Chapter 63 – Elegant Gathering (Three)
“Young and Precious?”
[Lan Cuiyu Unyielding]: Ehh, Wind Young Master, young and precious, so much that it hurts the body, but the streamer is the real veteran!
[Overbearing CEO]: (/ω╲) What do you mean by young and precious? Pure me doesn’t understand anything.
[Stowaway Non-Money]: (/ω╲) Ehh, I’m so embarrassed I’m turning yellow all over.
Feng Jin’s face flushed red as he lowered his voice, “Liu Ting, don’t slander me. When have I ever done such things?”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes in disdain, “If you go there, won’t you be doing just that? Does Huaiyu need to look for a famous doctor?”
Feng Jin: “…”
Is this the legendary case of falling into a puddle of yellow mud—it’s not shit, but it’s still shit?
Who says stepping into a brothel means you have to find a girl?
Can’t you just quietly listen to the music and watch the beauties dance gracefully?
It seems every time he met Jiang Pengji, nothing good ever came of it. Feng Jin, feeling a bit gloomy, took a sip of tea to calm his temper.
At that moment, he noticed Xu Ke sitting next to Jiang Pengji, with his head lowered in obedience, and asked, “Who is this?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “My new Book Boy. He may be proud, but he possesses some ability. He might be useful in the future.”
Feng Jin found it odd, “To hear such a high evaluation from Liu Ting, this kid must be extraordinary.”
He had witnessed Jiang Pengji’s sharp tongue before; it was as if no one could escape her gaze. That Xu Ke had caught her attention spoke volumes about his capabilities, sparking some competitive spirit in the young and impetuous Feng Jin.
For a moment, he forgot one crucial detail—Liu Lanting was a girl!
Jiang Pengji shot him a sidelong glance and took a sip of tea, saying, “No matter how extraordinary, she’s still my account keeper.”
To be honest, the tea of this era was vastly different from what she had imagined. It required a lot of spices, and the flavors were almost indescribable. Yet strangely, the more she drank, the more she adjusted to it. How terrifying.
“Liu Ting, aren’t you playing with words?” Feng Jin smiled, nodding to several Young Masters, whispering to her.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, “Attacking an enemy’s weakness with my own shortcomings has never been my style.”
Feng Jin thought for a moment about her strengths, quietly facepalming. This person should really not be here in such a gathering, okay?
“Elegant gatherings also include activities like horse riding and throwing pots and arrows; you can show off your skills.” Feng Jin reassured her.
Forget about the whole Hejian County, even he, being in Shangyang, had heard of the talented Liu Zhi. Yet, Liu Lanting, as his “son,” was practically a “simpleton,” utterly clueless about literature—that was quite unexpected.
But to each their own, just because the father was impressive didn’t mean the child had to be a literary giant.
“Oh?” Jiang Pengji glanced at the Young Masters who looked like spreading peacocks, disdainfully chuckling, “I’ve heard that whenever spring comes, male animals love to display their mighty forms and extraordinary abilities to females… with their level of skill, sitting and playing a tune is fine, and mumbling some cheesy lines is okay, but horse riding and archery? That’s pushing it.”
Feng Jin: “…”
This topic was not to be discussed further; if these conversations continued, he truly feared for his life leaving the gathering.
Would he be beaten to death or what?
Feng Jin smartly chose to shift the topic to avoid Jiang Pengji saying something even more provocative.
“Speaking of today’s gathering, how did Liu Ting end up here?”
Unlike the usual literary exchanges, today’s elegant gathering leaned more towards matchmaking.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow towards the landscape screen, her tone still warm, “Jingxian is also here.”
If others heard this, they would likely assume that Jiang Pengji missed her fiancée and came here during the gathering just to ease her longing.
However, Feng Jin was not an ordinary person; even though he had only known Jiang Pengji for a short time, their brief interactions felt like the familiarity of old friends.
Feng Jin furrowed his brows and asked in a voice only they could hear, “Does the Wei family want to call off the engagement?”
“Has Huaiyu forgotten?” Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in her eyes, “This marriage was never going to last long. Jingxian has reached the age for matchmaking; once the hairpin ceremony is done, she should be getting married. With so few eligible Young Masters in Hejian County, shouldn’t we plan early?”
In ancient times, marriages were often arranged early, and waiting until the right age to find partners didn’t guarantee finding a suitable match.
Feng Jin’s expression shifted when he asked, “You… don’t feel the slightest bit unhappy?”
Jiang Pengji responded with a playful glare.
Feng Jin: “…”
Oh, obviously the one in front was a girl, yet he couldn’t help but treat her like one of the guys.
“Since you already know the purpose of today’s gathering, Liu Ting should have even less reason to come.”
Even if she was just a superficial fiancé, the Wei family’s actions were practically putting a green hat on her, okay?
Jiang Pengji said, “If I remain in bed, pretending the sun outside doesn’t exist, does it just stop shining? Besides, I truly like Jingxian. Such a good girl deserves a good future. I came to see what kind of man the Wei family has in mind for her and to keep an eye on things.”
Regardless of what the Wei family was like, Wei Jingxian was indeed innocent, and when there was no conflict, an admiration for beauty surpassed all.
“What have you seen then?”
Feng Jin disliked gossiping behind people’s backs, but right now, he was saying it right in front of them.
Unlike Feng Jin, Jiang Pengji had no such scruples. While sipping her tea, her gaze turned to someone, “A true good-for-nothing. The scents on him suggest he has three different maidservants, one of whom is pregnant, about five months along…”
Feng Jin could listen earnestly at first, but after a while, he felt like his worldview was shattering.
“This gets better; he’s eyeing his brother’s newly married legitimate wife, probably had quite the dreamy night last night…”
“… That preference for men means he’s indifferent to women; if married to him, it’s practically living as a widow…”
Jiang Pengji whispered with Feng Jin, “As for that pink-clad individual, adorned with flowers, he loves and has a tendency for cruelty… tsk tsk, such a beautiful facade, but the insides are filthy—whoever marries him will be out of luck…”
“And about that young man in the blue robe; he’s quite honest, occasionally a bit foolish, overly cautious in his demeanor, only average. With a domineering mother at home, it’s likely the new bride would suffer, not a good choice at all…”
As she spoke, a young man in a gray-blue robe entered, exuding charisma that rivaled Feng Jin.
Feng Jin suddenly smiled, “Liu Ting, take a look at him. What kind of appearance does he have?”
“At first glance, he looks okay, but he’s not a good man.”
Jiang Pengji took a sip of tea, moistened her throat, and continued speaking softly, “This guy lost his mother at a young age; although his family is decent, he’s not valued and is worn down by those around him, leading to a somewhat narrow-minded personality. However, he’s also good at enduring and is like a lurking poisonous snake… Without constraints now, his true nature will surely be hard to handle…”
