Chapter 39: The Beginning and the End (The Finale)
Since the Fourth Miss returned to the capital in January, she had been receiving letters every few days urging Ruan Bi to return. In February, Lao Yu and Ruan Lan, who had returned to the capital from Yangzhou, also wrote to urge her to go back. By March, Dong Xue and Granny Zheng had also begun to urge her to return, saying firmly, "Miss, do you still want to stay in Haozhou? You can't escape it anyway, so why bother?"
Ruan Bi truly wanted to stay in Haozhou. This small city didn't have so many strict family rules, such a rigid hierarchy, or so much backstabbing. In the Xinghua Lane mansion, she was the head. But she also knew that if she couldn't escape this world, she couldn't escape this identity, nor could she escape her own fate.
By May, the Emperor and Empress Dowager had asked the Fourth Miss several times why Ruan Wu had not returned to the capital. When the Fourth Miss wrote to her, she was almost pleading, asking her to return to the capital as soon as possible.
On the ninth day of the fifth month, Ruan Bi, accompanied by Han Xing, left Xinghua Lane with a dejected air, escorted by Liu Shizhi and four attendants. In the carriage, she reread the letters she had received recently, summarizing the current situation in the capital—in short, the Prince of Han had killed a group of the emperor's loyal followers, and then the emperor, upon returning to the capital, had killed his followers as well. Because so many had died, a large number of young and promising officials had been promoted, led by Ruan Chi, who had protected the Empress Dowager as she fled the capital. He had risen from a sixth-rank Inner Palace Attendant to a fifth-rank Deputy Commander, instantly becoming a highly sought-after figure in the capital.
One reason the old lady urged her to return to the capital was that she simply couldn't handle this illegitimate son anymore. Another reason was her concern that the eldest master would be imprisoned. He had close ties with the Prince of Han, but he was timid. During the Prince of Han's usurpation of power, he had offered him an official position, but he politely declined, citing his wife's passing and his lack of interest in a career. For some reason, the emperor arrested many people but never touched him.
Because there was no rush to return to the capital, the carriage moved slowly. The weather wasn't too hot, and the scenery along the way retained the lingering charm of early summer. Vast swathes of wild roses climbed bamboo fences and low earthen walls, some pink, some white, and some bright red. A breeze stirred, and the blossoms swayed gently. It was breathtakingly beautiful. However, most of the villages they passed were deserted, and the fields along the way were mostly barren, with only a small portion planted with crops.
I spent the first night at the Huai River ferry crossing, and dreamt of the gentle sound of the water all night.
The next evening, they arrived at Luling Town, which was under the jurisdiction of Suzhou. Perhaps because the war had not yet affected the area, the town was unusually lively, and Hongfu Inn was already full. Liu Shizhi threw down a five-tael silver ingot. The innkeeper's eyes immediately lit up, and he scurried off to change rooms.
A moment later, the sound of arguing came from the second floor.
The innkeeper said, "It's not that I'm greedy for money. Otherwise, why would I still treat you and your daughter to such good tea and food every day when you've been half a month behind on your rent? It's just that I see you two, mother and daughter, without a man by your side, and both heavily pregnant, which is truly pitiful. But today we have a distinguished guest, so please make do with the woodshed for the night. You can move back tomorrow after the guest leaves. How about that?"
"Shopkeeper, it's not that we don't pay rent, it's that the pawnshops in Luling Town don't know their value."
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat. The voice was hoarse and husky. She had never heard it before, but why did it feel strangely familiar? She turned her head to look at the second floor and saw an old woman with a hunched back standing with her back to her, talking to the shopkeeper.
"You think our pawnshop in Luling Town doesn't know its value? We told you to go to Suzhou to pawn your goods, but you didn't want to. Why don't you take out your treasures and let our customers take a look? Maybe some of them will recognize their value and be willing to pay a good price."
Ruan Bi gave Liu Shizhi a wink, and Liu Shizhi raised his voice and said, "What treasure is it? Show it to me. If it is a treasure, I will take it."
