I Am This Type of Woman

“What’s all this commotion? What are you doing?” Ban Hua was lying on a soft couch, having a maid massage her head, when Ban Heng rushed in, wailing and crying. The startled maid pressed too hard, pulling out several strands of Ban Hua’s hair.

“Junzhu,” the little maid’s face paled. She looked at Ban Hua in a panic, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.

“You can all leave,” Ban Hua glanced at the little maid. “It’s alright, it’s not your fault.”

“Thank you, Junzhu.” The little maid's hands were still trembling as she retreated with the others. Looking down at the few strands of hair in her palm, she thought that her Junzhu was beautiful, kind, and utterly flawless.

“Yu Zhu, you’ve been serving Junzhu for a year or two now, why are you still so timid?” The little maid’s friend linked arms with her and chuckled softly. “It seems Junzhu and Heir Ban will be bickering again later.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. What right do we servants have to gossip about our masters’ affairs?” Yu Zhu tugged at her friend’s wrist. “If the steward hears you, he’ll definitely dock your monthly wages.”

The little maid quickly shut her mouth and looked around nervously. Only after confirming the steward was nowhere in sight did she relax.

In the courtyard, Ban Hua sat up from the chaise lounge and gathered her loose hair behind her back. “After Lord Bo Rong found out last time, didn't you say you wouldn't do such foolish things again?”

“It’s not like Lord Bo Rong will find out every time,” Ban Heng said shamelessly. “How often do I mean what I say? Don’t take it to heart. Sister, let's go bury the silver tomorrow morning, alright?”

“Go by yourself,” Ban Hua flopped back down on the chaise lounge. “It's so cold in the morning, I don't want to get up.”

“Then… how about we go at night? We can stay at the villa outside the city tomorrow night and not come back,” Ban Heng thought for a moment. “It's not very safe to go out at night, so we'll go in the evening. If we miss the curfew, we'll just stay at the villa for a night. What do you think?”

Ban Hua was silent for a moment. “Go call the maids waiting outside.”

“What for?” Ban Heng was puzzled.

“If I don't call them, are you going to comb my hair?” Ban Hua stood up. “I'll go tell Mother.”

“Okay!” Ban Heng nodded happily and turned to call the maids in. “Sister, then I’ll go pack.”

Ban Hua ignored him and sat on the soft couch, sighing as she looked at the nine-looped white jade bracelet on her wrist. She worried that with her brother's mind, he would forget where he buried the things five years later.

The maids filed in, attending to Ban Hua’s hair and clothes. Dresses that took embroiderers over a month to make, hairpins that ordinary families couldn't afford in a lifetime, jade pendants, bracelets, and pearls were scattered in the corners of boxes like discarded stones, waiting for their owner's occasional favor.

Ban Hua lightly dabbed her lips with lipstick and pursed them. Seeing her lips become vibrant and moist, she stood up satisfied and walked towards the main courtyard.

Although Marquis Cheng’an had been injured, causing Ban Huai some guilt, overall, Ban Huai was in a good mood. He entered the second gate and saw his lively and charming daughter. The smile on his face brightened. “Hua Hua.”

“Father,” Ban Hua curtsied to Ban Huai and then trotted to him. “You look so happy, did something happen?”

Ban Huai could never hide anything from his daughter, so he recounted everything that had happened in court that day. He concluded with a sigh, “Marquis Cheng’an is truly a virtuous man.”

“You mean Xie Chongjin was thrown into prison?” Ban Hua’s feelings were complicated. Could Xie Chongjin really be the one who would rebel in the future? But how could he have the ability to rebel? His literary reputation was inferior to Lord Bo Rong’s, and he had little prestige among the military officers. Could he possibly imitate those who came before him, fabricating some divine sign, claiming to be the chosen one, and deceiving the common people into fighting alongside him?

Seeing his daughter remain silent for a long while, Ban Huai looked at her in confusion. “My dear daughter, why aren't you saying anything?”

“Father, do you think… we should kill him?” Ban Hua looked at Ban Huai faintly, her voice soft and airy, sounding a bit chilling.

“K-kill who?” Ban Huai was startled by his daughter’s words. “My dear daughter, do you have a grudge against Xie’s eldest son?”

“No,” Ban Hua whispered. “I’m just worried that he’s that person.”

“Impossible,” Ban Huai said incredulously. “With Xie Jinke’s character, could he raise a son capable of great things?”

Ban Hua was speechless. She tapped her head. “It’s all my fault, I can’t remember things.”

“It’s alright, your father also can’t remember things. You take after me in this regard.” Ban Huai patted Ban Hua’s head comfortingly. “Come on, let’s go find your mother.”

“Father, you’re back?” Ban Heng stood up from his chair when he saw Ban Huai enter. “Mother was worried because you hadn’t returned so late.”

