Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 200

The maid sent to Yingfeng Courtyard with the ink and brushes, under Mu Yan’s instructions, brought two inksticks and a set of purple-tipped brushes directly to Yu Qizhe’s room first, so he could choose before distributing the rest to the others.

Yu Qizhe asked the maid where the ink and brushes had come from. When he learned they were a gift from the Qingzhou Prefect’s household, he immediately guessed that Mu Yan had arranged for Yu Jiao to treat someone from the prefect’s family. He chose one of the purple-tipped brushes.

The remaining gifts were then delivered to the rooms of the other brothers. Yu Jinshu chose the Yujiang Pine Ink. He had heard of it during his time at the academy, its black color carried a faint fragrance, dissolved easily in water, and ground into fine, smooth ink with no residue. Among pine soot inks, Yujiang Pine Ink was considered top quality. Just one small inkstick could cost a hundred taels of silver. The Mu family truly lived in luxury, to give away such fine inksticks as gifts so casually.

Yu Jinshu lifted the inkstick to his nose and inhaled the refreshing scent of pine.

He smiled and said to the maid, “Please thank the Second Master for me.”

The maid realized he had misunderstood and quickly corrected him. “It was a gift from Prefect Yang. Forgive me, I didn’t make that clear earlier.”

Hearing that name, Yu Jinshu was surprised. “Wait, who did you say sent this Yujiang Pine Ink?”

The maid explained carefully, “It was the Prefect Yang himself. Yesterday, Miss Meng went to the Yang residence to examine the Prefect Yang’s wife. Just now, the Prefect personally came to fetch Miss Meng again and sent these gifts to you gentlemen as well.”

Yu Jinshu finally understood, Meng Yujiao had somehow connected with the Prefect of Qingzhou!

He forced himself to keep a calm expression and told the maid, “So, my sister went to treat the Prefect’s wife yesterday. I’ve been so busy studying, I must’ve missed her mentioning it.”

The maid smiled and bowed politely. “Then I won’t disturb you further, Young Master.”

Once the maid had left, Yu Jinshu stared at the inkstick in his hand, his expression unreadable. He quickly went next door to Yu Jinyan’s room. Pushing the door open, he saw a Huizhou purple-tipped brush on the desk. He picked it up and examined it, excitement in his voice.

“Jinyan, do you know who sent this?”

Yu Jinyan looked up, frowning slightly. “Can you knock next time?”

Then, calmly, he said, “The maid said it was from Prefect Yang.”

“You knew and you’re this calm? This is from the actual Prefect of Qingzhou!” Yu Jinshu heavily emphasized the title, clearly trying to convey its importance.

Yu Jinyan, unfazed, replied, “So what? The only reason we received these is because of Meng Yujiao. It has nothing to do with us, we don’t even know the Prefect.”

“That’s not how you should look at it! If Meng Yujiao can find the right time to introduce us to him, then we will know the Prefect,” Yu Jinshu said as he stroked the tip of the brush appreciatively. “This really is quality, smooth, soft, resilient, and with a tip like a knife.”

Yu Jinyan looked disinterested. “The provincial exams are the day after tomorrow. Er-ge, you should focus on studying.”

Yu Jinshu frowned at his indifference. “You can’t just bury your head in books. If we don’t pass the exam, getting a post under the Prefect could still lead us to success. That would change everything.”

Yu Jinyan didn’t like his brother’s opportunistic thinking, but he knew Yu Jinshu’s temperament, always sociable, always making connections. It wasn’t necessarily a bad trait, but he felt his brother was being too naive. Positions under the Prefect weren’t handed out so easily.

He tried to advise him, “Er-ge, with the exams so close, just focus on your studies. Don’t get distracted by these shortcuts.”

Yu Jinshu, seeing that his brother didn’t understand, put down the brush with a hint of displeasure. “How can you call this a shortcut? I’m just planning ahead, thinking of alternatives! Never mind, I’ll go find Nianjiu.”

He took his Yujiang Pine Ink and went to show it off to Mu Nianjiu, making sure to mention that it had come directly from the Prefect himself.

