Chapter 58: From the Flower Reflects a Picture – Part 15

 
Ming ChangYan suddenly started coughing, and his eyes were quickly dyed red. He shouted, “Excuse me! Stop! Let me reiterate, I am not!”

A-Jun was surprised, “Did you guys quarrel?”

She was the second person to ask that today.

Ming ChangYan’s throat twitched. He swung his hand around, “Nevermind, nevermind, there’s no point. Why did you come to Huating?”

A-Jun fumed, “It’s all because of Zhao XiaoLan! That guy had the guts to drag me over to Huating for the Fireworks Festival!”

Ming ChangYan said, “What, he didn’t tell you?”

A-Jun seethed, “No! He told you? Oh well then, I’m going to have to find and settle accounts with him, Duan Duan!”

Ming ChangYan hurriedly said, “Ay ay ay, even if you want to settle accounts with him, why call Duan Min? Do you want him to die?”

While the two were chatting, the third prince walked up and joked, “I didn’t know that the Young Prime Minister had gotten himself a wife.”

Ming ChangYan suddenly felt afraid of being found out. After all, he only met the third prince that once when he was dressed up as a woman in the palace. Now that he looks like a man again, he probably wouldn’t be recognizable.

“She was just joking around, it’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, haha.” Ming ChangYan said as he gestured towards Huai Yu.

Huai Yu nodded.

A-Jun looked somewhat displeased.

When she saw Ming ChangYan, she felt as if she’d found an accomplice. Thus she dragged his arm and walked forward.

Ming ChangYan exclaimed, “Great aunt! What are you doing?!”

He wanted to say that there should be some distinction between men and women, but in the eyes of A-Jun, he was a woman. Moreover, A-Jun was too young; because Ming ChangYan himself had a little sister, he was very indulgent towards girls and always pampered them. The consequence of allowing this sort of development was that he now had to face A-Jun’s unbridled temper.

“I don’t want to stay together with Sanhuang-xiong*, I’m tired from just watching him!”

(TN: “三皇兄”; in case anyone wants a refresher, this just means Third Imperial Brother. Similarly, Dahuang-xiong would be Eldest Imperial Brother, and Erhuang-xiong would be Second Imperial Brother.)

Ming ChangYan said, “If you’re tired from watching him, then why did you come to Huating with him?”

A-Jun turned around, “He was the one who asked to come, he insisted on coming with me. I was planning on just going with Duan Duan!”

Ming ChangYan understood and said, “Right. What kind of older brother would watch their own sister go outside by herself, he’s probably just worried about you.”

A-Jun stuck out her tongue and grimaced, “Like I’d believe that! Who would dare harm me when I have Duan Duan protecting me? Humph, Sanhuang-xiong is only being polite towards me to get to the throne, I won’t fall for his trap!”

Dazed, Ming ChangYan’s interest suddenly piqued, “Get to the throne? What, are they electing another emperor for the Central Plains?”

A-Jun sighed then consoled, “Don’t be afraid, father’s kind-hearted, he doesn’t need his concubines to be buried together with him. Besides, even if he did, Huai Yu-gege wouldn’t allow it!”

By now, Ming shaoxia was already too lazy to explain this muddled relationship between him and Huai Yu, so he simply let A-Jun to just casually comprehend it.

A-Jun continued, “After Dahuang-xiong died, the spot for the crown prince is empty again. Although I don’t want to participate in their war, I know that Sanhuang-xiong’s approaching me only because I’m the empress’s sole daughter. Him winning my favor is like him winning the empress’s favor!”

Ming ChangYan said, “If he wants to be the emperor, then why does he need to earn the empress’s favor? Does your Sanhuang-xiong not have a mother?”

A-Jun said, “His mother was a palace maid with low status, so what can he do? He wants to win mother’s favor because father loves her. The only person in this world who could control my father is my mother and no one else.”

When Ming ChangYan heard this, he thought: This emperor is just a love-sick fool, it’s a pity that his love went to the wrong place, why is he over here stealing people’s wives and treating them like treasures!

A-Jun said, “In short, I don’t like him very much. Now that we’ve finally arrived at Huating, I can finally get rid of him, you have to play with me.”

Ming ChangYan said, “I’m busy! Go find Zhao XiaoLan.”

