Chapter 199 : Xiao Shao Gets Angry
In a heartbeat the onlookers fell silent and stared at Jiang Ruan in disbelief. There were intense and determined women on this earth, but none were as resolute and decisive[1] as she was. Since the establishment of the Great Jin dynasty Jiang Ruan was the first person to spill her own blood[2] and return it to her father .
[1] 斩钉截铁 (zhǎndīngjiétiě) – lit. to chop the nail and slice the iron (idiom). Fig. resolute and decisive / unhesitating / categorical.
[2] 歃血 (shàxuè) – to smear one’s lips with the blood of a sacrifice as a means of pledging allegiance.
Jin San and Tian Zhu stood silently behind Jiang Ruan. Their eyes flitted to and fro minutely, but neither came forward to intervene. Earlier Jiang Ruan had informed them of her plans, however, she had not alerted Xiao Shao about the matter. She knew that once Xiao Shao knew about what she had decided to do, he would definitely put a stop to it. Although Jin San was Xiao Shao’s to command, she now obeyed Jiang Ruan from the bottom of her heart. As a husband, Xiao Shao would naturally want to protect his wife. However, Jin San also knew that Jiang Ruan’s approach was the best. It took a kind of audacity to announce to the entire world that she was cutting off all relations with the Jiang fu. From now onwards, it would no longer be possible for Jiang Quan to use their relationship by blood to threaten her. Her desire to sever the final link between her and the Jiang fu required a great deal of courage; but what could also be seen was the depth of her abhorrence for her own surname, ‘Jiang’.
Jiang Quan ground his teeth, and the veins in his forehead bulged. If not for the watchful gaze of the onlookers, he would probably have killed Jiang Ruan right then and there. Not only that, Jiang Ruan’s actions also caused him to feel slightly fl.u.s.tered. She had cut herself so calmly, and with such detachment and hatred in her expression, that she truly seemed to care not a whit about remaining a member of the Jiang family any longer.
In the past, Jiang Quan had always viewed Jiang Ruan as a dispensable daughter. She was born of Zhao Mei, and was a constant reminder to him of those stifling days when he had been constantly suppressed by others and had to rein in his emotions. Thus he despised Jiang Ruan and deliberately neglected her. He knew that Jiang Ruan’s temperament was soft and tender, and easy to manipulate, just like the cats and dogs that were raised at the fu. Therefore, the mundane and everyday business of raising her was simply so that she could one day be put to good use. He only had to treat her with a little bit of warmth, and she would happily and diligently come forward to wag her tail for a while.
However, who knew when the cats and dogs raised in this fu had grown sharp claws? It should be after she had returned from the rural residence. Her personality had changed; she appeared calm and cool-headed, not at all like the person who had relied heavily on the Jiang fu in the past. Jiang Quan had thought nothing of this, for, even if the situations involving the Xia family and Jiang Su Su seemed to be connected to Jiang Ruan, he firmly believed that no pet would ever bite the hands that fed it, and destroy its den with its own hands. Jiang Ruan would always need a parental family, and her only true blood relative apart from Jiang Xin Zhi was him, Jiang Quan. Moreover, as long as there was this relationship by blood, Jiang Ruan would never be able to cause too much trouble. With ‘filial piety’ as the common watchword, Jiang Ruan would always be at a disadvantage by established standards.
But, how dare she? Jiang Quan’s eyes were shot through with red, like a trapped beast facing death. That woman’s smiling visage was like the legendary red spider lily[3], beautiful and cruel, just like a monster born from a dense forest of bleached bones with a deceivingly beautiful appearance. The fresh blood from her hand continued dripping, silently making b.l.o.o.d.y flowers bloom in the snow. And yet, she did not seem to feel the slightest pain.
[3] 曼珠沙华 (man zhu sha hua) – these flowers are a.s.sociated with death. They are said to grow in h.e.l.l, and guide the dead into the next reincarnation. Nicknames for this flower include ‘h.e.l.l flower’, ‘corpse flower’ and ‘death flower’. Read more here and here.
