Chapter 122 : Simultaneous Action
Early in the morning, Jinying w.a.n.gfu welcomed a special visitor.
This distinguished guest looked anxious and moved hurriedly; it was none other than Lu Zhu. Looking back on that day, once Jiang Ruan entered Jiang Li’s bridal chamber, Lu Zhu had gone to fetch her some hangover soup. She did not imagine that Jiang Ruan would be nowhere to be found when she returned. She had no inkling what had happened and only found Tian Zhu after great difficulty, whereupon she had been shocked to see Tian Zhu injured. Afterwards, Tian Zhu had merely said that Xiao Shao had sent people to rescue Jiang Ruan.
She wanted to look after Tian Zhu, and had done so with a burning anxiety as she waited till now. The person who received her into the fu informed her that Jiang Ruan was not hurt, but Lu Zhu was still highly worried. In her desperation to be able to do something, she wished that she could sprout wings in order to fly to Jiang Ruan’s side straightaway.
Jinying w.a.n.gfu was much bigger than Jiang fu, and the maidservant who was supposed to show her the way simply indicated the route she had to take, and left. As this was Lu Zhu’s first time in such a huge fu, she inadvertently lost her way.
When she finally caught sight of someone in front of her, she rushed forward, uncaring of anything else, and called out, “n.o.ble sir.”
Jin Er was at that moment thinking about something, so he was caught off guard when a small maidservant with a worried expression ran towards him. This maidservant looked fierce, but she had a sweet smile, and seemed to be very clever. She was also somewhat familiar. Thus Jin Er thought she was a newly arrived maidservant for the fu, but found it rather strange that she had addressed him as ‘n.o.ble Sir’.
Lu Zhu saw that this man was staring at her. To be honest, Jin Er was not bad looking, and could be said to be a handsome young man. It was just that he smiled like a ruffian. Lu Zhu frowned and asked once again, “n.o.ble sir, may I know where Jiang fu’s Young Miss is?”
When Jin Er heard Lu Zhu’s question, he came to the sudden realization that she had looked so familiar because she was Young Furen’s personal maidservant. As he considered the fact that his master was as taciturn as a closed gourd, he thought that it would be better to utilize more devious, indirect means in order to gain success, and so decided to work on Young Furen’s side instead. So he deliberately crossed his arms over his chest, looked roguishly at her and said with a smile, “Are you asking about Young Furen? She’s living together with our Young Master.”
Lu Zhu’s attention was completely focused on Jin Er’s words, ‘Young Furen’, and she paid no heed to Jin Er’s addressing of Xiao Shao as ‘Young Master’. With wide eyes, she asked, “What do you mean by ‘Young Furen”?
Jin Er felt that Jiang Ruan was a cunning and ruthless person, so how could her personal maidservant be so lacking in wits? Seized by a wicked intention, he smiled and said, “They slept together… So what if she is not a Furen? Last night, Young Furen was affected by chunfengdu, but our Young Master personally resolved the . . . Aiyo!”
Jin Er had deliberately made his words ambiguous and was speaking enthusiastically, but he was utterly unprepared to be on the receiving end of a kick from Lu Zhu. Lu Zhu had grown up in the marketplace and was completely different from the sweet, delicate maidservants in the inner residence; this kick was given with full force and just so happened to land on Jin Er’s vital spot. Jin Er let out a pained cry and glowered at Lu Zhu while clutching his nether region.
Lu Zhu glared back at him unabashedly and cursed at him. “Pah! Despicable sc.u.mbag! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? If I hear such filthy words again, you’d better watch out, otherwise that little thing in your crotch will never be able to rise up again!” After roaring at Jin Er like an enraged lion, Lu Zhu spun on her heel and walked off in a fury, leaving him to stare at her blankly in stunned silence.
He was wrong, he should not have thought that it was fun to bully Young Furen’s personal maidservant because how could Young Furen’s people be easy to bully? F*ck – Jin Er was really in pain. He was a Captain in the Jinyi Guard, he was Xiao Shao’s personal secret bodyguard, he was also of majestic appearance; everyday, ladies threw themselves at him, so who would have thought that he would be felled by this tiny maidservant! d.a.m.n maidservant! Jin Er ground his teeth. Just let this Master catch hold of you, Master will teach you a jolly good lesson.
