It was eventually time to move.
Gu Sui’er had Hu Tie and Gu Baofeng oversee the guards and help move the already-packed loads and chests onto the carriages. Finally, she took little Ah Chen to bid farewell to the Old Madam, the Madam, the two Young Madams and also Xiao Xu.
Actually, she had already said her goodbyes once, but when things came to a head, she was still rather unwilling.
It was especially so when she walked into the Old Madam’s chamber and saw her reclining on the red sandalwood bed with moon gate carving1T/N: A red sandalwood bed with moon gate carving (紫檀月洞雕花床 or zǐtán yuè dòng diāohuā chuáng) looks kinda like this: 
. Seeing the old lady’s serene and amiable expression, tears almost fell from Gu Sui’er’s eyes.
“Silly child, why are you crying? The prince’s residence you are going to live in is just a small teacup’s distance away from here. You can come over any time you miss us. We will also be going there to visit in a few days. It is not that far, so why shed tears?” The Old Madam held little Ah Chen in her arms and spoke reassuringly, despite being somewhat reluctant.
The two Young Madams standing aside came forward to persuade her too.
The second Young Madam had brought her daughter, Ru jie’er2T/N: 姐儿 (jiě’ér), much like 女儿 (nǚ’ér), means daughter in this case, and sounds a bit weird when translated to English. with her today. The child was now over two years old. She was fair and had a pair of large eyes but was a little on the thinner and weaker side. No matter how much she was fed, she didn’t put on weight.
The Old Madam hugged Ru jie’er in one hand and little Ah Chen in the other.
“These are my dear sweethearts. Sui’er must bring Ah Chen here often. Or else this old woman will not let you off easily.”
Hearing this, Gu Sui’er wiped away her tears and smiled, “Of course, after we settle down in the residence, I will surely come to visit Old Madam.”
The eldest Young Madam laughed, “Sui’er, there will not be a Princess Consort to overlook things once you move into the princely residence. As the prince’s Concubine, you will be in charge of everything there.”
Gu Sui’er nodded, “Yes. Although I don’t know anything about all that, third Master wants me to handle them in the future. I am worried. If anything difficult happens, I will definitely come back to seek advice from Old Madam, Madam and two Young Madams.”
The Old Madam, however, reminded, “You are now a lady with rank bestowed by the imperial decree. Don’t keep calling them Young Madam. Instead, call them eldest Sister-in-law and second Sister-in-law.”
The second Young Madam pondered for a moment and smiled, “That’s right. In terms of rank, mine is not as good as Sui’er’s. From now on, whenever I see Sui’er, I will have to greet her respectfully and call her ‘Your Highness, the Concubine’.”
Everyone laughed but Gu Sui’er felt a bit embarrassed.
“Second Young Madam indeed knows how to jest. Third Master asked for this title and decree. You know best what kind of a person I am. I’m just an insignificant Gu Sui’er. I wouldn’t dare to let the second Young Madam call me ‘Your Highness, the Concubine’. If you do, I would feel too embarrassed to meet you again.”
The Old Madam hit the second Young Mistress lightly, “Don’t scare our little Sui’er!”
After saying this, she put away her smile and told, “In the future, they will not call you ‘Your Highness, the Concubine’ and you will not call them ‘eldest Young Madam’ and ‘second Young Madam’ at every turn you get. Just call them Sister-in-law and they will call you Sui’er. Although Ah Heng will not live here anymore, he is the one I have raised. We are still a family. Tingzhu Courtyard will be kept as it is so come back whenever you feel like it.”
Gu Sui’er nodded her head repeatedly: “There is also a yard specifically set aside for Old Madam. So in case you feel stuffy at home, you can go over to take a look at little Ah Chen, and also let us do our filial duty.”
Hearing this, the Old Madam laughed and pointed at the two Young Madams, ”Did you hear that? If you upset this old woman, I will go to Ah Heng’s place!”
A peal of laughter erupted in the chamber.
When Xiao Heng came over after everything was loaded for departure and bid farewell in person, Gu Sui’er followed him out.
The Old Madam took the Madam and the two Young Madams to see her off. Reaching the gate, they said a few parting words in earnest.
Although the princely residence was not too far away, in the end, they would now be living in two separate houses unlike before.
During their conversation, a horse was somehow spooked and rushed forward with a loud neigh. The people’s expressions changed slightly as soon as they this. A string of warnings was heard: “Be careful!”
As a result, the women immediately moved away, making way for Hu Tie and the guards to restrain the horse.
Coincidentally, Ru jie’er, who had also come holding her mother’s hand, somehow freed herself from the second Young Madam’s grip. Taking advantage of the nanny’s inattention, she dashed toward the carriage.
Finally noticing that the horse’s hooves were about to crush her daughter, the second Young Madam intended to rush over. But it was already too late to do that. She cried out in terror: “Ru jie’er!”
At this critical moment, a youth in a black robe jumped up and with the agility of a dragon swimming in a sea, pulled Ru jie’er away.
All of this happened in a flash. After the horse neighed and galloped past the alley, everyone saw Ru jie’er in the arms of the black-robed youth.
The second Young Madam’s eyes welled up with tears. She rushed over and grabbed Ru jie’er from him. She hugged Rujie tightly and asked, “Ru jie’er, are you alright? Does it hurt? Do you feel pain anywhere?”
Everyone gathered around the three.
Ru jie’er blinked her eyes and looked at the young man standing aside curiously. Then she shook her head and said in a soft and immature voice, “I’m fine ah.”
