Chapter 96 Cloud Nine: Realisation
“Hey Luodi! Missed me yet?” Qi Jianqiu beamed as she pushed open the doors of the dining room at Manchun Tang, her good friend sitting by the table with a hand supporting her chin, looking a little forlorn.
Upon hearing her voice, Feng Luodi turned around and saw Qi Jianqiu enter the room. She smiled. “There you are. How does it feel to get out of your courtyard?”
“Amazing.” Qi Jianqiu set the hamper on the table and placed a hand on Feng Luodi’s forehead. “Are you ill? You seem very tired.”
“I’m fine.” Feng Luodi pushed her hand away. “I just haven’t been sleeping well recently.”
“I’m sure you have things on your mind – that’s why you couldn’t sleep properly.” Qi Jianqiu did not let her off easily. “Did something happen between you and Situ when you were in the North? You don’t seem quite right.”
“Hey! Who says I’m not right today.” Feng Luodi glared at her. “At the very least I didn’t get grounded despite proclaiming every other day that it wouldn’t happen!”
That got Qi Jianqiu. She balled her hand into a fist, upset at her punishment. “Now that you mentioned it, I can’t believe that I got punished because of the same issue twice in a row! I am disappointed in myself!”
“Well, if you don’t want it to happen a third time, I suggest you get out there, find yourself a pretty little boy and force him to marry you. That way, neither the Heir nor your father will get their way.”
“Hmph! Do I even need to ‘force’ people to marry me?” Qi Jianqiu pointed a finger at herself, incredulous. Then, she saw the laughter in Feng Luodi’s eyes and stomped her feet. “Hey! Stop making fun of me! You know I’m no match for you!”
“Of course not. Even from the limited amount of people I am acquainted with, I know at least two eligible bachelors who can’t wait to marry you.”
“Stop right there; don’t talk about Gan Qingjia.” Qi Jianqiu’s nostrils flared. “That punk proclaimed his love for me using the first half of his breath and wooed the girls in Moonglade with his second. What does he treat me as? Hmph! He’s even leading Xue Yiqi down the wrong path!”
“Woah, woah. Hold on a minute right there.” Feng Luodi looked at her suspiciously. “I didn’t mention Gan Qingjia at all – why did you bring him up on your own?”
“Feng. Luo. Di.” Qi Jianqiu ground her teeth together. “Stop making fun of me! If you don’t stop bullying me…I will…I will…” She looked around the room, an angry expression on her face. Her eyes landed on the hamper on the table.
“I won’t let you eat the dishes I’d cooked!”
Feng Luodi tried to hold her laughter in, but to no avail. She raised both hands in surrender. “You’re still as adorable as ever.”
“Hmph! That’s not going to work this time!” Qi Jianqiu hugged her hands close to her chest and turned away from Feng Luodi.
Feng Luodi poured her a cup of warm tea and handed it to Qi Jianqiu. “I’m sorry, Miss Qi. Will you please forgive me?”
Qi Jianqiu took the tea from her and pouted. “Now that’s more like it.”
Feng Luodi shrugged helplessly at Qi Jianqiu’s antics. She’ll need to find a husband that can dote on her like the child she is. “Did you mention Xue Yiqi just now?” Feng Luodi was confused. “Have you been spending time with him?”
“Yep.” Qi Jianqiu nodded, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. “He’s so dense! It’s so fun to mess around with him!”
“Is that a…compliment?” Feng Luodi was speechless.
“Of course!” Qi Jianqiu nodded vigorously. “He’s the only one I can stand out of the Four Gentlemen of Chang’an. Well…Jiang Moyin can be counted as another half, seeing as how he’s helping to convey messages from my sister.”
“Well, that’s awfully honest of you.”
Qi Jianqiu looked at her in wonder. “You aren’t mad that I didn’t praise Situ at all?”
Feng Luodi was stunned for a moment. “Isn’t that between the two of you? Why should I get mad?”
“Did you guys…have a quarrel or something?”
“No? Why will we quarrel when there’s nothing between the two of us?” Feng Luodi answered immediately.
Doesn’t her reaction validate my point? Qi Jianqiu scratched her head. “I guess it’s normal for two people to have disagreements, even if they like each other. Situ looks like the kind of guy who doesn’t know how to express himself well in words; it’s no wonder he made you upset.”
Feng Luodi’s heart skipped a beat. “Whoever said that the two of us like each other? That’s absolutely nonsensical!”
