Chapter 167: Confession

Chapter 167: Confession

Outside the window, the bells chimed softly. The morning rain on the bluestone pavement stirred a hazy mist. The leaves of the pomegranate trees in the courtyard glistened with wetness, and the young palace maids, shielding their faces with one hand, hurriedly carried clay pots of various plants to shelter under the corridor.

Shan Zha closed the lattice windows, while Qiu Kui bent down to pick up a piece of paper blown onto the floor, placing it back on the desk and securing it with a paperweight, then lit the copper crane candlestick on the upper left corner of the desk, brightening the candlelight.

Wan Song came from behind the screen, draping a teal silk cloak over Jiang Hui's shoulders, softly saying, "Mistress, I have informed the other palaces that they need not come to pay respects. However, Lu Jieyu arrived early with the book draft and is waiting in the West Warm Pavilion."

"Hmm," Jiang Hui, busy writing a reply to the Emperor, spoke softly, "I've read the draft she wrote for the Princess Protector of the Former Dynasty yesterday and found it excellent. Tell her to continue writing in that manner, I'll join her shortly."

"Yes," Wan Song quietly curtsied and left the room.

Jiang Hui continued with the letter in her hand.

Yesterday, she had received a letter from the Emperor, who shared amusing stories from his southern tour and asked for an immediate reply, preferably along with the memorials from Prime Minister He, to be sent urgently to him through the postal relay.

However, busy with compiling the book with Lu Jieyu yesterday, writing about the exploits of the Princess Protector from the end of the former dynasty, Jiang Hui couldn't immediately start the letter and had to begin writing early this morning by the window.

Jiang Hui, having an outline in mind, wrote swiftly and effortlessly. After finishing the letter, she dried the ink, folded the paper, sealed it in an envelope with beeswax, and handed it to Qiu Kui, instructing, "Send this along with Prime Minister He's memorials to the postal officer."

"Yes," Qiu Kui acknowledged, tucking the letter into her bosom, opening a bamboo umbrella under the eaves, and hurried towards the Liangyi Hall, lifting her skirt.

Jiang Hui stood up, fastening the cloak around herself and, accompanied by Shan Zha, moved towards the West Warm Pavilion.

Upon her arrival, Lu Jieyu rose from the desk to greet her with a bow, then sat back down at Jiang Hui's indication. She said, "Empress, I've checked with the Ministry of Records. After the Princess Protector, there seems to be no other suitable person to write about."

In truth, there were others, but since this was a book about the current dynasty, it was inappropriate to write about contemporary figures.

Jiang Hui nodded, "That's fine, this book is almost complete then."

After speaking, she noticed Lu Jieyu still looking at her intently, her eyes clear and seemingly with more to say, so she smiled and asked, "Does Lu Jieyu have something else to discuss?"

"Yes," Lu Jieyu responded eagerly, "I was wondering if the Empress has decided on a title for the book?"

Jiang Hui shook her head, "I haven't yet. I considered some names, like 'Chronicles of Heroines' or 'Women's Record', but none quite satisfied me. Do you have any suggestions?"

Lu Jieyu also shook her head, "To be honest, Empress, I have thought of many names in private, but none seemed quite right. They were either too gentle and lost the essence of historical biography, or failed to encapsulate the nature of a women's history book."

"No rush, we'll think of it eventually," Jiang Hui said, picking up her brush and dipping it in ink, returning to the thoughts she had been writing the day before.

As she wrote, she casually mentioned, "The other day, Huayang was flying kites and caught a cold. I called for Doctor Yan to treat him, and only then did I learn that aside from his medical skills, he's also adept at landscape painting, truly a man of talent."

Kneeling next to Lu Jieyu and grinding ink, Lu Qin's hands paused for a moment, causing a slight clink of the ink stick against the inkstone.

Lu Jieyu glanced at Lu Qin, but her expression remained calm and she smiled naturally, "Indeed, Empress may not know, Doctor Yan once studied landscape painting with my grandfather for a time. He's considered his final disciple."

