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墨書 Inktalez
"Is it true?"
"I heard there's an old woman with a child."
"Sigh, General Gao really is blind."
"If it were me, I would definitely say that woman has some kind of sorcery; otherwise, how could she enchant General Gao to the point where he refuses to go home for her, disregarding even his parents' wishes?"
"Isn't it that Consort Qin who is exceptionally talented and beautiful, with a rare gentle temperament? She's just a pitiful woman who has been hurt by men. You all are exaggerating. In my opinion, when it comes to matters between men and women, outsiders can't really understand. It's not easy for a woman to raise a child alone. Don't gossip too much; if General Gao hears it and feels uncomfortable, will you feel good about it?"
After all, there were some older women who had more sense, unlike those young girls who were infatuated with their imagined heroes and loved to gossip out of jealousy.
Qin Yaru sighed as she nestled in the second floor of Nangyun Study. Although she couldn't hear clearly, just by looking at the fact that there were mostly scholars in Nangyun Study before, and now the ratio of men to women was almost equal, she guessed that these women had come specifically to watch the excitement surrounding her.
Although Nangyun Study had never prohibited women from entering, it was still inconvenient for them to come here. It was fine if a group of young ladies occupied a private room, but it was concerning when high-born noblewomen monopolized a large room, leaving many serious scholars without a place to study.
Gao Feng quietly appeared in the loft, wrapping an arm around Qin Yaru's delicate shoulder.
Spring had arrived, though it was still chilly. The earth was turning green again. Looking down from the window, the sounds of footsteps from the townsfolk accompanied by the whispers of spring breezes rustling through the treetops filled the air with a sense of life—so enchanting and wonderful.
Qin Yaru leaned against Gao Feng. She had never been fond of talking. In this world, all her thoughts were understood only by the man behind her, and he was someone only she could comprehend. Over ten years of companionship and love had made them each other's halves; even if separated by thousands of miles or even two worlds, they still thought of each other and occasionally felt lonely but refused to forget one another.
Gao Feng pulled out a jade flute from somewhere and played it softly at his lips. Qin Yaru felt her shoulders shake as she held back laughter for a long while before finally releasing her hand from her mouth and said helplessly, "If you keep playing like this, soon everyone in the capital will spread rumors that the master of Qin Zhai in Nangyun Study is a woman who doesn't understand melody. I won't bear such a crime; otherwise, even if my mother is in the underworld, she would surely want me to be reborn."
She was not particularly skilled in Melody, but as a young lady from a Scholarly Family, mastering the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting was considered proper education. It was not like what later generations imagined, that women should be praised for their lack of talent and only learn needlework. Only the women from the Pleasure District truly valued these arts.
They did not consider that aside from places like the Brothel Management Office that served the royal family, other courtesans learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting merely to earn money. Which madam would genuinely hire a renowned teacher to instruct them in these subjects? The cost alone of such lessons could fund the training of several courtesans to swindle money from men.
True talented courtesans were often daughters from fallen noble families; only those of high birth could truly master the skills expected of a talented woman.
Gao Feng reluctantly put away his jade flute and sighed while holding Qin Yaru's shoulder.
Qin Yaru simply smiled, "You used to sing military songs off-key; it's just something to listen to. Don't bother putting in so much effort."
Gao Feng couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "Fine, from now on you can play the piano and sing, and I'll just listen." Although he couldn't play any instruments and often sang off-key, he had a good appreciation for music, thanks to Qin Yaru's influence. When encountering ordinary musicians, he could impress them with his casual critiques.
When true lovers are together, they lose track of time until the moon rises above the willow trees, and even when the people from the General's residence come to urge them to leave, Gao Feng is still reluctant to go.
Unlike Qin Yaru, Gao Feng had family—his biological father, his Stepmother, and his birth mother.
"Oh, my sister cries all day long; it's giving me a terrible headache," Gao Feng's Biological Mother was just an ordinary concubine of the Gao Family. Although she was somewhat beautiful, she was not favored by Gao Feng's father and lived a very dull life. The Gao Family placed great importance on the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children; no man would favor a concubine over his wife. Therefore, although there were not many concubines in their household, life was not easy for them. Generally speaking, the head matriarch would not oppress her concubines unless they were particularly foolish.
Unfortunately, Gao Feng's Biological Mother was a weak-minded and foolish woman who had been misled by her own mother when she first entered the household. She made some mistakes that landed her on the head matriarch's blacklist and faced considerable hardship afterward.
If it weren't for the fact that the head matriarch Fang Family did not regard her highly and that she was too inept to cause harm, Gao Feng's father Gao Xi might have treated her more harshly out of spite for her shortcomings. Given that she had at least given him a son, he did not overly punish her; otherwise, she might not have survived until today.
Fortunately for Gao Feng's mother, he had achieved great success over the years, which elevated her status within the Gao Family. Otherwise, her life would have been no easier than that of an ordinary Lady-in-Waiting—constantly anxious and fearful of offending the matriarch and being sold off. Even if she survived, she would not find happiness in such a life.
Because of this, his biological mother, Yao Family, placed great importance on Gao Feng, wholeheartedly hoping that Gao Feng would achieve success. At first, when Gao Feng was wayward, it was one thing, but now that he has matured, she, as a mother, wishes she could keep her son in the palm of her hand. The thought that Gao Feng might marry a princess made her proud for many days.
"It's really strange. Why does she call me 'dear sister'? This way of addressing made it so I couldn't speak in front of her for a long time, causing her to cry and cry, which gave me a headache."
Gao Feng frowned. He had heard all the rumors outside and didn't take them to heart. However, he could imagine how furious his mother would be upon hearing them!
Although he was not the real Gao Feng, with his personality, he could never truly abandon his biological mother. Since he had accepted the identity given to him, he could not fear the troubles that came with it.
Hearing Gao Feng mention his biological mother, Qin Yaru also felt a bit of a headache. Other women have to serve one mother-in-law when they get married, but marrying a man of illegitimate birth means having to serve two mothers-in-law. If she were to marry for real, life would probably not be easy.
Thinking this way made Qin Yaru consider not getting married at all. After all, she now had a son and didn't worry about being lonely in her old age. Gao Feng was indeed good; she genuinely liked him, but she did not like the Gao Family.
Of course, the Gao Family would not be too fond of her either.
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