Chapter Sixty

  It took ten days to get from Linqing to Hengcheng. After Xianyi bid farewell to the madams she had gotten along with, she boarded a carriage bound for Hengcheng and slowly left Linqing behind. Only Auntie's family and the students from the academy came to see them off. If everyone was lucky enough to pass the imperial examination smoothly, who knows when they would meet again.

  Xian Yi sat in the carriage, with Mrs. Jiang's words still echoing in her ears. She had never expected Mrs. Jiang to come and see her off personally. She was very grateful for Mrs. Jiang's teachings, although Mrs. Jiang was strict and not warm towards her. But she was not a spoiled girl who didn't know how to behave. Nowadays, even wealthy families had to put in great effort to find a well-educated nanny, let alone a noble lady like Mrs. Jiang taking the trouble to educate her from scratch. Later, Mrs. Jiang also arranged for the nannies by her side to tell Xian Yi about the family backgrounds and personalities of many aristocratic families in the capital city. Xian Yi didn't know if Mrs. Jiang had any private motives, but she was clear that what Mrs. Jiang taught her would be enough for her to benefit from for a lifetime. No wonder people said that one day as a teacher is like being a parent for life. Although Xian Yi couldn't regard Mrs. Jiang as her mother, in her heart, the weight of their relationship would never be light.

  "You are the daughter-in-law personally chosen by Feng Hua, so even if you reach the Horizontal City, you must still hold your head high. You are my disciple, and the Jin family of the Horizontal City is just a martial general's family. Their daughters-in-law can't compare to you in terms of discipline. Remember, as long as Feng Hua is on your side, you don't have to fear anything. And you must not belittle or give up on yourself, which would only hold Feng Hua back. Remember! A woman's dignity doesn't come from her background or birth, but from within herself. As long as you think you can do it, you will definitely be able to do it. Many generations have risen and fallen in the harem, but how many of those who became empresses were truly noble ladies? And yet, who can say that they are not respectable now?"

  Xian Yi took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders and sat up straight. Now she was no longer the little citizen Xian Xian of her previous life, nor was she the slave girl Xian Xian of the Jin family, but rather Tong Sheng's wife - Jin Yao Shi. In the future, she would have to be a xiucai's wife, a juren's wife.

  Jin Fenghua couldn't help but steal glances at Xianyi with his peripheral vision, but in his heart, he was puzzled as to whether Xianyi had seen the small painting or not. If she hadn't, then who could have moved his box? And if she had, why didn't this girl show any reaction at all, even their daily affection seemed normal, which would be unusual for an ordinary woman. This question had been swirling in Jin Fenghua's mind for days, and until now, he still couldn't figure it out.

  After many days of traveling, Jin Fenghua slowed down his journey to make the trip more comfortable and did not rush to arrive at Heng City. As a result, he arrived a day later than expected, which meant that the time before the college entrance examination was even shorter. Fortunately, Jin Fenghua had a foundation from his past life, and he had not neglected his studies along the way. With his strong mental state, it should not have much impact on the exam.

  When they arrived at Heng City, Xian Yi deliberately lifted a corner of the window curtain to take a look at the city gate and the streets. She couldn't help but sigh in admiration - Heng City was indeed a big city. Although it was far from the capital and close to the border town, its scale and prosperity were unmatched by any prefectural city near Linqing. The streets here were wide and straight, with a grand and majestic atmosphere. Even the buildings seemed to have a rugged northern flavor due to their proximity to the border town. The common people here were generous and passionate, and from time to time, you could hear the sounds of shouting and laughter. Even women rarely covered their faces to avoid suspicion, and Xian Yi even saw several girls riding horses through the streets, their laughter like silver bells.

  "They must be the family members from Biancheng." Jinfenghua explained, sticking to Xianyi's back: "Here is not like the cities in the interior, women are not so constrained, you can also come out and stroll around often, just remember my bottom line."

  Xian Yi hastily agreed. She knew that Jin Fenghua didn't like to let others see her, and it seemed that her dream of removing her veil and walking freely was unlikely to come true in this era.

  The Jin family of Heng City is a renowned family, and the two elderly masters lost their lives for the people on the border. Most of the people in Heng City are either from the border or merchants who travel between two places, and since their ancestors, they have been extremely respectful and grateful to the Jin family of Heng City. Even the appointed officials, county magistrates, and prefects have a good relationship with the Jin family. The Jin family has not only gained prestige in Heng City but also become one of the most prominent families due to the properties, shops, and coal mine left by their ancestors on West Mountain. It can be said that whether it's doing business or being an official, a laborer or a worker, almost no one in Heng City doesn't know the Jin family, and almost no one doesn't know the Third Master of the Jin family.

  The horse carriage had just entered the city when the servants from the Jin Manor ran back to report, so by the time Jin Fenghua arrived at the entrance of the Jin Manor with Xian Yi, the main gate was already opened from inside, officially acknowledging Jin Fenghua and Xian Yi's status in the Jin family. Jin Fenghua and Xian Yi did not get off the carriage but instead rode it into the manor.