How could someone who had no regard for whether she lived or died be confined by that insignificant phrase, ‘filial piety’? At this moment, Jiang Quan knew that Jiang Ruan had no intention of turning back. The flaming light in her eyes was hatred. She hated this Jiang fu, and harboured an intense loathing for the Jiang blood flowing in her veins. By this point, Jiang Quan was rendered speechless, and had no idea what to do next. He could only continue to closely watch Jiang Ruan.
Once the little patch of ground where Jiang Ruan stood was almost completely red and her face had turned pale, from afar urgent hoofbeats could be heard drawing closer, and then, within a flurry of snowflakes, a figure came to a sudden halt in front of Jiang Ruan. The person had most likely rushed over from the barracks as he was still wearing military attire. His appearance was cold and unyielding, and his expression was stormy. Jiang Xin Zhi pulled Jiang Ruan towards him with one swift movement and angrily demanded, “Ah Ruan, what are you doing?”
He had hardly finished speaking when another figure, clad in black, appeared at her side. Xiao Shao’s gaze was exceptionally cold, but he merely glanced indifferently at Jiang Quan without saying anything. Jiang Quan, on the other hand, felt a surge of intense pressure. Xiao Shao turned his head and wordlessly took hold of Jiang Ruan’s hand. After he retrieved the medicine bottle and bandages held by his personal bodyguard, he carefully tended to her.
He did not say anything. With his tightly pursed lips, he looked both serious and handsome. The young ladies among the onlookers recognised him and began to mutter among themselves, “Isn’t that Jinying w.a.n.g? He must have come here specially to support w.a.n.gfei ah.”
“That’s not right,” someone refuted, “Jinying w.a.n.g is said to be a cold and heartless person. Look at how he is treating w.a.n.gfei with such tenderness. There’s nothing cold-hearted about it.”
Jiang Ruan could not help feeling a little guilty when she realized how quickly Xiao Shao had rushed there. However, she was determined to be victorious today. Even with Xiao Shao present, her resolve could not be shaken. Thus, she shook her head and said, “There’s no need to trouble yourself. After all, I want to return this blood of his, half of the blood that’s in my body.”
She said these words mockingly, but hardly had she finished speaking when Jiang Xin Zhi took a big step forward from beside her. Although he had inherited Zhao Mei’s bright and outstandingly good-looking appearance, the considerable amount of time he had spent living among soldiers had increasingly forged his cold, steely resolve. Now, in the midst of the wind and snow, he immediately stood in front of Jiang Ruan to shield her, looking like a carved statue, immovable as a mountain. He stared unwaveringly at Jiang Quan, who involuntarily quailed slightly under his gaze, as sharp as a sword. Unexpectedly, Jiang Xin Zhi laughed and said, “How could Meimei do something like this without calling me? I am also Jiang family’s son and half the blood flowing in my body is also Jiang family blood. In the same way, I am also disgusted by it. Since I am a man, it is inconceivable that I should allow my own meimei to bleed like this.” He cupped his hands and raised them towards the surrounding crowd, saying, “Would everyone kindly bear witness, I am returning my meimei’s blood on her behalf!”
Having said thus, Jiang Xin Zhi grabbed the dagger in Jiang Ruan’s hand without hesitation and slashed the back of his hand fiercely. He struck more heavily than Jiang Ruan, and his blood almost spurted out. Jiang Ruan was startled, and unconsciously reached out to help him stop the wound.
The crowd was silent for several seconds before someone suddenly applauded and shouted, “Good! You are truly a man!”
“Such speed! To protect his own meimei like this is worthy of Great Jin’s ‘G.o.d of War’!”
Jiang Xin Zhi already had an excellent reputation among the common people. Now, with these words, his candid and straightforward expression, and his action of protecting his younger sister from being wronged, he won whole-hearted praise from everyone present. One might say that Jiang Ruan’s recent actions were a tad excessive, but it was totally different when Jiang Xin Zhi did it. Everyone felt that this Jiang fu could not possibly be such an innocent place if it caused the upright, n.o.ble ‘G.o.d of War’ to be this disgusted. One feared that there must indeed have been intolerable bullying.
