Chasing Rainbows

Chapter 24

Qianqian said, "I was very angry when I heard about Muying's situation, but Along analyzed it and said that Yige might not not love you, he just doesn't express it in front of others. Looking at the two of you, you actually seem quite harmonious. I later thought that if it were me, I would definitely fight for it no matter what. Is the affection between husband and wife not as good as the unreliable crush we had when we were thirteen or fourteen?"

I downed another glass of wine: "People say that for a couple to be a good couple, they need to be in sync, body and soul. I'm in sync with him now, but as for the soul, it always feels like there's a layer between us."

Qianqian, slightly tipsy, nodded and said, "Meat is important too. Let's get straight to the point. 'Spirit,' does that mean we get along well? Sigh, I think you really need to fight for it. You've had a smooth life since childhood. Everyone around you likes you, assuming that feelings will naturally develop over time. They don't realize there are feelings that need to be fought for. To put it bluntly, you don't cherish them enough. Unlike me, I thought my father didn't love me, my mother was weak, and everyone in my family was indifferent. I had no close relatives except you two siblings. So I've known since I was little that I had to fight for it. Now that I think about it, my clinging to you and dealing with Qilong were all for the sake of winning over feelings. After all, you're still a princess, you can't just retreat the moment the enemy comes."

I suddenly realized that although Qianqian was sometimes impulsive, she was much more mature and sensible than me when it came to important matters.

I shook my head: "If I still considered myself a princess, I wouldn't have come here. But I've remembered what you said. Perhaps I really didn't cherish it enough. I should fight for myself again. If I fail, then we'll see."

She smiled and raised her glass, saying, "Alright, I wish you victory this time."

Her words emboldened me. I touched the embroidered pouch at my waist. Perhaps I should really have a good talk with Yi Ge tonight.

Tomorrow, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, is his birthday.

However, I didn't expect that Yi Ge wouldn't give me such a chance to fight for it.

A note from the author: For those of you who feel stifled, hold on a little longer.

Chapter Forty-One: Departure

That day, I got very drunk. On my birthday, at least I was still conscious, but on that day, I was neither conscious nor able to see clearly.

I've never been so drunk in my life. After Chunman helped me back to my room, I fell asleep immediately and missed the time to wait for Yige.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt a little dizzy and my body was a bit sore, but I didn't see Yi Ge. Today is his birthday. I've been thinking, why don't we go to Laichun Town on the other side of Yitianling when he comes back? I heard it's quite lively there, producing the famous local wine, Chenxiang Wine, and there are also restaurants with good food. Maybe we can even stay overnight.

When it was nearly noon and he still hadn't returned, I thought I might as well go to the underground palace to look for him. Since I wanted to take the initiative, I might as well go all the way. So I told Chunman: "The prince consort and I went to Laichun Town today, and we might not be back tonight."

There were an unusually large number of people copying the secret manual today, but he wasn't in the underground palace. People from the Ghost Palace and the Famen were guarding the entrance to the underground palace hall. They told me that Yi Ge and Master Gui had gone to the Famen to discuss matters.

Famen and Nanfengbao Baimazhuang are both rented in the same village, separated from us by two hills, but it's just a small ridge, and it doesn't take long to walk there.

Fa Men hadn't rented houses from the villagers; instead, he had set up several tents outside the village. Before they even got close, a woman's voice flew out from one of the small tents, saying, "They said it themselves, does Brother Yi like you?" Another woman's voice was lower, only uttering a soft "Mmm." The first woman's voice continued, "But Brother Yi said he won't marry you. He wouldn't marry me because we haven't known each other for long, but why won't he marry you? You didn't even ask?" The lower-voiced woman added softly, "Brother Yi only said he can't marry me. Besides, you saw what happened yesterday morning. Weren't Brother Yi's last two calls very clear? If Brother Yi doesn't want to, then so be it."

I actually recognize both of these voices; one is Fang Lan'er, and the other is Mu Ying.

