CH 63

Spring has arrived and everything came back alive, the weather had gradually warming up after the spring rain. The Capital residents replaced their thick winter clothing with the more stylish spring attires. Ban Hua and Rong Xia walked down the streets together with a half step distance kept between them. Watching people around them coming and going, Ban Hua started to feel revived along with them.

“Silk flowers for sale, the most trendy silk flowers in the Capital this year, five wen a piece. Would you like one, young lady?”

Ban Hua paused to look at the old woman at the corner of the street. Her grizzled white hair was wrapped with a piece of old and worn blue cloth. The basket in her hand was blackened of long use, it was half filled with roughly made silk flowers. There was obviously nothing trendy about the flowers, even rough-jobs maids in the Ducal house wouldn’t wear this.

At first the old woman wanted to persuade Ban Hua to buy a piece of flower, but then she saw that even though Ban Hua only wore a silver hairpin and a plain cotton dress but her whole person exudes nobility, and the man next to her was clad in a set of distinguished attire. The old woman knew her flowers wouldn’t enter her eyes.

But the lively miss came near herself, and only then the old woman’s muddy eyes saw that the silver hairpin on the young lady’s hair was exquisitely crafted, it was not some ordinary item.

Ban Hua saw the silk flowers in the basket were of bright colours so she couldn’t wear it. She bought two pieces and turned to Rong Xia, “Come, lower your head.”

Rong Xia knew what she intended to do, he turned around and tried to run, but Ban Hua grabbed his sleeve. Under the violent oppression, two large-sized and fiercely-red flowers perched on the two sides of his hair crown, one on the left and one on the right.

The attendants from both the Count and the Ducal residences could barely hold their laughters.

The old woman smiled widely to see Ban Hua and Rong Xia that way, she said amiably, “Gongzi and esteemed Furen are so affectionate.” Only after spoken that she noticed Ban Hua’s hair was still styled as as unmarried lady, she hurriedly apologised, “My old eyes aren’t clear, I have spoken wrongly, hope Gongzi and Miss don’t mind.”

“Not a problem.” Rong Xia smiled at Ban Hua, the red flowers on his head swayed, “She is my future wife.”

The old woman smiled to hear it, “Wish you two a hundred years in harmony, and children to come soon.”

“Thank you.” Rong Xia took out a piece of broken silver and put it in the old woman’s hand, “Can I buy all of these flowers?”

“This is too much….. can’t, I can’t accept it.” The old woman waved her hands, “This basket of mine is not worth much.”

“It is fine.” Rong Xia gestured to a guard to take the basket in the old woman’s hand, “Farewell.”

“Many thanks, many thanks.” The old woman thanked Rong Xia repeatedly. She was still wishing them well even after they had gone far.

“Hey.” Ban Hua was smiling as she pointed at the top of Rong Xia’s head, “Are you really going to wear this to eat noodles?”

“If Hua Hua likes, I can wear it.” Rong Xia stopped walking and turned to face Ban Hua, his eyes were full of indulgence.

Ban Hua could hardly resist such looks, and on top of it, the other person was looking at her with such tender expression. She coughed drily, “Better take them off.”

Rong Xia lowered his head in front of her, “Then I have to trouble Hua Hua.”

Ban Hua picked out the flowers and put them into the basket in the hand of the guard, she slyly laughed, “Rong-gongzi, xiao nǚzi is of similar age with you. For what reason that Rong-gongzi bows to me?”

* xiao nǚzi 小女子 = This Little Woman. Ban Hua was joking by calling herself humbly.

Rong Xia wasn’t angry with her teasing, he took a step back and bowed deeply at Ban Hua, “This Young Lady is zaixia‘s future wife. Bowing to my young lady, I gladly endure.”

T/N – He used the term 小娘子 which means young lady, but 娘子 could also be an address to one’s wife.

Ban Hua instantly blushed. It should be illegal for a good looking man to be also good at talking, such a man was too irresistible.

Even in a bustling and noisy street, a pair of a handsome man and a beautiful woman with smiles on their faces easily attracted attention

Xie Qilin unconsciously halted when he saw the pair of man and woman not far away who kept laughing and blushing one after another. He had never expected someone like Rong Junpo would let a woman messed with his hair. For a man, his head was not something that others could touch, let alone by a woman.

A proper and elegant gongzi had let a woman stuck cheap silk flowers on his head right in the middle of a busy street, wasn’t it an attack to his male pride?

But when the woman turned, Xie Qilin was stumped. Ban Hua?

How did Ban Hua and Rong Xia get to walk together? The two continued walking followed by their guards. Shocked in the heart, Xie Qilin followed behind for some reasons he himself didn’t understand.

“The Taoist priest was injured?” Ban Hua followed behind Rong Xia, she couldn’t help but stare as she listened to the thrilling and bizarre story, “Then how was it later? Did his senior brother come to his rescue, or his senior sister?”

“It was his fiancée,” Rong Xia saw the guard behind made an a subtle gesture, he glanced to the back, then continued with a smile at Ban Hua, “When his fiancée arrived, Tian Mountain was snowing heavily and the ground was white ……”

“Wait!” Ban Hua looked at Rong Xia in confusion, “A Taoist priest can also have a fiancee?”

“Certainly. There are different schools of Taoism, some of which allow marriage,” Rong Xia saw a carriage was coming from their front, he reached out to lightly put his arms around Ban Hua, “Be careful.”

“I am fine,” Ban Hua saw the carriage had Hui-wang Residence insignia with a white cloth tied to it. She looked curiously at the carriage.

