Chapter Forty: Farewell

The reason Guo Mengdie mistook Zhu Hao for Zhu Youxiao could only be blamed on the striking resemblance between Zhu Hao and Zhu Youxiao. The only difference was that Zhu Hao possessed a certain lively spirit, whereas Zhu Youxiao seemed a bit dull. If one were to judge by portraits alone, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart. By coincidence, Guo Mengdie had seen Zhu Youxiao’s portrait, which led her to mistakenly identify Zhu Hao as Zhu Youxiao. It was truly a colossal misunderstanding.

Seeing Zhu Hao bow his head in silence, Guo Mengdie had no intention of letting him off so easily. She demanded coldly, “Who did you just call a shrew? Who’s the termagant? If you don’t give me a clear explanation today, don’t even think about leaving! Hmph!”

Zhu Hao, now at her mercy, felt extremely uncomfortable. Remembering that Guo Mengdie had just saved him, chased him with a sword but hadn’t harmed him, he surmised that this girl probably wouldn’t hurt him. He quickly devised a plan and, in a voice full of grievance, said, “I wasn’t talking about you just now, I was talking about… ah! ah!” Before he could finish, he clutched his chest, toppled to the ground, and began howling in pain, rolling about on the ground.

This sudden change startled Guo Mengdie. She forgot her anger, threw down her sword, and hurried to grab Zhu Hao’s shoulders, exclaiming, “Zhu Youxiao, Zhu Youxiao, what’s wrong? Where are you hurt?” All traces of her previous anger vanished, replaced by genuine concern.

At the moment when both Guo Mengdie’s body and heart were focused on caring for him, Zhu Hao suddenly sprang up, yanked her down to the ground, and pinned her so she could not move. Triumphant, Zhu Hao crowed, “So, doesn’t it feel awful to be under someone else’s control? I did call you a shrew, and a termagant. Now, what can you possibly do about it? Hm?”

Once again subdued by Zhu Hao—this time deliberately—and humiliated by his words, Guo Mengdie, for all her martial prowess, was still just an eleven- or twelve-year-old child. The injustice made her large, jewel-like eyes turn red with fury. “Zhu Youxiao, you scoundrel, you big jerk, you liar! I will never forgive you!”

Hearing her protests, Zhu Hao unleashed his secret weapon. In his mind, the theme song from the Japanese cartoon “Ikkyu-san” he had watched before crossing over, began to play. To the rhythm of the tune, Zhu Hao stretched out his tender little hand and started tickling Guo Mengdie.

Under Zhu Hao’s attack, Guo Mengdie burst out laughing uncontrollably. “Haha, Zhu Youxiao, you jerk, haha, let me go, you—haha—let me go, I—haha—I was wrong, haha…”

Zhu Hao, seeing her admit defeat, did not stop but pressed further, “Do you know you were wrong? Will you ever point a sword at me again?”

Guo Mengdie was now laughing so hard she could barely breathe, gasping out, “Haha, I—haha—won’t dare anymore, haha, I really was wrong, hahaha, please—hahaha—let me go, haha…”

Satisfied that she’d had enough, Zhu Hao stopped. He was worried that this girl, who had just saved him, might actually laugh herself sick.

As Zhu Hao’s hands stopped, Guo Mengdie’s laughter died away. She shot him a venomous glare and said, “Zhu Youxiao, you’re such a villain! You bullied me! Waaa… boohoo…” With that, she burst into tears, her exquisite face streaked with tears, so pitiful that it could move anyone’s heart.

Zhu Hao was instantly flustered, not knowing what to do. He quickly let go of Guo Mengdie and tried to reason with her, “Look, you were the one bullying me with a sword just now. I only fought back because I had to. How can you say I bullied you?”

But Zhu Hao, an old bachelor, had no idea that women were meant to be coaxed, not argued with, especially when they were crying. At such times, nothing you say will make sense to her. No matter what, you’re always in the wrong—admitting fault is the only wise course.

Sure enough, Zhu Hao’s attempts at logic only made Guo Mengdie cry even harder. Between sobs, she wailed, “Boohoo, Zhu Youxiao, you—boohoo—villain, boohoo—I hate you so much, boohoo—I’m going to—boohoo—tell my grandfather you bullied me, boohoo…”

Zhu Hao was not frightened by her threat to tell her grandfather—after all, who in the world could have a stronger backer than he, with the Emperor himself standing behind him?