“What?” Qi Jianqiu stared at her, mouth agape. “Why did you go with him to the North if you didn’t have feelings for him? I thought you hadn’t told me about it because you were embarrassed! If it wasn’t for that assumption, I would’ve asked you a long time ago!”
Feng Luodi was speechless. How could I have known that my interest in visiting the North would create such a misunderstanding? She steadied herself and shook her head. “You’re mistaken, Jianqiu. I went there purely for the sights. I have no feelings for Situ at all.”
Surprised by the serious look on Feng Luodi’s face, Qi Jianqiu gripped the sleeves of her shirt nervously. “I’m sorry Luodi, I’ve been having the wrong idea all the while.”
“It’s my fault for not making it clear from the start. Besides, I’ll definitely tell you if I have someone I like!” Feng Luodi faked a smile.
“You’re right!” Qi Jianqiu smacked her forehead. “Never mind about that. Let’s try my new dishes!”
Qi Jianqiu took out the dishes from the hamper one by one, excitedly laying them on the table. As they enjoyed the culinary delights Qi Jianqiu had prepared.
“Although Gan Qingjia is indeed annoying, he can be useful at times.” Qi Jianqiu suddenly mentioned Gan Qingjia again. “I don’t want to marry the Heir and neither does Father, but it’s hard for Father to reject his proposal.”
“Is the Heir getting ready to propose to you?” Feng Luodi was surprised. “That makes things very different now. Even if the Minister does not wish to marry you to the Heir, it’ll be troublesome to turn down the proposal indeed.”
“Exactly! And the Emperor does not look like he has any intention of stopping the Heir at all! Thank the heavens for Gan Qingjia’s proposal. His men clashed with the Heir’s men before they even got to meet my father, averting the crisis.”
“So he did indeed help you out of your situation, then.” Feng Luodi quickly gathered.
“Hmph! I know that, but his attitude annoys me all the time. I’m sure he’s just doing this to create trouble.”
Feng Luodi sipped her soup slowly and shook her head, knowing Qi Jianqiu well enough to see through her false façade. I’m just unsure if Gan Qingjia really means it, or if he’s indeed just fooling around.
The Minister of the Left sat in the antechamber, slowly sipping his tea. Gan Qingjia crossed the courtyard in front of the hall enthusiastically, dressed in expensive clothes.
“Stop there.” The Minister called out sharply.
The smile disappeared from Gan Qingjia’s face as he walked into the antechamber, stopping in front of his father. He bowed calmly.
“Father. I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“Oh! You’re aware of the fact that I’m your father?” The Minister slammed his cup on the table. “You’ve been wasting your days in those improper establishments, without a care in the world. The least you could do is to bring back home a wife to continue our bloodline, but all you know to do is to fool around with the artists in those parlours!”
“You’ve said that many times before, Father.” Gan Qingjia kept his cool, despite the Minister’s rage.
“Hmph!” The Minister slammed the table. “When I finally chose some concubines for you, it wasn’t for you to marry them to their sweethearts! You even gave them money from our coffers!”
Gan Qingjia shrugged nonchalantly and turned to leave, deciding that the best course of action was to leave his father to his own rage.
“Stop right there! I have a question for you.” The Minister finally got to the point.
“Are you really interested in the girl from the Qi household? Or are you merely trying to go against the Heir’s wishes for the sake of it?”
Gan Qingjia was caught off guard for a second, but he quickly recovered with a chuckle. “What was that about? Did the Heir launch a complaint with you?”
The Minister kept his cool this time. “The name and dignity of a girl are very important. If you’re not truthful, don’t mess around with her.”
“Oh? So you’re saying that the Heir is truthful with his feelings? Come on, we both know that he’s doing it with an ulterior motive.” Gan Qingjia did not reply the question.
“What do you know!” The Minister fumed.
“Father.” Gan Qingjia suddenly turned serious. “Is the Heir giving you trouble because of my actions? You’ve been a follower of his for a long time now, providing support and giving advice to him all the while. He knows that you’re on bad terms with the Minister of the Right, yet he continues to bid for his support. Did he ever think about you?”
“The Heir is meant to do great things; the ways such things are done does not matter.” The Minister’s face darkened.
“Well, then. Please continue supporting him, the man who’s ‘meant to do great things’. I’m not like you; I can do anything that I want and there wouldn’t be anyone to stop me.” Gan Qingjia turned and sauntered out of the antechamber, ignoring the Minister’s cries of anger behind him.