Chapter Nine: Sparse Shadows of Apricot Blossoms
After a stick of incense had burned, Prince Jin slowly opened his eyes again and pulled open the drawer of his desk. Inside was a neat stack of secret letters, some delivered by the guards who had left the capital with Ruan Bi, and others by Yu Qing. He took them out and examined them one by one.
The first secret letter recorded what she did after arriving in Zhuohui Prefecture: she sold her horse-drawn carriage, bought an oxcart, and then, with her face covered in soot, she squeezed into the oxcart with the three lambs to return to the capital. On the way, she encountered the first group of people sent by the Ruan family.
He was eating mutton stew with tofu when he received the secret letter. The imperial physician said that mutton is warm in nature, which can dispel cold, replenish qi and blood, and help him recover sooner. The mutton that day was indeed very good, tender, fragrant, and exceptionally delicious. Although he had no appetite, he still ate a small half bowl. But after reading the secret letter, he could no longer eat. All he could see was the scene of her sitting among the three lambs…
The second secret letter recorded what she had done to Changying. The Empress Dowager, Prime Minister Shen, Princess Rouzhen, the Ruan family, and the Prince of Han's men searched everywhere. They encountered her unexpectedly in Changying, but none of them expected a pampered young lady raised in luxury to be riding in a dilapidated oxcart, let alone huddled with three smelly lambs. She managed to get away with it, but because the oxcart was drafty, she developed frostbite on her feet.
From that secret letter onward, he became afraid of receiving secret letters.
He wore a warm fur coat in the cozy, spring-like Prince Jin's mansion, where a royal physician cared for his health, chefs from both the north and south prepared a variety of delicacies, and guards and maids were always at his beck and call… Meanwhile, she wore a tattered cotton-padded coat, rode in a broken oxcart, and ate dry, hard white bread as she wandered back to the underworld in the freezing cold, accompanied by three lambs…
At first, he thought she was just being temperamental, and he let her go out and try her luck; she would naturally come back after hitting a wall. But later he realized he was wrong. She would rather be huddled with lambs and wander the world in misery than come to his side as a concubine enjoying wealth and luxury.
Nothing could stop her—not ice and snow, not poverty, and certainly not him.
He no longer had the courage to read her other secret letters from before she went to Haozhou, but those things were clearly imprinted in his mind—she almost fainted from the cold after arriving in Caizhou, and she hadn't eaten all day because she was lost in the snowfield...
Those days were truly agonizing in retrospect. She endured the freezing cold, while he suffered in regret and anguish. Ice sores grew on her feet, and also in his heart; the unbearable itch kept him awake night after night…
Fortunately, she finally arrived in Haozhou and settled down temporarily.
The secret letters continued to arrive at him by express courier, and though separated by a thousand miles, he knew her every move. She lived in Sanduo Lane, where a neighbor named Luo Ersao was extremely meddlesome and gossipy. She sent Zhou Zhuzi to Yaojia Village to buy identity documents, and then had Dongxue use those documents to buy land and register her household—he knew she was bold before, but he didn't know she would even dare to buy identity documents, disregarding the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty and passing them off as genuine. Later, she moved to Xinghua Lane, studying the *Qimin Yaoshu* (Essential Techniques for the Common People) daily, and bought a piece of land using a circuitous payment method—did she want to become a large landowner? Yu Qing also said that she had grown up a bit and was prettier than before.
It's been exactly four months since we last met.
Prince Jin was lost in thought for a moment, then put the secret letter in a drawer, abruptly stood up, walked out of the study, and said to Luo Youde and Nanfeng, who were guarding outside the door, "Call everyone and prepare the horses."
Luo Youde and Nanfeng were taken aback, exchanged a glance, and asked, "Where are we going?"
"Haozhou".
The distance from the capital to Haozhou is not far. Leaving through the south gate, one travels east to Haozhou, then to Suzhou, and south across the Huai River to Haozhou. If traveling at a brisk pace, three days is sufficient. When the Prince of Jin and his entourage arrived in Haozhou, it was the evening of the third day. The sun had just set, and the western sky was ablaze with colorful clouds, exceptionally beautiful.
Although only a thousand miles from the capital, spring here is much more vibrant. Willow branches sway gently in the evening breeze, and apricot blossoms fall like snowflakes onto people's clothes. Painted boats float on the river that flows through the city, already adorned with red lanterns. Someone is tuning a musical instrument, and every now and then, a clear, ringing sound adds a touch of brightness to the twilight.
Luo Youde spurred his horse forward and asked, "Your Highness, shall we go to the Chief Steward's residence in Yuqing for dinner first?"
Prince Jin shook his head and said, "No need. Let's find someone to ask how to get to Xinghua Lane."
I had to ask three different people before I finally found out the exact location of Xinghua Lane.
By the time they reached the entrance of Xinghua Lane, it was completely dark. The surrounding houses were all lit, and in the hazy orange glow of the lights, apricot blossoms drifted by. Prince Jin, fearing to disturb the residents, dismounted and left the other guards at the lane entrance, taking only Youde with him. Yuqing had told him in her letter that her two-courtyard residence had two ten-year-old apricot trees in front of the gate, now in full bloom, quite eye-catching.
