Fragrance Beauty 14: Bluff

Proofreader: Prof Zhu Yuan

Ru Pei could not help but take a step back. When she came to her senses, she was embarra.s.sed and infuriated, "Why are you standing there? Catch her and beat her hard!"

Her order met with a quick response. Several maids rushed up to catch Rujin.

Rujin suddenly sneered, "Beauty w.a.n.g, If you beat me today, your good days would be over!"

"What!" Beauty w.a.n.g was shocked by her word, and her anger was aroused: "What are you talking about?"

"How will you explain to the Lady Officials in charge if I go to take the exam with all my injuries in five days?" An Rujin sneered.

Beauty w.a.n.g suddenly froze. Ru Pei did not understand: "What do you mean?"

An Rujin said coldly, "The rank of the senior Lady Officials who presided over the exam is higher than that of Beauty, especially Lady Intellectual Chen."

Now Lady Intellectual Chen was the only one she could rely on in the palace. Since she valued Rujin, she would not sit idly by and let her be bullied by Beauty w.a.n.g and her people.

Beauty w.a.n.g was speechless. Ru Pei's face turned pale. At last, she could only gnash her teeth: "You... An Rujin, you are so calculative!"

Rujin smiled, neither humble nor pushy: "Thank you for your compliment, Miss Ru. If I don't recognize my own position in the palace, I'm afraid I can’t go far in this palace. Beauty w.a.n.g, you’d better remember this, too."

When Beauty w.a.n.g heard this, a thrill went through her. She looked at Rujin in front of her and started to wonder: Does she know anything? …

Rujin's face was still cold without showing any guilt. Beauty w.a.n.g's heart became more and more uneasy. “Does An Rujin really have some powerful background that I did not know? Otherwise, why dare she challenge me like this… Or does she know anything about me? Is that the reason that makes her audacious?”

Beauty w.a.n.g was shocked and uncertain. Ru Pei whispered over there, "Young Mistress, I heard that An Rujin somehow brought down the Longxiu in Yuexiu Palace. Does this woman have any background that we don’t know?"

Beauty w.a.n.g’s maids froze, and no one dared to attack An Rujin.

Hearing someone clapped his hands, An Rujin could not help but look to that direction.

A handsome young man came out from behind the rockery. He walked towards them slowly with a gentle smile on his face. At that time, all the people felt that the sky seemed brighter because of him.

When the young man walked up to Rujin, she froze for a moment.

She had met many good-looking young men, but no one could be so elegant and handsome as this man in front of her. His facial features were beautiful and delicate, which made one feel like bathed in spring breeze. His eyes were dark like obsidians, full of kindness, which attracted people around him.

He’s really the most handsome and distinguished childe she had ever seen.

While An Rujin was still lost in thought, Beauty w.a.n.g over there exclaimed and bowed down deeply, "Third Royal Highness!"

An Rujin came to her mind and couldn't help looking at the childe in front of her. He turned out to be The Third Prince, Xiao Yingxuan, the Emperor’s favorite son and the only hope that n.o.ble Consort Lin could count on.

Xiao Yingxuan gave Beauty w.a.n.g a half-hearted salute in return but kept looking at Rujin with a smile: "Are you enjoying the flowers here? Why is it so lively?"

Beauty w.a.n.g's face blushed. She didn't know from when Xiao Yingxuan began to watch their scene and how much he had heard just now. She didn't even know why he showed up in front of them and intervened.

Is it because of this girl, An Rujin? As Beauty w.a.n.g took one look at Rujin, she immediately dismissed this ridiculous idea in her heart.

Although An Rujin was good-looking enough, she was far from stunning. Her beauty couldn’t entrance The Third Prince, who had been surrounded by gorgeous women.

When Beauty w.a.n.g thought these points through, she raised her pretty face and said with a sweet voice, "Are Your Royal Highness enjoying the flowers in the garden too? Unfortunately, there aren’t many flowers in the garden at this time of year."

When Xiao Yingxuan saw An Rujin just standing there without saying a word, and even forget to give him a curtsey, he was a little displeased.

"Beauty w.a.n.g is joking. Why do you say there are not many flowers in the garden?" Xiao Yingxuan's stared straight at Beauty w.a.n.g's face with provocative color in his dark eyes, saying softly: "I found this beautiful flower right here."

Beauty w.a.n.g instantly understood the meaning of what he said. Even if she was a proud woman, she was just a young lady from a good family with little experience in the world. Her face flushed to the ears.

"Ah, Your Royal Highness! I ... I am really ... flattered." Beauty w.a.n.g stammered.

Xiao Yingxuan seemed to be interested in Beauty w.a.n.g, and his words became more intimate. Ru Pei and other maids couldn’t help gazing at Xiao Yingxuan, who was so charming. They couldn't wait to jump on him, hold him in their arms and never withdraw their hands.

From the beginning to the end, Rujin stood aloof and did not even give a glance.

Finally, Beauty w.a.n.g left, and the garden became quiet again. Rujin stood so long that her legs were numb. She glanced at Xiao Yingxuan and gave him a curtsey: "Your Royal Highness, thank you very much for helping me out of a predicament just now."

Xiao Yingxuan looked at her face with great interest, which was not stunning but delicate. Unfortunately, her eyes and lips were slightly drooping, which made her look bitter.

However, those eyes were unforgettable. They were so dark and deep, which seemed able to see through one's mind at a glance.

He evaluated Rujin silently. Rujin waited for a long time but didn’t get any response. She slowly moved her stiff hands and feet and then headed for the lotus pond, which had already formed a thin layer of ice.

"What are you doing?" Behind her came the voice of Xiao Yingxuan.

Rujin did not answer. She rolled up her sleeves, pulled up her dress and tied the lower hem of the gown to her waist. Then she stepped into the water. The icy water only made her frown a little but could not stop her.

An Rujin walked slowly to the spot where Ru Pei threw her incense tools and then reached down to search.

Xiao Yingxuan stood by the pond and looked at her bending down to look for something seriously. He couldn't help laughing.

"So you are looking for your stuff. What's the point? If you had let me know, I would directly give you a full set, which must be of the best quality." His voice was elegant, with an air of superiority.

Rujin thanked him, neither humble nor pushy: " Your Royal Highness, I am very grateful for your kindness, but my things aren’t worth much. I dare not accept your valuable gift."

When she finished speaking, she found something with her hand. She picked it up and it was indeed her usual censer. Her eyes lit up and she went on looking for other tools. Soon she found more things Ru Pei had thrown in the pond.

Finally, she found everything. She turned back to find Xiao Yingxuan watching her with relish. His eyes were bright, and he stared at her wet dress and exposed arms without scruple.

Rujin’s eyes were darkened by displeasure. “It seems that The Third Prince is not so virtuous as people say. He is nothing different from other upper-cla.s.s playboys. It's a pity that he has such a beautiful appearance but a frivolous heart.” She thought.

She picked up the lower hem of the dress and tried to climb up the lotus pond. The railing of the lotus pond was high, and she was frozen by the cold water, so she failed after trying several times.

Just as she wanted to try again, a jade-like fair hand lazily reached out to her.