Chapter 161 — The Wooden Hairpin
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
"Uncle Thirteen saw it when he went to visit Jianming," Ji Lingze said. "Uncle Thirteen didn't dare ask Jianming, so he grabbed Zishang and Zixi to pry out information." Her expression gradually turned grave. "Zishang and Zixi did not conceal it either. They said Jianming's determination to sit the examinations came entirely from being mocked by Cousin Dou. They also said that Jianming had never suffered a loss at anyone's hands, yet repeatedly met with setbacks at the hands of Cousin Dou. When Uncle Thirteen heard I was coming to Zhending, he asked me to find out what exactly is going on between Jianming and Cousin Dou—he feared Jianming might lose his temper one day and play some trick on Cousin Dou, creating a rift between the families and making things difficult for you in the Dou household."
"There is such a matter?" Ji Shi's brows knitted tightly. Upon returning to the capital, her first order of business was to summon the brothers Dou Yong and Dou Huaide for questioning.
Dou Yong grew anxious at once. "This matter—should we speak to Father about it? With Jianming's temper, it's not necessarily Fourth Sister who provoked him!"
Dou Huaide, however, disagreed. He laughed and said, "If Cousin Ji had the upper hand, why would he wear such a gnashing, bitter expression? I say we pretend for now that we know nothing. In any case, these days we are all studying over at the Shuntian Prefectural School. If he makes any move, as long as we keep our eyes open, we are sure to notice. The examination is nearly upon us—if this matter causes Cousin Ji some new complication, then the fault would be ours instead."
Ji Shi thought her second son's words made excellent sense and nodded slightly, repeatedly instructing both sons: "Keep a close watch, and wait until after Jianming's metropolitan examination to speak of it. If this knot can be untied, all the better; if it cannot, we shall have no choice but to beg your great-grandfather."
The two nodded, and thereafter quietly observed Ji Yong in every detail without betraying a thing.
Ji Yong, however, seemed utterly unaware, studying diligently every day, rising at the crow of the rooster and sleeping only at midnight, reading through all the examination essays of the past five years. When the ninth day of the second month arrived, he did not even pay respects to the Ji family ancestors. Zishang and Zixi went out to the streets and picked out an exquisitely crafted examination basket, packed his customary brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, added some food, and entered the examination hall—by the time Ji Qi and the others arrived, there was no trace of Ji Yong to be found.
Ji Qi could not help stamping his foot and berating Zishang and Zixi for their foolishness.
Zishang and Zixi had taken the blame for Ji Yong more times than they could count. Trembling, they knelt there begging forgiveness, yet they were not truly afraid, knowing that unless Ji Yong gave his consent—or unless the old master himself was provoked—no one else in the household would punish them.
Ji Qi indeed only heaved a few sighs and told Zishang and Zixi to rise.
After the three sessions of the examination were finished, Ji Qi did not dare ask whether he had done well—if his son felt confident but the results proved a failure, his son would lose face before him and would likely be even more unwilling to see him in the future; if his son felt he had done poorly, then all his recent diligence would have been in vain, and his son would likewise feel he had lost face before him... So he simply said nothing at all, only mentioning that his mother, Han Shi, having learned he was sitting the examination, had rushed over from Yixing especially, and had personally cooked his favorite dishes and was waiting for him at home.
Ji Yong thought for a moment, then followed Ji Qi back to Yuqiao Alley.
Ji Qi breathed a sigh of relief.