Chapter 172 : An Alliance
The days pa.s.sed, and finally there was good news from the people stationed at the border. After the Xiao Shao-led Jinyi Guards reached Heiguanya, the troops were once again redeployed and their battle formations changed. Hence, they were able to defend against and push back the Tian Jin. After all, with any battle, crucial to success was having a renewed boost of energy. The Tian Jin army had continued their attack, even after their victory, but had not antic.i.p.ated that reinforcements would arrive so quickly. Thus, they suffered great losses, and broke off their siege for the moment. The two armies momentarily reached a stalemate. This was an advantageous situation for the Great Jin’s soldiers as they won some time to rest and reorganise.
On the other front, when Xirong heard that Zhao Guang was leading the Zhao family troops towards them, they hastily retreated beyond the border. Thus, at least for the moment, there was peace and stability.
These two events swept away the previously tense atmosphere in the capital, which then resumed its usual appearance of prosperity and happiness. On this day, Lin Zi Xiang and Wen Fei Fei entered the gate of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu to visit Jiang Ruan.
Steward Lin was naturally happy once again. When the old Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife were still alive, Jinying w.a.n.gfei was a very good-natured person, and got along well with many of the officials’ wives. Consequently, there was a steady stream of visitors to the w.a.n.gfu. Everyday, the area outside the main gate came alive with horse carriages from different families pulling up to park there, a manifestation of the warm and vital relationship the hosts had with other families, and of their popularity. After the old Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife pa.s.sed on, and with the cold disposition Xiao Shao possessed, apart from the few female servants in the fu, it was highly probable that no female had set foot in the Jinying w.a.n.gfu. After many years of silence, unexpectedly, although Jiang Ruan looked rather indifferent, her interpersonal connections were actually quite good. Thus, she had only resided in the fu for a short amount of time before her good friends visited her. Wen Fei Fei and Lin Zi Xiang could be considered to be young ladies from the capital’s more well-known government officials’ families, which naturally incited Steward Lin to order the entire household to receive the guests well.
After Wen Fei Fei and Lin Zi Xiang sat down with Jiang Ruan, Wen Fei Fei dabbed at the perspiration on her forehead as she remarked, “Ruan Meimei, the servants at the Jinying w.a.n.gfu all seem to offer you heartfelt obedience. If the servants in my fu would be only half as sensible, I would thank heaven and earth.”
Wen Fei Fei was married now, into a military commander’s family, whose status was on par with her own. However, a new daughter-in-law would always encounter some unfavourable situations upon entering her husband’s household. By nature, Wen Fei Fei was a carefree soul, so she had some trouble managing the servants. One glance at the orderliness of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu and the respect that was accorded to Jiang Ruan was all it took for her envy to surface involuntarily.
“She’s highly intelligent, and there’s no lack of methods to discipline servants, yet you can’t seem to learn them,” Lin Zi Xiang cut in without hesitation. As straightforward as ever, she continued, “Moreover, she was born beautiful, and Jinying w.a.n.g is protective of her. The only thing you know how to do is practise martial arts every day, so how can your husband protect you?”
Wen Fei Fei looked up at the sky, pretending not to have heard Lin Zi Xiang’s words.
Lin Zi Xiang turned towards Jiang Ruan and said, “I originally thought that this marriage would not take your interests into consideration, and I was afraid you would suffer many grievances. But, looking at you now, you seem to be enjoying bitterness as if it were something sweet[1]. Anway, Jinying w.a.n.g is not in the fu, so you’re living comfortably on your own and can avoid awkward situations.”
[1]甘之如饴 (gānzhīrúyí) – lit. as sweet as syrup (idiom, from Book of Songs); to endure hardship gladly / a glutton for punishment.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly and did not respond. One could say that Lin Zi Xiang’s temperament was indeed rather unique among the daughters of n.o.ble families. She was straightforward in speech and did not understand the ways of the world, such that those who saw her could not tell if she was stupid or smart, but she was actually quite a perceptive person. Her candid personality was exactly the same as that of Lin Tai Shi. Everyone said that Lin Tai Shi was a brilliant civilian court official, therefore, no one could fathom how he could raise such a universally shocking daughter who did not comply with the three virtues and five values of Confucianism. However, Jiang Ruan felt that Lin Tai Shi did genuinely possess great knowledge and wisdom. Consequently, the daughter he raised would be far more precious than the capital’s other well-bred ladies.