A-Jun, “Did that something number one beauty come to Huating too?”

Ming ChangYan, “Yeah.”

A-Jun, “Then great! With that woman here, then the only thing on Zhao XiaoLan’s mind would be to please her, he wouldn’t want to play with me. I’m not going there to get snubbed!”

Ming ChangYan, “But if you want to play with me, aren’t you afraid of your Huai Yu-gege?”

A-Jun paused for a moment then used the tip of her shoe to kick a tiny pebble. It was only after a moment of hesitation that she replied, “A little.”

After that, she suddenly regained her senses and her two eyebrows shot up, “Hey! You haven’t entered the household yet! You’re fortunate that this princess is asking you to play with her! With that big temper of yours, it’d be dreadful even after you marry in, it’ll all fall onto this princess’s head!”

Ming ChangYan said, “Great aunt, what kind of books have you been reading? What entering the household, what marrying in? Listen to my advice and stay away from Liu Kuang, he’s not going to be your husband.”

A-Jun blushed, “Who, who who who who mentioned Teacher Liu!”

Ming ChangYan, “If you didn’t get those hideously vulgar books from him, then where’d you get them?”

A-Jun was unable to retort. Fuming, she humphed and shouted with her face still red, “I’m going to make Duan Duan beat you to death!”

Ming ChangYan promptly apologized, “Alright, I was wrong. Aren’t you trying to find Zhao XiaoLan to play with you? I’ll bring you to him, alright, princess I’m apologizing!”

A-Jun reluctantly forgave him, pulling Duan Min’s hand, she asked, “Do you know where he is?”

Ming ChangYan rubbed his nose, “You’re gonna have to let me think about it.”

Biding the third prince goodbye, Ming ChangYan indeed kept to his promise to A-Jun and took her to find Zhao XiaoLan.

However, Zhao XiaoLan was so busy that he didn’t have time to greet them. When he saw A-Jun coming, he only waved to her and said he would keep her company later.

Ming ChangYan surveyed his surroundings and saw how Zhao XiaoLan was carrying loads of pots while dripping with sweat. One moment he was making his way outside, the next he was coming back in, it was actually really boring.

After a stick of incense, Huai Yu also found this place.

When Ming ChangYan noticed he was here, he stopped feeling bored. He grinned and said, “What do you think Zhao XiaoLan is doing?”

Huai Yu shook his head.

Ming ChangYan, “According to the carriers, he’s been arranging things from the very start. It seems like this isn’t some last-minute decision, he’s probably been preparing since this morning.”

His fingers itched to lift up one of the black cloths covering the pots. Zhu Rong stated, “You mustn’t.”

Ming ChangYan’s hand stopped and he looked up.

The tiny bells produced a soft and serene sound.

Zhu Rong said, “This cloth mustn’t be lifted.”

Ming ChangYan questioned, “Why?”

From a distance, Zhao XiaoLan noticed the two standing together. Quickly setting down a pot, he jogged over, “Yan-jiejie, what’s wrong?”

Ming ChangYan asked, “What are you doing rushing back and forth for? And these black coverings, what’s under them?”

Huai Yu responded, “Flowers.”

Ming ChangYan raised an eyebrow, Zhao XiaoLan smiled, “Huai Yu-gege’s right, it’s flowers.”

A-Jun walked up and asked, “Since they’re flowers, then they should be for people to see. Why are you covering them?”

Ming ChangYan snickered, “Of course it’s because he doesn’t want us to see so that’s why he covered them up?”

Zhao XiaoLan turned somewhat red as he exclaimed, “June Snows. The flowers are June Snows!”

Ming ChangYan, “I know this flower, but why are you covering them up?”

Zhao XiaoLan began, “There’s a specific breed of June Snows that are among the most precious. They only bloom once in their lifetime, the moment they come in contact with sunlight, they immediately begin blooming. It looks just like snow when they bloom. I heard that Maiden Li Li likes to watch the snowfall, but with this kind of June weather, it’s too hard to make it snow! So I thought I could use these to make her happy!”

Hearing this, Ming ChangYan clicked his tongue then sighed, “Zhao XiaoLan, I underestimated you. It takes a lot of time and effort to do these things, it’s lucky that you don’t find it troublesome.”

