Chapter 12 A Secret Heart's Desire
Gu Xiaobai only stayed for half an hour before leaving.
The princess seemed very happy and kept everyone playing for a long time. It wasn't until late afternoon that she finally allowed the girls to leave, after they repeatedly declined.
Ruan Bi and the second young lady were still riding in the same carriage, but the second young lady was no longer as arrogant as she had been. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was staring blankly at the gauze window, occasionally flashing a silly smile.
Ruan Bize felt heartbroken about the five taels of gold that were almost in her hands, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She cursed Gu Xiaobai several times in her heart.
They returned to the Ruan residence in silence, past 1:45 PM. Presumably the old lady had woken up from her afternoon nap, they went to Chunhui Hall first.
At the entrance of the main house, two maids sat under the eaves chatting and laughing. When they saw the young ladies coming over, they quickly stood up, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Good afternoon, ladies. The old lady is seeing guests right now."
The third sister asked curiously, "Where did these visitors come from? Are they male or female?"
"He was a young master, a stranger, who had never been here before."
The four girls looked at each other for a moment, and had no choice but to give up.
As the curtain moved, Manyun lifted a corner of it and peeked out, smiling at everyone before turning back to say, "Madam, the young ladies have returned from the Princess's residence."
The old lady's voice came from inside: "Call them in. They're all proper relatives; we'll see them sooner or later."
Manyun nodded and waved to the four girls with a smile.
Everyone followed her into the hall. The old lady sat in the main seat, with Zheng Mama and other maids and daughters-in-law who usually served her standing behind her.
Sitting in the guest seat was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a scholar's white robe, with slightly dark skin, handsome features, and holding a folding fan in his hand.
His brows furrowed with ambition, giving him the air of someone ready to command the world and wield their pen with passion at any moment.
He saw four young women enter one after another, each with a beautiful face and a unique charm, and his eyes lit up.
The old lady pointed to the young man and said, "Girls, this is your Aunt Lan's son, Xu Chuanyang. He'll be participating in next year's imperial examinations and will be living in the mansion from now on. We'll inevitably run into each other often, so let's get to know each other." She then pointed to the four girls and said to Xu Chuanyang, "These are Second Girl, Third Girl, Fourth Girl, and Fifth Girl."
"Greetings, cousin." The four girls bowed and greeted him together.
The air was filled with sweet, melodious voices, which made Xu Chuanyang's ears tingle. He quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Greetings, dear cousins." After bowing, he straightened up and said, "I have long heard my mother mention that there are many cousins in the family, each of them beautiful and intelligent. Seeing them today, I can see that they are indeed true to their reputation."
The old lady chuckled and said, "What do you mean by 'beautiful inside and out'? It's just that you don't embarrass yourself when you go out." She waved her hand, signaling everyone to sit down.
The maids also served tea to the four young ladies.
The old lady wanted to show off the Ruan family's prestige in front of Xu Chuanyang, suppress his arrogance, and support Ruan Lan, so she asked the girls, "Did you have a good time at Princess Huiwen's residence today?"
Xu Chuanyang's eyes flickered slightly. Princess Huiwen generously donated her dowry to fund the military, earning her high praise from scholars and literati. Many poems and essays praised her achievements, and her fame spread far and wide. Therefore, even though he was far away in Southern Guangdong, he had heard of the old princess's great name.
Mentioning this, the second young lady couldn't contain her smile and said happily, "We had a great time. The eldest princess was very hospitable and easy-going. She even played the 'Broken Branch Order' game with us and drank several cups. I almost got drunk."
The old lady was surprised, but she didn't show it on her face. She nodded slightly and said, "Princess Huiwen is usually leisurely and doesn't like to invite people to her home. Even if someone comes, it's usually the princess's assistant who receives them. Today, she personally accompanied you all and had fun together, so I think you are all very much to her liking."
The second daughter nodded and said, "Grandmother is right. She also asked us to compose a poem. I was lucky enough to win first place, and the eldest princess rewarded me with five taels of gold."
Upon hearing the word "poem," Xu Chuanyang's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What poem did my second cousin write? Could you recite it for me?"
"Of course."
The second daughter cleared her throat, about to speak, when she heard the old lady say, "What good poems can a young lady like her write? She can only recite a few lines to suit the occasion." Then she said to the second daughter, "Your cousin is the top scholar in the imperial examination, so don't try to show off your limited skills in front of him."
The four girls were surprised to find that Xu Chuanyang was actually the top scholar in the provincial examination, and they all gave him a serious look.
Xu Chuanyang was quite pleased with himself. He tapped his palm lightly with his folding fan and said, "Madam is too modest. Poetry and prose are all about the heart. What comes from the heart is naturally wonderful. As the ancients said, a person and his poetry and prose are one. I see that my second cousin has a graceful demeanor, and her poetry and prose must also be graceful and generous. That is why Princess Huiwen is so impressed."
The second daughter, confident in her talent and flattered by his praise, became even more arrogant. Ignoring the old lady's objections, she recited her poem.
Xu Chuanyang was greatly disappointed upon hearing this. The parallelism was perfect, the wording exemplary, but it lacked originality; it was merely a mediocre piece. Since she had won first place, the other three girls must be even less impressive. The Ruan family of Jingxi, a family renowned for its poetry and scholarship, was nothing special. With everyone present, he could only force a smile and say, "Very well, very well, indeed, the poem reflects the person."
The old lady wasn't particularly accomplished in poetry and literature, but she could tell that he was somewhat reluctant to speak. Fearing that if the second young lady were to offer another piece of her treasure, it would only damage the reputation of the Ruan family, she said to the four young ladies, "Alright, you're all tired. Go back and rest."
The four girls responded and withdrew in turn.