However, something so precious naturally could not be appreciated by ordinary people. This was precisely the reason why Lin Zi Xiang was not married yet. Lin Zi Xiang could be considered beautiful, and her family background was also good, but she held a rather arrogant perspective. Whenever a matchmaker visited the fu to talk about marriage, she felt it wasn’t worth the bother. Lin Tai Shi respected her ideas, and consequently rebuffed all offers. Little by little, the word that Lin Tai Shi’s maiden daughter was extremely picky spread around, and the offers of marriage dwindled away. Lin Zi Xiang was now eighteen years old and was considered an old maid by the Great Jin’s standards. Many people gossiped about this, but the Lin family remained unaware of such talk.
Lin Zi Xiang looked at Jiang Ruan, then at Wen Fei Fei, and said, “Honestly, what’s so great about getting married? A normally frank and honest person was now whiling away their time dealing with mundane matters. Another, who was once crafty and sly, is now temperate and mellow. And yet another has undergone a complete transformation in personality ever since entering the palace, becoming extraordinarily cold and detached. And then there is the other one” — annoyance flashed briefly in Li Zi Xiang’s eyes – “she may as well be considered missing, and goodness knows what she has gotten herself into!”
She criticised everyone roundly, but the last person mentioned, who was nowhere to be found, was Zhao Jin. The news of Zhao Jin’s disappearance had been made known a few months ago. However, at the time it occurred, Zhao Furen and Zhao Daren had concealed it from everyone. Still, later on, perhaps because the imperial bodyguards sent out to find her came back empty, they had no other recourse but to look for several of her close friends to make enquiries; only then did these friends discover she had vanished. The letter which Zhao Jin had left behind only stated that she had gone to look for someone, and would return when that person had been found.
Zhao Furen was torn with anxiety. Zhao Jin’s maidservant had said that Zhao Jin had been acting somewhat strangely the past few months. For some unknown reason, some deeply felt matter caused her to be distracted every day, but she was not sorrowful. Zhao Furen had gone through a similar stage while in her youth, and immediately concluded that Zhao Jin had someone in her heart. Thus, her disappearance was very likely because she was looking for her sweetheart. On one hand, Zhao Furen cursed the man from this nameless family who had stolen her maiden daughter’s heart; on the other hand, she berated Zhao Jin for not having any shame. How could she have the audacity to do something as foolish as this? She must know that those who elope rather than adhering to the conventions of marriage would only be considered concubines[2]. If Zhao Jin ran after this person, she would never again be able to hold her head up in this lifetime.
[2] 聘则为妻奔则为妾 (pin ze wei qi ben ze wei qin) – lit. to be betrothed is to be a wife, to run is to be a concubine. Elopement was highly frowned upon in ancient times.
The people that the Zhao family had sent out to gather information still had no results to show for their efforts. Every time she thought about this, Lin Zi Xiang felt slightly irritated. In her opinion, friends should treat each other with sincerity. Zhao Jin had never said a word to her before this situation blew up, so this indicated that she had never considered Lin Zi Xiang her friend. Of course, what infuriated Lin Zi Xiang even more was that Zhao Jin had done something like this for a man.
Lin Zi Xiang felt that all the men in the world, apart from her own father, were all the same: arrogant and self-important, with their eyes constantly trained skywards, not understanding loyalty, considering themselves infallible, and believing that there was no woman good enough to be matched with them.
Jiang Ruan took note of her righteous indignation and smiled as she shook her head and said, “It is useless for you to be so agitated right now. Instead, why not watch how things develop and act accordingly. As for the other things you spoke of, we are all ordinary people, and we are only trying to live our lives each day. Getting married is simply yielding to reality, but, after marriage, it is not wrong to do our best to make our lives a little easier.” She laughed lightly and continued, “Just as you said previously, I’m doing all right. In fact, compared to the Jiang fu, I am more at ease.”
