Chapter 10 The little beggar from my old friend is her.
Xie Xuanlan braved the rain to go to Xuandu Temple on Qinglu Mountain.
Xuandu Temple is divided into two temples, East and West. Taoist Taixiao lives in the East Xuanyang Temple with his Taoist priests, and his junior sister, the Master of the Jiangxia Guan, lives in the West Xuanyin Temple with her female priests.
Xie Xuanlan went to the East Temple first. When Taoist Taixiao heard that it was him, he hid in the temple and refused to show up. Xie Xuanlan caught a few young Taoists and asked them about what happened when Prince Huai Xiao Zezhen went up the mountain yesterday.
The young Taoist priest glanced at the Yanzhi knife worn by Xie Xuanlan's waist, feeling a surge of murderous aura. He stammered, "Yes... Prince Huai and the other young masters went hunting in the back mountains... It started to rain, so they came to the temple to take shelter, and then left."
Xie Xuanlan asked, "If you wanted to avoid the rain, why did you leave before it stopped?"
The young Taoist priest said he didn't know. Xie Xuanlan fiddled with the handle of the knife, smiling, as if he was about to draw it out of the sheath in the next moment.
The young Taoist priest turned around and tried to escape, but was stopped by the Fengchen guards.
Xie Xuanlan said, "Think carefully about who came before and after they left, or what they said. If you can't remember, my knife can help you."
The young Taoist priest recalled some details in a hurry and quickly explained, "Today at noon, Senior Sister Yiyun from the West Monastery came to borrow charcoal, saying she wanted to roast chestnuts to entertain guests. The Prince of Huai said that chestnuts in the West Monastery are always very valuable, and even he couldn't get them, so he sent someone to find out which family the woman belonged to."
"And then?"
"After that, I went to help my senior sister move the charcoal baskets and then went to the woodshed to chop dry firewood. By the time I finished, it was already 3 p.m., and I saw the Prince of Huai and his men about to leave in the rain."
Xie Xuanlan raised his eyes: "Are you sure it's noon?"
The young Taoist nodded and said, "The hour of Wei is the time to open the alchemy furnace. I was just about to open the furnace when I saw them leaving."
Xie Xuanlan couldn't help but frown.
Xiao Zezhen came down the mountain at 5:00 p.m., while Prince Jin left the city at 5:00 p.m., so judging by their speed, they would not meet. When Prince Jin met Madam Jiang Si, her carriage should have been lost for quite some time.
If he had not met Xiao Zezhen in person, how would the King of Jin know that it was him who scared away Jiang Si Niang's horse.
Maybe it was Madam Jiang Si who told him...
Although this was the only reasonable guess, Xie Xuanlan quickly rejected the idea.
Jiang Si Niangzi is a smart person who can speak less and never talk too much. She always avoids risks. She will never take the initiative to tell King Jin about Prince Huai's actions. She neither expects nor wants to see King Jin and Prince Huai causing trouble because of her.
If she wanted to complain about her grievances, she should have thanked him three times when they met on the city wall just now.
Xie Xuanlan couldn't figure it out for a moment and decided to go to Xiguan to take a look.
The master of the Jiangxia Crown was preparing for the end-of-year festival by making paper lanterns. As if he had known he would come, clean tea bowls were already placed opposite the wide table.
Xie Xuanlan picked up the tea bowl and glanced at the statues of the Three Pure Ones on the altar behind her. Seeing that they were wiped spotless and the altar was filled with grains and fruits, he just found it funny.
Without even looking up, the Crimson Cloud Crown Master asked, "Third Young Master, are you not going to pay your respects?"
Xie Xuanlan said, "You know I don't believe these things. I heard that Fourth Lady Jiang came here today and came to ask about her."
The Crimson Cloud Crown Master smiled and said, "Yes, she has been here before. The offerings and incense on the altar are all newly added by her."
"She is quite pious," Xie Xuanlan said. "She left the Taoist temple in the imperial city and braved the rain to come to Qinglu Mountain."
This is because he doesn't believe that she went up the mountain just to worship the gods. He then asked Jiangxia: "Although the crown master lives in Yunjing, he never goes to Yunjing. How could he get to know a girl like me?"
