Chapter 303: Give It Another Try

Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Give It Another Try

Of course, when Song Jing let her go, he had meant something else entirely.

He understood Ji Huan.

He knew from the way she had resolutely split from the Ji Family, even when she had nothing, that she was not the type to suffer grievances in silence.

He didn’t know what Mrs. Meng had said, but he figured it couldn’t have been good. Otherwise, Ji Huan wouldn’t have looked that way when she left.

Song Jing was afraid Mrs. Meng’s words had hurt her, and that her heart would grow cold toward him as a result. That was why he had taken the liberty of coming to see Ji Huan so late.

"I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t expect that my mother would..."

’He didn’t expect Mrs. Meng would find out?’

’No, that wasn’t it. He had planned to tell Mrs. Meng himself.’

’He just hadn’t expected her reaction to be so extreme. She’d even delivered an ultimatum: if he insisted on being with Ji Huan, he would be forcing her to kill herself.’

When Ji Huan remained silent, a sense of panic crept into Song Jing’s heart.

It was a feeling he’d never had before, as if his most precious possession was slipping away through his fingers, and no matter how he struggled to hold on, it was all in vain.

"Ji Huan, please say something. Are you angry because I didn’t chase after you? It was the middle of the day. I wasn’t afraid of being seen, but I was afraid for you..."

"I know," Ji Huan cut in. "I’m not angry with you. It’s just..."

Song Jing held his breath, afraid he might miss a single word of what she was about to say.

"I just feel that... perhaps your mother is right."

Ji Huan hadn’t been brainwashed by Mrs. Meng, much less discouraged.

She still believed she was a good person, in no way unworthy of Song Jing. She certainly didn’t need to settle for anyone.

She didn’t agree with most of what Mrs. Meng had said—in fact, she disagreed completely—but not everything the woman said was wrong.

Whether her motives were selfish or not, the concerns she raised for Song Jing’s sake were valid.

Based on the current situation, Song Jing was destined for a career in politics.

It’s difficult for a man from a humble background to achieve high status. Even if one does, it often takes him decades to accomplish what others achieve in just two or three years.

During that process, having support—or not—makes an enormous difference.

Song Jing frowned. "I don’t need any support. I’ll rely on my own abilities and see how far I can go. Victory would be cause for celebration, but I can accept defeat with grace. Besides, I don’t have to pursue a political career."

Ji Huan stared into Song Jing’s earnest eyes and knew he wasn’t lying.

’But for all his decisive and carefree words today, who’s to say he won’t regret this in the future?’

’What love can withstand the slow erosion of time? When the passion fades and all that’s left is the mundane, what if he regrets it? What if he spends his days muttering about the Green Cloud Ladder that was once within his reach, which he gave up for her... What would she do then?’

’Time can’t be turned back. For a loving couple to become a bitter one—that is the greatest tragedy of all.’

Ji Huan had a sudden realization: she was, at heart, a pessimist.

’No wonder she was single for so many years in her past life. A person this sober and rational would never dare to let themselves get bogged down in a relationship.’

’But... She looked at the man before her, exuding an air of Tsinghua, and found that though she wanted to let go with a flourish, she couldn’t.’

’I understand the logic, but I still can’t accept it.’

"Setting aside the issue of support, I’m still the head of a female-only household. If you become a high-ranking official someday, that will always be a liability."

"I’ve already asked around about that. Even outside the Northern Pass, the marriage restrictions for female-headed households have been relaxed."

"When the current emperor first took the throne, constant warfare led to the deaths of countless young men, causing the nation’s population to plummet. The court is now doing everything it can to encourage marriage and childbirth, even issuing an edict stating, ’Should a woman reach the age of seventeen unmarried, the senior official shall find her a husband.’"

"The court also encourages widows to remarry. And as for whether a woman from a female-only household takes a live-in husband or marries out, they are even more willing to turn a blind eye. Even if someone with ill intentions were to use this against us in the future, we would at least be having children by... by imperial decree..."