"Oh?" Jiang Hui didn't look up, continuing to pen beautiful regular script on the rice paper, "That's quite a coincidence."

"It is indeed quite a coincidence," Lu Ji Yu spoke with a gentle and melodious voice, as soothing as a spring breeze, "My ancestral grandfather loved to travel and was rarely in the Fan Yang family home. I only found out he had such a disciple when I visited him in You Zhou."

"If that's the case, how did Yan Taiyi come to the capital to become an imperial physician?" Jiang Hui seemed somewhat puzzled, "I thought that, like Master Yun Ting, his disciples wouldn’t favor coming to the capital."

Lu Ji Yu smiled unchanged, "I was curious about that too. Once I called for the imperial physician and it happened to be Yan Taiyi, I asked him. He said he felt his calligraphy and painting skills could not match his grandfather's and didn’t want to tarnish Master Yun Ting’s reputation. As he was not diligent in other scholarly pursuits, only skilled in medicine, and heard of my fortune of entering the palace, he decided to become an imperial physician. It was both to provide for his family and to repay his grandfather’s kindness."

"I see," Jiang Hui nodded, understanding, "Such respect for Master Yun Ting’s reputation indeed shows his noble character."

"Yes," Lu Ji Yu exchanged a glance with Jiang Hui, then lowered her head slightly, saying quietly, "I always thought that one's reputation is of utmost importance. It's what my grandfather sought all his life."

Jiang Hui smiled slightly and instructed Shan Zha, "Prepare some hot tea. With the rain outside, it's the perfect time to enjoy some Dian Hong Jin Zhen."

The light drizzle continued until the hour of Shen, and only after having dinner with Jiang Hui did Lu Ji Yu return to Tang Li Palace in her carriage.

Upon entering the main room of Shu Yu Pavilion, Lu Qiao brought a clean dress for Lady Lu Jueyu to change into. After serving the ginger soup prepared in the side room, Lu Qin finally asked, "My lady, why did you speak directly to the Empress today? What about Doctor Yan..."

Lady Lu Jueyu, smiling, sat down in the armchair and interrupted her, "The Empress wouldn't mention my senior brother without reason. If she brought him up, and specifically mentioned his talent in painting to me, it's clear she already understands the situation. What use is there in hiding it from her?"

"Ah?" Lu Qin was somewhat stunned and lost her composure, exclaiming in surprise, "The Empress knew all along?"

Lady Lu Jueyu nodded.

Her mistress's calm demeanor reassured Lu Qin, who regained her usual composure. After a moment of thought, she said, "So, by bringing this up today, does it mean the Empress won't pursue the matter further?"

Before Lady Lu Jueyu could answer, Lu Qin continued, "Yes, after all, my lady, you didn't actually do anything with Doctor Yan. It was he who insisted on following you..."

"It's not that she won't pursue it, but rather she won't for now. In the future, I must act as I told the Empress today, cherishing the reputations of both the imperial and Lu families, and make a clear distinction from Doctor Yan. Only then will the Empress pretend to be unaware of this affair," Lady Lu Jueyu corrected Lu Qin, referring to her 'senior brother' as 'Doctor Yan.'

Lu Qin nodded but still hesitated, "My lady, even if the Empress doesn't say anything, I believe you would never bring dishonor to our family. But about Doctor Yan..."

"Last time he came, I made things very clear to him. He would understand," Lady Lu Jueyu said, her eyelids lowered, concealing the expression in her eyes. "Moreover, he has lost his parents and has no kin. Would he really disregard his grandfather's reputation? He's not that kind of person."

Lu Qin finally felt relieved from the worry she had been harboring, whispering, "My lady, if that's the case, then Doctor Yan... could be a great support for you."

Lady Lu Jueyu did not respond to this comment, and after a long pause, said, "I only wish he would return to the mountains of Youzhou... Sadly, he will not."