Chapter 110 Life is Like a Game of Chess
"What?" Ruan Bi opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
Stared at by her icy gaze, the old lady looked away with a hint of shame, coughed lightly, and said, "Don't blame me. The gossip outside could drown our two hundred-odd people in the Ruan family ten or eight times over. Anyway, this matter is already settled. If we drag it out any longer, it will only cause more uproar, which is not good for anyone. A couple of days ago, the Empress Dowager sent someone over, saying that Prince Jin is seriously injured and lacks someone to comfort him... The sooner you go there, the more grateful he will be. Besides, his wedding is next June, so it's better if you go sooner..."
Feeling guilty, he couldn't bring himself to say the words "stand firm," and then he saw a mocking smile flash across Ruan Bi's face. Suddenly, those four words stuck in his throat, impossible to utter.
Ruan Bi suppressed her smile and said with a hint of pleading, "Grandmother, could you wait until after my birthday?" Things had come too suddenly, and she hadn't made any arrangements yet; she hadn't even finished embroidering the map.
“Your birthday is only a month away, it won’t make a difference.” The old lady paused and said, “These days, the people of the capital are watching our Ruan family closely. It’s not a glorious thing, so it’s best to do it quietly. When Chu’s maid is going to the palace, the palace will send someone to pick her up. All those people outside will be watching the front gate, so you can quietly leave the mansion through the back gate.”
She spoke calmly and logically, clearly having planned it all along.
Ruan Bi lowered her eyes, unable to think of any way to dissuade her from the idea.
Just then, Ruan Lan suddenly rushed out from the inner room, dressed in a plain white undergarment, and knelt down before the old lady with a thud. "Mother, Mother, I beg you, don't send her to the Prince of Jin's residence..."
The east wing of Chunhui Hall was reserved for her, but because her health had not yet recovered, the old lady was worried and let her stay in her own room on the east side. She quickly helped her up and said, "Lan'er, get up quickly, get up quickly, the floor is cold." She then glared at Xiuwen, who followed her in, "How are you taking care of Miss Lan? Help her inside quickly."
Xiuwen hurriedly said "Oh," draped the cotton-padded coat she was holding over Ruan Lan's shoulders, and gently comforted her, "Miss Lan, let's go back first."
Ruan Lan shook her head repeatedly, hugging the old lady's arm and saying, "Mother, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I'm useless. I made her, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, have an unclear background, and now she has to become someone's concubine. Mother, I'm so sorry. Please save her and don't send her away."
The old lady said sadly, "Silly child, do you think I want to send her there? When has our Ruan family's daughter ever been a concubine? Isn't there no other way? Between the Empress Dowager and Prince Jin, which one can we offend? Fortunately, Prince Jin cares about her quite a bit, so she might not suffer there. Don't worry too much."
Ruan Lan was stunned for a moment, then let go of the old lady's arm and rushed to Ruan Bi, her face covered in tears, saying, "Abi, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, I'm the one who ruined you."
Seeing her heartbroken, Ruan Bi felt a pang of pity and said, "Aunt Lan, I don't blame you. Everyone has their own destiny..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Lan's eyes flashed with a strange light, and she said as if she were going crazy, "I've got it! I have a way to avoid sending Abi to the Prince of Jin's residence..."
Ruan Bi and the old lady asked in unison, "What method?"
"You are his niece..."
The stone stirred up a thousand waves, and Ruan Bi and the old lady froze instantly.
After a moment, the old lady came to her senses, glanced at Xiuwen who was staring in disbelief, and said in a low voice, "Get out."
Xiuhe hurriedly ran out.
The old lady gestured for Ruan Bi to close the door, then asked in a trembling voice, "Lan'er, what did you just say?"
Ruan Lan said incoherently, "Mother, it's the First Prince. They say I have an affair with the First Prince, and they say Abi is my daughter with him."
"Lan'er, explain yourself clearly, whose daughter is Fifth Sister?" The old lady was so dizzy from this conversation that she pressed her temples.
“It’s Shen Yun, Mother. I swear Abi is his child. I have never cheated on him.”
"And what about the eldest prince?"
“I don’t know what happened either. Anyway, they keep saying that I had an affair with him, and they even produced the poems he wrote for me as evidence. I have no way to defend myself. Mother, let’s just accept this for now and say that Abi is the eldest prince’s child…”
"Foolish!" The old lady's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she shouted, "How can you admit to something like this? Are you out of your mind? From now on, you are never to mention it again, understand?"
From childhood to adulthood, she had always treated Ruan Lan with kindness and gentleness, and had never been so stern before. Ruan Lan was stunned for a moment, and nodded hesitantly.
"And you," the old lady said, looking at Ruan Bi, "pretend you didn't hear anything, understand?"
Ruan Bi nodded, something flashed through her mind like a spark, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
The old lady stood up and paced back and forth. No wonder the old master refused to tell the truth back then; naturally, the fewer people who knew about such things, the better. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She used to resent Ruan Bi for becoming a concubine in the Prince of Jin's mansion, but now she realized that Ruan Bi was a hot potato, and it was best to get rid of her as soon as possible.
