Transmigration: of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 94: The Villa of Mount Baicha

"Young miss! Young miss! I bring good news!" Jet burst into Feng Luodi's room one morning, her voice laced with joy.

Feng Luodi jumped at her loud voice and she dropped the zither string that she was trying to restring in her hand. Birds fluttered away from their perch on the windowsill, startled by the loud noise. Feng Luodi looked at Jet helplessly and sighed. Scarlet's getting more feminine as the days go by, but Jet's behaviour is becoming increasingly raucous.

"Now, now. No need to rush." Feng Luodi poured a cup of tea for her.

Jet downed the cup of tea in three gulps and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Miss Qi has caused quite the commotion in the city! Both the Heir and the son of the Minister of the Left have publicly announced that they intend to win her hand for marriage!"

"Public announcements?" Feng Luodi was perplexed. "Didn't Jianqiu make it known that she already had someone in mind during the Chrysanthemum Appraisal Gathering that time? Why is the Heir still making such an announcement?"

Jet struggled. "She did, but the person did not show his face at all. That led to speculations that Miss Qi is currently having emotional issues because of his disappearance, and sparked the public's interest in seeing her wedded to the Heir."

"Where did you hear all of these from?" Feng Luodi frowned.

"Everywhere! The inns, the teahouses, the restaurants - you can hear talk about it wherever you go, young miss!" Jet tousled her hair. "If I hadn't known better, I would've believed that the two of them are already engaged, just from hearing the discussions on the street!"

Feng Luodi rubbed her chin. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was the Heir's plan from the start. He's trying to force Minister Qi's hand by public opinion. Perhaps that was why Jianqiu is grounded: she'll definitely start a public commotion if she learns of this."

"Then why did Gan Qingjia make the same announcement as well? " Before Feng Luodi had left for the North, the two of them were at each other's throats every time they'd met. Did I miss anything while I was gone?

"Oh, you must not have heard the news yet, then!" Jet recalled the events that had happened while Feng Luodi was gone. "Everyone knew about it when it happened."

"Quickly, tell me!" Feng Luodi handed her a cup of tea. Jet sipped the tea and slowly recounted the events that had transpired over the winter that Feng Luodi was gone.

Although Qi Jianqiu was born a woman, and a beautiful one at that, she was generous and passionate about life. She has three passions in her life: cooking, making friends, and of the arts. Naturally, the restaurants, the zither parlours and the teahouses were her favourite hangouts. Intending to win her hand, the Heir naturally frequented these places in hopes of catching Qi Jianqiu and leaving a good impression. Meanwhile, Gan Qingjia, the third son of the Minister of the Left, was one who frequented such places as well. His love for music and beautiful women always led him to zither parlours, while he frequented restaurants such as Manchun Tang for their culinary delights.

And that was why Qi Jianqiu and Gan Qingjia kept bumping into one another at the zither parlours and restaurants.

Naturally, the Heir's advances were spurned by Qi Jianqiu, but his relentless efforts were noticed by Gan Qingjia. One day, while the Heir was expressing his love for Qi Jianqiu again, Gan Qingjia publicly announced his intentions of courting Qi Jianqiu. Linking his actions to the events that had transpired during the Chrysanthemum Appraisal Gathering in autumn, the gossip quickly caught fire.  Word spread through Chang'an like wildfire, the citizens involved in personal bets on the results of the courtships.