Jiang Quan was almost completely crushed by Jiang Xin Zhi’s behaviour. He looked at the tall, strapping young man before him; the young child in his memories who had meekly sought his favour was gone. The Jiang Xin Zhi of the present fully displayed his spirit and talent; even in his position as a court councillor, he was awed by Jiang Xin Zhi’s fame and military glory. However, this brother-sister pair had joined hands to deal with him, which was an affront to Jiang Quan’s scruples. With one hand on his chest, panting deeply, he pointed at Jiang Xin Zhi and said, “Unfilial[4] . . . . Disgraceful. Rebellious!”
[4] 大逆不道 (dàn bù dào) – disgraceful (of behaviour that is unfilial, rebellious or otherwise in grave breach of the norms of society).
Disdain flickered across Jiang Xin Zhi’s face. With a father like this, it would be better not to have one. He had never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father for even a single day from the time Jiang Xin Zhi had been born. To the three of them– mother and children– he had only given endless humiliation and pain, and now, he even wanted to gain the upper hand over Jiang Ruan using ‘filial piety’. Jiang Xin Zhi only cared about his meimei, who had been compelled to the extreme of unfaltering self-mutilation in order to sever her ties with the Jiang fu. Since Jiang Ruan wanted to do this, how could he not agree?
Jiang Ruan frowned. She never imagined that Jiang Xin Zhi would come here, but also there was nothing wrong with what he had done. However, as he was a military General, what he had done today would inevitably become the topic of debate among his colleagues in the imperial court in future. If someone deliberately began looking for situations where Jiang Xin Zhi was skating on thin ice, they might make use of this opportunity to bring him down. Pondering over this, she could not help but blame herself somewhat. She should have found some excuse to conceal this from him; she had not thought that the news of the situation would leak out so quickly.
As she was thinking, Xiao Shao gently patted her hand. Jiang Ruan lifted her head to look at him as he walked forward unhurriedly. He was entirely clad in black while she was wearing dark red clothes, but they did not seem incompatible at all. The black and red combined to give an air of beautiful grandeur which was cold and aloof at the same time. Jiang Quan did not want to confront him head-on, but he could not let such insulting behaviour pa.s.s. In an ill-mannered voice, he said, “Xiao w.a.n.gye has come to criticize this old official? This old official is merely disciplining his own children, there is no need for Xiao w.a.n.gye to trouble himself over such family affairs.”
“Ah Ruan is my wife.” Xiao Shao appeared not to have heard Jiang Quan as he continued dispa.s.sionately, “Husband and wife are of one body. If she wants to return Minister Jiang’s blood, this person will also do so on her behalf.” Having said so, he slid an exquisite dagger from his sleeve, turned it around in his hand, then drew it across the back of his hand lightly.
Jiang Ruan’s words caught in her throat. While it was true that Xiao Shao did this for her, more than that, it also put a stop to any possibility that someone in future might use this situation to discredit Jiang Xin Zhi. With Jinying w.a.n.g present, Jiang Xin Zhi would not be the first person that people would attack. At the very least, people would not first think of the siblings’ aggressive behaviour.
The two men stood shoulder to shoulder on the snowy ground, upon which bloomed more flowers of blood. One man was peerlessly beautiful, cold and elegant, while the other was bright and handsome, and as resolute as a mountain. The scene was exceptionally harmonious. As the snow silently fell, a sentimental woman among the crowd found her eyes moist, and covering her mouth with her hand, she murmured, “To have such a brother, to have such a husband, what more can anyone ask for.”
Jiang Ruan slowly cast down her eyes. The wound on her hand did not pain her at all, but her heart ached and burned like acid. Two outstanding young men in this world were willing to shed blood for her. In this lifetime, how could someone like her deserve to have people sacrifice so much for her?