Sitting on a tree branch, Jin San and Jin Yi were munching on melon seeds while watching the entertainment below. Jin San said, “He’s looking for trouble. Since he has offended Young Furen’s maidservant, death is not far away.”
Jin Yi’s face, identical to Jin Er’s, did not change expression; he remained as dull and inarticulate as a stone. Jin San eyed him disdainfully and thought to herself, how could a pair of identical twins have such polar opposite temperaments? One was absolutely void of expression all day long; the other was as dissolute as a street ruffian.
* * *
Leaving aside what to do about Lu Zhu, the ‘Young Furen’ and ‘Young Master’ whom Jin Er had been talking about were nowhere as deeply in love as the rumors suggested. Jiang Ruan took a sip of lotus leaf honey water; Jinying w.a.n.gfu appeared to be usually cold and cheerless, and had never had to deal with a female, so Steward Lin had to go through several candidates before he found a cook who could concoct this sort of sweet soup, and had her make several types of pastry and desserts.
The original intent was to please the future Young Furen, but in truth, Jiang Ruan was not used to eating such things. The people of Jinying w.a.n.gfu were too enthusiastic in their approach to her, so even though she would much rather keep her distance from everyone, she could only ensure she maintained a gentle expression.
Xiao Shao sat opposite her. The morning air was fresh, and the sunlight shone obliquely through the window, painting his elegant profile with gold. His black robe was embroidered with qilins in gold thread, a perfect contrast to his jade-like coldness, such that he exuded a bone-deep aristocratic grace even when drinking tea.
Some people don’t have to do anything; they attract attention just by sitting there. Jiang Ruan had had many opportunities to look at him recently, and each time she witnessed these beautiful scenes, she could not help but feel a little out of sorts.
She bent her head to drink some more lotus leaf honey water. It was a tad too sweet. She looked at Xiao Shao and said, “What happened to Xuan You, was it your doing?”
Xiao Shao nodded.
Jiang Ruan then asked, “You sent his severed head to Imperial Consort Chen?”
Xiao Shao’s eyes flashed coldly. “She has only herself to blame.”
Jiang Ruan rested her chin on the rim of her cup. Xiao Shao had done all this so that she could give vent to her anger. She studied the young man before her carefully. Initially, she had only thought about how he was helping her in so many ways, but then some strange, subtle feelings in her heart had slowly intensified in the past few days. She was no fool; living a second time, if she did not understand what the peculiar feeling in her heart really was, then she would be living a wasted life.
Such a man favored by the heavens[1] had helped her time and time again. If this had been her previous life, she would have long fallen under his spell. It was truly a pity that their paths had only crossed in this lifetime. Jiang Ruan felt a tinge of bitterness. She had come into this life bearing the burden of hatred, and her hands were doomed to reek of blood, such that even the Zhao family did not dare to get too close to her. How could he possibly be moved by her? In her previous life, she had died too early, and had no idea of future events. However, Xiao Shao had always been in the Emperor’s faction. When the Emperor died, Xiao Shao was still in South Xinjiang. If he returned, how could Xuan Li have let him off? She did not know what had become of him in the end.
[1] 天之骄子 (tian zhi jiao zi) – lit. the proud son of heaven. Fig. someone with talent, wealth, and influence; a person considered to be very lucky.
As she thought of this, Jiang Ruan frowned unconsciously. Xiao Shao noticed this and a.s.sumed she was worrying about the matter related to Imperial Consort Chen. Thus, he said softly, “I’ve already taken care of the situation in the palace, you don’t have to be too concerned about it.”
Jiang Ruan gathered her wits and said, gently, “Xiao Shao, you have helped me greatly. However, Imperial Consort Chen and I are like fire and water; we cannot both exist in the same s.p.a.ce. I have my own methods- you do not need to be involved any further.”
Xiao Shao was silent for a moment before he said, “I understand.” He knew that Jiang Ruan had many secrets, which even the most skilled spy among the Jinyi Guard could not suss out. Now, even though he had suspicions, he did not want to pry. Everyone had his or her own secrets. Jiang Ruan’s were such that her eyes always harbored an unfathomable darkness, a darkness so profound that, even though she concealed it well, the smallest hint of it would sometimes inadvertently be exposed, causing her entire being to be permeated with an aura of evil.
