Lovable Beauty

Mount Tong was thirty miles away from the city, and it would take too long to get there by carriage. So Xie Lanyin had to ride a horse if she wanted to make it back within a day.

Before doing so, Xie Lanyin and her cousin went to ask for her mother’s permission.

As soon as Madam Jiang heard their purpose, her thoughts drifted far away.

She and her husband had first met in Mount Tong. Years ago, she used to sing along on occasion, the last time being when she ran into Xie Hui. He was cold and distant then with a long entourage in tow. When they got lost while walking, he politely invited her along but wore a serious face as though he was still aloof toward her…

Recalling that very first encounter with her husband, Madam Jiang’s eyes softened up with tenderness and sweetness.

Xie Lanyin smiled at this; every time her mother mentioned her father she seemed to drift off like that.

Jiang Huaizhou also noticed his aunt’s strange behavior before suddenly snapping his fingers.

“Ah! I remember now! My uncle and aunt met in Mount Tong. My mother told me about it when I was young.”

Madam Jiang’s past was exposed by her young nephew and she was utterly embarrassed. She tried to stifle the truth, but Xie Lanyin refused to let her go, begging her to tell her all about it. How would Madam Jiang have the courage to say such a thing? Taking advantage of the situation, Xie Lanyin proposed, “It’s fine if you don’t tell me, but if Mother can go to Mount Tong when you were younger, then it’s only fair that I get to go too!” 

Caught off guard by her daughter’s words, Madam Jiang had no leverage to deny her permission. Besides, Mount Tong was a beautiful place with plenty of sights to explore; no real harm could come from it. So Madam Jiang nodded in agreement. 

Excitedly turning towards her cousin after receiving her mother’s permission, Xie Lanyin proceeded to plan out the afternoon’s horseback riding activity.

Amused by her daughter’s enthusiasm, Madam Jiang reminded her: “Before you leave, make sure you get two pairs of riding boots – you have menswear in your closet but you can’t be missing riding boots for horseriding.” 

Xie Lanyin glanced down at the red satin embroidered shoes on her feet and smiled up at her mother. 

That morning, she visited the store with her brother for some riding boots. Once they returned from shopping, they agreed on a time for their departure and Xie Lanyin headed back to Yaoyue Pavilion, trailed by Yingge and her things.

 “Young Lady, Madam sent these trousers for you to wear when riding,” Sang Zhi said, laying out several pairs on the couch. “The material here is specially thickened so that it won’t be too uncomfortable while galloping around. I think Madam got these in preparation for your journey; she must have heard the young lady talking about wanting to learn how to ride a horse.”

 Xie Lanyin touched the thickened part lightly and examined it critically in the mirror. She exclaimed in disgust, “Doesn’t that make me look bloated?”

Hearing her displeasure, Yingge tried to cheer her up: “Madam knows about horseback riding. Since she prepared them for you, she has your best interest in mind. If you don’t wear them, your butt—I mean your leg might get scraped or something if you keep riding.”

 Hearing Yingge almost uttering vulgar words, Xie Lanyin smiled and agreed to try it on. She then changed into a white round-neck gown and trousers of the same color with buckskin and saponin boots. It made her look quite heroic, which she was pleased with. The thickness of the trousers did not affect her figure either, so she happily wore them for her reunion with Jiang Huaizhou.

Jiang Huaizhou smiled at his little cousin’s eagerness to receive praise and took her to the Jiang family’s horse ranch on the outskirts.

 “Let’s pick out a horse first,” he said, looking towards the stable. “I have some great horses, but they’re too tall for you. We’ll need to find one that’s more docile.”

 Xie Lanyin had no knowledge of horse riding, so she followed her cousin around obediently.

 From a distance, they saw the master and servant pair: Xiao Yuan was leading Lu Jun to choose a horse. He’d had one in the capital city, but its grandeur made it obvious who it belonged to, so he let it follow the procession into the prince’s mansion instead. Throughout the journey, he changed horses twice already but he wasn’t satisfied with them. Today, he was relatively free to do as he pleased; he’d heard that the horses reared by the Jiang family were all of excellent quality from beyond the Great Wall – hence why they were here.

 Such things as choosing a steed or bird was something he did himself.

He heard a soft voice from afar and lifted his head in surprise. It was a petite girl dressed in men’s clothing alongside her cousin; they were talking and laughing as they walked closer until finally stopping in front of him. She was wearing white like a magnolia flower blowing in the wind; beautiful and elegant.

 The disappointment of not finding a suitable horse quickly vanished upon seeing this vision.

 “Third Young Master, Fifth Young Lady,” Xiao Yuan called out cheerfully as he strode up.

 Jiang Huaizhou was taken aback but delighted when he saw him; he stepped forward and said, “Brother Yuan is here to pick a horse?”

 Xiao Yuan nodded, “I heard you had some really good horses, so I thought I’d have a look. Third Young Master also needs one?”

 Jiang Huaizhou glanced at his young cousin before answering with a smile: “Yes, my younger sister wants to learn how to ride for fun, so I’m choosing one for her first. Have you been here long? Did you spot any good ones?” He cast a look in the direction of the steward who was attending the customer.

 The steward shook his head imperceptibly.

 Xiao Yuan answered courteously: “We just arrived not long ago, why don’t we go together since Third Young Master is picking one too?”

