NOTES:
One shichen - 2 hours
Nubi - This Lowly One, This Servant
'those who are close to ink will turn black like ink' - if you associate with someone, you will become like them
After the siblings sat in the pavillion for over half shichen, Ban Heng couldn't stand it anymore. "Jiejie, let's go back. It's too cold here."
Cold wind blew on the face like knife slashes.
"Alright. Let's go." Ban Hua saw his face and neck shrunk like a pitiful puppy, she couldn't help laughing, "Go back."
Ban Heng promptly stood up to leave, but as Ban Hua was still sitting, he hesitated, "Jie, are you in a bad mood?"
Ban Hua gave him a side-eye, "Which eye of yours sees me in a bad mood?"
Ban Heng sat back down, clutched his hot tea cup, "I'll sit with you a little longer?"
"It's fine, I am going back too." Ban Hua rose, patted his round head, "You go."
"I'll go then." Ban Heng ran two steps, turned back again, "I am really going."
Ban Hua helplessly gave him a light kick at the rear, "Still not gone, want to stay in the cold?"
Ban Heng rubbed his rear-end, let out a string of 'hehehe' like a dog freed from it's leash, limbs spread out in joy. Ban Hua watched from behind and couldn't help but shake her head, laughing.
Such a silly brother......
If the dreams really came true, she would die beautifully clad in fox fur, and her family would be taken care of. But her silly brother, what would happen to him?
T/N - (Refresher: Ban Hua dreamt of a scene where she was lying dead on the snowy ground, and a man dressed in black gave an order that her family be treated well. I think Ban Hua wasn't as calm and indifferent as what she showed on the outside.)
The next morning Ban Heng heard her sister was unable to sleep because she ate too much at dinner, he felt stupid that he couldn't sleep either from worrying about her. He went out to meet some good friends, they wondered what he had done at night to look so tired.
"The moon was bright last night, Brother Ban must have been with a beauty, or drinking under the moon." Zhou Changxiao hooked his arm around Ban Heng's neck, "Am I right?"
Ban Heng slapped him away, he said with a disgusted look, "Drinking under the moon is correct, but with my sister, not with a beauty."
"If I could enjoy the moon with Hua Jiejie, I am willing to stay up all night too." Zhou Changxiao had a dreamy expression, "Under the hazy moonlight, the beauty in fine clothes, she is the fairy of the moon, the most magnificent sight in the world."
"Shut up!" Ban Heng disliked jokes about his sister. "I came to see you today because I want to ask you something."
"What is it?" Zhou Changxiao and the few other idlers became interested, "Put a sack on Xie Qilin's head, or teach Shen Yu a lesson?"
Ban Heng: "......"
"Rong Daren had spoken on behalf of us," Ban Heng was a little embarrassed, "I am worried they will give him troubles after he offended Left Minister Yan. I want to ask you to help me find out."
"You still don't know?" Zhou Changxiao was surprised, "The Yan family is busy saving themselves, how will they have time to trouble Rong Daren?"
"What happened to Yan family?" Ban Heng looked at Zhou Changxiao in confusion, while the other friends looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Yan family committed a crime, His Majesty is furious. Left Minister Yan said he is sick and staying at home to reflect."
************
Yan Hui wasn't pretending, he really was sick. He fell sick of anxiety after his wife Wei-shi was thrown out of Jingting residence by the Grand Princess' people. If not because Chen-shi suddenly miscarried, he would have ordered that Wei-shi be stopped, unfortunately......
He was able to come this far due to being a careful and cautious man, he knew best what sort of person His Majesty was.
Paranoid. Holding grudges. Those he liked could survive, those he disliked would die.
He had been putting in countless efforts and energy in order to gain His Majesty's trust, but now His Majesty was bound to be suspicious and discontent with him.
Chen-shi and his eldest son were divorced, the younger son in coma, he was spurned by the Emperor. The Yan family..... he dared not think what would happen to them in the future.
"Eldest Son," Yan Hui was leaning on the bed head, "Take my card, go to the Grand Princess residence to ask for an audience. Offer an apology, or kneel, until the Grand Princess is willing to meet you."
"Father, please rest at ease. This Son will ask the Grand Princess for forgiveness." Yan Ming wiped the corner of his eyes, he was half speaking half sobbing.
"It's Father's fault for not teaching you two well." Yan Hui breathed heavily, grabbed Yan Ming's hand, "Remember, whatever the Grand Princess says, you have to apologise sincerely, this is all our family's fault. Father is not asking you to put on a show but to offer a genuine apology, understand?"
Yan Ming had lost a lot of weight, his clothes was hanging empty on his body. But he shouldn't and couldn't fall down now.
"If the Grand Princess is not willing to see you, go to Jingting residence and apologise to Fule Junzhu." Yan Hui coughed, some blood came out of his throat, "The Ban family values goodwill and places importance on their children. If Fule Junzhu is willing to forgive our Yan family then it is half way done already."
"Fule Junzhu?" Yan Ming hesitated, "She is just a female, and a younger generation...."
"Do you know why at first I didn't want your mother to propose for Fule Junzhu? It's because the Ban family thinks very highly of this daughter." Yan Hui's voice was getting smaller,
"Everyone thinks Fule Junzhu is wilful and unruly, but if she really was a brainless girl, how does she make the Imperial Family favour her so much?"
