CH 7

Inside the large yellow tent, the atmosphere was far less lively than outside. The the attendants holding their breath and hanging their heads, their hearts beating on small drums. Only when they saw the young man in riding clothes striding into the tent did they breathe a sigh of relief.

As if he did not see the impatience between the eyebrows of the man sitting at the top. the young man took the cloth towel handed to him by his maid to dry his hot sweat and exclaimed: "Your Highness, I have won the autumn hunt again. Just now I made those white silk trouser[1] look dumbfounded with my two golden eagles with one arrow[2]! We had agreed earlier that I would not be confined to the East Palace on the 15th day of the Lantern Festival to study for my homework."

[1]绔绔  ( wán kù), which refers to the fine silk trousers worn by the sons of wealthy families, and to the fancy clothes of the sons of wealthy families in general. Refers to the children of Aristocratic family; Dude

[2]一箭双雕 ( yī jiàn shuāng diāo )- Two Eagles with One Arrow(idiom) /Kill two hawks with one arrow/to kill two birds with one stone. The idiom means to shoot two eagles with a single arrow with excellent archery skills. Later it is used as a metaphor for doing one thing to achieve two purposes.

The gentle and indifferent Prince Wen Shuo was rumoured to be a young man in front of the Crown Prince. As soon as he returned, he offered his treasures and begged for merit.

It seems that he was touched by the bravado in Wen Shuo's voice, as Han Ye put down the folders in his hands and raised his head to glance at the flamboyant young man in front of him, his eyes deepened.

He had just gone out with the son of the An Yuan Marquis. Even the son of the An Yuan Marquis who had just left, three princes and marquises had come today to inquire about the terms of this brat's marriage proposal. When did he, the Crown Prince of Great Jing, become a matchmaker!

Unbeknownst to Han Ye, the fact that he turned pale at this talk was the real reason why it was rumoured that Wen Shuo was so difficult to climb.

"You're getting more and more reckless now. The imperial examination are in first month of the lunar year. Instead of staying at the East Palace to listen to your teacher, you're thinking of running away all day long. I've heard that some people are betting that you won't even make it to the third grade. If that's the case, I'll see how you can face leaving the East ern Palace then!"

"Your Highness, how can you grow the ambition of others. I was taught by you personally. Even if you don't believe in me, you should believe in yourself."

Wen Shuo laughed and said, full of youthful vigour and enthusiasm.

When Han Ye saw this look on his face, his expression eased slightly. The corners of his mouth rose and he didn't bother to pay attention to his little attentiveness.

He is the most delighted man in the world to have raised children who have grown up to be so outstanding and magnificent.

Although he was enlightened by his Imperial teacher. Wen Shuo reached his current fame only through his own efforts.

This child was enlightened at the age of seven, and at the age of eight he was able to understand the Four Books and Five Classics, and at the age of nine he was familiar with the canon of history.

"All right, the feast is about to start.  Let's go out."

As the drums sounded outside and the sound of the sons of the aristocratic family galloping back approached. Han Ye waved his hand at Wen Shuo and lifted his steps towards the outside.

As soon as he and Wen Shuo appeared, the already heated banquet became even more boisterous.

The striking bright yellow tent at the foot of Fuling Mountain was close at hand. Yuan Shu drove her carriage to the entrance of the paddock. Seeing a line of guards standing around the perimeter, she found the one who looked most like the head and said aloud, "Young Elder Brother, My lady showed up late. I'll have to trouble brother to lead the way."

Xiao He, the deputy commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, had already seen the carriage, which had arrived extraordinarily late. Seeing that the woman driving the carriage was getting close to him with a bold face, he suppressed his eccentric feelings and arched his hand: "May I ask which lady is this, and why is she so late?"

Before the woman outside could reply, a soft voice came from inside: "This lord's name is Ren, she is currently a third-ranking deputy general. This is her first time to participate in the autumn hunt and she is not familiar with the terrain, so she would like to ask the Vice Commander to arrange for his guards to lead the way."

Surname Ren? A third-rank deputy general? Xiao He blinked and froze for a moment before saying, "So it is General Ren who has arrived. Xiao He was unaware of this and he committed a offense."

