Chapter 3 Scarlet Heart

 FlamingoBees 

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Scarlet Heart 

 Chapter 3: 

I sat at the table practicing calligraphy. Sigh! My brush calligraphy skills are nothing to boast about—they're a constant source of frustration for me. These past few days, Tenth Prince has teased me countless times about it. At first, I blushed with embarrassment, but now I just take it in stride.

That day, riding horses was incredibly fun. Tenth Prince, of course, gave a live demonstration of how the Manchus conquered the world on horseback. Even the slightly slender Eighth Prince showed impressive agility. I sat on the horse for a while but eventually decided that sitting on the ground was more comfortable, so I just watched them from a distance.

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On the way back, Tenth Prince teased me, saying I looked like a Han Chinese lady. I thought to myself, I am a Han Chinese lady after all. When we got back, although Eighth Prince had a servant inform Jie Jie in advance, so she didn't say anything, her expression wasn't very pleasant. However, since I had so much fun, I felt it was worth it.

Since that day, Tenth Prince has been visiting me sporadically. One day, I asked him how to write "gālá" [corner], and he couldn't answer. We teased each other a few times and let it go. If I’ve gained anything significant lately, it’s that my bantering friendship with Tenth Prince has developed rapidly. As Qiaohui puts it, "If the Tenth Prince doesn’t get teased by you every few days, he feels unsettled." I chuckled at that. How can a little brat compete with me? But over time, I no longer see him as just a boorish boy. Maybe he's unsophisticated, not well-read, impulsive, and sometimes unreasonable, but he feels more like a modern friend to me. I don't need to guess his true intentions, and I can openly show my emotions.

After writing a few more characters, I found it difficult to concentrate, so I put down my brush. Through the beaded curtain, I saw Jie Jie listening to a little eunuch, then waving him away. I walked out and asked a maid to bring me some tea. Jie Jie told me, "The Eighth Prince will join us for dinner tonight." 

I took a sip of tea and asked, "Is Tenth Prince coming too?" 

Jie Jie replied, "I don’t know. It's uncertain." Then she suddenly paused, ordered the maids to leave, and sat down next to me.

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I sensed something was off but couldn't guess what she wanted to say, so I stayed silent. Jie Jie looked at me, hesitating to speak. Unable to bear it, I finally asked, "Jie Jie, what could there possibly be that we can't say to each other?"

Jie Jie nodded, as if making up her mind, and asked, "Do you have feelings for Tenth Prince?" 

"Ah!" I was startled and quickly replied, "What are you talking about? We're just friends." 

Seeing the genuine expression on my face, she sighed in relief and said, "That's good!" Then, more seriously, she added, "Although we Manchu people don’t have as many rules as the Han, you are still a young lady and must be mindful of propriety." I felt both annoyed and amused. Annoyed because just a few conversations and some playful moments, all in plain sight, seemed to be blown out of proportion as if I were doing something scandalous. Amused because Jie Jie reminded me of my high school teacher who had once given me a talk about early relationships.

When the Eighth Prince arrived, Qiaohui and I were in the courtyard playing shuttlecock. I had already hit it forty times, which was my highest record so far. I was determined to break it, so although I saw him, I pretended not to and continued playing. Qiaohui and the other servants started to greet him, but the Eighth Prince made a gesture for silence, so everyone stood still, watching me play. Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven—alas, I couldn’t handle the strange atmosphere and stopped myself. I pretended to just notice him and hastily greeted him, prompting the entire courtyard of servants and maids to do the same.

The Eighth Prince looked at me with amusement and praised, "Not bad!" I gave a small smile and didn’t say anything, thinking, "How insincere! The maids here are so skilled they seem to use their entire bodies to keep the shuttlecock in the air, while I can only use my right foot. How is that good?"

The maids lifted the curtain, and the Eighth Prince went in first. I followed behind, but not before turning back to Qiaohui and saying, "Remember, 47 times!" Once inside, I found myself facing the Eighth Prince, with Jie Jie helping him roll up his sleeves. Unsure of what to do, I glanced around and ended up just watching Jie Jie and him.

When Jie Jie finished rolling up his sleeves and looked up to find me still staring, her face flushed, she asked, "Why are you standing there like a statue?" Suddenly feeling awkward, my face burning, I turned away and mumbled, "I just didn't know what to do, so I ended up standing here." The Eighth Prince chuckled and remarked, "With so many chairs around, you still don't know what to do?" Realizing I was being offered a seat, I quickly found a chair and sat down. Jie Jie said, "You should freshen up too, we're about to have dinner."

© 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.