As they were talking, a nun came in, leaning against the clouds and carrying a lacquered wooden tray. On the tray was a very delicate gold-inlaid jade pendant, in the shape of a rare black bird holding a cloud.
Xie Xuanlan's attention was immediately attracted, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"This is……"
This is his jade pendant, given by the emperor when he was young. About ten years ago, he went to Xuzhou and exchanged it for a fast horse from a passing caravan in order to save the sister of a little beggar.
Yiyun said, "Master, this was dropped by Fourth Lady Jiang. Can you send someone down the mountain to return it to her?"
"You said this belonged to Fourth Lady Jiang." Xie Xuanlan looked at the Master of the Crimson Cloud Crown. "Could it be that the Master obtained it when he was in Xuzhou and then gave it to Fourth Lady Jiang?"
The owner of the Jiangxia Crown shook her head slightly, straightened the paper lanterns, and picked up the pen to write on the paper: I wish to see the flowers grow, and thank the spring breeze for its affection.
"Then why is this jade pendant in the hands of Madam Jiang Si?"
The Lord of the Crimson Cloud Crown looked at him with a smile: "Third Young Master, please help me hang this blessing lantern under the corridor. Perhaps you will figure it out."
Xie Xuanlan said, "Is this a prayer for the Fourth Lady Jiang's marriage? It's strange that the Master, who calls himself a stranger from the world, would care about such mundane matters."
The Lord of the Crimson Cloud Crown said, "The Fourth Lady and I are old friends, regardless of age, so naturally I wish her well."
Old friends regardless of age? The Jiang family had only been back in Beijing for half a year, so how could they be considered old friends?
Xie Xuanlan didn't use a ladder, but stood directly on the railing to hang the lantern. The cold wind rustled the corners of his clothes, but he stood straight and steady, without any shaking, like a perched Vermilion Bird.
He hung the paper lantern on the copper hook under the eaves, and suddenly remembered that Old Master Jiang was demoted to Xuzhou, and Mrs. Jiang Si had also stayed in Xuzhou for many years.
Considering their ages, it seems that they are not much different.
"Could it be that the little beggar... is actually Madam Jiang Si?"
The west wind suddenly cleared his mind. Xie Xuanlan jumped down from the railing and hurriedly asked the Crimson Cloud Crown Master, "Was she the little beggar who took my younger sister with her back then? She recognized the caravan and the jade pendant, so she was able to redeem it from them!"
The Lord of the Crimson Cloud Crown looked at him slowly and leisurely: "You are laughing so happily, what are you laughing at?"
"I laugh—"
Xie Xuanlan suppressed his smirk. "How could I be laughing? I was saying, she's quite bold. A young lady from an officialdom actually dares to venture into a black gambling den."
The Crimson Cloud Crown Master said, "She may appear indifferent, but once she shows concern for someone, she can always do something shocking."
So, was she concerned about him? Xie Xuanlan wasn't sure.
He took the Black Bird Holding the Cloud Jade Pendant, and Yiyun said, "This jade pendant is now the property of Fourth Lady Jiang. If Third Young Master just takes it away like that, I can't explain it to Fourth Lady."
Xie Xuanlan said: "I will return it to her personally."
As he left the Sanqing Hall, Xie Xuanlan paused to glance at the paper lanterns hanging from the eaves. The golden light filtering through the pearlescent paper illuminated the thick ink of the prayer written on it.
If she was the little beggar he met in Xuzhou, Xie Xuanlan thought, maybe she didn't hate him as much as he expected.
*
When Cong Ying was returning home in the Xie family's carriage, she bumped into her third cousin Jiang Tangyu who was about to go out for a banquet.
Jiang Tangyu, dressed in her finest attire, sat in the two-horse carriage, lifted the curtain and said sarcastically, "Since you can come back, why bother asking the driver to ask for horses? Isn't losing one enough—"
Before he finished speaking, he saw the Xie family's carriage coming from behind Ying, and his face changed immediately.
The body of the carriage was carved with a hundred flowers from gold and jade, and luminous pearls hung from the four corners. She had only seen it once and would never forget such a gorgeous and exquisite carriage.
This is the carriage of Xie Xuanlan's sister, the sixth daughter of the Xie family.
