Front Hall
As the doors swung open, the howling cold wind immediately rushed inside, carrying delicate snowflakes that drifted in with the draft.
The temperature difference between the interior and the outdoors caused this phenomenon.
"Greetings, Senior Lin!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands respectfully.
Even with his thick skin, he couldn't bring himself to call her "Sister Lin" in front of everyone.
At the same time, Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan secretly breathed sighs of relief.
They both already understood why Jiang Ning had asked them to bring Jiang Yiming and Little Doubao to the front hall.
Now that Jiang Ning had appeared, it meant that the worst-case scenario had not happened.
Lin Qingyi, standing nearby, smiled slightly at their arrival. "Why are you two just standing there? Come in quickly! If you don't, all the warmth in the room will escape."
Hearing this, the two stepped over the threshold, and Jiang Ning turned around to close the front hall doors.
"Here, sit here!" Lin Qingyi grabbed Jiang Ning's arm and pressed him down into a seat next to the young girl in the goose-yellow dress.
She glanced at Jiang Ning, then at the girl beside him, and immediately looked pleased.
"A handsome man and a beautiful woman truly a perfect match!"
Ji Minghao nodded in agreement. "Sister-in-law is right."
Meanwhile, Little Doubao tugged at her twin braids and asked, "Brother, what is Dudu doing?"
"I don't know," Jiang Yiming replied flatly, imitating the tone of an adult.
Liu Wanwan, holding Little Doubao, only smiled with squinted eyes.
Then, she glanced at Jiang Li and noticed the faint worry between his brows.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly, leaning in close.
Jiang Li shook his head slightly. "I'll tell you later."
At the same time, Jiang Ning turned his head slightly and glanced at the young girl in the goose-yellow dress sitting beside him.
From the side, he could see the fine, soft peach fuzz on her cheeks and nose.
Because they were sitting so close, he could also smell the light fragrance coming from her a fresh and elegant blend of osmanthus and gardenia.
Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, the girl no longer seemed nervous.
She turned to look at him, her bright eyes unreservedly taking him in, shimmering like stars.
"You look nice!" the girl said.
"Thank you, you're very beautiful too," Jiang Ning responded with a smile.
Hearing this, the girl's lips curled into a faint smile.
Although she had heard such compliments countless times before, today, for some reason, she found them especially pleasant.
She looked at Jiang Ning and said, "My name is Ji Mingyue. And you?"
"Jiang Ning."
Upon hearing his name, Ji Mingyue smiled, her expression relaxed and confident. The nervousness from before had vanished.
However, beneath the table, where no one could see, she was anxiously twisting the hem of her dress, her palms already damp with sweat.
Ji Mingyue tilted her head slightly and looked at Jiang Ning. "I don't know why, but I feel like I've seen you before."
"Seen me?" Jiang Ning chuckled and shook his head. "Impossible."
"It does seem unlikely," Ji Mingyue agreed, nodding slightly.
Then, she extended her fair, delicate hand. "Jiang Ning, it's nice to meet you!"
Seeing her gesture, Jiang Ning was momentarily taken aback.
Ji Mingyue was offering a handshake.
In this world, handshakes weren't a common greeting.
After a brief hesitation, he reached out his right hand.
Ji Mingyue stretched her hand further, lightly grasping his in a gentle shake.
Jiang Ning immediately felt the slight dampness of her palm a clear sign of nervousness.
He became even more curious.
"Miss Mingyue, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," he said.
Ji Mingyue's eyes sparkled as she looked at Jiang Ning, and a delicate smile appeared on her face, revealing two charming dimples.
"I don't like being called 'Miss Mingyue,'" she said.
"You can call me Mingyue, or just Yue'er."
"In my family, I'm the seventeenth child, so my nickname is Xiao Shiqi. You can call me Xiao Shiqi too."
"I like being called Xiao Shiqi the most!"
"Alright, Xiao Shiqi," Jiang Ning said, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Seeing his smile, Ji Mingyue's eyes curved into crescent moons.