“Exactly,” Wen Fei Fei said in immediate agreement with Jiang Ruan’s words, fearful that Lin Zi Xiang would start preaching again. “She’s already married, so what’s the use of talking about such things now? Although I can’t compare with Ruan Meimei, my life is better than the time when I was an unmarried lady. At the very least, I no longer have to deal with a gaggle of jealous siblings at home, all eyeing the same suitor.”
Lin Zi Xiang pondered briefly before saying, with a sigh, “Since you both don’t care about such matters, why should I be concerned.”
Jiang Ruan smiled and said, “Speaking of which, I have not been to the palace during this time, Yinger Jiejie . . .”
“She’s changed so much now,” Wen Fei Fei said with hurt in her eyes. “A few days ago, I went to the palace to see her, and brought her a few little playthings. Although she smiled, I felt she was being very distant. In the end, I feel like I don’t understand her anymore.”
“If one doesn’t strive to earn favour, then what’s the point of entering the palace?” Lin Zi Xiang’s face turned cold as she said, “One becomes increasingly similar to those women in the palace; there will be no discernible difference.”
After Dong Yinger entered the palace, because of the Lord Mayor’s status, even if she performed badly, she would not fall so far as to be completely snubbed. She was even chosen to visit the Emperor’s bed, and had the good fortune to be promoted to the rank of baolin[3]. Even though her temperament was soft and gentle, still, she too had to learn how to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of the palace. However, it seemed as if her spirits were dampened, and she no longer had much interest in anything.
[3] 宝林 (bao lin) – depending on the time period, this t.i.tle is ‘Lady of Treasure’ (later changed to ‘Service Provider’) and is either a concubine a.s.signed to the Crown Prince or one of the lower ranks of concubines, of which there are 24 such ladies.
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, “Naturally, the palace is not a great place to be. If one remains as pure and unrestrained as one was previously, then one will not survive for long.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions on both Lin Zi Xiang and Wen Fei Fei’s faces changed in tandem. After a pregnant pause, Lin Zi Xiang said “You have indeed spoken reasonably. If, at that time, you had had the opportunity to join the selection to enter the palace . . .” The position of Empress would have been yours, and yours alone . . . Lin Zi Xiang did not say this aloud, but she trusted that Jiang Ruan would understand what she wanted to say.
The ladies carried on with their conversation until the day gradually turned to evening. Lin Zi Xiang and Wen Fei Fei got up to make their farewells, and just as they had exited the main door, Wen Fei Fei suddenly felt rather dizzy, staggered, and almost fell over. Lin Zi Xiang, who was boarding the horse carriage at that moment, was startled by this, but before she could make a move, she saw a figure in blue flash past from the side to help Wen Fei Fei up.
It was a young man dressed in a long robe of blue who seemed to be in no hurry to let go of Wen Fei Fei’s hand after helping her up. Instead, he held her hand tightly. Upon seeing this, Lin Zi Xiang immediately called out in angry indignation, “Where did this pervert come from, why aren’t you letting go of her hand?”
Lin Zi Xiang was really loud, and everyone in the vicinity straightaway turned to look in her direction. That man was also caught off guard by Lin Zi Xiang’s interrogative shout, and blushed on seeing that everyone was watching them. He said, “Miss, you have misunderstood me, I only . . .”
“Let go of your hand!” When Lin Zi Xiang saw that he still had not let go, without hesitation, she walked up to him and shoved him, while supporting Wen Fei Fei herself. Wen Fei Fei was rather dazed and could not process what was happening, so she only said, “Ah Xiang, I’m all right.”
The blue-robed young man had almost fallen due to Lin Zi Xiang’s shove. At once, he flushed with anger, and the onlookers all pointed their fingers at him when they saw this. He said, “Miss, you have truly misunderstood me. I am Jinling Divine Physician, Xia Qing, a doctor, and just now, I only wanted to ascertain what had happened to this furen.”
