Chapter 16

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It was high noon, and the ambiance in the carriage was a little bit stuffy, so Meili lifted the curtain to let the breeze blow in. They are already out of the city, the road was lined with green trees and green hills; the scenery was so pleasant to look at. The continuous green fields in the distant farmland gave people a sense of joy and happiness.

She leaned against the carriage, enjoying the cool breeze brushing on her cheeks. She indulged in the beautiful greenery of the late spring. Because she was not able to sleep peacefully last night night, the fresh wind gradually made Mei Li sleepy. Leaning against the window pane, she finally fell asleep.

She doesn’t know how long has she been sleeping when she felt someone gently nudging her awake. She hazily opened her eyes to see Yonghe’s smiling handsome face. He leaned in and held her shoulders.

“Get off, we will be camping here today.” He pulled and half-carried her out of the car.

It was only after she alighted the carriage did Mei Li realize that because she had fallen asleep she was the only one who has not gotten out. Everyone else had gathered on the small flat area where the carriage were parked. Her and Yonghe’s intimate posture drew a lot of cold stares. Yonghe seems oblivious on the fact that he was still holding her hand, frowning at the red sleep marks on her forehead from leaning on the carriage for so long. Mei Li tried to pull her hand out of his, but he still held it tightly. She blinked at him a little anxiously before he reluctantly let go of her hand after a quick glance around at the people watching.

Xiaozhuang saw them and smiled, then looked at Ying Ru Fujin beside her with relief. Yonghe’s mother sighed secretly and responded to Lao Zuzong’s smiling face. She glanced helplessly at her son and turned to talk to the other Fujin.

On the other hand, Jingxuan is leading some of the young clan men over to supervise the encampment; he glanced coldly at Yonghe who was still standing next to Mei Li.

With yhis, Yonghe secretly grimaced and smiled at Meili before he quickly followed behind Jingxuan and listened to the deployment of the task.

Seeing him take the order to lead the patrol around in a serious face, Meili couldn’t help but giggle as he really was like under the guise of gentleman with a straight face in front of his master, but was really a naughty student inside.

Looking back, she unintentionally met Jingxuan’s eyes who was looking at her with a coldly. She was stunned, and can only smile. She had already stayed away from him as he wanted, tried to forget him, and went to find her own happiness. But why is he still looking at her with such disgusting eyes?

She kept up with Lao Zuzong’s party and tried not to look aside. She was extremely happy to find in her heart that no matter how he looked at her now, she didn’t care…It was like she was truly liberated. A smile spread from her eyes to the corners of her mouth. She deeply breathed the fragrant air in the suburbs, and her whole body felt relaxed and comfortable as if she were about to dance with the wind.

Tents were set up very quickly, because there was no suitable place for camping after a day of traveling. The emperor already brought the Eight Banners elite to move on, as the female relatives went to rest with Lao Zuzong.

The campsite was chosen extremely well. It was flat and wide grassland was surrounded by mountains and rivers; with a clear stream a few steps away. The girls who settled down happily ran to the riverside to play in the water, relieving the boredom while refreshing.

Mei Li deliberately waited until most of the girls had finished before walking slowly to the river. Sure enough, before dark, there was no one else on the riverbank except the kitchen soldiers who were washing vegetables and collecting water. Mei Li silently looked at the scenery for a while. After coming out from the cold palace, she liked to see the vast and endless mountains and plains, or the quiet and tranquil scenery of the fields, which gave her an indescribable sense of peace and stability.

She squatted down, half-playing and half-serious in washing the handkerchief. She has been accustomed to not applying make up now. Unlike other girls who were careful in cleaning up, she hold up the water to wet cheeks, the coolness of the river water made her mood happy. So dared to laugh loudly, one handful after another, she played with the water. She smiled in aw as the water was shone in the sunset light. At this moment, there was no oppressive pain in her heart, no humility nor patience. It seems that she has returned to her once carefree self. That once in her life… she was such a naughty and lively girl.

“Someone seems to be having a good time.”

The sarcastic and grim tone tone came from a young girl’s delicate voice, which made it more terrible.

Mei Li didn’t turn back immediately, she wrung out the cloth on her hand, wiped off the drops of water on her face; her smile vanishing with it. When she was done, she regained her indifferent expression, then she stood up and looked back.

Unsurprisingly, Yindi did note come alone.

She raised her eyebrows, she wanted to laugh decided against it. How could Yindi, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows, forget that she was still a senior? When it comes to making trouble, she is still leaning on the strong and bullying the weak.

