Chapter Forty: A Test
Should we wait for him to come in before turning around, or turn around and wait for him to come in again?
Hesitating, she heard footsteps approaching behind her. Ruan Bi didn't have time to think; she turned around, clutching a book. Just then, Prince Jin stepped across the threshold, stopping to look at her. The candlelight illuminated his ink-black eyes, their light flowing, bright and captivating. He was usually stern and dignified, inspiring awe and making one forget he was only twenty-two. At this moment, however, he seemed exactly like his age—in the prime of his youth.
"You were looking for me?"
The usually calm and clear voice also revealed a hint of joy, which made Ruan Bi's heart flutter. She forgot the words she had prepared in her heart and simply hummed softly.
"Speak freely, there's no need to be reserved," said the Prince of Jin, raising his arm and wiping his forehead with his sleeve.
Ruan Bi then noticed that his forehead was covered in sweat and he was holding a riding whip, as if he had just ridden there. She asked in confusion, "Have I disturbed Your Highness's business?"
The Prince of Jin smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just at the military camp on the outskirts of the city... afraid you might have something urgent to attend to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Bi understood and her heart skipped a beat. Seeing that the Prince of Jin was still wiping his sweat with his sleeve and clutching the handkerchief under his collar, she didn't have the courage to hand it to him and said, "What urgent matter could I possibly have that would cause Your Highness to go through all this trouble..." She stopped halfway through her sentence, remembering that the Prince had already come all this way, and that it would be too sentimental to say anything more.
The Prince of Jin smiled again and said, "This is nothing. Back in the Northwest, we often had to march quickly, covering a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles a night. I'm used to it." He paused, then added, "What brings you here? Just say it." As he said this, he felt a faint sense of anticipation, though he wasn't sure what it was.
"There are two things. First, thank you for the Spring Water Green Waves that Your Highness sent last time; I really liked them." With that, Ruan Bi curtsied gracefully.
Upon hearing the words "I like it very much," the Prince of Jin was delighted and asked, "And what about the second thing?"
"The second matter is to arrange a marriage for Youde, who serves the Prince..."
The King of Jin was astonished.
Ruan Bi knew that it was highly inappropriate for a young woman of marriageable age to arrange a marriage for someone else. So she quickly continued, "She is my former maid, named Dongxue. She was originally from an official family, but after her father's death, she was left destitute and sold herself into slavery. She is only sixteen years old and has already redeemed herself and regained her status as a respectable young lady. She is beautiful and virtuous. May I ask if she is worthy of being the prince's guard?"
After a moment of deep thought, the Prince of Jin said, “Youde has been with me since he was a child. He has shielded me from swords and spears on the battlefield time and time again. Our bond is extraordinary. I have long wanted to grant him an official position and find him a daughter from a respectable family so that he can establish his own household and bring honor to his ancestors.”
Having said that, Ruan Bi understood and lowered her eyes in slight disappointment.
Then the Prince of Jin said, "However, most of my guards are unmarried. How about I choose one of them, who is both beautiful and virtuous, to be your maidservant another day?"
Ruan Bi was overjoyed, looked up at him, and said, "Really?"
Seeing the gleam in her eyes, her joy barely concealed, the Prince of Jin was pleased as well, nodding emphatically. "But this maid of yours, I need to see if she is truly as beautiful and virtuous as you claim."
"How could I lie to Your Highness?" Finally, the topic was about to be discussed. Ruan Bi was a little nervous. She paused and said, "Even if Your Highness does not believe me, you should believe your uncle, Prince Han."
The Prince of Jin asked, puzzled, "Why are you suddenly talking about my uncle?"
“After my maid was redeemed, she returned to her hometown, but her cousin had a dark heart and wanted to give her to the Prince of Han as a concubine…” Ruan Bi noticed that the Prince of Jin’s expression was gradually becoming serious. “So she ran away, and now I’m taking her in. A few days ago, the Prince of Han even sent his servants to look for her everywhere.”
