6 Saving Ruzhen
◎Don't be impatient.◎
In class, the teacher read two fu: "Minsheng Fu" by Xie Ran's half-brother Xie Wen, and "Essay" by Xie Suwei. After reading, the teacher said nothing more, leaving time for everyone to savor the text. Commentary is superfluous when the text already has substance.
The teacher walked gently to Ciying and handed the article in his hand to her. Ciying took it respectfully and saluted. The teacher looked at Ciying, with regret in his eyes. He thought of something and sighed in his heart. Then he walked towards Xie Wen behind him. Xie Wen also saluted properly. For a moment, the school was silent.
There are hundreds of students in this class of the academy. Except for the top few, every student here is the best of their generation from every branch of the Xie family outside Chang'an and even other vassal families. There are no less than ten students who are known as child prodigies.
The academy was divided into classes based on test scores, and over half of the students were highly expected by their families. Everyone looked at each other in dismay, even Su Xiuyi, one of the top three, looked grim. The Master's intention in only reading the first two fu pieces was clear: his third place was simply a filler.
But after hearing the contents of the two poems, Su Xiuyi had to admit defeat. Su Xiuyi clenched his fists, knowing that he would be scolded by his family when he returned home today. Losing to the Second Miss of the Xie family was fine before, but the Xie family had produced a pervert like Xie Huaijin, and the word "genius" seemed inferior to him. The Second Miss was of the same origin, and although she was a woman, she was the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, so losing to her was not shameful.
But now... he'd actually lost to a kid from a remote village and... a maid. How could he possibly feel? Most of the people were thinking the same thing, and for a moment, the academy fell into complete silence. This continued until the teacher left, and the silence dissipated. Ci Ying stroked her ink scroll, and when no one was around, she finally smiled.
But soon the smile faded from her face. Ci Ying looked at the young lady's name on the ink scroll and gently stroked it with her fingers.
A day later, this scroll of ink was placed on the lady's desk.
Lin Lan looked at the ink scroll with "Xie Suwei" written on it and smiled gently, "Yusheng, you see, I told you that when Ah Su was lazy in the past, it was Ciying who helped her with her homework."
The maids under Qing Shuangwan's watch had all been removed the day Xie Huaijin arrived. Yusheng, the head servant who had married in with Lin Lan, had also returned from praying at the Buddhist temple. Yusheng, a lifelong bachelor, had also adopted a bun hairstyle, following Lin Lan's lead. Hearing her master's rare teasing, she couldn't help but join in the laughter, saying, "The young lady doesn't like these things to begin with. Didn't you always let her do what she wanted?"
During the conversation, the stepmother, who was rumored to be overwhelmed with grief and worry, showed no signs of recognizing the wrong daughter.
What was rare was that it wasn't the fifteenth day, but the maid in the courtyard announced that the eldest son had arrived.
Lin Lan's smile faded gradually. Yu Sheng sighed softly inwardly and bowed before retreating to the courtyard to greet the eldest son. Yu Sheng walked into the courtyard and said softly, "Young Master, please come with me. The imperial physician has just finished acupuncture, and the lady is still conscious."
"What does the imperial physician say?" The tall young man was dressed in snow-white clothes. It was clearly July in the human world, but he looked like a piece of warm snow. His eyebrows were indifferent, his voice was cold, and he was polite but people could not feel any affection.
"You still need to recuperate. Take two doses of medicine every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Avoid eating raw or cold food. You need to hire someone to do acupuncture once every two weeks, using mugwort as incense to calm your mind. You can also recite Buddhist scriptures." Yu Sheng respectfully repeated the imperial physician's instructions one by one. After she finished speaking, the two of them had already crossed the corridor and arrived at the door.
Yu Sheng stepped forward and pushed it open, saying to the candlelit room in the daytime, "Master, the eldest son has arrived."
"Come in." A woman's voice came faintly from the room.
Mo Yu stayed outside the door while Yu Sheng led Xie Huaijin inside. After passing through a screen, Xie Huaijin bowed, his wide sleeves slowly falling. His clear and sweet voice reached Lin Lan's ears: "Aunt."
Lin Lan gently flicked the candle flame, making it brighter. "Shuhe, come closer."
Xie Huaijin stood up and walked to the table. Lin Lan said softly, "My maidservant is lazy. The incense burner in front is out of wood. Could you trouble Shuhe to add some for Auntie?"
"Of course." Xie Huaijin looked up, the casually placed scroll of ink appearing in his field of vision. He lowered his gaze, stood up, and went to the incense burner to add more incense wood. The six arts of a gentleman—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—recognizing, distinguishing, and blending incense were only a small part of what was taught at the academy.
Returning to the desk, Xie Huaijin explained the purpose of his visit today: "My grandparents have been sending visiting cards to the Xie family, hoping to come and visit my aunt. My aunt was ill a few days ago, and my grandparents were very worried. I heard that my aunt's health has improved recently, so the two old people sent visiting cards again. What do you think, aunt?"
Lin Lan's expression remained unchanged as she softly said, "Shuhe, don't get involved in the affairs of the previous generation."
Xie Huaijin shook his head and said gently, "I'm just concerned about Aunt's health. If Aunt doesn't want to, Shuhe will naturally refuse. My grandparents have sent invitations many times, and it's reasonable for me to ask Aunt for permission."
There was no expression on Lin Lan's face, but Yu Sheng beside her was stunned.
The eldest son used the word "ask for instructions" with great emphasis. If it were a young man from an ordinary family, it would be normal. But when these two words were used to refer to the eldest son, it was unusual... too respectful.
