Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде - Глава 29
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 022
Chapter word count: 3538 Update time: 09-07-26 12:37
Shen Haoyu kept his word. The next day, after paying his respects to Prince Qing and his wife, he took me out of Qiufeng Garden. Although it was just within the Prince's residence, as soon as I stepped out of the gate of Qiufeng Garden, I felt as excited as if I had been released from prison after serving several years. Stepping out of that gate brought about a qualitative change.
I was laughing uncontrollably the whole way, but Shen Haoyu looked at me with disdain: "Is it really necessary to be that happy?"
"Eight years! How many times have I been out in eight years?" I said with an exaggerated expression, but it was true. I probably couldn't count the number of times I was out on my fingers. Thinking about this, I felt a little aggrieved.
Shen Haoyu, with his sharp eyes, noticed a change in my expression. He dropped his disdainful look, turned his head away from me, and whispered, "I don't treat you like a servant."
I understand all of this perfectly well. The only flaw in my life here is the lack of freedom, but isn't that being improved now? What servant gets the treatment I do? I'm content.
"Thank you, Your Highness," I said sincerely.
Shen Haoyu ignored me and strode off, I had to jog to keep up. What could I do? He was a head taller and had longer legs than me.
I followed him through countless garden paths and covered walkways, admiring how meticulously arranged they were. The Qi Yun Marquis's residence, on the other hand, lacked such deliberate refinement; it was all so natural and unpretentious. Why do I keep comparing the Qi Yun Marquis's residence to the Qing Prince's residence? That's a memory that's been blurred for far too long; the only attachment I had there is long gone. Why keep bringing it up?
Finally, we arrived at Qinzhu Garden. Entering the gate, we were greeted by vast expanses of bamboo on both sides. We didn't know what variety it was, but despite it being late autumn, it was still lush and green, clearly well-maintained. Entering the main hall, we saw Prince Qing sitting leisurely in the seat of honor, sipping tea, with Mr. Qi seated below him. Mr. Qi and Prince Qing had a special relationship; Mr. Qi was Shen Haoyu's teacher, and likely a friend of Prince Qing. It wasn't surprising that they were drinking tea and chatting together so early in the morning.
Shen Haoyu greeted Prince Qing and then gave a slight bow to Mr. Qi, who quickly stood up to return the greeting. After Shen Haoyu sat down, I also quickly finished my bow and stood beside him with my head bowed. They didn't seem surprised by my appearance, so it must have been planned beforehand.
Prince Qing is no stranger to me. He often visits Shen Haoyu at Qiufeng Garden, and when testing Shen Haoyu's studies, he would occasionally ask me questions as well. Since no one specifically taught me martial arts, my skills are lacking, but I learned a lot from listening to his lectures. When I answered well, Prince Qing would occasionally reward me with small gifts. Zinuo is intelligent and studious, and his talent is now extraordinary. He is also quite favored by Prince Qing. Although he has no official status, his treatment is much better than mine; he is a special presence in the Prince's mansion. I pondered this repeatedly, and perhaps this is a means for them to cultivate talent and win people's hearts. They can support so many retainers; supporting one Zinuo is even easier, especially since they've already started cultivating him when he was still a child. I don't care what they use Zinuo for in the future, as long as they don't harm him. Zinuo was destined to have his own career when he grew up, and now that he has such a good environment and platform, it would be a pity not to make use of it.
Sigh, just thinking about Zinuo fills me with immense pride. Such an outstanding child is actually my younger brother! What makes me most gratified is that I've been teaching him modern theories and knowledge since he was little, and he picks them up very quickly. He's the person I have the most in common with in this world. Starting from a young age—Grandpa Xiaoping understood, Prince Qing understood, and so do I.
Shen Haoyu accompanied Prince Qing for a while, had some tea and chatted, and then got up to take his leave to pay his respects to the Princess.
There were noticeably more people on the way from Qinzhu Garden to Ningyou Pavilion, which suggests that this area is where the Prince's family gathers. The fact that Shen Haoyu was placed in the remote Qiufeng Garden was probably to allow him to focus on his studies.
Ningyou Pavilion was much quieter than outside, suggesting that the Princess Consort preferred tranquility. It was previously said that the Princess Consort's father, Wei Yuandao, was a prime minister of two dynasties, bestowed the title of Duke of Rong by the late emperor. His influence spanned two reigns, and his protégés were widespread throughout the court and the country; he held a very high position and wielded considerable power. Wei Yuandao's eldest daughter, the Princess Consort's elder sister, was a current imperial concubine and had a son, the third prince, Shen Zexuan, who was one year older than Shen Haoyu.
It is rare for a princess to have such a quiet preference, given that she was born into a noble family. It is just unknown whether she truly loves peace and quiet or if she is putting on an act for those who have ulterior motives.
