59. Xu Jin visits
Five gold coins? She'd never even seen gold coins before; she only wanted five taels of silver!
Qi Gu was recuperating in the Sima Mansion. Every day, medicine and tonics were brought into Qi Gu's room as if they were free.
For the first few days, Qi Gu was able to calmly drink these medicines and tonics, but after a while, even a pig would get tired of them, let alone Qi Gu, who was someone who had a particular fondness for food.
On this day, Qi Gu felt that she had recovered almost completely, so she decided to bid farewell to Sima Hong and return to the palace.
With the Xiongnu farewell banquet approaching, she needed to return to the palace to check on Li Qiao's situation, and she also needed to go back to see her mother.
Sima Hong was sitting at a long, low table, writing something on a piece of cloth when a servant came to announce, "My lord, the princess wants to know when you've been free. She has something she'd like to see you about."
Since that day when Qi Gu had been frank with him, he finally understood what Qi Gu was thinking. They had not seen each other for two days.
Sima Hong knew that Qi Gu wanted to return to the palace. She felt awkward here, probably because she felt uncomfortable facing him.
He said, "I'll go right away..." Just as the servant turned to leave, Sima Hong called out again, "Wait, tell the princess that I'm busy with something and will see her later."
The servants didn't understand why their master had suddenly changed his mind, but they just had to follow his orders.
Atai stood to the side, head down, trying not to laugh. Axiang looked at him, puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm not telling you." Ah Xiang scratched the back of his head, wondering what mischief he was thinking, and he wasn't willing to share it with him. Humph!
Atai said to Sima Hong, "My lord, Chen Zhan said that he wants to see the princess, and if he sees the princess, he can hand over the iron-casting method."
Sima Hong didn't take it seriously. He told him, "How can he see the princess whenever he wants? Tell him that if he wants to save Song Shi, he should hand over the iron-casting method. Otherwise, I don't mind letting Song Shi experience the new punishments of the Great Jin Dynasty again." Thinking of the wounds on Qi Gu's body, Sima Hong thought, Song Shi really deserves to die. However, if Chen Zhan can hand over the iron-casting method, he will grant "him" a complete corpse.
Atai cupped his hands and said, "Yes."
When Qi Gu heard from the servant that Sima Hong was busy, she realized that she had originally planned to bid him farewell today, but it seemed she would have to wait another day.
Although she could see her father every day at the Sima residence, he was busy these days. Besides, it wasn't right for her to stay at Sima Hong's villa for an extended period. People's gossip could be dangerous. She had finally managed to clear things up with Sima Hong, and if someone with ulterior motives found out that she was staying at Sima Hong's villa, rumors would inevitably spread, and she would become the target of everyone's criticism again, which would not be good.
Hongyan said, "Actually, it's quite good for Your Highness to recuperate at Sima's villa. You don't need to worry about the palace. Her Majesty the Empress is currently purging the filthy messengers. It won't be too late for the princess to return after Her Majesty has cleaned up the palace. Besides, Lord Sima has a good relationship with you..."
Qi Gu quickly stopped Hong Yan from speaking. She walked up to Hong Yan with her arms crossed, staring at her with a puzzled look. She remembered that in her previous life, Hong Yan was very opposed to her marrying Sima Hong. Even when the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree to bestow the marriage, she still advised her that Sima Hong was not a good match. How come Hong Yan has changed her attitude in this life?
“Hongyan, you can’t talk nonsense. Lord Sima saved me not for any other reason, but because the person who kidnapped me has a special identity. You didn’t say anything to the Empress Dowager, did you?”
Hongyan thought that Qigu suspected her of keeping a secret from the Empress, so she quickly knelt down, but Qigu stopped her. Hongyan hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, I didn't. I wouldn't dare to say anything without your permission. Even with the Empress, I didn't say anything you forbade me to say."
"Alright, that's good. Remember this: Lord Sima is a man of noble character and integrity. How could he marry a vulgar princess like me who can't read a single word? We are just sworn siblings. Don't talk nonsense next time. It's not good for Lord Sima, and it's even worse for me." She didn't want to suffer any more undeserved misfortune from the Second Princess, the Ninth Princess, and Gao Ruyu.
Hongyan thought to herself, "Princess, you may be too modest. The way Sima Langjun looks at you is not at all like the innocent way he looks at his sister. It is you who unilaterally regard him as your sworn brother."