He glanced at Ruan Bi with a complicated expression, waved his hand and said, "Go back, pack your things, and remember not to say anything carelessly."
Ruan Bi's mind was also a jumbled mess. She wanted to find a quiet place to sort out her thoughts, so she nodded and went outside. A strong wind was blowing outside, and the gust instantly cleared her head. She carefully considered what Ruan Lan had just said—the Shen family accused her of having an affair with the eldest prince, while she insisted she had never—Ruan Bi believed her on this point; her personality didn't seem like that of someone who would commit adultery.
Then, the matter even reached Emperor Xuanzong's ears, and Duke Wenxiao was willing to back down, surely because he saw solid evidence. Since it had reached Emperor Xuanzong, surely the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Prince Jin knew nothing? Thinking of this, he suddenly recalled the look of disgust on Prince Jin's face as he stared at him in the palace that day, and his mind cleared. Yes, it must have been the Empress Dowager who told him that he might be the eldest prince's daughter.
But why did the Empress Dowager later allow her to become a concubine? Why were she and the Prince of Jin so certain that she wasn't the eldest prince's daughter? Unless—they knew the truth!
The First Prince, the Empress Dowager, Ruan Lan, Shen Yun, Prince Jin, the Emperor, the throne, conspiracies, illicit affairs… these chaotic thoughts suddenly flashed through Ruan Bi's mind. A cold smile flickered across her lips. Indeed, life is a game of chess. Lost in thought, she suddenly heard a voice: "Fifth Sister." Looking up, she saw the Second Young Lady emerging from the First Madam's courtyard, dressed in a silver-red jacket and skirt. Having been ill for so many days, she looked somewhat thinner, her complexion sallow, and her beauty diminished.
As she approached, she smiled and said, "Congratulations to Fifth Sister on your happy ending with your beloved."
"Thank you, sister." Ruan Bi smiled dismissively and retorted sarcastically, "I also wish you find your true love soon, so that you don't wait until the flowers wither and the buds turn to buds."
The second daughter froze, before she could even retort.
Ruan Bi chuckled softly and continued walking. Along the way, the servants she encountered were no longer as attentive as before. They avoided her from a distance, and those who couldn't avoid her simply curtsied, never trying to get close. Back in the east wing of Liaoyuan, as soon as she entered the inner room, Xiuzhi hurriedly followed her in, whispering, "Miss, it's terrible! My elder brother just went to the back gate and sent me a message saying that Granny Liu and Dong'er were detained when they tried to leave the city."
"Who detained them?"
“My brother said the leader called himself Luo Youde…”
Ruan Bi slowly sat down on the couch, a silent laugh escaping her lips. She had forgotten that he was a general forged in countless battles, well-versed in military strategy; her schemes were utterly meaningless before him. He could easily destroy her escape route, demanding she forge ahead relentlessly, even if it meant jumping off a cliff. Because that wasn't his cliff, it was hers alone. She closed her eyes briefly and said, "Xiuzhi, after I leave, you can redeem yourself and go home."
Xiuzhi's eyes quickly filled with tears. "Girl, I can't bear to part with you. Let me go with you."
“All good things must come to an end, and sooner or later everyone will go their separate ways. You can’t put it off forever. You’ll be sixteen next year, it’s time for you to get married.” After a pause, Ruan Bi teased, “You can’t expect me to marry into your family with you, can you?”
Xiuzhi burst into tears, biting her lip desperately to keep herself from crying out loud.
Ruan Bi felt terrible and wanted to offer comfort, but she didn't know how to say it.
A gust of wind swept by outside, rattling the windows incessantly. The parrot hanging in front of the window, startled, flapped its wings and cried out, "May the Fifth Sister live as long as the moon, as everlasting as the sun, and as long as the Southern Mountain, never waning or collapsing." Ever since it came to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, because no one had deliberately trained it, it could only speak simple, uncomplex phrases.
Suddenly hearing this, Ruan Bi's heartstrings twitched slightly, and her mind raced. She recalled the bright, autumn-sun-like look in Gu Xiaobai's eyes when he handed her the hairpin at the Chrysanthemum Gathering at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion; she remembered him kicking down the artificial hill in the back garden of the Ruan family mansion in a fit of rage; she remembered the bewildered look in his eyes when he turned his horse around at the gate of the Prince of Jin's mansion; she remembered him walking out from behind the weeping willows on the Shangsi Festival, his head held high and his tone arrogant...
"Xiuzhi, take this parrot out of the manor as well. Remember to return it to Gu Xiaobai after I leave."
Xiuzhi wiped her eyes and nodded.
Ruan Bi looked at the bare branches of the Spring Water Green Waves plant on the desk, recalling how it had once been lush and vibrant, its blossoms delicate as ripples on spring water. She thought of the Marquis of Yanping reminiscing about the King of Ginkgo Trees, of the life-or-death moment before Wanmiao Residence, of the torrential rain on the road to Yuxu Temple where they were trapped together in the City God Temple, of his resolute words under the moonlight—"I despise those who desert in the face of battle more than anything..." She sighed deeply and said, "After I leave, return this plant to Yunying."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