 Jiang Huaizhou only felt he was being courteous and unwilling to admit he hadn’t found any horses worth considering. He felt guilty, so he didn’t point that out and he gestured for Xiao Yuan to accompany him and asked what he wanted in a horse as they strolled around.

Women tended to like clothing and jewelry, while men leaned towards horses and swords, so it’s easy to forget about other things when discussing the topic. Xie Lanyin accompanied her cousin and his guest quietly as they strolled down a line of horse stalls. She was slightly annoyed that her cousin had forgotten about her, but she didn’t want to ruin the ranch’s business reputation, so she just kept checking out the horses until something caught her eye: a snow-white horse without any markings on its skin. She fell in love instantly and tugged on her cousin’s sleeve, pleading with him.

 “Third Cousin, I want this one.” 

 As soon as she spoke, Xiao Yuan moved quicker than Jiang Huaizhou and stopped to look at the horse Xie Lanyin took a liking to.

 “Isn’t this horse a bit tall for you?” Jiang Huaizhou asked hesitantly as he touched the white horse’s head. The horses in the stable were all quality animals, so it didn’t matter which one was chosen. The important factor was stature and temperament. 

 Xie Lanyin stayed beside him, running her fingers through the soft hair of the white horse and gazing into its beautiful eyes. The more she looked, the more she wanted it, so she begged her cousin coyly, “Third Cousin, let me try it first. How do you know I won’t be able to reach the stirrups?” Her legs were long enough, but it wasn’t appropriate for her to tell him that in front of their guest.

 Jiang Huaizhou still felt like the white horse was too big for her, so he suggested looking at another one.

Xie Lanyin only wanted this one and tugged on her cousin’s sleeve as she sweetly called him cousin, every note was like wind and rain dancing on the windowpane, tugging one’s heart.

Jiang Huaizhou was moved by her persistence and Xiao Yuan, standing nearby, casually raised his arm to steady himself against the railing as his limbs grew weak. “If the Fifth Young Lady wants it, Third Young Master should take the horse out for her to try,” he said after regaining his composure. He liked hearing her voice, but this was the first time he was so close listening in, he didn’t expect it to affect him so strongly, so he had to step in to prevent further embarrassment. Xie Lanyin gazed at him gratefully before turning back to Jiang Huaizhou. Xiao Yuan managed a faint smile before looking away from her. The little girl begged once more and finally, Jiang Huaizhou consented. He looked at the white horse’s gentle eyes and said to the steward, “Go and fit the saddle.” The manager nodded with a smile and Xiao Yuan took several steps back while he regained his breath. 

The steward led the horse away and Xie Lanyin followed the white horse’s movements with her eyes. She figured her cousin would continue to accompany Master Yuan while choosing horses, so she hurriedly ran after the steward, walking backward and smiling at Jiang Huaizhou as she spoke: “Third cousin, you can go ahead and I’ll go see if there are saddles that match!”

 Jiang Huaizhou chuckled and waved at her, “Okay, be careful.”

 Xie Lanyin immediately turned around.

 Jiang Huaizhou watched his young cousin go off for a bit before turning to Xiao Yuan and saying helplessly: “My sister is the youngest daughter in our family; she was spoiled since she was little, so she’s very loose on propriety.”

 Xiao Yuan looked ahead of him into the clear blue sky and said, “It’s fortunate for the Fifth Young Lady to have grown up without any restraints. Should I ever have a daughter of my own someday, I’d love to give her whatever she desires.”

 Jiang Huaizhou was surprised by his response and asked with a smile: “Brother Yuan is both talented and handsome; there must be many people vying for the chance to marry you. Why haven’t you wed yet?”

 “I’d rather focus on my career first,” Xiao Yuan replied coolly. Suddenly he thought of how Xie Lanyin had acted all flirty-like with her cousin earlier and how many times he’d seen them together. Then Xiao Yuan knowingly glanced at Jiang Huaizhou and added playfully: “Seeing as the Third Young Master and Fifth Young Lady get along so well, you have my blessings in advance!”

Jiang Huaizhou was taken aback, but then he chuckled, “Brother Yuan misunderstood; Lanyin is just a child to me — she sees me no more than an older brother. She means nothing else to me.”

Xiao Yuan felt embarrassed and apologized, “It’s I who looked too much into it; it’s not Third Young Master’s problem.”

Jiang Huaizhou wasn’t such a petty person. He continued watching the horses with Xiao Yuan until he noticed that Xiao wasn’t satisfied. After a moment’s consideration, he smacked his fan and said, “Last month some good horses were delivered from beyond the Great Wall. Two haven’t been tamed yet – I’ll have someone bring them here to show you?” 

Interest sparked in Xiao Yuan’s phoenix eyes. Talented people rarely surrender to anyone else. The same goes for horse training.

“Bring those two horses out on the track,” Jiang Huaizhou commanded, gesturing to another person while he led Xiao Yuan and his servant to the racetrack.

Hello, sorry for the late update, I’m doing my final editing (re-editing) every chapter I have translated, since I plan to drop LB. I will be posting the next couple chapters I have translated over this week and the next as I make my final edit. I will be starting my new translation soon, as well (haven’t decided yet). I will also be posting on Wattpad @pandorasalcove. That’s all for now.