As expected, Mu Nianjiu was visibly envious. When he heard that the only reason the Prefect had sent the gifts was because of Yu Jiao, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Your sister’s medical skills are incredible! No wonder my second uncle brought her all the way here to Qingzhou, it was to treat the Prefect’s wife! I wish I had a sister like that!”

But Yu Jinshu hadn’t come to hear praise for his sister. He said, “Her skills all come from my grandfather. If you’re going to praise someone, you should be praising our family’s medical lineage.”

“But I think Miss Yu’s skills seem even better than your grandfather’s,” Mu Nianjiu said sincerely, not realizing he’d struck a nerve.

Yu Jinshu was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, he muttered, “My grandfather is getting old. She probably just studied our family’s medical texts and picked up a thing or two.”

Mu Nianjiu was even more impressed. “Just from reading? She’s really brilliant. If I could absorb books like her, passing the exams would be a breeze!”

Tired of hearing more about Meng Yujiao, Yu Jinshu lost interest and went back to his room.

Prefect Yang, perhaps with the intention of helping Yang Jiyan get closer to Yu Jiao, arranged for the three girls to share one carriage.

Yu Jiao treated Yang Jiyan as if she didn’t exist. From the moment she boarded the carriage, she ignored her completely, not even sparing her a glance.

Yang Jiyan was furious. After the scolding she got from her father yesterday, she woke up with eyes so swollen she could barely face anyone. She had iced them for a long time before the swelling went down a little. Even now, her eyes were still faintly red.

She studied Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling, then suddenly turned to Yu Fuling and asked, “Sister, where are you from?”

Yu Fuling was surprised to be addressed so politely and quickly smiled. “Please, just call me Fuling, Miss Yang. We’re from Changkui.”

The name “Changkui” sounded familiar to Yang Jiyan, she was sure she’d heard it before but couldn’t recall where. But under her father’s watchful eye here in Qingzhou, she couldn’t act out. Once they left Qingzhou, however, if something happened in a remote place like Changkui, who would suspect her?

She smiled sweetly. “Then I’ll call you Fuling. It sounds more friendly.”

Yu Fuling nodded with a bright smile. “Of course.”

Yang Jiyan continued, “I’ve never been to Changkui. Is it a fun place? Where exactly is your home? If I ever visit, I’d love to meet up.”

Yu Fuling, taking her words at face value, cheerfully replied, “Our village is called Qingyu Village, at the base of Qingyan Mountain. It’s full of mountains and streams. You can hike and swim, and nearby there’s the famous Fahua Temple. It’s lovely, though not as lively as Qingzhou.”

Yang Jiyan quietly noted the name “Qingyu Village” and smiled. “Hiking and swimming sound delightful. If I ever visit, you and your sister must show me around.”

“Of course!” Yu Fuling said brightly, believing Yang Jiyan was simply curious.

Yu Jiao, however, gave Yang Jiyan a faint glance, suspicious of what she might be scheming again. She still couldn’t understand it, they were practically strangers, had only met once, and had no conflicting interests. Why had this young lady gone out of her way to plot against her and Fuling?

Yu Jiao made a mental note to warn Yu Fuling to stay away from this girl once they returned to the Mu residence.

The carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at the Yang residence.

After getting off, Yang Yuancheng sent Yang Jiyan back to her courtyard and personally escorted Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling to the western garden.

At the gate of the garden, he turned to the two maids from the Mu family and said, “My wife is having a medical consultation. She prefers privacy. Please wait outside.”

The two maids had been instructed by Mu Yan to stay close to the young ladies at all times. Hearing this, one of them replied, “Second Master ordered us to attend Miss Meng closely. If we fail in our duties, we will be punished. We ask for your understanding, Prefect.”

Yang Yuancheng’s expression turned stern, his tone commanding. “If your Second Master wants to punish someone, let him speak to me. I’ll handle it.”

The two maids looked to Yu Jiao for guidance. She nodded and mouthed silently, “Listen to the Prefect. Wait outside.”

The maids had no choice but to comply and remained by the entrance.

One of them added, “If Miss Meng needs anything, just call for us.”

Yu Jiao nodded with a smile and followed Yang Yuancheng into the western garden.