Chapter 20 First Love
Not far away, a courtyard came into view. At the entrance stood a white stone with the words "Qiuhua Garden" written on it.
Not far to the right was a courtyard with high walls and magnificent buildings. Cui Jiu pointed there and said, "That is the eldest princess's bedroom. Princess Jingyi always stays in the side hall inside whenever she comes."
Unexpectedly, Qiuhua Garden was so close to the Princess's bedroom. Ruan Bi took another look.
Cui Jiu seemed to know what she was thinking and said, "The Princess said that it would be more lively if we stayed closer."
Ruan Bi was slightly moved. Her previous two encounters with Princess Huiwen had left her with the impression that the princess was arrogant and disdainful of others. This time, however, she sensed that the princess was a very lonely person. Despite her high position, she seemed unhappy.
"Fifth Miss, please come in." Cui Jiu gestured for her to enter.
Ruan Bi stepped into the courtyard, and the first thing that caught her eye was an old maple tree in the patio. Its branches intertwined, and its leaves swayed gently. The dark green leaves were already tinged with pale yellow frost, and at first glance, one might mistake it for a tree full of yellow-green flowers. She imagined that in late autumn, it would surely turn into a magnificent crimson, dazzling and intoxicating. No wonder it was called "Autumn Blossom Garden".
This is a three-sided courtyard house, neither too big nor too small, with delicate and beautiful corridors.
Cui Jiu clapped his hands, and eight maids filed out of the main room, bowed to him, and said, "Eunuch Cui, everything is ready."
Cui Jiu nodded and pointed to Ruan Bi, saying, "This is Miss Ruan Wu, who has come to visit. You must take good care of her."
The maids agreed in hushed tones and then curtsied to Ruan Bi.
Cui Jiu added, "Fifth Miss, please go inside and rest for a while. Princess Jingyi is in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion across the street, and she will be here soon."
"Yes." Ruan Bi led Xiuzhi and Zheng Mama into the main room.
The Ruan family was also a century-old family, but in terms of wealth and extravagance, it naturally couldn't compare to the Princess's residence. Not only were there countless servants, but every furnishing in the house was exquisite and luxurious. The gold-embroidered hibiscus curtain alone left Xiuzhi dumbfounded. She touched it with her hand and exclaimed in admiration, "Miss, this curtain is truly beautiful."
Granny Liu was also amazed, but still whispered a reminder: "Don't make a fuss, you're embarrassing our young lady."
Xiuzhi stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Speaking of which, why did the princess invite our young lady and not the other young ladies?"
Granny Liu said, "Have you forgotten? Our young lady is a disciple of Master Ziying."
Ruan Bi, sipping her tea, secretly lamented her own foolishness; she had completely forgotten this connection. Indeed, the Princess and Master Ziying were very close, which was why she attended the apprenticeship ceremony. Otherwise, given her status as a member of the royal family and her aloof personality, she might not even be invited to the wedding of the eldest daughter of a high-ranking official, let alone the apprenticeship ceremony of a third-rank official's illegitimate daughter. This time, she hadn't invited the fifth daughter of the Ruan family in Jingxi, but rather Master Ziying's disciple, hence her many words of consideration, allowing her to "stay a few more days without any problem" and "let her name tell you what she wants to eat or do."
With that thought in mind, Ruan Bi felt relieved and began to savor her tea.
After drinking half a cup of tea, Cui Jiu came over and said, "Fifth Miss, Princess Jingyi has arrived and invites you to a gathering in the side hall."
Ruan Bi led Xiuzhi and Granny Liu to a side hall of the princess's bedchamber. Gu Jingyi was already sitting in the hall, with a dozen or so servants standing behind her. Some were holding cats, some were holding dogs, some were carrying parrot cages, and some were holding a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument)...
Gu Jingyi was a gentle and shy girl. At first, she didn't talk much and only listened to Ruan Bi.