Nonetheless, when she raised her eyes once again, Jiang Ruan’s gaze had resumed its usual state of calm. Half-smilingly, she looked at Jiang Quan, who by now had no idea how this matter would conclude, and said, “Father, today, after enough blood has been shed, the two of us, brother and sister, will have absolutely no connection with the Jiang fu. From now onwards, we are not members of the Jiang family. The benevolence and righteousness between father and children has reached its limit, and all ties are now severed!”
* * *
Many years later, whenever the people in the capital discussed that scene – the snowy ground, with flowers of blood bursting forth – they could not hold back their sighs. The bright face, like a flower, of the woman in red amidst the snow; the silhouettes of the two men, firm and resolute, yet cold and detached, all this seemed to be deeply engraved in the minds of all who had been present. The magnificence which had unexpectedly been displayed was enough to fuel a lifetime’s worth of earnest discussion, and it would never fade no matter the time.
That night, as Xiao Shao and Jiang Xin Zhi returned home, nothing seemed different about them apart from their slightly paler faces. The two of them had many years of hard work behind them, and they also had a strong foundation due to practising martial arts. But even though it was said to be half a body’s worth of blood, how could one possibly calculate this? It was just a gimmick to make others believe. Jiang Ruan never engaged in a loss-making business, and had earlier placed several bags of chicken blood in her sleeve. Even if Xiao Shao and Jiang Xin Zhi had not arrived, she still had the means to escape unscathed.
Later, she had gotten Tian Zhu and Jin San to take advantage of the time when they were supporting Xiao Shao and Jiang Xin Zhi to pa.s.s them the bags of blood, so that, in the end, they had shed blood amounting to ‘half a body’. Jiang Quan had been so angry that he had been reduced to a pitiable state, but there was nothing he could do except watch helplessly as they threw down one final phrase, ‘no more ties between us’, before driving off in a horse carriage without a second thought.
Jiang Xin Zhi would no longer reside in the Jiang fu. The official residence which the Emperor had conferred upon him was still under construction, so he simply went to the General fu. He and Zhao Guang now had a good relationship, and every time they discussed military strategies and tactics, it was as if the age gap between them was completely forgotten. After Jiang Ruan had briefly advised him, Jiang Xin Zhi had left, leaving Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao alone in the carriage. Xiao Shao said nary a word, and his thoughts could not be discerned. All this made Jiang Ruan feel rather guilty.
After an uncomfortable journey back to the Jinying w.a.n.gfu, as soon as Xiao Shao stepped inside he was met at the door by Steward Lin. Steward Lin was just about to speak when Xiao Shao said, “Young Furen has suffered a knife wound, ask Fifth Brother Xia to write a prescription for some medicine.”
Stunned, Steward Lin’s face immediately creased into a mult.i.tude of wrinkles. “Wounded again? Aiyo, my Young Furen, how do you manage to injure yourself daily? If the Old Master and Mistress look down from heaven and see this, they would blame Jinying w.a.n.gfu for not being able to take good care of you. Jin San, Tian Zhu, do you not intend to stay on in the Jinyi Guard? You can’t even do your job of protecting Young Furen well, how can you be trusted with any other tasks in future? The ruin of the Jinyi Guard’s reputation sooner or later will be entirely due to you two idiotic girls!”
Jin San and Tian Zhu silently averted their eyes. Jiang Ruan was not in the mood to pick a bone with Steward Lin right then and there, so she lowered her head and followed Xiao Shao into the house. Jin Er jumped down from a tree and said, “Master is angry with Young Furen? It looks like he’s not very happy.”
Jin Si had just finished eating a fruit and wiped her mouth with her hands. Hearing Jin Er’s words, she immediately took out a silver bowl from her clothes and said, “Time to bet, time to bet! Bet big or bet small; let’s bet who will be the first to voluntarily admit wrong.”
“I’m betting on Master.” Tian Zhu was ordinarily very proper and would never partic.i.p.ate in such a gamble, but today, for the very first time, she took a silver coin from her sleeve and said, “Young Furen is such a calm and composed person, and Master cares for her so much. Naturally, he won’t be able to bear being angry with her for a prolonged period of time. Young Furen only has to frown, and Master’s anger will disappear.” She said all this seriously, but Jin Er scoffed at her and said, “Tian Zhu, you have served as Young Furen’s maid to the extent that now all you can see is her. I don’t think I have ever seen you giving Master this kind of adoration.”
