A young man in a long robe clicked his tongue. “Whose wife is that? She’s like a female bandit!”
“What nonsense! She paid for everything,” an older man chided with a smile.
“Can’t you see?” Another handsome youth in blue brocade robes leaned against the window frame, his slender fingers holding a celadon wine cup as he looked down.
Following his gaze, the others saw the emblem on the carriage—a slender plum blossom.
“So it’s the Mei family. No wonder,” one man suddenly became interested and suggested, “I’ve heard their daughters are all great beauties. Shall we go take a look?”
He turned to the young man in blue, grinning, “Brother Rong Jian, do you dare?”
The room erupted in laughter.
The last time they went on an outing, they had made a bet that the loser would walk through a graveyard. Hua Rong Jian had honored the bet and entered the cemetery, but the group waited outside and he didn’t come out.
Hua Rong Jian was from the Hua family’s main branch. If anything happened to him, they couldn’t bear the responsibility! As midnight approached, when yin energy was said to be strongest, they hurriedly went in to search. When they found Hua Rong Jian, his clothes were disheveled, and they joked that he must have had a tryst with a female ghost in the graveyard.
“This time it’s a real young lady! If Brother Rong Jian can do it again, we’ll truly be impressed,” someone teased.
Hua Rong Jian set down his cup and stood up with a radiant smile. “Just watch me.”
“You’re going?” The older man held him back. “They’re just joking. Don’t be so reckless.”
“You don’t know me very well, do you?” Hua Rong Jian straightened his collar and walked out.
The man followed him out and advised in a low voice, “Rong Jian, isn’t your family currently discussing a marriage alliance with the Mei family? If this causes any unpleasantness, the Grand Councilor Hua might not forgive you!”
Hua Rong Jian dismissed his concerns. He asked a waiter about the Mei family women’s location and strode over.
An Jiu had just entered a private room, and Yaoyao was about to close the door when a hand stopped it.
The two guards at the door hadn’t managed to block him!
“I am Hua Rong Jian. I request an audience with the Mei lady,” he said.
Hua Rong Jian was more than a head taller than Yaoyao. She looked up to see a handsome face with a roguish smile just inches away. His teeth were white and even, his lips clean, his complexion fair yet masculine. Though his gaze was somewhat frivolous, it wasn’t malicious, making it hard to dislike him.
“Sir, please mind your manners,” Yaoyao said, not needing to consult An Jiu. How could a young man come to visit an unmarried lady alone?
“I have something to discuss with Miss Mei. If it’s inconvenient to enter, we can talk outside, but…” Hua Rong Jian smiled, “The content might be detrimental to your mistress’s reputation.”
Yaoyao’s mind raced. “I can relay any message, sir. Please consider both families’ reputations.”
“I’ll go back and write a letter, then have my servant deliver it,” Hua Rong Jian said.
The room wasn’t large, and An Jiu heard their conversation. “Let him in!” she said.
“My lady!” Yaoyao stood firmly at the door, guarding it.
“That’s an order,” An Jiu said coolly.
Yaoyao bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before stepping aside. The Mei family’s children often died young, so they didn’t value chastity and reputation as much as ordinary families. Even if some unsavory rumors spread, it wouldn’t matter much.
Hua Rong Jian entered the room. Through the crystal curtain, he saw a slender figure drinking tea by the lamplight, with a screen behind her embroidered with a rustling bamboo forest.
As Hua Rong Jian raised his hand to lift the curtain, Yaoyao quickly stepped in front, gesturing to the chairs in the outer room. “Please sit, Young Master Hua.”
Hua Rong Jian lowered his hand and turned to sit down. “Did the young lady keep my jade pendant and handkerchief because she has feelings for me?”
Yaoyao, who was pouring tea, was startled at his words and spilled hot tea on the table. “Sir, you mustn’t say such things!”
Jade pendants, handkerchiefs, and hairpins could all be considered tokens of love. If a man and woman exchanged such items without a matchmaker or betrothal, it could be seen as improper intimacy.
An Jiu recalled that she had indeed robbed Hua Rong Jian in the graveyard, taking his jade pendant, handkerchief, dagger…
However, Hua Rong Jian’s purpose for being in the graveyard was suspicious, so she decided not to admit it. “Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Yes, don’t get it wrong,” Yaoyao said anxiously.
“Mei Fourteen,” Hua Rong Jian stated her identity without hesitation.
An Jiu was somewhat surprised. She had never revealed her rank in the Mei family, yet he knew it immediately. This showed he had deep knowledge of the Mei family and likely knew about their secret business as well.
She wondered how to respond interestingly.