Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 13

Because the gold had gone in a full circle only to end up back in Yuanhui’s hands, Zhen Tingyun returned to her own room feeling somewhat dispirited and listless.

Seeing her like this, Old Lady Zhen naturally asked: “What’s wrong now?”

Zhen Tingyun could hardly tell her grandmother about the gold, so she walked over and sat close beside her, leaning against her shoulder as she quietly brought up another worry weighing on her mind: “Grandmother, do you think I really can pass the women’s academy exam next year? I’ve heard that the noble young ladies in the capital all begin studying very early, are widely knowledgeable, and exceptionally outstanding…”

Only the ignorant are fearless. The more a person learns and understands, the more they come to know reverence and caution.

Zhen Tingyun was no longer an ignorant child. Long ago, she had already realized how vast the world was and understood that there were always people better than oneself. Next June, the women’s academy would hold its entrance examinations. Calculating the time, less than a year remained now, and her competitors would be the daughters of the great noble and official families of the capital.

Could she truly surpass so many accomplished young ladies and gain admission into the academy?

Seeing her so dispirited, Old Lady Zhen could not help smacking her lightly.

“You silly girl! You’re already losing heart before you’ve even taken the exam?!”

Zhen Tingyun hugged her grandmother’s arm and rested her head against her shoulder. She did not answer, only nudged her lightly and rubbed against her while softly humming, exactly like a kitten acting spoiled.

“I think you’re only fierce within the family,” Old Lady Zhen said displeased. “When arguing with me, your tongue’s sharp enough to twist nonsense into sounding reasonable. So why do you turn soft in front of outsiders? If your elder sister could pass, why can’t you?!”

Her voice was not lowered at all as she continued coldly: “You were both born from the same parents. Are you missing an eye or an ear compared to her? Why should you be worse than her? And besides, you’ve worked hard all these years at home. How could you possibly lose to her?”

Zhen Tingyun was the sort who improved after being scolded. After Old Lady Zhen reprimanded her like this, her spirits immediately rose. “Grandmother is right! I was just overthinking things for a moment!”

As she spoke, she pressed her cheek against Old Lady Zhen’s and wrapped her arms around her, coquettishly saying: “I knew Grandmother loved me best.”

Old Lady Zhen shoved her lightly away, putting on a look of being unable to stand her granddaughter’s clinginess. “Shoo, shoo! I just couldn’t stand your gloomy face bringing bad luck!”

Laughing, Zhen Tingyun rose to her feet and took out another set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She planned first to write up the daily study schedule Yuanhui had mentioned earlier.

Whether she could succeed or not, she would only know after trying.

At the very least, she should not waste these coming months.

Seeing Zhen Tingyun bent over the desk writing, Old Lady Zhen did not disturb her. Instead, she quietly went out and called for Bazhen to bring water. After washing up herself, she went to bed first.

As for Zhen Tingyun, she sat at the desk writing out her study schedule for most of the night.

The lamp in the room remained lit deep into the night as well.

Perhaps because she had already made up her mind and found her resolve, after finishing the schedule and briefly washing up, Zhen Tingyun returned to bed. During the latter half of the night, she actually slept quite soundly.

Early the next morning, Zhen Tingyun woke up out of habit.

Because she had stayed up so late, her head faintly ached. She raised a hand to rub at her temples before finally lifting the blanket and getting out of bed.

As usual, she first shuffled over in her slippers to open the window.

It was winter now, and the morning breeze was piercingly cold. The chill immediately made Zhen Tingyun, still dressed only in her sleeping robes, shiver violently, thoroughly waking her up. She quickly changed clothes, washed up, and then headed downstairs.

Zhen Tingyun had always risen early, so there were not many people downstairs in the inn at this hour. Steward Lin, however, had gone out again.

He had been instructed by Father Zhen to escort Old Lady Zhen and Zhen Tingyun to the capital, yet they had already been delayed at the inn for several days. Naturally, Steward Lin was anxious, so every morning he went out early to inquire about the situation. Today was no exception.

Zhen Tingyun was halfway through breakfast when she saw Steward Lin return.

Joy was written across his face. Spotting Zhen Tingyun eating breakfast, he called out with a smile: “Miss.”

Then he shared the news he had gathered outside: “We should be able to leave in another two days.”

A beat later, Zhen Tingyun set down her bowl of porridge and asked: “Has the regent’s procession left?”

“They say it’ll depart tomorrow.” Steward Lin smiled as he spoke, already mentally planning the preparations for their journey.

Zhen Tingyun was happy as well, but after her happiness came worry over how to arrange matters for Yuanhui.

Their group only had two carriages in total. One was for Zhen Tingyun and Old Lady Zhen to ride in. The other carried the luggage they had brought from the countryside, with Bazhen and Liushun sitting atop it to keep watch. Steward Lin and the other men all rode horses directly.

So Yuanhui, who still could not properly get out of bed and whose injured head could not withstand jostling, became rather troublesome.

Surely they could not add an entire extra carriage just for him?

Unable to think of a good solution for the moment, Zhen Tingyun decided to put the matter aside for now. After chatting briefly with Steward Lin, she finished breakfast and went upstairs with the study schedule she had written the previous night for Yuanhui to review.

Yuanhui had only just finished washing up. A faint flush lingered beside his cheeks from the hot towel, and his dark eyelashes were still damp, hanging quietly downward and casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.

His face had already been incomparably handsome to begin with, but at this moment it carried a breathtaking sort of beauty.

