Chapter 368 - Still Young
Nianzu arrived at Shanxi village. He had made sure that no one would recognize him. He continued walking while noticing the people around him. Soon he reached outside the house of Chuntao. A smile carved on his lips as he saw Chuntao. But, there was a man with her.
Nianzu hid behind a giant tree there and saw them.
"Chun, master Tai was impressed by you. You learned many useful things in the Palace," He Rong stated while looking at the sheet in his hand. "Do they give classes in the Palace?" He Rong was curious to know.
"No," replied Chuntao. "The Prince whom I served was nice. He passed his knowledge to me. Not entirely, but enough for my survival," Chuntao asserted.
"Who?" He Rong asked.
"The Fourth Prince," replied Chuntao, keeping a tiny smile on her lips.
"Oh," He Rong folded the sheet and continued, "I have heard about his highness. The Fourth Prince is the humblest and righteous Prince among all of them. Leaving the Palace is more difficult than entering. It is good you left early else you would have been bound in the Imperial Palace for eternity."
"Shall we leave then?" He Rong asked her.
"Yes," replied Chuntao.
Nianzu saw them coming out of the house. Chuntao locked the door and walked away with He Rong. He followed her by keeping a safe distance from them. 'Who is this man? Did she not know not to go with an unknown man?' Nianzu had many questions in his mind. He saw Chuntao smiling, sometimes laughing with He Rong. "Did she forget me?" Nianzu wondered, and frowned. 'Isn't it good? This is what I wanted,' Nianzu thought.
There was a pit where Chuntao was going to fall. Nianzu extended his hand out when he saw He Rong had pulled Chuntao aside. "Be careful," he said; his hand was still on her arm.
"Thank you," she smiled at him and resumed walking. Soon, they reached the local bookshop where Chuntao got the work to copy the books. There were not many people in the shop.
Nianzu followed them to the bookshop and was welcomed by the owner. "What would you like to have? There are several books which are used in the Imperial Palace," the owner delightedly said.
Nianzu did not pay heed to him as his focus was on Chuntao, who had gone to a room, probably where she copied work from the other books. The owner cleared his throat, and this time said in a loud enough voice, which brought Nianzu's attention to him.
"Hehe. Young man, you did not tell about your preference," the owner stated. Nianzu lowered his hat as he tried to take a peek at him.
"Where is the poetry section?" Nianzu asked.
"Forgive me, young man, but the poetry books are not available here," the owner replied. "Are you preparing for the Civil Service Exam? I can show you some of the best books. People from our village, especially sons of the landlords, rank 6th and 7th-grade officers are purchasing the books from my shop. Young man, you shall also buy," proclaimed the owner. He tried to convince Nianzu who was least interested in all this.
The owner realized that Nianzu was a little difficult to please. "Young man, I have a worker who worked in the Palace. She can guide you in a better way. She used to work for the Fourth Prince." Nianzu squinted his eyes in annoyance.
'Why did Chuntao tell everyone? Does she not know it could bring danger to her?' Nianzu wondered. He was in his own thoughts when Chuntao came there.
"Master Tai, you called me?" Chuntao asked, and looked at the man in front of her. She amusingly looked at him but was unable to see his face.
"Chun, show this young man some of the useful books which you saw in the Palace!" The owner, Master Tai, said and then turned to Nianzu. "She is the one who worked for the Fourth Prince," stated Master Tai affirmed.
"Please come with me," Chuntao humbly said. Nianzu nodded and followed her. They went to the second floor where the library for Civil Services Preparation was made.
"This is the shelf where you can find the books for Chinese characters and-" she paused as Nianzu dragged her to the back where the shelf ended. Chuntao was going to shout when Nianzu placed his palm over her lips. With the other hand, he raised the bamboo hat, thus showing her his face.
Chuntao widened her eyes and pushed herself to the wall. Nianzu lowered his hand and gradually pulled it back. "What is his highness doing here?" Chuntao questioned him. "You promised that you would never see me," Chuntao then lowered her eyes as if she was dejected.
"Meet me outside," Nianzu said and walked away. Chuntao knitted her brows and wondered how she could meet Prince Nianzu at this time. However, she could not either defy Prince Nianzu. She came downstairs and made an excuse from the owner. As she came out of the shop, she did not see Nianzu.
'Where did his highness leave?' mumbled Chuntao, while fidgeting her fingers. Nianzu grasped her hand and took her to the backyard of the bookshop, which was an isolated alley.
"Your highness, why are you here?" Chuntao asked.
"Why did you tell everyone that you worked for me? How could a brainy woman like you do this?" Nianzu scolded her.
"When they asked I could not lie," Chuntao replied, lowering her eyes.
"Did you see that owner how he was using you for the customers? You cannot tell everyone!" Nianzu fiercely said. Chuntao nodded her head.
"People might harm you." She lifted her head to look into his eyes. "You and I both know what kind of world we two belong to! Telling a lie is wrong, but not every time. I do not want you to fall in any danger because of me. I am the Prince so, no one will say anything to me but, you are a commoner who impressed this Prince. Be careful of the people around you. And, why did you allow a man in your house?" Nianzu kept scolding her. Chuntao's heart was beating strangely. She could see the care for her in his eyes.
He snapped his fingers in front of Chuntao's eyes. "You did not listen to me?" He asked.
"I did," Chuntao immediately replied. "He knows me. His house is a meter away from mine, your highness," Chuntao replied. Nianzu did not like that but he could not help.
"This was the last time I met you. I only wanted to warn you regarding this. Avoid that you worked for me. It might give wrong ideas to the people and I do not want that. People raise their fingers on a woman rather than a man. I do not want you to get punished for no reason," Nianzu explained to her. Chuntao nodded and apologized to him.
Nianzu turned back and walked away. He returned to the market within five hours. The Zither was repaired, and it delighted him. He got into the carriage and returned to the Palace before evening. "I should not have scolded her. She is still young to understand all this," Nianzu murmured and looked outside the window. The rain started pouring, and he recalled the day when he ran with Chuntao to the Palace. A tiny smile appeared on his lips recalling that memory.