Chapter 10 Scarlet Heart

 FlamingoBees 

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Scarlet Heart 

 Chapter 10: 

As soon as she finished speaking, all the princes listened attentively. The Tenth Prince lowered his head, looking thoughtful. 

Kangxi said, "It is indeed the right age!" 

The consort continued with a smile, "Just the other day, Princess Jing mentioned that her daughter Mingyu is of a similar age and asked me to help find a suitable match. I think she would be well-matched with the Tenth Prince!" 

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Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince abruptly raised his head to look at Kangxi, his face full of tension. 

Kangxi nodded and said, "They are indeed well-matched!"

Kangxi pondered for a moment, then looked at the Tenth Prince and said, "Let's appoint Guo Luoluo Mingyu as your primary consort!" 

The Tenth Prince's face flushed red with embarrassment, and he hurriedly exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I am still young..." 

Before he could finish speaking, Kangxi interrupted, "Seventeen is still young?" 

The Tenth Prince became flustered, scratching his head frantically and saying, "Your Majesty, I... I mean, I'm still... I'm just..."

Before he could complete his sentence, the Eighth Prince stood up with a smile and calmly said, "Your Majesty, I think Tenth Brother is just feeling a bit overwhelmed and may need some time to process this sudden news. Once he calms down, he may even feel happy about it." 

The Tenth Prince turned to glare at the Eighth Prince, his face flushed with a mix of urgency, anger, pain, and pleading. The Eighth Prince continued to look at him, still smiling gently, and urged, "Tenth Brother, why don't you thank His Majesty?" 

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The Tenth Prince stared at the Eighth Prince in silence, while the Eighth Prince maintained his composed demeanor, his eyes deep and mysterious, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts. Finally, the Tenth Prince's expression shifted from one of pleading, pain, and anger to one of indifference. He slowly turned his head back, placed his hands on the ground, and bowed deeply three times, the sound of his head touching the ground echoing clearly. Then, he exclaimed loudly, "I thank Your Majesty!" The Eighth Prince also sat back down slowly.

I felt like those three bows pounded heavily on my heart. Each sound, one after another, pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe! I knew ancient marriages were often decided by parental arrangements and matchmakers, leaving little room for personal autonomy. But facing this reality firsthand, I felt its cruelty. I glared angrily at Mingyu, and she stared back at me, her face showing a mix of sadness, pride, resentment, and even hatred.

Eventually, all those emotions on her face faded away, slowly replaced by a coquettish smile. Standing gracefully, she approached to express her gratitude, like a proud peacock displaying its exquisite beauty amidst my furious gaze. Watching Ten Prince and her kneeling side by side, I wanted to scream, why? Why? Why? Wasn't he a prince? Didn't he hold the most noble status? Why was this lofty status depriving him of his most precious thing: freedom? Thinking of my sister, witnessing the scene before me, and the impending selection date, all the hidden fears surged up, and I trembled uncontrollably.

I don't know what happened afterwards, nor do I know how I left the palace. All I remember is that as soon as the sedan chair stopped at the palace gate, I dashed out and ran inside the mansion, leaving behind a chorus of startled cries.

I just ran, ran as fast as I could, desperately ran, using all my strength to run. I felt like I needed to find a place to hide, or else I would inexplicably end up marrying someone. Behind me, maids and servants were chasing after me, my sister calling out, "Ruoxi, Ruoxi..." as she ran. 

Eighth Prince walked briskly, coldly ordering the guards to catch me. I didn't know how long I ran for, I just saw a guard jumping in front of me to block my path. I tried to go around him, but he reached out and grabbed me. I struggled desperately, just wanting to break free and find a place to hide. Then I heard Eighth Prince's voice from afar: "Knock her out!" Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in the back of my neck, and then I knew nothing.

・・・

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, I have rarely spoken. No matter what tricks Qiuhui and Dongyun use, I remain unmoved. Every day, I either sit in front of the desk copying texts or find a place to daydream. For the first time, I begin to seriously examine the reality of myself in ancient times. I ponder over my possible fate. I repeatedly ask myself, am I just going to sit here and wait for everything to happen?

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The maids and servants in the mansion cast strange glances at me, I know they are all gossiping about me going crazy for Tenth Prince, but I don't care about that. Sister always looks at me with silent sadness. Day by day, I become thinner, and so does she. 

Sometimes I hear Qiuhui whispering, "Madam, won't you advise Miss?" Sister softly replies, "Advice won't work. When the time comes, she will naturally come to terms with it and accept her fate!" I think to myself, no, I won't. I will never come to terms with it. Why should my fate be decided by a few words from others? From childhood to adulthood, I've only known that my current efforts determine tomorrow's outcomes. "Today's efforts, tomorrow's rewards" is my motto. I cannot accept that my fate is just a few words from others. No, I can't! I hate heaven, why did it bring me here? It should have either let me be born here so that I might accept my fate. But I have lived in modern society for 25 years, where I was taught that fate is in my own hands. Now suddenly I'm told that everything is fate, accept it! I cannot accept it!

