Chapter 64

On the sixth day of the sixth month, Prince Hongzhao of the Sixth House held his Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering.

It is said that on this day, scholars from all over would take out their collections of books to air them in the sun to prevent insect damage.

Since the books were being aired, the scholars naturally could not leave, for books were still very precious in those times, especially rare and valuable collections, which were hard to come by and could not be easily acquired.

Thus, the scholars would sit among the books being aired, continuing their scholarly pursuits in the shade.

Scholars in the vicinity who were also airing their books would gather together to discuss their studies.

Over time, this day evolved into a festival for airing books and exchanging literary talents with companions.

Actually, it was not only the sixth day of the sixth month; for example, the seventh day of the seventh month, known as the Qixi Festival among women, was also a day for scholars to air their books and exchange knowledge.

The custom of airing books in the summer and autumn seasons originated from the fact that the climate was humid during the summer, with frequent plum rains, and if the books were not aired, they would easily be infested with insects.

However, according to Zhao Hongrun's knowledge, this custom did not exist in the Great Wei at first. It seemed to have originated in the State of Qi and later gradually spread to the Great Wei, becoming one of the widely respected customs among the scholars of the Great Wei.

On the sixth day of the sixth month, Zhao Hongrun, as usual, woke up around the third hour of the morning.

There was no help for it; at fourteen, his body was still in the developmental stage, and he ran around the palace every day. It would be strange if he did not sleep a lot.

After getting out of bed, he put on a set of crimson brocade clothes, had his meal in his sleeping chamber, the Wenzhao Pavilion, and then, without much delay, led the royal guards out of the palace gate.

The first stop of the day was naturally the Yujiong Pavilion, as Zhao Hongrun had already made an appointment with his elder sister, Princess Yulong, to take her to the Sixth Prince Zhao Hongzhao's Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering. Since he could not take her out of the palace to play, he could only let her attend the poetry gathering to alleviate her boredom.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Zhao Hongrun arrived at Princess Yulong's sleeping chamber, the Yujiong Pavilion. He and the royal guards waited in the front hall while he asked the palace maids to inform Princess Yulong.

Before long, Princess Yulong, accompanied by her personal maid, Cui'er, came out of her sleeping quarters.

Today, Princess Yulong seemed to have dressed up, though she did not wear any luxurious ornaments or apply any makeup. Nevertheless, this simple beauty made her stand out.

Naturally beautiful...

Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but praise her in his heart.

"Hongrun, you're here." Princess Yulong greeted Zhao Hongrun.

After more than a month of interaction, she had gradually understood her younger brother's personality. Her demeanor was no longer as restrained as it was at first, and she now regarded Zhao Hongrun as a close family member, just as Zhao Hongrun treated his younger brother, Hongxuan.

Because of this, Zhao Hongrun also began to tease his elder sister: "Elder Sister, you look particularly beautiful today."

"Really?" Princess Yulong glanced at Zhao Hongrun, but her expression was clearly happy. It was evident that she was not good at hiding her true feelings.

She instructed her personal maid, Cui'er, to serve Zhao Hongrun a cup of tea and then hesitated, saying, "Hongrun, can I really go to the Sixth Prince's poetry gathering with you? I feel it's not proper..."

Indeed, according to the etiquette of the Great Wei palace, unmarried princes were not allowed to have any palace maids approach them, and unmarried princesses were not allowed to have any men other than family members approach them. Otherwise, the Clan Office and the Office of Ceremonial would impose corresponding punishments.

"Don't worry, I've already made preparations."

Zhao Hongrun reassured her, reaching into his robe and pulling out an object, which he directly placed on Princess Yulong's face.

"Go and look at yourself in the bronze mirror."

"Okay..."

Princess Yulong curiously touched the smooth, cool silver mask and ran back to her sleeping quarters to look at herself in the bronze mirror. She then realized that the mask covered the upper half of her face, from the cheekbones up.

It turned out that Zhao Hongrun had already considered this matter and, after leaving the Yujiong Pavilion yesterday, had sent the royal guards to the Ministry of Works to have the mask made.

Perhaps because she had never received such a novel gift before, Princess Yulong examined herself in the bronze mirror from all angles, displaying a girlish demeanor.

It must be said that the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works were quite reliable, and the mask was made very intricately. Princess Yulong did not feel any discomfort when she put it on.

However, Princess Yulong herself found it a bit strange, but the strangeness was tinged with a sense of novelty.

After examining herself in the bronze mirror for a while, Princess Yulong returned to the front hall. At that moment, Zhao Hongrun was leisurely drinking the tea served by the maid, Cui'er. Hearing the footsteps, he turned his head and smiled, saying, "Now no one can see your face, and even if the Office of Ceremonial finds out, they cannot blame you."

Princess Yulong was delighted, as she also wanted to go with Zhao Hongrun to experience the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, which enjoyed a high reputation in the capital and the palace. However, she was hesitant because she feared punishment from the Office of Ceremonial.

Now that Zhao Hongrun had found a relatively suitable solution for her, she was naturally moved.

"Then... shall we go now?"