Seeing that Qi Gu truly disliked Sima Hong, Hongyan thought to herself, "Even a man like Sima Langjun doesn't look down on her, their princess... well done!"
Qi Gu then asked, "By the way, is Mother going to get rid of Jin Fu and his ilk?"
"How did the princess know it was Jin Fu?" Qi Gu said, "I... I noticed something was off about him last time." She was referring to the time when Jin Fu came to deliver the Emperor's reward.
Hongyan didn't dwell on the issue and continued, "Huang Bing told me that Jin Fu secretly revealed His Majesty's whereabouts to the concubines, princes, and princesses in exchange for gold ingots. The Empress found dozens of boxes of gold ingots in his courtyard outside the palace. He's really audacious."
In her previous life, Jin Fu was also dealt with by her mother not long after she returned to the palace. At that time, she was terrified when she saw her mother, who sentenced Jin Fu to be torn apart by chariots with ruthless methods.
They were also foolish enough to listen to the instigation of the Second Princess and Madam Guo, and did not understand the Empress Dowager's ruthless methods.
Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was. Jin Fu was someone who served my father. If my mother hadn't taken decisive action, wouldn't everyone have dared to follow Jin Fu's example in the future?
Moreover, the emperor's whereabouts are of utmost importance; what if... the consequences would be unimaginable! The empress dowager's swift and decisive actions were both a deterrent and a sign of her fury.
She remembered that this time, not only Jin Fu was purged, but also several people around her father, as well as those around Lady Guo and Zhao Ji. In particular, there was an old woman newly sent by the Guo family to Lady Guo's side. This old woman was no ordinary person. Unfortunately, because Lady Guo cried and made a scene, her father finally allowed the old woman to stay in the palace.
"By the way, where are Fulian and Honghu? I haven't seen them these past few days."
Hongyan looked grim, because the two of them were still being punished in the palace. For failing to protect the princess, they were each punished with fifteen lashes by the Empress and were still recovering from their injuries.
She herself was also to be punished, but the princess could not be left unattended, so the Empress granted her special permission to take care of the princess first, and she could return to the palace to receive her punishment after the princess recovered.
Qi Gu sighed, "This time it's not your fault. It's all because I insisted on eating those lousy pastries, which gave Song Shi an opportunity. I've dragged you all into this."
She turned to Hongyan and said, "Pass on my order to give them both the best medicine to heal their wounds. When I return to the palace, I will reward them accordingly. Hmm..." Qi Gu held out her palm, "This amount!" Five taels of silver.
Hongyan asked, "These are... five gold ingots?" A look of joy instantly appeared on Hongyan's face.
Qi Gu stared wide-eyed at her outstretched palm. Five gold ingots? She had never even seen gold ingots before; she only wanted to give five taels of silver!
She instantly remembered that her status was different now, straightened her shoulders, gritted her teeth, and said, "That's right! Five gold coins it is!"
Hongyan laughed, "Looking at it this way, this beating wasn't a bad deal." Hongyan was delighted.
Qi Gu patted Hongyan's shoulder with great force: "Don't worry, I will plead with the Empress Dowager after we return to the palace to spare you from punishment." The implication was that if you weren't beaten, the five gold coins would be waived.
The wild goose was displeased. "No, I must take this whipping." Five gold coins!
At this moment, a servant came to announce: "Your Highness, a man named Xu Jin has come to see you."
Qi Gu stopped joking. Xu Jin? Who is that? She had no recollection of him at all.
Hongyan said, "Xu Jin is the man who was hit by the flowerpot."
"Huh? What does he want to see me for?"
Hongyan told Qigu what had happened after Qigu was kidnapped that day. Of course, Hongyan didn't let Xu Jin off the hook either, and introduced his unfortunate life story to the princess.
Qi Gu let out a long "Oh~" and said, "No wonder I felt so unlucky that day. I finally escaped from the room where Song Shi had locked me up, and then I ran into Shen Wei. Could it be that my ominous premonition that day was all because of this person?"
Hongyan also felt that this person was not auspicious. "Xu Jin is the son of Physician Xu. If the princess does not want to see him, I will go and tell him that you are resting."