Zhao XiaoLan unfolded his fan and fanned himself a couple of times, “A beauty’s smile is priceless.”

Him, “I can’t keep talking with you, I’ve already invited Li Li to view flowers later this afternoon!”

After saying that, Zhao XiaoLan added, “Yan-jiejie, you guys can also come!”

Ming ChangYan said, “It would be disrespectful to decline.”

With that, Zhao XiaoLan suddenly said again, “There’s one more thing! Yan-jiejie, you must help me!”

Ming ChangYan felt a chill on his back.

Zhao XiaoLan this guy, every time he said the words ‘I need help,’ it would likely lead to some sort of heartless injustice on Ming shaoxia’s side. When he said those words just now, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

“Tell me carefully, what do you need help with? Let me remind you that we’re not visiting a brothel this time!”

Zhao XiaoLan repeatedly waved his hands around, “Not this time! Never again!” He glanced at Huai Yu and was met with a cold gaze. Zhao XiaoLan suddenly felt a pang of guilt, “It, it’s like this. Every time I see Maiden Li Li, I can’t speak.”

Ming ChangYan said, “Why can’t you speak? You’re pretty weird if you meet the one you love, shouldn’t you be chattering away?”

Zhao XiaoLan’s face was flushed as he said, “If I could chatter away, would I still be unable to talk to her and be estranged?”

Ming ChangYan looked at him for a bit more before sighing, “Fine, since you’re so pitiful, I’ll give you an idea, lend me an ear.”

Altogether, the over ten thousand flower pots had to be carried out by over a hundred people. At noon, they were finally able to move all the June Snows to the Tanbai Yanyu Building. The eastern part of the building faced the lake, and on the west if faced Xiaolin Mountain, it was a famous garden in Huating.

Xiao Yu accompanied Li Li as they arrived at Tanbai Yanyu Building.

“That Young Master Zhao sure thinks he’s a big deal to invite you out on such a hot day! The moment I see him, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!”

Li Li said, “I forbid it.”

Xiao Yu muttered, “I was just saying it, it’s not like I’m actually going to do it. My lady, don’t be mad at me.”

As the two continued walking, Xiao Yu looked around and saw that the surrounding area was full of flowers, plants, and even a subset of pavilions, all of them covered with a black cloth. Li Li slightly wrinkled her brows, Xiao Yu bluntly said, “What the hell is Young Master Zhao trying to do? So weird!”

After saying that, Zhao XiaoLan waved at them and said, “Maiden Li Li! Xiao Yu-jiejie!”

Xiao Yu spat and said, “Who is he calling jiejie, shameful!”

Zhao XiaoLan quickly scurried over and stood in front of Li Li, his complexion turned red as he came to an halt, “I, myself, is, no….”

Li Li patiently looked at him, he stuttered for a long time before she said, “Whatever you want to say, you can say it slowly, I won’t run away.”

Zhao XiaoLan stammered out, “I, I invite you to see the snow.”

Xiao Yu laughed, “See the snow? Young Master Zhao, I believe your brains have been fried silly, where do you see snow in this weather? How are you going to make snow?”

Zhao XiaoLan took two deep breaths before he was finally capable of speaking again.

He began, “Maiden Li Li, a few days ago in the capital, I was in a hurry so I didn’t have time to tell you sorry. I was the one who invited you that day to come to the waterside pavilion and watch the opera, but I didn’t know that something like that would happen, this, this matter, I….”

The more that Zhao XiaoLan spoke, the further his eyes drifted away. In addition to the repetition of a few lines, Xiao Yu discovered that with every sentence he said he would glance towards a fixed direction. After occurring numerous times, Xiao Yu slowly began forming some suspicion. But this girl was naturally smart, so she bided her time as she prepared to catch him in the act.

Not far away, Ming ChangYan set down the hand he was using to hold up a piece of cardboard. He moved his arm and hissed, “He can probably see it, right?”

Huai Yu stood beside him and watched him concentrate his attention at Zhao XiaoLan, feeling a bit unhappy.

Ming ChangYan thought: There were only four to five sentences in total, don’t tell me can’t even read off a document?

He turned over the piece of cardboard in his hands and with craftsmanship had written a conventional greeting, it started with: Maiden Li Li, a few days ago in the capital….

They were the words that Zhao XiaoLan had just spoken prior.

