Hearing Zhou Aimin suggests a connection between Lei Li and Consort Li, Jing Wen’s brows beneath the piece of cloth raised, shifting the fabric in the process. Lin’an was the largest city in the world; the chance of the two meetings was no different from the opportunity of coming across a needle in the ocean (大海捞针). This is not to mention the chance of the two forming a relationship of disciple and master.

Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen said soberly, “Fellow Jing, do not come immediately to conclusions, listen to my conclusions with a cool head. Consort Li’s constitution has never been good, as though she would be blown away with a gust of wind. Likewise, her carefree attitude toward life makes her unsuitable for cultivating the heart and spirit… what I’m saying is, these two people would benefit from the same sort of cultivating technique that can avoid the issue of the body and mind.”

What Zhou Aimin said was reasonable, and even though Jing Wen did not wish to believe there was a connection between Consort Li and Lei Li, he began to consider it. Placing his hands behind him, he began to wander to the lakeside, saying not a word as he silently prepared a pot of water.

Zhou Aimin knew Jing Wen was in deep contemplation, so made sure to be soundless as he followed behind.

Lighting a flame beneath the pot, Jing Wen said, “Consort Li has already represented her candidate through Lady Xiahou, why would she want two of her people to compete against each other?”

Watching the flames, Zhou Aimin lightly fanned it with the fan in his hand. “Perhaps Consort Li doesn’t have many good feelings toward the Eleventh Prince and is forced to use him if she wish to participate in politics. If Lady Lei is Consort Li’s disciple, then her support for the Eleventh Prince may not be as strong as it appears.”

Jing Wen looked at Zhou Aimin and chuckled. He said, “Fellow Zhou, you are overcomplicating the matter. Why would Consort Li be so elaborate just to get me into her faction? There are many youths more capable than I am, and even if she wants to form a closer connection with the royal family, she can simply wed someone to the Eleventh Prince. If you were not so desperate, you would not have invited me to come back to the capital as well.”

Jing Wen frowned, “I truly don’t understand His Majesty’s arrangements. Why did he arrange me these candidates at such a strange time.”

“Weren’t you in a period of mourning? His Majesty can’t have granted a marriage candidacy then,” Zhou Aimin noted.

Jing Wen said somewhat distastefully, “When I visited Lady Liu, was I still not in mourning.”

Zhou Aimin was flabbergasted and began absent-mindedly fanned the flame so an unknown amount of time. Eventually, he stated, “Perhaps its to protect you?”

Jing Wen’s hand, which was reaching for the teapot, suddenly retracted. He ‘looked’ at Zhou Aimin and said, “What do you mean?”

"Do you not understand, or are you simply pretending not to?" Zhou Aimin took the teapot instead and poured for Jing Wen and himself. “Even if Lady Lei is not the disciple of Consort Li, she is still a martial arts expert; she is more than capable of protecting you against assassins. And while the Liu and Xiahou family does not contain anyone that has reached Qi Manifestation, they are families with foundations that are as deep as the ocean, and has seen the rise of countless dynasties and kingdoms.”

Jing Wen was somewhat bewildered. Coughing slightly, he said, “Marriage is a business of mutual consent. My father did not own any estate out of this one and the manor in Jing village, and the title of Marquis of Ji is merely honorary. In the end, he relied entirely on his Majesty’s salary. Currently, I am only relying on my father’s spare capital, which is plenty, but cannot match the bigger families.”

Jing Wen took a sip of the tea, dispelling much of his discomfort before continuing. “Compared to someone like you, Fellow Zhou, whose father is still living and can decide the lives of thousands with a mere word, I am a far less desirable candidate for marriage. Aside from Lady Lei, none of the girls will see an improvement in their situation if they formed a union with me.”

Zhou Aimin was taken back, and hurriedly diverted the fan to himself. “That would not do. Marriage is not such a cold matter; I can see that Lady Liu likes you and had an earnest desire. And did you not say that Lady Lei would see an improvement in their situation if she married you? But did not she refuse the edict outright?”

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Jing Wen was somewhat stunned. Earlier, during his argument with Lady Lei, he had been rather passionate and had not realised the strangeness of her refusal. In his eyes, it was only natural that people sought to better themselves before all else in matters of marriage, with only the girls of prominent families able to choose their partners. Thus, he had treated her as one of the spoiled young mistresses in the capital.

Lei Li’s was the daughter of a merchant, who desired a noble title above all else. By Jing Wen’s understanding, even if she was unwilling, her father would not permit such an opportunity to slip. Thus the fact that she had refused him so straightforwardly had entirely shaken Jing Wen’s worldview - worse still, Jing Wen had only realised this when Zhou Aimin had pointed it out.

Noticing that his words made Jing Wen a little more enlightened, Zhou Aimin smiled awkwardly. “Don’t overthink it. Due to my time as a Daoist, I am naturally more acquainted with matters of the heart than you. Of course, that includes the heart of women.”

