Hidden Shadow – CH 043

Chapter Forty-Three: Spring Heart

“The eldest son of the Hua family…” Mei Jiu pondered for a moment, then said, “Ah, he would not happen to be the Privy Councilor, would he?”

Yao-Ye nodded, her eyes shining. “Indeed! His future is limitless.”

The Privy Council and the Secretariat-Chancellery were known as the Two Offices, the most centralized government institutions of the Song Dynasty. The Secretariat-Chancellery was in charge of civil affairs, while the Privy Council was in charge of military affairs. However, the Privy Council did not manage the army; it only had the power to deploy troops.

The Privy Councilor was a deputy, and there were ten such officials. Although the Privy Council was in charge of military affairs, its highest-ranking officer and deputies were all scholars.

“Young Master Hua’s high position at such a young age is certainly not due to his family’s influence,” Yao-Ye said, seeing that Mei Jiu did not seem very interested. He then began to list the merits of this talented young man. “There are always many taboos between the Emperor and powerful ministers. The Hua family wields immense power, and the Emperor must be very wary of them. If this Young Master Hua were not truly a rare talent, why would the Emperor appoint him?”

An Jiu did not understand politics very well, but she felt that what Yao-Ye said made perfect sense and also that her judgment of character was indeed excellent.

Mei Jiu said, “So what? They say those obsessed with power are heartless. His wife passed away only a year ago, and he’s already marrying a new woman. It’s clear that’s true.”

Yao-Ye sighed. “My young lady, for such a fine man, to have stayed with her for a year is already quite an act of affection.”

Mei Jiu disagreed. “If they did not have children, it would not matter. His late wife had already left him with two children. They were childhood sweethearts; what kind of affection is a year of waiting?”

Seeing her unspoken unease, Yao-Ye changed the subject. “Young Lady, such opportunities are rare. Most of our young ladies do not marry outside the family. Elder Zhi has only taken you as his disciple these past few days. Even if a family takes a liking to you, you will have absolutely no chance of marrying out. In all the world, besides the imperial palace, you can only marry into the Hua family. Is this not exactly what you and Lady Yan have been thinking? It’s not shameful to become the second wife of the Hua family’s eldest son.”

“You…you are right.”

She read more poetry and had a sentimental nature. She was eloquent when discussing other people’s relationships, but when it came to marriage, the young Mei Jiu had absolutely no concept of it. Mei Yanran had also neglected to educate her in this area.

As for An Jiu, she had even less of a concept.

Remembering An Jiu’s earlier inquiry about the Hua family, Mei Jiu asked Yao-Ye, “How many legitimate sons does the Hua family have?”

“Many,” Yao-Ye thought carefully. “Quite a few! The Hua family is currently divided into twelve branches. Their ancestral home is in the north, and they only have two branches in Bianjing, both extremely noble. If we only count these two branches, there are about ten.”

Seeing her listening attentively, Yao-Ye carefully counted the details of Hua Zihong’s branch. “Eldest Master Hua’s father was formerly the Crown Prince’s tutor and is now a prime minister in the Secretariat. He has three legitimate sons: the eldest is Hua Rongtian, the second son is Zimiao, courtesy name Rongjian, and the youngest son is Ziping, courtesy name Rongjun.”

“You found out so much in such a short time?” Mei Jiu’s eyes widened.

“I already know about the Hua family’s affairs,” Yao-Ye said with a smile. “Speaking of which, of the Prime Minister’s three sons, Hua Rongtian is the most capable, while the second son, Hua Rongjian, is just a spoiled brat. I have not heard anything about Hua Rongjun, so I suppose he’s just an ordinary person.”

Mei Jiu blushed at her pointed remark. “So what if he’s capable? What does that have to do with me?” When young and infatuated, many people had a tendency to idolize someone; repeatedly praising someone would eventually have an effect.

Yao-Ye was not entirely clear on this principle, but she knew that speaking well of Hua Rongtian to Mei Jiu was always a good idea.

“I will go tell Lady Yan first,” Yao-Ye tentatively suggested.

Mei Jiu did not stop her. She was used to being told what to do, and after hearing Yao-Ye’s words, she even thought that marrying into the family like this would indeed be a good choice.

After dinner, Mei Ruyan came to Mei Jiu to ask for her advice.

“It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone,” she said, still with one arm in a sling and noticeably thinner. Her already small face had shrunk even further.

“Master Mo is very demanding, is he not?” Mei Jiu asked.

Mei Ruyan’s smile remained bright. “I cannot always let him have the upper hand. These past few days, I’ve made him speechless with anger, and seeing his dark face is so satisfying!”

Mei Jiu laughed, “You know, getting angry at him only hurts you in the end.”

“That’s true. He looks like a celestial being, but he’s a black-hearted man. When he takes revenge, he shows no regard for the bond between master and disciple.” Mei Ruyan’s phoenix eyes shone brightly as she spoke of Master Mo, clearly expressing her frustration, yet her face showed no sign of displeasure.

Mei Jiu assumed it was just her temperament and said, “Be gentle when you can. Did Master Mo not say he does not hit women?”

Mei Ruyan laughed. “He does not hit women, but I will break that rule and see how long he can tolerate it!”

Yao-Ye, who had been serving her, finally understood the situation.

The two talked for a while before Mei Ruyan asked about the difficult points in the book. They were so engrossed in the conversation that if An Jiu had not intervened, Mei Jiu would have almost asked Mei Ruyan to stay for a late-night chat.

Yao-Ye had someone see Mei Ruyan off and turned back, saying, “Young Lady, it seems that Fifteenth Young Lady treats Master Mo a little differently.”

Mei Jiu, seeing them as master and disciple, did not immediately grasp the meaning behind Yao-Ye’s words and asked blankly, “How is she different?”

“She’s in heat,” An Jiu answered succinctly.

“Ah!” Mei Jiu covered her mouth; the news was so shocking that she overlooked the vulgarity in An Jiu’s words. “They are master and disciple!”

Yao-Ye assumed she was just realizing it. “So, Young Lady, perhaps you could subtly mention it to her occasionally. Master Mo is a bit eccentric, but his overall demeanor is excellent. Fifteenth Young Lady is still young, and with them spending so much time together, some feelings might inevitably develop.”

After a moment, Mei Jiu calmed down. “I will.”

She added, “Yao-Ye, you know so much.”

“Young Lady flatters me.” Yao-Ye did not dare accept such praise. She was a few years older than Mei Jiu, and anyone with even a little understanding of romantic relationships could see through Mei Ruyan’s expression at a glance—not because her eyesight was particularly sharp.

“It’s all so chaotic,” Mei Jiu sighed. “I heard so much today, my head is completely crammed, a jumbled mess; I cannot even think straight.”

An Jiu praised, “Idiots usually cannot think straight; it’s quite remarkable that you could even realize that.”

“…” Yao-Ye comforted her. “Do not worry; take your time to sort things out.”

The same thing, but the difference!

“Can you not just speak properly like Yao-Ye?” Mei Jiu was most dissatisfied with this about her.

An Jiu did not think she had said anything wrong. “I’ve carefully considered your point.”

“How so?” Mei Jiu had only said it casually, not expecting An Jiu to take it to heart, but unexpectedly, this usually headstrong person would actually consider someone else’s opinion…

“I still cannot stand wasting time placating an idiot,” An Jiu said.

“…” Mei Jiu decided not to offer any more opinions.