The old woman glanced over, her gaze landing on Ruan Bi standing in the lobby. She stiffened and said to the shopkeeper, "Never mind, we'll move it now." She pushed open the door and went inside. A moment later, she heard voices coming from inside. Her daughter seemed extremely unwilling, her tone a little irritable. This time, Ruan Bi was 100% certain that she had heard her daughter's voice before.
He beckoned the shopkeeper over and asked, "Is her daughter heavily pregnant?"
The shopkeeper nodded and bowed, saying, "That's right, it's been six or seven months."
"Then let's not let them move around. Find us another room, and I'll pay their rent."
Unexpectedly, such a good thing happened. The shopkeeper beamed and said, "Amitabha, young lady, you are truly a living Bodhisattva. I will go and talk to them for you right away." After much persuasion and giving them an extra two taels of silver, four male guests finally agreed to move into the lobby and share stools to sleep for the night.
Coincidentally, these two rooms were also on the second floor, right next to the old woman's room, facing the lobby.
Ruan Bi entered the room and had just settled in when a burly man with a short beard, dressed in a blue brocade robe, said in a booming voice, "Damn it, at least we have a place to stay. When did Dingli Town become a ghost town? There's not a soul in sight."
The innkeeper said, "Sir, you don't know, when the Northern Rong Dunluhe camped in Dingli Town, he killed everyone in the town. Later, the Prince of Jin led 30,000 cavalry to ambush him, killing 10,000 of them in one fell swoop. The blood that flowed out was as high as the doorstep, and the corpses piled up like a small mountain, burning for three days and three nights. Who would dare to stay here?"
The big man said, "Damn it, those northern barbarians are truly despicable. Fortunately, the Prince of Jin returned in time, otherwise our Great Zhou would have been in danger."
The shopkeeper said, "That's right. At that time, I thought it was all over. The northern barbarians had marched all the way to Yangzhou."
The guest, dressed as a geomancer, said, "If Haozhou City hadn't been defended, they probably would have already attacked Shengzhou."
A tea merchant who had traveled north to the capital said, "Don't even mention those agonizing days. All the tea I had was rotting in the warehouse, and I lost several thousand taels of silver. I was hoping to collect some debts in the capital to make a comeback, but I heard that the capital is not peaceful these days. Is that true?"
The geomancer said, "People are losing their lives in the vegetable market every day. Do you think it's peaceful or not?"
The tea merchant gasped.
The big man said, "Don't be scared by him. It's all the heads of high-ranking officials who are falling, it has nothing to do with us ordinary people."
The tea merchant asked curiously, "Who died? And which powerful families fell from grace?"
"The second daughter of the Marquis of Yanping married Prince Kang, though she was forced into it. She didn't die for her lord, and when the emperor returned, he stripped her of her title and imprisoned her. Later, Consort Xie pleaded for her life with the help of the deceased eldest prince. The Marquis of Dongping was killed by Prince Han, and after his death, debt collectors thronged his door; I heard he's now selling his ancestral home. The Duke of Zhenguo was also killed by Prince Han, and the emperor posthumously granted him the title 'Yongwu' (Brave and Martial)... The Shen family of Zhuque Street, however, remains a family of honor. The old Prime Minister Shen died in Sizhou and was posthumously granted the title 'Wenzhong' (Civil and Loyal). Princess Rouzhen died in Haozhou and was posthumously honored as Princess Rouzhen with the title 'Yong' (Brave). Princess Rouzhen's only daughter was also granted the title of Princess Anfu. A few days ago, the old Prime Minister Shen and Princess Rouzhen were buried together. People along the route set up roadside memorials, and the cries of mourning shook the capital."
The geomancer scoffed, "If it were truly a matter of honor, why was the marriage between Prince Jin and Miss Shen canceled, and why was Prime Minister Shen not relieved of his mourning period?"