“In any case, I do not approve of His Majesty attempting to protect you through employing the knife of another. Since neither you nor Lady Lei has any intentions of getting together, I’d say to simply end the matter swiftly once you finish venting your frustration. Perhaps if she has a positive impression towards you afterwards, there will be some happy surprises for us in the future.”

Jing Wen said nothing. He held the teacup in his hand but did not take any further sips.

“It’s rather late now,” Jing Wen said quietly. “Although Lady Lei may be a disciple of Consort Li, my judgement regarding her remains unchanged. I should pick her up soon.”

“Naturally,” Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen and said earnestly. “But how will you make sure she does not kill you to escape what she suspects is a genuine marriage? Don’t forget that you are still injured, and cannot fend for yourself. Even if Gao Shu accompanies you, she could still overpower him.”

Jing Wen shook his head. The path he intends to take is among the busiest in the capital, even more so after the mourning of Jing Ping. To commit a murder would be impossible in such a condition. Besides, Jing Wen does not believe Lei Li is capable of killing anyone, even a chicken’s she probably never has slaughtered. Perhaps she once stepped over a couple of ants while crossing the street.

After finishing the tea, Jing Wen straightforwardly left the manor. When he arrived at the Lei household’s residency, he noticed the gatekeeper was looking at him with hostility. To this, Jing Wen did not pay much mind to, since the servant did not act. Placing his hands behind his back, Jing Wen patiently waited until Lei Li left the resident.

When Lei Li arrived, her eyes were somewhat red, silently mourning her fate to accompany Jing Wen for what she suspects would be the rest of her life. Once she saw Jing Wen, her eyes immediately became even more crimson. Combined with her fragile and sickly body, it caused her to truly appear like a injured little beast.

Watching this, Jing Wen could not help but to offer her a handkerchief.

When Lei Li saw this handed to her, she froze, before impolitely taking the handkerchief. Covering her face with it, she loudly blew her nose, causing the corner of Jing Wen’s mouth to twitch as she proceeds to hand it back to him. “Thanks, I guess.”

Jing Wen naturally refused the used handkerchief for hygienic reasons, prompting Lei Li to store it within her sleeves for later use.

Once Lei Li stepped outside the residency, Jing Wen silently took her and wandered to Long’an avenue.

While Long’an avenue was among the oldest street in Lin’an, there was something new. Below the eaves of the buildings that swooped like phoenixes over the boulevard were vibrant ribbons made of red. Around this time, most shops and governmental buildings would close to prepare for the activities that would come later on at night. However, the streets were still overflowing at this time, forcing the vendors to fight against their drowsiness, keeping an inviting smile on their face as they advised their business.

In such a lively environment, Lei Li appeared to have quickly forgotten her grievous and stopped crying. Still, she did not display her excitement openly, appearing on the surface as a sombre and sickly young lady, her silence occasionally broken by hiccups.

As they continued to wander, Lei Li suddenly caught sight of a bookstore next to a stall selling bingtanghulu. She stared at Jing Wen, lowering her voice as she pointed to the bingtanghulu store. “I did not bring any money.”

By now, Jing Wen felt somewhat regretful for his earlier decision, so approached the long line by the bingtanghulu stall. As Jing Wen waited, Lei Li, with no particular effort at stealth, walked into the store and browsed around the various classics and histories that her father had made her read since young.

Turning to the shopkeeper, who was closely monitoring her, she asked, “Do you have the Jing Ping Mei (金瓶梅)?”

The store but a little surprised that a girl would buy such a… flavourful book, but kept a sense of professionalism as he and Lei Li walked into a side room to retrieve a set a book before handing it to Lei Li to inspect.

Lei Li took them and quickly flipped through it, before feeling satisifed and giving a slight nod. Taking out a handful of coins, she passed it to the shopkeeper, saying, “Keep it here for now. I will come to pick it up later.”

The shopkeeper respectfully complied, wrapping the novels in a thick piece of cloth and placing it underneath the counter.

Lei Li continued to browse around the bookstore, casually making small talk with the shopkeeper. Compared to the other shops, the bookstore was relatively quiet, so the storekeeper took the opportunity to keep himself awake through a bit of gossip.

As they chatted, Lei Li abruptly took out the handkerchief she had received earlier from Jing Wen, before coughing into it.

The storekeeper thought it was because the shop’s ventilation was slightly lacking and had discomforted the customer. Thus, he quickly grabbed a stick and pushed open the windows of the store.

Lei Li smiled somewhat apologetically towards the shopkeeper before continuing the small talk. Were the shopkeeper a someone with sensitive ears, he would recognise that Lei Li’s breathing became increasingly weak and challenging as she spoke.

At some point, Lei Li suddenly stopped speaking, and form face formed a problematic expression.

The shopkeeper saw his customer form this expression, which he had assumed was because he had spoken something wrong, and caused her to become furious.

In the end, he could not help but feel a little anxious.