Ming shaoxia’s lousy idea was precisely this stupid method. Since Zhao XiaoLan was nervous when standing next to her, then why not pretend it was all a play? Memorize the words that he was going to say and if he forgot the lines, then Ming ChangYan would write a few lines on a piece of cardboard, stand a distance away, and remind Zhao XiaoLan.

Who would’ve imagined that such a reminder would be caught by Xiao Yu.

After that white piece of cardboard flashed by again, it was already suspicion enough. Xiao Yu frowned and began walking towards Ming shaoxia’s direction.

Ming ChangYan wasn’t really afraid of her per say, but Zhao XiaoLan finally managed to make an appointment with Li Li, if it was ruined by him then he’d be condemned for the rest of history as a traitor. And at the moment, Huai Yu had been forcibly dragged here by him, if they were found out, then it would ruin his innocence. Arduous yet fruitless, Ming shaoxia silently cursed in his head, so when everything else failed, he took Huai Yu and retreated.

Huai Yu was startled by his pull. Ming shaoxia was so busy running away and he wasn’t able to pull on the other’s arm in time, so he grabbed onto his hand. The other’s hand was ice-cold, like carved jade, pale and smooth. Upon contact, Ming ChangYan said in surprise, “Why is your hand so cold?”

Huai Yu began, “It’s your hand that’s too hot.”

It was only after Ming ChangYan came back to his senses that he noticed the two overlapping hands. The situation had been urgent, so when he dragged him and ran, he failed to pay attention to the small details.

And now, it wasn’t his hands that were hot, it was his face.

Huai Yu’s expression suddenly turned austere as he asked, “Why are you blushing.”

Ming ChangYan turned pale with fear, “There’s no such thing!”

He promptly reached up to cover his face but then felt that that method was too clumsy of a denial, it would easily give himself away so he turned to the side and changed the topic, “This spot’s pretty nice, if you look down from here, we can enjoy it when the June Snows are released.”

Huai Yu nodded, “Mn.”

Seeing him let it go made Ming ChangYan secretly let out a sigh of relief.

But he suddenly asked again, “Then why are you blushing?”

Not only was Ming shaoxia’s entire face red, now even his ears were red as his mouth began filling with nonsense, “I heard that June Snows are hard to find, it seems that Li Li has completely overtaken XiaoLan’s mind, he might as well just marry her already. When that time comes, I’m going to demand him for some of the wedding liquor, in any case since I helped him out so many times. And when that time comes, XiaoLan would definitely invite you, so don’t forget to show him some face.” At this point, he was already confusing himself and wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying, “If I had a boy, I would teach him martial arts, if I had a girl, I’d let Lady Hua play with her, in short, they mustn’t fall into Xiu LingLong’s hands, that’s it, yup that’s pretty good! Right, Huai Yu?”

Huai Yu sighed, “Whatever you what.”

Ming ChangYan’s eyes were burning, as he looked straight ahead, his body felt stiff and wouldn’t move a muscle. His heart was thundering and beating so hard his eardrums ached.

After a long silence, he finally recovered the soul that had just flown out of his body.

The instant he calmed down and everything was still, Huai Yu persistently said, “Why are you blushing?”

Ming ChangYan had finally reached the end of his patience. He yelled out in a cracked voice, “You brat! Can’t you just pretend that nothing happened!”

Huai Yu paused then said, “No.”

 

The author has something to say: Bad little fish*: No [resolute]

(TN: 小坏鱼; the Huai used here means bad, 小坏鱼 has a similar pronunciation as Little Huai Yu which is 小怀瑜.)

 

 

 

This was translated by https://poppyscanlations.video.blog/, any repost is stolen and if you steal my work I’ll freeze your hands into popsicles.

 

 

 

It’s finally summer~~

Since I’m unable to go traveling anywhere soon, I’ll spend a bit more time translating. I want to get to more scenes of fluff and our MCs being together!! UUUUGHGHGHHG (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴

The weather is getting super hot, so remember to stay hydrated guys! I’ve gotten heatstroke twice before, once at Sea World, and once on a subway in China. It feels like hell on earth, so be careful!

Hope you’re having a good start to your summer break~♡

 

 

 

Chapter 57 : Table of Contents : Chapter 59