Seeing how a simple mask had transformed Princess Yulong from being hesitant to being enthusiastic, Zhao Hongrun found it a bit amusing. He leisurely drank his tea and said, "Yes!... However, before we go, I suggest Elder Sister change into the clothes for that day. After all, there are many people in the palace, and it's not good to be too conspicuous..."

As he spoke, the royal guard Shen Yu timely handed him a cloth bundle, which contained three sets of new clothes that Zhao Hongrun had not worn before. One of them was the outfit Princess Yulong had worn when she secretly left the palace with Zhao Hongrun's help during the Dragon Boat Festival last month.

"You think of everything, Hongrun." Princess Yulong stuck out her tongue, took the cloth bundle, and returned to her sleeping quarters.

When she reappeared, she had transformed into a graceful young man. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, her movements still carried a feminine touch, which made Zhao Hongrun feel a bit awkward.

"How do I look? Do I look like Hongrun on a regular day?"

Princess Yulong seemed not to notice the strange expressions on the faces of the royal guards behind Zhao Hongrun. She imitated the movements Zhao Hongrun had taught her and walked around in front of everyone, making a few gestures.

This... does she look like our prince?

The royal guards looked at each other, not wanting to express their true thoughts, and could only nod and give vague compliments.

However, in Zhao Hongrun's view, Princess Yulong had clearly improved compared to the Dragon Boat Festival. He couldn't ask for too much, as fifteen years of feminine habits couldn't be changed in a day.

"It's getting late, let's go, so that the Sixth Prince doesn't think I've stood him up again." After finishing his tea, Zhao Hongrun stood up.

Seeing this, Princess Yulong instructed the maid, Cui'er, and then followed Zhao Hongrun out of the Yujiong Pavilion.

On the way to the Elegant Wind Pavilion, they indeed encountered many palace maids and eunuchs. Because of Zhao Hongrun's presence, the palace maids naturally knew to take a detour, and even if they couldn't, they would hide in the garden, so there was no need to worry about Princess Yulong's identity being exposed.

The eunuchs were a bit more troublesome, but fortunately, Zhao Hongrun had a "fierce reputation" in the palace, and few eunuchs dared to look up.

Thus, the journey was uneventful.

When they arrived at the Elegant Wind Pavilion, Zhao Hongrun saw from a distance that the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, was standing outside the hall, hands behind his back, waiting for someone.

Who is he waiting for? Of course, he's waiting for Zhao Hongrun!

Due to a previous no-show, Zhao Hongzhao was not sure if his eighth brother would come this time.

To be frank, he was already prepared to head to the Wenzhao Pavilion at any moment.

However, from the current situation, Zhao Hongrun was quite considerate and did not make his highly intelligent elder brother angry.

"Ha!"

Seeing Zhao Hongrun leading a group of royal guards marching towards his Elegant Wind Pavilion, Zhao Hongzhao smiled and was about to go to greet him. Suddenly, he noticed the female dressed as a man behind Zhao Hongrun, and his face showed a hint of suspicion.

It's no wonder, as Princess Yulong had a slender figure, and even dressed as a man, she stood out among Zhao Hongrun's royal guards, especially with the strange mask on her face.

Could it be? Hongrun brought "her" here?

Zhao Hongzhao muttered to himself. Although he did not investigate who his eighth brother, Zhao Hongrun, had taken out of the palace on the Dragon Boat Festival night, he had already guessed that it was likely a princess in the palace who had a good relationship with Zhao Hongrun.

As he muttered, Zhao Hongrun had already led Princess Yulong and the royal guards to the Sixth Prince, and he bowed to greet him, "Elder Brother."

"Um." The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, nodded and could not help but look at the shy Princess Yulong.

Zhao Hongrun knew that the Sixth Prince had already guessed, so he no longer tried to hide it and whispered to Princess Yulong, "Elder Sister, there's no need to hide. The Sixth Prince has already guessed... It's fine, the Sixth Prince is trustworthy."

Actually, Princess Yulong was not trying to hide anything; it was just a subconscious action. Hearing Zhao Hongrun's words, she quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Your younger sister, Yulong, greets the Sixth Prince."

As a prince who had reached the age of marriage but was delayed due to the emperor's favor, the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, was eighteen years old, three years older than Princess Yulong. Therefore, Princess Yulong had to show the proper respect as a younger sister.

Yulong? Is she the daughter of the late Xiao Shuyuan? Why does Hongrun seem to have a good relationship with her?

Zhao Hongzhao frowned, feeling somewhat surprised.

After all, as far as he knew, Princess Yulong was not a princess favored by their father, the emperor. There was almost no news about her in the palace throughout the year, as if it made no difference whether she lived in the palace or not, and she had no presence.

On the other hand, his eighth brother, Zhao Hongrun, was currently the most prominent prince in the palace, especially after disrupting the Eastern Palace's grand speech at the Wende Hall during the Dragon Boat Festival, making him a topic of discussion among many in the palace.

One is a princess never mentioned by the emperor, and the other is a prince increasingly favored by the emperor and regarded as a pearl. The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, could not understand how these two could be connected.

However, since it was his eighth brother, Zhao Hongrun, who invited her, even if he felt it was not appropriate for a woman to mix with them, he could not refuse his eighth brother.

"Hongrun, Yulong, please come in."

"Elder Brother, you go first."

...