Even Zhen Tingyun could not help staring blankly for a moment before coughing lightly and calling out: “Teacher.”

Yuanhui remained reclining against the bed without moving, only lifting his eyes to glance at her.

Perhaps he was still somewhat unaccustomed to suddenly having such a grown disciple. He quickly looked away again. Seeing the paper in her hand, he already understood why she had come and thus asked: “You’ve finished drafting your daily study schedule?”

Zhen Tingyun hurriedly nodded and handed over the paper she had written.

Her schedule began at mao hour.

At mao hour she would rise, eat breakfast, and then review the previous day’s lessons.

At chen hour she would study copybooks and practice calligraphy, first writing five large sheets.

At si hour she would study the xiao and memorize musical notation.

At noon she would eat lunch and rest briefly.

At wei hour she would continue practicing calligraphy, writing another five large sheets, with the remaining time left for flexible arrangements.

The more detailed divisions of time had also been written onto the paper.

Yuanhui accepted the schedule and habitually picked up a brush, ready to revise it as he read.

Meanwhile, Zhen Tingyun sat nearby watching him with bright eyes.

Yuanhui did not intend to make many changes. After adding only a few strokes, he returned the paper to her.

“For now, this will do. Once I’m feeling better, we’ll add riding and archery into the schedule.”

Zhen Tingyun accepted the revised paper and discovered that Yuanhui had specifically added mathematics after the wei hour period, which seemed quite reasonable. Thus she nodded, somewhat eager to begin. “So should I start with studying copybooks and practicing calligraphy now?”

Yuanhui nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “My throat’s a little dry. Make me some tea first.”

Zhen Tingyun replied casually: “Isn’t there already fresh hot tea in the room? I can pour you a cup.”

As though recalling the taste of the inn’s low-quality tea leaves, Yuanhui frowned slightly. “I don’t want to drink this.”

The inn’s broken tea leaves truly were unpleasant, though Zhen Tingyun herself had never cared much about such things. Back in the countryside, Old Lady Zhen would sometimes even dry willow twigs or pagoda tree blossoms to brew as tea anyway. As long as it could be drunk, it was fine. 

Still, seeing Yuanhui’s expression of distaste, Zhen Tingyun thought for a moment before trying to persuade him: “If you’re not used to the inn’s tea, I can fetch some honey. Mixed with warm water, it’s actually quite pleasant too.”

Her tone sounded exactly like someone coaxing a child.

Hearing this, Yuanhui’s brows moved slightly. His expression remained indifferent as he casually said: “Then forget it. I had originally thought that if there were tea utensils, I could take the opportunity to teach you tea preparation and tea appreciation. But now that I think about it, perhaps it’s still too early…”

Zhen Tingyun: “……”

For one brief moment, Zhen Tingyun struggled intensely inside. She hated to spend money on things like tea utensils, yet she also wanted to learn the art of tea from Yuanhui.

As though unconcerned by her answer, Yuanhui lowered his eyes carelessly.

But Zhen Tingyun had always been an exceptionally clear-headed and decisive person. Though she cherished money dearly, she had once emptied all her private savings just to buy an old qin. Naturally, she was now willing to spend money in order to learn tea ceremony as well. Thus, after struggling only briefly, she quickly nodded.

“Buying tea utensils right now might be a little rushed anyway. How about, for the moment, Teacher makes do with some warm honey water? I’ll instruct the maids to purchase tea utensils, and tomorrow we can begin learning tea preparation?”

Since Zhen Tingyun had voluntarily compromised, Yuanhui nodded in agreement.

Relieved, Zhen Tingyun personally rose to prepare a cup of warm honey water for him. Holding it with both hands, she offered it over with the respectful manner of a student serving her teacher.

Her eagerness and deference instead made Yuanhui suspicious. He looked at her warily. “What else is it?”

Zhen Tingyun smiled at him, lowered her lashes shyly, and quietly asked: “Um… the gold I left with you last night, is it still there?”

Yuanhui: “……”

Zhen Tingyun could only explain: “Buying tea utensils will definitely cost quite a bit of money, and I really don’t have much silver on hand right now. I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

Even after losing his memory, Yuanhui was still the sort of person who could pick up a small pouch of gold and jade the very next day, someone who could casually toss a piece of gold to another person. With his limited imagination, he truly could not conceive that there were people who couldn’t even afford a tea set…

But then, thinking about how Zhen Tingyun was still using a secondhand old qin, and how she had even had to go to great lengths just to buy that used instrument in the first place, he seemed to understand a little better.

Still, Yuanhui had always been hard-hearted. He remained unmoved and merely reminded her, “I already said yesterday that this gold is to cover my expenses along the journey. Whatever remains afterward is yours.”

Zhen Tingyun was not the least bit reserved. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she blinked at Yuanhui and said brightly, “Teacher, that’s far too formal. With the kind of relationship we have, why bother talking about silver and gold?”

“…What kind of relationship do we have?” Yuanhui had just taken a sip of warm honey water and nearly choked on her suggestive tone.

Zhen Tingyun lifted her lashes. Her bright eyes shone like pearls, lively and spirited whenever they moved.

She replied with complete confidence, “A master-disciple relationship! People always say that a teacher is like a father. Doesn’t that make us something like half father and daughter?”

Yuanhui: “…Cough!”

This time, he genuinely choked.

Author’s Note:

Zhen Tingyun: If you’re giving me money, you’re basically my real dad!

Yuanhui: …Thanks, but I have absolutely no desire to be your father!