Lately, there were many suitors coming to the house. Hu Bai was fourteen and she was about to graduate this spring. Many nobles did not want to miss the chance to ask the beautiful, elegant, and smart young lady's hand in marriage, but before they could meet her, the general and his wife would send them back, carefully telling them that they were waiting for someone else for their precious daughter.
Those who got turned down were high ranked nobles. Even the Left Prime Minister Qing's people came, but Qing Bo forcefully dragged them back to the house.
Lastly, the Second Prince came. At that time, it was in the middle of spring, Hu Bai was fifteen and she had already graduated from school.
Inside the three sisters' courtyard, Hu Bai sat on a stone bench. She was surrounded by her siblings who looked at her with worry.
"Eldest Sister…" Hu Zi called.
"..." Hu Bai looked rather calm, but her face was pale and she closed her eyes to focus on thinking about something. What should I do? What should I do? Hu Bai told her parents that she already had someone in her heart and would like to wait until he came.
Though she knew that that person never thought of her as a woman, she still wanted to wait. Even if it took him years to finally realize her feelings. But there was no way to reject the Second Prince's proposal. She would end up being tied to him if things went on like this.
*Prang!
All of a sudden, the sound of something being thrown and smashed to the ground could be heard in the entire manor.
When Hu Zi heard the crashing sound, she became alarmed. The Second Prince was very handsome and smart; however, he had a very bad temper and was not an easy person to deal with.
Hu Zi saw her sister's slightly furrowed eyebrows, and she decided on something. "Second Sister, Fourth Brother, take care of Eldest Sister for me!" Hu Zi immediately left the room and, borrowing the wind's power, she drifted herself to a place behind the practice hall.
-----
Behind the practice hall before the Second Prince came...
"Come on, Falcon. Don't be so depressed. You knew that this day would come sooner or later." Falcon stood facing the building near the four lined up trees, his head leaning on the wall while looking down. Fa Sui stood behind him, patting his wide back. "Cheer up, dude… There are countless other beautiful women out there. I am sure you will find someone else."
"But, but... Sui, you like her too, don't you? Don't you also feel this pain that I feel?"
"Sigh…" Fa Sui didn't know what to say. He came back from a medical school, which was located on the other side of the continent, just a week ago and found out that Hu Bai was on the verge of being married off. "Just accept it already!"
"I won't accept it, I don't want to accept it! She is everyone's sweetheart, ah! Even though there is no way she will be mine, I don't want her to belong to anybody else either!"
"Damn, don't be such a baby, Falcon!" The corner of Fa Sui's mouth twitched, he suddenly became irritated. "You are seventeen, man up! Moreover, you should not be the most depressed one here."
Fa Sui glanced to the side where the four lined-up trees stood.
Fifteen years ago, Zhi Yu planted the largest tree to celebrate Hu Bai's birth. Afterward, he began to plant a new tree every time one of the Hu siblings were born. Because the Hu siblings were born during different seasons, the trees would each take turns to bloom. Hu Cheng Se's tree's leaves would turn yellow-orange in summer, Hu Zi's plum tree would blossom in winter, and Hu Ye's tree would bear fruit in fall.
"Chief?" Fa Sui called in a small voice. "What are thinking about?"
Zhi Yu was gazing at the tallest tree with deep eyes and a solemn expression. "The tree... it is already in the middle of spring but it hasn't grown any flowers." He closed his eyes and took something out of his sleeve. A pure white peony flower. "Even the peonies on my courtyard have bloomed. I wonder why this tree hasn't... Was it the fertilizer?" Fa Sui felt the sadness behind Zhi Yu's calm tone. "I hope they bloom in soon so the Eldest Young Miss can see it this year."
"Chief Zhi Yu..." Fa Sui knew that Zhi Yu was the one who treasured Hu Bai the most. He must be feeling sad about Hu Bai leaving. "Ah!" Fa Sui's eyes widen, a brilliant idea suddenly coming to him. "That's it!"
"Huh?" Falcon finally raised his head when he heard Fa Sui shout. "What's it, Sui?"
"Chief!" With a huge smile and gleaming eyes, Fa Sui ran up to Zhi Yu. He gripped both of Zhi Yu's shoulders and made him face his way. Fa Sui's body was a lot smaller than Zhi Yu's but he managed to have a firm grip of him. "Chief, why don't you give it a try?"
Fa Sui's words caught Zhi Yu off guard. Zhi Yu got cold sweats on his forehead when he saw the stars inside Fa Sui's eyes. He had a bad feeling about this. "A try on what?"
"Try to propose to the Eldest Young Miss!" Fa Sui said eagerly.
"..." In an instant, Zhi Yu's head went blank. "Huh?"
