Chapter Seventy-Eight: Sharing Heartfelt Feelings
She had just chuckled when she suddenly felt a blow to the head. Startled, Yunying touched her head and found a small piece of wood. Looking up, she saw Luo Youde peeking out from the roof beam, making a face at her.
Back in Xingping City in the Northwest, Yunying had served in the Prince of Jin's study, so she was naturally familiar with these guards. She gave him a sidelong glance, walked to the rocky outcrop, and sat down, smiling as she looked at a cluster of blooming white chrysanthemums in the flowerbed. Youde leaped down from the roof beam, landing silently on the ground. He sat down beside her and asked, "Yunying, what were you grinning about just now?"
Yunying looked around nervously, then said sternly, "What are you doing down here? Go back quickly, don't let anyone see you."
Youde dismissively said, "This is our territory, so what if we see it?"
"You cannot leave the prince's side for more than three zhang, have you forgotten?"
Youde squinted at the distance with one eye and said, "It's not even three zhang yet, and besides, Yuqing is still hiding under the eaves, so nothing will happen."
Yunying nudged him and said, "That won't do either. Go hide under the eaves."
Youde shook his head and said, "I'm not going. I don't want to hear the prince and the fifth young lady being all lovey-dovey."
Yunying was so startled she almost jumped up, glaring at him and saying, "How dare you eavesdrop?"
Youde looked innocent and said, "I wasn't eavesdropping at all! They just jumped right into my ears. Do you think I wanted to listen? I didn't want to listen, that's why I jumped down."
Hearing this, Yunying became curious and glanced at the perfectly sealed door.
"Hey, Yunying, do you want to know what the Prince and the Fifth Miss said?"
Yunying rolled her eyes at him with a straight face and said, "I'm not as boring as you."
"It's so boring. Ever since I returned to the capital, life has been so damn boring. I can't ride horses, I can't fight, I can't drink... The prince has to go to great lengths to see the Fifth Miss. If we were in Xingping, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. If anyone dares to say anything, I, Luo Youde, will be the first to go up and kill them." Youde said angrily while waving his hand in a beheading gesture.
"Xingping is a border town, and the people live together in a mixed way, so it's naturally different from the capital. Besides, the prince's home is here, how can we not come back?"
Luo Youde sighed deeply, casually plucked a blade of grass from the side, and chewed on it. After a while, he nudged Yunying with his shoulder and said, "Sigh, don't you really want to know what the Prince and the Fifth Miss were talking about just now?"
Yunying shook her head repeatedly, but her eyes glanced sideways at the side room, unable to hide her curiosity.
Luo Youde leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'll tell you, just now the Fifth Miss said to the Prince..." Seeing her eyes linger and her listening intently, he chuckled and mimicked Ruan Bi's tone, "She didn't say anything."
Yunying knew he was lying to her. She glared at him angrily, then jumped up and stood under the eaves.
Youde laughed wildly, leaned back on the steps, put his hands behind his head, and looked up at the blue sky. "Yunying, do you know? Last night, the Prince said he wanted to arrange a marriage between his son and Yuqing."
Yunying's heart skipped a beat. After a long pause, she asked somewhat awkwardly, "Your Highness is going to arrange a marriage for Brother Yuqing? Which family's daughter is it?"
"I don't know, the Prince didn't say." Noticing her unusual voice, Luo Youde asked, "Yunying, do you like Yuqing?"
Yunying's face fell, and she spat. "Pah, don't talk nonsense, I was just asking casually."
"Stop making excuses. Back in Xingping City, Yu Qing's clothes were torn, and you sewed them all up. If you don't like him, that's a miracle."
“Back in Xingping City, we were short-handed, and he’s from my hometown. What’s wrong with getting him a few clothes?” Seeing that Luo Youde was about to speak, Yunying was afraid that Yu Qing, who was hiding under the eaves, would hear and make things awkward for both of them. So she quickly stepped forward, squatted down next to him, and whispered, “Luo Youde, shut up.”
Youde pretended to be scared, but still kept quiet.
Yunying let out a sigh of relief, feeling quite upset.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye along the direction of the eaves, but couldn't find where Yu Qing was hiding.
"He was hiding by the third beam."
Yunying quickly looked away and said, "Mind your own business."
Luo Youde glanced at her and said, "If you really like him, just tell the Prince. The Prince is the most understanding and considerate of his subordinates."
Admittedly, Yunying harbored some ulterior motives, but the first rule of her training was unwavering loyalty; if her master said go west, she would never go east. Therefore, when Prince Jin sent her to Ruan Chi as a fake concubine, she remained silent and without complaint. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm going to serve the Prince for life," she said, a hint of resentment in her voice, a touch of bitterness in her voice.
"Come on, have you ever seen a maid who's over twenty? You're already eighteen, you'll have to get married sooner or later."
It's like bringing up a sore spot. Yunying said unhappily, "Luo Youde, why do you always have to talk about me today? Are you upset because the Prince didn't arrange a marriage for you?"
Luo Youde raised an eyebrow and said, "You're right."
"Then let's go ask the prince for one?"
Luo Youde glanced at her sideways and said teasingly, "How about I have the prince assign you to me?"
Yunying was furious. She kicked him, turned around, and sat down under the eaves, determined never to speak to him again.
