The Princess's Notebook

Gray walls and black tiles, the moon sets in the west.

In someone's courtyard, next to the mottled wall stands a hexagonal landscape pavilion, named "Moon Hill". Looking down at the distant flowing water, the rippling blue waves, the winding rocky paths, and the towering lake rocks, there is a unique Jiangnan style.

Wang Shiqi Niang looked around and saw a scene she had never seen before. She immediately realized that it was time for her to meet Zhao Feiran again.

Not long after, Zhao Feiran, wearing a narrow-sleeved Hu costume and a leather belt around his waist, came walking on the moon. He was like a gust of wind under the bright moonlight, like the stars in the dark night among the strange rocks. Shiqi Niang looked at his figure and was fascinated. When she met him before and tricked him into saying that he was a eunuch, she never thought that he was graceful and suave. But now, perhaps because of the added light, she felt that he was a little better.

"Young lady, are you obsessed with it?!"

He walked up the rocky path, leaving a group of lake rocks behind him, and threw jokes at the young lady, looking extremely proud, which made young ladies all over the world fall in love with him.

As expected, this guy only has a face to show for it.

"Who was looking at you? I was just looking at the beautiful scenery in the courtyard and was a little mesmerized without realizing it."

He stood outside the pavilion without entering, allowing the moonlight to envelope his body.

"My dear, it seems like you were expecting me to come here today. Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"It's the same if you come in and sit down. What are you doing standing outside?" Wang Shiqi Niang patted the beauty chair beside her and motioned Zhao Feiran to sit down.

The fellow raised his chin with a hint of disdain, "Why go in? There's no light. It's better than the bright moonlight outside."

Wang Shiqilang: The young prince’s taste is not like that of ordinary people.

Seeing that he was really standing outside the Shanshui Pavilion without moving, Wang Shiqi Niang had no choice but to stand up and stand not far from this man.

"I came here to talk to you about something. I met your elder sister in Chunyang Palace this afternoon, did you know that?" Seeing the man nod, Wang Shiqi Niang continued, "Your elder sister said that you...said that you have a bad temper. She also said that I made you angry and wanted me to apologize to you..."

Zhao Feiran: "Nonsense, nonsense, young lady. No matter what my elder sister is like, she will never talk to you like this. Besides, my elder sister told me everything you said in the small theater. I advise you not to talk nonsense."

"Then...then...you really don't care about mistaking the eunuch for you?" Shiqi Niang turned her head and looked at Zhao Feiran's expression carefully.

Seeing that he seemed to have thought of something interesting, he smiled and tilted his head to look at him, "You are so scared, could it be that you have done something that I don't know about, and you want to ask for my forgiveness in advance to prevent future troubles."

Wang Shiqi Niang resolutely denied, "No way. It was only after I met your sister that I realized that you, my young master, might be someone I cannot mess with. That's why I thought about it and became a little scared."

Zhao Feiran turned around and stood facing Shiqi Niang, tapping his palm with the folding fan in his hand. "Oh, it took you a long time to think of finding out my identity. Look at you, your brain is really not working well."

After hearing this, Wang Shiqi Niang confirmed that this man was a powerful person, but he was tongue-tied and couldn't think of anything nice to say.

Suddenly, Zhao Feiran stepped on a step, moved closer, and looked down at the young lady's frightened face.

"I guess you have some guesses about my identity. Why don't you tell me? If your guess is right, I might be happy and let you go."

Hearing what he said, he looked like someone who was teasing others, but deep down he must be a person who always stood in a high position.

Thinking of this, Wang Shiqi Niang was a little scared. Her father was just a minor official of the sixth rank, and her wife, concubines, and several married sisters were not people who could have a say.

"Young Master, may I ask your name?"

When Zhao Feiran heard this, he knew that the girl already knew a little, and he suddenly wanted to know how much she had guessed.

So they started playing cat and mouse, "Guess!"

The man lowered his head and smiled, his eyes as bright as moonlight, which made Shiqi Niang feel uneasy. Why has this guy changed today? He is not as easy to fool as before.

"Is your surname Zhao?"

Zhao Feiran smiled and said, "My surname is Zhao. You are smart, young lady. Guess again, which clan family do I come from?"

