TTTQF Chapter 122

The Foolish Patron

The scene that unfolds in the flower hall eventually catches the attention of the host family. Soon enough, word of it spreads throughout the entire marquis’s residence.

The men in the front courtyard buzz with discussions, and the women in the back courtyard are no less involved. The person arguing with Jiang Miao is the legitimate second son of the Duke of Cheng'en, who has always been deeply loved by both the duke and duchess. When his mother hears about the incident, her face turns cold immediately.

"What a sharp tongue, not sparing anyone in the slightest! My son merely makes an offhand comment, and yet he presses him so forcefully. What kind of reasoning is this? Madam Pei, is this how your Zhongguo Duke's residence teaches its family?" The Duchess of Cheng'en, Madam Wang, directly confronts Pei Che’s second aunt, now the Duchess of Zhongguo.

Madam Pei is watching the commotion from the sidelines. This Madam Wang, relying on the fact that her family is related to the Empress, has always looked down on other ladies like them, especially her, a concubine-born daughter, whom she particularly enjoys belittling both openly and subtly. Besides that, it’s likely that she also blames Imperial Consort Xian for the Empress not being very favored, and she ends up taking the fall for her sister.

"Madam Wang, you must be joking. I’m in no position to discipline my nephew—he is raised entirely by our family’s old madam. As for my nephew's wife, he does have a bit of a temper, but I don't hear anything wrong in what he says." Though she doesn’t like Pei Che or Jiang Miao, she isn’t about to side with outsiders against her own family.

Seeing that she has brought up the old madam, Madam Wang finds it inappropriate to say more. Even if there is a quarrel, it wouldn’t do to criticize the old matriarchs of each household. So, she redirects her sharp words toward Jiang Miao, "Everyone knows that your nephew's wife is nothing but a merchant of low standing. Perhaps it's a case of like attracting like—both of the same inferior quality."

Her contemptuous expression and harsh words infuriate Madam Pei. If she wants to insult Pei Che, fine, but why drag her into it?

"Even if he comes from a merchant background, it doesn’t stop the emperor from issuing a personal decree to grant their marriage. A legitimate union like that is certainly better than those clandestine, unsanctioned affairs." She laughs softly, her tone now unrestrained.

This time, it is Madam Wang's turn to get angry. She snatches this marriage from her cousin, and back then, it is indeed not entirely proper or well-received. Over the years, she always feels sensitive about this matter. Later, when the Wang family produces an Empress, others dare not bring it up in front of her. Who would have thought that today Madam Pei would dare to say such a thing!

Madam Pei appears completely at ease under Madam Wang's fierce glare. In this kind of verbal spat, with no evidence or proof, there isn’t much Madam Wang can do to her.

The back courtyard is locked in a tense confrontation, while the front courtyard has already quieted down. The reason is that Marquis Xinyang and several scholars, invited to act as judges, arrive. With a demy lorde to keep the peace, Marquis Xinyang doesn’t bring up the earlier unpleasantness and instead directly announces their opinions on the poems.

Pei Che's poem receives a high evaluation, but the best poem is written by someone else. As Jiang Miao listens to that person recite their poem slowly, basking in the admiration of the crowd, he has to admit that it does sound a bit better than Pei Che's.

Pei Che himself isn’t upset about the result, but when Jiang Miao looks over at him, he lowers his head and puts on a dejected expression, his slightly furrowed brow making him seem so pitiful that it tugs at Jiang Miao's heartstrings.

“Ahem, don’t take it too hard,” Jiang Miao leans in, carefully consoling him. “One of them prepares thoroughly, while yours is more spontaneous. It's normal for there to be a gap. Next time, when something like this comes up, we’ll get the topic in advance and prepare well. We’ll definitely surpass them then.”

Pei Che forces a smile. "Ah Miao, don’t worry. I won’t let it bother me."

Despite his strained smile and insistence that he isn’t upset, Jiang Miao can’t help but feel more sympathetic, thinking he is truly hurt. So, he softens his tone even further, afraid to damage Pei Che’s fragile heart.

While they talk, Su Jin stands nearby, watching Pei Che with puzzled eyes. Based on his understanding of Pei Che, he isn’t the type to wallow in self-pity just because he loses a competition. So why is he acting so… delicate today?

Su Jin hesitates for a while and ultimately chooses the word "delicate," as he can’t think of any other way to describe Pei Che’s behavior. If he were born in modern times, he would understand that love can make people behave differently.

After the final event concludes, the overall evaluations for each group are tallied. Pei Che's group, which has seven members in total, receives four high ratings and four medium ones, as Pei Che participates in two events. This result earns them third place in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering.