"What?!" Falcon suddenly interrupted them by shouting. Fa Sui knew what would happen next, so he let go of Zhi Yu and covered his ears. "Sui, did you just suggest to the Chief to propose to the Eldest Young Miss? Did I hear that wrong? What are you thinking? Are you out of your m—"
Falcon gasped. "Wait… no, you are right! The Chief and Eldest Young Mistress together means my two favorite people being together! Sui, you are a genius! I love you!" Falcon said as he suddenly grabbed Fa Sui in a tight embrace. Falcon was strong, and Fa Sui felt like he was being squeezed to death.
"Ugh… Falcon, Falcon I… I can't breath…"
"Oops…" Falson let go of Fa Sui, who became limp right after. "Sorry… But Sui, your body is so small and fragile. You should exercise more." Falcon reprimanded.
Zhi Yu felt like the falling leaves stopped moving when Fa Sui told him his idea, his body freezing on the spot. The barrier he had built around his heart finally cracked.
"Ugh… cough, cough, anyway, cough, Chief?" Fa Sui said, trying to regain his breath.
"..." Zhi Yu frowned. In a calm but chilling voice, he slowly replied. "I… I am the Eldest Young Miss's caretaker. That is why I could never think of her as anything but my Eldest Young Miss! Don't ever suggest such a brazen idea ever again!"
"But, Chief!" Fa Sui and Falcon protested simultaneously.
"Silence!" Zhi Yu said with a commanding voice.
His voice made the two boys shiver. Their faces were dark, and cold sweat was visible on their foreheads. Fa Sui and Falcon could not help but shut their mouth because Zhi Yu's voice could make people heed him although they don't want to. Some people like Jin Ning and Hu Quan Li also had a voice like this. A voice full of power and overbearing, yet with an irresistible charm.
When he saw their terrified expression, Zhi Yu's eyes widened out of shock of what he did in the spur of the moment. Zhi Yu did not mean to be harsh on the two young boys. He sighed as he turned around and walked. "Let's go back to the practice hall. We have a lot of things to catch up to."
Just then, one of the house guards came running to their direction. "Chief Zhi Yu, Doctor Fa, Captain Falcon, the Second Prince is here."
Zhi Yu halted in his step.
"Eh?" Fa Sui as one of the two responsible for welcoming guests replied. "One of the royal family members is here? I did not hear anyone talking about his arrival. Did he give us a heads up?"
"No, I don't think the Second Prince gave us a notice about his incoming." Falcon's had a rare serious tone of voice. He had a bad feeling about this. "What business does the Second Prince has that made him come here so suddenly?"
The guard gulped because he knew how dire it was for the Hu family. "He... he said he wants to propose to the Eldest Young Miss."
Zhi Yu frowned and turned his head. "What did you say?"
"The Second Prince is here for the Eldest Young Miss' hand in marriage, Sir…"
"..." Both Fa Sui and Falcon looked at each other with cold sweat. They knew what kind of man the Second Prince was. Then, they looked at Zhi Yu's expression. It was as grim as theirs. Fa Sui called. "Chief…"
"..." Zhi Yu had a severe frown on his gentle and elegant face while he was contemplating. His deep black eyes looked down at the ground. His heart was beating so fast and his emotion was in full swirl.
For sometimes, the aura became heavy and no one dared to talk. Falcon bit his lower lip. He could not take the silence as he charged and grabbed Zhi Yu.
"Chief, I can't take this anymore. You need to go, now! Sui, help me here!"
"Alright!" Fa Sui shouted. He climbed a closely lined up wooden fence. Falcon castes a questioning look at him. Fa Sui saw that look and shouted to Falcon. "I'm on it!"
The wooden fence was the divider between the area of the four lined up trees and the practice field in front of the practice hall. On the other side of the fence were guards doing their morning training. Fa Sui shouted to them.
"Men!" The guards looked up to Fa Sui. "If the Chief were to propose to the Eldest Young Miss… Would you want that? Would you cheer him up for that?"
"..." At first, the more than twenty guards who were training on the fast practice field were in silence before they shouted back. "Of course we will!"
"Then come and help us!" Fa Sui grinned.
The men shouted and ran toward Fa Sui, some of them climbed the fence and cheered for their Chief.
"Go for it Chief!"
"We got your back!"
Fa Sui added to it. "Look Chief, your subordinates support you."
"You guys…" Zhi Yu did not know what to say anymore. He suddenly felt like he was cornered by his own subordinates. He felt helpless and warm at the same time. His subordinates were always there for him.
Just when he least expected it, he heard someone shout.
"The Third Young Miss supports too!" Everyone looked surprised when the purple-eyed girl jumped from the roof and landed in front of Zhi Yu. "Housekeeper Zhi Yu, no… Brother Zhi Yu, you need to go to Eldest Sister."