Tian Zhu stared at him coldly and said, “Young Furen is worthy of my esteem.”
“All right, all right, as you wish.” Jin Er waved his hand and said, “I bet that Young Furen will take the initiative to reconcile with Master.” He took a silver-backed banknote and threw it into the bowl while saying, “Master is, for good or for ill, still a man. No matter how much a man loves his wife, he will always need to keep his self-respect. How could he take the initiative to coax a woman? That would just be spoiling her. No matter what, he is still our Master. When have you ever seen our Master admit his mistakes of his own volition?”
Jin San thought briefly before digging out several pearls and throwing them into the bowl, saying, “I bet on Master. Young Furen is no ordinary woman, I have always felt that Master is completely under Young Furen’s thumb. Hey, hey, why are you all looking at me like that? I’m also a woman, and my woman’s intuition tells me this.”
At one side, Jin Yi hefted his sword and made to walk away, but Jin Si grabbed him and said, “Oi, you should also say something. Jin Yi, who will you bet on?”
Jin Yi looked at the contents of the bowl, silently took a gold ingot from his sleeve, and uttered, “I support Master.” Then he turned and left.
“How loyal,” Jin Er said as he raised his thumb, just before Steward Lin swiped him to the side with a blow. When Steward Lin saw the gold, silver, and pearls inside the bowl, he instantly exploded in rage, “I told you that gambling is not allowed in the w.a.n.gfu as it breeds a bad atmosphere! I want Young Master to dock your pay! Why aren’t you going to prepare the medicine? Go quickly!”
Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao were totally unaware of how the Jinyi Guards were messing around in secret. Xiao Shao had not said a word since entering their room, only sitting at the table and looking for a book to read. No matter how Jiang Ruan thought about it, she felt he had to be angry. Honestly, even on a normal day his expression remained the same, whether Xiao Shao was angry or not. However, at this moment, although it was not obvious, she could sense that he was displeased.
She considered – in the end, this situation was her fault; anyone would be unhappy if his own wife kept him in the dark about something like this. She had always been frank and direct about situations such as these; once she knew she was in the wrong, she would admit it. However, Xiao Shao did not talk to her at all, so Jiang Ruan was in a predicament. She felt that Xiao Shao was very much like Xuan Pei in her previous life, who was p.r.o.ne to throwing tantrums. However, when Xuan Pei got angry, all she had to do was to make him some sweet pastries or praise him as being clever and cute, and that would be it. For her to tell Xiao Shao that he was her ‘good little boy’? Jiang Ruan shuddered.
After a long time, she finally stood up and walked to Xiao Shao’s side. Xiao Shao refused to look at her, his gaze firmly fixed on his book. Jiang Ruan pulled over a chair to sit next to him and said softly, “Xiao Shao, how did you know that I had gone to the Jiang fu?”
“Jin Er found out,” Xiao Shao replied coolly, still not turning his gaze to Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan nodded. “Today’s incident is my fault. I should not have kept it from you.” She admitted her error quickly, without any hesitation. She had always been direct with the people she was familiar with, and would not hide anything.
Xiao Shao kept looking down. “You were not at fault.”
“Are you angry?” Jiang Ruan asked.
“No.”
He was clearly angry. Xiao Shao was being so difficult; Jiang Ruan drew her chair closer to the table and placed one hand on it while supporting her cheek with the other hand, thus half-leaning on the table as she unblinkingly observed Xiao Shao. The young man’s expression was indifferent, as if he was completely unbothered by external factors. His long eyelashes sketched a graceful arc, and his eyes were as deep as a boundless ocean of stars. This only served to set off his handsome face, and he looked not at all like someone well-versed in the strategies of war, but like someone who could easily use an enemies’ spies against them[5].
[5] 反间 (fǎnjiàn) – to feed the enemy misinformation through their own spies / to sow discord in the enemy camp.