The distant death knell of the imperial city echoed, the tolling of the now-abdicated Emperor Yuwen. A man of serene youth, a warrior in middle age, and paralyzed and speechless in old age, Yuwen died on this ordinary afternoon. The new emperor had ascended the throne a month earlier, changing the country's name to Zhaoping, and had only just come of age. An era had ended, and a new one was dawning.
Lin Lan's eyes passed through Yu Sheng and fell on Xie Huaijin, who was standing tall in front of her. His expression was hidden in the brilliant light reflected by the candlelight, and the temperament of a boy and a young man around him gradually became blurred.
Lin Lan closed her eyes, a rare hint of disgust flickering in the corners of her eyes. "Tell them that we'll never see each other again, no matter how life or death we go. If they ever come, just reject them."
*
Zezhiyuan.
Xie Huaijin walked in and spread out his arms. The maid came forward with lowered eyebrows and respectfully undressed him.
Amidst the fragrant mist, the young man has a handsome appearance and a graceful figure.
After bathing, he returned to the study. Two servants bowed and opened the door. Xie Huaijin was wearing a light and soft plain dress. In the flickering candlelight, the two ink scrolls that caused a sensation in the academy had been placed on the desk where he usually reviewed his lessons.
The incense burner slowly emitted a faint bitter fragrance, which lingered in the study. The young man's slender white fingers gently tapped the ink scroll with the name "Xie Suwei".
*
"Ci Ying!"
"Ciying, sister, sister... please, lend me some more money. The people in the casino said that if he can't pay the money back today, they will beat him to death. I... I have been borrowing money from others for a few days, but it is not enough, no matter what I do, it is not enough..." Ru Zhen cried and threw herself into Ciying's arms. The girl who always loved beauty had snot and tears mixed together at this time.
After being stabbed by Yun Xia last time, Ru Zhen didn't immediately ask Ci Ying for money. She didn't know why she hadn't told Ci Ying and was hiding from her. Two days ago, Ru Zhen's mother suddenly came to her, crying, saying her father was about to be beaten to death by the casino. Bewildered, Ru Zhen asked how much her father owed, and the figure her mother sobbed and told her left her paralyzed for a long time.
One hundred and fifty taels.
Ru Zhen's monthly allowance was two taels, and it would take seventy-five months without food or drink. Her mother said that the casino only gave them three days. Ru Zhen cried and asked her mother why she didn't report her to the police. Her mother slapped her in the face and called her an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. Then she knelt down and begged her, mentioning Ciying in every word.
Ru Zhen didn't want to bother Ci Ying anymore, so she went to ask for money from the maids she knew, but they all said, "Why don't you just ask Ci Ying? Don't ask us for our hard-earned money..."
Ru Zhen even went to Yun Xia. Yun Xia looked at Ru Zhen and said with a smile, "Why did you come to me for help? Is it that your Ci Ying won't help you anymore?"
Ru Zhen subconsciously retorted: "No, it's just that I don't want to beg her anymore."
Yun Xia's contemptuous laugh was still in her ears. Ru Zhen looked at Ci Ying crying, "Sister, Sister Ci Ying, for the last time, for the last time, my father, my father, mother said that the casino would beat him to death. Last time, my father's leg was broken. I..."
Ru Zhen was about to choke from crying, and Ci Ying hurriedly patted her back.
Ci Ying asked, "How much?"
Ru Zhen cried and said, "One hundred and fifty taels."
Ci Ying was hoarse.
She doesn't have that much money.
The money she had saved over the years had been almost used up these days, and she only had this month's salary of ten taels of silver from the mansion, which was given by the mansion's steward according to the young lady's monthly allowance.
Ci Ying held Ru Zhen's hand and whispered, "Don't worry. I only have ten taels. Take it to the gambling house and ask if they can give you some time." Then, Ci Ying returned to the dressing table and took out her own box. From it, she took out the exquisite pearl hairpin that the young lady had given her as a birthday gift. Then, she handed the entire box to Ru Zhen and said seriously, "The hairpins, hairpins, and bracelets in here can all be exchanged for some money. We can get a few dozen taels. If you're short of a few, we'll find a way."
Ru Zhen burst into tears. Ci Ying touched her head with a distressed look and softly comforted her, "It's okay. If it doesn't work, I'll go ask the housekeeper for some more. Paying back debts is only natural, but with such a large sum of money in a gambling house, your father is most likely being set up. Just giving money won't help. Give this money to your mother first so that the gambling house won't kill anyone. Then we'll go find the housekeeper. Your father and mother are both servants, and the mansion will take care of it."
Ru Zhen shook her head and stammered, "No, there's a rule in the mansion that prohibits entering gambling houses. If the housekeeper finds out, my father will be sold. Even if he's not sold, he'll be kicked out. Ciying, no..."
Ci Ying wiped Ru Zhen's tears and said, "Let me think about it. Don't be impatient. First, exchange these for silver and have your mother redeem your father from the gambling house. You can write an IOU for the rest."
Under the cover of night, Ci Ying was thinking about whether to ask the housekeeper for some money tomorrow or to borrow some from Xie Ran. She gently stroked Ru Zhen's head, not noticing that Ru Zhen's eyes trembled as they fell on the exquisite pearl hairpin that Ci Ying had picked up.
The pearl hairpin was a birthday gift from the young lady to Ciying. It was incredibly exquisite, and Ruzhen had secretly worn it out more than once. Twelve pearls were spread out in a row on the hairpin. Though small, each one was neatly rounded, soft, and lustrous. Whenever Ruzhen wore it, she drew envious glances from the maids. Even the arrogant Yunxia praised it as a fine item.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
