A Record of the Development of Loyal Dogs V
Two years pa.s.sed in a flash. Mo Xie went to visit Wen at night every three or five nights.
The only thing he refused to change was that he still followed the rules and refused to step into her chamber every time.
According to his words, it was unreasonable to do that. Only when he became her hidden guard, could he be qualified to get close to her.
Wen Rushi sniffed at his remarks. If such a thing like rank was so important, then why did he always come to peek at her?
She picked up a silk flower and compared it with her hair. The girl"s eyes in the mirror were like autumn waves, her eyebrows were like a crescent moon, and her hair fell to her waist like splashing ink.
The person in the mirror was beautiful, but it"s a pity…She curled her lips and removed the ornaments from her head. How could a mentally r.e.t.a.r.d person dress up by herself?
When the result of the selection of the hidden guard came out, a maid will come and dress up Wen Rushi. She would need to follow Marquis Wen to the mountain on foot to show the highest respect for these warriors who had made great achievements with their flesh and blood.
Marquis Wen was good at playing with people"s hearts. He would be so excited when he was preparing a place for this annual ritual, and he couldn"t wait for the day to come.
Wen Rushi was wearing a ‘cheongsam‘ that reached down to the ground. She was currently walking on the mountain road step by step. Her ivory white skirt brushed past the gra.s.ses for each step she took. (TL: 长裙 (cháng qún) = long skirt/ cheongsam)
Marquis Wen didn"t treat her badly because of her intellectual problems. On the contrary, it was because she had a good face, but no IQ to match it that she needed an outstanding guard.
Otherwise, who else could help him gain more benefits from a general in the future?
He looked sideways at his solemn-looking daughter and was satisfied with the teacher"s training. Although this child was silly, she was more obedient than his other daughters. He did order her not to talk, or laugh today. This girl had been listening to his orders so far.
As long as she didn"t open her mouth, who would know that his Xiaojiu was a r.e.t.a.r.d? (TL: 小(Xiao) = little/tiny, 九(Jiu) = nine)
In a few years, there would be countless n.o.bles who went after her like a flock of duck in the imperial city. (TL: 趋之若鹜 = scrabbles madly for something un.o.btainable/ attracted) He was sure to choose an ally who held a lot of power for his daughter.
Whether Wen Rushi would be happy or not wasn"t within his scope of consideration.
He had so many daughters that he didn"t know who their mothers were until the children entered the manor. He hadn"t called their real name even now. For him, just knowing their ranking was enough.
Perhaps the only exception was his first wife"s daughter, Baoyi. Li Yun, who was a divine doctor, visited the manor the day before yesterday and seemed to have a good feeling for that child.
The spring breeze has obtained its wish. (TL: 春风得意 = One has attained success and is well-contented) Marquis Wen smiled. He had a route to retreat. Even if he failed, Wen"s blood could still be pa.s.sed on. He had nothing to worry about.
They unconsciously reached the mountain"s valley.
If it wasn"t for the guards who showed up to rip the vines apart for them, Wen Rushi always thought that this place was just a barren hill. She looked around curiously, trying to find other hiding places.
Seeing his daughter carelessly showed her innocence, he coughed in annoyance.
Wen Rushi hastily looked straight in front of her before lowering her head down to hide the displeasure in her eyes. This wasn"t the right time yet. She would have to wait for a few more years until Wen household was going to fall. That was the best time for her to run away with Mo Xie.
She believed that at that time, Marquis Wen would be to busy to concentrate on pursuing both of them.
She looked at the teen in his black attires. He walked in with two other candidates and knelt on one knee in the middle of the hall. They said in unison, “Greeting Hou Ye and Ninth Miss!”Wen Rushi was unable to restrain her smile. (TL: 侯(Hou) = Marquis, 爷(Ye) = grandpa/ old gentleman)
“Xiaojiu, go ahead and present your sword to your hero.” Marquis Wen glanced at his daughter and gently told her. (TL: 小(Xiao) = little/tiny, 九(Jiu) = nine)
The three ‘hero" raised their head one after another and awaited Wen Rushi"s decision.
She blinked and tilted her head then said in a soft voice, “Who won the first place among them?”
Marquis Wen smiled. She really deserved to be called his daughter. Even if her IQ had some problems, she also knew to want the best one. He motioned the commander to bring the man to the front for fear that she would pick the wrong person and whispered, “He"s the hidden guard who won this year. Give him the sword, and he"s yours.”
That was what she loved to hear. She turned around and grabbed the simple sword in the butler"s hand and stuffed it in his arms. The ringing sound from a bell was pleasant to hear, “You are mine. Come back with me.”
Mo Xie"s expression was grim. This was different from what he had imagined. There was no oath nor were they in a solemn atmosphere for her to bestow his name.
He lowered his head and gritted his teeth to remind his master, “Please give your name to me, Miss.”
Wen Rushi opened her mouth and hugged him. “Mo Xie, you are my Mo Xie!” She finally embraced him! She didn"t believe it, but she had been trying to hug him for two years. On such occasions, he dared to jump on the roof and run.
Startled by her actions, Mo Xie didn"t dare to push her away but looked at Marquis Wen with a pale face.
