Chapter 207 - 181: The Wrong Approach

Before she officially entered the palace, Mr. Ji had extended an olive branch to Jiang Ke on three separate occasions.

But all three of his attempts missed the mark.

The first time, he invited Jiang Ke for tea to show off his wealth. After Jiang Ke returned home, he asked his wife, "Last time you went to the palace, our daughter gave you hair ornaments and brought you fabric. Did she mention me at all?" He also wanted a new set of clothes and a golden belt hook.

Ms. Zhang replied, "She did."

Jiang Ke asked, "What did she say?"

Ms. Zhang said, "She told me that Yanchuan’s early education shouldn’t follow your example. It would be too slow."

Jiang Ke, whose pride had already been wounded outside, came home only to suffer another critical hit.

The second time, Mr. Ji invited Jiang Ke to his estate and called for a household singer to provide entertainment. The singer was three years younger than Jiang Xian. She played the lute masterfully while singing, her waist was so slender it could be spanned by a single hand, and as she poured wine for Jiang Ke, he could smell her sweet fragrance. Mr. Ji asked for his opinion. Following social etiquette, Jiang Ke offered a few words of praise for the music, to which Mr. Ji replied, "Since it’s so rare to find a true connoisseur, I shall give her to you."

How could an honest, minor official from the countryside have ever witnessed such a scene?

Jiang Ke’s first thought was that Mr. Ji meant to give him the lute. "I don’t know how to play the lute, and neither does my wife."

Mr. Ji burst out laughing. "What use is there for you to know how? I’m giving you Qiao Yin, too."

Qiao Yin was the singer’s name.

The moment Mr. Ji’s words fell, the singer, face flush with shyness, took two steps forward and bowed gracefully. "This servant is at Mr. Jiang’s disposal. I pray Mr. Jiang will take pity on me." Qiao Yin had been raised as a singer to be given as a gift and had never truly been with a man. The tips of her ears turned red, making her look like a lush, vibrant narcissus. Mr. Ji believed no man could possibly resist her.

It was common knowledge in the Capital that Jiang Ke’s rear courtyard was empty, save for a plain-looking second wife. By sending a beautiful singer to infiltrate his household and win his favor, there would be countless ways to control Gu Zhaoyi in the future.

But Jiang Ke was horrified. "I can’t possibly accept! I can’t!"

Mr. Ji was dumbfounded, and Qiao Yin, on the verge of tears, asked if she had done something wrong, insisting she was willing to change.

"Miss Qiao Yin is wonderful in every way. It’s just that, Mr. Ji, you may not be aware, but my pockets are rather empty. It’s already a struggle to support my wife and young son. I simply cannot afford to add another person to the household."

’And most importantly, Ms. Zhang doesn’t even like listening to music.’

Jiang Ke’s official salary was pitifully small, and he dared not accept expensive gifts. Jiang Xian sent a fair amount of money home, but Ms. Zhang held it all, using it to buy land and shops to generate more wealth. She was convinced that Jiang Xian would one day need it in the palace. Besides, what kind of man would live off his daughter while he was still a serving official?

Therefore, supporting a singer at home—her food, her expenses—would have to come out of his personal savings.

Qiao Yin lowered her eyes obediently and said in a gentle voice, "This servant has long admired Mr. Jiang. When you do not wish to hear music, you may simply order me about like a maid. I heard that Madam Jiang does not even have a single person to attend to her, which greatly worries Old Master Ji as well."

Jiang Ke said, "My wife does have someone to attend to her."

Mr. Ji was surprised. "The Jiang Mansion has hired maids and matrons?"

"Not exactly,"

Jiang Ke said, "I’m the one who attends to her."

"..."

Both Mr. Ji and the singer wore utterly indescribable expressions.

Jiang Ke, fearing that Mr. Ji would force Qiao Yin on him and add insult to the injury of his already meager personal funds, slipped away as soon as the banquet was over. After returning home, he told his wife what had happened. Ms. Zhang stared at him in silence for a moment before speaking. "Well, aren’t you getting impressive, my dear husband. People are trying to stuff women into our backyard now. Can that girl really play the lute? Did it sound nice?"

"It did."

"If it sounded so nice, why didn’t you bring her back?"

"One more person is one more mouth to feed, and my salary is barely enough to support our family as it is." Seeing his wife’s expression grow increasingly dangerous, Jiang Ke quickly added, "Besides, you don’t even like listening to music."

Ms. Zhang’s expression softened slightly. "They’re only doing this because of your daughter. I have no objections if you wish to take a new woman into the house, but don’t just bring any odd person home."

With that, she turned and led their son into the house, tossing a final sentence over her shoulder. "Since you’re back, you might as well sweep the fallen leaves in front of the gate!"

Dejected, Jiang Ke went out to sweep the dead leaves, constantly looking up at the sky as he worked.

A neighbor asked him, "Mr. Jiang, what are you looking at?"

"I’m looking to see if it’s snowing. The injustice I’m feeling right now is enough to make it snow in June."

For the third attempt, Mr. Ji sent maids.

Mr. Ji figured that Jiang Ke was afraid of his wife, so he specifically chose two very plain-looking maids—the kind that would put any wife’s mind at ease—and sent them over. The Ji Family had now made a gesture of goodwill three times. Jiang Ke figured that if he refused again, he would be making an enemy, and he found himself in a difficult spot.