When he finished, he ordered his guards to lead Ren Anle's carriage in. Without saying a word, but still holding his sword and watching out for the four directions.

The carriage entered from the side road and was led by the guard towards a vacant tent among the courtiers' sons and daughters.

"Miss, I think you should give up on this prince." Yuan Qin's slightly regretful voice rang out from within the carriage, and Yuan Shu, who was wielding the horse whip, had her ears pricked up and concentrated on starting to eavesdrop.

"Oh? Why?"

"He has even considered the possibility of you attending the Autumn Hunt, and has even prepared a large tent for you in advance on the side of the courtiers, so he must be treating you like a subject. He must be treating you like a courtier, and has completely abandoned your fervent desire to marry him. You say, such a difficult and uncooperative wife. Can you make it if you don't give up?"

There was an eerie silence inside the carriage, followed by a sudden burst of wild laughter. Yuan Shu could only hear the voice of her own young lady, who was on the verge of losing her breath from laughing: "Yuan Qin, if you have the ability to say this in front of Han Ye, this master will guarantee that I will snatch back all the ancient chess books you want. Even if they are hidden in the forbidden courtyard of the imperial palace!

Yuan Shu pondered over the conversation between the two women and thought about the expression on that prince's face when he heard the words, and with a laugh, she snorted out loud.

The carriage had fallen under the eyes of everyone from the moment it entered the paddock. The paddock was so noisy that it would not have been easy to notice if it had entered the tent unnoticed, but the fact that it was driven by a woman, and the person who came was obviously a young lady. The guards were leading the carriage towards the young court official was a bit strange. The eerie laughter outside the carriage, which was unpredictable, attracted even more attention.

So when the carriage stopped in front of the vacant tent in the centre on the left in a very casual manner as the crowd in the paddock watched, everyone guessed the identity of the visitor.

There was an eerie silence, and the eager eyes could have drilled a hole in the carriage through the drapery.

Who says that the sons and daughters of the aristocratice family don't have a burning desire to gossip. They just haven't met anyone who can make them do so.

But who is the person inside the carriage?

The Anle fortress lord who begged to marry the crown prince in front of a full court of civil servants. The rebel bandit who could make a child cry. The reckless woman who dared to question the chancellor of Dajing ...... Any name that falls on anyone is enough for that person to make a U-turn in hell, and the only person in the world who is still alive and kicking, I'm afraid, is the woman in the carriage, Ren Anle.

When Han Ye on the platform heard the new. He raised an eyebrow and looked towards the carriage in the middle of the tent. Only to see a dark figure striding openly into the tent, so briefly that he only had time to catch a glimpse of the extremely stern silhouette.

"This person, Ren Anle, is worthy of friendship. Your Highness would be well advised to meet him if you have the opportunity."

A few days ago, at the end of the court, his teacher, who was always above his station, had said this to him　　

Perhaps he should really meet her.

Walking too fast. How can a woman walk like splashing ink and flowing water, so free and unrestrained?

The people in the room swore in their hearts and looked at Ren Anle, who stepped out of the carriage in two or three steps and into the tent with only a glimpse of her back, and all of them gritted their teeth.

Although Ren Anle is a court official, she is also a woman, so it is not convenient for the noblewoman opposite to come and meet her, and it was not possible for the talented men to enter the tent to pay their respects.

When the crowd was anxious, the tent in the brocade tent opposite was lifted and Princess Shaohua was sitting at the top, with a tent of noble women, laughing and talking.

The view was so pleasing to the eye that before the crowd could feel the emotion, a green-clad palace maid had come out of the tent and was heading straight for this side.

The crowd could see clearly that the maid was Princess Shaohua's personal servant, Bi Ling, and following her steps, the crowd's eyes fell back to Ren Anle's tent.

The crown prince's consort is high to sit but Ren Anle was as peaceful as a mountain Tai  that did not appear to be very proper. 

On the high platform, Han Ye frowned slightly and was about to wave his hand to stop the maid when Wen Shuo tugged on his sleeve.

"Your Highness, since she is the woman who dares to ask for your hand in marriage. Why don't you let me see how she will respond."

Han Ye paused and withdrew his hand. A faint smile curling up under his eyes, "That's fine."