After a quarter of an hour, perhaps because they were more familiar with each other, she became more talkative. She spoke softly and gently, discussing the mundane affairs of a young girl. She mentioned that her kitten had given birth to nine kittens, one of which was particularly beautiful, pure white, and she named it "Snowball." Her brother, however, insisted on calling it "Rice Ball." "Rice Ball" sounded awful; how could it be as elegant as "Snowball"? But since her brother liked it, she had no choice but to agree. Then she asked a servant to bring "Rice Ball" over to show Ruan Bi, and asked Ruan Bi whether "Rice Ball" or "Snowball" sounded better. Ruan Bi said that "Snowball" was more elegant, and she sighed, saying that everyone said "Snowball" sounded better, but her brother said "Rice Ball" sounded better. She had to have a serious talk with her brother another day—even the fifth sister of the Ruan family said "Snowball" sounded better, and if her brother still wouldn't listen, there was nothing she could do; it would have to be called "Rice Ball."
After rambling on for a while, she waved for the maid to take "Mi Tuan" down. Then she talked about how her new puppy was teething, and had the maid bring it up, opening the dog's mouth so Ruan Bi could see its new teeth. She then complained about how troublesome the puppy's teething was, how it chewed on things everywhere, and how it had ruined a new dress she had made for her, how beautiful the color of that dress was, and how she had cried for a long time.
After the puppy left the stage, she had a maid bring up her parrot cage so the parrot could speak to Ruan Bi. The parrot opened its mouth and said, "Jingyi is a little fool." She immediately became furious, stomping her feet and threatening to roast and eat the parrot, saying that her brother must have secretly taught it, and that her brother was the worst. Finally, she taught the parrot, word by word, to say, "Little White Brother is a big bad guy."
...
If Princess Huiwen hadn't sent someone to urge her to have lunch, who knows how long she would have talked.
Even during lunch, Ruan Bi could still hear Gu Jingyi's soft, fragmented voice. She was quite curious about the Duke of Dingguo's family. Gu Jingyi was merely a concubine's daughter, yet they pampered her even more than the legitimate daughter. Although she hadn't mentioned her family, Ruan Bi could sense that Gu Jingyi was showered with love and affection; otherwise, she wouldn't have developed such a temperament.
After lunch, we rested for a while. When we got up and went outside, we saw the sunlight shining on the maple trees, making every leaf shimmer with golden light. It was truly a beautiful sight. Cui Jiu greeted us with a smile and said, "Fifth Miss, you're up so early? Princess Jingyi will probably sleep until 3:45 PM. The Princess is also at the palace now. If you're not afraid of the sun, I'll take you horseback riding."
Ruan Bi's eyes lit up, and she said, "Okay."
After changing into riding clothes in his room, he followed Cui Jiu west out the side gate. About fifty meters further on, there was a racecourse of moderate size, surrounded by wooden railings. Next to it was a stable with many gleaming horses tethered.
Cui Jiu said, "The Princess loves horses, and these horses were all transported from Xiwan." Pointing to a white steed that occupied a cell, he said, "This one was a gift from the Prince of Jin. It was a warhorse captured from the Northern Rong and is named Zhu Ri. The Princess likes it very much. However, Zhu Ri hasn't been feeling well these past two days."
Upon hearing the words "Prince of Jin," Ruan Bi's heart stirred slightly.
Cui Jiu ordered a servant to bring over a gentle mare and said, "This horse is the gentlest. Princess Jingyi rode this one when she first learned to ride. Why don't you try it, young lady?"
"Are there any special considerations?"
Cui Jiu said, "It's nothing, you'll naturally learn by riding more."
After riding for about half an hour, Ruan Bi finally grasped the basics; the most important thing was maintaining balance between her own center of gravity and the horse's. Cui Jiu, seeing her high level of understanding, secretly praised her, no wonder the Princess treated her so favorably. Looking at the time, thinking that Princess Jingyi should be up soon, he was about to call Ruan Bi back when he suddenly received a light tap on the back of her head.
Turning around, I saw Gu Xiaobai standing behind me with Anping, holding a riding whip, pointing at Ruan Bi and asking, "What's she doing here?"
