Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
Ruoyin treated it as going for a vacation. Wearing a soft yellow garment with blue trimming, she arranged her headdress, which she had adorned with a few jadeite hairpins.
After attending to her appearance, she then brought her subordinates to the residence gates.
When she arrived, she noticed that Consort Song and Consort Li were already sufficiently prepared and waiting for her there.
Upon seeing Ruoyin, they bowed to her.
Ruoyin waved a hand to indicate that they could rise. “The ceremony is unnecessary. You’ve finished preparations, I see.”
“Yes, we are only waiting for you and Lord Fourth now,” Consort Song replied with a smile. She noticed that the Fujin had transformed greatly and was looking more and more beautiful.
Her pale yellow garment made her look especially youthful and pretty and also drew attention to her, making everything else around seemingly lose color.
Consort Li had also noticed Ruoyin’s clothing. She did not feel happy, and thus did not bother to politely comment on it.
She only stood there, brimming with jealousy.
Ruoyin nodded toward Consort Song before instructing Nanny Liu to bring all the things into the carriage.
Shortly afterward, Lord Fourth brought his subordinates out as well.
He was wearing a black gown with a silver pattern. His eyes were dark as ink, his lips were pursed, and his expression was cold as ice.
Upon seeing his arrival, the crowd bowed. Ruoyin also curtsied.
Lord Fourth swept his gaze across the crowd. Perhaps because the yellow of her garment was too bright, that gaze eventually landed on Ruoyin.
However, he did not help Ruoyin up. Instead, he waved his large palm to gesture that they could rise before instructing the subordinates, “Move.”
“Understood.”
Lord Fourth then stepped onto Xiao Dezi’s back to get into the carriage.
Since Ruoyin was the Fujin, she was naturally to be seated in the carriage with Lord Fourth.
At least Xiao Dezi did not look like a malnourished eunuch. Ruoyin held on to Nanny Liu’s hand so that she would not rest her full weight onto his body to get into the carriage.
Lord Fourth looked out at her from the carriage and coincidentally saw how she empathized with Xiao Dezi. Something in his gaze shifted, but he looked away quickly again.
Ruoyin looked at the interior of the carriage. In the middle was a narrow couch, while there were two long and soft seats by its side.
Lord Fourth was sitting in the middle couch. Even though there was still some space beside Lord Fourth, Ruoyin still sat on the left seat tactfully.
Shortly after the preparation was finished, the carriage started to move.
Outside the carriage was a blazing hot summer day. However, because the small carriage had two ice tubs, it still felt quite cool.
Additionally, Lord Fourth was emanating a frosty vibe, which made the carriage even more cool.
Ruoyin looked at Lord Fourth’s stormy face and did not lean toward him like she used to.
She only opened up the curtains and looked outside curiously, breathing in the fresh air.
If not, she would be frozen solid by Lord Fourth’s iciness!
Lord Fourth observed her expression. She looked like she had not seen anything of the world and her eyes sparkled with curiosity. He did not comment.
Slowly, he simply closed his eyes and rested.
The pair, who had fallen out, said nothing to each other in the carriage and arrived at Meng Qing Manor like that.
This manor was awarded to Lord Fourth by Kang Xi after the former had built Zhen Beile.
After the carriage stopped, Lord Fourth got out first before Ruoyin, with Nanny Liu’s help, followed.
Upon getting off the carriage, she looked up. Mountains and rivers stretched across the landscape, populated by birds and flowers.
There were a few palaces of gold and jade in the manor while the rest of the space was filled with exquisite pavilions.
The lush undergrowth hid the red and green glass roofs and the vermilion walls.
Ruoyin thought that this place looked beautiful and classic!
She was snapped out of her reverie by Nanny Liu, who shook her arm and said, “Fujin, let’s go into the manor.”
It was only then that she realized that the manor’s stewards were already lined up by the sides and waiting to welcome them.
She calmed herself and followed behind Lord Fourth into the manor.
Consort Li and Consort Song followed behind Ruoyin.
Along the way, the head steward of the manor discussed arrangements with Su Peicheng.
In the end, Lord Fourth would stay at Jin Mo Pavilion and Ruoyin would stay at Yi Lan Villa. They were situated closer to each other than the rest, and the intention was so that they would benefit from the intimacy of their location.
Consort Song and Consort Li were assigned to farther areas, namely, the Meng Lan Pavilion and the Liu Ying Pavilion, respectively.
However, they were not that far off either. They were all in the same manor, so the distance was insignificant no matter how great it was.
Everyone headed to their own residence to look around, and Ruoyin was no exception.
Ruoyin’s Yi Lan Villa was not bad. It was surrounded by a pond with floating lotuses, and their dark green leaves looked like jadeite plates. There were also pink lotuses, and it was a beautiful, unparalleled sight to behold.
The presence of the lotuses gave life to the pond in the blazing summer heat.
Ruoyin followed her guide past some narrow stone steps. At the end of them was Yi Lan Villa.
Once she arrived, she instructed Nanny Liu to reward the guide some silver before checking out Yi Lan Villa.
She had to say that her location was good. She could stand upstairs and look down at the lotus pond.
It felt like the emerald lotus leaves were reaching as far as where water and skies meet, and the lotus blossoms were bathing in sunshine and exhibiting a distinctive dazzling pink.
She looked up and noticed another construction nearby. It was a water pavilion, and it was separated from Ruoyin’s Yi Lan Villa by the lotus pond.
Ruoyin had good eyesight. From afar, she looked at the pavilion and, hey, wasn’t that Lord Fourth sitting there?
On the other side, Lord Fourth glanced over at her coincidentally, and their eyes met in that single moment.
Ruoyin did not want Lord Fourth to think that she was spying on him from afar, and thus, she looked away first.
As a woman, she should be more reserved!
Just then, Qiao Feng came to her and reported, “Fujin, someone came over and delivered the news that there will be a family feast in the manor, and they asked for you to head over to Yun Meng Room.”
“Alright. I’m hungry anyway,” Ruoyin said in an easygoing manner.
Actually, she did not care about the family feast, because she would take care of herself anyway, and she didn’t mind where she ate.
Shortly afterward, a group of people arrived at Yun Meng Room. Even though it was called “Yun Meng Room,” it was actually a large pavilion, and a huge marble table had been placed inside.
From afar, she could see that Consort Song and Consort Li were already there.
Ruoyin walked toward the pavilion and sat down beside the table.
After a round of tea, Lord Fourth arrived. His presence was so formidable that his aura had enveloped the entire area even before he arrived.
Once one noticed the crowd’s gaze look toward a certain direction and people start bowing, it meant that Lord Fourth was arriving.
When Lord Fourth walked closer, Ruoyin and the rest rose to bow.
Lord Fourth did not help anyone up nor look at any of them. He merely gave a wave of his hand and sat at his seat.
Actually, this was a good thing too. Everyone would feel better, and no one would see the need to rival anyone for Lord Fourth’s affection, nor feel jealous of someone else who managed to gain his attention.
Ruoyin and the rest sat down after Lord Fourth settled into his seat.
Immediately after that, the manor steward clapped and in came a group of dancers.
The dancers were wearing rose red dresses that exposed their shoulders and belly. The attire was cooling, and they covered themselves with a layer of gauzy fabric.
After each of them came forward to bow, they started to move their bodies and dance.
They waved flowing sleeves in their hands and seemed to float about lithely, their steps light on the ground.
Consort Li and Consort Song did not feel like watching the dance. They focused their attention and gazes on Lord Fourth, afraid that a random dancer would catch his eye.