"Third Young Miss…" Zhi Yu's eyes widened. Just like Zhi Yu the rest of the guys did not foresee Hu Zi saying that. "That, that is…"
"Brother Zhi Yu, you won't let my sister enter the harem… right?"
Zhi Yu's elegant and gentle eyes widened. He was too focused on other things that he totally did not realize that one crucial thing. Setting the Second Prince's temper aside, If Hu Bai was to marry him she would enter the palace. And for someone like Hu Bai who lived in a harmonious family all her life, she would definitely…
"You won't, right?" Hu Zi clenched her fist, just thinking about her Eldest Sister unable to be as free as she is now made her tremble. "Brother Zhi Yu?"
"I…" Zhi Yu looked at the tallest tree once again. "I won't."
Yes! Hu Zi, Fa Sui, and Falcon shouted in their heart.
"Still.." Zhi Yu always thought that his Eldest Young Miss was as beautiful as a goddess. As her caretaker, he was very happy to see the Eldest Young Miss grew up to be a splendid young woman. Too splendid, if he might voice his heart, too splendid for him. "Still, I am just her caretaker, I have nothing on me. Will the Eldest Young Miss wants me?"
Hu ZI smirked. She stepped up and gave Zhi Yu the thing that she got from the three sister's bedroom, it was on her Eldest Sister's table. A simple piece of white cloth, a handkerchief with messy embroidery sewn on it.
When Zhi Yu opened the handkerchief, he was startled. "Third Young Miss, this is..."
"You said you don't have anything…" Hu Zi smiled helplessly. She sensed the messy embroidery that was supposed to look like a white peony. "But, I do think you have her heart."
-----
Flashback…
Zhi Yu finished his daily tasks and returned to his courtyard when he spotted a white ball on the edge of the pavilion. The white ball was desperately reaching for something. When she almost got it, her feet slipped and she screamed. Zhi Yu's eyes widened. "Eldest Young Miss!"
In a split second, Zhi Yu arrived behind the small and chubby Hu Bai and grabbed her body firmly. Zhi Yu was trembling, the thought of him being a little late horrified him.
When she felt his arm surrounding her small body, Hu Bai happily called. "Zhi Yu, Zhi Yu loo-"
"Eldest Young Miss, what are you doing? Why are you always getting into trouble? Do you want this caretaker to lose half of his life because you make him think about you too much?" He sounded angry but his embrace was warm and gentle. Zhi Yu lifted Hu Bai up and tried to calm himself. He took a long and deep breath. "Just like when you picked that ungrateful cat up… sigh…"
Inside his warm embrace, the small and chubby Hu Bai looked up to Zhi Yu with watery eyes. "Zhi, Zhi Yu don't be mad… Bai won't do it again…"
"Ah, no… I am not mad…" Zhi Yu smiled helplessly. He guessed he did sound mad since he was worried sick about this troublesome Young Miss of his. Zhi Yu patted Hu Bai's head tenderly so that she would know that he was not mad at her. "There there…"
Hu Bai smiled sweetly when Zhi Yu patted her head, she lifted the thing that she desperately tried to get earlier. It was a pure white peony. She signaled to Zhi Yu so he would let her down from his firm embrace before giving it to him.
The young and small Hu Bai asked. "What do you think when you see this flower, Zhi Yu?"
Zhi Yu looked at the flower intently. "A peony represents honor, nobility, and compassion." Zhi Yu replied to Hu Bai with a smile.
"Really?" Hu Bai tilted her head and pouted. "I didn't know that…"
Zhi Yu chuckled. He questioned back. "So, all this time, what did you think of the peony flower, Eldest Young Miss?"
Hu Bai simply smiled sweetly and answered. "I think of Zhi Yu."
-----
Zhi Yu gasped and clenched the white peony embroidery inside his right hand. He put that hand on his chest and to solidify his intention. The wall that he built to enclose his heart seemed to crumble at the same time as he moved his feet and disappeared from Hu Zi's sight.
"..." Hu Zi startled, she thought that only Shou could disappear in an instant like that. No… not even Shou. Hu Zi honestly thought that not even Shou could be as fast as Zhi Yu in disappearing. Maybe because Shou was using the wind and Zhi Yu was using his Qi... "Shou can fly a bit though… so Shou is faster in long distances."
Hu Zi knew Zhi Yu since she was born but she was blind. So she did not know that Zhi Yu could disappear like that before she could sense the air around her. After a while, she could finally sense Zhi Yu again. He was jumping from roof to roof to the place where the Great General, Lady Hua, and the Second prince was in, the Rose courtyard.
See continuation and latest chapter here:
https://tapas.io/episode/1155417
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