But then Fang Lan'er said, "How could Brother Yi be unwilling? A marriage alliance with the Fa family would be beneficial to him. It's probably because that princess pressured him. She forced the marriage in the first place, so Brother Yi was forced into it, wasn't he? Now she's just bullying him with her power. If it were an ordinary person with her kind of illness, they would have been divorced by their husband's family long ago. But she's still here being bossy and doesn't care about Brother Yi at all."

Mu Ying said, "This, Senior Sister, I caused her illness. I'm sorry to Brother Yi and Sister Qi. Brother Yi also likes her, because he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be forced."

Fang Lan'er snorted and said, "Yesterday morning, Brother Yi told her, 'I won't take a concubine, I don't want children,' but why did it sound so oppressive to me? I guess she pushed him too far. Think about it, not taking a concubine is one thing, but how can he not want children? Sigh, I heard from the second young lady of Nanfeng Fort that the princess made a promise with Brother Yi that if he had someone he liked, she would let him go. Why don't you use that to pressure her and see if she can keep her promise? Besides, I think that even though Brother Yi might not actually take a concubine, he might actually want to leave her and marry you. He does like you after all."

Mu Ying hesitated: "Is this... possible? I don't think Brother Yi would leave Sister Qi."

Fang Lan'er said, "Are you stupid? If it's Brother Yi or Shou Nuo, won't the princess leave him? You yourself said that the princess doesn't like Brother Yi that much, so why doesn't she leave? Isn't that just occupying a position without doing anything?"

Mu Ying said, "Senior sister, what you're saying..."

Fang Lan'er said, "Just now, wasn't Brother Yi looking for his master? I vaguely heard him say something about how it wasn't impossible, but that the token was missing. The Ghost Palace token was in the princess's hands, and it seemed like he wanted to get it back, to make it legitimate. You just have to wait and see. Also, I think the princess won't release Brother Yi, nor will she allow him to take a concubine and have children. In the end, isn't it all for the Ghost Palace treasure? They have no heir, and she's a princess. If Brother Yi is gone, wouldn't she be in control of the treasure in this underground palace? Look at how much trouble Brother Yi is in right now; how many people want to profit from him?"

Mu Ying stammered, "Senior sister is thinking too far ahead. I... I don't feel anything..."

Fang Lan'er sneered, "You're so stubborn. If it weren't for Miss Nan Er's advice to use gentleness to overcome strength and to retreat to advance, you probably would have given up the night before last."

I stood about ten feet away and listened for a while. Then I turned around. It seemed that Yi Ge wasn't here. It seemed that I had a few more questions to ask.

As soon as I turned around, I saw Shen Yimei standing three feet away. It seemed she had heard the jokes too. There was anger on her face, but she seemed to forgive me when she saw me. We looked at each other, and she took a few steps over, grabbed my hand, and dragged me into the woods a few feet away.

She said somewhat apologetically, "Wu'er, do you want to know how she knew about the agreement between you and Yi Ge? On your birthday, I drank a bit too much, and when I got back I mentioned to Nan Cong that there was originally such an agreement, but it seems that it is no longer needed. However, Nan Ya overheard it. It was my fault."

I shook my head: "I don't blame you. Let's talk about it later."

I was in a hurry to leave, and she said behind me, "Where are you going? Don't pay attention to what they're saying. I think Yi Ge has a brain."

I didn't stop, but turned around and said, "I'm already occupying the toilet without using it, so I should at least ask if the toilet is willing to let me occupy it. Besides, it doesn't matter if there's no toilet, I still have the treasure hunt, right? I should at least go and hunt for it."

She called out "Hey hey" behind me, but I had already walked far away.

I don't know exactly how I feel right now. My mouth tastes bitter, and my heart feels astringent. I can't say I'm angry; I'm just eager to find out some things.

I didn't know where Yi Ge was, but I headed towards the underground palace based on my intuition.

I met Yi Ge with a few people at the fork in the road leading from the underground palace to our village. He was a little surprised to see me coming from that direction, but asked, "Princess, have you been to Zhilong Village and visited Famen?"

I replied, "Yes." Just as I was about to ask about Mu Ying, he said urgently, "So you know everything? You... you should give that to me."

