Chapter 288 — Intentions

At that moment, Ji Yong was a guest at He Yu's home.

He Yu's wife, Lady Chen, was seven months pregnant; with her great belly she directed the maids to serve tea and pour water.

Ji Yong rose and bowed to Lady Chen with his hands clasped, saying, "My apologies for the trouble, sister-in-law," with great courtesy.

Lady Chen smiled with pursed lips, her lovely eyes stealing glances at Ji Yong from time to time, unable to hide her curiosity.

Ji Yong had been stared at since childhood and thought nothing of it; he did as he would, neither haughty nor humble, generous and well-mannered, the very picture of a noble family's son—bright and open as a clear sky.

Lady Chen nodded to herself in secret approval.

He Yu chuckled.

Lady Chen led the maids away.

Ji Yong at once dropped all pretense, leaning back in the armchair, his face dark as a sky about to rain: "What did you want with me?"

"Can't I call on you without a reason?" He Yu countered, spearing a slice of snow pear for him. "Cooped up at home studying every day, I had no choice but to summon you here for a talk—I'm bored to death!"

Ji Yong was in a foul mood, and so his words came out especially sharp: "What's your being bored to death got to do with me? I've been busy these last two days!"

"What could you possibly be busy with?" He Yu said dismissively. "Isn't that wretched book nearly finished? Old man Yu wouldn't have you copy it out all over again, would he?" As he spoke, his face took on a look of astonishment. "Don't tell me he actually wants you to transcribe the whole thing? I've heard him praise your handwriting..."

Yu Li and He Wendao were of the same graduating year.

Ji Yong shot him a look and stood up: "I'm leaving first. You can sit here and let your imagination run wild at your leisure..."

He Yu blocked his way: "Don't, don't—I really do have something to tell you."

Ji Yong looked coldly at He Yu.

He Yu hurriedly took Ji Yong by the arm: "Come with me!" and walked outside.

Ji Yong hesitated a moment, then followed.

The two went out of the hall one after the other, turned past a flower-covered wall, and came to a small courtyard.

In one corner of the courtyard grew two ginkgo trees; beneath them a stone terrace had been built, on which stood several pots of camellias in various colors.

Ji Yong was taken aback.

He Yu was already saying, "These are a gift for Lord Yu. Doesn't your family excel at raising camellias? Take a look for me—how do these few pots rate?"

Ji Yong glanced at He Yu and said, "Don't tell me you're thinking of entering Lord Yu's tutelage?"

He Yu smiled awkwardly and said, "Nothing gets past you—I hear Lord Yu is fond of growing camellias..."

Ji Yong nodded.

They were all ordinary varieties, but their stems and leaves were elegant and their blooms delicate and vivid, a delight to the eye.

"Well?" He Yu said with a smile, seeing a flicker of satisfaction in Ji Yong's eyes. "These camellias aren't bad, are they? They were grown by my wife's younger sister—Chen Zexi's youngest full sister. She is gentle in temperament, outstanding in appearance, well versed in music, and skilled at raising camellias besides..."

Before he had finished speaking, Ji Yong's guard was up; he felt as though someone were watching him. He whirled around, following the feeling, and saw a side room not far off with its lattice window half open.

Ji Yong's gaze turned sharply keen.

A faint stir could be sensed from within the side room.

Ji Yong knitted his brows. His look toward He Yu turned cold as well: "What exactly are you playing at?"

Seeing that Ji Yong had caught on, He Yu simply laid his cards on the table: "Jianming, you're no outsider to us, so I'll speak plainly—my brother-in-law Chen Zexi has long admired your talent and learning. Seeing that you've never married, he wishes to act as matchmaker..."

"So the camellias, the tutelage—all of it was just an excuse?" Ji Yong cut him off, demanding aggressively, "You brought me here so the Chens could look me over!"

As he spoke, a cold light flickered in the depths of his eyes.

He Yu's heart skipped a beat; instinctively he sensed that Ji Yong not only found the whole business utterly repellent but was deeply angry.

Perhaps because being looked over without warning, with the initiative in the woman's hands, made him feel humiliated?

The thought flashed through He Yu's mind, and he smiled: "Look you over? What talk of looking over? With your character and learning, Jianming, what household with a daughter of marriageable age would not receive you as an honored guest? Only, relying on the particular friendship between us, when my brother-in-law raised the matter, I thought to drink a cup of matchmaker's wine with you..."

But before he had finished speaking, Ji Yong had flung his sleeves and gone.

He Yu was vexed and blamed Lady Chen: "I told you long ago that Ji Jianming is a proud man. If you wanted to look him over, you should have invited him to look over our little sister instead—sooner or later they'd have met anyway. Now see what's happened—we've outsmarted ourselves..."

At this Lady Chen hesitated and said, "Learning is important, to be sure, but temper matters more... I don't know how many men of vast learning have come to grief over their temper. Our looking him over first may have cost him some face, but for him to fling his sleeves and stalk off without a care—that temper is a bit too foul." Here she glanced at a young girl of about thirteen or fourteen beside her, with bright eyes and white teeth. "I say we'd best let this match drop..."

But the girl protested with a cry of "Sister!", her face flushed crimson.

Lady Chen could not help sighing. "Then I'll go and speak to Aunt."

The girl nodded, overcome with shyness.

Ji Yong, however, had already put the whole matter out of his mind.

If she wanted to be his wife, very well—but first she would have to match the couplet hanging above the main gate of the Ji family's ancestral home.

He went straight to Mao'er Alley.

Dou Heng happened to be at home.

"How is it you have time to come by today?" Dou Heng had always been very fond of this young and learned nephew of his. "I hear the Wenhua Daxun is nearly finished? What do you plan to do next?"

Ji Yong answered beside the point. "Uncle, are you and Huang Qi, the new prefect of Shuntian, well acquainted?"

So far as he could recall, the Dou family had first risen through the post of censor in the Censorate, and afterward Dou Zhen and others had all served in the Censorate. The Dou family had deep connections there.

Dou Heng said, puzzled, "What business do you have with the Shuntian Prefecture?"

"Nothing much!" Ji Yong said. "Just asking."

"He has a cousin of the same clan who sat the examinations in our year, and we are on fairly good terms," Dou Heng said. "For small matters he would surely help; for great ones, I dare not say."

Ji Yong said at once, "Then, Uncle, write me a card of introduction."

"What are you about?" Dou Heng had read the books of the sages and held that a man's conduct should leave him unashamed before heaven and earth. If one had right on one's side, what need was there to seek out acquaintances or smooth one's way through connections? One had only to go beat the drum and cry for justice. Whoever needed such a card as this must be standing on shaky ground where principle was concerned, and Ji Yong was a junior he thought well of. He could not let Ji Yong ruin his own hands and feet, and so he questioned him with particular care.

Ji Yong had no choice but to say, "I want to ask whether the Shuntian Prefecture has made any progress in the matter of Shouyuan."

Dou Heng was relieved and went to write the card for Ji Yong.