CH 22

───※ ·· ※───

"What are you doing?" Ban Hua was lying on the soft couch, with a maidservant massaging her head when Ban Heng rushed in crying and howling. The cries and howls scared the maid, which made her lose control over her strength and pull a little too hard.

"Princess," the little maid turned pale with fright. She looked at Ban Hua in a panic, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.

"You all go out ." Ban Hua turned her head and glanced at the frightened little maid. "It's okay, you are not to be blamed."

"Princess, thanks." When the little maid followed behind the others to get out, her hands were still shaking. She looked down at the few hair strands tangled in the palm of her hand and only felt that her Junzhu was kind and had no shortcomings.

"Yuzhu, you have been serving with the princess for a year or two. Why are you still so scared?" Another servant who came towards her held her wrist and chuckled, "It seems that the princess will fight with Young Master again later."

"Don't talk nonsense. They are Master’s matter, how can we subordinates talk nonsense in private?" Yuzhu hurriedly tugged at her wrist, "If the butler hears you, your silver will definitely be deducted."

The little girl stopped her mouth in a hurry, turned her head, and looked around a few times. After seeing that the housekeeper near them, she was relieved.

In the yard, Ban Hua sat up from the couch, with her loose hair hanging behind, "After being discovered by Count Cheng An, didn't you say you would never do anything so stupid again?"

"We won't always be discovered by Count Cheng An." Ban Heng said brazenly, "How many times have I spoken impulsively, don't take it seriously. Sister, shall we go bury the money tomorrow morning?"

"You go by yourself," Ban Hua laid back on her couch, "It's so cold in the morning, I don't want to get up."

"Well... then let's go at night and stay in the outskirts of the village at night. Let's not come back to the city," Ban Heng thought for a while and spoke again, "It's not safe to go out at night. Then, how about we go in the evening. If we can't keep up with the curfew, we will stay in Biezhuang for one night. What do you think?"

Ban Hua was silent for a moment: "Go and call the maids who are standing outside. "

"Why do you call them?" Ban Heng puzzled.

"If I don't call them. Will you comb my hair?" Ban Hua stood up, "Let's wait to tell my mother, and we"ll talk."

"Okay!" Ban Heng nodded happily, and called the maids in."Sister, then I will go and clean up."

Ban Hua ignored him and just sat on the sofa again. Looking at the white jade bracelet on her wrist, she sighed. She worried that with her brother's mind, five years later, he would have forgotten where they had buried things.

The maids filed in, waiting for Ban Hua to comb her hair and change clothes. One by one, she wore clothes that took more than a month of embroidering to make, hairpins, jade pendants, bracelets that ordinary people can’t afford in a lifetime, and pearls that were placed in the corners of the box like discarded stones, waiting for the occasional luck from the owner.

Ban Hua gently tapped lipstick with her fingertips and rubbed it on her lips. After seeing her lips become smooth and moist, she stood up with satisfaction and walked towards the main courtyard.

Although Count Cheng An was injured which made Ban Huai feel a little guilty, in general, Ban Huai was in a good mood. As he walked into the second door and saw his charming and lively daughter, the smile on his face became a little brighter: "Daughter."

"Father," Ban Hua greeted Ban Huai as she trotted to him. "You are smiling so happily, what happened?"

Ban Huai couldn't hide anything in front of her daughter, so he naturally told Ban Hua everything that happened in court today. Finally, in the end, he sighed: "Count Cheng An is really a kind man."

"Xie Chongjin was really sent to jail?" Ban Hua's mood was a bit complicated. Could it be that Xie Chongjin is the one who rebels in the future, but where does he come from? He is not as well-known as Count Cheng An among literary families and does not hold prestige among the generals. He can not cause any miracles. Could he really be the son of heaven in the future by inciting people to follow him to fight?

Seeing that his daughter hadn't spoken for a long time, Ban Huai looked at her incomprehensibly: "Good girl, why are you not talking?"

"Father, you say...Should we kill him?" Ban Hua looked at Ban Huai and said in a quiet whispering voice. It sounded a bit creepy.

"Who are you going to kill?" Ban Huai was taken aback by his daughter's words, "Good girl, you have a grudge against Xie Chongjin?"

"No. " Ban Hua whispered, "I was worried he is "that" person."

"Can't be" Ban Huai couldn't believe it, "Do you think Count Zhongping can raise a son who can do such things?"

