Chapter Eighty-Nine: Fiery Red Leaves
After Ruan Bi had Yun Ying deliver the letter to the Prince of Jin's residence, she waited all night but didn't receive a reply. Instead, she was greeted by a carriage from Princess Huiwen's residence. Cui Jiu, who accompanied the carriage, said that the princess missed the fifth young lady very much and wanted to invite her to stay at the princess's residence for a couple of days. The old lady was naturally overjoyed, almost ready to wrap Ruan Bi in a large red cloth and present her with the letter.
Upon arriving at the princess's residence, Cui Jiu led her directly to Qiuhua Garden, where she had stayed previously. After she had freshened up, he led her to the east side hall of the eldest princess's sleeping quarters, smiling as he said, "The eldest princess is currently meditating and practicing breathing exercises. Fifth Miss, please sit for a while." With that, he stepped back to the door, clapped his hands, and a maidservant brought out various fruits, tea, and snacks.
Perhaps feeling guilty, Ruan Bi was uneasy, sensing that the invitation had some hidden meaning. She had no appetite for food or drink.
Half an hour later, he heard footsteps approaching from afar, followed by Gu Xiaobai's voice: "Cui Jiu, why is Grandma so anxious to find me? What's wrong?" After saying this, he had already reached the entrance of the side hall and saw Ruan Bi sitting upright with her eyes lowered inside. He was immediately stunned.
“The Princess is looking for the eldest young master, so naturally she has something to discuss. However, Cui Jiu does not know what it is. The Princess is currently meditating and practicing breathing exercises. Why don’t you wait a while, eldest young master, have some tea and snacks, and also keep Miss Ruan company for a while?” Cui Jiu said with a smile, gesturing for her to come in.
Gu Xiaobai hummed in agreement, walked straight to the seat opposite Ruan Bi, and sat down without looking at her. He crossed his legs and tilted his head to examine the pastries on the table. After looking for a while, he picked up a rose cake and took a bite. After finishing one, seeing that the Princess hadn't arrived, he picked up a piece of mung bean candy and ate it. Having eaten two pastries, he was naturally very thirsty. He picked up his teacup and slowly sipped, his eyes hiding behind the lid, secretly glancing at Ruan Bi. Seeing her head bowed and eyes lowered like a meditating monk, he found her utterly uninteresting and felt a surge of dissatisfaction. He slammed the teacup down on the table with a "thud" and said, "This tea is all cold; how can anyone drink it?"
The maid standing nearby quickly stepped forward and took the teacup, then served another cup of tea.
Gu Xiaobai picked up the bowl, took a bite, and then slammed it down, saying, "Are you trying to scald this young master to death?"
The maid standing nearby had tears in her eyes and her face was red with anxiety. She looked at him pitifully, not understanding why the usually carefree young master had suddenly become so nitpicky. They were all carefully trained; when serving tea, they would test the temperature with their palms to ensure it wasn't too hot. If the tea got cold, they would immediately take it away and replace it with warm tea.
Ruan Bi had long understood that Gu Xiaobai was stirring up trouble, and she figured that if she didn't do something, this young master might keep making a scene. So, she stood up, took her cup of tea, and handed it to him, saying, "I haven't had this tea yet. The temperature should be just right. If Young Master Gu doesn't mind, please have this cup first."
Gu Xiaobai glanced at her, wanting to say, "Who cares about your tea?" But then he realized his hand was already outstretched, and he was immediately embarrassed. He quickly took the teacup, hastily lifted the lid, and drank it down to cover his embarrassment. He finished it in one gulp, put down the teacup, still feeling awkward, and then picked up a piece of rose cake and took a bite.
The maid beside him looked at him in surprise, knowing that Ruan Bi's cup of tea had been brewed even earlier and was probably already cold.
Ruan Bi watched him chew the pastries with relish, his cheeks puffing out like a sulking child, and felt a slight chuckle in her heart. Then she noticed a thin scar on his left cheek and asked, "How did you get that scar?"
Gu Xiaobai touched his cheek and said in a muffled voice, "I got scratched when I was fighting with someone." He paused, then emphasized, "I didn't lose out; I made his nose bleed."
The unruly young man's words still carried a childish quality. Ruan Bi wanted to laugh, but she was afraid he would misunderstand. In the end, a hint of a smile still appeared in her eyes.
Gu Xiaobai stole a glance at her and saw a gentle smile in her eyes. He became even more embarrassed, feeling like his bottom was covered in thorns, and wanted to run away. But then his mind suddenly flashed back to the day he handed her the flower hairpin, and those thorns instantly turned into vines, tightly binding him. He couldn't move, nor did he want to.
Standing at the door, Cui Jiu silently took a few steps back, turned, and entered the main hall. Princess Huiwen was lying face down on the couch with her eyes closed, while two maids squatted beside her, gently tapping her back with rosewood mallets. Hearing footsteps, the princess opened her eyes and asked, "How is she?"
"Your Highness is wise. The eldest young master did indeed have a falling out with the fifth young lady."
"I knew it! He got injured at the Ruan residence out of nowhere and wouldn't tell me why. There's something fishy going on with all the fighting lately." The princess said, waving her hand to signal the maid to leave. She sat up, sighed, and said, "Xiao Bai has really grown up. He used to tell me everything."
"Didn't the eldest princess say a few days ago that the eldest young master is still so immature and is a worry for everyone?"
"Yes, but we're so reluctant to let go of her now that she's grown up." The princess sighed. "Cui Jiu, go and call Xiao Bai over."
Cui Jiu responded and went out, returning a moment later with Gu Xiaobai.
