High-class Spring Joy

"Ahe, I remember your nineteenth birthday is in a few days, right?"

Chu Jingxian's question was indeed somewhat unexpected.

Qinghe was somewhat taken aback, but still answered truthfully, "Yes, I'll be nineteen soon."

The two chatted idly, perhaps because the atmosphere was too relaxed, or perhaps because she had just come out of a dream, Qinghe's nerves were still loose, and she didn't think much of it, just taking it as the two of them having a casual conversation.

"Now that you are a princess, even if you don't return to the Northern Frontier Kingdom but instead return to Bianjing City with the status of a county princess, the land deeds and family property bestowed by the emperors of both countries should be more than enough for you to live comfortably on your own. You won't be too poor, nor will you have to suffer the injustices you used to. So, you can establish yourself in Bianjing City without having to work hard every day. But now that you've reached a certain age, have you thought about your marriage?"

Based on Qinghe's understanding of the Third Young Master, he was never an ordinary young master; he had many extremely open-minded attitudes and views.

When Qinghe saw the Third Young Master suddenly ask this question, her first thought was, "Does the Third Young Master know something?"

Do you know your child?

Qinghe dared not think about it and could not understand it. Now the Third Young Master treated her more and more peacefully. Although he helped her and treated her well in the past, there was always a sense of distance between them. Now that they had gone through so much, Qinghe felt in her heart that she and the Third Young Master could be considered as half friends who had gone through life and death together.

At least for now, the Third Young Master rarely showed any regard for the etiquette between men and women towards him. Moreover, when Chu Jingxian said this, his fingertips were pressing on her temples and gently massaging them.

This distance, this bond, made Qinghe feel even more guilty. Perhaps if the Third Young Master had known, it would have been a matter of life and death for her.

Nowadays, there are not many people in this world who can easily order her execution with a single sentence, but Qinghe is still as afraid as before that the Third Young Master will find out.

Once people have something they care about, they become hesitant and indecisive.

Qinghe looked at Chu Jingxian in front of her and forced a smile: "Is there anything you need, young master? Or is there anything else you would like to ask me? You may ask me directly. As long as it is something I can tell you, I will answer it to the best of my ability."

Qinghe's words were actually somewhat defensive. Chu Jingxian merely glanced at her, his voice still gentle: "It's nothing, just wanted to chat with you for a while. We've known each other for so long, but it seems we've had very little time to chat. Now that this matter is settled, we're setting off back to Bianjing tomorrow, and we have some free time, so I wanted to talk to you. If you feel it's inappropriate, I can go back."

The Third Young Master's words were sincere; indeed, this peace talks had come to an end. Because the Northern Frontier Kingdom and the Song Kingdom had reached a peace agreement, most people could probably breathe a sigh of relief.

Once the tense atmosphere dissipated, we finally had time to chat.

"That's not what I meant, young master, there's no need to be angry."

Qinghe said, "The young master has asked about my marriage. Actually, I haven't thought about marriage at all. Besides, given my background, I wouldn't have been able to find a good family to marry into. It's already incredibly lucky that I was able to leave the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion. How could I possibly think about marriage any further?"

Chu Jingxian glanced at Qinghe and immediately saw through her ethereal words: "Is there anything you're worried about? If you don't mind, you can tell me."

As he said this, Chu Jingxian gripped the blanket beside him tightly.

"It's not so much a concern. It's just that my thoughts are different from others, maybe because I'm inherently different from others."

Qinghe pursed her lips. Chu Jingxian's expression was too well concealed, and she didn't notice anything amiss: "I just feel that it seems that from birth, women in this world, whether long-term or short-term, are all planning to find a good marriage partner. From the moment they are born, looking back, whether it's their appearance, figure, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Four Books and Five Classics, or needlework and accounting, it all seems inseparable from finding a marriage partner and a good husband."

Perhaps it's because I've listened to my mother's nagging too much. From a young age, if I made a mistake, did something outrageous, or said something inappropriate, my mother would say things like, "How will you ever get married?" or "You'll have a hard time finding a husband and might become an old maid." It seems the girls around me all experienced the same thing. Whether it was music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or the Four Books and Five Classics, a woman with talent seemed to find it easier to find a good husband; if she lacked talent, she was labeled as careless, vulgar, dull, and so on. Take needlework, for example. Needlework was meant to help her find a better husband, to earn a reputation for being beautiful and intelligent, making it easier to find a good match later. It also meant learning to manage the household and prepare for marriage. It's not that I think learning these things is bad; on the contrary, if I had the opportunity when I was young, I would have been willing and eager to learn them. It's just that I don't understand why, whether it's learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Four Books and Five Classics, or needlework and accounting, it seems to be all for the purpose of being a better wife and mother in the future. Perhaps you will say that I am speaking rudely or thinking out of line, but I think that whether it is a man or a woman, they should live for themselves in this world, not for anything else.

Moreover, this world is exceptionally harsh on women. If both men and women are at fault, the first to be blamed is often the woman. Perhaps in the end, the man will quietly disappear, showing some leniency. I can understand this, after all, in my Bianjing, women aren't even qualified to take the imperial examinations. This is just how the world is. A woman seems to be busy from birth, spending her ten or twenty years preparing to have children, to find a husband, and to be a good wife and mother. But I seem to have some reservations. I feel I can't fulfill the duties of a good wife and mother, and it's difficult for me to be the virtuous and kind wife people talk about. For example, I can be quite lazy sometimes. Back in the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, I only had no choice because of my status. Perhaps the young master saw me as always diligent? But I'm not very diligent. Sometimes I think about being lazy and want to just lie down.