Bi Ling marched to the front of the tent and performed the palace salute, her voice polite and detached.

"Miss Ren, my princess has heard of your famous name for a long time and deep regrets that she has not been able to meet you. I would like to ask young miss to move to the tent for a meeting."　　

"Oh? The princess has invited ......"

Before the woman's voice inside the tent had finished, Bi Ling gave another salute. Her clear voice resonating within the paddock.

"Miss is having an audience for the first time. I wonder if you have prepared a meeting gift to pay respect to the princess?"

Princess Shaohua is the pearl of the emperor, and her honour is unparalleled. It is customary to prepare gifts for the first audience with the princess, but on this occasion it was a little harsh.

In any case, Ren Anle was, after all, a third-ranking official of the court.

"Miss Ren has come in a hurry and the princess understands that you are new to the capital and are not familiar with the royal rules, so it is fine if you are not prepared. The young lady can choose one of the guqin, chess, calligraphy and painting, poems and songs[3]. As long as you win the favour of all the ladies, you can enter the tent and see the princess."

[3]文人四友 The Four Friends of the Literati: Qin, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting - In ancient times, playing the qin (mostly refers to playing the guqin), playing chess (mostly refers to Weiqi or Go), calligraphy and painting were skills that literati (including some famous ladies) had to master in order to cultivate themselves. Few  "luxuries" that are the daily companions of Chang'an's elegant people and that are out of reach of others: the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, lyrics and songs. 

After finishing her speech, Bi Ling stood in front of the tent in a beautiful manner.

Inside the tent, Ren Anle dragged her chin and looked across the brocade tent through the thin white veil with her dark pupils unable to see her emotions.

Yuan Qin's face was as normal, but at some point she sat up straighter, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. The woman standing beside her, Yuan Shu, clenched her hands in anger, and a harsh fury swept out from under her eyes.

This royal princess, she has said all the good and bad things. She really thinks that she, Anlezhai, can be bullied.

The crowd looked at the stalemate in front of them and stared at each other.

Who does not know the owner of Anlezhai  is grew up in a wilderness. How could a barbaric place produce a talented and virtuous lady?

The noble ladies of the Imperial City all admire His Highness, the Crown Prince, who is renowned for his virtuousness, and Ren Anle has offended the public and is in danger of being humiliated. If she were to lose face in front of His Highness, she would never again mention the absurdity of becoming the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace! 

The tent was half silent as Wen Shuo on the high platform averted his eyes and took a sip of the wine. The disappointed expression was obvious. Except for Han Ye, whose face was as normal, and the corners of his mouth slightly curled.

"Yuan Shu, open the tent."

The woman's low voice rang out abruptly in the tent, reaching the ears of the crowd with a resounding sound.

The crowd came to life and stared at the tent without blinking.

A pair of hands reached out from the tent and lifted the gauze tent. The young girl who had just driven the carriage stood straight in front of the tent with a cold frown. More imposing than the brocade tent surrounded by the guards and the high platform on which the Crown Prince stood.

The gauze tent was opened, and a scene of the room inside appeared before everyone's eyes.

A young girl in a vivid red jacket is making tea, her face is serene. The sunlight penetrating the gauze tent is printed on her forehead with a kind of quiet beauty and elegance. If we talk about her temperament, she is not inferior to the noble women of the capital sitting in the brocade tent.

The eyes of the crowd followed her hand holding the cup of tea and fell on another person in the tent, and as soon as they raised their eyes, they were all stunned.

In the big tent, a woman dressed in a Xuan clothes and riding attire looks peaceful. Her eyes slightly downcast and her long hair slightly pulled back at the nape of her neck. Sitting lazily, but with a majestic air rarely seen in ordinary women.

With this demeanor, An Le, the Lord of Anlezhai, who grew up in the south of Jin, lived up to her reputation as a frontier girl.

A flash of surprise darted across Han Ye's eyes on the high platform, and then fell silent. Wen Shuo blinked and paused with a  cup of tea in his hand.

Inside the brocade tent, Princess Shaohua's lips were pursed, her heart feeling regret.