After dinner, we rinsed our mouths and cleared the table. The maids brought tea again. Recalling how the Eighth Prince had left quickly after dinner last time, I noticed his relaxed demeanor this time and figured he might stay the night. Lost in my thoughts, I heard the Eighth Prince say, "In a few days, Tenth Brother will turn seventeen. It's not a big birthday, so the palace will probably just celebrate casually. But we brothers want to have a private celebration to mark the occasion. Since Tenth Brother doesn’t have his own mansion yet, I'm thinking of hosting it here."

Jie Jie paused for a moment and said, "I don't have experience in organizing such events. Perhaps we should consult with the legitimate consort." 

The Eighth Prince took a sip of tea and replied, "She's not feeling well lately, and besides, this is Tenth Brother's own idea." Jie Jie glanced at me and said, "Then I'll handle it."

The Eighth Prince said slowly, "Since it's a private affair, you shouldn't feel too pressured. We're just looking for a place to have some fun." 

"Will the Crown Prince attend?" Jie Jie asked. 

"Invitations will be sent, but whether he comes or not is uncertain," replied the Eighth Prince. Jie Jie nodded and didn't say anything further.

Jie Jie remained silent with her eyes lowered, while the Eighth Prince looked ahead without speaking. I lifted the teacup to drink, only to realize it was empty. The maid approached to refill it, but I waved her off. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, I stood up stiffly and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave, Your Highness."

As the Eighth Prince began to respond, Jie Jie quickly interjected, "Are you going to bed so early?" 

I replied with a forced smile, "No, I'll go back to practice calligraphy." 

Jie Jie added, "You just ate, it's not good to practice calligraphy on a full stomach. You might get a stomachache later!" Feeling trapped, I chuckled awkwardly and sat back down. I motioned for the maid to refill the water. The Eighth Prince watched us with a faint smile. Unable to discern if he was displeased, I decided to give up trying to figure it out.

Silence, silence, silence persisted. My efforts to maintain composure couldn't match theirs, and I couldn't bear it any longer. I stood up and said, "Let's play Go!" Hastily, I added, "I don't know how to play Go. How about we play chess?" 

But Eighth Prince shook his head, saying, "I don't know how to play chess." 

I exclaimed, "Oh!" feeling at a loss for what to do, so I reluctantly sat back down.

More silence followed, and I wracked my brain for solutions. Checkers, chess, poker, a game of capture the flag, even a fantasy RPG... I realized my thoughts were futile in resolving the current situation, so I quickly redirected my thinking.

"How about we play Go?" Eighth Prince asked. 

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"But I said I don't know how," I replied. 

"Can't you learn?" After some thought, a faint smile finally graced his lips, turning into a full-fledged grin as he said, "Alright!" 

I felt a bit dazed, recalling the laughter we shared in the carriage that day. Then suddenly, it dawned on me: the difference in his demeanor was his eyes. Last time, his eyes were smiling too. His laughter had never reached his eyes before.

Eighth Prince roughly explained the rules and suggested we learn as we played. He let me take the black stones and make the first move. Back when I was younger and still indulged in vanity, I dabbled in Go occasionally. However, as I got busier with high school studies and lost interest, I abandoned the complex game of Go in favor of simpler ones like poker. 

Thinking back, I recalled the phrase "gold at the corners, silver at the sides, and a sturdy belly." With that in mind, I placed my stone in a corner. Jie Jie sat beside me, but she didn't seem too interested in learning, so I didn't push it. After a while, the board was already filled with white and black stones, resembling vast landscapes. Feeling a bit frustrated, I complained, "Won't you even let me win, Eighth Prince?" 

He retorted, "How do you know I haven't let you win?" 

I pouted and replied, "Even if you did, it's still like this. If you don't..." He interrupted, "Do you want to continue?" I nodded, resigned to my fate. With my belly empty, I had to let the white stones consume what they could. Holding onto two corners, I wracked my brains, desperately recalling bits of knowledge from the past. In the end, whether it was my strategy or his concession, my two corners came to life.

Eighth Prince surveyed the board and asked, "Have you ever played Go before?" 

I replied, "I've seen others play a bit, so I know a little! How does it look?" 

He smirked and said, "Not great! But knowing 'a brave man cuts off his own hand' and not engaging in meaningless entanglement isn't bad." I chuckled but didn't say anything further.

Feeling that it was about time, I thought Eighth Prince would definitely stay here for the night. So, I stood up and said, "Ruoxi takes her leave!" Eighth Prince nodded, and Jie Jie stood up, instructing the maids to prepare the bath. I offered a polite gesture and then withdrew.

© 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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