It stopped in front of her, the curtain lifted to reveal Kangning Junzhu in a sackcloth mourning dress.

“Greetings Fule Junzhu, Count Cheng’an. Please forgive me for not coming closer as I am still in mourning.” Kangning nodded to the two as if she was not curious at how they were together, a polite smile was on her pale face.

Ban Hua returned the salutation, “Junzhu has become more slender, please take care to have more rest.” She didn’t like this family very much, but such a delicate beauty losing her parents in one night, and having to live in the Palace while the Emperor and Empress were not that gracious to her, Ban Hua felt she was quite pitiful, thus her voice was also much softened.

“Thank you, Fule Junzhu.” Kangning’s face which had considerably thinned down showed a sincere smile.

Only after experiencing the cold and warmth of human relations that she realised the perceived disrespect in the past was nothing. These past few days had let her understood what a real misery was. Those who used to call themselves sisters with her, those prominent family gongzi’s who had pursued her, all of them had avoided her like avoiding snakes and scorpions, as if being near her would bring bad luck.

All along this trip she had encountered several familiar faces, yet they steered clear when seeing her from afar, as if they had never known her at all.

Only Ban Hua treated her like usual, and there was even some pity.

She used to be annoyed when people pitied her, she used to never wanted a single look of pity, but now she had just found that being pitied by someone was a precious thing.

She glanced at Rong Xia, nodded, and lowered the curtain.

He was no longer someone she could be wistful for. Rather than lingering on emotions, it was better to pretend that she had never met this person, had never had any feelings towards him.

As she watched the carriage leaving, Ban Hua noticed that Kangning’s carriage was pulled by four plodding horses that looked like old horses about to be terminated. She frowned, “It’s said that ‘the tea cools down as the person departs’, but these people are a bit too much. It hasn’t been long, and a proper beauty is slighted to this state.”

T/N – See chapter 36 about the trip to Shi family bieyuan. According to the Department of the Palace (殿中省) regulation, a junzhu’s carriage was to be pulled by 6 horses. Kangning was still formally a junzhu, but her carriage had only 4 horses.

As he listened, Rong Xia remembered that autumn hunt. Didn’t she had a quarrel with Kangning Junzhu, and yet she didn’t hold a grudge?

Ban Hua saw his face and knew what he was thinking. She explained in a lowered voice, “I am someone who pays back on the spot, and I don’t hold grudges. I keep things in mind only if I am not able to retaliate yet.”

Rong Xia was silent at this answer, he suddenly felt…. this was quite reasonable?

“Is there anyone that you haven’t revenged yet?” Rong Xia put his hands on his back, he looked like a decent gentleman, but what he said next wasn’t gentleman-like at all, “Tell me and I’ll help you think of the way.”

Ban Hua blinked a few times, “This….. isn’t this not fitting with your image as a gentleman?”

“I am not a gentleman.” Rong Xia laughed softly, “If the price of being a gentleman is the inability to protect my people, then what use do I have for the reputation of being a gentleman?”

“I will tell you then.” Ban Hua looked around to make sure noone could hear, she covered her mouth and whispered, “I don’t like Xie family, Shi family, and some of Yin family.”

Rong Xia didn’t ask why she disliked her maternal grandfather’s family, “Xie family is improper in their actions. Shi family is conceited of their merits. Yin family is focused on benefits. Each has faults, no wonder you dislike them.”

When a woman said she disliked someone, a good man wouldn’t ask the reason, neither would he say anything on behalf of the opponent because it would be like pouring oil on fire. A smart man was quick to understand the principle of ‘opposing the common adversary’. If he himself had no feud with the opponent, he would pick some faults so he could join the woman’s side.

Actually women also understood propriety and reasonableness, but it didn’t mean woman liked to be contradicted by their men.

Rong Xia had the right attitude to make her pleased. Ban Hua whispered, “Actually they aren’t particularly evil. It’s just that, Xie Wanyu always finds troubles with me, Shi Feixian is full of bad things, as for Yin family…..” She paused, “I am too lazy to talk about them.”

Rong Xia smiled sweetly as he listened to her.

The two of them soon arrived at the noodle shop. The shop was not large but it was clean and furnished with care. The tables were separated by unobtrusive and elegant screens so guests couldn’t see the next table eating.

“There are no private rooms here, can Hua Hua get used to it?” Rong Xia lightly held Ban Hua’s arm through her sleeve, “Be careful of the steps, it’s a little wet here.”

“Rong-gongzi, you are here.” The shop attendant immediately greeted them with a face full of smile, the smile grew brighter as he saw the extraordinarily beautiful young woman on his side, “Please come this way, is it still the beef noodle soup?.”

“No, two bowls of light vegetable noodle soup for us today, and beef noodle soup for the guards.” Rong Xia thought for a while, “Also a few plates of side dishes, remember not to put oil.”

The shop attendant noticed the young lady was plainly dressed, he understood right away and quickly said, “Please don’t worry, definitely won’t add oil.”

Ban Hua and Rong Xia sat on a table behind a partition, Du Jiu and Ruyi also entered the same partition while the others went into the different ones.

Just as they sat down, they heard an idle conversation from the next table about the marriage between Xie family and the Royal Family.

“You say, isn’t this Xie family miss a bringer of bad luck. Since she was engaged with the Second Prince, the Royal Family has been in trouble one after another. The Grand Princess was assassinated, Hui-wang and his wife died in a fire in the middle of the night. What is this if not bad luck?”