CH 53

Snow fell for two or three days before it stopped.

Rong Xia’s chair was padded with a soft cushion embroidered with rounded ‘fortune’ words, he was silently letting the Grand Princess assessed him.

“Honoured guest at our door, what is the reason of Count Rong’s visit?” The tea besides her hand was emitting steam, the Grand Princess’ face was rosy. She was sitting upright with polite smile that lacked intimacy.

“Wanbei is here to greet Your Highness.” Rong Xia took a sip of tea. It was the exclusive tea for the royal family, only two catties of it produced every year.

“Thank you Count Rong,” The Grand Princess gave him a slightly impersonal smile, “Bengong is fine.”

” Wanbei is relieved that Your Highness is well.” Rong Xia put his cup down on the tea table, “Wanbei heard this kind of tea is not good for stomach, it is better for Your Highness to drink less of it.”

T/N – Remember Rong Xia and Du Jiu were talking about the Grand Princess’ medicine.

The Grand Princess’ eyes instantly turned stern. Her eyes lingered on Rong Xia for a moment as the smile slowly faded, “Count Rong worries a lot.”

“Wanbei’s Father and Mother passed early, Brother has also passed. Wanbei has noone, so wanbei has developed a worrying nature.” Rong Xia’s eyes lowered, his head slightly bowed, looking very respectful.

The Grand Princess saw his attitude, she smiled lightly, “It is said that worrying people are calm and steady. Is Count Rong a steady person?”

Rong Xia cupped his fist towards the Grand Princess, “Naturally wanbei is.”

“Say it.” The Grand Princess said it plainly, “Master Count is here today, for what purpose?”

“Your Highness, wanbei would like to know the reason of wanbei’s parents’ death.”

Sunlight shone through the window lattice, the Grand Princess’ eyelids slightly trembled, she wiped the corner of her mouth, “Bengong doesn’t know what you mean.”

“Wanbei thinks Your Highness knows.” Rong Xia looked at the Grand Princess, refusing to be deterred.

The Grand Princess looked at the outstanding young man in front of her, her mind entered into a slight trance as if she had been looking at Lin-shi. Decades ago Lin-shi had also looked at her the same way.

—

Lin-shi’s birth mother was the Grand Princess’ younger sister who was born by a cairen. Lin-shi’s mother was implicated in the struggle for the throne, reduced to be a commoner after getting married, and later committed suicide.

* cairen 才人 (lit. Talented Person) = one of the lower ranks of imperial concubines.

Lin-shi didn’t have a good life in Lin family. Everyone knew the previous emperor disliked the officials and princesses who had helped his brothers, so the royal blood flowing in Lin-shi’s veins didn’t earn her a good treatment in the family. But Lin-shi was born extremely beautiful and was excellent in painting and calligraphy, the previous Count Cheng’an proposed to her to be his wife.

By right, the Grand Princess was Lin-shi’s maternal aunt, but as Lin-shi’s birth mother was a commoner after getting expelled from the royal family, so Lin-shi could only call her the Grand Princess.

However, it was exactly because Lin-shi’s birth mother was disliked by the previous emperor, so Lin-shi’s son was valued by the current His Majesty. Noone was clearer than the Grand Princess that there was nothing like a father-son relationship between the previous emperor and the current emperor, it was more like hatred. After the current Emperor rose to the throne, he had vindicated people castigated by the previous emperor, and thus had earned himself a reputation of being benevolent.

By calling himself ‘wanbei’ today, Rong Xia likely intended to remind her that his maternal grandmother was the Grand Princess’ younger stepsister, even if this stepsister’s name had been removed from the royal family tree.

T/N – A summary of the relation between the Grand Princess and Rong Xia is at the bottom.

—

The room was quiet for a long time until the Grand Princess could no longer resisted coughing a few times, her coughs broke the dead silence in the room.

“Your Highness.” Chang-momo worriedly came up.

“Retreat.” The Grand Princess wiped the corner of her mouth, her lips were as red as if bleeding. Chang-momo looked at Rong Xia, but she could only withdrew as the Grand Princess looked resolute.

“Lin-shi died of yearning.” The Grand Princess’ tone was calm, “Red beans grew yearning, yearning broke one’s life.”

Rong Xia’s eyelids trembled, “Who was it?”

The Grand Princess returned the question, “Bengong thinks you understand.”

Rong Xia was silent for some time, “If that’s the case, why spared me?”

The Grand Princess’ sight slowly swept on Rong Xia’s figure. She suddenly laughed, “The current emperor grew up under my eyes, the person is outwardly benevolent and inwardly vicious. He has however, a trait which could be either good or bad, the trait that most of Jiang royal family have, which is the love of beauty.”

“Men or women doesn’t matter. As long as the person is good looking, they will rouse that rare feeling of compassion.” The Grand Princess smiled with a hint of mockery, “You survive, because you are talented, you are smart, and….. you look good.”

In the Grand Princess’ eyes Rong Xia was indeed good-looking. There was almost noone to compare with in the whole Capital.

“Your Highness,” Rong Xia suddenly looked at her, “Do you ever regret it?”

“Noone born in the royal family has the right to that word.” The Grand Princess indifferently lifted her tea cup. Without a care of whether she could drink it or not, she lowered her head to take a sip. “If bengong had not been careful in each step, bengong would have ended like your grandmother.”

The Grand Princess’ expression was placid, as if all those deaths and schemings in the past had washed away with the passing of time and did not affect her in any way.

“Many thanks to Your Highness for telling wanbei all these.” Rong Xia stood up, gave the Grand Princess a deep bow, “Please take good care of your health, Jingting establishment still needs you.”

