Chapter 101 A Fool's Dream
The weather is getting colder and colder.
The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. Everyone says that it's easy to sleep soundly on a warm, comfortable bed on a winter's night. But Ruan Bi finds these days unbearable. Every day drags on, and it feels like only yesterday has passed. Yun Ying does come to tell her as soon as he has any news, but being thousands of miles apart, the messages he sends back are mostly about leftovers, tasteless but better than nothing. She only knows that he is gradually recovering and that he has set off to return to the capital.
Finally, a letter arrived from Guangzhou, saying that the funeral arrangements had been completed and the Xu clan head had agreed to allow the Ruan family to take Ruan Lan back. However, Ruan Lan was weak, suffering from palpitations and insomnia, and the return journey was long; she would probably only be able to return before the waterways froze. Upon receiving the letter, the old lady calculated the date and, knowing they had already departed, was overjoyed and felt much better. She then thought of the evil deed she had committed by forcing Manhua to have an abortion, fearing future retribution. Therefore, on the first day of the eleventh month, she led a group of female relatives to Tianqing Temple to burn incense and pray, donating a large sum of money for incense without batting an eye.
The First Madam, watching from the side, felt a pang of heartache.
As they came out after burning incense, the second young lady suddenly walked quickly to Ruan Bi's side and nudged her, then winked in another direction. Ruan Bi looked over and saw a smiling, courteous monk leading the way in front of a large hall. Old Madam Shen and Shen Hua, surrounded by a group of servants, entered. The hall enshrined the Medicine Buddha, a deity believed to ward off misfortune and prolong life; it was undoubtedly there to pray for the sick.
The second sister whispered in Ruan Bi's ear, "Sister, guess, is Miss Shen praying for Big Beard's well-being?"
Ruan Zhu turned to look at her, noticing her bright, excited yet uneasy eyes, and a voice that held a mixture of suspicion and inquiry. Ruan Zhu guessed that she had likely overheard Tang Pozi relaying Ruan Chi's words and was now suspicious, but unsure, hence the probing question. She leaned close to her ear and said, "Last time, Second Sister suspected I was possessed by a demon and wanted to find Master Ziying to exorcise me, but in the end, she helped me. What will Second Sister suspect me of this time? And what will she help me with this time?"
The fact that Master Ziying had accepted her as a disciple was a knot in the Second Miss's heart, and her face immediately turned red, and she stopped in her tracks.
Ruan Bi took the opportunity to walk past her without stopping and went ahead.
The second young lady stamped her foot, wanting to chase after them again, but was pulled back by the first madam, who glared at her. After leaving Tianqing Temple, the first madam pulled her into the carriage and asked, "What did you say to the fifth young lady this time?"
The second daughter said defiantly, "Mother, didn't I tell you? I suspect that the bearded man is the Prince of Jin."
The First Madam, furious at her lack of self-respect, pointed at her forehead and said, "You're really obsessed! First of all, you can't find any evidence to prove that Fifth Sister and Big Beard have an affair. Besides, so what if Big Beard is the Prince of Jin? What do you think your grandmother thinks highly of her? It's because of Princess Huiwen and Young Master Gu. Now you're not satisfied, you want to add the Prince of Jin to the list? You... you're really wasting your clever appearance."
The second daughter muttered softly, "Why isn't there any evidence? Prince Jin likes spring water and green waves, so she has a pot of it too. The Yunying that Prince Jin gave to Third Uncle runs to her room every day. And what Third Uncle said when he barged into Liaoyuan that day... Aren't these all evidence?"
"You're really infuriating me! Your marriage is already a huge problem, and instead of thinking about yourself, you're worrying about her." The First Madam warned with a stern face, "Her engagement to the Gu family is very beneficial to your brother and you, so don't you dare have any more schemes."
The second girl nodded helplessly, but was very unwilling in her heart.
Upon returning to the Ruan residence and entering through the hanging flower gate, everyone dispersed and returned to their own courtyards.
The second young lady sent Chunyun back to Shaohua Courtyard, then followed Ruanbi and the fourth young lady from a distance. When they reached the pavilion in the middle where they were resting, she said loudly, "Fifth sister, I have something to say to you."
Ruan Bi turned around and saw her persistent look, knowing that she would not give up, so she gestured for the fourth young lady to leave first.
"Speak."
The second young lady was displeased by her cold tone and said, "What are you so arrogant about? If it weren't for Princess Huiwen and Master Ziying's high regard for you, you would be nothing. If I were to tell Princess Huiwen, let's see how long you can remain so arrogant."
"Why don't you try it and you'll see?"
"You're really being stubborn. Do you think I wouldn't dare?"
Ruan Bi laughed mockingly and said, "You dare, of course you dare. Your greatest skill is dealing with your own sisters, kicking them when they're down and slinging mud at others. I've seen it all before. But I really don't understand, what do you get out of it? After all, I also share the surname Ruan, we're from the same bloodline. At the beginning of the year, when the Marquis of Yanping's mansion was enjoying the plum blossoms, you didn't help me, but instead helped others frame me. And what was the result? I just fell seriously ill, while you lost a good marriage. Even now, you haven't learned your lesson and still want to sling mud at me. Then bring it on! I'll just completely destroy any semblance of dignity you have as the second eldest daughter of the Ruan family." With that, she flicked her sleeve and left without looking back.
