ili awoke with the light. Tricky was back beside her bed. She peeped outside her tent. Bai Li was gone, and the blanket lay neatly folded.
Manni appeared and hurried her back inside the tent. "Young Miss! Don’t step out before you’ve dressed!"
ili allowed Manni to take charge of her preparations for the day. She knew she wouldn’t be joining in any hunting. In the afternoon there was the planned visit to the Empress’s tomb.
Manni had selected a creamy gold silk dress with a high collar, embroidered with cornflower blue wild roses, the stems and leaves depicted in gold thread. It was pretty but tasteful and understated. A matching delicate gold headband with blue enal blossoms made her look young and fresh.
"Manni, sotis I wish you had a beautiful young mistress to lavish your attentions on," laughed ili, as Manni finished her work with a delicate pink lipstick. "You’re very clever."
Manni was speechless. Her lower lip quivered.
"Oh Manni! I’m sorry. Don’t think anything of it. Just ignore . You know I could never part with you," she touched her maid’s hand.
Manni wiped her eyes. "Yes, miss and don’t you forget it," she grumped. As if she could even find a more beautiful young miss than hers to dress up each day... "Master Tan ca by this morning to remind you to attend his puppet show this morning."
"He did? How exciting. Let’s go Tricky," she called, jumping up and skipping towards the entrance.
"And i Renjun ca by to remind you not to go anywhere without him today," said Manni firmly. "Third Young Master," she shouted loudly.
Her Third, Fourth and Fifth brothers appeared from their tents as she stepped out.
"Let’s go," said Third affectionately, taking ili by the arm.
Tricky nudged Third’s leg with his nose, letting him know he approved.
ili sighed. Of course, she couldn’t walk a short distance and attend a puppet show, no less for goodness sake, on her own.
Anything could happen to her; she might trip over her own feet. The puppets could leap off the stage and attack her. The puppet booth might catch on fire or collapse. There were endless possibilities...
ili and Tricky joined the audience at Tan Bowen’s puppet show. Her Third and Fourth brothers sat on each side of her, Fifth Brother behind her.
First and Second Brothers had joined the morning hunt along with most of the other young n, making this audience all young won, plus ili’s bodyguard-brother entourage, looking awkward and out of place at the won’s gathering.
Tan Bowen had done an exquisite job making the shadow puppets. ili laughed when she realised that one was her and one was him. They were playing the guqin and the pipa at the banquet, and he had arranged real musicians to play ’On the Frontier’ for this part of the show.
"Her hair glowed in the candlelight, bells tinkling in her ears.
Delicate red blossoms blood across her dress,
But none so fair, as the fairy lady.
I took up my pipa and played.
Her guqin rose like morning birdsong,
A plaintive lant few would understand.
Only her, o troubler of my midnight dreams.
The feasters all were felled by her,
Wang Zhaojun made flesh and blood.
A fairy figure co to cast a spell on the banquet."
The i brothers in the audience were angered by this love poem about their little sister. Third couldn’t wait to give Tan Bowen a piece of his mind, and maybe his fist, later!
ili listened to the beautiful poem, her face reddening at the words.
This fellow was making fun of her again! she thought. Tan Bowen did love to joke around. She normally enjoyed it, but less so in public, she discovered.
She hid her face behind Tricky as everyone in the audience turned to stare at her.
"ii, the Academy’s class clown has likened you to Wang Zhaojun," teased Third Brother gently, poking her in the side.
She giggled. No doubt it was ant in good humour. That incorrigible man! She would definitely pay him back for embarrassing her like this.
"It seems you have an admirer, Miss i," Li Fengfeng said with delight.
If it wasn’t the Second Prince, she would be the matchmaker!
"Master Tan is an artist," said ili fondly. "His sense of humour is quite... offbeat."
"I didn’t hear any humour in that performance, did you Princess?" Li Fengfeng asked Princess Lingling.
"Don’t tease the poor girl, Li Fengfeng. She’s already red as a beet." The Princess rose, drawing an end to the performance and the conversation.
ili went to join Tan Bowen behind the stage. He grinned widely at her.
"Thank you for thoroughly embarrassing , Tan Bowen," she scolded him, her hands on her hips.
"Miss i," he mock-bowed.
"I owe you one. Please wait for my good news in returning the pleasure."
"I’ll be waiting with bated breath," he laughed happily.
She examined the ’Tan Bowen’ and ’i ili’ shadow puppets. "May I keep these?" she asked him shyly.
"Of course! I’m happy that you want them. I can make you more if you’d like?"
"No. Just these two."
"Then they’re yours, my lady," he bowed humorously.
She handed the shadow puppets carefully to Manni. "Look after these for . They’re precious," she whispered.
"Yes miss," said Manni, secretly pleased that Tan Bowen had written that lovely poem for her mistress.
"Take good care of our sister this afternoon, Tan Bowen," Third warned him. "No more poems or funny business. You’re visiting the tomb of the Empress. Behave accordingly."
"Of course, i Renjun," Tan Bowen replied seriously. "I have a ii too you know. I’ll watch over her. I won’t let anything happen to her."
Fifth Brother and his best friend Tan Bowen, squeezed one another’s forearms in parting.
The Second Prince and Bai Li were waiting by the stables for them, their horses saddled up.
Bai Li stepped forward to give her a lift into the saddle.
"It’s not necessary Commander Bai, I can do it myself."
"Humour ."
She raised her eyebrows but let him take her foot and give her a boost. She was much lighter than he expected, and she nearly flew right across the saddle and onto the ground on the other side.
"Bai Li!" She gripped the poml to stop herself, but he already had her by the calf.
"Sorry," he looked embarrassed as he let go of her leg. She wasn’t wearing riding pants today, so he had touched her skin.
This man! Was there any part of her left that he hadn’t touched or looked at?!
"Take care Master Bai, or you’ll have to take responsibility for ," she teased to lighten the atmosphere between them.
"You need only ask and I’ll gladly do so," he said seriously.
Oh my goodness! He couldn’t even take a joke without having to lay down his life for duty...
The Prince glanced across at Bai Li, staring daggers at him. "Bai Li! Stop flirting with Miss i. We’re going to visit my mother’s grave for heaven’s sake!"
"Your highness," Bai Li inclined his head unsmilingly.
ili wished the ground would swallow her up. That stone-faced man didn’t even know how to flirt. How could the prince accuse him of flirting with her?
They set off up the hill, the prince leading the way, riding side-by-side with ili. Tan Bowen tried to ride on her other side, but the Prince deliberately took them through the narrowest possible route, squeezing him out.
Tan Bowen joined Bai Li at the rear, glowering at the prince’s back.
"Pffft," Bai Li snickered.
"What are you laughing at?" Tan Bowen growled. "He’s already got rid of you. Now he’s kicked out too. He’s all alone, ’brightening his eye with beauty’."
"Keep in mind where we’re going. Don’t fight with him," said Bai Li sternly.
"Just as he doesn’t hesitate to use his mother’s tomb to court Miss i, so I won’t lay down for him to step on to get ahead."
"He already did."
"Shut it, Bai Li!"
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