Shiqi Niang's uneasiness gradually spread, and her palms clasped behind her back were sweaty. Fortunately, it was dark and no one could see it.

"But the princes who came to the capital to meet the emperor a month ago?"

"My Lord, you are such an ignorant young lady. Have you ever seen a Lord as charming as me? Think about it again." The smile on Zhao Feiran's face became more and more obvious. He wanted to see if this young lady who dared to coax him could bear it.

"Not the prince?! Among the princes who came to the capital recently, some seem to be quite old. You... could it be..."

Could this person be the young master of the clan? ?

Thinking of this, Shiqi Niang's fear dissipated a little. It's just a relative. Our dynasty doesn't have the custom of sending the sons of relatives to Beijing as hostages. It's just that they will return to their fiefdoms in a few days. The young lady rubbed her hands, this is very easy.

Zhao Feiran waved his folding fan in a sneaky manner and looked at the young lady's hands behind her back. "Why are you rubbing your hands? Are you scared?"

"No, no, I'm not scared at all. I'm just, just... a little cold. I don't know which house this is. It's remote and deserted. It's windy at night and it's freezing."

Thinking of a suitable excuse, Shiqi Niang pretended to tremble, then turned and walked into the pavilion.

The hexagonal landscape pavilion is windy on all sides, with only the precious tripod hanging in the air. How can it protect against wind and rain?

Seeing the young lady like this, Zhao Feiran stopped teasing her and followed her into the house. Not only that, he also considerately stood in the wind, silently watching over the beauty.

Shiqi Niang understood that he was shielding her from the wind, but she couldn't understand why a dignified prince of a clan would do this. However, she was a sensible and polite lady after all.

"Thank you, young master." Unexpectedly, Zhao Feiran suddenly said, "You are not stupid! Let me tell you, I have never done such a shameless thing as shielding someone from the wind. If it weren't for my sister saying that you were scared today, I wouldn't have done this. Who in this world is worthy of me shielding her from the wind? I won't ruin my reputation."

After hearing this, Wang Shiqi Niang felt a little warm in her heart, which dissipated like a gust of wind. She tilted her head to look at the man sitting next to her. He was like a banished immortal, with a graceful figure and charming manner. It would be great if he was a mute.

"Does your husband usually talk to you like this?"

"It's you who has found some magic tricks to keep me here. No one else is so lucky to be able to talk to me."

In Shiqi Niang's opinion, his arrogance was quite...unspeakably stupid.

Not daring to reveal anything, Shiqi Niang tentatively asked about the itinerary: "The princes are coming to Beijing to pay homage to the empress dowager and the late emperor?"

"Of course." Zhao Feiran knew that the young lady treated him as a relative, so he did not refute.

"I remember that in previous years, when the Queen Mother and the late Emperor were being paid tribute, the princes would have returned to their fiefdoms around June or July, is that correct?"

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew towards Shiqi Niang's back, ruffling her black hair and making it shiny. Behind the fluttering hair, a man with narrow sleeves could be seen, dispersing the night wind for her.

"You are a young lady who never leaves the house, why are you asking about this? Are you waiting for me to leave so that you can end this feud?"

Shiqi Niang quickly denied it, "Young Master, you misunderstood. My family is a humble family. Although we are an official family, we are no different from ordinary people. I came here to ask you something because I thought you were knowledgeable and noble. If what I said was inappropriate, I hope you don't take it to heart."

Gentle words cannot be more thoughtful.

I don’t know if it’s because the night is a little chilly, or because the ground is covered with silver light. Zhao Feiran knows that this girl is good at making people happy, but he can’t help but raise his eyebrows and curl his lips.

"You are smart. Let me tell you, there are many things to do around June and July. The memorial service for the late emperor and the empress dowager is something that happens every year. There is another event in mid-June, the memorial service for Prince Huai Zhang. After these three major events are over, the princes will return to their fiefdoms. Young lady, you don't need to be afraid or worried. Although I am not a generous person, I am a man of my words. I said I would not bother you, and I will not bother you. You just remember this. It doesn't matter whether I am a eunuch, a royal relative, or anything else..."