It was already deep autumn, and the leaves on the trees began to fall one after another. I often stood under the trees, watching the leaves dance down with the wind. Each leaf was like a dancer, swaying left, right, up, and down in the wind, occasionally twirling like a graceful performer on stage, infinitely charming. But eventually, they couldn't escape the pull of gravity, slowly descending with infinite nostalgia for the wind.

Eighth Prince and Fourteenth Prince stood beside me, accompanying me as we watched the dance of the falling leaves. I softly remarked, "They are all filled with sadness, unwilling to fall, yet unable to escape their fate of falling."

Fourteenth Prince gently replied, "You are feeling sentimental now, like the flowers shedding tears and the birds startled by parting. Give it a few days, and your mood will improve, and you won't think like this anymore."

I remained silent, continuing to watch the fluttering leaves in the wind.

Fourteenth Prince waited for a moment before asking, "Ruoxi, do you really like Tenth Brother a lot?"

I casually grabbed a yellow leaf flying in front of me and replied, "Yes! I really like him. He is cheerful, lively, and can make me happy. Most importantly, he treats me well." I tossed the leaf in my hand with force, tilting my head back to watch its swaying dance in the wind. "But my affection for him is not what others think. He is just my close friend."

Fourteenth Prince asked in surprise, "Then why are you so upset about Tenth Brother's marriage? People outside are saying that 'Thirteenth Sister went crazy because of Tenth Brother's marriage.'"

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I turned to look at him and said, "I am not upset because of his marriage, but because his marriage is forced upon him by others! He doesn't want it!" Taking a deep breath, I continued, "I am upset because why should my fate be dictated by others? Why can't I decide for myself?" As soon as the words left my mouth, Fourteenth Prince gasped in shock, glaring at me, while Eighth Prince stared at me with a cold, stern face, saying firmly, "Such rebellious words, you are not allowed to say them again in the future!"

I twitched the corner of my mouth, letting out a cold laugh, and turned my head away. He took two steps forward, grabbed my chin with one hand, forcing my face towards him, his eyes locking onto mine as he said in a cold voice, "Did you hear me?" I tried to twist my head to break free, but found his grip surprisingly strong, unable to escape, so I stubbornly stared back at him. He gradually increased the pressure on my chin, each word spoken with solemnity, "Did you hear me?" 

My chin throbbed with pain, growing more intense, until finally, I glared at him resentfully and shouted loudly, "Yes, I heard you!" He stared at me, slowly releasing his grip and walking away with a flick of his sleeve. 

Fourteenth Prince spoke solemnly, "Have you gone mad? He is the Emperor of the Great Qing!" With that, he hurriedly turned and followed Eighth Prince.

I stood there motionless amidst the swirling leaves, frozen in the scene of the wind. It wasn't until Qiaohui came to find me, looking at me with a sigh, gently supporting my arm and saying, "Miss, it's windy here, let's go back!" Unconsciously, I followed her back slowly.

When I entered the room, Jie Jie saw me and hurried over, grabbing my hand, exclaiming, "Why are your hands so cold!" She helped me sit down and immediately instructed Qiaohui to fetch hot tea. Jie Jie held my hands in hers, rubbing them to warm them up. The warmth from her hands slowly seeped into mine, then gradually spread to my heart. Looking at Jie Jie's somewhat gaunt face, I felt a mixture of sadness, warmth, and grievance, unable to hold back my tears, I hugged her tightly and began to cry. Jie Jie embraced me, patting my back gently, murmuring, "It's okay to cry, it's okay to cry!"

After crying for what felt like hours until my throat was sore, I slowly stopped the tears. But I still refused to get up, clinging to Jie Jie. She didn't say anything either, just gently stroking my back. After a while, with my head nestled in her arms, I asked in a muffled voice, "Is it because I hit Mingyu, that she's going to marry Tenth Prince?" 

Jie Jie helped me up, wiped my face with a handkerchief, and said, "Whether you hit her or not, she was going to marry Tenth Prince anyway." She sighed softly, "People like us are nothing but pawns in the hands of the Emperor! It may seem like the Emperor acted on a whim, but in reality, it was just the Empress Dowager understanding his intentions and choosing the right time to play along with him!" 

I listened in silence, feeling like I had overestimated myself. I had thought Mingyu married Tenth Prince to spite me for liking him. But it was better this way, as my guilt towards Tenth Prince had lessened slightly. These people in the palace! Suddenly, I shivered all over, feeling a chill. Remembering what was said earlier, I hugged Jie Jie tightly, filled with an infinite fear, reminding myself not to speak recklessly again, otherwise, I might harm Jie Jie.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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