High-class Spring Joy

As Qingyuan spoke, she sensed the silence around her and realized that she might have acted too strangely or said something inappropriate. "Young Master...did I talk too much?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Chu Jingxian beside her, feeling somewhat nervous. After all, no matter how easygoing the man in front of her was, he was still a pampered young master who had been raised in luxury since childhood.

Presumably, no one dared to treat him like this when he was young.

Chu Jingxian shook his head, his voice steady yet hoarse: "No, you're very good, and what you said was very good. It's just that this is the first time I've heard such words."

Hearing Chu Jingxian's words, Qingyuan was not surprised, but felt a sense of loss.

Yes.

The beloved third son of the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion went blind at the age of six. Rumors spread throughout Bianjing that the Zhenguo Marquis's family must have committed some heinous crime. The old Marquis's lineage was dwindling, with few heirs. Even the two remaining sons—one frail and sickly from childhood, the other, the third son who had been the hope of the family—had also lost his sight in an accident at the age of six, unable to see anything clearly. Even the most talented and prominent person would naturally lose their luster and become dim.

From that time onward, the public's opinion of the Third Young Master in Bianjing City completely changed. Before the age of six, he was a peerless genius with both literary and martial talents. After the age of six, he became a crippled gentleman, and his future prospects were at least cut short. Everyone in Bianjing City, young and old, sighed that it was a great pity. It was a case of heaven being jealous of talent. Whenever this matter was mentioned, they would sigh deeply.

Later, at the age of sixteen, the third son voluntarily entered the ranks of merchants, becoming a merchant whom almost everyone despised or even misunderstood.

Public opinion shifted again, and everyone sighed, becoming utterly bewildered. They couldn't understand why the Third Young Master, the legitimate son of a noble family, whose status was like the bright moon in the heavens, unattainable by mortals, would willingly fall into merchant status and no longer inherit the title of Marquis of Zhenguo, thus being despised by many.

From then on, the Third Young Master's reputation in Bianjing City became increasingly bad. Even Jiang Qingge, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family who was betrothed to the Third Young Master since childhood, looked down on him openly and secretly.

Even now, countless people still question, insult, and ridicule the Third Young Master behind his back.

They can be roughly divided into two factions. One faction consists of everyone outside the family who are not familiar with the Third Young Master. They generally show respect for him on the surface, feel sorry for him in their hearts, and even look down on him. Those who are familiar with the Third Young Master, such as Zheji and Chensha, are afraid of hurting his feelings, so they naturally avoid such matters.

However, Qingyuan felt that no matter what others thought, the Third Young Master was indeed a businessman, but everyone could see what he had done. He had saved most of the disaster victims in many disaster relief efforts across the country, and he had provided half of the post-war supplies in many wars.

In Qingyuan's heart, Chu Jingxian was actually a person with great merit, and such a person deserved to be treated well by everyone.

Qingyuan looked at him and asked, "Are the candies delicious?"

Chu Jingxian pinched the round candy and put it in his mouth. A sweet and refreshing fragrance instantly filled his entire mouth. It was sweet but not cloying, not exactly melt-in-your-mouth, but still quite delightful.

Unlike the exquisite sweets he used to eat, this candy clearly hadn't gone through many production steps, wasn't refined enough, and even had some very coarse particles inside if you tasted it closely.

Chu Jingxian found it refreshing, elegant, and natural, unlike those delicate pastries which had an unnatural or overly sweet taste.

Qingyuan looked at Chu Jingxian in front of her with some trepidation. When she gave him the candy just now, it was just a spur of the moment, and she hadn't thought much about it.

Now that I realize it, the Third Young Master must eat the best food on a daily basis. The most basic requirement is that the process is complicated and the ingredients are of high quality. The ten coins she just gave the young master contained a large bag of the cheapest and most common fruits, which were boiled into sugar and then coated with a thin layer of glutinous rice paper.

Such things would probably be difficult for the Third Young Master to eat. Qingyuan had tried to buy some food for Chu Jingyu before.

Bi Gui Xuan's brown sugar rice cake costs one qian per plate. Qing Yuan had eaten it once before and remembered it very well. She liked the taste very much, but the price made her reluctant to eat it again.

Once, Qingyuan bought two dishes and some other signature dishes from Biguixuan for Chu Jingyu. Although Chu Jingyu didn't say anything at the time, he only said that he was grateful for Qingyuan's thoughtfulness. But as soon as Qingyuan left, he saw with his own eyes that all of them were thrown out by the servant.

As Qingyuan was thinking, she suddenly heard the man beside her speak:

"It's very sweet, I like it very much, and it's different from anything I've eaten before."

Qingyuan hadn't expected this answer and didn't know what to say for a moment.

The night sky, the full moon, the stars, and the cool breeze created a very natural and beautiful scene. The two remained silent for a long time, and neither of them deliberately spoke to disturb this rare tranquility.

As the moon gradually dimmed, Qingyuan finally heard Chu Jingxian speak: "I heard that at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet today, a young maidservant, with a double-sided embroidery of different images and colors, not only outshone the daughter of the Minister of Justice, the most prestigious noblewoman, but also defeated Princess Mingyue from the Southern Frontier who came to provoke them. She protected the prestige of our Song Kingdom and brought honor to the Empress Dowager. She is truly an extremely capable young maidservant!"

Hearing Chu Jingxian's last words, Qingyuan's face turned red. She thought to herself that this man really knew how to manipulate people.

How could you praise her in such a way... it's actually more embarrassing than praising her directly.

Qingyuan hurriedly said, "No... this servant... this servant only embroidered a portrait, and the pattern on that Buddha image was drawn for this servant by the young master. If we're talking about skill, the Buddha image drawn by the young master is more skillful. The young master's drawing is so lifelike that one can feel the Zen spirit just by looking at it. This servant... this servant only used embroidery to embroider the Buddha image according to the young master's drawing. It is the young master who is skillful."

"No matter how skilled I am at painting, if I encounter an embroiderer who doesn't know how to embroider, there's nothing I can do. Besides, I only painted two Buddha images. Even in the palace, or even in the entire Song Kingdom, it would be difficult to find an embroiderer who could complete the double-sided image with different colors so exquisitely and perfectly."

Chu Jingxian said, "It's because Qingyuan is so capable that you won the Empress Dowager's reward through your own abilities. I heard from Zheji that you worked day and night to embroider this portrait, and even fainted. You deserve any reward you receive. However, I heard that your health isn't very good..."

Before he could finish speaking, just as he said that, he heard Qingyuan suddenly cough violently beside him—

"Cough cough cough..."

Qingyuan was taking small sips of wine when she heard these words. She choked, the spicy wine burning her throat and leaving her speechless.