Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 45

After a moment of silence, the drums and music resumed, and jubilation filled the air. The Liao people still looked terrified, while the Song people clapped and cheered, gathering around to congratulate the Cao father and son. Cao Ping removed his blindfold and smiled slightly as he bowed to Xiao Qi, whose face was grim: "You flatter me."

Xiao Qi scoffed and said, "Were we talking about shooting birds in the sky?"

“Indeed, it was my son who broke the rules.” Cao Yi spoke up at this moment, saying to the Liao people, “He was supposed to shoot at the bullseye, but he shot elsewhere. Since he missed, he lost. In this archery contest, Song and Liao each won one round, so it’s a draw.”

The thirteen militia commanders acknowledged his statement, politely praised Xiao Qi with a few words, and then, on behalf of the emperor, bestowed upon Xiao Qi and Cao Ping some jeweled costumes, silver-saddled horses, and gold and silver artifacts. Xiao Qi's expression softened slightly, and he and Cao Ping stepped forward to express their gratitude.

When Cao Ping left to change his clothes, all the eunuchs in Yujin Garden gathered on both sides of the road to cheer and congratulate him. I recognized a familiar female voice among them. Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw the princess standing in front where there were fewer people. She was wearing a robe of a minor eunuch, and her long hair was tightly tied in her turban. She looked like a pretty young eunuch.

I quickly walked over to her and gently tugged at her sleeve. She glanced back at me, her smile unchanged, showing no intention of leaving. She didn't say anything more to me, and continued to look at Cao Ping, who was gradually walking towards her.

Cao Ping's appearance was quite similar to his father's, but he had a youthful vigor and spirit in his eyes. At this moment, he walked forward with a smile, his demeanor was elegant and generous, and he did not lose the refined manners of a young master from a noble family. But when he reached the princess's side, he suddenly had a childlike heart, turned his head to stare at her, stuck out his tongue, and made a face.

The princess was not to be outdone. She puffed out her cheeks, pushed her nose upwards with her fingers, and showed him a pig's nose.

Then the two looked at each other and smiled. Cao Ping did not stop; after raising his eyebrows at the princess, he went straight to the changing room. The princess watched him go, her face still showing joy.

After the archery competition, a banquet was held as usual in the Yujin Garden, attended by the Thirteen Militia and Cao Yi, among others. The princess said she wanted to go to the elephant shed to see rare birds and animals in the afternoon, so she stayed on the terrace to have lunch alone. She tasted the food served by the Imperial Kitchen twice and said it wasn't good, insisting that I go to the kitchen myself and instruct the chef to prepare her favorite dishes. I had no choice but to obey. Before leaving, I glanced at the little eunuch robe she was still wearing, a hint of doubt flashing across my mind, but I didn't ask. I simply said to her, "Princess, you should change your clothes."

She nodded in agreement: "I'll change it right away... You should go now."

My hunch was right: when I returned, the princess was no longer upstairs.

I asked the maids in the pavilion, and they said hesitantly that the princess had taken Zhang Chengzhao out and that no one else was allowed to follow.

I went out to look for him, and just as I got downstairs, I saw Zhang Chengzhao humming a little tune as he came back. He was startled when he bumped into me, and tried to slip away with his head down, but I called out to him to stop him.

I asked him where the princess was. Perhaps my expression and tone were too stern, because his eyes even showed a hint of fear, and he gave me the princess's location without much delay.

"With Young Master Cao?" I asked.

He cowered and lowered his head. I pushed him aside and strode towards where he had indicated.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) A Divine Song: Fisherman's Pride 34. Red Plum Blossom

Chapter word count: 1944 Update time: 08-08-21 16:13

34. Red Plum

On the banks of the Min River, amidst the overlapping shadows of plum blossoms, a young man took off his white egret cloak and draped it over the shoulders of the girl beside him.

"Don't catch a cold," he said with a smile.

He wore a crimson-plum-colored robe with wide sleeves and crimson brocade trim, with a glimpse of a white gauze undergarment peeking out from under the collar and sleeves as he turned. The colors were vibrant, but his face was clean and bright, and his demeanor was cheerful and refined, as if he embodied the light of the sun and moon. The contrast between the vibrant colors and his appearance made one forget any trace of femininity.

The girl turned her head and smiled in response, draping herself in the finely woven white egret veil. Her attire was elegant and simple, except for a slight blush on her cheeks, as if the spring breeze had blown the pink of the surrounding thousand red plum blossoms onto her face.

This is the scene I saw when I found the princess and Cao Ping by the Minhe River in Yujin Garden.