Jiang Tangyu immediately yelled, "Why did you come back in Madam Xie's carriage? What on earth have you been doing?"
The eldest wife, Mrs. Cai, was led over upon hearing the noise. Jiang Tangyu jumped off the carriage, blocked Cong Ying's way, and complained to her mother, her pearl hairpins jingling.
"She lied to us and said she was taking Conghe up the mountain to see a doctor, but in fact she was going to meet Madam Xie and secretly curry favor with her. She was on guard against us."
Cai looked at Cong Ying, her brows furrowed slightly. She was more gentle than Jiang Tangyu, but the gazes of both mother and daughter were equally sharp.
"Where have you been?" Cai asked.
Cong Ying replied, "I went to Xuandu Temple and met the Master of the Crimson Cloud Crown."
Cai asked, "How come you went to Xuandu Temple and came back in Madam Xie's carriage?"
Cong Ying didn't want to mention Xie Xuanlan and Prince Jin, but she also didn't want to lie about such a small matter, so she said, "My horse got startled and my carriage got stuck halfway along the mountain road. I met a kind person who gave me a ride back to the city. I then met someone from the Xie family who kindly lent me a carriage. I've never met Madam Xie."
She escorted Ah He around the door and said goodbye to the mother and daughter of the eldest house: "Ah He has been caught in the rain and I'm afraid she will have a headache. I'll take her in first."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
All I could hear was Jiang Tangyu yelling behind me, "Mom, look at her! We're family on the surface, but she's definitely plotting against me in front of Madam Xie. My reputation is ruined, so why am I still going out to this banquet? I'm not going, I'm not going!"
Ah He covered her mouth and laughed secretly. She looked up at Congying, but saw that she had a cold expression and no expression on her face.
After a few days, the eldest master and the eldest son of the Jiang family returned from Jiangnan after attending the funeral.
It was winter in Yunjing at this time. When I opened the window in the morning, I saw a layer of white frost as crystal clear as salt grains floating on the withered grass and trees.
Cong Ying picked a good day and spread the late osmanthus flowers she had gathered a few days ago on a bamboo mat and moved it to the sun to dry. Because it was something to be sent to the Jin Prince's Mansion, she was particularly careful and stood by, slowly picking out the broken leaves with a bamboo clip.
Her mother, Zhao, stood in the corridor and watched for a long time, recalling many scenes from her youth.
Zhao was born in the Xuzhou Jiaofangsi. Her mother was a courtesan in the Jiaofang, and her father was the grandson of a prince who had stayed there drunkenly.
Her mother named her Tingyan, Zhao Tingyan. She grew up in the Imperial Music Bureau. Her mother gave her a stunning beauty, but her unknown father gave her a lowly background, so low that even the girls in the Imperial Music Bureau would curse her as a "bastard."
She was born weak and timid, and lived by selling her smiles and begging for mercy. She dared not speak out when she was ostracized.
On August 8th, when osmanthus flowers bloomed, a grand banquet was being held at the Imperial Music Bureau. The dance queen specifically asked her to prepare an osmanthus soup. No one would give her any ready-made flowers, so Zhao Tingyan had to go to the osmanthus tree to pick them. After half an hour of searching, she could only manage a handful. Just as she was getting worried, the tree suddenly rustled, without a breeze, sending golden petals cascading down. She quickly gathered her petticoat to catch them.
Like falling stars, like fireflies in the sky, soon the pocket is full.
A handsome young face peeked out from among the dense blossoms. He shook the branches and said with a smile, "Miss, I heard you talking about making osmanthus soup. I'm hungry, so I'm doing you a favor. Can I ask for a bowl from you later?"
He spoke slowly and gently, without any frivolous intentions, but Zhao Tingyan was still frightened and turned pale, and ran away.
After the banquet, I heard the girls chatting and learned that today, officials from various counties jointly invited the new Xuzhou Tongpan, who was also the top scorer in this year's imperial examination, to the banquet. The top scorer walked to the door and said, "I am tired of rouge and powder, and it is not worthy of being in such an elegant hall." Then he turned around and slipped away, and returned only after the banquet was over.
At that time, Zhao Tingyan thought: Since he is the top scholar and the magistrate, I won’t run into him again in the future.
