Gentleman Like Jade, A Beauty’s Heart Stolen
Back then, in spring’s thin shirt, young and carefree—riding a horse by the slanted bridge, red sleeves beckoning from every balcony.
One by one, they lowered their flags and stilled their drums, no longer daring to provoke or cause trouble.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to fight, but...
They simply couldn’t win!
Not even against the Grand Heir William Wang Jinling—a blind man—how could anyone not feel discouraged? Worse still, Grand Heir William Wang Jinling hadn’t done anything in particular, yet he already had a loyal following in Jixia Academy. Even the older senior brothers went out of their way to protect the youngest junior, Grand Heir William Wang Jinling...
Not even against Grand Heir William Wang Jinling—a blind man—how could anyone not feel discouraged?
William Wang Jinling no longer needed to act—his supporters could shame these challengers until they wished they could disappear.
Compete in scholarship? They couldn’t beat a blind man.
Compete in family background? Still couldn’t beat a blind man.
Compete in popularity? Still couldn’t beat a blind man.
How could anyone not feel discouraged by that?
Even the senior brothers, older than Grand Heir William Wang Jinling, treated him—the youngest junior—with exceptional care...
Even a regular Great Scholar would look down on them—how could they possibly compare to Grand Heir William Wang Jinling?
They gave up!
Even those who once refused to accept William Wang Jinling had to admit defeat by now.
So what if he’s blind? The things a blind man could accomplish, none of these sighted people could manage. What was left for them to fight over?
Springtime strolls, apricot blossoms brushing my hair—who is that elegant youth on the road? If I could marry him, my life would be fulfilled. Even if cast aside someday, I would feel no shame.
Many students at Jixia Academy once asked William Wang Jinling about his study methods. He smiled and said, “Because I cannot see, my mind is free of distractions, so I can concentrate completely.”
It was because of these words that the Chancellor announced William Wang Jinling’s acceptance as a disciple ahead of schedule.
Even those who once refused to accept Grand Heir William Wang Jinling had to admit defeat by now.
Quite a few people, after hearing William Wang Jinling’s words, secretly blindfolded themselves and had someone read books aloud while they listened...
And sure enough, without the ability to see, it was much easier to quiet the mind and tune out distractions.
William Wang Jinling became a disciple at Jixia Academy, but his name still wasn’t formally settled—until one day...
The Chancellor of Jixia Academy hosted a banquet for Great Scholars from various states and royal nobles, introducing William Wang Jinling to everyone. That day...
William Wang Jinling dazzled the crowd.
That day, William Wang Jinling’s talent and gracious bearing won over everyone present...
Many students at Jixia Academy once asked Grand Heir William Wang Jinling about his study methods. He smiled and said, “Because I cannot see, my mind is free of distractions, so I can concentrate completely.”
His grandfather was no longer there to see it.
That year, William Wang Jinling was sixteen—elegant as jade and straight as bamboo, already a strikingly handsome youth...
That year, Grand Heir William Wang Jinling’s name was finally settled, and he returned home for the second time after six years away.
The first time was to bid farewell to his grandfather.
At sixteen, William Wang Jinling already showed the bearing of a jade gentleman. Returning to Eastlyn, he didn’t rush home to the Wang estate, but instead strolled through the Capital’s streets with a young servant...
Dressed in plain blue robes and a single jade hairpin—such a simple outfit, yet on William Wang Jinling it became something special: cold and clear, yet warm and gentle, two opposite qualities perfectly united in him...
“Who is that young man? He’s so handsome.” On the street, people—men and women alike—would stop in their tracks and keep glancing at William Wang Jinling...
“Such a striking youth—how has someone like this been in the Capital all along and we’ve never seen him before?”
“Jade gentleman—he truly lives up to the name.”
“Such a handsome young man—if he’d just look at me once, I could die without regret.”
“Whose family does this young man belong to?”
A luxurious carriage stopped nearby. A beautiful girl, curious, lifted the curtain to follow the crowd’s gaze—and with a single look...
Her heart was instantly lost.
“Mother, mother... From now on, I’ll only marry him.”
“You little rascal, you’re still so young—why are you already thinking about marriage?” The girl’s mother tapped her on the forehead, but there was no trace of scolding.
That young man... really was a good match. Others might not know, but she did. This was none other than Grand Heir William Wang Jinling of the Wang Clan, celebrated across the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities.
If her daughter could marry that young man, she would surely be happy for life.
And she wasn’t the only one who thought so. Ordinary girls could only look up to him, knowing full well that someone so noble and refined was forever beyond their reach...
The daughters of powerful families, meanwhile, quietly calculated how they might win this extraordinary youth as a husband.
Springtime stroll, apricot blossoms brush my hair. Who is that elegant youth walking the road? If I could marry him, I would rest easy for life. Even if one day he cast me aside, I would feel no shame.
William Wang Jinling was unaware—he was merely walking down the street, yet drew crowds wherever he went. Still, those watching kept a respectful distance; not one dared approach...
A figure like a banished immortal—if you disturbed him and he vanished into the clouds, what would you do then?
Occasionally, a voice reached William Wang Jinling’s ears, but he would just smile. He knew his presence attracted attention, but as long as it didn’t disrupt his life, he didn’t care how others saw him...
He was William Wang Jinling, and he lived for himself.
Every street and alley of the Capital—his grandfather had once taken him through them all when he was young...
Back then, his elderly grandfather would don rough clothes and dress William like a farm child, ignoring all advice and insisting on carrying him around the city...
Lying on his grandfather’s not-so-strong shoulders, William Wang Jinling learned for the first time that there was a kind of affection that could warm a person to their very core...
William Wang Jinling, who’d never wanted anything before, found himself longing for something for the first time—but sadly, he couldn’t keep it.
His grandfather said it was his grandmother’s wish. She’d always wanted to carry her eldest grandson through the Capital, let him taste its street food, and give the Wang clan’s rightful heir a taste of ordinary happiness.
Families like theirs rarely showed affection with hugs—instead, it was gifts: precious, but cold treasures...
Just like his parents, who gave him everything they had—priceless things, all—but...
To William Wang Jinling, all those things together couldn’t compare to a single hug from his grandfather, to sitting on his grandfather’s lap and listening to him read, let alone being carried through the city by someone so old...
In families like theirs, young masters rarely read themselves for fear of straining their eyes. When starting their studies, most had servants read aloud, over and over—they only needed to listen...
He had a servant too, but before age ten, he never needed one—until he was five, his grandfather always kept him on his lap, reading aloud...
After he turned five, he was set at a small desk, and his grandfather would bend over, guiding his hand to write, over and over.
His eyes couldn’t see, so his writing was always poor, but his grandfather never got angry—he’d patiently guide William’s hand, copying each character again and again, never tiring, even after a hundred tries.
To help him improve, his grandfather specially found templates for the blind to practice writing.
His grandfather and grandmother were the people he respected most in his life, and the ones he most wished to see. But sadly, he would never see them, not in this lifetime...