Chapter Forty-Three: Whispers
“My royal uncle…” Prince Jin paused, carefully choosing his words, “You don’t need to concern yourself with this matter. Your father and grandmother will not agree to it, and he wouldn’t dare to do anything to your Ruan family. If… he tries anything again in the future, just tell me, and I will have my own way of dealing with him.”
Ruan Bi nodded.
The Prince of Jin looked directly into her eyes and said earnestly, "You are different from your maid."
Ruan Bi lowered her eyes, feeling slightly ashamed. She had rehearsed their conversation in her mind repeatedly, anticipating the Prince of Jin's possible responses based on his personality. No matter his answer, it would ultimately point to the same topic—the Prince of Han wanted to take her as a concubine. Otherwise, given their lukewarm relationship at the time, how could she bring this up? Even her anger was eight parts genuine and two parts calculated. Not replying and sealing the side gate were also ways of pressuring him. If he gave up, then it was over. If he refused to give up, perhaps she could take the risk. Although her status and background were insufficient to match his, perhaps he had a way; after all, he was no ordinary person.
The hibiscus beauty portrait in the Fourth Miss's embroidery room, Xu Chuanyang's deliberate appearance on the way to pay respects, and the Fourth Miss's continued delay in embroidering the face of the Queen Mother of the West amidst auspicious clouds—Ruan Bi realized that her marriage to Xu Chuanyang was very likely to become just a pipe dream for Ruan Lan. Moreover, Xu Chuanyang was in love with the Fourth Miss, which made her feel awkward, and she no longer wanted to pursue this marriage. However, the Old Madam's kindness to her was largely due to Ruan Lan's sake; if the marriage didn't go through, things might not be so good anymore. Therefore, she had to think of another way, just in case. Besides the Prince of Jin, she had no other contact with men, so she had no choice but to take the risk. She had always believed that feelings should be clean and pure, but because of her terrible environment, she was forced to resort to scheming time and time again.
Why aren't you saying anything?
Ruan Bi looked up at him. His eyes were truly beautiful, neither too big nor too small, handsome and reserved. "It's a sordid matter anyway, what's there to say?"
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just have your third uncle tell me." As Prince Jin spoke, he thought of the sealed side gate and felt deeply melancholy. This parting might mean he wouldn't see her for a while. Thinking this, he wished the carriage would never stop and would keep going forever.
Ruan Bi was curious because he always told her to go find Ruan Chi, which showed that he trusted him a lot. She asked, "How did you meet my third uncle?"
"When I was a child, I met him when I accompanied my father to visit Duke Wenxiao. I was only eight years old then, and he was only six, so I had no memory of him. Later, when I led the Xingping Army and the Northwest Army to fight against the Northern Rong, I saw a young general who fought very bravely. I called him over and asked him about him. I found out it was him, so I asked General Zhao for him. He was brave in battle, always leading from the front. He was well-versed in literature, history, and military strategy. He was a rare talent. During the battle in Zhenrong, he and I were trapped in Yelanghao for two days and three nights. We shared life and death together."
After hearing the last sentence, Ruan Bi temporarily abandoned the idea of telling him about Ruan Chi's hatred towards her. Actually, she had long realized that the Prince of Jin valued Ruan Chi highly; otherwise, why would he have arranged for him to serve in the inner palace? That meant facing the Emperor every day, becoming a familiar face, and rising through the ranks quickly. Besides, a scion of a noble family running away from home at fourteen, traveling thousands of miles to the Northwest to join the army, clearly couldn't stay at home anymore. With the Prince of Jin's intelligence, how could he not understand? By offering Ruan Chi this position, wasn't he also giving him support?
Youde, listening to their idle chatter outside the carriage, found it all rather boring. He spurred his horse to Xu Maoyu's side, and they rode side by side. Gazing at the swirling clouds on the horizon, he sighed wistfully.
Xu Maoyu said, "Youde, why are you sighing?"
"Mao Gong, you still have the nerve to say that? It's all your fault! People were just celebrating for the Prince, and you poured cold water on them. Everyone else thinks the Prince is high and mighty, living a life of luxury and doing whatever he wants, but only those of us close to him know his hardships. He's certainly lived a life of luxury since childhood, but how many people have schemed against him? Back then, the late Emperor liked him so much that he sent him to the Northwest military camp to be looked after by the Duke of Dingguo, wasn't it because he was too young and would be easily plotted against? After the Prince returned to the capital, he ignored all matters of state except for the affairs of the Imperial Guard, not wanting to be criticized by the ministers. But even if he did nothing, there are still so many scheming people trying to persuade the Emperor to strip him of his military power. These sons of bitches won't stop until they sow discord between the Prince and the Emperor." You De became increasingly angry as he spoke, gripping the hilt of his sword. "Sometimes, I really want to take this sword and chop those sons of bitches to pieces."
Seeing his angry expression, Xu Maoyu laughed and said, "Why bother with those poor, pedantic scholars! If they don't stir up some trouble, how can they please the Emperor, how can they show off their abilities and foresight? Just treat them like wild dogs barking. The Emperor and the Prince are siblings from the same mother and have had a good relationship since childhood. With the Empress Dowager here, nothing will happen."
Youde said sullenly, "I feel sorry for the prince. He spent seven years in the Northwest, fought so many battles, and let them enjoy wealth and honor in the capital. Now he has to come back and let them smear him."
"If you truly care about the Prince, then refrain from saying such things outside and avoid causing trouble for him. The Prince has his own plans; if others don't provoke him, fine, but if they do, he's not someone to be trifled with," Xu Maoyu said cryptically. The Prince of Jin may be low-key and mindful of the bigger picture, but that doesn't mean he'd willingly submit. Youde is highly skilled in martial arts, extremely loyal, and serves as the Prince of Jin's personal bodyguard. However, he's somewhat simple-minded, only seeing the surface of things and unaware of the many connections the Prince of Jin has cultivated in private. For one thing, the power to guard the palace is, at the very least, in his hands.
"Do you think I don't know? Although I'm usually carefree, when have you ever seen me say anything out of line outside? I'm practically keeping a low profile now. I'm just reminiscing. Back in Xingping City, those were truly carefree days. We could drink whenever we wanted, just heading to the tavern and drinking until dawn. Now, we can only drink secretly in the Prince's mansion, and the Prince smiles less than before. Although the Emperor and Empress Dowager keep showering him with gifts and summoning him to the palace for meals and conversations whenever they have a spare moment, I don't see him being very happy. He always has a stern face; he's almost turned into an old man." Youde said with a sigh, "Also, everyone's been feeling really stifled. Today, the news that we can finally let loose has made everyone so happy. Speaking of which, I have to thank Fifth Miss this time. Although I don't think she's anything special, the Prince likes her. I've been with him since I was little, and it's rare to see him fall for a girl. I was so happy, but then you told me all about all the hardships and troubles. How can I not feel happy?"
Xu Maoyu laughed heartily and said, "In that case, it really was my fault. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Youde glared at him and said, "Maogong, you're really not being fair. I'm not going to argue with you anymore." He then turned his horse around and leaned closer to the carriage to eavesdrop.
Inside the carriage, Prince Jin said, both amused and exasperated, “…Don’t adjust your shoes in a melon patch, don’t wear a hat under a plum tree. You, you, do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? If I really wanted to use the melon patch and plum tree trick on you, why would I go to so much trouble? I could just find a bunch of idlers and make a fuss all over the capital, wouldn’t that have been enough? You’re the one who taught me this trick.”
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