In another tent at the hunting ground, the Fifth prince’s consort was delicately using a fine brush to draw with vermilion ink on a paper-covered carp-shaped lantern. She was drawing with great precision, creating petals that resembled vibrant peach blossoms.
Chu Shao sat beside her, observing with a smile, and asked, “This clearly looks like a koi fish, not branches. Why did you draw peach blossoms on it?”
The Fifth prince’s consort gently set down the brush and turned the carp lantern in her hand, explaining in a warm voice, “Third Sister-in-law, it’s because peach blossoms are inherently emotionless, but when I decorate the fish scales with their colors, I find it exceptionally beautiful.”
“I see.” Chu Shao nodded.
Noticing Chu Shao’s interest in making lanterns, the Fifth prince’s consort picked up an unfinished paper lantern and smiled as she handed it to her. “Third Sister-in-law, you’ve been watching for so long. Would you like to make one yourself?”
Chu Shao accepted the lantern but furrowed her brow and asked, “What’s the use of making lanterns?”
The Fifth prince’s consort hadn’t expected Chu Shao to ask such a question. She hesitated for a moment and smiled helplessly. “Well… I don’t really know the purpose of making these lanterns either. I’ve only heard people at home say that if you hang the completed lanterns at the eaves, it can bring good fortune to the entire mansion. And if you make a sky lantern, when it flies high, it seems to carry wishes.”
“Wishes?”
“Yes.” The Fifth prince’s consort explained curiously to Chu Shao, “It’s said that you write your wish on a piece of paper and put it inside the sky lantern. When the lantern floats up to the sky, the wish can come true.”
Chu Shao didn’t seem to fully believe it. “Countless people make wishes. How can you guarantee that every wish will come true?”
“I’m not entirely sure either, but I heard that the higher the sky lantern flies, the more likely the wish will come true.” After explaining, the Fifth prince’s consort smiled at Chu Shao and resumed working on the carp-shaped lantern in her hand.
Her focused expression as she delicately sketched resembled an artisan sculpting a piece of artwork.
Chu Shao leaned on her chin, watching the Fifth prince’s consort, still not understanding why she was putting so much effort into something that seemed like a waste of time. She couldn’t comprehend why people always placed their hopes on something more illusory than the wishes themselves.
When Chu Shao felt bored, she thought about meeting Xiao Jin. However, she remembered what the Fifth prince’s consort had said to her outside the tent, so she decided not to seek out Xiao Jin for the time being and find other ways to pass the time.
There were many ways to pass the time, such as practicing swordplay or killing people.
But it seemed that Xiao Jin didn’t want to witness her killing someone. So she could do something else, like… She realized she was holding a paper lantern in her hand.
Chu Shao looked down at the paper lantern and suddenly remembered the Lantern Festival when she entered Qingzhou Manor with Xiao Jin. She was recalling the lively event, but deep down, she found it dull.
While pushing the wheelchair and slowly opening the door to the outer courtyard, she raised her head and saw a shelf filled with swaying and fluttering colorful lanterns.
She stood frozen in place, not because the lanterns were particularly beautiful or dazzling.
It was because she never expected someone to remember a promise about a lantern. After all, it was just an offhand remark, not even a wish.
Now, hearing the Fifth prince’s consort’s words, Chu Shao understood that lanterns not only emitted light but also carried wishes.
So when Xiao Jin arranged the lanterns and hung them so high, perhaps she had wanted her to make some wishes.
Unfortunately, at that time, she didn’t realize she could make wishes to the lantern. She didn’t believe in miracles, nor did she believe that eagerly anticipating something would make it come true.
However, at this moment, Chu Shao really wanted to make a wish.
The thought of this wish made her heart beat faster, and she could even vaguely see the scene after the wish was fulfilled.
The Fifth prince’s consort, who had been focusing on making the lantern, looked up and saw Chu Shao’s smile. She couldn’t help but tease, “Third Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about? You look so happy. Could it be that you’re thinking about Her Highness, the Prince Yan?”
Chu Shao snapped back to reality, maintaining her smile on her face. “Yes.”
The Fifth prince’s consort hadn’t expected Chu Shao to answer so directly. She cleared her throat and felt somewhat embarrassed to continue the conversation.
Fortunately, at that moment, her personal maid Yun Xing lifted the curtain and entered the tent. She first saluted her and Chu Shao respectfully, then playfully reported, “Your Highness, I have already informed the Prince Yan as you instructed.”
The Fifth prince’s consort and Chu Shao exchanged a glance and quietly chuckled. “Third Sister-in-law, please wait for a moment and see if my method works or not.”
Chu Shao nodded.
The Fifth prince’s consort cleared her throat and gently asked, “Did the Her Highness Prince Yan say anything?”
The maid Yun Xing replied, “Initially, the Her Highness Prince Yan didn’t say much, but later, she asked this servant to pass a message to the Princess.'”
