Like Pearl and Jade

Chapter 68

"When coming here for the marriage, I only cared about Jiu Jiu and did not even see what the yard looked like." Jin Yang stood in the small refined courtyard. From each grass and tree in the courtyard, it could be seen how much the ducal establishment kept Jiu Jiu on their minds and how much effort they put in. "Now I know it is like this."

A swing, mottled bamboo, rare and precious flora, a fine stone table, a fake stone mountain, a flower window. Everything gave off the feeling of a girl's rooms. Jin Yang walked next to the orange tree. The tree was much higher than him, and there were thumb-sized fruits at the ends of the branches, some of them still covered in dried flower stamens.

Gu Cun Jing, behind him, saw the green fruits and could not help but feel his mouth fill with saliva and his teeth start to ache. These oranges were so sour that he could not help his reflex.

The emperor found an excuse to come out so his sister could talk with her parents. As a member of the dragon guard and also the host, he could only accompany the emperor in visiting his sister's rooms from before her marriage.

Opening the door, the room's decor was still as before his sister married—the decorations on the Hundred Treasures shelf, the embroidery on the bed coverings, and even the window screens that had just been newly replaced with fashionable materials.

Jin Yang could sense from this room his in-laws' love and reluctance to part from Jiu Jiu. He turned to Gu Cun Jing and saw him also revealing an emotional expression, and then he smiled.

He walked to the neighbouring study. Jin Yang pulled out a worn book, and found this was a travelogue on the weather and culture of different places. There were even notes inscribed. It appeared that Jiu Jiu had liked this book greatly for a period of time.

On the table, the four treasures of the study were placed neatly, as though their master had never left.

In the corner, there was a zither stand. The zither was shaped like the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, and at a glance, people would feel the master of the room was an elegant woman.

He had not lived well in his early years in the Prince of Cheng's establishment. He knew how to play the zither, but it was nothing to be seen in public. He reached out to touch the strings. He knew, this was a rare and good zither. "Zhen has never heard Jiu Jiu discuss playing."

"I fear Your Majesty will laugh upon hearing this, but the empress was not good at playing before she married." Gu Cun Jing looked up and saw His Majesty take out a handkerchief and lightly wipe the strings. He said, "After marrying, no one manages her, so she is not willing to touch these again."

"Does she not play well?" Jin Yang pulled his hand back and turned to examine the paintings hanging from the walls. The paintings were good and the calligraphy even better. "Are all these Jiu Jiu's idle works?" At just a glance, he was certain these were Jiu Jiu's words.

"It's not that she was not good." Gu Cun Jing shook his head. "She just did not like it."

Jin Yang nodded and walked to the bookshelf. He looked at the neat rows of books and said with a smile, "You all spoiled Jiu Jiu greatly."

Ordinary wealthy families may not have so many books even if all the books they possessed were placed together. The Gu Family had so many books just in their daughter's study, some of them even rarities that could not be found anywhere else.

He had heard long ago that the Gu Family had a deep background, and it now appeared to be truly so.

"My father said that women have it harder than men in the world, so the family loves the two daughters more." Gu Cun Jing smiled and pulled out a book. He remembered that he had gone to several bookstores in a previous year to find it. His younger sister had been extremely happy and dedicated two days to him.