The previous night, while she had lain unconscious, she had called out a name: Xuan Li.
Xiao Shao lowered his eyes, allowing his long eyelashes to hide his emotions. What history did she and Xuan Li have? Last night, she had called out his name in a state of delirium, and in a tone full of grief and sorrow. He had sent out his spies to investigate, but they had been unable to unearth any connection between Jiang Ruan and Xuan Li.
After a long silence, Xiao Shao asked, “What do you intend to do?”
“Xuan You is dead, and Langzhong fu and Jiang Li will have to suffer the consequences of their own actions. Imperial Consort Chen has expended so much effort to put on this show, how can I let it end so abruptly?” Something dark showed in Jiang Ruan’s eyes.
Xiao Shao noticed this, and said, “If anything happens, you can always count on me to help you.”
“Many thanks.” Even as Jiang Ruan thanked Xiao Shao, she considered that this move of his was indeed quite clever. With Xuan You’s death, he had leveled the playing field. At present, it looked as if Jiang Li and Langzhong fu had preserved their lives, but if this situation should develop further by implicating even more people, then Langzhong fu would find itself in deep trouble. She would feel no pity for Jiang Li and Zuo Jiang; both of them had desired to harm her, and death would be too good for them. The only one to have escaped punishment was Imperial Consort Chen. Since Imperial Consort Chen had taken the time to concern herself with Jiang Ruan’s affairs, how could Jiang Ruan disappoint her?
Jiang Ruan laughed grimly to herself. It felt like quite a long time had elapsed since she had last seen Great Master Hui Jue. However, by now, he ought to be the Grand Preceptor[2].
[2] 国师 (guo shi) – lit. nation’s teacher. This was an honorary t.i.tle the Emperor bestowed upon a monk who was regarded as having impeccable morality and great knowledge. Such a monk often went to the palace to teach Buddhist sutras.
* * *
In the General fu, Zhao Guang was pacing restlessly in his study, one moment s.n.a.t.c.hing the sword which hung on the wall, the next moment hanging it up again. Zhao Yuan Feng said coldly, “Father, if you go on like this, I will get dizzy.”
“What the f*ck do you know?” Zhao Guang’s rage was like lava simmering under the surface with no means to escape, and since Zhao Yuan Feng had placed himself neatly in his sights, he immediately let loose heatedly. “Your niece has been lured into ingesting an aphrodisiac, how can it be that I can’t take action?!”
This did not sit well with Zhao Yuan Ping. He said, “Father, what are you fussing about? Hasn’t Xiao w.a.n.gye sorted everything out neatly? Not even the slightest hair on Ruan’er’s head was harmed, and she’s safe in Jinying w.a.n.gfu. Why are you venting your anger at Third Brother?”
A few days ago, Xiao Shao had sent a messenger to the General fu with a letter, and the messenger had related the details of the situation from beginning to end, rendering Zhao Guang so furious that he almost charged out with his sword to strike down the people of Langzhong fu and that pervert of a prince. What had appeased Zhao Guang minutely was that the messenger had also said that Xiao Shao was taking care of everything. Thereafter, news of the scandal at Langzhong fu had broken the next day, and the Third Prince fu had been exterminated.
Anyone with one brain cell could tell that this had all been Xiao Shao’s doing, but Zhao Guang was still very unhappy. “This is a family matter, how can we let an outsider meddle in our affairs? Moreover, Ruan’er is an unmarried daughter, what would it imply if she is sent to Jinying w.a.n.gfu? Yuan Jia, you go and bring your niece back for me!”
The eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Yuan Jia, had been inexplicably signed up for the job by Zhao Guang. He replied, helplessly, “Father, if we bring Ruan’er back now, won’t that be opening up opportunities for others to take advantage of? Since Xiao w.a.n.gye helped Ruan’er, he won’t harm her.”
