement was called off in a fit of anger!
To avoid turning the failed engagement into a feud, Uncle Pei Zijing personally visited Master Yan to apologize, and the two families reconciled.
In the end, although Pei Yuantang got his wish and didn't marry Miss Yan, he had to kneel in the ancestral hall for half a month as punishment.
A month later, Jiashan's marriage to Zhan Shaoying was arranged by the emperor. Due to his actions at the Yan family, Pei Yuantang also gained a reputation for being impulsive and reckless in his youth.
Before her wedding, Jiashen asked Pei Yuantang privately, "That Yan family girl comes from a prominent family, has a gentle temperament, and knows how to read. Her appearance is not as beautiful as a sunken fish or a fallen goose, but she is also shy and charming. What exactly don't you like about her?"
At that time, how did Pei Yuantang respond to her?
Pei Yuantang smiled nonchalantly and said, "No matter how good it is, if I don't like it, it's just not good."
"You're getting married, don't worry about me, I have my own ideas."
His words were full of anger, like a firecracker about to be lit. Seeing him say this, Jiashen simply ignored him. He had always been an opinionated person, and she wanted to see what kind of woman could subdue him.
Later, Jiashen married into the Duke Anguo mansion and had a sweet time with Zhan Shaoqing after the wedding. However, her uncle Pei Zijing was also busy matchmaking for Pei Yuantang's marriage.
It was said that he had taken a fancy to the daughter of the Earl Changxing family, but unexpectedly, Pei Yuantang didn't like her either. Later, he seemed to never marry, but instead raised women outside the house.
His uncle disliked him for ruining the family's reputation and broke dozens of rattan sticks, but Pei Yuantang continued to do his own way. Not only that, as the youngest descendant of the Pei family, he was very promising and his official rank was still rising step by step.
In the end, the Pei family compromised.
The old master of the Pei family personally came forward to mediate the conflict between the father and son, and told Pei Yuantang that if he really fell in love with a woman, as long as she could give birth to a son, the Pei family would be willing to accept her as his wife.
With the old master's words as a golden token, Jiashen thought that her cousin would be able to marry soon. Unexpectedly, until the day she died with regret, Pei Yuantang's concubines were still unable to give birth to a son or daughter.
Wondering if he might have ended up alone in her previous life.
Thinking like this, Jiashen sighed softly.
Zhao Youze was sitting beside Jiashen, and when he heard her sigh, he put down his pen and asked, "What's the matter, Sister?"
"It's nothing. I just had a moment of sentimentality." Jiashen saw that Zhao Youze was smiling brightly, and her heart warmed a little.
She patted him on the head and smiled, "Would Yuan Kang like to go inside and copy scriptures? Big Sister has something to say to her cousin privately."
Zhao Youze nodded obediently, understanding, "It's a secret, I understand."
Jia Shen couldn't help but smile.
Zhao Youze jumped off the stool and landed firmly on the ground. He took out a small drawing he had drawn from the scriptures he had brought, and walked slowly to Pei Yuantang.
Pei Yuantang was squinting in the sun, and when he saw him coming, he couldn't help but pinch Zhao Youze's little face, "What's the matter, Yuan Kang? Do you have something for your cousin?"
"Yes." Zhao Youze nodded, and he handed over the drawing he was holding in his hand with a serious expression, "I heard that my cousin has won the second place in the imperial examination, so I have a painting for my cousin. I hope that my cousin can be upright and unyielding in the officialdom, and rise higher and higher like bamboo."
His voice was childish and still had a baby voice. Jiashen smiled when she heard it, and Pei Yuantang was also amused. He said, "Yuan Kang can really talk."
Zhao Youze still remembered what Jiashen had taught him, not to be too sharp, so he politely said, "Sister taught me that."
Pei Yuantang then turned to look at Jiashen.
When Jiashen was with her younger brother, she always had a gentle look. Her face was like jade, her round apricot eyes shone like stars, and the corners of her mouth even had a soft smile.
Pei Yuantang took a look and couldn't help but say loudly, "Then thank you very much, your sister."
Zhao Youze continued, "Cousin, I'm a child. I gave you a gift, won't you give me a gift in return?"
"Little clever ghost." Pei Yuantang seemed to be in a very good mood, even when Zhao Youze was asking for a favor, he smiled kindly and said, "What do you want me to give you in return?"
"I smell something very fragrant on my cousin," Zhao Youze said, sniffing his nose, "I want to know what it is."
Hearing him say this, Pei Yuantang found it even funnier, "At such a young age, you're already starting to learn to be particular. Yuan Kang is like someone from our Pei family."
Zhao Youze didn't speak.
After teasing Zhao Youze for a while, Pei Yuantang said, "This is the latest hair oil that has just come out in the capital, and I have also added flower oil and chicken eggs to it. Does it smell good?"
Zhao Youze nodded.
"Next time you come, I'll pack you a small jar." Pei Yuantang was always the one who knew how to enjoy himself, he leaned back on the recliner and said, "Consider it a return gift."
Zhao Youze agreed, he said, "My cousin and sister have something to say in private, I'll go inside and copy scriptures."