The second girl stood frozen in place, her face turning purplish-red. She felt as if Ruan Bi had just disemboweled her, then presented her heart, liver, lungs, and other internal organs for a thorough critique, saying with a look of disgust, "It's all garbage."
Knowing that what she said made sense, it was precisely because she was always right that her own shallowness and narrow-mindedness were highlighted, which was what she couldn't tolerate. The more she dealt with her, the more she realized how capable she was, and the more she knew she couldn't keep up. The more she couldn't keep up, the more unbalanced she felt, the more she wanted to trip her up, the more she wanted to destroy her, to make her fall into the mud and never get up again... Even if marrying into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion would benefit her, she didn't care. She only wanted her to go back to the way she was before, weak and timid, submissive, and disliked by everyone, instead of being fawned over and pampered like this.
Watching Ruan Bi's beautiful figure disappear along the covered walkway, the second young lady gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and secretly vowed to destroy her.
In the days that followed, the north wind grew stronger day by day, whistling like a knife.
Although the court had discussed sending troops to the Northern Rong several times, the nation's strength had not yet recovered due to the fact that a truce had only been reached six months prior. With winter approaching, military campaigns would be difficult, making it an unfavorable time to start a war. Furthermore, the southern border region of Jiaozhi was embroiled in internal strife, and the flames of war had already reached the borders of the Great Zhou. Given the urgency of the situation, the south was naturally the priority.
On the ninth day of the eleventh month, Ruan Chi got married.
On November 18th, three hundred guards from the Prince's Palace and one thousand imperial guards escorted Prince Jin back to the capital.
Before the entourage even entered the city, a rider arrived at the Ruan residence and delivered a letter to Ruan Chi. He didn't read it, but handed it directly to Yun Ying. After reading it, Yun Ying shredded it into pieces, then hurriedly went to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, bowed to Ruan Bi, and said happily, "Miss, the Prince has returned."
Ruan Bi was practicing calligraphy when she heard these words. Her hand trembled, and a drop of thick ink fell onto the Xuan paper, slowly spreading.
"Miss, the prince says he has many things to say to you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Bi suddenly called out in a loud voice, "Yunying." Her voice was clear and firm, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
Normally, she would call her "Sister Yunying," but suddenly she was being addressed by her name so coldly. Yunying had a bad feeling and gave a soft "hmm."
“Yunying.” Ruan Bi looked at the ink that was still spreading, her lips moved for a long time, and she said with difficulty but firmness, “I am also very happy that your prince has returned safely. However… his affairs have nothing to do with me anymore, and you don’t need to tell me anything from now on.”
Yunying stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then said angrily, "Girl, what are you saying? How can you say it has nothing to do with us..."
"Yunying! Your lord is already engaged to the Shen family's daughter. If you have something to say, you should talk to her." Ruan Bi raised an eyebrow and said loudly. After speaking, she realized that she had overreacted, and tried to cover it up by throwing the brush into the brush washer. However, she had unknowingly used too much force, and the brush landed in the brush washer with a splash, causing water to splatter and quickly spread on the Xuan paper, forming clumps of gray.
However, these words left Yunying speechless for a moment. The Empress Dowager's bestowal of marriage upon the Prince of Jin was a public announcement, known throughout the country. Logically, she shouldn't have come to see the Fifth Miss again. But considering that the Prince hadn't even entered the city yet, and the message had already reached the Ruan residence, she felt she couldn't remain silent. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Miss, I know it's indeed inappropriate now. But the message the Prince just delivered mentioned this matter. He said that he hadn't received the imperial decree regarding the marriage, and he wouldn't acknowledge it."
“Does he intend to defy his mother’s decree? Besides, can a matter announced to the world be changed? The emperor’s word is law, and his orders are absolute.” Ruan Bi slowly sat down and said, “Sister Yunying, we’ve known each other for a while, so let’s save some face for each other to avoid awkwardness when we meet again in the future.”
Yunying's eyes welled up with tears as she said, "Miss, the Prince wants to see you. He said he wants to talk to you in person."
"What a pipe dream," Ruan Bi said, shaking her head. "I never imagined he could be so naive."
She meant that the Prince of Jin was too naive, thinking that things had come to this point and there was no possibility of them ever meeting again. Yunying, however, misunderstood and said anxiously, "It's not wishful thinking. Miss, you can disguise yourself as me, wear a veil, and accompany the Third Master into the Prince's residence..."
Ruan Bi's face changed drastically, and she slammed her hand on the table, saying, "Who do you take me for! Someone I can summon and dismiss at will?"
The sound was so loud that Yunying was startled and stared blankly at Ruan Bi.
The parrot hanging by the window, which had been curled up asleep, was also startled awake. It flapped its wings a few times and then cackled, "May you, Fifth Sister, be as constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, as flourishing as the pine and cypress, and may all your blessings be abundant."
Yunying snapped out of her daze, looked at the parrot pecking at its feathers, at the green waves of spring water on the table where the leaves had all fallen, and then at Ruan Bi whose face was as cold as frost. A surge of anger rose in her heart, and she said indignantly, "Now that you have a talking parrot, you've forgotten the green waves of spring water that you once loved."
Ruan Bi said calmly, "It's good that you know. Living things are always better than dead things."
Yunying burst into tears of anger, stamped her foot, and said, "Fine, fine, I won't bother you again, Miss." With that, she turned and ran out of the east wing.
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