“Bengong can’t protect them.” The Grand Princess watched the young man who was performing a salute to her. She abruptly said, “By right you should call me Grand Aunt.”

She slowly rose, took out an unassuming small box from the drawer next to her and handed it to Rong Xia, “You have grown up, bengong has never given you a gift. Take this as bengong’s meeting gift.”

Rong Xia didn’t accept the wooden box, he asked, “What does Your Highness wish for wanbei to do?”

“What to do?” The Grand Princess laughed, it was a somewhat strange laugh, “Bengong doesn’t need you to do anything. Bengong was prepared to bring this thing into the grave, but as you are here now, then it is fated to be with you.”

Rong Xia took the box, earnestly said, “In the future, wanbei will take good care of Jingting establishment.”

“Good child.” The Grand Princess lightly patted Rong Xia’s shoulder.

The movement was light, but Rong Xia felt the weight.

“No need.” The Grand Princess seemed relieved. “Everyone has their own fate. You can protect them for a moment, but you can’t protect them a lifetime.”

“Before passing, bengong will give them the last protection talisman.”

Rong Xia held onto the box tightly, “Wanbei is willing to lend a hand.”

The Grand Princess smiled without a word. She opened the window, very carefully scrutinised the young man, then slowly waved her hand, “You can go back.”

Rong Xia felt his mood was strange. There was joy, but there was also sadness. As he walked passed the door, he turned back to look.

The Grand Princess stood in front of the window. Sunlight fell on her figure, she was looking as compassionate as a female deity in the temple. Rong Xia couldn’t help to think, a few decades ago, what a charming woman she had been?

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—

On the day the snow stopped falling, Ban Hua got up a little later than usual. By the time she finished freshening up, the sun was already halfway up in the sky. The garden had been swept clean by the servants that even icycles on tree branches had all been shaken down.

“Junzhu,” A momo entered, “Shizi invites you to the main hall, a guest has come.”

Ban Hua was a little surprised, what guest to meet her?

In the main hall, Ban Hua saw the one sitting next to Ban Heng was Rong Xia.

“Count Rong?”

“Junzhu.” Rong Xia stood up to salute her, “Thank you for lending me the umbrella two days ago.”

Lending? Ban Hua was startled, wasn’t the umbrella given to him, how has it turned to lending?

After a few words of small talk, Rong Xia handed the umbrella to Ban Hua and apologised, “The pendant on the handle has fallen somewhere, zaixia is guilty so I have replaced it with a new pendant.”

Only then Ban Hua noticed the red gem pendant on the handle has turned into a jade peony. The jade peony was so beautifully carved that Ban Hua liked it at once, “Count Rong is too polite, it’s just a pendant.”

“Junzhu was very kind to lend me the silk umbrella. It’s zaixia’s fault for losing the pendant.” Rong Xia’s smile widened, “It is good that Junzhu likes it.”

Ban Heng on the side watched his sister and Count Cheng’an talking happily with an indifferent expression. He took a sip of tea for the lack of things to do. What was Count Rong doing?

“Shizi,” As if he’d had an eye at the back of his head, Rong Xia knew Ban Heng was idling and started to talk with him, “A few days ago a guard obtained a fighting rooster from somewhere, he said it is for me to play. But I don’t know how to play or what to do with it. I heard Shizi has a taste for cockfighting, how if zaixia sends the rooster here? If you don’t accept it, zaixia can only have the kitchen prepare a chicken stew.”

As soon as he heard fighting rooster, Ban Heng instantly nodded, “Please don’t make chicken stew, this kind of rooster worths over hundred liangs. Just send it over, I guarantee I can make it strong and shiny, invicible all over the Capital!”

“Then I am grateful to Shizi.” Rong Xia’s face displayed some relief. This expression made Ban Heng greatly pleased. Who said he, this wastrel, was useless? Hasn’t he just solved a problem for Rong Xia?

People always see others through a filter, this wasn’t a good habit.

“Right, Sis. Aren’t you planning to visit Grandmother today?” Bang Heng looked at the sky outside, “It’s almost noon now, why are you not going yet?”

“Last night Grandmother’s personal momo came, she said Grandmother is going to the Palace today so I should not visit.” Ban Hua was a bit helpless, “I have gathered some good things for Grandmother, I was going to give to her.”

“Why not just wait until Grandmother is back?” Ban Heng knew that recently whenever Ban Hua had spare time, she loved to go to the Grand Princess’ residence. “I will go with you after lunch.”

“En.” Ban Hua nodded, her fingers idly played with the jade peony pendant on the umbrella’s handle.

“Such a coincidence.” Rong Xia suddenly spoke, “This morning zaixia was at the Grand Princess’s place. No wonder the Grand Princess was dressed up, so it was for the Palace.”

“You met Grandmother?” Ban Hua turned her head at him, curiously asked, “Then how come Grandmother is not meeting me?”

“Probably because zaixia would stay for only a little while?” Rong Xia laughed, “Her Highness the Grand Princess loves Junzhu so much. If you are there, the Senior wouldn’t feel like going to the Palace anymore.”

“Is it so?” Ban Hua stroke her chin, she stood up, “It is fine. I’ll go to the Palace too. Last time at His Majesty’s birthday, I was not able to chat with the Empress niangniang.”

As a Junzhu favoured by the Emperor and the Empress, Ban Hua had the right to enter the Palace any time. It was only after she reached the age of fifteen that she had deliberately reduced the frequency of her visits.

“Zaixia also has a matter to meet with His Majesty. If Junzhu doesn’t mind, zaixia would like to go together.”