"What is that?"

"It's the sapphire I gave you on our wedding day."

My heart ached: "You want to go back? Do you want to be used for something else?" I emphasized the word "something else."

He seemed a little hesitant to speak, but still said, "I didn't know before that it was a token from the Ghost Palace, it has special significance. Would you like to give it to me?"

I said slowly, "Okay, okay, very good."

My eyes were already quite sore, but I forced myself to pull the sapphire out of my clothes. There was another one around my neck, the gift Master Gui had given me, which I also pulled out. I took them all off at once and handed them over: "These are also items from the Ghost Palace, you can have them all."

After returning his things, I turned to leave, but he called me back: "Princess, here, take this first, you might need it later."

When I turned around, I saw the jade pendant that Yi Mei had given us that day, and we each kept half of it.

My heart was still pounding, but it was pounding too hard. I snatched the jade pendant away in my anger, and I didn't hear what he said after that. I only heard him say, "I'll talk to you in a couple of days..."

What else is there to say? If this pit doesn't want me, I'll just find another one! I twisted my body and sped forward.

The wind dried the tears that had involuntarily welled up inside me; good, I don't need to wipe them away anymore.

After crossing a small hill, I realized I had lost my way; this was neither the way back to the village nor the way to the underground palace.

Where am I going? Hmm, I said I was going to Laichun Town, isn't there agarwood there? I'll go, even if I'm alone.

But I don't seem to recognize this road. Just as I was looking around, I suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind me, and someone called out to me, "Miss Qi!"

I turned around and saw a man behind me leading a horse, looking at me with a kind smile. I recognized him; though I didn't know his name, I knew he was a disciple of the Ouyang family, someone I'd encountered every day during my exploration of the underground palace. He asked with concern, "Where are you headed, Miss Qi? Why are you alone?"

I concealed my emotions and said, "Ah, I want to go to Laichun Town. I heard it's lively and quiet there, so I'd like to go and have a look."

He then asked, "Isn't Young Master Yi with you?"

I said, "He's been too busy these past few days. I'm the only one who has free time, so I thought I'd like to go for a stroll."

He said "Oh," and then added, "Laichun is actually more lively and charming than Qushui, and it's not much farther away. The food in the restaurants is generally better than in Qushui, and the agarwood wine is really good, it's truly fragrant. In my opinion, the snacks in Laichun are especially good. If you go, you must stay overnight and try the breakfast there in the morning. The snacks, like the chive and egg pancake, are really fragrant, and the glutinous rice cake is delicate and fragrant, sweet but not greasy. You women will definitely like it. There's also chicken soup with snails and stream fish, you must try them."

I forced a smile: "Really? You make it sound so good, I definitely want to try it. But..." I paused for a moment: "I don't think I know the way."

He chuckled and pointed to the road beneath his feet, saying, "It's not difficult to walk. Just follow this road out, and when you see the main road, head east. It's easy to find. It's just that walking will take a bit longer, but riding a horse will take a little over an hour. Or, you can borrow my horse, and return it to me when you come back."

I said, "How could I? Where are you going? Don't you need a horse?"

He replied, "I'm going back to the Ouyang family's residence. Hengshan Village, where we live, is not far ahead. I don't need to ride a horse anymore."

I was also somewhat tempted, so I thanked him. He smiled and said, "Would you like me to put in a good word with Young Master Yi for you? It seems that Miss Qi's idea was impromptu?"

Sigh, I was still seen through.

I nodded and said, "Okay."

He watched me mount my horse, smiled and waved at me, saying, "Stay for the night, relax and then come back."

I trotted along the path, then galloped for a while after turning onto the main road. The feeling of speeding gradually relaxed me. This seemed to be another way Yi Ge had taught me to relieve stress.

Spring arrived quickly, as expected. After walking for a little over an hour and a half, I inquired at the most famous restaurant and ordered several specialty dishes. I hadn't eaten lunch and was starving. Although I was in a bad mood, the food was really good, so I could still eat. I asked the waiter to bring a small pot of agarwood wine and slowly sipped it. The wine was sweet and fragrant, smooth on the palate, truly a fine wine.