He didn"t expect Marquis Wen to dismiss her action. With a big wave of his hand, he laughed and brought the remaining two guards under his command.
He might not be pleased about how this foolish child forgot her manners, but it was quite beyond his expectation that she was about to persevere with her action until now. She only revealed her true nature at the end of the ritual.
Wen Rushi was awkwardly dragged to her courtyard by Mo Xie. Mo Xie refused to go forward when he reached the gate. He waited for other people to leave before quickly jumping onto the tree by the window.
Wen Rushi was so angry that she ran to the tree and scolded, “You really think of that tree as your nest! I will let you know, if you dare to talk to me through that window again today, I"ll send someone to cut the tree down early tomorrow morning and see where are you going to hide!”
A firm face emerged from the lush leaves of sweet-scented osmanthus tree. He angrily returned, “You promised me last night that you would deal with this ritual in a normal way today. Even if you are my master, you have to keep your word!”
She knew clearly how she was expected to act, and she also knew when it wasn"t good to pretend to be silly. Despite that, she had to do it.
He knew she wasn"t that girl who she pretended to be in the eyes of others.
Whenever Mo Xie remembered he had once dropped in and foolishly asked her why all the people who knew Ninth Miss said she was a r.e.t.a.r.d, he was so embarra.s.sed that he wished to crash into the window frame.
Later on, Mo Xie finally knew that this was called ‘CangZhou". (TL: 藏拙 (Cang Zhou) = keep one"s weakness unexposed)
Every time he sneaked into a dark corner and saw her fooling around with her sisters, he was proud of his future master"s intelligence.
However, the ritual to bestow his name was different. At such an important time, she went as far as to pretend to be foolish and take advantage of him. She wasn"t even afraid to change guards if Marquis Wen got angry.
Mo Xie felt wronged by her. He worked hard so that he could stand behind her gloriously at the ritual.
Wen Rushi stood under the tree. She looked up at the branches and leaves, but she couldn"t find a trace of his shadow. She couldn"t help but sigh helplessly. She"s a fool and real fools didn"t have to pick an occasion when they made a fool of themselves.
If Mo Xie hadn"t gotten angry with her, today"s performance would have been perfect. It wouldn"t only make Marquis Wen like it, but also make him let his guard down. It would be good for her future actions. It wasn"t bad at all.
She embarra.s.sedly scratched at the rough tree bark. “Well, the sword I specially prepared for you is an ancient sword from Daddy. I also carved your name on it especially for you.” If it weren"t for her poor craftsmanship, she would have carved it more beautifully.
Mo Xie lowered his head down to see the sword in his hand. At first glance, it was a good sword with a long history.
He flicked open the sheath of his sword gently. It was a weapon for sneaking at night. He liked it very much.
But when Mo Xie saw the two large characters carved on the ridge of the sword, he frowned.
This sword originally had its name engraved on it, but you could also vaguely see the “Mo Xie” characters carvings so poorly on top of it right now. Mo Xie was angry. He never saw such an insincere gift like this before. She must have wiped out the original name somehow.
Wen Rushi was waiting for Mo Xie"s movement, but what she hadn"t expected was that there would be a large number of leaves to fall onto her head.
After that, she saw a shadow flitted across the tip of the tree. Wen Rushi shook her head and looked at the courtyard full of fallen leaves for a while.
It"s over for her now. She forgot to tell him that she spent more than half a month of hard work to carve those two ugly characters with her own hands.
Glancing down at the blisters on her fingertips, Wen Rushi wanted to hit the ground with her head. How could she let a good opportunity pa.s.s by like this!?
Wen Rushi walked back to her room in low spirits before collapsing on her bed. She wept for a while before glancing out of the window. There was no sign of him coming back.
Wen Rushi was so disheartened. She closed her eyes, wrapped the quilt around her body, and prepared to sleep. For a half month, she had to stay up late into the night to carve his name on the sword, at the same time, she had to hide it from him too. Because Mo Xie was like ‘G.o.ds appear and devils vanish", that"s why she was so tired right now. (TL: 神出鬼没 = G.o.ds appear and devils vanish (idiom); to appear and disappear unpredictably)
It was only the start, but she wasn"t happy at all.
Wen Rushi kicked off her shoes and sank into her bed. It"s not a big deal. She would have to wait until she woke up to see him. Mo Xie would always come back even if he had disappeared.
Although, she did find joy in sorrows. (TL:苦中作乐 = to enjoy something in spite of one"s suffering) At least, he dared to show a protest against her. Seemed like he took her teaching to heart. She always taught him during this past two years that a man who had his own opinion would look even more strong in other people"s eyes.
The girl in the room curled up like a silkworm pupa and slept soundly.
Mo Xie, who had gone outside and returned home, was angry and hurt inside. She preferred to sleep rather than go looking for him. Feeling lonely, he leaped back to the big tree outside the window and guarded it faithfully in the courtyard.
The branches and leaves on the tree were so spa.r.s.e that they couldn"t hide his figure. Mo Xie thought dejectedly that he couldn"t use it like what he had done to Wen Rushi again next time.
Otherwise, he would have to lie on the roof at night.
—–Next>>
Bear: Thanks for reading!
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