The King of Jin frowned, pondered for a long time, and simply said, "The King of Han is my uncle."
Back in the back garden of the Marquis of Yanping's residence, after overhearing his conversation with Aunt Wan in front of the King of Ginkgo Trees, Ruan Bi knew that Prince Jin valued family ties highly. Therefore, she guessed that he would not offend his own uncle for the sake of a maid, and that if Prince Han took a fancy to a maid in his residence, he would probably give her to him without hesitation.
But hearing his answer with her own ears still left her slightly disappointed, and she immediately lost interest. She put the book she was holding on the bookshelf, gave Prince Jin a slight bow, and said, "It was my oversight that caused Your Highness trouble. It is late, so I will take my leave now."
She suddenly became polite, which displeased the Prince of Jin. He tried to persuade her gently, saying, "To be honest, she's just a maid. It's a blessing for her to be with my uncle..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Bi suddenly raised her head, a surge of anger flowing deep in her eyes. Then she sneered and said, "A blessing, is that it? Your Highness, just a few days ago Prince Han used my second uncle as leverage to try and take me as a concubine. So, it's my blessing after all?"
The Prince of Jin was stunned.
Before he could react, Ruan Bi angrily flung her sleeves, walked out of the study, and hurried towards the courtyard gate.
In the shadows of the north corner of the east wing, Ruan Chi watched her retreating figure, secretly puzzled. So many women had been sent to Prince Jin, each one a beauty of unparalleled grace, submissive and obedient, barely daring to breathe loudly before him, yet none had captured his attention. Fifth Sister, with her stubborn temper, often ignoring him and even daring to throw tantrums to his face, yet Prince Jin remembered her—it was truly strange.
She walked quite a distance in a daze, and by the time Ruan Bi came to her senses, she was already standing by the pond. Today, only a thin crescent moon hung in the western sky, its light pale, and everything around her was indistinct, except for the water reflecting the moonlight, giving off a faint green glow.
Ruan Bi sat down beside the winding corridor, her arm behind her head, asking herself why she was so angry. She had been mentally prepared. Before meeting Prince Jin, she had rehearsed their conversation in her mind, and it wasn't much different from what had just happened. But out of hope for a miracle, she still tested him with Dong Xue, and as expected, her hopes were dashed. He did like her a little, but that was all.
"Fifth Sister, Fifth Sister," came Xiuping's soft voice from not far away.
Fearing that she would disturb others, Ruan Bi stood up and said, "I'm here."
Xiuping walked over quickly, took her hand, and said with a hint of reproach, "Fifth Miss, why are you leaving already? You haven't even finished sorting the books yet."
Ruan Bi said calmly, "I'm tired today, I'll help you with your hair tomorrow."
"Oh, my dear girl." Xiuping looked around and said softly, "They were busy with military affairs and ran more than a hundred miles back from the military camp on the outskirts of the city. They were afraid you would fall asleep, so they specially sent someone over to inform you first. Look at them when they came over, their faces were covered in sweat... You just left like that, wouldn't that make them have a restless night?"
Recalling the image of him wiping sweat with his sleeve under the candlelight, she couldn't help but be moved, but what good was being moved? The Prince of Jin was a man who understood the affairs of the nation and the world perfectly. Ruan Bi pushed Xiu Ping's hand away, her emotions churning, and her words became somewhat unrestrained: "Sister Xiu Ping, don't say such nonsense. It's late, I need to rest."
Xiuping was also furious. She thought to herself, "I went through so much trouble to deliver your message and cover for you, and you didn't even say a kind word. You even complained that I was talking nonsense when you were unhappy. I, Xiuping, am of lowly birth, and your Fifth Miss's origins are unknown, and your background isn't much higher either. It's only because the Prince of Jin has taken a liking to you that I don't even want to bother with you. Since you're so ungrateful, daring to disrespect such a noble person, why should I cover for you?" She had always envied Ruan Bi, but she was afraid of the Prince of Jin and dared not interfere. Thinking this, she stopped trying to persuade her and said coldly, "Since you don't want to talk to me, then forget it. Xiuping will have to go and apologize." With that, she turned and left.