No sooner had they left than the First Madam entered and said to the Old Madam, "Everything has been arranged. Young Master, you can stay in the west wing of the main courtyard and keep Jiaxuan company, how does that sound?" After saying that, she looked at Xu Chuanyang.
Xu Chuanyang said, "I will follow my aunt's arrangements."
The First Madam smiled and said, "Jiaxuan is still studying at the Imperial Academy and won't be back until five quarters past 3 PM. He's two years younger than you and will be taking the imperial examination next year. His studies aren't as good as yours, so I'll trouble you to give him a lot of guidance."
"Auntie, you're too kind. He and I are cousins, so naturally we'll work together."
The First Madam nodded with a smile, thinking to herself, "Xu Chuanyang is a smart man. Even though they are not related at all, he can still speak so sincerely and naturally."
After a moment's thought, the old lady said to Xu Chuanyang, "I received a letter from your mother a couple of days ago and have already spoken to your uncle. The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was originally a subordinate of the old master, so there's nothing to worry about. Your uncle will take you to visit him in a few days, and you can go to the Imperial Academy with Jiaxuan in the future."
Xu Chuanyang added, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam and Uncle."
The First Madam smiled and said, "We're all family, no need to worry about it, you're being too formal."
The old lady also pretended to be angry and put on a stern face, saying, "That's right, just treat this place as your own home. If you continue to be so formal, I'll get angry."
Xu Chuanyang nodded in agreement.
After exchanging a few more casual words, the old lady said to the eldest madam, "You have a lot to do, go back first. I'll chat with Chuanyang for a while longer."
Knowing she wanted to inquire about Miss Lan's recent situation, the First Madam nodded and withdrew. Returning to her courtyard, she summoned the head of the kitchen and finalized the menu for tonight's welcome-home banquet. She also instructed the household purchasing staff to buy certain items and have the Xu family servants take them back to Guangzhou for Miss Lan. Having finished her work in one go, she went to the side hall to have a cup of tea and rest for a while, only to see the Second Miss lying on the couch, playing with a gold ingot in her hand, occasionally giggling.
The First Madam looked at her several times in surprise and said, "What's wrong with you today? Haven't you ever seen gold before?"
"Mother," the second daughter said, sitting up with a shy smile, "do you know where this gold ingot came from?"
"How did you get here?" The First Madam took the tea that Bao Li handed her, took a small sip, and asked.
The second girl smiled shyly, remaining silent, her eyes sparkling like water.
The First Madam's heart skipped a beat. She waved her hand, dismissing the maids. "How did you get here?"
The second young lady then recounted the process of choosing the gold ingot in detail, especially how the eldest princess originally intended for Ruan Bi, and how Gu Xiaobai personally selected her.
After hearing this, the First Madam slammed her hand on the table and said, "Good girl, you've really vented all my anger. So what if you have Master Ziying backing you up? There are still many discerning people in this world. Speaking of this girl, she's truly despicable and hateful. This morning, your uncle's letter arrived, and he gave me a good scolding."
"Uncle, why are you getting so angry? This matter isn't settled yet." The second daughter jumped off the bed and put her arm around the first lady's shoulder. "Mother, Xiao Wu's marriage has to go through you first, right? If anyone comes to propose, just refuse them. Grandmother won't know. When she gets older, if no one proposes, Grandmother will agree."
"Let's call it quits. She used to want to marry her off to your eldest cousin, but now she seems really wicked. Marrying her would only harm your eldest cousin." The First Madam said with a sneer, "I have my own plans for her marriage."
The second daughter nodded, then looked at the gold ingot in her hand. Suddenly, she remembered the eldest princess's choice of Ruan Bi, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes. "Mother, why did the eldest princess choose her in the first place?"
"That was just Fifth Sister's cunning. She knew the Eldest Princess liked the Daoist arts, so she used the 'Leaving Realm and Sitting in Oblivion' technique to curry favor with her. Didn't Young Master Gu expose her? He even rewarded you with gold, so it's clear she realized what was going on. Fifth Sister's little tricks might fool people for a while, but they won't last." The First Madam paused, then asked with a smile, "What does this Gu Xiaobai look like?"
The second daughter's cheeks flushed red, and she said, "Mother, I'm going back."
Without waiting for the birth of the First Madam, she lifted her skirt and ran away quickly. She ran back to her own courtyard in one breath, ignoring the surprised looks of the maids, rushed into the bedroom, collapsed onto the bed, and looked at the gauze curtains after the rain. Her heart was bright and clear, like the sky after being washed by clear water.
Gu Xiaobai's image floated into her mind... As she thought about it, the gold ingot in her hand became scalding hot, and she smiled foolishly for a while. Then she sat up and called Chunyun in, saying, "Bring out the gold-embroidered purse I just embroidered last month."
Chunyun took a purse from the chest, and the second young lady put the gold ingots inside before hanging it on the curtain hook. She then took down the bamboo flute that had been hanging on the curtain hook and threw it to Chunyun with disgust, saying, "Take it out and throw it into the water." After saying that, she lay back down on the bed, looking at the gold-embroidered purse and smiling.
Chunyun took the bamboo flute out, and the little maid guarding the gate said in surprise, "Why did you take out the young lady's bamboo flute, sister? Last time, Sister Chunliu touched it and got a beating." This bamboo flute was originally a birthday gift from Xie Mingyue to the second young lady a few years ago, and she has always cherished it very much.
Chunyun was kicked in the carriage today, and the Second Miss hasn't said a kind word to her since. Thinking about how she was so loyal, yet ended up like this, she felt resentful and said sarcastically, "I already have someone else in mind."
She threw the bamboo flute to the pond, not wanting to go back, and sat by the water throwing stones. After a while, she saw Granny Zheng and Ruan Bi walking into the shade of the willow trees on the opposite side of the pond, talking as they went.
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