Song Jing suddenly froze. He hadn’t expected to bring up the topic of having children.

Fearing Ji Huan would get the wrong idea, he quickly added, "That’s not what I meant at all. I just want to marry you."

The explanation only made things worse. An awkward silence fell between them.

In ancient times, a large population was always considered a blessing. Ji Huan remembered learning this in a history class from her past life.

From the scale of a nation or an ethnic group down to a clan or a single family, population size was always a key measure of prosperity.

After all, in that era, people—especially men—were the primary means of production.

Once grown, men could work the fields or join the army. Warfare caused massive population loss, and new wars required even more men to fill the ranks. ℴ

To promote population growth, the authorities enacted a series of policies encouraging people to have many healthy children, while also enforcing early marriage.

The Yue Kingdom once had a law stating: "Let a young man not take an old wife, and let an old man not take a young wife. If a woman reaches seventeen unmarried, her parents are guilty. If a man reaches thirty unwed, his parents are guilty."

’I can’t believe the Great Zhou has similar policies. The two edicts achieve the same goal through different means.’

’Getting married by imperial decree, having children by imperial decree... It’s hard to know what to even think about that.’

’But if that’s really the case, then that particular liability can be set aside for now.’

Ji Huan cleared her throat. "I’m bringing Dabao with me. I won’t stop taking care of him until he’s married and has children of his own."

Song Jing immediately replied, "I’ll treat Dabao like my own little brother. I’ll never treat him poorly."

Ji Huan’s tone softened, and Song Jing noticed it instantly. He let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Then, his expression turned grave again as something else occurred to him.

"There’s one more thing I need to make clear. I don’t know that Academic Administrator’s daughter at all, and I have no idea why she... I’ve taken what I told you at Nanshan to heart. I will conduct myself with integrity and be even stricter with myself from now on. Besides you, it doesn’t matter if they’re a princess or a noble’s daughter—they are all irrelevant."

Ji Huan’s heart softened, but she deliberately widened her eyes in mock anger. "You’re certainly thinking far ahead, bringing princesses into it."

"No, that’s not it! I was just giving an example, I absolutely didn’t mean..."

Song Jing scrambled to explain, only realizing he’d been teased when he saw the faint smile playing on Ji Huan’s lips.

He wasn’t annoyed. He just gazed at her.

Ji Huan’s smile faded. "Well then, there’s one last problem."

Her status as a female head of household wasn’t the problem. Dabao wasn’t the problem. They themselves weren’t the problem. Even his political career wasn’t the problem. The biggest problem was Mrs. Meng.

"Your mother... how are you going to convince her?"

Song Jing lowered his gaze and considered for a moment. "Leave it to me. I’m her son, after all. What mother doesn’t want her son to have a happy life? Don’t worry. I won’t let what happened today ever happen again until this is resolved."

Ji Huan thought about it. It didn’t seem right to let Song Jing charge into this battle alone when it concerned both of them.

"How about I go talk to her again? I wasn’t on my best behavior today, either. I was too confrontational."

Song Jing smiled, relieved. "It’s enough for me to hear you say that. Just rest easy and wait. It’s better if you leave it to me."

Mrs. Meng’s resentment hadn’t faded. If the two of them were to meet again now, Song Jing couldn’t guarantee that something wouldn’t go wrong.

’Mrs. Meng probably doesn’t want to see me, either,’ Ji Huan figured.

"Then... let’s give it another try. But don’t force it."

This time, it was Song Jing who shot her a look. "Don’t say such disheartening things."

Ji Huan was agreeable. "Alright, I won’t."

"I should get back, then. You should get to sleep. It gets chilly at night, so make sure you’re covered."

Song Jing spoke as he backed away, but his foot caught on something, and he stumbled.

Afraid he would fall, Ji Huan shot out a hand, grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward her.

Then came a sharp "HISS," and Song Jing’s whole body began to tremble.