Chapter Seventy-Six: Longing for Her Day and Night
After Consort Xie had gone far away, Prince Jin stood there for a while, waiting until his anger had subsided considerably before returning to Zhenmeng Pavilion. However, when he saw Ruan Bi standing respectfully to one side, looking as delicate and frail as a willow branch, he recalled the scene from earlier, and his anger, which had just calmed down, flared up again.
As he entered the Dream Pavilion, he paused slightly and looked at Ruan Bi.
Hearing footsteps, Ruan Bi looked up at him. He had a tense expression, a hint of gloom between his brows, and his eyes held a thousand unspoken words. Her heart suddenly felt as if it were being squeezed, a mix of sorrow and pain.
Consort Xie's刁难 (diāonán, making things difficult for her) didn't initially bother her. Having lived in this world for so long, she'd grown accustomed to the oppression of power and the capricious nature of those in authority. She was used to fighting alone, licking her wounds in solitude. There was no time for weakness and tears—and even if she did, no one would care. But that was then. Now she understood that someone would care. Someone who would be angry because she was being bullied, someone who would feel apologetic for not being able to openly side with her…
In front of so many people, she couldn't tell him she was alright, or even give him a smile. In her haste, she curtsied to him. However, she forgot she was wearing a Taoist robe, so the curtsy was awkward and ridiculous.
The Prince of Jin felt even more distressed and couldn't help but take a step closer to her.
The eunuchs, with their hands at their sides and heads bowed, all stole glances at him in surprise. He had no choice but to stop in his tracks. He was only a foot away from Ruan Bi, but this was a foot he could not get any closer to.
Just then, the emperor suddenly burst into laughter.
The King of Jin turned around in surprise, only to see Master Ziying bowing and saying, "Excellent, excellent! Your Majesty is truly a master."
The emperor, beaming with pride, said, "The real player's chess skills are indeed weaker than before."
Master Ziying naturally wouldn't tell him that he did it on purpose, and pretended to be regretful, saying, "It's not that I'm weak, but that Your Majesty is more skilled."
The emperor laughed triumphantly again, and after laughing, he said, "Guards, bestow upon Master Ziying a Go board made of golden nanmu wood and a set of Xiuyan jade Go pieces."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
These few words were like a thunderclap exploding over Ruan Bi and the Prince of Jin.
The game of chess was over, which meant that Ruan Bi was also leaving the palace, and they hadn't even had a chance to speak.
Prince Jin glanced at Ruan Bi reluctantly, then suddenly felt a hand around his shoulder, followed by the Emperor's voice in his ear: "Come on, sixth brother, let's go for a drink."
Despite his reluctance, Prince Jin nodded, reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, and followed the emperor out of the Chenmeng Pavilion. He knew he was unlikely to speak to her when he entered the palace today, and his only hope was to see her at least once. But now that he had seen her, he realized it wasn't enough; he truly longed to speak with her, or even more.
An evening breeze had begun to stir, causing the grass and trees to sway. Faintly, the sound of a pipa drifted over, accompanied by a woman's soft, melodious singing. The emperor listened intently and said, "Could it be that the palace music academy has composed a new piece? Come, sixth brother, let's go listen."
As they drew closer, the sound became clearer, but it wasn't a newly composed melody; it was an ancient tune, "The Drumming of Bei Feng," sung softly by a woman: "In life and death, we made a vow. Holding your hand, we will grow old together." Upon hearing this, the King of Jin was immediately captivated.
That night, the emperor hosted a banquet for him at the Xingyue Tower, where musicians and dancers from the imperial music academy played music and danced to entertain him. After several rounds of drinks, as it approached midnight and the palace gates were about to be locked, Prince Jin took his leave and went to the outer court to meet up with his personal guards who had been waiting for him. He then mounted his horse and left through the Donghua Gate.
Night had fallen. Apart from the bustling night market, the capital was deserted, with only a few soldiers patrolling the streets and alleys. Just past the fifteenth of September, a half-moon hung in the sky, its clear light reflecting off the city's bluestone pavement, creating a cold, autumnal atmosphere. Prince Jin, emboldened by wine, spurred his horse on, disregarding direction. His steed, Qingzhui, was a renowned horse, incredibly fast, quickly leaving his guards far behind.
Watching Prince Jin's departing figure in the moonlight, Nanfeng waved his riding whip and asked curiously, "Where is Your Highness going?"
Luo Youde said lazily, "They're probably going to the Ruan residence."
Nanfeng was astonished and said, "Impossible, right? It's the middle of the night. What would we do at the Ruan residence? We can't get in, and we can't see anyone."
"Who knows?" Youde said casually. "Ever since meeting this Fifth Miss, has the Prince ever acted with any sense of reason?"
“That’s true.” Nanfeng nodded in agreement. “I was really scared when he ate noodles every day back then. Fortunately, he doesn’t eat them anymore.”
"I'm afraid that from now on we won't eat noodles anymore, but will have to accompany him in the middle of the night, crossing half of the capital just to see the Ruan residence."
Nanfeng slowed his horse down and said, "Really?"
Luo Youde pursed his lips and said, "It's hard to say. We never really realized that our prince was such a romantic."