Yan Hui closed his eyes and slowly concluded, "Someone who is entangled with the Imperial Family, and yet still able to live a good life, is definitely not a fool."
**********
"Junzhu, try this one?"
"Don't want to eat." Ban Hua waved her hand, slumping lifelessly on the table. As an idle royal relative who normally played around so much, staying inside for days without getting out at all felt strange.
But like her grandmother, she was supposed to be sick with anger due to the behavior of the Yan family so she couldn't go out.
"But this is your favourite snack," Ruyi put the snack in front of Ban Hua, "Sure not eating?"
Ban Hua turned away, "Not eating, give it to someone else!"
"Who do you want to give it to?" Ruyi smiled sweetly in an attempt to coax her, "Nubi will arrange it now."
"Send to Count Cheng An, say it's from the Shizi." Ban Hua remembered Rong Xia had helped her but she hadn't thanked him yet.
She got up, "Wait, I'll get something from the study, let the guards bring it too."
Ban family had no shortage of precious rare books and calligraphies. This time Ban Hua chose a scroll of painting that was said to be a genuine work of a famous painter a few hundred years ago. Whether it's really genuine or not, they didn't know, but at least the painting was very good and the calligraphy was like 'flying dragon and dancing phoenix'. Unfortunately it's also unreadable, so until now she still had no idea what was written there.
**********
"Master." Du Jiu placed an envelope in front of Rong Xia, "A message from the border."
Rong Xia took the envelope, after reading the content he held it against the flame of the candle. "Any news with Yan family?"
"One shichen ago, Yan Ming went to the Grand Princess' residence to apologise, but the Grand Princess didn't meet him." Du Jiu thought for a while, "The Yan family doing this... They have thrown their face away."
"If I were Yan Ming, I would meet Fule Junzhu first instead of the Grand Princess." Rong Xia watched as the letter burned into ashes, he coldly said, "Fule Junzhu is the one to start with. The Grand Princess and Jingting residence are only furious on her behalf, what's the use of begging the Grand Princess?"
"This....." Du Jiu said hesitantly, "The Grand Princess is the one who makes decisions in the Ban family. Shouldn't he ask the Grand Princess?"
Rong Xia didn't answer. If he hadn't known the Ban family, he would have thought the same way as the Yan family. However after getting familiar with... the Ban family's style, he was certain that one could not follow the normal convention when dealing with them.
"Master, Jingting residence's steward asks to meet. He said the Shizi ordered that he presents some gifts of thanks."
Rong Xia blew the candle, got up to open the window. He nodded, "Let him in."
Ban family's steward had decent features, his steward uniform was tidy and clean, he didn't look like a servant of a manor.
"Greetings Count Cheng An."
"No need to be polite." Rong Xia looked at the steward, "Why does the Shizi send Zaixia a thank-you gift?"
"Master and Shizi are grateful that Master Cheng An spoke in justice on behalf of Junzhu. Shizi knows Master Cheng An is a gentleman and does not care for worldly gold and silver, so he can only send this small gift. Hope Master Cheng An does not dislike it." The steward turned to take a food box and a scroll of painting from the hands of a servant. He handed those to Du Jiu.
"Shizi is too kind. Rong mou only spoke a few words of truth, it is not worthy of the gratitude."
"Many people know the truth, but not everyone dares to speak it." The steward gave Rong Xia a deep salute. "Zaixia dares not disturb Master Cheng An and will take my leave."
After the steward left, Du Jiu laid out the two gifts in front of Rong Xia.
The Ban family was said to be rich and imposing but gifting these two items looked a bit too cheap.
Rong Xia opened the food box. One box contained two plates of snack, the snack's light green colour was very tempting. He couldn't help smiling, picked up the silver chopsticks from inside the box and put a piece into his mouth.
"Master!" Du Jiu was startled, how could his master eat it just like that, how if it was poisoned?
Rong Xia waved his hand, put the chopsticks down and opened the painting scroll.
Du Jiu: you have just eaten snack and now you look at painting, Master, has the unruly Ban family ruined your manner too?
The elderly said 'those who are close to ink will turn black like ink', so there is a truth in this.
Opening the lid of the painting tube, Rong Xia very carefully pulled out the yellowish painting from inside and slowly unrolled it.
"Frosty Mountain Gazing the Moon?!"
Du Jiu looked at the painting in shock, his voice was almost broken. This painting was <<Frosty Mountain Gazing the Moon>>.
It was the work of famous painter Zhao Bicong from a few hundred years ago. This painting was said to be his final one, it embodied his feelings and memories of his late wife.
The emperor of the previous dynasty had wanted this painting to please his painting-lover concubine, he sent people everywhere to no avail.
So how did this painting end up here?
Wrong. The point was, how could the Ban family give this painting to his Master?
He shouldn't have said that the Ban family was stingy, it was the opposite, they were generous. So generous that they were out of their minds. A treasure like this should be a family heirloom, who was so stupid to give it away, right?
Du Jiu was not from the Ban family, but he felt the heartache for them. "What a wastrel Shizi, sending this gift is really....."
Rong Xia's eyes on the painting, the smile on his face grew, "It's not him."