Lin Zi Xiang sized him up with a glance. This young man could be considered handsome in a delicate way, and he looked fresh and cool in his plain cotton clothes, with a cloth bag at his waist. His skin was quite good, and although, at the moment, his face was red, either from anger or shame, his tone of voice was still absolutely cordial. But – Jinling Divine Physician? Every single person in the medical field who claimed to be a ‘Divine Physician’ was old and white-bearded; to a.s.sess a doctor, one had to look at his experience, and the older a doctor was, the more abundant his experience. This young man looked to be in his early twenties at best, so how could he be called a ‘Divine Physician’? Surely he could not be any better than the apprentices in the medical halls.
Lin Zi Xiang hated pretentious and self-important people the most. With a frosty expression, she said, “Most distinguished Sir, this small body, I, a mere woman, lightly pushed you and you almost fell. Who knows if your body is suffering from some kind of unmentionable disease. What Jinling Divine Physician, you can’t even cure your own unmentionable disease. I think you’re nothing more than a charlatan with a false reputation.” Having said this, she could no longer bear to look at Xia Qing, so she helped Wen Fei Fei into the horse carriage and swept off.
Xia Qing was rooted to his spot, staring blankly as he inhaled a mouthful of dust raised by the departing horse carriage. The onlookers who had enjoyed the fun left slowly, leaving him transfixed and unmoving. He had lived so many years, and wherever he went, he would receive no lack of respect and praise from others. Families with young ladies, on knowing of his reputation, would show him special favour. But now, how had he come to encounter this p.r.i.c.kly thorn, who so easily pelted him with rude remarks. Even though he had a good temper, at this point, he was so agitated that he was fuming silent while gritting his teeth. She . . . she had even insinuated that he had an unmentionable disease! A young lady like that, where did such flabbergasting words even come from?
The Divine Physician, Xia Qing’s state of mind was absolutely consumed with bafflement, but after shaking his head, he managed to push everything he wanted to say to Lin Zi Xiang to the back of his mind. He looked at the doors of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu and an indescribable resentment welled up within him. If Xiao Shao had not insisted he stay behind in the capital to be Jiang Ruan’s personal physician, he would not have been here, being criticised in front of so many people. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. With a flick of his sleeves, Xia Qing turned and left.
* * *
In Marquis Xia fu, Xia Jun brushed the dust off his sleeve and walked out of the courtyard. Just outside, he saw Xia Jiao Jiao s.n.a.t.c.hing something from the hand of a maidservant while yelling, “You, such a low-cla.s.s servant, what use do you have for such a good bracelet? And you won’t give it to me!”
That maidservant was not to be outdone, and said, “Miss, Old Furen gave this servant this item. If Miss wants it, it’s best to ask Old Furen. Since this belonged to Old Furen, this servant does not dare gift it to someone else. Moreover, Miss is a member of the n.o.bility who has plenty of good things. Is there really a need to lower yourself to fight with a servant?
The maidservant’s witty and eloquent response infuriated Xia Jiao Jiao, who immediately moved to slap her and said, “You dare to talk back! Just who is the master here?”
The maidservant dodged Xia Jiao Jiao’s slap and said, “Miss, you’d better not make things difficult for this servant. If Old Furen’s personal momo sees Miss, it won’t be good and Miss will be punished.”
Xia Jiao Jiao was even more incensed upon hearing this. “Now you even dare to threaten me!”
The noise of the argument resounded throughout the courtyard. The maidservant looked up to see Xia Jun standing not far off, and called out at once, “This servant sees Second Young Master!”
When she heard Xia Jun being greeted, Xia Jiao Jiao was taken aback and straightaway stilled her actions. Fear showed briefly in her eyes as she realised Xia Jun was nearby, and in a small voice, she said, “Second Brother.”
Xia Jun eyed Xia Jiao Jiao coldly. Ever since Shen Rou and Xia Tian Cai’s affair had been exposed, the Xia family had been reduced to the laughing stock of the entire capital. Unfortunately, because of Shen Rou’s maiden family, it was not easy to cast her off and send her home. Although she was not treated as badly as someone who was dead, Shen Rou’s standing within the Xia family had plummeted. Xia Jiao Jiao had become the humiliating reminder of the adultery between the second son of the family and his elder sister-in-law. Xia Furen had even called Xia Jiao Jiao into the ancestral hall, intending for her to down a cup of poisoned wine to end the matter, but Xia Tian Cai had somehow received news of what was happening and rushed to rescue Xia Jiao Jiao from Xia Furen’s clutches.