The ladies of the aristocratic family sitting at the end of the tent looked at each other, really shocked. They could not have imagined that the famous female bandit Ren Anle had developed such a temperament, but fortunately, her face was still ordinary, otherwise... The ladies secretly glanced at His Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Wen Shuo on the high platform, and breathed a sigh with relief.

At this moment, Bi Ling, who was still standing in front of the tent, was having the hardest time. She glanced carefully at Yuan Shu, who was beside her and full of fury, and had lost all her arrogance just now. A thin cold sweat broke out on her forehead, but she still had the courage to urge, "Miss Ren..."

"Since the princess has given an order, why dare not obey it. However, An Le is not good at poetry and painting. Yuan Qin, you go."

The command sounded suddenly, interrupting Bi Ling's words. The young girl making tea nodded and rose, "Yes, Miss."

Yuan Qin walked slowly out of the big tent and walked to the side of the scholars who gathered to talk about the Book of Songs[4].

[4]诗经 ( shī jīng ) - Shijing, the Book of Songs, early collection of Chinese poems and one of the Five Classics of Confucianism 五经

The sons of the aristocratic family at the side were just now clear-headed. When they saw Yuan Qin coming, they scrambled to give up their seats.

Ren Anle was a general and it makes sense that she was not good at poetry and song, but... could a mere servant girl beside her win the approval of the talented and noble women of the empire?

In the silence, by the time everyone had come to their senses, Yuan Qin was already standing before the desk with her head bowed. With the long brush in her hand, she swayed a lot of ink on paper, and the outline of the scene appear vividly on paper[5]. 

[5]跃然纸上 (yuè rán zhǐ shàng) - to appear vividly on paper (idiom); to show forth vividly (in writing, painting etc); to stand out markedly

"Strange, the young lady's brushwork has the appearance of my Lu School." Someone on the other side of the table giggled. His eyes fell on Yuan Qin's painting, and after a moment of careful examination, he could not help but praise it: "The brushwork is flowing and natural. Such skill at such a young age is truly extraordinary."

The person who said this is Zhao Ming. The son of the Guang Yang Hou family, who had studied under the name of the master of the Lu Shu in Cangzhou since he was a child and became famous at the age of 15. With his words, Yuan Qin's talent will be known far and wide in the imperial capital after today.

As Yuan Qin's brush strokes became faster and faster, there was a flurry of awe among the scholars.

On the scroll, Yuan Qin's brushstrokes are awe-inspiring and integrated with the thousand miles of scenery at the foot of the Fuling Mountains, making her a true master of her craft.

With a small sound of 'ding', Yuan Qin put away her brush. She placed the long brush on the ink stone and bowed towards Zhao Ming: "I had the pleasure of reading Master Lu's painting when I was young, and I was very impressed.

There was a small clink as Yuan Qin put away her brush. She placed the long brush on the ink stone and bowed towards Zhao Ming: "I had the pleasure of reading Master Lu's painting post when I was young, and I was very impressed. Today, I am ashamed to receive young master's praise."

"No, Miss Yuan Qin is tallented and intelligent. If she practice diligently, her painting skills will not be inferior to mine in the future." Zhao Ming hurriedly returned the courtesy and praised her sincerely.

Yuan Qin smiled and nodded. She picked up the scroll and walked back to the tent, ignoring Bi Ling's extended hand to pick up the painting, and placed the painting in front of Ren Anle's table.

Princess Shaohua, who was sitting in the middle of the tent, had a dark face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she held up the porcelain cup in her hand.

The crowd waited for Ren Anle to present the painting to Princess Shaohua so that the farce could be brought to an end.

Instead, she rolled up the painting. She rose abruptly, and walked slowly outside, with the aura of a dragon walking.

"Your Highness, I have not finished my words just now. Although the Princess has summoned me, Ren Anle can hardly comply with her orders."

She walked outside the tent. Her words were addressed to Shaohua, but her eyes fell on Han Ye on the high platform.　　

"Presumptuous. Her Highness has summoned you, How dare you..." Biling scolded in a shrill voice.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Ren Anle lowered her eyes and spoke in a frank voice: "The officials of the court of Dajing are loyal to the emperor and protect the crown prince, but I didn't know that since when the princess had the power to control the officials of the court. I didn't know that a mere maid at her side could play with a third-ranking official as if she were in the palm of her hand!"