Ruan Bi sensed that she was angry, but she herself was feeling down, so she didn't pay much attention. Turning back to Liaoyuan, the pent-up emotions in her heart dissipated, and the fatigue from before vanished completely. Her mind was unusually clear, and she didn't want to sleep at all. Just then, she saw that the candles in the Fourth Miss's embroidery room were still lit, so she went over and knocked on the window.
Who is it?
"It's me, Fourth Sister."
The fourth sister opened the window and asked in surprise, "Your room was already pitch black, I thought you were asleep, why are you up again?"
"I don't know why, but I can't sleep and I want to talk to my sister."
The fourth sister looked her over carefully for a while and said, "It's really rare to see that my sister has something on her mind."
"What are you saying, sister? Don't you have anything on your mind?"
"Of course I do. My worries are nothing more than those of my aunt and third brother, but I don't know what my sister's worries are."
Ruan Bi said, "Sister is lying. If it's true that only your aunt and third brother are on your mind, I will burn the painting of the hibiscus beauty hanging on your wall."
The fourth sister's cheeks flushed instantly. She glanced at Ruan Bi with a mixture of shyness and annoyance, and said with a forced smile, "Go ahead and burn it if you want, but do you think I'll even blink?"
Ruan Bi leaned against the window, smiled, and said, "I came so late not for this painting, but for your wine, sister. Please be generous and give me a few cups of your flower dew."
"What are you saying? Do you think I'm a stingy person?" Fourth Sister beckoned to Qiulan to bring a pot of wine and two cups. "You go to sleep first. I'll chat with Fifth Sister for a while."
Qiulan nodded, placed the candle by the window, and then withdrew.
The fourth sister poured wine for Ruan Bi and said, "It's too late now, and the kitchen must be closed. We won't have any snacks to go with our drinks tonight." Suddenly remembering the poem Ruan Bi wrote at Princess Huiwen's residence, she burst out laughing, "Sister's poetry is too poor, otherwise we could have composed a poem together to go with our drinks."
Looking at the crescent moon in the sky, Ruan Bi said, "The crescent moon is like a poem; let's use it as a drinking companion."
The fourth sister also looked up at the crescent moon in the west, its delicate shape like a delicate eyebrow, a pleasing sight. "My sister is truly a refined person. Though she cannot compose poetry, she has a poetic heart. Come, let me toast you. The ancients said that wine can relieve sorrow, may the dew wash away the troubles in your heart."
Ruan Bi felt a lump in her throat, but she forced herself to suppress it and said, "Thank you, sister. I also hope that you will regain your smile soon." Ever since Aunt Lin was sent to the Red Leaf Nunnery, the Fourth Miss has had fewer smiles and spends all her time in the embroidery room, endlessly embroidering.
The fourth sister's eyes welled up with tears. She wiped them with the back of her hand and said, "Such a beautiful moon, do you really want me to cry, sister?" She paused, then sighed softly, "It's all my fault for causing Aunt's death. I wonder how she's doing at the Red Leaf Nunnery?"
"I'll go see her another day."
"My mother won't allow it."
"Why do we need her permission? I have a way to let my sister see my aunt."
The fourth sister turned to look at her, and Ruan Bi raised her eyebrows and smiled, her free and unrestrained spirit evident in her expression.
The hazy moonlight illuminated the two young women, one leaning against the window inside, the other resting outside; one as beautiful as a lotus blossom, the other as serene as spring water. They chatted casually, sipping their drinks. When a pot of wine was empty, Ruan Bi was half-drunk, and Xiu Zhi came looking for her, and the gathering dispersed.
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