Inner Residence arc ー Chapter 16 (Part 1): A Chance Encounter
I kicked the door open with one leg. The people inside all turned around to look over. As soon as Grand Tutor Xie saw that it was me, he wanted to reprimand me a few words out of habit. My two eyes turned red as they spurted flames and he was frightened until he closed his mouth.
Second Imperial Prince, Xiao Li was sitting upright in the main hall. When he saw me, he revealed the exemplary smile often seen on the faces of politicians. I looked at him sideways and rolled my eyes superciliously at him.
I asked my Father Xie, "Where's my Second Elder Brother?"
Grand Tutor Xie said, "He was called away by someone early in the morning. I also don’t know where he went to mingle around again."
My face became heavier again until it was simply going to fall onto the ground. "I want to have a chat with His Highness alone."
Madam Xie said, "According to etiquette..…." However, her mouth was immediately blocked by Grand Tutor Xie and she was pulled outside.
After waiting for all the people to leave, I closed the door heavily. Xiao Li walked over gave a very proper greeting in a bow to me.
My face was full of ridicule. "This humble girl dares not accept this bow from Your Highness. It's just that I don’t know what incident Your Highness had encountered to change your night overnight and no longer wants to be this humble girl's elder brother-in-law?"
Although this person Xiao Li was very vigorous on the polo field, when facing women, he was a standard 'women can find trouble for no reason, men should persevere with smiling' gentleman. I scowled at him coldly while he smiled genially.
He spoke kind words in a low voice, "Younger Sister, please understand. I also have my difficulties."
"Oh?" I raised my foot as I listened to his reasons.
He said, "I can't make decisions for my own marriage. Mother only allows me to choose a wife from among a few families. The Xie family is one of them."
I said, "Isn't this just nice for you? You like my elder sister while she also just happens to be jilted. It is a precisely a good opportunity for you to take advantage of and enter."
Xiao Li started to evade my gaze. "I have indeed confessed to your elder sister about my feelings. She entrusted someone to give me a letter last night."
"What did it say?" I had a bad premonition.
Xiao Li said, "She said, she have deep sisterly feelings with you and doesn't wish to be separated from you. If I want to marry her, then I'll have to marry you as my wife first. She said that you are also agreeable."
I stood there. A draft blew and a unique noise buzzed beside my ears. The initial ire within my body which was tempestuous like tsunami and magma, gradually subsided, only emitting a wisp of blue smoke.
It was absolutely not because I wasn't angry but rather because I was angry until the maximum that I calmed down instead.
"Xie Zhaoke said it like that?"
Seeing that I didn’t erupt and burn the small universe, Xiao Li was relieved and nodded his head while smiling.
I sneered. Sisters so close until we don't want to part and share a husband? Why didn't that Xie Zhaoke just directly say that the both of us were homosexuals in love?
To hell with* that absurdity!
*T/n: The literal meaning of the original text is 'see her mother(obsolete)'. The common way of using this phrase to curse is 'his mother(modern)' so she kind of tweaked it a little. 'His' and 'her' sound the same in Chinese.
Probably because smiled too abnormally, Xiao Li was a bit perturbed and asked, "Could it be that Younger Sister has other opinions?"
I asked, "Does the Empress know that you came to propose marriage?"
Xiao Li said, "Mother knows. She has nodded in assent."
That's right too. If Aunt Zhao hadn't agreed, he also wouldn’t have had the guts to come.
I kept on sneering until the temperature dropped. Xiao Li was restless with anxiety as he stammeringly expressed that he should take his leave to return and wait upon his old mother at home.
Only after sending him away did the Xie husband and wife in an obedient manner. After having transmigrated here for so long, it was actually the first time I stood before them so high and mightily.
I asked, "I presume that both of you have already agreed right?"
Grand Tutor Xie spoke very truthfully, "This is not proposing marriage. This is a tactful decree."
I sighed. This matter was caused by me. If it implicated the tens and hundreds of people in the Xie family to lose their heads, I would also not be able to get over my conscience.
I walked away. Grand Tutor Xie was uneasy. "Xiao Hua, where are you going?"
I was impatient. "Sleeping."
I returned to the courtyard. First, I took a bath comfortably. After that, I took out all my clothes and first wore an extremely ordinary female attendant attire before wearing a short male attire on top of it. Then, I packed a splendid and expensive silk gown as well as a few ordinary pieces of jewellery which I usually didn't wear inside the bundle. After that, I combed my hair into a man's hairstyle.
Yun Xiang also wore a man's attire over her gown.
Afterwards, Yun Xiang climbed onto the top of the wall. She said to a more familiar peddler, "Mdm Zhang, how come you're still here?"
Mdm Zhang then asked, "What's the matter?"
Yun Xiang said with a proud look, "You still don’t know? Second Imperial Prince asked for my Miss' hand in marriage. My Miss is going to enter the palace to be an imperial consort!"
Mdm Zhang was greatly astonished. "Is that true?"
Yun Xiang replied, "How can such a huge matter be fake? My house's Senior Master is currently distributing wedding silvers to passers-by at the entrance! You're still not going there quickly?"