Pei Yuantang watched Su Yu lead him into the room with a smile.
When Zhao Youze copied scriptures, he sat upright, and his gait was also very dignified. Pei Yuantang looked at his back, couldn't help but shake his head slightly, and sighed, "This child Yuan Kang does everything in a proper manner."
He paused, the second half of his sentence caught in his throat, and he swallowed it back in time - How wonderful it would be if he could see it.
This could not be said, for it would only make Jiashen sad or angry.
However, Jiashen could still hear the deep meaning in his unfinished tone. She narrowed her eyes and walked to the chair next to Pei Yuantang and sat down.
With Zhao Youze gone, Jiashen got straight to the point and said, "How about the Doctor Kong I asked you to find for me?"
Pei Yuantang looked at her and said, "I was just about to ask you, where did you get the news about this divine doctor?"
Jiashen naturally couldn't tell him the truth, so she had to prevaricate by saying, "I heard it from Jing Fei. I don't think Jing Fei would lie to me about this matter."
Seeing that Pei Yuantang's face was not good, she hurriedly asked, "Is there any problem?"
Jing Fei's family was from Jinling. However, compared to the deeply rooted Pei family, Jing Fei's family background was nothing to speak of.
Hearing that it was Jing Fei who said it, Pei Yuantang was silent for a moment, and he slowly said, "It's not that there's a problem. I received a letter from my fifth uncle yesterday. My fifth uncle said that there is indeed a family surnamed Kong in the Jiangnan area who has been practicing medicine for generations, but their reputation is not well known. Moreover, the current head of the Kong family likes to travel around the world, had not lived in Jiangnan for a long time, and there is no news that he is particularly good at treating eye diseases."
"He specifically asked me to ask you if the source of the information is accurate." Pei Yuantang said calmly, "If it's hearsay, don't waste manpower."
To find someone within the four seas is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and even the emperor dare not say it is easy. If it was really hearsay, Jiashen would not have to be so persistent.
However, in her previous life, she had seen it with her own eyes and had already come to an epiphany that the Kong family was the only hope for Zhao Youze's eyes.
Jiashen looked at Pei Yuantang and nodded firmly, "Then help me reply to my uncle and ask him to spare no effort to find this Miracle Doctor Kong."
Pei Yuantang has always believed her and has always been willing to help her. Seeing her speak so seriously, he said, "Alright, I'll write back to my fifth uncle after I go back."
" It's Just that," Pei Yuantang paused, "you should be mentally prepared, it may not be easy to find someone."
Jiashen nodded, "I know."
She agreed while her heart was in a turmoil. What if Doctor Kong still appears after Zhao Youcheng is made the crown prince in this life?
No, even if he is made the crown prince, there is still a way to save him. If Zhao Youcheng has ascended the throne by then, does she have to let everything continue to repeat itself?
Jiashen's eyes were like stars.
Seeing that she was silent, Pei Yuantang reached out and waved his hand in front of her eyes, "What are you thinking about? I just asked you a question and you didn't even answer."
Jiashen came back to her senses and looked up at him, "What was it?"
While the two were talking, Jiashen actually zoned out blatantly, and Pei Yuantang was obviously not very happy. He glanced at Jiashen and said, "Your marriage. Now, there is good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"
Jiashen thought about it seriously, and she rested her chin on her hand and said, "Let's hear the bad news first."
"Oh?" Pei Yuantang raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that she chose the bad news first. He laughed and said, "His Majesty has recently been carefully selecting a husband for you from among the outstanding young talents in the court. Basically, all the families with titles and all the officials above the third rank who have suitable younger generations have been asked about."
Jiashen couldn't help but cover her forehead.
She knew that after that conversation, her father might be more cautious than before, but she didn't expect it to be so high-profile.
Jiashen couldn't help but laugh and cry as she rubbed her temples, "What about the good news?"
Pei Yuantang smiled, revealing two white teeth, looking very bright, "His Majesty had previously intended to marry you to Zhan Shaoqing, the eldest grandson of the Duke of Anguo, and it seemed that it was almost settled. However, this time, His Majesty did not play by the rules and asked for the horoscopes of all the childern and grandchildren of the ministers. This clearly means that he is not optimistic about Zhan Shaoying. There is no way that you and Zhan Shaoqing can be together."
Jiashen pursed her lips slightly, and finally couldn't help but smile, "I already knew about this. But I didn't expect to hear it from you again and still feel so happy."
Seeing the undisguised joy on Jiashen's face, Pei Yuantang took a sip of tea and looked at her leisurely, "Do you hate Zhan Shaoqing that much?"
Jiashen lowered her eyelashes, her red lips parted slightly, noncommittal.
Pei Yuantang said again, "But I think you have a good relationship with Zhan Shaoqing's fourth uncle."
He pointed casually towards the door.
Jiashen's expression remained unchanged, she smiled with her lips pursed, and exhaled like orchids, "He is him, Zhan Shaoqing is Zhan Shaoqing, they are different."
Pei Yuantang was staring at her intently.
Hearing Jiashen say this, Pei Yuantang put down his teacup and moved a little closer to her without making a sound. He snorted coldly, "What's the difference?"