They sat side by side on the wooden walkway along the riverbank, their backs to me, with a stretch of clear water in front of them and thousands of red plum trees behind them.

Red plum blossoms, with their buds peeking out, were once a breathtaking sight in the early spring at Yujin Garden. These plum blossoms, pink with a hint of purple, bloom profusely like apricots, their fragrance also reminiscent of apricots. Originally from Suzhou, they were later transplanted to the capital by Yan Shu, and now only two or three places in the city possess them. The ones in Yujin Garden, tended by southerners, bloom the best. This year, the weather warmed up early; just as January arrived, the riverbanks were already quite spring-like. Clouds shrouded the tender yellow willows, and the wind rustled the red-stemmed plum blossoms. Add to this the presence of a pair of adorned young children, and the scene resembled a meticulously crafted painting.

The anxiety and inexplicable annoyance I felt earlier faded away. I stopped and stood silently in the shade of a tree not far behind them, without saying a word to disturb them.

They were so engrossed in their pleasant conversation that they were completely unaware of my arrival.

Cao Ping had probably slipped away from the banquet as well, carrying a plate of food which he now placed beside him. He selected a piece of roasted meat with the bone and handed it to the princess: "Princess, try this. This is Khitan pili meat, which is rarely seen in the capital."

The princess did not take it immediately. She first lowered her head to smell it, and then said, "It has a slightly muttony smell."

“This piranha was raised on sheep’s milk,” Cao Ping explained, then advised her, “Actually, it doesn’t have a strong muttony smell. Try a bite; the meat is very plump and delicious.”

He brought the piece of meat to the princess's lips. The princess frowned, took a bite, chewed a few times, and then smiled, saying, "It's very delicious."

So she took it and quickly ate all the meat off the bone. Cao Ping then handed her a rice ball: "This was made by the Imperial Kitchen according to the Liao people's recipe, using white sheep marrow and glutinous rice."

The princess said the rice ball was too big, so Cao Ping broke it open and shared it with her. After the princess finished eating, he took a piece of cured meat-like stuff and gave it to her: "This is cured meat made by the Liao people from swans hunted by gyrfalcons. Like the meat of the pili, it was brought as tribute by the Liao envoy this time."

The princess began to savor the swan's cured meat again. During this time, Cao Ping poured her a cup of goat's milk, but since she couldn't free her hands, she simply lowered her head and drank it from the cup in Cao Ping's hand.

After finishing her drink, she focused intently on eating, looking quite pleased with herself. Cao Ping stared at her for a while, then suddenly turned to the misty blue water and smiled.

The princess swallowed the food in her mouth and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Cao Ping laughed and said, "I invited you to have some snacks the other night, but you refused to eat. I thought you didn't have a good appetite..."

The princess blushed deeply, her ears turning red. She tossed aside the half-eaten piece of swan meat and whispered, "I'm not eating it."

“Princess, please don’t mind me. I wasn’t laughing at you.” Cao Ping’s smile faded slightly as he gently explained to her, “I was just happy to see that you enjoyed the food I brought you… Sometimes I bring delicious food to the maids at home, and they clearly like it, but in front of me they pretend to eat like cats, only taking a few bites here and there. I find that annoying.”

He picked up another piece of fish and offered it to the princess, but she still refused to take it. So he put the fish in his own mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it. He then took some more food and ate it in large bites. He then said to the princess, "Look, I've already eaten more than you. If I laugh at you again, you can laugh back at me."

The princess smiled upon hearing this and then accepted the fish slices he offered again.

They continued to eat Khitan delicacies and chatted and laughed from time to time. Their laughter startled the silver pheasants and soothing pheasants that were resting on the water's edge. They turned their heads to look at them and then took flight in twos and threes. The scene amused them, and they continued to laugh and chatter.

I tried to smile along with them, but ultimately I couldn't manage to.

What I see before me is clearly a garden full of spring scenery, yet I feel as if I am alone in the wind among falling leaves, letting it blow away the desolation in my heart.

In the end, I did not go forward to disturb the princess. Instead, I quietly retreated to the path in front of the plum grove. When I saw someone coming, I went up to chat with them and led them away so that they would not discover that the people sitting by the riverbank were Cao Ping and the princess.

About an hour later, they got up and left. I hid in a secluded spot and watched them go their separate ways before slowly walking back to the pavilion where the princess was.

"Huaiji, where have you been?" the princess asked as soon as she saw me, her timid tone filled with concern and a hint of unease, as if she feared my questioning or reproach. Zhang Chengzhao must have told her something.

She now seems to regard me as a member of her family who is spying on her. This thought brings a bitter taste to my mouth, but I try hard not to let it show.