That Mdm Zhang normally sold fruits so her voice was unusually loud. Just with her hollering like this, it created a sensation in the whole alley. One tells ten while ten tell a hundred, news spread quickly from mouth to mouth. As soon as the nearby vendors and passers-by heard that there was someone scattering money, they vied with each other to be the first so as not to lag behind as they rushed to the Xie family's entrance. It was simply like when women have heard that a cosmetics store was going to have a moving out clearance sale. Even the dog from Magistrate Wang Residence next door was barking fiercely within the enclosing walls as if it was not reconciled to it not obtaining a portion.
Yun Xiang and I looked at each other. Right after the people had all walked away, the two of us then flipped ourselves out of the courtyard. We didn’t go anywhere. We followed that crowd of people and ran towards the entrance of our own house.
The people who wanted money had already besieged the Xie family until not even a drop of water could trickle through. The Xie family's butler was overwrought and in a sorry plight. "What wedding gift silvers? Who did you all hear it from? Go away, go away!"
Grand Tutor Xie was smarter than him. He suddenly cried out loudly, "Quick go to Fourth Miss' room to take a look!"
Yun Xiang and I were hiding in the back of the crowd and laughing up our sleeves.
The servant returned with a pale face. "There's no one in Fourth Miss' room."
Grand Tutor Xie stamped his foot. "What are you still in a daze for? Go search at once!"
The butler asked, "Then these people?"
Grand Tutor Xie rained curses. "No money! If lacking money, go to God of Wealth to ask!"
The retainers came out and chase the people away. We then followed along as the mob dispersed.
The nearest from here was the east city gate while the furthest was the west city gate. I brought Yun Xiang to go by the south city gate which had diverse common people and was used for the passage of coffins. Anyway, I was a person of a new generation who was bathing in the party's* care, receiving Marxism education and learning the growth of scientific knowledge. I could be selective to not be superstitious.
T/n: Most likely referring to the political party
After exiting the city without a hitch, we bought two donkeys.
Yun Xiang asked, "Miss, where are we going next?"
I said, "Going to the village where your home is."
Yun Xiang was uneasy. "What do we do if Senior Master thought of it and dispatches people to come?"
I said, "It's not like we are living in your house. Is there a temple outside your village?"
Yun Xiang replied, "There's a dilapidated temple. However, it already had no joss sticks and incense burning at the temple when I was young. I also don't know if it has been torn down already."
I smiled. Dilapidated temple? It couldn’t be any better. This kind of place, other than using it for chance encounters with down and out scholars or people of the martial arts world, it could also be used to shelter from the wind and rain.
We reached that place called Kou Zi Village. I didn’t know if the common people here brewed wine. Maybe they could name it as Kou Zi Wine, its reputation spread all over from the north to south and sold abroad……
The temple was still around. It's just that it was indeed very dilapidated but dilapidated to the right extent. Not only could it leak light and rain and increase the atmosphere of being outdoors, but there was also even a tidy plot of land, that could be provided for people to rest temporarily.
I stayed inside the temple while Yun Xiang planned to return to the village to get some food. She said that the roasted goose made by the Ma family at the east of the village was not bad so I decided to eat roasted goose while waiting for Xie Zhaoying.
Yun Xiang had gone for roughly ten minutes when the weather started to change. A few spells of southerly wind blew thick dark clouds over. Just as I thought that the turn of events was not too encouraging, there was a bolt of resounding thunder which rolled over the sky with heavy rain pouring.
The temple started to leak water, pitter-patter, but it wasn't like a song. I hid in there embarrassedly and pitifully. Taking off the male attire and putting it over my body made me really become a refugee this time. I presumed that Yun Xiang was also still delayed by the rain in the village. My stomach was empty that it called nonstop. However, I could only drop the idea and wait for the rain to stop while swearing with all my effort why that damned Xie Zhaoying had yet to appear.
Among the gurgling sounds of the heavy rain, I heard some voices outside.
A man anxiously said, "There is a temple up ahead! Gentleman, please hold on a little. We're almost reaching!"
The sounds of disorderly footsteps and clatters of horse hooves could be heard. Then, a few tall and burly fellows half carried and half supported an unconscious young person inside and very carefully placed him down at a dry place.
Those men were nimble in their movements and well-trained, like Zhongnanhai's* bodyguards or American special agents. After meticulously arrange placing that unconscious man properly, they dispersed. Two stood at the entrance of the temple while the rest kept guard at a few corners. Each of them had both their eyes bright and with vigor as if they had capabilities of the infrared and night vision functions which magnified and scanned everything in the temple once, then see through into the rain. The uncle at the lead sized me up with a glance when he was entering the door. He probably saw my innocuousness and I gradually became as thin as air in their eyes.
*T/n: Former imperial garden. Now serves as the central headquarters of the Communist Party and the State Council of China.
Another resounding thunder rolling past above our heads again. The man who had been unconscious suddenly moaned once.
The uncle hastily went over. "Gentleman?"
Translated and Edited by: HaruOngy and LalaKurouds