Qi Gu said, "Oh wait, never mind, let him in anyway. Such an interesting person, I want to see if he can get any more unlucky." Anyway, she had nothing better to do. These days, she had been recuperating and had been kept in bed by Sima Hong and Hongyan. She was practically growing weeds. It was rare to have an interesting person come along, so she might as well meet him.
From beside the lotus pond in the Sima Mansion's villa came a woman's loud laughter: "Hahahaha!!!"
It is now autumn, and the lotus flowers in the lotus pond have withered. The remaining dry, golden leaves float in the pond, the water ripples, and the half-pond of withered lotus flowers appears messy yet poetic in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Beside the lotus pond was a pavilion, and it was from this pavilion that Qi Gu's laughter came.
Xu Jin looked at the princess he was meeting for the first time. Her eyes were round and bright, and her skin was not as fair as that of a woman from the capital, but had a faint golden hue. She was full of vigor, and the autumn sun shone in her eyes, making them so bright that it was impossible to look away.
Perhaps because the princess was born into the common people, she had no airs of a princess, and even lacked the coquettishness that daughters of ordinary princes and ministers usually possessed.
When she laughed, it was completely unpretentious. Her smiling face was like a piece of unpolished jade, pure and flawless, naturally innocent, without any artifice.
Xu Jin was stunned, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
Seeing that he was standing there speechless, Qi Gu urged him, "What happened next? You said your arrow hit the examiner's butt. What other bad things happened to you after that? What are you planning to learn now that you've given up martial arts?"
She laughed until tears streamed down her face. If this person's bad luck was only affecting himself and didn't spread to others, then he was truly quite amusing.
Xu Jin snapped out of his daze, his eyes darting around in a panic. He dared not look at Qi Gu's face any longer. He gave a bitter smile: "This... didn't the princess find out about the bad things that happened later? He went to the old woman's pastry shop, got hit on the head by a flowerpot, and even implicated you, Princess..."
"Xu Jin, Xu Jin, it's not easy for you to have survived until now, hahaha~" Aunt Qi laughed until tears were about to come out.
Xu Jin thought to himself that although those unfortunate experiences were not funny to him, it seemed nice that they could make the princess happy. He couldn't help but smile.
Qi Gu generously stated, "However, my being kidnapped has little to do with you, so you don't need to feel guilty." Xu Jin was also an innocent victim. That flowerpot probably didn't fall for no reason. It must have been deliberately thrown down by Song Shi to create chaos and distract her and the people around her. In this light, it was actually she who implicated her.
But having learned her lesson about the wild goose and the five gold coins, she dared not say that she had implicated him, for fear that he would ask her for the five gold coins again!
"I heard the princess was laughing very happily."
"Yes, I think that young master Xu is quite handsome, and the princess is of marriageable age, so perhaps..."
"Hehe, maybe..."
Sima Hong, who happened to be passing by and overheard the two maids' conversation, called out to them: "Where is the princess now?"
Upon seeing their young master, the two maids quickly suppressed their smiles. The young master's expression seemed even colder than usual, and they felt his gaze was like two icicles. The maids lowered their heads and said, "Young master, the princess and the young master Xu from the Imperial Physician's family are talking in the pavilion in the lotus garden."
Sima Hong waved his hand, and the two maids slipped away as if granted a pardon. Logically speaking, their young master was no less handsome than Xu Langjun, and might even be more so. The difference between Xu Langjun and their young master was like that between the moon and the stars, but Xu Langjun was like a celestial being, only to be admired from afar, while Xu Langjun was more down-to-earth, approachable and relatable.
Sima Hong arrived at the Lotus Garden. In the pavilion, the woman looked up and laughed heartily. The man stared at her blankly. The orange sunset shone on her profile. Her brows were filled with ease, and her smile was like a bright orange flower, so dazzling. For some reason, it pierced Sima Hong's heart.
"Aunt Qi, it's time for your medicine!" A gentle yet cool voice broke the relaxed atmosphere.
[Author's Note]
Let's welcome our first male guest!
Xu Jin: Mom, I think I've fallen in love with a princess [heart eyes]
Xu Jin's parents trembled with fear: "We advise you not to fall in love. Don't you know your own background? What if the princess is cursed to death? Our entire family will be wiped out!" [Cracked]
Sima Hong: +1 [Angry]
I revised the text three more times. It took me an hour and a half to write and an hour to revise. [laughing and crying emoji]
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