Seeing her angry expression, Luo Youde couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Laughter drifted into the room, startling Ruan Bi awake. She felt dizzy and weak, saying, "I can't breathe."
The Prince of Jin gave a soft "hmm," but still did not let go.
"Is that Youde talking badly about me again?"
“He wouldn’t dare. I’ve explicitly forbidden it. Anyone who speaks ill of you will receive twenty strokes of the military rod.”
Ruan Bi chuckled for a while. "Did he collect his punishment from last time?"
Which time?
"The time you smashed my carriage."
The Prince of Jin chuckled a few times in a muffled manner.
"why are you laughing?"
"That time you were so stubborn I wanted to strangle you." His voice was low and husky, carrying an ambiguous tone, and his hand moved to her neck, gently pinching it. Ruan Bi felt her neck itching, her cheeks burning, her heart pounding, and her mind a whirlwind. She didn't have time to investigate whether Youde had actually received those twenty lashes.
"At that time, I thought, if you really don't like me, there's no other way but to take you back to the palace."
Ruan Bi forced herself to remain calm and muttered, "You are the noble and virtuous Prince of Jin, how can you forcibly abduct a commoner's woman?"
"Yes, I am a man of high moral character, so when I saw your carriage smashed and you standing by the roadside at a loss, I stopped the carriage and gave you a ride."
These almost shameless words actually came from the mouth of the usually solemn and dignified man. Ruan Bi couldn't believe it and looked up at him. He was also looking down at her, his eyes bright and his smile radiant. His usual shrewdness, strength, sharp pride, and aloofness had vanished, leaving only a tender affection in his eyes. Where was this the Prince of Jin, whom everyone revered? He was clearly just an ordinary young man in love. Ruan Bi's heart instantly melted like a frozen river under the bright sun, revealing verdant banks. She couldn't help but smile at him.
He grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth.
This was the first time Ruan Bi had seen him laugh so unrestrainedly, and she felt an indescribable fondness for him.
The two looked at each other and smiled foolishly for a while.
He looked down at her skirt and asked, "Is this the pomegranate skirt we made last time?"
"Hmm, is it pretty?"
"It looks good, it would look even better if you were riding on horseback with your legs spread out." He paused and said with emotion, "I really want to take you to Xingping City."
What's there?
“We have everything. Every day we can ride horses together on the grassland and watch the sunset. When it gets dark, we can pitch a tent, light a campfire, and look at the stars. Just the two of us, and no one else will bother us.” Prince Jin said with a distant, longing gaze, “Last night I imagined you riding a horse in a pomegranate-red skirt, the hem fluttering in the wind, and I couldn’t sleep a wink…”
"Didn't sleep all night?"
The Prince of Jin gave a low, ambiguous "hmm," his voice deep and suggestive, his eyes suddenly burning with passion.
Ruan Bi didn't speak, but lowered her head and smiled.
Then he laughed too.
After laughing, he took her hand and said seriously, "One day, I will definitely bring you to Xingping City."
Hearing his solemn tone, Ruan Bi was slightly surprised and looked up at him. His eyes were bright and his brows were firm; the pride, sharpness, shrewdness, and superiority hidden deep within him had returned. He looked at her and said, "I called you out today because there are a few things I need to tell you. First, I've decided to betroth your former maid to Yu Qing."
Startled by this sudden turn of events, Ruan Bi quickly realized that this was indeed the best place for Dong Xue to belong, and it wouldn't betray her bond with the original owner of the body. But what would the Prince of Han do when he found out? She hadn't worried about that before, but now, compared to Dong Xue's future, she cared more about the Prince of Jin's safety. "Then, will the Prince of Han harm you?"
She was worried about herself. A smile flickered across Prince Jin's lips as he said, "Don't worry, he wouldn't dare do anything to me." He paused, then added, "The second thing is that you don't need to worry about Consort Xie. If she tries anything again, just tell me, and I'll deal with it for you. Don't do anything rash on your own."
My heart was filled with sweet joy, but I still muttered, "What did I do wrong?"
"The third matter, I will persuade Master Ziying..."
One thing after another happened, and Ruan Bi was a little overwhelmed, looking at him with confusion.
"I know, it was Master Ziying who strongly advocated for this match, which is why Grand Princess Huiwen wanted you and Xiaobai to be together..."
He suddenly pointed out this sharp truth, and Ruan Bi was startled, involuntarily trying to pull her hand back. But he held it tightly, looking straight at her, and said, "I don't blame you, although I had hoped you would tell me."
After hesitating for a while, Ruan Bi said in a low voice, "Didn't you already know last time at Tianqing Temple? Besides, I think you would know this without me saying anything. And how could I possibly tell you?"
"Indeed, I would know without you telling me, but I still hope you tell me, because it's different."
Ruan Bi felt a little uncomfortable and lowered her head without saying a word.
The Prince of Jin took her hand and placed it against his chest, lifted her chin, looked into her eyes, and said resolutely, "I know you've always had concerns, but from today onwards, you must let them all go. I couldn't sleep last night, I thought about it all night, and I don't want anyone else but you. So, in this life, you can never belong to anyone else, and your name will definitely be preceded by my surname."
(My apologies, my apologies, I actually forgot to write about our Prince Jin's most prominent personality trait, I need to find it again right away.)
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