  "The compound of the Jin family is very large, divided into three parts, each with its own gate. This one is the main gate that is not usually opened, and it belongs to all three branches of the family. The Jin family's house is roughly a five-courtyard mansion, with the first courtyard shared by the three families. From the second courtyard onwards, it is divided into three separate parts, each with its own independent courtyard. As we say, from the second gate onwards, our main entrance faces north, and inside there are seven or eight four-courtyard and three-courtyard houses, as well as pavilions, corridors, courtyards, and pools. Although Hengcheng is dry, the Jin family indeed built half of their house at the foot of the mountain and half on the mountain, surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests. It's said that the old ancestor of the Jin family moved here from Jiangnan."

  Xian Yi's eyes widened in surprise. In her impression, the Chen family was also an ancestral home, and it was already quite large in the capital city. But she didn't expect that the Golden Family of Heng City would actually build their mansion on a mountain.

  The horse carriage drove for a while longer before Xian Yi heard someone shouting "Withdraw the threshold" from up ahead, and she curiously turned her head to look at Jin Feng Hua.

  "Let's go pay our respects to Third Elder first." Jinfenghua tidied up her immortal clothes and said.

  Xian Yi nodded, her posture becoming even more proper. Now that only one of the three elderly gentlemen of the Jin family was still alive, although the widow of the eldest gentleman, Mrs. Zhang, was also still alive, after all, the third gentleman was the head of the clan. Therefore, when they returned, they should go to the third gentleman's place first, and it was likely that people from the other two branches would also be there.

  The horse carriage finally stopped in front of a courtyard gate, and the two got back into the sedan chair and rushed to the main hall of the main house. The three old ladies had passed away many years ago, and now the third house was managed by Zhu Shi. As soon as Xian Yi got out of the sedan chair, she heard the maidservant on the stone steps say that both the first and third houses were already seated in the main hall. Jin Fenghua and Xian Yi didn't dare to be slow, and quickly walked into the main hall. With just one glance, Xian Yi knew that Jin Fenghua's elegance was truly something that few people could resist. Even the maidservants who had been strictly trained by Zhu Shi couldn't help but blush when Jin Fenghua entered, yet they couldn't bear to look away.

  As they passed through the carved gate, Xian Yi saw an old man with a white beard and a longevity pattern on his robe sitting in the main hall. He was smiling at Jin Fenghua, while below him sat an elderly woman dressed in expensive clothes. Although the fabric of her clothes seemed old-fashioned, Xian Yi had seen this type of fabric before at Jiang's house, where it was said to be prepared for the wives of marquises and counts. When she saw the old lady wearing a golden hairpin with precious stones, she roughly guessed the old lady's identity. In addition to these two elderly people in the main hall, there were also a man in his thirties and two ladies, one of whom Xian Yi recognized as Zhu Tai Tai, whom she had met a few days ago. The other lady looked similar to the elderly woman, probably Da Zhang Shi, the wife of the eldest son, because Xia Zhang Shi and the old lady of the main house were close relatives, so it was not surprising that they looked alike.

  "It's finally arrived, I was worried it would be delayed by a day." said the man in his thirties.

  Jinfenghua hastily stepped forward and saluted, saying: "Because my nephew was a bit uncomfortable on the road, he arrived late, causing worry for Third Grandfather and both uncles."

  "Just come back, just come back, don't say any more." The old man sat at the top, looking at his son with displeasure.

  "It seems that now that there's a nephew, the son is no longer wanted." The second master chuckled and shook his head, then called over a servant to place a footstool in front of the old master and the first wife.

  Jinfenghua knelt down with a xian robe and respectfully said: "Nephew greets the Third Ancestor, and asks for the well-being of the Great Ancestress."

  "Get up, get up! Goodness gracious, you've had a long and tiring journey, and yet you're still fussing over the child." Old Lady Zhang removed a jade bangle from her hand and placed it on Xian Yi's hand, then discreetly looked him up and down.

  The Third Master was even more unwilling to fall behind, so he had Zhu Shi give Xian Yi a amber hairpin that the late Third Mistress had left behind.

  "Come, come, these are all relatives of our own family." Madam Zhu, because she was most familiar with Xian Yi among these people, pulled Xian Yi to the front of the elder lady and said: "This is your eldest uncle's wife. Unfortunately, your eldest uncle went to Coal Mountain today, but yesterday he waited for you to come back all day."

  Xian Yi had no choice but to apologize, and also received a golden hairpin. However, whenever she stood in front of her elder aunt, she always felt that this young lady Zhang had some opinions about her.

  "We're all familiar, so there's no need to introduce ourselves. This is your third uncle from the second branch of the family. Your eldest brother is unwell and is being taken care of in the main house. Your second brother has been away at the border military camp and hasn't returned yet. Your fourth younger brother is still at school right now, but you'll see him later tonight." Madam Zhu introduced with a smile.

  Xianyi bowed to the man who had spoken first, then heard Zhu say: "Your elder sister-in-law went back to her parents' home a few days ago and hasn't returned yet. When she comes back, let her give you some more gifts. And our eldest daughter was greedy for coolness and got diarrhea a few days ago, now she's still lying in bed, really careless."

  Xian Yi could only smile wryly, accepting the jade pendant from Zhu Shi, knowing that this gift seemed to be for herself but was actually meant for Jin Fenghua. After all, Jin Fenghua would be taking the imperial examination in a few days and needed a good omen. In comparison, it seemed that only the third house had shown such thoughtfulness and kindness, while the first house appeared somewhat strange.

  Because the aunts of various rooms were not qualified to come out, Jin Fenghua and Xianyi had lunch here and then got tired and sat in the sedan chair to go back to their own mansion.