A little later, at Lin Qingyi's suggestion, Jiang Ning and Ji Mingyue stepped outside the hall.
Lin Qingyi had justified it by saying they needed some private time together.
And besides, what better setting for romance than a snowy day?
"You're so tall!" Ji Mingyue said, standing on tiptoes, trying to measure their height difference.
Even on her toes, she could only reach Jiang Ning's brow.
She stretched out her hand and lightly touched the tip of his nose.
Watching her try to compare their heights, Jiang Ning couldn't help but chuckle.
"Men are usually taller than women," he said.
"That's true!" Ji Mingyue nodded thoughtfully, nibbling on her finger as if deep in thought.
Then, she turned her gaze to Jiang Ning's hands.
"Can I see your palm?"
Jiang Ning looked at Ji Mingyue in confusion.
Then, he reached out his palm and opened it.
Ji Mingyue immediately placed her palm over his, hovering just above it.
"Your hand is so big!"
As she spoke, Jiang Ning could feel their skin touching.
Ji Mingyue's small, cool hand rested on his palm and a flush of red spread across her ears.
This was the boldest thing she had ever done in her life imitating the audacity she had displayed in her dreams.
Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze on her, she did not evade or shrink back. Instead, her bright eyes sparkled as she looked straight at him.
"Jiang Ning, your hand is so warm!!"
At the Courtyard Gate
A few people watched as Lin Qingyi, Ji Mingyue, and Ji Minghao left.
Jiang Ning felt a headache coming on.
Ji Mingyue was far too bold so much so that he could hardly handle it.
He had never seen a young lady who, upon their first meeting, would so fearlessly take a man's hand.
And she had used such a ridiculous excuse to do it by comparing hand sizes, then seizing the moment to hold hands.
Thinking back on that scene, he couldn't help but feel exasperated.
And what followed only made his headache worse.
At that moment, Ji Mingyue had entwined her fingers with his, her sparkling eyes fixed on him, and said, "Remember to come to Shangque in the royal capital and marry me."
At that time, momentarily dazzled by her beauty, he had, as if possessed, uttered a single word:
"Okay!"
As soon as the word left his lips, Ji Mingyue gave him no chance to take it back.
She merely left him with one last sentence:
"I'll be waiting for you in the capital!"
With that, Ji Mingyue quickly turned away, too embarrassed to linger any longer.
Watching the trio leave, Jiang Ning could only feel both helpless and exasperated.
Inside the Carriage
"Xiao Shiqi, what do you think of Jiang Ning?" Lin Qingyi asked with a smile.
Ji Mingyue nodded immediately. "I was moved by his looks! I'm very satisfied!"
Lin Qingyi: "..."
Ji Minghao: "..."
The two of them stared at Ji Mingyue, speechless.
What they didn't know was that Ji Mingyue held a secret deep in her heart.
A secret that allowed her to glimpse into another world in her dreams.
This secret, she had never spoken of not even a hint.
She had always treated it as nothing more than a mysterious dream.
Inside the carriage, Lin Qingyi composed herself.
"So, Xiao Shiqi, you like Jiang Ning?"
"Yes!" Ji Mingyue nodded and giggled. "I've taken a liking to him, so I told him to come to the capital and marry me in the future!"
Lin Qingyi: "..."
Ji Minghao: "..."
Hearing Ji Mingyue's bold declaration, both of them were left utterly dumbfounded.
A moment later, Ji Minghao could only shake his head with a wry smile.
Lin Qingyi did the same.
A young girl's momentary whim how could it be taken seriously?
Elsewhere
Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan watched Jiang Ning's retreating figure and exchanged a glance.
"Li Ge, did you notice the nobility in that young girl just now?"
Jiang Li nodded. "She must be from an extraordinary background. Being the seventeenth in her family suggests that her father must have taken many concubines."