"The eldest princess invited her to come and celebrate the Qixi Festival with Princess Jingyi."
"So the Sister Ruan that Jingyi was talking about is her?"
Cui Jiu nodded.
Gu Xiaobai said, "When I came over from over there just now, I heard a commotion. They said they couldn't find Mi Tuan. Why don't you go and take a look?"
Cui Jiu exclaimed "Oh dear!" and turned to leave, but then stopped and said, "No, Princess Chang wants me to serve Miss Ruan Wu."
Cui Jiu was the eldest princess's confidant. Gu Xiaobai raised an eyebrow and asked, puzzled, "Why were you put in her service?"
Cui Jiu dared not reveal the Princess's intentions, and said, "This... Miss Ruan is a guest."
Gu Xiaobai looked at Ruan Bi, who was completely absorbed in the horse farm, for a while, and said, "Anping, pick up a small stone."
Anping had followed him since childhood, so he naturally understood what he meant. He said with difficulty, "Young Master, isn't this inappropriate?"
Gu Xiaobai glared at him and said, "Shut up."
Anping reluctantly picked up the smallest stone and handed it to him.
Cui Jiu was a little confused and asked, "What does the young master want the stone for?"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Xiaobai flicked his wrist, sending the small stone hurtling towards the rump of Ruan Bi's horse. Having practiced archery since childhood, he possessed exceptional strength and sharp eyesight; the stone struck the horse's rump with deadly accuracy. Even the gentle horse let out a long neigh and galloped off.
Ruan Bi, who had just learned to ride a horse, turned pale and cried out in alarm as the horse jolted her along.
Gu Xiaobai finally saw her panicked expression and felt smug, so he burst into laughter.
Cui Jiu stamped his foot anxiously and said, "Oh dear, my young master, she can't ride a horse." As he spoke, he ran towards the center of the field. Before he even got there, a figure flashed beside him. Gu Xiaobai was faster than him and grabbed the reins a step ahead of him. He stroked the horse's head and calmed it down.
Ruan Bi was still in shock, her face pale and panting heavily.
After a while, his breathing stopped, and he glared angrily at Gu Xiaobai, saying, "Are you trying to kill someone?"
Gu Xiaobai retorted, "How do I know you can't ride a horse? Besides, if you can't, why would you ride one?"
"Were you born knowing how to ride a horse?"
Gu Xiaobai was speechless for a moment before saying sullenly, "There's nothing wrong now, so why are you making such a fuss?"
Seeing his stubborn refusal to admit guilt, Ruan Bi felt a surge of old and new grudges. "Young Master Gu, you should explain yourself clearly. What have I done to offend you that you always try to kill me?"
Gu Xiaobai opened her eyes wide and looked at her: "When did I ever intend to kill you?"
"On the Shangsi Festival, you pushed me out from behind the willow tree and insisted that I was spying on Xie Mingyue. You almost killed me, didn't you know that?"
Gu Xiaobai frowned in confusion and said, "What's the big deal? How could it have killed you?"
"That idiot, that idiot," Ruan Bi cursed inwardly. She thought to herself, "Forget it, arguing with him will only make me angry." Suddenly, she heard him say, "Besides, if you weren't spying on Xie Mingyue, then who were you spying on?"
Ruan Bi turned to look at him in surprise. He was clearly very handsome, so why was he so clueless about worldly affairs?
Seeing that she didn't speak, Gu Xiaobai assumed that she was at a loss for words and said smugly, "See, you can't say it, can you?"
Ruan Bi laughed angrily and said, "I'll tell you the truth, I was spying on you."
Gu Xiaobai was startled and looked up at her. Her smile was exceptionally bright, and the sunlight above her head created countless golden rays, which pressed down on him like a thousand rays of light. He felt a thunderous roar in his heart, as if a stone door as heavy as a thousand pounds had been pushed open, and her smile rushed in unrestrainedly, filling the room with dazzling sunlight.
Outside the racecourse, Prince Jin stopped and looked at the smiling girl on horseback and the boy holding the reins, staring blankly at her.
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