Recently, there had been several pairs of unfamiliar eyes observing the General fu closely from outside but the servants had searched the area but found no one. They had to be spies, and were very probably there because of Jiang Ruan. At the moment, the public claim was that Jiang Ruan was in the General fu. If her actual whereabouts were leaked right now, it would bode ill for both Jiang Ruan and the entire General fu. Of course, Zhao Guang understood this rationale, but understanding was one thing, and his discontentment was another. After all, Jiang Ruan was the granddaughter of the Zhao family, but Xiao Shao, an outsider, had been allowed to take care of the matter of revenge. Moreover, the att.i.tude of the messenger that day had caused Zhao Guang to choke with resentment, for the implication had been that Jinying w.a.n.gfu was truly Jiang Ruan’s home because the General fu had been negligent in the past.
Once Zhao Guang’s crabby temperament got the better of him, it made it impossible for him to take a liking to Xiao Shao. Although he was grateful Xiao Shao had stepped in at a crucial moment to rescue Jiang Ruan, it was still very difficult for him to calm down. In anger, he said to Zhao Yuan Jia, “What do you know? Who knows whether that Xiao boy has taken a fancy to our Ruan’er, and whether he has wrong intentions towards her? Ruan’er is so young, what happens if she’s deceived?”
Wasn’t it precisely because Zhao Mei had not been able to discern people’s characters that she had suffered without reason for her entire lifetime, a suffering which had even spilled over to her son and daughter? This was the everlasting pain in Zhao Guan’s heart.
Zhao Yuan Ping scoffed as he said, “Father, that Xiao Shao should have special feelings for Ruan’er? Unthinkable. Besides, to think that Ruan’er would be deceived by someone? Huh, it would be amazing if no one was deceived by her.”
Everyone in the Great Jin knew that Xiao Shao was cold and humorless, and not susceptible to feminine charms. Even if Jiang Ruan was regarded as an outstanding beauty, far above the national standard, she would be of no significance in Xiao Shao’s eyes. Moreover, although Jiang Ruan looked gentle on the surface, she was actually solitary, cold, and vicious in nature. Zhao Yuan Ping and the rest of the Zhao family looked at women the same way – they felt that women should be like Zhao Mei, warm-hearted and pure. Although Jiang Ruan was his niece, no man would like her temperament.
Of course, many years later, events would come to prove that Zhao Yuan Ping, the Zhao family’s most intelligent military strategist, could still make an error in judgment. At present, though, he still felt his a.n.a.lysis was right.
However, Zhao Guang was someone who was quick to jump to a loved one’s defense, even if that person was in the wrong. He was incensed on hearing what Zhao Yuan Ping had to say and whacked the table heavily before saying, with a stiffened neck, “Are you a f*cking member of the Zhao family or not? What did you say about Ruan’er? Ruan’er is great, that Xiao boy has never met anyone as wonderful as Ruan’er. You, just get lost!”
Zhao Yuan Feng finally lost patience after hearing this exchange of words. Standing up, he said, “Father, now is not the time to argue with Eldest Brother and Second Brother. Let’s talk about this matter of Xiao w.a.n.gye another time. Ruan’er has been so grievously wronged, shouldn’t we do something about it?”
“What can we do?” The moment he said this, Zhao Guang’s hackles were raised again. “That Xiao boy has done everything already!”
“Aren’t we leaving out Imperial Consort Chen?” Zhao Yuan Feng reminded him.
Zhao Guang frowned. “She’s someone from the imperial harem, how can we get involved?” Even though his was a burning hatred, Imperial Consort Chen was in the inner palace, and he was a court official. There was absolutely no opportunity for him to do anything, moreover, they couldn’t make the situation public. He simply could not think of a way.
Zhao Yuan Ping snapped his fingers and said, “If we can’t take action against Imperial Consort Chen, isn’t Chen daren still there?” He smiled and continued, “I think Imperial Consort Chen’s total abandonment of scruples is the reason for Chen daren’s current arrogance.”
Zhao Guang pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, “That’s right. I’ve long thought about settling that fellow. Ha, just right, let’s use this opportunity to teach him a little lesson, otherwise he will keep saying that the General fu is easy to bully. The three of you come and sit here, this matter is highly important . . .”
* * *
A prince of such a majestic kingdom had died so easily. Even though he was a wastrel of a prince, his death still unleashed a large storm within the imperial court. However, the Emperor had never liked this son, and thus did not express much grief at his pa.s.sing. And while Empress Dowager Yi De seemed to be a little sad- which was rare for her- her emotion also did not seem to be related to this situation.
