Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心) Episode 1 Part II

Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心)  > Episode 1 Part I > Episode 1 Part II

Back in her room, Zhang Xiao struggles with herself as she finds herself caring for Ruolan but at the time same time, she feels that she is cheating of her affections as she is not Rouxi. She contemplates on how to tell Roulan the truth and thinks back to the day’s event where she was almost run over by the horse. She believes that if the horse had really run over her, she would have returned back to the present time as she felt her spirit leaving the body. Tossing and turning she finally drifts off to sleep.

In the morning, positive that she does not want to remain in the Qing dynasty any longer, she weighs her options and decides that if she were to have another ‘accident’ of equal magnitude of the car accident at the same location it occurred, she would be able to get back to the present time. When she steps out of her room, she is surprised by the bustle and hustle outside her Roulan’s courtyard. Zhang Xiao finds out that the 8th prince is finally coming over to have dinner at the residence.

Qiao Hui is ordered by Roulan to dress Rouxi (Zhang Xiao will now be called Rouxi from this point on) properly since this would be her first meeting with the 8th prince. Rouxi ends up being wrapped in 7 layers of cloth and is unaware that she is being so heavily clothed. While being wrapped, she is deep in thought about the struggle between the 4th and 8th prince for the throne. She is excited to meet the 8th prince, although he had lost the throne to the 4th prince, his intelligence and wits were renowned.

By the time she is finished thinking, she feels the burden of such thick clothes and complains stating that she would change her clothes is the 8th prince does not show up. Not able to withstand the heat, she excuses herself and hurries out into the cooler outdoors, hoping to cool off. While she is frantically fanning herself, she wonders if the makeup she is wearing is waterproof all the while sighing and moaning, dabbing her face with her sleeve.

When she is engrossed in dabbing her face, a handkerchief appears and a gentle voice asks her to stop her tears. Surprised Rouxi turns around a face smiling at her. It is the 8th prince and he amusedly declares that she must be Rouxi. Realizing who she is, Rouxi remembers to greet him with a curtsey while being flustered at the same time. The 8th prince comments that he thought that she was crying, to which she explains that she was just perspiring from the thick layer of clothes; she accepts the handkerchief and they head back for dinner.

Meanwhile, the 9th and 10th prince have arrived and are already waiting for the 8th prince to have dinner together. Dinner soon starts and their conversation is friendly, with laughter ringing loud. As Rouxi watches the 8th prince dishing food for her sister and asking after her, even instructing Qiao Hui to brew more tonics for Roulan, Rouxi thinks to herself that the 8th prince is caring and considerate to her sister. His kindness and gentleness deviates from his image portrayed in history, as a person who was well known for his devious plots and strategies which makes Rouxi think.

While deep in her thought, she soon realizes that the 10th prince is looking at her intently. She glances back and suddenly makes a snapping motion with her mouth, with startles the 10th prince and results in him dropping his food. Everyone turns to look at him while Rouxi quickly picks up her bowl to eat, which results in her choking on the rice. Gloating over her plight, the 10th prince is admonished by the 8th prince who tells him to apologize. The 10th prince apologizes and says how pretty Rouxi is even when she is choking unlike him. Upon that comment, the 9th prince teases the 10th prince saying that his speech has improved.

After dinner has ended and back in her own room, Rouxi probes Qiao Hui on the relationship between her sister and the 8th prince. She learns that the 8th prince rarely visits Roulan, and his visits are short, asking only polite questions. The other wives who came after Roulan already have children but Roulan does not seem to be bothered, rather focusing on praying and reciting Buddhist scripture. And it is because of Roulan’s nonchalance and lack of interaction that alienates her from the rest of the household. Thinking of the fate of the 8th prince, Rouxi thinks to herself that her sister keeping her distance and not being attached to the 8th prince might be the best solution after all.

The next day, Rouxi sneaks out again, determined to carry out her plan to return to the future. Because no matter how she looks at it the result is that she dies, so why not try? She walks through the busy street looking for horses and soon enough she hears the hooves of horses in a distance. She quickly places herself in the path of the oncoming horse, but just as the horse is about the touch her it is stopped with its nose to her face. She looks up in frustration and asks them why did they stop. It is the 4th and 13th prince.

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