As the two men talked, they slowed down, and Yu Qing and the other five men quickly disappeared from sight. Nan Feng cracked his whip and said, "Enough talk, let's hurry up and go." After running for a while, the surrounding terrain became clear, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It really is the Ruan residence."
"Now you believe me, right?" Youde said with a hint of smugness.
Upon entering Huai Shu Lane, the two slowed their pace, bypassing the main gate adorned with red lanterns, and proceeding to the northeastern side gate. There, they saw Prince Jin standing by the side gate, staring blankly at the dark gate and the high courtyard wall. Yu Qing and the other four men stood to one side, their horses reined in, and no one spoke, only the hissing of their horses could be heard.
Youde gripped the horse tightly with both legs and rode up to Yuqing's side, asking in a low voice, "Does Your Highness have any orders?"
Yu Qing shook his head.
Nanfeng followed and whispered, "Are we just going to stand here all night?" He nudged Youde, "Go and call the Prince. What if someone sees us standing here like this?"
Youde shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, I dare not get involved in anything concerning the Fifth Miss, lest I anger the Prince."
Yu Qing said expressionlessly, "If you have to stand all night, then stand all night. When the prince came out of the palace today, he had a long face and had been drinking. He was clearly unhappy."
Yu Qing was the head of the personal guards. He was usually a man of few words, so when he did speak, he carried an air of authority. Everyone fell silent, reining in their horses and standing still. They were all young and strong, seasoned veterans of the battlefield, capable of fighting for three days and two nights without sleep. When lying in ambush, they could remain motionless for a day and a night while crouching on a haystack, so they didn't find it strenuous.
After a while, an old servant came over carrying a gong and struck it three times heavily, chanting, "The weather is dry, be careful..." Suddenly, he saw a line of people standing menacingly at the side gate of the Ruan Mansion in the capital. He was shocked and swallowed the words "fire" back down. The gong fell to the ground with a thud.
The Prince of Jin, suddenly jolted awake from his drunken stupor, glanced at the trembling old servant, spurred his horse, turned it around, and galloped towards the entrance of Locust Tree Alley. The others urged their horses on to follow. In an instant, they vanished without a trace. The old servant rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had been dreaming.
Running out of Huai Shu Lane, the effects of the alcohol gradually wore off. Prince Jin slowed down, waiting for his guards to catch up. He called out in a low voice, "Yu Qing."
Yu Qing spurred his horse forward and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
"Get ready, I'm going to arrange a marriage for you."
This seemingly random statement left everyone stunned, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yu Qing quickly regained his composure and said expressionlessly, "Yes, Your Highness."
Prince Jin nodded slightly, said nothing more, whipped his horse, and rode back to the Prince Jin's residence.
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, the Prince of Jin dismissed everyone and told them to go home and rest.
Youde shared a room with Yuqing. Upon returning to the room, he asked, "Why didn't you ask the prince whose daughter she is?"
Yu Qing, while taking off his clothes, said, "Aren't all girls the same?"
"Of course they are different. Some are good-looking, some are not, some are fat, and some are thin."
"Aren't they all women?" Yu Qing said dismissively, lying down on the bed.
"Yuqing, don't you find it strange? The prince suddenly wants to arrange a marriage for you out of the blue?" After Youde finished speaking, he waited for a long time but did not hear Yuqing's reply. Hearing Yuqing's even breathing, he felt disappointed and went to bed to sleep.
The next day, when Youde arrived at the courtyard where Prince Jin resided in the outer palace, he saw him entering from outside, dressed in riding attire, his face covered in sweat, his clothes soaked through. Youde was taken aback and asked, "Your Highness, you're riding so early?"
The Prince of Jin gave a faint "hmm" and walked straight inside, asking as he did so, "Is the fragrant bath ready? I want to take a bath."
The guard on duty approached Luo Youde and whispered, "Brother Youde, the prince got up at dawn and rode for two hours."
Youde was immediately stunned. He had just rested at midnight and was up at dawn, clearly unable to sleep. He pondered how to persuade him, and after standing for a while, he saw Xu Maogong slowly approaching. He quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Maogong, you should persuade the Prince. He's acting strangely. Ever since he came out of the palace yesterday, he's had a stern face. He even went to stand outside the Ruan residence in the middle of the night, and inexplicably wanted to arrange a marriage for Yuqing. He still hasn't slept, and he's been riding his horse since dawn."
Xu Maoyu stroked his beard and laughed heartily, saying, "Normal, normal. A beautiful and virtuous woman is the object of a gentleman's desire; if he cannot obtain her, he will yearn for her day and night."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a guard inside asked, "Is it Lord Mao who has arrived? The Prince wants you to wait for him in the study."
Xu Maoyu entered the study and sat for a while. Then Prince Jin came over, changed his clothes, and said, "Maogong, you've come at the right time. I'd like to ask your wife to act as matchmaker for Yuqing." As he spoke, he ground ink and began to write.
"Which family's daughter is she?"
"Ruan Wu's former maid."
Xu Maoyu frowned and said, "Is it the maid that the prince mentioned last time, the one who was favored by the Prince of Han?"
"It's her."
"Wouldn't that mean Your Highness would offend Prince Han?"
The Prince of Jin smiled, said nothing, finished writing the last character, threw the brush into the brush washer, called in a guard, and said, "Send this letter to the Ruan family in Jingxi and give it to Yunying."
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