Although Zhu Hao wasn’t worried about Guo Mengdie bringing family trouble upon him, her incessant crying left him distraught and at a loss. At that moment, Wenwen, fiercely loyal to her mistress, rushed over and pointed at Zhu Hao in fury. “It’s all your fault for making our young lady cry! If you don’t apologize, the old master won’t let you off when he hears of this!”

Zhu Hao had no idea who this “old master” Wenwen spoke of was, nor did he care, but just to stop Guo Mengdie from crying, he reluctantly said, “Miss, it was my fault just now. I apologize. I’m sorry—please, don’t cry anymore, alright?”

At his words, Guo Mengdie’s tears, which had been flowing like a flood, abruptly ceased. She sprang to her feet and declared, “Since you’ve sincerely apologized, I’ll forgive you! Zhu Youxiao, we’re even now. As for your trickery just now, I’ll let it go out of generosity!”

Seeing how quickly Guo Mengdie stopped crying, Zhu Hao realized he’d been played. Truly, the prettier the woman, the more cunning she is—women are fickle, born actors! He brooded over this silently, his lips pursed in displeasure, looking as if he’d suffered a great loss. Unbeknownst to himself, since meeting this young girl, his behavior had become more and more like that of an eleven- or twelve-year-old child.

Guo Mengdie, watching Zhu Hao’s sulky face, could not help but giggle. “Who’d have thought a little brat like you could look so cute when you’re upset! Come on, let me have a good look at you!” She reached out her delicate hand to pinch his cheek.

Zhu Hao did not dodge. Instead, he snorted, “Watch out for my Dragon Claw!” With that, he thrust his hands forward like claws, lunging at Guo Mengdie. Startled, she immediately drew back her hand and hugged her chest, her face full of terror.

Despite his fierce shout, Zhu Hao had no intention of actually attacking Guo Mengdie. He simply knew he couldn’t avoid her, given her skill, so he used this stratagem to make her abandon her cheek-pinching attempt. He withdrew his hands the instant she retreated.

But Zhu Hao’s face lit up with a child’s innocent delight, and he beamed. “Now we’re truly even. Farewell!” Having gotten his way, Zhu Hao turned and made to run, but he had barely taken two steps when Guo Mengdie caught him from behind. “Hmph! You think you can just walk away after taking advantage? Where in the world is anything so easy!”

Now, once again caught by Guo Mengdie, Zhu Hao realized there was no escaping her today. All hope of getting away from her seemed lost. Resigned, he turned to face her, spread his hands, and with a roguish grin, said, “Why don’t I let you touch me in return? Then we’ll really be even, how about that?”

Guo Mengdie’s face turned livid with anger at his shameless suggestion. “You—you’re shameless! You pervert, scoundrel, today I’m going to teach you a lesson! Otherwise, when you grow up, who knows how many girls you’ll harm!” With that, she prepared to give him another thrashing.

Just as Zhu Hao was about to suffer her wrath, a palace attendant came running from the distance, breathless. “Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Majesty fell from his horse and is now unconscious. Please go at once!”

Hearing that the Emperor had fallen from his horse, Guo Mengdie realized the gravity of the situation and immediately let go of Zhu Hao. “I’ll remember what happened today. I’ll settle the score with you next time!”

Zhu Hao was grateful she let him go at this crucial moment. He glanced at her with appreciation and said, “If fate allows us to meet again, I’ll let you deal with me as you wish!”

With that, Zhu Hao vaulted onto his horse. Before leaving, he turned back and asked, “May I know your name and your family’s residence? I’ll come and apologize to you in person.”

Guo Mengdie did not answer. Watching him ride off, she shouted after him, “Why should I tell you? You little brat—pervert—villain! I’ll catch you next time and give you a proper lesson to pay you back for today!”

Zhu Hao, not knowing her name, sped away on horseback. As he rode off, he heard her shouting and called back, “Until we meet again!” Then he disappeared in a cloud of dust.

After Zhu Hao left, Guo Mengdie stood in place for a long while, softly repeating his words: “Until we meet again, until we meet again…” After a moment, her eyes grew determined and she snorted, “Little brat, pervert, we will meet again! I just hope that next time, you won’t be so scared you cry when you see me!”

Watching her mistress stand there in a daze, Wenwen couldn’t bear it any longer. She quickly stepped forward. “Miss, the Emperor fell from his horse. The Imperial Guards will soon seal off the entire royal hunting grounds. We’d best leave now! If the guards find us here, I’ll never be able to explain to the old master when we get home!”