Ban Hua was speechless. She knocked on her head: " It's my fault. I almost forgot."

"It's okay. Your father, I, also can't remember anything. You take after me after all" Ban Huai patted Ban Hua's head comfortingly, "Go, let's find your mother."

In Count Cheng An’s residence, Rong Xia watched his bruising arm. Then slowly put down his sleeves to cover the strong smell of medicine and wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. Facing the guard standing in front of him, he said "The weather of autumn is just right. It's a good time to climb the mountain."

"Yes, Count"

Rong Xia picked up the book on the table. As he was about to read the first page, the housekeeper hurried over.

"Count, Marquis Jinting's estate has sent a thank you gift."

"Thank you?" Rong Xia hadn't expected the people from Marquis Jinting's estate to be so polite. He put down the book and took a look at the gift. There were all kinds of tonics in it, as well as several boxes of good healing medicine, and ....a box of green Longjing cake?

The housekeeper took a food box from the young man behind him, and said with a subtle expression: "The person sent by Marquis Jingting's estate said that the contents of this box cannot be kept for long."

"Bring it to me."Count replied.

The housekeeper placed the food box in front of Rong Xia. He opened the lid of the box. There was a green porcelain cup placed inside. Twelve light green pastries were neatly placed in the cup. The pastries were shining and looked very soft and lovely. It was very cute and seemed to exude a faint fragrance.

Seeing these twelve dim sums, Rong Xia couldn't help but chuckle. He said to the housekeeper: "Go and thank the person who gave the gift personally. Don't neglect."

"Yes."  The housekeeper felt that the people in Marquis Jingting's estate were a little out of tune. When they send snacks as a gift to people, weren't they worried that some narrow-minded people might think Marquis Jingting's estate was looking down on them thinking they were someone who could not even afford a plate of snacks?

There was no difference between the taste of the dim sum from this time and the last time, but it might be because no one was looking at him reluctantly as he was eating that he felt it was not as delicious as last time. After eating two pieces, Rong Xiao put down his chopsticks and returned to continue reading.

The next morning, Ban Heng woke up early. He collected everything that he could from the east to the west. He searched for silver and small things that were valuable but did not take up space and put them into a disguised sandbag. Thanks to his sister's daily toil, he felt he could finally be able to carry these two sandbags weighing tens of kilograms up the mountain in one breath.

Carrying sandbags once now will save you from carrying a lot of sandbags in the future. He can do this! He thought.

"Junzhu, the young master came to ask several times this morning if you had gotten up," Ruyi waiting for Ban Hua to finish washing asked with some humor in her voice, "Do you want to send someone to tell young master now?"

"No," Ban Hua wiped her hands, and said, "It's time to sharpen his temper."

"Yes." Ruyi responded with a smile, and asked the other maids to take the water out, "What hairstyle do you want to have today?"

"I'm going out today and staying with father in Biezhuang tonight. You and Jixiang help me clean up." Ban Hua sat in front of the bronze mirror and looked at her face in the mirror. In the golden autumn season, it's best to wear red flower jewelry.

After lunch, Ban Huai took Ban Heng and Ban Hua out of the house on the grounds of taking his children to play in Biezhuang in the suburbs.

As she was passing by a clothing store on horseback, she was met with the sight of a man who walked out of the store.

This man looked very outstanding, with a long jade-like body, a grand robe, and green silk tied with the jade crown. He seemed very upright and energetic. The only imperfection was the silver mask on the man's face which just covered the upper left part of his face.

Seeing Ban Hua, the man stopped. The expression on his face seemed skeptical, guilty, and a little evasive.

───※ ·· ※───

"What are you doing?" Ban Hua was lying on the soft couch, with a maidservant massaging her head when Ban Heng rushed in crying and howling. The cries and howls scared the maid, which made her lose control over her strength and pull a little too hard.

"Princess," the little maid turned pale with fright. She looked at Ban Hua in a panic, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.

"You all go out ." Ban Hua turned her head and glanced at the frightened little maid. "It's okay, you are not to be blamed."

"Princess, thanks." When the little maid followed behind the others to get out, her hands were still shaking. She looked down at the few hair strands tangled in the palm of her hand and only felt that her Junzhu was kind and had no shortcomings.

"Yuzhu, you have been serving with the princess for a year or two. Why are you still so scared?" Another servant who came towards her held her wrist and chuckled, "It seems that the princess will fight with Young Master again later."