I wasn't drunk; being alone, I was perfectly sober. But alcohol easily stirs up memories, and tears stung my eyes. Reaching for my handkerchief, I touched the purse I'd embroidered for Yi Ge. It was black brocade with an embossed pine needle pattern, embroidered with a neat, delicate double pomegranate blossom—the verdant branches and vibrant red petals layered upon each other. How much effort I'd poured into it! My fingers had been pricked countless times by the needle. When I finished, Chunman praised, "The princess often says she's not good at embroidery, but when you put your heart into it, it's really quite good. The colors are beautiful, and it's exquisite." But what good is exquisiteness? I feared he wouldn't appreciate it. I grabbed the purse and angrily threw it to the ground. After downing a cup of sandalwood incense, I couldn't bear to part with it. I bent down, picked it up, dusted it off, and stuffed it back in.

After leaving the restaurant, I found an inn to stay in, but feeling down, I decided to wander around aimlessly. A few steps away was a bustling street, but I was drawn to a shop. It was a small shop selling wood carvings, small pieces of furniture, and decorative boxes. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the designs were novel. They weren't about cloud patterns or peonies; they carved the most common flowers and plants—hibiscus, pomegranates, morning glories, and so on—all vividly depicted. I even saw the same grass pattern as the cosmetic box Yi Ge had carved for me, and I also saw a peach blossom hairpin. Suddenly, I remembered my own, and reached up to touch my temple, only to be startled—the hairpin was gone. Had I lost it while running so frantically? Indeed, fate had other plans.

I stood there, stunned, in the shop, which attracted many glances from the forty or fifty-year-old, unshaven shopkeeper.

Having lost all interest in watching, I reluctantly left the house. I hadn't gone far when I suddenly heard someone call out to me from behind: "Miss, please wait!"

Yi Ge's Side Story: My Princess (Part 1)

(one)

That year, my mother fell very ill. Mr. Fang from the village came to see her. Although he was knowledgeable in medicine, he was not a doctor. He only said that my mother had an old injury and a heart ailment, and that we should invite a doctor from outside the village to see her. I didn't have the money to take my mother out of the village to see a doctor. Duwang Village was a well-known village for leprosy, and no doctor was willing to come into the village to see patients.

Grandpa Gui has gone out; he always appears and disappears without a trace, and there's no telling when he'll return. Mother is only managing to recover by relying on the herbs she previously gathered on the mountain, but I've decided to earn some money to buy medicine for her.

Tie Niu and the others from the village were going to Guocheng to sell trauma pills and invited me to join them. I thought about it and realized that Guocheng was closer to the village than Qian County. I would go for a few days, earn enough money to buy the medicine, and then come back. My mother then asked Da Zhi's family to take care of me.

Tie Niu had come here a few times with Uncle Tie, so he quickly chose a relatively lively place in the city—a teahouse in front of his stall. This time, there were no elders accompanying us, just the four of us boys of similar age.

To sell trauma pills, you need to shout and perform tricks. Getting a few cuts and bruises on yourself makes it easier to sell the pills and earn money as a street performer. Having often performed on the streets, we've long known how to use fists and knives to make wounds look terrible while minimizing actual damage. As for treating injuries, each family in Duwang Village has its own wound medicine, which is generally more effective than those in ordinary pharmacies.

That day, as soon as we sounded the gong, a crowd gathered, mostly children. We first performed a set of boxing moves, then started wielding knives, with Tie Niu, as usual, slashing at me with the knife. This time, he didn't do a good job, cutting more skin than usual, and of course, bleeding a lot. Some of the children screamed and scattered, while others shouted, "Someone's going to die!" I found it amusing, but I wanted to let the blood flow for a while before letting Tie Niu apply the wound ointment. But then a little girl squatted down in front of me. Surprisingly, she wasn't afraid of blood; her clear, big eyes were fixed on it.