Saying this, Jiang Li couldn't help but wear a proud expression. "But Ah Ning is no ordinary man either! At his age, he has already attained the rank of an eighth-grade official and has remarkable martial prowess! Give him a few more years, and he'll surely be a famous figure in Dongling Prefecture!"
Beside him, Liu Wanwan looked at his smug expression and gave him a light smack on the head.
Then she said, "Li Ge, I think you're underestimating that young girl. Her nobility isn't ordinary it might be beyond imagination!"
"Beyond imagination?" Jiang Li was slightly surprised.
"Yes!" Liu Wanwan nodded. "Li Ge, do you know the surname of the current royal family?"
"You mean to say" Jiang Li's eyes widened in shock. "That girl is a princess?!"
Liu Wanwan shook her head. "Not necessarily. The Ji family has ruled the land for over eight hundred years, spreading its branches through countless generations. The surname Ji is no longer exclusive to the royal family."
"From the founding emperor, Ji Xuanyuan, who claimed the title of Human Emperor, to now, his descendants have continued for hundreds of generations."
"Even if that girl isn't a direct royal princess, she must be of noble lineage a descendant of a prince or duke at the very least."
Hearing Liu Wanwan's analysis, Jiang Li couldn't help but take a sharp breath in the cold wind.
Then, he smiled bitterly. "It seems Lin Qingyi truly thinks highly of Ah Ning wanting to match him with a noble descendant. She's setting the bar high."
Liu Wanwan nodded in agreement. "Indeed! Whether it's the imperial family or the royal nobility, they're far beyond our reach."
Jiang Li nodded as well, then sighed with emotion. "But this is Lin Qingyi's goodwill, after all. It's nothing to fuss over Ah Ning and that girl probably won't have any real connection anyway."
With that, he turned to Liu Wanwan and grasped her small hand tightly.
As an ordinary man, he understood all too well how difficult it was to marry the pearl of the Dongling Liu family.
He had only managed to do so because Liu Wanwan had been utterly resolute choosing to leave her family behind to stay by his side for life.
And that was just the Liu family of Dongling.
In the eyes of the imperial and royal families, such a household was as insignificant as an ant.
The difference in status was incomparable.
If one were to speak of the difficulty, the gap between the two was thousands of times greater beyond the scope of reason.
After a moment, Jiang Li suddenly looked at Liu Wanwan and said softly, "These years by my side… have you suffered?"
"Suffered? What nonsense are you talking about?" Liu Wanwan smiled, though her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Seeing this, Jiang Li pulled her into his embrace.
"Wanwan, let's find a time to take Xiaodoubao and Jiang Yiming to visit your parents," he suggested.
"Let's talk about it later," Liu Wanwan hesitated.
"We can't keep putting it off!" Jiang Li grasped her shoulders and looked into her eyes seriously. "I have no parents, but yours are still alive."
"If you don't visit them and fulfill your filial duty now, you might regret it for the rest of your life."
"Besides, there's no such thing as an overnight grudge between a father and his daughter, especially after so many years."
"Moreover, Yiming and Xiaodoubao are already grown. Your parents will have no choice but to accept me as their son-in-law, won't they?"
"If I go to your family, the worst that can happen is that I suffer a little humiliation. But at my age, unlike Ning, who is still young and hot-blooded, a little humiliation doesn't bother me."
At that moment, as Liu Wanwan met Jiang Li's firm gaze, she slowly nodded.
"Alright then, we'll do as you say."
"Hehe!" Jiang Li chuckled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. Then he asked, "Wife, when should we visit your family?"
Hearing the word "wife," Liu Wanwan gave him a playful glare.
Then she said, "Let's wait until spring. The roads are too difficult to travel now with all this heavy snow, and the journey to Dongling City is too long with the children."
"That makes sense!" Jiang Li nodded. "Wife, your wisdom is unparalleled! We'll do as you say!"
With that, he suddenly bent down and lifted Liu Wanwan into his arms.
Startled, she let out a soft cry, wrapping one arm around his neck while playfully hitting his chest with the other.
