Chapter Twenty-Three: The Little White Curse
Cui Jiu pondered for a moment and said, "But this Fifth Miss seems to be of a rather low status?"
A mocking smile flickered across the princess's lips as she said, "Even now, do you think I can't let go of my status and position? If my status and position were any more ordinary, would I be in this situation?"
Cui Jiu knew he had touched a nerve with the princess, so he dared not say anything more.
The princesses, born into royalty, were indeed incredibly noble. However, according to royal rules, princesses lived in their own residences, and their husbands in theirs. Princesses could not enter a princess's residence without being summoned by the husband, and the husband and his family had to bow to the princess... No man could tolerate this, especially the Duke of Dingguo, who was known for his proud and arrogant nature. Even the deepest affections were worn away by these rigid rules and regulations.
"Instead of letting Xiaobai's mother choose someone like Xie Mingzhu or Han Lu for him, it's better to pick someone he likes. Besides, this girl seems both smart and poised. At the last banquet, Xiaobai provoked her so much, yet she remained calm, which shows her exceptional self-control. Xiaobai is a naive and immature child; he should be matched with someone who understands the bigger picture, otherwise, wouldn't things just become chaotic?"
"However...madam may not be willing."
The eldest princess snorted coldly and said, "So what if she doesn't want to? She's my daughter-in-law, and Xiaobai is my grandson. I'm also the Empress Dowager's aunt and the Emperor's great-aunt. Do you expect me to be subservient to her?"
Afraid of upsetting her, Cui Jiu quickly and respectfully said, "Of course not. The eldest young master is your own grandson, so it's naturally up to you to decide."
The princess took another sip of tea, waved her hand, and said, "Go and keep an eye on things. Little Bai is mischievous; make sure he doesn't bully that girl again."
Cui Jiu responded and turned to leave when he suddenly heard from outside: "The eldest young master has arrived."
A moment later, Gu Xiaobai strode in, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He grabbed a cup of tea from a maid and gulped it down. After finishing it in one go, he asked, "Grandma, are you still dizzy?"
"You're not dizzy anymore." The princess gently beckoned to him, "Come here, let me wipe your sweat."
Gu Xiaobai walked up to her, knelt down on one knee, and looked up at her.
The princess took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, asking, "Did you finish riding so quickly?"
“She didn’t ride much. I was just teaching Fifth Sister to ride a horse.” Gu Xiaobai frowned and said with disdain, “She’s really clumsy, just like Jingyi. When I tell her to run, she doesn’t dare to run. She says it’s too bumpy and she wants to come back.”
The eldest princess said, both amused and exasperated, "She's just a young girl, how long has she been learning? She's delicate and fragile, aren't you just harming her?"
Gu Xiaobai blinked, unconvinced, and said, "Isn't this how I learned it at the beginning?"
"Can you be the same? You've practiced martial arts since you were little, so you're tough and strong." The princess nudged him and said, "Alright, hurry back to your residence and change your clothes. It's time to go to the Imperial Academy."
Gu Xiaobai said "Oh," and turned to walk out. After a few steps, she stopped and asked hesitantly, "Grandma, will she be alright?"
The eldest princess waved her hand and said, "I'll send Cui Jiu to check on things later. You go to school first."
Gu Xiaobai then strode away.
The eldest princess stood up, looked at his retreating figure, shook her head, and said, "This child is clearly so old, why is he still so childish?"
Cui Jiu said with a smile, "Young Master is pure of heart and a gem in the rough. You'd be hard-pressed to find one like him even with a lantern."
The eldest princess smiled and said, "Go quickly and see what's wrong with the fifth young lady?"
Cui Jiu acknowledged the order and left the bedchamber, heading to the adjacent "Autumn Blossom Garden." There, he saw two maids burying something in the courtyard with hoes, while several other maids peeked cautiously into the main room. "What's going on?"
The maid said, "Just now, when the Fifth Miss walked here, she couldn't help but vomit."
Cui Jiu exclaimed "Oh dear!" and hurried to the main room, standing at the door and calling out, "Fifth Miss."
After a moment, Ruan Bi's weak voice came from inside, saying, "Eunuch Cui, please come in."
Cui Jiu entered the inner room and found all the windows open. A strong scent of osmanthus filled the room; she guessed Ruan Bi had just vomited and, fearing the smell would be unpleasant, had immediately burned incense. Looking at Ruan Bi, she sat upright on the couch, still in her riding clothes, sweat stains remaining on her forehead, a few strands of hair clinging to the sweat. Although her face was ashen, there was no resentment or bitterness in her expression. Cui Jiu couldn't help but secretly admire her; she was indeed a remarkable person. Then, noticing the bright red scab on her lower lip, he vaguely understood what had happened.
"My young master was reckless, please forgive him, young lady."
Ruan Bi felt nauseous and dared not speak, only shaking her head.
"Please rest, young lady. I'll go and report back to the Princess." After saying this, Cui Jiu hurriedly returned to the Princess's bedchamber.
The eldest princess had already changed her clothes and, pulling at her shawl, asked, "Is Fifth Miss alright?"
"I threw up."
The eldest princess exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!"
Cui Jiu added, “When I entered the main room, the room had already been incense-burning, and all the windows were open. The Fifth Miss was sitting on the couch, her face pale, but her expression was calm. There was also a girl whose lower lip was bitten raw; she probably held it in at first, but couldn’t hold it in any longer and spat it out when she entered Qiuhua Garden.”