Jiang Ruan observed him appreciatively. Beauty, especially of someone whom one did not hate, would never cause displeasure. A person who was feigning indifference would never be able to hold out against that focussed attention. Xiao Shao bore with it for a while, but he eventually put down his book and looked up. This was the first time he had met Jiang Ruan’s eyes since they returned to the room.
“I shouldn’t have kept it from you.” Without waiting for Xiao Shao to respond, Jiang Ruan took the initiative to say, “I was only thinking about myself when I did what I did today, I didn’t take your feelings into consideration. I am sorry.” She sighed and continued, “It’s just that, Xiao Shao, if I had told you, you would definitely not have agreed. I thought it would still be all right to tell you after the deed was done[6]. I thought wrongly . . . I’m so used to handling things like these on my own, I forgot you are my husband, and never considered that you might be worried about me.”
[6] 木已成舟 (mu yi cheng dan) – lit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom). Fig. what is done cannot be undone.
Xiao Shao looked at her calmly and said, “You didn’t think that I might be worried about you.”
Jiang Ruan saw that his manner had softened, and hurriedly said, “I had planned it well; I am not a fool. If I shed so much blood, wouldn’t that mean the end of my life? This life of mine was saved after much difficulty by you and your Shifu, how could I throw it away because of an inconsequential Jiang fu? I’m not someone without propriety. You saw the chicken blood, didn’t you? I prepared all of that. I know how to protect myself.”
Xiao Shao pursed his lips, and his face remained cold. Although hearing Jiang Ruan mention the chicken blood was funny and lightened his mood, leaving an even deeper impression was the memory of his shock and distress when he and Jiang Xin Zhi rushed to the scene and saw the bright blood on the snow, and the earth-shaking worry he felt in that instant.
Noticing that he remained silent, Jiang Ruan knew that this person was extremely angry, and wanted to console him further. At this moment, Lu Zhu walked in happily with a bowl of medicine in her hands, and said, “The medicine Steward Lin ordered is ready. Miss, please take it while it’s still hot.” She also wanted to ease the stiffness and tension between the two of them, and thought that mentioning Jiang Ruan’s injury might draw out some tenderness from him, and he would perhaps not be so angry with her young miss.
Indeed, the frostiness of Xiao Shao’s expression thawed somewhat. Jiang Ruan received the medicine, and Xiao Shao looked away as she obediently drank the medicine.
* * *
Steward Lin had just returned to the small kitchen when Jin San ran out, perspiring, and said, “Hey, Lao Lin, the medicine for Young Furen is ready, ask Lian Qiao to bring it to her.”
Lu Zhu came back with the empty bowl and happened to hear what Jin San said. Unable to hold back her surprise, she asked, “What medicine?”
“The healing medicine that Divine Physician Xia prescribed for Young Furen,” replied Jin San. “Young Furen suffered an injury today, didn’t she? What’s that empty bowl you’ve got there?”
Lu Zhu stared blankly at her. “There was a bowl of medicine here just now, and I thought it was for Miss, so I took it to the room, and Miss drank it.”
“What’s going on?” Jin San turned to look at Steward Lin, and said, “Lao Lin, is someone else sick in the w.a.n.gfu?”
“What sick? Sick?” Steward Lin went blank momentarily, before his face twisted as he did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Hopping around in agitation, he said, “That’s the medicine I asked Divine Physician Xia to prescribe for Young Master; I was going to give it to him tonight; I never expected that Young Furen would get hurt. Ai, it’s not the right time to take that medicine now, ai, it won’t succeed, I can’t tell Young Master, what do I do? I’m going to go and hide, Jin San, Lu Zhu, if Young Master asks, tell him I have caught a cold, don’t you dare let your tongue slip!”
Steward Lin broke into a cold sweat. Who could have imagined this? Earlier, he had thought that Xiao Shao was unable to consummate his marriage because his body was unable to, and the medicine he had specially asked Divine Physician Xia to prescribe had been given to Jiang Ruan. He did not know what would happen if a woman took it. It was all a big mess, but, upon second thought, why did he still have a sense of antic.i.p.ation?