"Are you crazy?!" she scolded playfully.
Jiang Li grinned. "I'm not crazy, I'm just missing my wife!"
"It's broad daylight!" Liu Wanwan whispered, lowering her voice.
Jiang Li laughed. "So what? Ning bought us a big enough house!"
With another surprised yelp from Liu Wanwan, Jiang Li strode toward the house, still carrying her in his arms.
In the Eastern Courtyard
Jiang Ning returned to his quarters, adjusting the environment to ensure the balance of the five elements before starting his training.
He hadn't forgotten the strange visit from the second son of the Qinghe Marquis household, He Jinsheng, who had arrived while he was drinking with the Eighth Prince of Great Xia, Ji Minghao.
He Jinsheng's actions left him puzzled.
It didn't seem like he had come seeking vengeance for his brother's death, nor did he appear particularly friendly.
His attitude toward Jiang Ning hovered between hostility and goodwill, making it hard to decipher his true intentions.
However, Jiang Ning wasn't too concerned.
His current strength gave him confidence.
If trouble came his way, he would deal with it as needed.
Moreover, the identity token Ji Minghao had given him symbolizing his connection to the Eighth Prince was another layer of protection.
That token alone was enough to defuse many potential threats.
But using it would mean owing a significant favor, and Jiang Ning was wary of that.
The Eighth Prince's status came with significant risks, particularly the potential for involvement in the imperial struggle for succession.
Jiang Ning knew that the current emperor was nearing the age of abdication.
Ji Minghao had befriended him with sincerity, without making any demands.
Yet, there was undoubtedly an underlying motive to recruit him.
If he used that token, there would be no turning back.
He would be marked as part of Ji Minghao's faction, inevitably drawing him into the treacherous battle for the throne.
"If I don't have to use it, I won't," Jiang Ning resolved.
"But if the situation calls for it, I won't hesitate either."
He recalled what Ji Minghao had advised him just before they entered the main hall.
If He Jinsheng became an enemy, Jiang Ning would need to rise in rank as quickly as possible.
An eighth-rank official was too insignificant in the eyes of the Qinghe Marquis household.
He needed to climb higher.
Ji Minghao also offered another piece of advice since Jiang Ning had already reached the sixth rank in martial arts, he should consider taking the military examination.
In Great Xia, having an official title made a significant difference in social standing.
Most of the nation's renowned generals had started as martial arts champions.
Without such credentials, even if one's achievements were equal, the path to promotion was much slower.
Jiang Ning pondered this carefully.
He had accumulated over a hundred thousand contribution points in the Inspection Bureau.
That was enough to push for a promotion.
Moreover, with his current martial prowess, he was confident in passing the military examination at the very least, securing the title of Martial Scholar (Wu Xiucai).
The county-level exam (Junshi) would be held in Dongling City in two months, at the start of spring.
Passing it would make him a Martial Scholar.
A month after that, the prefectural-level exam (Fushi) would take place, granting the title of Martial Candidate (Wu Juren) to those who passed.
As for the national-level examination (Huishi) to obtain the title of Martial Champion (Wu Zhuangyuan), it was held once every three years in the capital.
The next one was in just over a year.
Reflecting on this, Jiang Ning suddenly recalled his earlier promise to Ji Mingyue.
His head began to ache.
"I have a sharp tongue..." he muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"Looks like when I head to the capital for the martial championship exam next year, I'll have to talk to Ji Mingyue and clear things up."
"By then, she'll have likely forgotten all about me."
"After all, today was only our first meeting."
"That was nothing more than a casual joke."
"A young girl's heart is like a summer cloud ever-changing."
"She might forget about me in just a few days."
"After all, how could love at first sight truly exist?"
With that thought, Jiang Ning felt much better.
He then prepared his training environment.
He lit torches, their flames soaring into the air.
He planted gleaming swords in the snow around him.
With the five elements properly aligned, it was the perfect setting to hone his martial arts!
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