“What message?” The Fifth prince’s consort smiled.
The maid Yun Xing continued, “The Her Highness Prince Yan went to Princess Zhao Yang Hall and asked this servant to tell the Princess that she should be careful when staying outside alone.”
Ye Suyu, who was squatting outside the tent, heard this sentence and was completely stunned.
She turned around and looked at the group of shadow guards closely following her, thinking that her master might be indirectly questioning her abilities.
Inside the tent, the Fifth prince’s consort couldn’t help but laugh. She turned to Chu Shao and said, “Third Sister-in-law, the Third Brother’s words are quite biased. It’s obvious that the two of us were together, but how did it become you playing outside alone in the Third Brother’s version?”
Chu Shao’s mind worked in mysterious ways. She actually understood the meaning Xiao Jin wanted to convey from Yun Xing’s brief words.
Perhaps Xiao Jin was worried that Princess Zhao Yang would pose a threat to her.
However, under Chu Shao’s absolute strength, such worries were entirely unnecessary. Nevertheless, a faint smile curved on Chu Shao’s lips. “What else did she say?”
The maid Yun Xing recalled the words Xiao Jin had instructed her and earnestly said, “Her Highness Prince Yan said that there are often ferocious beasts on the grasslands, so she worries about your safety and asks this servant to remind you to return home early.”
The maid Yun Xing was just a little maid and naturally didn’t see the scene where Chu Shao boldly unsheathed the guard’s sword in the hunting ground and stabbed it into the head of a white tiger.
But she realized that something was off and shook her head, saying, “No, that’s not what Her Highness Prince Yan meant.”
Chu Shao smiled and asked, “Then what did she mean?”
The Fifth prince’s consort gestured for Yun Xing to leave and then looked at Chu Shao, teasingly saying, “What else could she mean? It must be that the Third Brother hasn’t seen Third sister-in-law for a long time and misses her, so she wants Third sister-in-law to come home early.”
“Just a momentary absence, would she really miss me?” Chu Shao furrowed her brow slightly, not fully believing the other’s words.
The Fifth prince’s consort, who had been crying in the tent for a day and night due to her husband’s injury, felt her mood improve slightly after talking to Chu Shao. She couldn’t help but smile at Chu Shao and said, “Of course she would miss you.”
She raised her hand and showed Chu Shao the white jade bracelet on her wrist. “This is the bracelet my husband gave me. At first, I didn’t particularly like it, but a while ago, I accidentally caused a crack in it and had to send it to the craftsman for repairs. The craftsman spent several days fixing it, and during that time, my wrist felt empty.”
“For those few days, I kept feeling as if I had lost something important, and I felt uneasy. Only then did I realize that when something stays by your side for a long time, you start to feel that it belongs there. But when you lose it, you feel empty and develop an infinite fondness for it.”
Chu Shao’s lips curved in a smile. “So, when something is gone, it actually makes people like it more. Is that what you mean, Fifth sister-in-law?”
“Yes.” The Fifth prince’s consort withdrew her hand and smiled. “Because everyone is like that. Only when the bracelet is gone, it becomes pristine in your memory. Remembering it in countless ways, all you recall are the good times from the past.”
“But Fifth sister-in-law, I can’t help but feel that this method is like sacrificing a thousand to kill eight hundred enemies.”
The Fifth prince’s consort looked at Chu Shao in astonishment and asked, “Third Sister-in-law, why do you say that?”
Chu Shao remembered the moment when Xiao Jin picked up a white piece, furrowed her brow, stared at the chessboard, and then raised her head, helplessly admitting defeat with a smile as she placed down the chess piece.
In that moment, Xiao Jin said she had lost, and not just this game.
But only Chu Shao herself knew it best: Xiao Jin hadn’t lost. It was always her who lost the game.
Chu Shao extended her fingertip and lightly traced the white paper covering the lantern, smiling as she said, “Because I am not the jade bracelet with the crack. She is the precious treasure that I can’t bear to take off from my wrist, the swallow hovering over the city in the book.”
“The place she wants to go is a site that cannot be found no matter how far the world searches. She said she likes me, but she constantly thinks about leaving me. Now, looking back, all of this was truly unfair.”
The Fifth prince’s consort was completely dumbfounded. She couldn’t understand what Chu Shao was talking about.
Chu Shao smiled with delight. “Although it’s unfair, because she is the one who broke the rules, I can reluctantly forgive her. I can also admit that I lost, admit that she can leave me at any time, and admit that I never want to be far away from her.”
The Fifth prince’s consort was left bewildered by Chu Shao’s words, and her temples began to ache. After a while, she weakly asked, “Third Sister-in-law, then… what are you planning to do next?”
Chu Shao lowered her gaze to the lantern in her hand and spoke gently, “I want to go find her.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: sigh…
TO BE CONTINUE…
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