She was about ten years old, dressed in a bright pink dress with pink-soled boots. Her brocade skirt and gauze dress were embroidered with gold thread, and the pearl hairpins in her hair were exquisitely crafted; she clearly wasn't from an ordinary family. Add to that her snow-white skin, delicate eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and pale cherry-pink lips—she was simply a beautifully sculpted princess. The four of us were completely mesmerized, stopping our work and forgetting all about selling medicine.

I looked at her for a while, and she suddenly said, "Hurry up and apply the medicine, the blood is flowing onto the ground. If it flows any more, it will be too late to recover."

Tie Niu then came to his senses and, while applying the medicine to my wound, said, "Don't worry, don't worry, our wound medicine and liniment are top-notch. Look, as soon as I applied the medicine, the bleeding stopped immediately, and the scar won't easily remain after it heals. Would you like to buy some, Miss?"

She said slowly, "We have many kinds of wound medicine at home. Selling wound medicine like this is very harmful to your health! My father said that all medicines have some toxicity, and external medicines are also medicine. Would your mother approve of you selling medicine like this? If I did this, my mother and father would be heartbroken."

Seeing the opportunity, Tie Niu replied quickly, "Miss, we are a poor family. We sell medicine to make a living. It's to help our parents. So naturally, we'll use whatever method works. This little injury is nothing to worry about."

I'm not usually a talkative person, but I answered anyway: "My mother is sick, and I need to save money for her medical treatment."

She frowned slightly, her long eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Is that so?" she said, reaching into her waistband and fumbling for a moment before pulling out a small silver ingot, weighing about two or three taels. She placed it in front of our stall and said to me, "This is what my fourth uncle gave me to buy cakes when he went out. I didn't spend any money on it, so you can take it to your mother's doctor." With that, she stood up to leave, and as she swayed, the exquisite jade lock hanging on her chest bumped against her knee, swaying gently.

I could feel her kindness, yet I felt a pang of embarrassment at being given charity. I knew that those of us selling liniments were essentially itinerant performers, earning very little—less than the money people gave us for watching the spectacle. But back then, I always thought that asking for money like this was no different from being a beggar. Money, after all, must be exchanged for something.

So I called out to her, "Hey, take it back, I don't want it." Tie Niu tried to pull me away, but I didn't move.

She turned around, saw my expression, and was initially surprised, but quickly understood. She immediately said, "Oh, I forgot to get my things." Then, looking at the two wooden balls on my stall, she said, "Actually, I had my eye on this one earlier. Could you sell it to me?"

She was so understanding and considerate, protecting a boy's self-esteem.

Those two wooden balls were the ones I used to store medicine, and I'd left them there ever since. But they were a gift from my mother, and after hesitating for a moment, I picked them up anyway. My mother and I hadn't been living a particularly frugal life in the village, but since she fell ill, things had gotten worse day by day. She'd even sent me to Qian County to pawn some things, but we had nothing left to pawn. These two wooden balls, though delicate, weren't exactly valuable. Now that she liked them, I figured I might as well pawn them.

I picked up the two wooden balls and handed them to her. She took them and smiled at me, revealing two small, deep dimples on her rosy cheeks. Her already lovely face became even more radiant, and I was instantly smitten. Was this love at first sight?

A stunningly handsome man suddenly appeared behind her and called out, "Wu Bao, we're leaving."

The man was even more handsome than the woman, his eyes brimming with laughter. He affectionately stroked her hair and asked, "What did you buy?" She held it up for him to see, saying in a slightly coquettish tone, "Here, this!"

Not only the four of us, but everyone around us was completely silent.

After he led her away, someone exclaimed in surprise, "That must be a father and daughter. The man is so handsome, and although the little girl doesn't look much like him, she's still a beauty in the making. She'll definitely be outstanding when she grows up."

That time, I didn't stay in Guocheng for long. Firstly, I was worried about my mother's illness, and secondly, the money she gave me for the wooden ball should be enough to buy medicine.

My mother didn't last more than half a year before she left me. She wasn't exactly a loving mother, but I know she actually loved me very much, though she just wouldn't show it in words.

Now I'm all alone. I have a house, but no home.