As Shen Haoyu and I entered the Princess's room, we saw several beautiful women inside. It seemed that the female relatives were also paying their respects to the Princess. It looked like we were in for a treat. When the people inside saw Shen Haoyu enter, they hurriedly bowed and greeted him. Shen Haoyu returned the greetings and walked towards the Princess, sitting down beside her. I stood waiting to the side.
The women exchanged pleasantries for a while before taking their leave, leaving behind two young girls with double braids, who must be Yunshang and Princess Yunruo. Yunyue was not present; presumably, she had reached marriageable age and needed to avoid being seen in places with men.
"Brother, you said you'd take us hiking when you got back, does that still stand?" The one in red, Yun Ruo, tugged at Shen Haoyu's sleeve.
"Yunruo, stop fooling around. How old are you? You're still thinking about going out to play all day long!" the princess scolded Yunruo gently.
Yun Ru pouted and said, "I've been to so many places, except for the occasional trip to the palace. My brother finally said he would take us to Yaoshan. We can see the maple leaves on the mountain at this time of year. Why won't Mother allow it?"
Yunshang sat quietly to the side without saying a word. Perhaps because she was born out of wedlock, her status was different, and she couldn't be as willful as Yunruo, but her eyes revealed a lot of anticipation. How many girls raised in secluded mansions don't yearn for the vast freedom of the outside world? I'm also looking forward to their trip to Yaoshan; maybe I can go with them.
After hearing Yun Ruo's words, the princess wanted to say something more, but Shen Haoyu interrupted her: "Alright, I'll take you tomorrow. I'll also call a few members of the Imperial Guards. They've been nurtured for so long but haven't been used yet, so let's start using them from tomorrow." After saying that, Shen Haoyu glanced at me, and I immediately gave him a big smile. Shen Haoyu snorted and turned his head to the side.
Seeing that Shen Haoyu had agreed, the princess could not refuse again. She could only instruct, "Since you are going out, you must abide by the rules. You cannot cause trouble when you are out. Do not cause any trouble. Yunruo, do you understand?" The last sentence was obviously meant for Yunruo, who quickly smiled and said yes.
The princess and Shen Haoyu chatted for a few more minutes, mostly about Shen Haoyu's experiences on his trip. Yunshang and Yunru listened with great interest and refused to leave until the princess told Shen Haoyu to return to Qiufeng Garden. Only then did the two maids come out and notice me.
"Who are you?" Yun Ruo asked.
Shen Haoyu said, "He is my bodyguard, Lynn. He will be going out with us tomorrow. You should go back now. We'll call you again tomorrow."
Yunruo said "Oh" and took Yunshang's hand and walked away. After a few steps, she turned back to look at me. I gave her a friendly smile. She was slightly surprised, then quickly turned her head away and walked away.
"Can you please stop laughing so easily in the future?" Shen Haoyu suddenly blurted out.
"Huh?" I looked at him, confused.
"Don't laugh casually. A guard must be serious, understand?" Shen Haoyu glared at me.
"Haha!" I laughed out loud without holding back.
"Hopeless, so ugly!" Shen Haoyu said, walking quickly forward in a fit of exasperation.
I quickly followed him. What was wrong with this young prince? He was fine just a moment ago, but suddenly he got angry, and he was taking it out on me. I cautiously asked, "Young prince, is it really okay not to smile? Is it really that ugly?"
Hearing me speak, Shen Haoyu stopped again, glanced at me a few times, and then smiled.
What's wrong with him today? He's acting a bit strange.
Back at Qiufeng Garden, Zinuo was waiting for me in my room. A few years ago, Shen Haoyu had arranged for me to live in a separate room from him; Shen Haoyu had been very generous to us in these ways. Zinuo greeted me as I entered.
"Didn't you practice your skills today?" I asked in surprise.
Zi Nuo asked me to sit down and poured me a cup of tea before saying, "Today, the Yuwei team is having another competition. They say they're selecting guards for the young prince, and everyone will be stationed at Qiufeng Garden from now on."
"That's great! It'll be more lively here from now on," I said happily. "We can see Brother Zhixuan and Brother Lin Zhao more often now."
I didn't notice that Zinuo's expression dimmed slightly.
“Yes, that’s right. I won’t have to run around anymore to relay messages or deliver things for you.” Zi Nuo said with a smile.
While chatting with Zinuo, I suddenly remembered that Yunruo had mentioned seeing maple leaves. Doesn't Qiufeng Garden have maple leaves? I, who live here every day, don't even remember how many big maple trees there are in Qiufeng Garden. Thinking of this, I pulled Zinuo and walked towards the door.
"What are you doing?" Zinuo asked.
"Let's look at the maple leaves," I said.
What's so interesting about it?
"I don't know what's so interesting about it, but tomorrow the young prince will take us to Yaoshan to see the maple leaves. I want to see what the maple leaves at home look like first, and then see how the maple leaves in Yaoshan are different."
Zi Nuo rolled her eyes at me, her gaze clearly saying that I was boring.
"Actually, it doesn't matter what the maple leaves look like. What matters is that we can go out tomorrow," I said with a smile.