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Hu Tie had already taken his men to restrain the horse. Now that he looked towards the black-robed young man, he recognized the latter in a glance. It was Gu Baofeng, Gu Sui’er’s younger brother.
The Old Madam, seeing her little great-granddaughter safe and secure, also recovered from the shock and looked at Gu Baofeng. She discovered that even though her savior was only 13-14 years old, he already had a strong and sturdy figure, standing firm like a pillar at the base of the stairs.
At this moment, his youthful and handsome face was covered with beads of sweat as he gasped for air and raised his hand to wipe those off.
She spoke up in admiration, “You must be Baofeng. Well done! If it weren’t for you just now, Ru jie’er could have been in grave danger.”
Gu Baofeng had been in the Longqi Guards for a while now. He was no longer as simple-minded and inexperienced as he used to be when he first arrived in Yanjing City. Hearing her words, he stepped forward and bowed: “It is something I ought to do.”
Seeing that he was just a 13-14 year old boy with delicate and pretty features, had good manners and had also saved her great-granddaughter from danger, the Old Madam naturally had a favorable impression of Gu Baofeng.
The second Young Madam, holding her daughter, gradually regained her senses. She wiped away her tears and stepped forward to thank Gu Baofeng.
Gu Baofeng felt a bit embarrassed at everyone’s gratefulness. He quickly spoke up: “It was just a matter of lifting my hand. Old Madam and second Young Madam are being too polite. Even if I didn’t save her, Guard Hu would have done it.”
This statement carried a bit of the naivety of a youth from the countryside.
They all laughed.
Gu Sui’er was also startled just now. But realizing that Ru jie’er was not too frightened, she was relieved. She smiled: “He has no other skills but his strength.”
At this moment, Xiao Heng also arrived with the two Young Masters of the Ruiding residence. The horse had already been restrained and people had been sent to investigate its source.
Xiao Xuan, the second Young Master of the Ruiding family, came over and personally thanked Gu Baofeng, saying that he would certainly visit in person to express his gratitude soon.
Due to this incident, the departure was inevitably a lot delayed. It was already noon, so Xiao Heng and his rest set off to the princely residence without further ado.
Before leaving, Ru jie’er was held in the arms of her mother. She could more or less understand that she had narrowly escaped being trampled by a horse only a little time ago. She knew she owed her life to the big brother who saved her. Now seeing him leave, she waved her little hand and called out in her tender voice, “Big brother.”
Gu Baofeng had already mounted his horse with Hu Tie and the others but upon hearing this call, he turned around and saw the little child looking at him with hopeful eyes, as if reluctant to see him leave.
He couldn’t help but feel tenderness toward her and cupped his hands.
As the people of Ruiding residence watched Xiao Heng and his company leave, they took a step to go inside. As they walked and conversed, they inevitably mentioned Gu Baofeng.
The Old Madam praised, “This child is dignified, valiant, and well-behaved. With careful nurturing, he will surely achieve great things. Ah Xuan, when you have the chance, visit him and have a good discussion.”
The second Young Master respectfully replied, “I will follow Grandmother’s advise.”
*************************
On the other side, Gu Sui’er and the rest left with more than twenty carriages, all loaded to the brim. As they traveled through the streets, many people saw them and inevitably started gossiping. Everyone knew that this was the former third Young Master of the Ruiding residence, who was now revealed to be the fifth son of the current Emperor.
“I heard he has already been acknowledged and his name has been registered in the genealogy. His Majesty specially built a new residence for the fifth prince. Old Chen’s family from our street had recruited for the construction!”
“Really? That yard must have cost a lot of money!”
Amidst the discussions, Gu Sui’er quietly peeked outside through the gauze curtains of the carriage. In the endless stream of horses and carriages, she saw Xiao Heng riding on the same shiny black horse as before. He was dressed in a purple robe, exuding an air of dignity and nobility.
And behind him, among the group of guards, was her younger brother, Gu Baofeng.
After watching for a while, she withdrew her gaze and picked up little Ah Chen. Now that Ah Chen finally had the chance to step outside the residence, he refused to sit down and leaned forth toward the carriage wall instead, looking out through the curtains. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he made babbled happily.
“Ah Chen, take a nap, okay?” Gu Sui’er cradled little Ah Chen horizontally, wanting to breastfeed him.
Usually, when food was concerned, little Ah Chen would immediately rub against Gu Sui’er’s chest. But now, he clung to the window stubbornly. His eyes were fixed outside as his gaze roamed around in every direction. From his expression, it looked like he couldn’t get enough of the sight.
Guizhi pursed her lips and smiled. “Little Young Master seldom leaves the residence. Now that he’s out, he wants to see everything.”
Gu Sui’er realized that her words were true. The children of the Marquis residence were not like those of her village, who could run around the place and climb everything.
At this moment, the carriage coincidentally came to an alley with only a few people. Seeing an opportunity, Gu Sui’er waved to Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng noticed her movements and steered his horse closer.
Gu Sui’er pointed to the baby in her arms and then helplessly pointed outside.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment and stretched out his long arms.
“Ah——” Caught off guard, Gu Sui’er was startled.
When she looked up again, little Ah Chen was already in Xiao Heng’s arms. The tall and handsome man held the soft and tender baby in one hand while clutching the rein with his other hand.
It was Ah Chen’s first time on a horse, but he wasn’t afraid. He even tried to reach for the stirrups below with his two little legs.
Unfortunately for him, his legs were too short. How could he possibly reach?
He flung his chubby legs and grabbed the horse’s mane in mischief. Waving his chubby little hand to show off his might, he laughed joyfully.
“Yi ya ya ya ya, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse… ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride…”
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