Marquis Xinyang is quite generous, but aside from Jiang Miao, there are no other poor people present. Most of them aren’t interested in the prizes—they care more about their reputation.

When Pei Che receives his prize, he hands it directly to Jiang Miao, who takes it naturally. Upon inspection, he finds that it is an inkstone carved with a design of a boy holding a lotus. This inkstone looks much nicer than the one he previously bought for Xiao Shitou, and it feels smooth and warm to the touch.

"This must be expensive, right?" Jiang Miao asks Pei Che. The one he bought for Xiao Shitou costs a tael of silver, which shocks him to the point where he almost wants to bring a bowl from home to hold the ink. But since Xiao Shitou needs it for daily use at his private school, he buys it anyway. That one costs a tael, but this one in his hand must be worth at least five.

Pei Che glances at the inkstone and says, "This is a Duan inkstone, and even the cheapest one would cost at least this much." He holds up two fingers.

"Tw-twenty taels?" Jiang Miao, having little experience with such things, is stunned to learn that an inkstone can cost more than the monthly rent of his shop.

Pei Che smiles and shakes his head. "Two hundred taels. And that’s not even considered much. If you encounter a rare piece, it can easily go for thousands of taels, or even be priceless."

Jiang Miao stands with his mouth slightly open, too shocked to close it. Two hundred taels for an inkstone—wasn't that a rip-off? While he understands that some things can't be measured by money, to an ordinary person like him, it isn't worth much. In any case, there is no way he would buy it.

As he absentmindedly rubs the inkstone, he suddenly remembers the set of scholar's tools Pei Che gives to Xiao Shitou, which includes a few inkstones. He quickly asks, "The inkstones you give Xiao Shitou, they aren't Duan inkstones, are they?"

"No."

Before Jiang Miao can breathe a sigh of relief, Pei Che adds, "They’re a few She inkstones. Though they don’t match Duan inkstones, they’re still among the finest you can find."

Jiang Miao's face remains expressionless. So, the wealth he’s carefully saved through scrimping and saving is worth less than the few pieces of stone in Xiao Shitou’s box. Human resources really are the cheapest commodity—whether in modern or ancient times!

Jiang Miao shoves the Duan inkstone back into Pei Che's hands and says, "This expensive thing, you’d better keep it yourself."

"Expensive? To me, it doesn’t compare to you in the slightest," Pei Che replies, gazing deeply at Jiang Miao with tenderness.

Jiang Miao sighs, "Whether sold as a whole or by weight, there's no way I could be worth more than it." Who would spend hundreds of taels to buy a person?

Pei Che falls silent. After a long pause, he lets out a helpless sigh. Normally, he thinks Jiang Miao is quite sharp, so why, when it comes to matters like this, does he seem like an old tree that will never blossom? Or maybe… Pei Che thinks, perhaps the problem is with himself? He has no experience and doesn't know what kind of reaction is appropriate in these situations. It seems like he needs to learn a thing or two.

…

When they return home, it is still early. The two young ones are playing shuttlecock in the courtyard, scattering feathers everywhere. Jiang Miao looks at the two as they approach and says, "When you’re done playing, make sure you clean up the feathers, okay?"

The two little ones nod obediently, not daring to disobey Jiang Miao. They immediately put away the shuttlecock and start crouching down in the courtyard to clean up the mess with their butts sticking out.

Jiang Miao eats a lot of snacks in the morning and hasn’t eaten much for lunch, so he feels a bit hungry. Since the main kitchen hasn’t started cooking yet, Jiang Miao asks someone to bring some ingredients to the small kitchen in the courtyard.

Following Jiang Miao's instructions, they bring back flour, mushrooms, pork, and other ingredients. Jiang Miao quickly kneads the dough and chops the filling, preparing some dumplings for himself. The dough for dumpling skins doesn’t need to rise, which makes the process much faster.

Before long, the fragrant mushroom and pork-filled dumplings are ready. After fishing them out of the boiling water, the dumplings are plump and steaming hot. Jiang Miao places the large plate of dumplings on a tray, along with a small dish of freshly mixed dipping sauce, and carries it out.

At that moment, the three are in the study. Pei Che is checking the two little ones’ homework, but when they smell the dumplings, everyone gets a bit distracted. Pei Che finishes reviewing their assignments, gives his feedback, and then sits down at the table. The two children do the same, grabbing the chopsticks Jiang Miao has prepared and start devouring the dumplings as if they haven’t eaten lunch.

"Eat slowly, what’s the rush?" Jiang Miao scolds, pouring each of them a cup of water and setting it on the table. Then he starts eating as well.

The aroma of the food fills the cozy study, and in contrast to the formal dinners in the mansion, this moment feels more like a family gathering.

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