She stared at at the young girls of her age across from her one by one, and they all looked back at her with cold expressions of utmost contempt. But in fact, she knew that they were also very cowardly deep in in their hearts, otherwise, they would not have come in a large group. In the past, she and her Zi Qing jiejie hated the delicate and pretty Ruo Yu for being popular with men. They were very envious and decided to “teach her a lesson”, but they did not dare to go alone.

Jingxian sneered and stood behind the gang, with a sneer which meany that she will just watch the situation in the sidelines and cold eyes. Obviously she only came to make her like joke, to amuse a herself little. Mei Li looked at the ever-present indignation in her eyes, and gave her a smug smile. Jing Xian… who has yet to relieve herself from that blow saw that Mei Li even chuckled.

“You!” Yindi pointed at her fiercely, “Keep away from Yonghe!”

Mei Li didn’t defend herself nor argue. About Lao Zuzong’s appointed marriage, there was already a tacit understanding between relevant people. So and she shouldn’t, didn’t want to tell it to other people herself.

“Aren’t you madly in love with Jingxuan-gege? Go ahead and just continue liking him! He doesn’t have a Fujin yet!” Her cousin glared at Sangzhu a few times and felt it looked unrighteous not to actively come out and say a few things like this.

“Yes!” Since someone has already started the fire, more people followed suit, and the young girls spoke up as if they were racing to see who was more vicious.

“You need to stop being like as fickle as the water demon, can’t you? Everyone in the capital knows that the person you like is already Jingxuan-gege!”

“Fickle water demon¹?

Mei Li listened to their curses, but this one really got into her ears. She felt everything to be very ironic. Why now that she has finally let go of the once stupid affection that everyone said she used to have that she is being accused of being a fickle water demon?

“Haven’t I…” she whispered with some amusement as she looked out into the deepening twilight, “Haven’t I paid enough for that mistake?”

Her low voice somehow suppressed all those sharp voices at once; everyone seemed to be stunned, and the surroundings fell silent.

All the girls closed their mouths with difficulty. Yes, everyone knows that because Jingxuan-gege rejected her at the beginning, she was thrown into the cold palace for two years. In fact, it was very miserable. They can laugh at her poverty and the lowly habits she had developed in the cold palace, but they can’t bear to laugh at her shattered infatuation to face. They are all girls, and they used to like this person. After all… they are not so vicious.

“N-nevertheless, you… you stay away from Younghe!” Yindi said in angrily, she had found that although there were many of them who came, they had also fallen in defeat.

But then, a voice rang out.

“You are mistaken! It’s me who wanted to get close to her!” They did not know how l0ng was Yonghe standing behind the girls. His face was cold and looked a little scary.

He stared at Yindi and said firmly, “I’m tell you, I like her, and I want to marry her in the future! Don’t let me see you bullying her again, or don’t blame me if I started beating up women.” He childishly said with warning like a juvenile.

Yindi was stung by his attitude and her face turned red with anger, “You want to marry her? She wildly nudged Mei Li with her hand, “Do you know how cheap she was when she was pursuing Jingxuan? She didn’t like you at all, it was because Jingxuan didn’t want her anymore that she shifted her eyes and flirted at you!”

“You shut up!” Yonghe was so angry that he took a big step towards Yindi, and his fierce aura scared the girls to dodge. Mei Li was so shocked seeing this. Yonghe’s personality is simple and impulsive. If he really hit Yindi, the consequences will be serious so she hurriedly ran to pull him. He is a big boy, how could he fight with the girls so seriously?”

She felt her heart ache, could it be that Yindi really said something he cared about?

Although Yindi raised her chin and pretended to be fearless, when she saw that Yonghe was really angry, she trembled with fear.

“This should be the last time!” Yonghe’s hands pointed at the pale girls, “If I hear you talk bad about her or if I found our that you bullied her again, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Mei Li took his arm to quell his anger, but deep inside, she was amused and moved by his childish words.

Yonghe defended Mei Li in front of so many girls, Yindi couldn’t hold back anymore, so she cried loudly and ran away.

Jing Xian gritted her teeth as she watched this scene, her heart suddenly boiling with resentment. When that man in the Taihe Hall also humiliated her to defend this woman, she could not hold her head up in front of the Manchu harem clan. Her eyes were bloodshot with hatred, she gave a cold smile and walked away.

Yonghe was so annoyed that he was still gasping for breath, “It’s so annoying! What is so strange in getting married?!”