Sure enough, after walking a few steps, they saw two vigorous apricot trees, their branches adorned with half-red, half-white blossoms. Luo Youde said happily, "This is the place. I'll go knock on the door." As he was about to step forward, Prince Jin grabbed him, shaking his head with a slightly dimmed look in his eyes.
Youde paused for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you going to knock?"
Prince Jin gave a soft "hmm" and walked along the wall towards the back. Yu Qing had also mentioned in his letter that Granny Liu and Zhou Zhuzi lived in the front courtyard, while Ruan Bi and Dong Xue lived in the back courtyard.
Youde scratched the back of his head and followed, puzzled.
After walking about twenty steps and estimating the location, which should be the main house in the backyard, Prince Jin leaped onto the wall. Youde followed without hesitation, but then saw a sharp glare from Prince Jin. Only then did he realize that Prince Jin had come to meet his beloved, and what was he doing following him? He quickly spun around in mid-air and landed on an apricot tree outside the wall. The branches trembled slightly, and petals fluttered down like rain, momentarily blinding Prince Jin.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the Prince of Jin was sitting on the eaves. Today was the ninth day of the month, and a thin crescent moon hung in the western sky, casting a cool moonlight on him, making his back look somewhat lonely.
The night was still and quiet when the sound of voices from inside the house rose up.
“Miss, when I went to the kitchen to get the food just now, I heard Dong-ge ask Granny Liu why we’re having vegetables again tonight? He was also making a fuss about wanting fish and chicken.”
"Indeed, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. He couldn't stand eating only vegetables for three days."
"Girl, don't talk about her, I can't stand it either."
"Alright, alright, I got it. Help me take this lined robe off."
"Hey, girl, what's this?"
"Pearl, you don't not recognize her, do you?"
"Young lady, these pearls are of excellent quality. Where did you get them?"
"It was a gift from the Empress Dowager when I became a disciple of Master Ziying."
"Are you planning to sell it?"
"Yes, don't you all want to eat meat? I'm also thinking of buying some land."
"Girl, are you crazy? This was a gift from the Empress Dowager. If she knew you sold it, she might just slap your head."
"It's alright. She's probably already mentally scrutinized my head a thousand times over. One more time won't make a difference."
"girl…."
"Um?"
"I didn't dare ask you before... what exactly is going on between you and the Prince of Jin?"
The Prince of Jin, who had been sitting on the eaves like a meditating monk, stirred. He listened intently, his heart pounding. After a long while, he heard her say lazily, "What could be wrong? It's already March. In three months, he will be marrying the Pearl of the Capital."
The Prince of Jin closed his eyes.
The atmosphere inside was rather somber, and it took quite a while before voices could be heard again.
"Alright, all taken apart. There are a total of thirty-six pearls."
"Put it in the box, and we'll sell it slowly. One string is too conspicuous."
"knew."
The faint sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard, followed by the unlocking and locking of the door.
"Oh right, I haven't paid for the groceries for tomorrow morning yet. I'll go pay for them now."
"Go."
Footsteps sounded, then faded into the distance, until they were no longer heard.
There was no more sound from inside the room.
The Prince of Jin pondered for a moment, then reached out and lifted a tile to look inside. He saw her half-sitting, half-lying on the couch, holding a copy of "Essential Techniques for the Common People" in her hand. She was reading it by the dim light of an oil lamp, her expression focused, and her mouth occasionally opened and closed, as if she were reciting silently.
She had indeed grown a lot; her features had matured, her eyes and eyebrows seemingly painted with meticulous care, without a single flaw. Suddenly, as if seeing something interesting, a smile curved her lips, instantly enchanting the entire room. The Prince of Jin's heart pounded, a surge of impulse rising within him—to jump, to jump…
But... how could he possibly face him?
It felt like only a short time had passed before Dongxue returned, her face full of surprise and doubt: "Zhou Zhuzi is back. He said there's a line of people standing outside our alley, all neatly arranged and motionless. They're either imperial guards or imperial guards. I don't know what they're doing. They look rather creepy."
Without looking up, Ruan Bi said, "We are law-abiding citizens, what are we afraid of?"
Dongxue laughed and said, "Girl, aren't we law-abiding citizens?"
Ruan Bi raised her head and smiled brightly.
This smile was different from the one before; it was bright and radiant, like the rising sun, bringing an indescribable warmth. The Prince of Jin felt his heart filled with joy at her smile. But after the joy, a profound sense of desolation followed.
Dongxue nudged her. "Girl, stop looking. The oil lamp is so dim; you'll hurt your eyes. Go and rest."
Indeed, the light from the oil lamp was harsh on the eyes, and Ruan Bi didn't want to read at night either. She nodded, stood up, stretched, and reached for her outer garment. The Prince of Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put the tile back in its place. He listened to some rustling inside for a while, then a soft "poof," and the surrounding light dimmed; the oil lamp had apparently been extinguished. At first, there were faint whispers inside, but gradually, all sound ceased.
The night was quiet, with the faint sound of a flute drifting from afar.
He remained seated until the moon began to set in the west.
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