Jiang Ruan remained at Jinying w.a.n.gfu for a few days. Even after the hullabaloo had died down, she did not return to the Jiang fu. Instead, Xiao Shao a.s.signed two men to take her to the palace. These men were no ordinary people, thus reducing the likelihood of some incident taking place.
On her return to the palace, Jiang Ruan went to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Yi De, all the while pretending that nothing had transpired. However, she noticed that Empress Dowager Yi De looked very haggard, and when the Empress Dowager saw Jiang Ruan, she seemed to recall something and asked, “Aijia heard that something happened on the night of your third sister’s wedding, what is going on?”
Jiang Ruan shook her head and said, “Third Sister did not say, so I don’t know the specific details.”
The Empress Dowager shook her head and sighed; she knew that the relationship between Jiang Ruan and the Jiang family was not good. When they were at the imperial ancestral temple, Jiang Quan had never once sent a decent letter from home. She had also observed the att.i.tude that Jiang Ruan held towards the Jiang family – totally lacking in warmth, such that her present detached indifference was natural.
“That Zuo Jiang, aijia thinks that he is not a good person, with his ethics all in a mess. In future, if the common people follow his example, the entire realm will be in disarray.” This matter was clearly of utmost severity in Empress Dowager Yi De’s eyes. Although she had taken no part in politics and the government of the kingdom in the past few years, the unique perspective she had developed and honed in her earlier years was still present, and Zuo Jiang had just violated the baseline of her standards. Jiang Ruan would not talk about such major events in front of Empress Dowager Yi De. After speaking for a short while, Empress Dowager Yi De appeared tired, and retired to rest.
Jiang Ruan followed Yang gugu outside. On the way, Jiang Ruan asked, “Does gugu know why Imperial Grandmother is so upset?”
Empress Dowager Yi De seemed very downcast and exhibited a haggardness due to age, which was very uncommon for her. Jiang Ruan did not think that it was due to regret over Xuan You’s death. In fact, Empress Dowager Yi De was a swift and decisive person, and she had developed an intense loathing for Xuan You from early on. In fact, the imperial decree to send him out of the palace to set up his own fu at an earlier time than usual was her doing.
Yang gugu smiled and said, “Junzhu, perhaps the Empress Dowager has been a little tired in recent days, and looks rather low in spirits. She will be better in a few days.”
These words were mere niceties. Jiang Ruan responded by smiling slightly before saying, “Is that so? Then I need to trouble Yang gugu to take care of Imperial Grandmother.”
“This servant is unworthy to do as Junzhu has asked.” Yang gugu was Empress Dowager Yi De’s personal servant, one who had been with her for a long time, and she greatly admired Jiang Ruan. After Jiang Ruan rescued the Empress Dowager at the risk of her own life, she had never used it to gain favors, and in their later interactions, she knew what to ask and what not to. People as intelligent as her were the most suited for survival in the palace. Yang gugu looked at Jiang Ruan with no small degree of praise.
Jiang Ruan dropped her gaze slightly. Sure enough, Empress Dowager Yi De also had her own secrets, and she had not reached that level of intimacy with the Empress Dowager that they would share secrets. However, she was not interested in other people’s secrets. If the Empress Dowager didn’t want to talk about them, naturally she wouldn’t ask either. She had come to the palace for a far more important matter today.
“Yang gugu, quite a few things have happened in the fu in the past few days, and I feel very unsettled. I heard that visiting the Buddhist temple in the palace can calm my emotions and clear my mind, and so I would like to listen to the scriptures.”
When the Grand Preceptor entered the palace a few years ago, the Emperor had built a Buddhist temple inside the palace for his convenience. On ordinary days, the womenfolk of the palace with sincere hearts could come before Buddha, and would often listen to scriptures. The Emperor also looked favorably on all this.
Yang gugu also knew about what had transpired on the night of Jiang Li’s wedding and her heart was gravely pained. Hong’an Junzhu had a good sense of propriety and was also intelligent and unflappable, but she was unfortunately a member of the Jiang family. How on earth could there be such a great contrast between the sisters from the same fu? Thinking this, she smiled, then said, “Is Junzhu referring to the small Buddhist temple? It’s at the end of the southern garden; this servant will bring Junzhu there.”
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, “Many thanks, gugu.”