"You, you... actually presume to talk about the princess." Under Ren Anle's monstrous aura, Bi Ling shivered before she could finish her sentence.

"What about the princess? It is an iron law in Great Jing that the harem must not interfere with politics. Your Highness, is what Anle said correct?"

Ren Anle suddenly raised her head and stared at Han Ye on the high platform.

There was a dead silence as the crowd looked towards the woman standing tall in the middle of the paddock, questioning aloud, and sighed in nothing but disbelief.

The royal family was as noble as the heavens. Princess Shaohua is known to be domineering and arrogant, but no one in the entire empire dared to question the royal family as Ren Anle did.

Under the attention of the crowd, Han Ye slowly rose up, and a light seemed to emerge under his eyes.

The teacher's words are indeed true. This person, Ren Anle, is either extremely arrogant or extremely intelligent.

If Shaohua really bears her words. Even with the blessing of her father, she would have lost the hearts of all the courtiers of Dajing.

"What General Ren said... is not wrong. The general is an official of the court, so it is enough for her to be loyal to the emperor and do her duty as a minister. Shaohua, apologise to General Ren."

"Imperial brother!" Shaohua looked ashamed and indignant, but when she met Han Ye's sunken eyes, she finally reluctantly raised her hand in the direction of Ren Anle: "General Ren, what Shaohua said was just a joke. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is benevolent. An Le will naturally give His Highness face." Ren Anle waved her hand in the direction of the brocade tent with full concern, still staring straight at Han Ye.

Shao Hua's face changed and she looked at Ren Anle with shame and anger in her eyes.

As the crowd watched Ren Anle's interested look at His Highness, they sighed in their hearts: This female bandit had travelled thousands of miles, and it seemed that she was really only after His Highness.

"Your Highness is  impartial and willing to hear this humble servant's words. Ren Anle has engrave five sense within. There is a gift of thanks, and she hope that His Highness kindly accept it.

"Oh? Is it the painting in General Ren's hand?" Han Ye raised his eyebrows.

"This is one of them."

Ren Anle inserted the scroll into her waist. When she put her palms together to make a sound, a horse came running from outside the paddock. With a flick of her sleeve, Ren Anle leapt on top of the stallion.

The sharpness of her stance caused the crowd of scholars to applaud, and even Wen Shuo raised his eyes to stare at the distant figure.

"Let me borrow your bow and arrows."

Leaping over the place of the scholars, Ren Anle casually rolled up a pair of bows and arrows  and ran towards the paddock in the direction from which the geese were flying.

When the crowd looked back, Ren Anle had already sprinted a hundred metres and was shooting an arrow into the sky with his bow forming a full moon.

There was a loud swoosh and the geese. The arrow fell to the ground with the geese.

The crowd rose up and gasped in amazement. They were dumbfounded.

They can't believe she have killed three birds with one arrow. It's truly a miraculous skill.

Ren Anle reached out to catch the fallen goose. She held the reins and turned back. It was only a matter of moments before she stepped out from her horse.

The horse galloped, but did not stop at the entrance to the paddock amidst the applause of the crowd, but rushed straight towards the big tent in the middle.

The guards were too frightened to stop them, but they could only watch as the woman and the horse drew closer and closer to the royal platform where the Prince was standing.

A dead silence fell over the paddock.

"His Royal Highness." Wen Shuo's expression changed and he wanted to stand in front of the Crown Prince.

"No need." Han Ye pushed him away. He waved his hand at the assembled guards, and raised his eyes to look straight ahead.

Under the scorching sun, the woman in Xuan clothes as powerful as a rainbow.  a touch of pride between her eyebrows, as if she could defy the heavens.

The fierce horse neighed. At the moment of time, he squinted and watched her hold the reins tightly and stop in front of him, at the same height as him.

The distance of half a foot away. Abrupt and warm to the touch.

Han Ye looked down and a bony hand holding a scroll together landed into his palm.

He raised his head and bumped into a pair of smiling eyes.

"Jinan Ren Anle, meet His Highness the Crown Prince."

T/N:

First meeting did not disappoint 

Hoping the drama will perfectly capture this scenario.

I can't wait to read Ren Anle's pov.