"Don't talk nonsense. They are Master’s matter, how can we subordinates talk nonsense in private?" Yuzhu hurriedly tugged at her wrist, "If the butler hears you, your silver will definitely be deducted."

The little girl stopped her mouth in a hurry, turned her head, and looked around a few times. After seeing that the housekeeper near them, she was relieved.

In the yard, Ban Hua sat up from the couch, with her loose hair hanging behind, "After being discovered by Count Cheng An, didn't you say you would never do anything so stupid again?"

"We won't always be discovered by Count Cheng An." Ban Heng said brazenly, "How many times have I spoken impulsively, don't take it seriously. Sister, shall we go bury the money tomorrow morning?"

"You go by yourself," Ban Hua laid back on her couch, "It's so cold in the morning, I don't want to get up."

"Well... then let's go at night and stay in the outskirts of the village at night. Let's not come back to the city," Ban Heng thought for a while and spoke again, "It's not safe to go out at night. Then, how about we go in the evening. If we can't keep up with the curfew, we will stay in Biezhuang for one night. What do you think?"

Ban Hua was silent for a moment: "Go and call the maids who are standing outside. "

"Why do you call them?" Ban Heng puzzled.

"If I don't call them. Will you comb my hair?" Ban Hua stood up, "Let's wait to tell my mother, and we"ll talk."

"Okay!" Ban Heng nodded happily, and called the maids in."Sister, then I will go and clean up."

Ban Hua ignored him and just sat on the sofa again. Looking at the white jade bracelet on her wrist, she sighed. She worried that with her brother's mind, five years later, he would have forgotten where they had buried things.

The maids filed in, waiting for Ban Hua to comb her hair and change clothes. One by one, she wore clothes that took more than a month of embroidering to make, hairpins, jade pendants, bracelets that ordinary people can’t afford in a lifetime, and pearls that were placed in the corners of the box like discarded stones, waiting for the occasional luck from the owner.

Ban Hua gently tapped lipstick with her fingertips and rubbed it on her lips. After seeing her lips become smooth and moist, she stood up with satisfaction and walked towards the main courtyard.

Although Count Cheng An was injured which made Ban Huai feel a little guilty, in general, Ban Huai was in a good mood. As he walked into the second door and saw his charming and lively daughter, the smile on his face became a little brighter: "Daughter."

"Father," Ban Hua greeted Ban Huai as she trotted to him. "You are smiling so happily, what happened?"

Ban Huai couldn't hide anything in front of her daughter, so he naturally told Ban Hua everything that happened in court today. Finally, in the end, he sighed: "Count Cheng An is really a kind man."

"Xie Chongjin was really sent to jail?" Ban Hua's mood was a bit complicated. Could it be that Xie Chongjin is the one who rebels in the future, but where does he come from? He is not as well-known as Count Cheng An among literary families and does not hold prestige among the generals. He can not cause any miracles. Could he really be the son of heaven in the future by inciting people to follow him to fight?

Seeing that his daughter hadn't spoken for a long time, Ban Huai looked at her incomprehensibly: "Good girl, why are you not talking?"

"Father, you say...Should we kill him?" Ban Hua looked at Ban Huai and said in a quiet whispering voice. It sounded a bit creepy.

"Who are you going to kill?" Ban Huai was taken aback by his daughter's words, "Good girl, you have a grudge against Xie Chongjin?"

"No. " Ban Hua whispered, "I was worried he is "that" person."

"Can't be" Ban Huai couldn't believe it, "Do you think Count Zhongping can raise a son who can do such things?"

Ban Hua was speechless. She knocked on her head: " It's my fault. I almost forgot."

"It's okay. Your father, I, also can't remember anything. You take after me after all" Ban Huai patted Ban Hua's head comfortingly, "Go, let's find your mother."

"Father, Are you back?" Ban Heng saw Ban Huai come in and got up from the chair, "Mother was worried you hadn't come back when it's already so late."

"Something happened in the court today," Ban Huai told his wife and children what happened in the court, again, "It's also my fault. I was not careful enough and involved Count Cheng An. Madam, what do you think we should send as a gift of thanks? "

In Count Cheng An’s residence, Rong Xia watched his bruising arm. Then slowly put down his sleeves to cover the strong smell of medicine and wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. Facing the guard standing in front of him, he said "The weather of autumn is just right. It's a good time to climb the mountain."