“Ah, I encountered some matters in court today,” Ban Huai recounted the events of the court to his wife and children. “It’s also my fault for being careless, I even implicated Marquis Cheng’an. Madam, what kind of gifts do you think we should send?”

After careful consideration, Yin Shi said, “Don’t worry, leave this matter to me.”

In the Marquis Cheng’an’s residence, Rong Xia looked at his bruised arm, pulled down his sleeve to conceal the strong smell of medicine, and wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief. He addressed the blue-clad guard standing before him, “The autumn scenery is beautiful tomorrow, a perfect time for mountain climbing.”

“Yes.”

Rong Xia picked up the book on the table, but before he could read a page, the steward hurried in.

“Lord Bo, the Jingting Marquis Residence has sent a gift.”

“A gift?” Rong Xia hadn't expected the people from the Jingting Marquis Residence to be so courteous. He put down his book and took the gift list. It contained various tonics, several boxes of high-quality healing ointments, and… a box of Green Hibiscus Imperial Dragon Well Cakes?

The steward took a food box from the servant behind him, his expression somewhat subtle. “The person who delivered the gift from Jingting Marquis Residence said that the things inside cannot be kept for long.”

“Bring it here for me to see.”

The steward brought the food box to Rong Xia. Rong Xia lifted the lid. Inside was a lotus leaf green porcelain dish, neatly arranged with twelve light green pastries. The pastries were translucent and soft, looking quite adorable, and seemed to emit a faint fragrance.

Seeing these twelve pastries, Rong Xia couldn't help but chuckle softly. He said to the steward, “Go and personally thank the person who delivered the gift. Do not neglect them.”

“Yes.” The steward thought the people from the Jingting Marquis Residence were a bit out of touch. Which family would send such small pastries as gifts? If they encountered a petty family, they might think they were being looked down upon, as if they couldn't even afford a proper plate of pastries.

The pastries tasted no different from the last time, but perhaps because there was no one watching him with feigned generosity while clearly being reluctant, Rong Xia felt they weren't as delicious as last time. After eating two pieces, he put down his chopsticks and turned back to his book.

Early the next morning, Ban Heng woke up early. He gathered some silver and small, valuable but not bulky items, and put them into disguised sandbags. Thanks to his sister's daily torment recently, he felt he could finally carry these two sandbags, weighing dozens of jin combined, up the mountain in one go.

Carrying the sandbags once now meant carrying them less in the future. He could endure it!

“Junzhu, Heir Ban has asked several times this morning if you have risen,” Ru Yi attended to Ban Hua’s washing, unable to suppress a smile. “Should I send someone to inform Heir Ban now?”

“No need,” Ban Hua wiped her hands dry. “His temperament should be tempered.”

“Yes.” Ru Yi responded with a smile and instructed the other maids to take the water away. “What hairstyle would you like today?”

“I’m going out today and will be staying at the villa with Father tonight. You and Ji Xiang help me pack.” Ban Hua sat in front of the bronze mirror, studying her face. In the golden autumn season, a bright red flower ornament between the eyebrows was best.

After lunch, Ban Huai took Ban Heng and Ban Hua out, using the excuse of taking his children to play at the villa outside the city.

Riding on horseback, Ban Hua passed by a clothing store and unexpectedly encountered a man walking out of the shop.

The man was exceptionally handsome, tall and elegant, dressed in fine clothes. His black hair was tied up with a jade crown, looking both dignified and spirited. The only flaw was the silver mask he wore, covering the upper left half of his face.

Seeing Ban Hua, the man stopped, his expression a mixture of hesitation, guilt, and evasion.

A distinguished man wearing a mask always stood out in a crowd. He saw Ban Hua, and naturally, Ban Hua saw him as well.

The two looked at each other, but neither spoke.

Two years ago, they were an engaged couple about to be married. But Xie Qilin had eloped with a courtesan, leaving her to endure the ridicule of the world. This was the greatest humiliation of Ban Hua's life.

Oh, what had she said back then?

She had said: She was so beautiful, this man must be blind to elope with a so-called top courtesan!

It seemed she had been right two years ago. This man was indeed blind.

“Giddy up!” Ban Hua, on horseback, looked down at the man and rode away without hesitation.

He had been so affectionate back then, so why had he abandoned that poor woman for wealth and status in the end? Because he couldn't bear the world's condemnation, couldn't endure a life without throngs of servants and luxury? Poor courtesan, thinking she had found her lifelong support, only to find a useless pastry with no sense of responsibility.

So, most men in this world, during those romantic moments, could be the bravest heroes, but only heroes during those romantic moments.

Xie Qilin stood there stunned, watching the purple-clad woman on the white horse. He touched the silver mask on his cheek and closed his eyes.

Author's Note:

Ban Hua: Bah, useless pastry! What good is he!

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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