When I was a maid, I was a servant. I had no right to choose, nor could I choose. Back then, let alone the right to choose, let alone freedom, even my life was in the hands of others. My masters could take my life with just a few words. So back then, I racked my brains, and all I really wanted was to save my own life.

After leaving the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, her name was temporarily preserved, but in this world, apart from women born into the highest nobility, how many women have the right to choose? Like the Second Miss Song in Lord Song's mansion in Bianjing, although her background was certainly low for a young master, it was an unattainable status for me, a mere maid at the time. However, the Second Miss Song was not favored, and her family had the principal wife to suppress her. Furthermore, the eldest Miss Song constantly bullied her. If someone were to ask to marry the Second Miss Song, even if she said no, Lord Song probably wouldn't listen to her.

So, people are probably all greedy, but sometimes I think greed is necessary and normal. Once you've saved your life and survived, you want to have the right to choose and the freedom to speak. That's normal. So, the reason why Miss Song is so cautious now, taking one step after another, is probably because she just wants to have the right to choose and the right to say no.

Wanting more means working harder and giving more. Although saving the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was a fluke, perhaps I truly am sometimes blessed with good fortune. Now that I possess what I've always dreamed of, even what I dared not imagine, perhaps I have the right to choose. Since I now have the right to choose, I can choose the option I want. Everyone says I must choose a good husband—one with good character, power, and wealth, and so on. But I don't want to choose now, because in my heart, it's a gamble. Choosing is simply gambling with my future, betting that the man I choose is reliable, someone who won't change his heart. But I believe the odds of winning a gamble are already low, let alone winning on the first try—the probability is extremely low. I'm not a very bold person, and I don't like to gamble. I can't be sure the husband I choose is good, nor can I easily entrust my future to another person. When that time comes, I can't expect my lucky fate to protect me, can I? Therefore, I can only choose the most risk-free and clumsy method, which is to choose nothing.

As Qinghe finished speaking, she looked up at Chu Jingxian's expression and, seeing his somewhat enigmatic look, touched her nose a little embarrassed.

"Did I say too much? I just felt particularly relaxed talking to you, so it's easy to say things that might be a bit roundabout. I've thought about marriage, of course I have, but I don't think I'm lucky enough to find my true love on the first try. Besides, now is not the right time for me to get married."

Qinghe spoke sincerely. If there were ten points in what she just said, nine were true, and the remaining one was about the child.

Originally, she was pregnant and therefore not suitable to get married. She had never thought of getting married after giving birth, since who knows what kind of husband she would meet?

Even if we take the worst-case scenario, what if she really encounters a scumbag who's good at pretending at first but can't keep up the act later? She's an adult, and she can endure a bit more hardship, but what about the child?

Qinghe didn't want to suffer more herself, and she didn't want her child to suffer more either. She already felt extremely guilty for leaving her child without a biological father and unable to recognize him.

Qinghe was worried about how to earn more money to give her children a better and more prosperous life, so she had no time to think about getting married.

If we have money, it will be easier to do anything in the future. We should give our children the best conditions.

Although Qinghe acquired her so-called power and wealth by accident, she believes she deserves it. With her current situation, her biggest worry has been resolved. The next thing to think about is how to take good care of her child and educate her properly.

Chu Jingxian could understand and comprehend the first part of Qinghe's words, but the last sentence gave him a different perspective.

she…

Does she still remember her fifth brother?

This thought made Chu Jingxian frown subconsciously: "Is there some unspeakable reason?"

Qinghe knew that Chu Jingxian was asking about the last question she had hesitated to ask. After thinking for a moment, she changed her approach and explained to Chu Jingxian: "Third Young Master, you have met me before at the Marquis's residence. You probably know something about what happened between me and Fifth Young Master. Actually, I'm not very smart and I'm easily deceived. So I'm not confident that I can bet right. If I bet wrong, it will be a great ordeal not only for myself but also for others. I think it's better not to do it."

Chu Jingyu…

Upon hearing Chu Jingyu's name, Chu Jingxian's entire demeanor changed, and his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Was it because of Chu Jingyu? Was it because the young girl still remembered Chu Jingyu? Chu Jingyu and Qinghe had grown up together, regardless of the outcome. Those ten-odd years were genuine; they grew up together, albeit as master and servant. It's said that in Chu Jingyu's courtyard, the servants treated Qinghe like half a master. Even if the young girl no longer wanted Chu Jingyu and left the Marquis's mansion, it's understandable that she still harbored some feelings for him, or perhaps something else entirely. After all, ten years of life, ten years of growth encompassing childhood, adolescence, and youth—ten years truly encompasses so much. How could it be easily erased? Even knowing it was impossible, shouldn't have known, and that she had been hurt, some things aren't so easily forgotten.

So it was because of Chu Jingyu that the little girl is now so afraid of ropes after being bitten by a snake once.

Or is it because the girl hasn't truly forgotten?

No matter which one...

Chu Jingxian tried to persuade him, "If your only concern is meeting the wrong person, then you can rest assured and entrust yourself to me. In the entire city of Bianjing, besides Fifth Brother, there are plenty of more distinguished and reliable young men. Fifth Brother isn't outstanding in anything; he's merely average. Don't let him hold you back. There are many better than him—handsome, higher in status, richer, kinder to you, and more trustworthy! There are plenty of men better than him!"