These words really touched Shiqi Niang. This man had a bad mouth, but to be able to say such words showed that there was still hope.

Unexpectedly, before she finished praising him, she heard him say, "You also know that I am of noble status. If it weren't for your useless dream, I would have forgotten you long ago. Why would I bother you? The prince of the royal family has many things to worry about. A young lady is not worth it."

Wang Shiqi Niang opened her lips slightly and looked at Zhao Feiran without any concealment.

But this man, who looked like a nobleman, was sitting in the wind to block the wind for himself, and one hand was over the beauty chair to block the night wind from his back. He looked good. But the words he said could choke a person to death.

Shiqi Niang didn't care and smiled brightly. The ephemeral flower under the moon was pure and graceful.

"I know that the young master is a good man and will not find fault with me. I asked this question because I have never seen a royal family. I will definitely remember what you said just now. A royal family like you must have countless women chasing after you. Before, you said that your family wanted to find a new wife for you. Have you chosen a suitable girl?"

The girl's smile, in Zhao Feiran's eyes, was like the wind stopping and rain stopping in an instant, and like a downpour in an instant.

He couldn't say anything, he just felt weird and upset.

"What bride? My family has already promised me. I'll talk about it after I make my choice."

With this sentence, Wang Shiqi Niang finally put down the last big stone in her heart. This guy is just an ordinary relative, not a prince, let alone the Crown Prince. The bustle of Chunyang Palace in the afternoon is still vivid in my mind. Maybe the prince will hear the imperial decree that Wei Shiqi Niang will be the Crown Princess before he returns to his fiefdom.

So it is, great good!
The next morning, with the summer cicadas chirping and the morning mist thinning, Shiqi Niang got up feeling refreshed. She found the table with raised heads under the south window much more pleasing to the eye.

After serving breakfast to Aunt Feng and Aunt Shangguan, and paying respects to Madam Qiao Xin, Shiqi Niang sat at the table and began the fourth volume of "Little Eunuch":

The autumn rain is continuous, the red candles are high, the dark night is filled with tears

The eunuch's murder and wife-stealing had already been exposed, so he could not get any benefits. Therefore, on a clear and bright autumn day, the eunuch held a wedding without guests regardless of the young lady's wishes.

The house at the head of Taiping Street was filled with red silk and brightly lit candles. Even the old tree in the courtyard was dressed in new clothes, covered in red and decorated with colorful decorations, looking brand new. The eunuch bought an ugly barefoot maid to take care of the young lady.

At night, the eunuch, dressed in wedding clothes, with a gloomy look and red eyes, walked into the bridal chamber. In the room, the young lady was also dressed in wedding clothes, with a round fan covering her face. The red agate earrings on her ears swayed along with the candlelight, rippling in people's hearts.

The barefoot ugly maid disappeared, and the eunuch was too lazy to pay attention to her. He only had eyes for the young lady in front of him.

When the young lady approached, he seemed a little timid and paused, not daring to move forward. But the faint sobbing from the young lady's mouth made him speed up his pace and he jumped down and sat down side by side.

The small couch, less than a foot square, was occupied by only these two people.

The eunuch reached out and grasped the fan in the young lady's hand, and slowly moved it away. He saw that she had a beautiful face, two clear eyes, her eyebrows were tightly knitted, and her eyes were full of tears.

He immediately became angry and held the fan away, but the sound of it falling to the ground did not create any ripples.

"What? Now that you're my new bride, you're still thinking about your old lover?" the eunuch asked harshly.

The young lady said nothing, with two lines of tears in her eyes, like a pear blossom in the rain. The corners of her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Oh! Once you enter my house, you are my person in life and my ghost in death. You have no right to think otherwise. Wipe away your troublesome tears, I will just pretend that I didn't see anything."

The lady did not move, she just watched him cry. The tears slowly fell down, hung on his chin, fell into his neck, and disappeared in the bright red wedding dress.

The eunuch became furious and said, "I'll give you a stick of incense to clean yourself up. Take care of yourself." After saying that, he turned away.

The door was wide open, and the rain continued, blocking the moonlight and the starry sky. The empty courtyard and the sturdy old trees in the past were like the moon in the water and the flowers in the fog.

(End of this chapter)