The eldest princess sighed and said, "Little Bai is such a reckless child. When will he ever grow up? Come on, let's go and see him."
When Cui Jiu and the Princess entered Qiuhua Garden again, they saw that Ruan Bi had changed her clothes, washed her face clean, and combed her hair meticulously. Apart from her pale face and the blood scab below her lips, she looked no different from usual. Cui Jiu couldn't help but secretly marvel that if other girls encountered such a thing, they would have complained and cried about being bullied.
Upon seeing the Princess enter, Ruan Bi stepped forward to pay her respects. The Princess quickly helped her up, saying, "My little Bai is the most mischievous and doesn't know her place. I'm sorry you had to suffer."
Ruan Bi said, "It's not the young master's fault. I was sick before and injured my stomach, and I haven't fully recovered yet. I was in such a hurry to learn how to ride a horse that I overran it, and the old injury flared up."
So generous and poised, without a single complaint, the princess grew even more fond of him. "Xiao Bai, go to the Imperial Academy. When you return tonight, I'll have him apologize to you."
Ruan Bi shook her head repeatedly and said, "No need, no need. Young Master meant well, it was just a coincidence."
The princess nodded repeatedly, offered a few words of comfort, instructed the maids to take good care of her, and then left.
As soon as she left, Ruan Bi collapsed onto the couch, her legs trembling.
Xiuzhi fed her hot tea, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Why are you still trying so hard, young lady? Why don't you let the Princess see how Young Master Gu... treats you like this?"
Granny Liu gently scolded her, "Don't say such foolish things. Miss, you know perfectly well. This young master Gu is the apple of the princess's eye. If you point out his faults, aren't you just making the princess uncomfortable? If the princess is uncomfortable, how can our young lady be comfortable? Why not be more generous and let the princess remember the young lady's kindness?"
Ruan Bi glanced at her in surprise, not expecting that her thoughts had been seen through so clearly.
Xiuzhi retorted, unconvinced, "But is the young lady just going to suffer in vain like this?"
Ruan Bi rinsed her mouth, spat the tea into the spittoon beside the bed, and said, "What else can we do? Gu Xiaobai is a lawless scoundrel; we can't afford to offend him. We'll just avoid him from now on." Thinking about it, it was really unlucky. She thought he had changed his ways and would really teach her to ride a horse, but it turned out he was just playing a trick on her. She never imagined he could be so convincing when he pretended to be sincere; truly, appearances can be deceiving.
It seems Xiaobai is always making mistakes; it's truly an unbreakable curse.
Xiuzhi wiped away her tears and nodded heavily, saying, "What you say is true, young lady. We'll avoid him from now on."
A moment later, Cui Jiu entered with a group of maids, bringing ginger soup to warm the stomach, white porridge to fill the belly, and various snacks, a dazzling array laid out on the table. Ruan Bi ate a little haphazardly, her legs trembling, and feeling exhausted, she went into the inner room to lie down. Xiu Zhi waited until she fell asleep before coming out, sitting down next to Granny Liu, sighing deeply, and saying, "That Gu Xiaobai is really annoying, Prince Jin is much better."
Granny Liu said while munching on a pastry, "Don't call the young master by his name directly. If he hears it, he'll think the young lady is poorly raised."
"Hey, Mom," Xiuzhi leaned closer and whispered, "Do you think Prince Jin likes our girl?"
Granny Liu nearly choked. She patted her chest, looked around, and lightly tapped Xiuzhi on the back of the head. "What are you yelling about? So what if you like her? It's not like it's a good thing."
“Why isn’t it a good thing?” Xiuzhi said wistfully, resting her chin on her hand. “If the Prince of Jin marries our daughter, she will become a princess.”
Although Granny Liu wasn't close to Ruan Bi, the east wing of Liaoyuan was small, and she had heard some rumors. Having lived in a large mansion for many years and seen much of the world, she naturally understood things better than Xiuzhi. She glared at her and said, "Our young lady is so smart, why don't you learn a little? Marriage is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words. Even ordinary families pay attention to matching social status, let alone Prince Jin, who is the Emperor's own brother and the Empress Dowager's own son. His marriage will be decided by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. What use is it if he likes her? Putting aside our young lady's status, she can't even get past Prime Minister Shen. How could the Emperor possibly offend Prime Minister Shen?"
Xiuzhi blinked, puzzled, and asked, "What does this have to do with Prime Minister Shen?"
Hearing this, Granny Liu realized that she didn't know Ruan Bi's true background, so she didn't say anything more. "Don't ask such nonsense. Our young lady may be young, but she is very clear-headed and has her own opinions. Just do as she says."
Seeing that she wouldn't say anything more, Xiuzhi was disappointed and scoffed, "You only tell half the story and then hide the other half. How annoying. I'm going to see the girl."
Entering the inner room, she saw Ruan Bi sleeping soundly, the scab on her lower lip had turned black, looking rather shocking, and she sighed slightly. Suddenly, she heard a faint sound coming from outside the north window, she went over and looked down, only to see Gu Xiaobai parting the bamboo and crawling in.
Upon seeing her, his face lit up with joy, and he waved, saying, "Hey, little girl, how's your daughter doing?"
Xiuzhi pretended not to see and silently closed the window.
Gu Xiaobai looked at the airtight window. Normally, he would have knocked on the window long ago, but this time he didn't dare. He stood there blankly for a while, then left feeling bored.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