"Mother."
Ying's call brought Zhao back from her reverie. Seeing the concern in her daughter's eyes, Zhao smiled and said, "Nothing, I just remembered your father. When you were born, he rushed back from the government office, his shoulders covered with osmanthus flowers. He wanted to name you Gui, but thought it was too vulgar. He sat in the courtyard and thought about it until midnight, and then..."
"Later, he saw golden light floating in the osmanthus tree, as if fireflies were dancing. He clapped his hands and decided to name me Ying, and my courtesy name Luoxi."
Cong Ying continued the second half of the sentence.
She had heard this anecdote many times. It moved her deeply at first, but then it gradually faded away.
Because every time my mother mentioned it, she must have other intentions.
"Why did you come to see me, mother?" Cong Ying asked her.
Zhao did have something wrong.
She said, "Yesterday someone came to ask for the price of our two cloth shops in the east of the city. He was willing to pay 120,000 taels of silver to buy them together. This is much more than the annual income of 3,000 taels."
Cong Ying said, "The cloth shop is the livelihood that my grandfather left us. I never planned to sell it."
Zhao said, "The legitimate livelihood of officials is the imperial salary. If we are tainted with too many business habits, people will look down on us."
Zhao, born into a humble family, secretly betrothed to the second master of the Jiang family. After entering the Jiang household, she felt uneasy about standing shoulder to shoulder with the prominent wife of the first wife, Madam Cai. She also endured many cold stares from the servants, making her extremely sensitive about her status. For seven years in the Jiang household, she modeled her every move after the noble ladies of high social status, feeling apprehensive and overly cautious.
Cong Ying knew she was in a dilemma, so she didn't argue with her on this point. She just asked her, "What's the use of this money, mother?"
Zhao said, "It's still about finding your brother a teacher."
It wouldn't cost that much money to become a disciple, so Cong Ying looked at Zhao without saying a word.
Zhao sighed and told the truth, "Your aunt wants to set aside 150,000 taels to buy your cousin an official position in the Ministry of Revenue. Once this is done, your cousin will have connections in the court and will arrange for Ah Qian to become a disciple of the great scholar of the time."
Cong Ying asked her, "Aren't you afraid that Auntie will take the money and not do the job?"
Zhao said, "There's no better way right now. Your aunt is such a person, if we don't pay her, we won't get any benefit. You're not young anymore, so just listen to your mother's advice, sell the two cloth mills, and stay at home to wait for marriage."
Now most of the Jiang family's property is in Cong Ying's hands.
In addition to his grandfather's favoritism, it was also because his grandfather had divided the family property between the elder and younger branches early on. The share belonging to the elder branch was used as a betrothal gift when my uncle got married, and the property belonging to the second branch was handed directly to Congying without passing through Zhao's hands.
She had worked hard late into the night, struggling with the account books for many years before she achieved her current success. However, her mother wanted her to hand it over with just a few words.
Cong Ying patiently discussed with Zhao, "My younger brother is a slow learner. He hasn't even mastered the Four Classics yet. Rather than pushing him before the great scholars to be reprimanded and punished, it would be better to first invite a few patient private tutors back home to teach him the basics. When his knowledge has improved in the future, he can then gradually become a disciple of a few reputable teachers."
Zhao said, "You don't have to take advantage of my ignorance. Others are willing to worship great scholars. Are they all smarter than your brother? I know you are reluctant to let him go, but as a girl, you should cultivate your virtue and appearance. Marrying into a noble family is more important than anything else. Don't forget—"
Don't forget, if I hadn't given birth to your brother, how could we have survived in the Jiang Mansion? You can still enjoy the food, clothing and other expenses of a lady from an official family. You should be grateful to your brother.
Cong Ying also knew these words by heart.
She slowly clenched the osmanthus flowers in her palm, her attitude gentle but firm: "I will never sell these two cloth shops."
"Alas, you..."
Zhao was about to say something, but when she met the disappointed look in Cong Ying's red eyes, she felt sad for a moment.
Ah Ying's idea was too big. Zhao thought: Having a son like this is a blessing, but having a daughter like this will only bring trouble to her family in the future.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Jiang Congying, whose courtesy name is Luoxi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