Mei Loi looked at him with a wry smile, “You will be laughed at when you quarrel with the girls like this. You are already such a grown up man…”

“What’s wrong if I’m already a grown up, do grown ups always have to bear such bullshit?” He glanced at her.

She held his arm tightly and lowered her eyes. Every time she did not dare to face him, it was because she feel so underserving, and that she caused him such criticism and annoyance. “Don’t you really mind… that I…” She really couldn’t repeat what the girls have said. She could just condition herself to be calm in front of those who are bullying her, but in front of him, she was still ashamed and guilty. Because they are right.

Yonghe was taken aback for a moment, but she didn’t expect that he would look at her this way, frowning, “Mei Li, do you still like Jingxuan-ge?” He asked bluntly, without wasting words.

Mei Li was stunned, and suddenly didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

“I just want to know your answer to this question.”

She lowered her eyes and shook her head, “I don’t like him anymore.” She didn’t know why she didn’t dare to look at Yonghe’s eyes. After all, her feelings for Jingxuan were once still true. Although it was ridiculous and shameful, they are all in the past now. She could never deny this.

“That’s good!” Yonghe didn’t notice her actions. He got the answer he was looking for, and that was enough. The anger he had just felt turned to joy, and he gave her a proud heavy kiss on her small cheeks.

Meili glanced around her eyes in a panic, for fear that somebody might see that their intimacy was already beyond the rules. Yonghe laughed cheerfully in her ear. She looked at him shyly. He was just really angry but somehow it dispersed quickly. Mei Li then also smiled. He is just a child with a temper.

Dinner was approaching but Yonghe still had a lot of errands, so when they arrived at camp gate, Mei Li took the initiative to urge him to go, so that his superior Jingxuan, would not say that he was procrastinating.

But as soon as she was about to enter her tent, she heard a sneer. It was already quite dark, and following the sound, she saw Jingxuan leaning on the shaded side of the tent with his arms folded.

Mei Li frowned lightly and stood in ceremony, “Greetings to Qing Wang.” Not wanting to talk to him much, she pulled up the tent curtain and prepared to go inside.

He quickly stretched out his arm and pulled her violently to the dead corner of the tent. His hand squeezed her chin hard, it hurt.

“Stop this charade! Qing Wang? Since when did you become unfamiliar, Mei Li?” He sneered, the irony in his eyes as strong as anger.

She glanced at him. “Unfamiliar… Is it not good for us?”

He tightened his fingers again, forcing her to look up at him, “Let’s make it clear, you have been in the cold palace for two years because you are unlucky enough to trample someone to death. It has nothing to do with me!” He leaned down on her thin frame. Now… the once pink apple face has completely become a beautiful face of a woman; her big eyes, when it stares at people, the glint is… relieving. He never knew that her eyes were so bright and beautiful.

“Okay.” She smiled flatly, yes, she had told him a long time ago, so why bother to emphasize it again.

“The price you paid for that mistake… it has nothing to do with me!” he said almost brutally.

He is trying to clear things up, so she thought, the way she trembled in front of Yonge, at that moment… he has seen it?

The night has gone dark but he still saw that he had pinched her beautiful chin blue, and he couldn’t help but let go.

“What a ridiculous man you have! He jumped out and impulsively said those words! Didn’t he know that he only made those women hate you more?” He smiled sarcastically, “Like a fool.”

She looked at this handsome and charming man coldly. Yes, in his eyes, Yonghe’s tricks were as green as a fool. Maybe he made things worse for a while, but so what?

She also looked at him coldly and smiled. and he was stung by this.

“Anyway, when I needed him… he stood up.” She said with some pride.

His eyes suddenly narrowed, and his lips tightened.

“But then, why did you hesitate in answering his question just now?” He rubbed her chin with his fingers coldly.

She got too close. She smelled the faint scent of jasmine on his body. She was familiar with the smell, because she had whiffed it from Suying, and Lao Zuzong also praised that it was beautiful and unique— the top of the class jasmine essence. One small bottle is already the cost of estate’s expenses for several months.

It seemed that he really saw and heard everything. Moreover, he knew what Yonghe hadn’t noticed her hesitation.

She smiled— he always shined brightly even on the sidelines.

“Because, I am guilty! I am guilty of Yonghe!”

He glared at her for a while, gave a long sneer, and waved his hand to release her, “Very well…”

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Notes:

the term used was actually 水性杨花 (shui xing yang hua) or literally the waterborne poplar flower. But the actual meaning of the phrase is actually someone as fickle and as unstable as the flowing water. So I translated it as the water demon to retain the water reference rather than translating it as someone so fickle.

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