"Yes, Count"

Rong Xia picked up the book on the table. As he was about to read the first page, the housekeeper hurried over.

"Count, Marquis Jinting's estate has sent a thank you gift."

"Thank you?" Rong Xia hadn't expected the people from Marquis Jinting's estate to be so polite. He put down the book and took a look at the gift. There were all kinds of tonics in it, as well as several boxes of good healing medicine, and ....a box of green Longjing cake?

The housekeeper took a food box from the young man behind him, and said with a subtle expression: "The person sent by Marquis Jingting's estate said that the contents of this box cannot be kept for long."

"Bring it to me."Count replied.

The housekeeper placed the food box in front of Rong Xia. He opened the lid of the box. There was a green porcelain cup placed inside. Twelve light green pastries were neatly placed in the cup. The pastries were shining and looked very soft and lovely. It was very cute and seemed to exude a faint fragrance.

Seeing these twelve dim sums, Rong Xia couldn't help but chuckle. He said to the housekeeper: "Go and thank the person who gave the gift personally. Don't neglect."

"Yes."  The housekeeper felt that the people in Marquis Jingting's estate were a little out of tune. When they send snacks as a gift to people, weren't they worried that some narrow-minded people might think Marquis Jingting's estate was looking down on them thinking they were someone who could not even afford a plate of snacks?

There was no difference between the taste of the dim sum from this time and the last time, but it might be because no one was looking at him reluctantly as he was eating that he felt it was not as delicious as last time. After eating two pieces, Rong Xiao put down his chopsticks and returned to continue reading.

The next morning, Ban Heng woke up early. He collected everything that he could from the east to the west. He searched for silver and small things that were valuable but did not take up space and put them into a disguised sandbag. Thanks to his sister's daily toil, he felt he could finally be able to carry these two sandbags weighing tens of kilograms up the mountain in one breath.

Carrying sandbags once now will save you from carrying a lot of sandbags in the future. He can do this! He thought.

"Junzhu, the young master came to ask several times this morning if you had gotten up," Ruyi waiting for Ban Hua to finish washing asked with some humor in her voice, "Do you want to send someone to tell young master now?"

"No," Ban Hua wiped her hands, and said, "It's time to sharpen his temper."

"Yes." Ruyi responded with a smile, and asked the other maids to take the water out, "What hairstyle do you want to have today?"

"I'm going out today and staying with father in Biezhuang tonight. You and Jixiang help me clean up." Ban Hua sat in front of the bronze mirror and looked at her face in the mirror. In the golden autumn season, it's best to wear red flower jewelry.

After lunch, Ban Huai took Ban Heng and Ban Hua out of the house on the grounds of taking his children to play in Biezhuang in the suburbs.

As she was passing by a clothing store on horseback, she was met with the sight of a man who walked out of the store.

This man looked very outstanding, with a long jade-like body, a grand robe, and green silk tied with the jade crown. He seemed very upright and energetic. The only imperfection was the silver mask on the man's face which just covered the upper left part of his face.

Seeing Ban Hua, the man stopped. The expression on his face seemed skeptical, guilty, and a little evasive.

An outstanding, masked man is always noticeable in the crowd. He saw Ban Hua, and naturally, Ban Hua also saw him.

The two looked at each other, but there were no words to say.

Two years ago, they were still about to get married. However, Xie Qilin escaped from marriage for a woman from a brothel, and she was ridiculed by the world. This was the biggest disgrace in Ban Hua's life.

Oh, how did she scold at the time?

She said: She looks so beautiful. Is this man blind to elope with a so-called queen of flowers(1)?

It seems that she was right in scolding him two years ago. This man was really blind.

"Drive!" Ban Hua glanced at the man condescendingly and rode away without hesitation.

In the beginning, you were so affectionate, why did you abandon that poor woman in the dust? For the sake of wealth and glory? Because you can't stand the scolding of the world, can't stand to leave a luxury life with servants serving you? Pity that women, who thought that she had found life-long support, what she had found was nothing but a useless good.

Xie Qilin stood there blankly, looking at the purple-clothed woman on the white horse. He stroked his silver mask on his face and closed his eyes.

Notes :1. Queen of flowers-nickname for a courtesan.Courtesan - a prostitute, especially one with wealthy or upper-class clients