Before even stepping through the door, Gu Xiaobai exclaimed, "Grandma, why did you call me here in such a hurry?"
"What is it?" The princess rolled her eyes at him and said, "Tell me, what have you been busy with these past few days?"
Feeling guilty, Gu Xiaobai muttered under his breath, "What else could I be busy with? Aren't I studying at the Imperial Academy?"
"Who are you trying to fool? Don't think I don't know. You've been skipping class every day these past few days, getting into fights everywhere. A few days ago, you got into a brawl with Minister Du's son in the street, causing chaos and ruining the livelihoods of several people. They all came to me to complain. Also, I heard you were gambling with Minister Lu's son and won back his family heirloom?"
"Grandma, don't listen to their nonsense. I've never been fighting around. It was a competition of archery and horsemanship. As for Du Guohua, he blocked my way for no reason and told me to move aside. He deserved to be beaten up."
"What about the family heirloom of Lu Zhan Shi?"
Gu Xiaobai said dismissively, "It's because Lu Junqing's skills are inferior, and he accepted his loss. Besides, I don't even want his family heirloom. It's just a Buddha statue, isn't it? We have plenty at home. And his mother was crying and wailing, so I had someone send it back long ago."
"Lady Lu, the wife of the Imperial Censor, is a devout Buddhist. That Buddha statue was a gift from her master. Losing the Buddha statue is an omen of ruin. How could she not cry? Just send it back. Don't do it again." The Princess sighed and said, "Your grandfather used to be afraid that you would develop your father's temperament, so he let you run wild outside. Now that you're getting older, it's time to settle down and use your energy on the right path. In another two years, you should be getting married and having children."
Upon hearing the words "marry and have children," and thinking of Ruan Bi sitting in the east hall, Gu Xiaobai's cheeks flushed red.
The princess smiled knowingly, pulled him aside, and brushed the pastry crumbs off his clothes. "Go to the Imperial Academy. Stop fighting and study quietly."
Gu Xiaobai nodded, turned around and left.
After he walked away, the eldest princess asked Cui Jiu to call Ruan Bi over and asked, "I heard from the Lady of Dongping Marquis that your mansion has been unusually lively lately, with many noble ladies coming to visit, and each time they ask you to come out and accompany them. Is that true?"
"They didn't ask me to accompany them, but they all wanted to meet me after hearing that I was a disciple of Master Ziying." When this was mentioned, Ruan Bi frowned slightly. The old lady made a big fuss about how the Shen family wanted to take her back, and the ladies of the noble families who didn't usually have much contact with her came to visit her one after another, insisting on seeing her.
The eldest princess snorted coldly and said, "Stop trying to cover for your grandmother. Master Ziying has been taking you as his disciple for quite some time now, but I haven't seen anyone rushing to visit you. It's clearly because of... this mess that just started—your grandmother is really something. If she didn't want the Shen family to take you back, why did she have to spread it around everywhere? Making it known to the whole world. And forcing you, an unmarried young lady, to show your face in public all day long, getting mixed up with those gossipy old women."
Since the words involved elders, Ruan Bi naturally dared not utter a sound.
"...I will send someone to tell your grandmother about this matter. You can stay at my residence for now and go back after things have calmed down."
Hearing this, Ruan Bi suddenly understood. It turned out that Princess Huiwen didn't like being gossiped about or pointed at, so she had brought her to the princess's residence. Although it might have been partly out of self-interest, Ruan Bi was still touched because finally someone was thinking of her feelings. In this farcical process of recognizing her ancestry, she was the person involved; everyone was vying for her attention, but no one had asked about her feelings.
She stood up and curtsied properly. "Thank you for your kindness, Princess."
The princess was pleased to see that she was sensible and quick to understand, and pulled her up. "Good child, don't say such formal things. Perhaps we are destined to meet. The moment I saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity, just like in the play, maybe we met in a past life."
If anyone else had said this, Ruan Bi would have likely weighed the sincerity of their words. But when she said it, she felt every word came from the bottom of her heart. Given her status, there was absolutely no need for her to be hypocritical, especially since Ruan Bi had gone to great lengths to take care of Xiao Bai and her, disregarding her own background… But how could she repay such kindness? What if one day the truth came out…?
Feeling both guilty and worried, Ruan Bi lowered her head.
The eldest princess patted her hand and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Just like last time, you can tell Cui Jiu whatever you want to eat or play. If you want some peace and quiet, you can wander around the back garden as you please. If you get bored, just bring Jingyi over to play together."
Ruan Bi nodded.
The eldest princess then released her hand and said, "Cui Jiu, take the fifth young lady to Qiuhua Garden to rest, and tell them to take good care of her."
"yes."
Cui Jiu led Ruan Bi outside, and just as they reached the door, the Princess suddenly said, "By the way, did your master say anything to you? Why did he suddenly go into seclusion without saying when he would start or stop?"
Ruan Bi shook her head, feeling guilty, and said, "She only told me that she was going into seclusion for a while, but she didn't say why or when."
"Yes, once she went into seclusion, it became difficult for me to find anyone to talk to." The princess sighed and waved her hand.
Ruan Bi bowed to her again before returning to Qiuhua Garden.
The maple tree in the middle of the courtyard had turned a deep red, its leaves slightly sparser than when she last saw it, a vibrant, picturesque red, dazzling and captivating. However, with a gust of wind, the leaves scattered and fell to the ground. Ruan Bi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness; though she seemed to receive much attention and be showered with affection, she was, in reality, just like those red leaves, trembling with fear, easily swayed by the wind and falling to the ground.
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