Unfortunately, even though Xia Jiao Jiao’s life had been preserved, she could never regain her previous highly-favoured standing in the Xia family. She was the shame of the Xia family wherever she went, and people would talk about the Xia family’s scandal because of her. Xia Cheng then confined her to the residence and did not allow her to step foot outside the fu. Since her reputation had fallen to such lows, naturally, no one was willing to marry her. Not only this, Shen Rou was unable to protect her, Xia Tian Yi detested her, and Xia Cheng and his wife spurned her. Life in the fu for Xia Jiao Jiao was a daily struggle, and nothing at all like the life of a young lady. Thus, she had been reduced to the state of fighting with a maidservant for jewellery.
Xia Tian Yi had already resigned from his official position, and spent every day carousing and drinking outside the fu, no longer the calm and reserved person he once was. Perhaps he viewed having been made to wear a green hat by his own younger brother as a blow of great significance, for he was now unable to recover from this setback, and seemed to be mired in mud.
Yu Ya had sorted out Shen Rou, but she was not living the happy life she imagined that she would. Xia Tian Cai’s unhappiness with her because of this matter was obvious to all. His behaviour became increasingly unrestrained and impudent, and he bluntly refused to spend the night in her courtyard. Xia Cheng and his wife abhorred her for spreading the scandal and ignoring the good name of the family, and treated her with cold detachment as a result. Thus, Yu Ya became more and more gloomy.
Amongst all these people, the one who lived most comfortably day by day was, unexpectedly, Xia Jun. At that time, because of the situation in the ancestral hall, Xia Jun had lost his opportunity to become an official. At first, he was very depressed for a period of time, but now, looking back on the situation, it was really not worth mentioning. Everyday he watched with cold detachment the absurd goings-on and chaos in the Xia fu, as if he were an outsider.
Xia Jiao Jiao had always been afraid of this Second Brother, but now that her status was not the same as before, she was even more deathly afraid of him; her stance towards him was one of unabashed submission. Xia Jun smiled and walked past her unhurriedly. As he drew level with her, his sleeve fluttered, and a piece of silver dropped out of it.
This was a highly insulting action, something that people would do to a beggar. However, when Xia Jiao Jiao saw this, not only did she keep her temper, she also immediately smiled widely, bent down to pick up the silver piece, and said, “Many thanks to Second Brother.”
* * *
After Xia Jun left the fu, he walked to a tavern on the street and entered without consulting anyone. The tavern manager seemed to be exceedingly familiar with him, and welcomed him into an inner room, where only one person sat at this point in time. That person was wearing blue clothes and sitting at the window pouring himself a drink. The tavern manager exited the room, and that man turned to look at Xia Jun, smiled lightly and said, “Cousin.”
It was Jiang Chao. Xia Jun smiled, too, and walked across to sit opposite Jiang Chao. He poured out a small cup of wine and brought it to his lips, sniffed at it, and said, “Contrary to expectation, this is good wine. Elder Cousin knows how to appreciate such things, I’m so ashamed of my inferiority.”
“But this is only somewhat appealing to the taste, it’s not fit to grace the tabletop. In future, if there is an opportunity, we will enjoy delectable wine, far more excellent than this, without end.”
When Xia Jun heard this, he downed his cup of wine and said, “For Elder Cousin to say this – perhaps something good has happened?”
“Of course it’s something good,” Jiang Chao said unhurriedly. “In actual fact, it is something extremely good.”
“Oh?” Xia Jun’s interest appeared to have been piqued. “What is it? Elder Cousin has been working under Eighth Prince- have you been promoted yet again?”
“That’s not it,” Jiang Chao answered indifferently. “It’s something even more pleasing than a promotion. That is, Cousin, there’s now an opportunity, and a great probability that we can get rid of our common enemy.”