The big man said, "You don't know that Prime Minister Shen had both ears cut off by the King of Han, and now his hearing isn't very good. As for Miss Shen, she is pure and kind-hearted and wants to observe three years of mourning for Princess Rouzhen and Prime Minister Shen. Prince Jin is not young anymore. We can't let him remain unmarried forever, can we? So we canceled the engagement and chose another suitable woman."
The geomancer shook his head and said, "Don't just look at the surface. Many things are just for show, done for the common people. Although Miss Shen is supposed to be in mourning, the Emperor can issue an edict to cancel it. Let me tell you, the reason for canceling Miss Shen's marriage to Prince Jin is twofold: first, Prince Jin doesn't want to marry her, and second, Miss Shen was kidnapped by the Ji slaves. As for bestowing upon her the title of County Princess, it's just a smokescreen. What's the point of having so many flashy but empty honors? True honor comes from within. Take the Ruan family in Jingxi, for example. Master Ruan used to be very close to Prince Han. They often interacted during Prince Han's usurpation. This time, so many people were imprisoned, but he alone escaped. Do you think he was just lucky?"
The burly man said bluntly, "That Vice Minister Ruan is nothing but a mediocre talent. He's a complete scoundrel. What glory has he ever had? The Ruan family in Jingxi collapsed last year. When the Vice Minister was buried, which noble family held a roadside memorial service?"
The fortune teller chuckled coldly and said, "It's true that he's mediocre. But he has two excellent daughters. One is currently favored in the palace and has already been promoted to the rank of concubine. The other is about to marry the Prince of Jin."
Seeing that they were at loggerheads and neither would back down, the innkeeper quickly tried to smooth things over: "Gentlemen, gentlemen, don't get worked up over other people's business. Speaking of which, there's something I've always been curious about. Early last year, a storyteller stayed at my inn for a long time. He said that the fifth daughter of the Ruan family in Jingxi was practicing Buddhism for her mother at the Yuxu Temple. How come that fifth daughter suddenly appeared in Haozhou City later?"
The geomancer said, "In times of war and chaos, life is like duckweed, drifting wherever it takes you. What's so strange about that?"
These words saddened many people. The big man also said solemnly, "That's right. In chaotic times, people are worse than dogs. Even the most noble empress was burned to death in a fire. The century-old Yuxu Temple was also reduced to ruins."
The tea merchant asked curiously, "How did the Empress die?"
The big man said, "During the palace coup in Han, the queen was ill and unable to escape the capital with the empress dowager. She was sent by Han to Yuxu Temple to become a nun. Later, Yuxu Temple was burned down, and she was burned to death."
“Brother, you’re wrong again. It’s not that the Empress is ill, but that she was implicated by General Zhao and almost deposed. When the Empress Dowager fled the capital with the concubines, she didn’t inform her at all, which is why she fell into the hands of Prince Han. Now, because of her death, the Emperor has reinstated General Zhao, and the Zhao family of Baokang may well enjoy a period of prosperity again.” This time, although the geomancer refuted him, his tone was much gentler.
The burly man, however, was unmoved by his kindness and retorted aggressively, "What you know is all true, and what others know is all false. Who do you think you are? The King of Heaven himself?"
The geomancer stroked his beard and shook his head.
"Speaking of truth and falsehood, my relatives in Haozhou have told me quite a few things, but I don't know if they're true or false," said the young man who had been sitting silently in the corner. "He said that the reason Haozhou City was able to hold out for a month was because Fifth Miss Ruan initially buried thunderbolts in the ground and blew up hundreds of catapults belonging to Dunluhe. He also said that Princess Rouzhen didn't go to the city wall to deliver war materials to the soldiers at all. She wanted to kill Fifth Miss Ruan and even pushed her off the city wall. In the end, good deeds were rewarded, and Fifth Miss Ruan was only injured, while she was killed by stray arrows from the Northern Rong. He also said that when the Shen family was kidnapped by the Ji Nuli, it was Fifth Miss Ruan who personally went to negotiate and exchanged them for Northern Rong prisoners. In the end, Princess Rouzhen repaid kindness with enmity."
The big man said, "Everyone has heard about how Miss Ruan Wu took the lead in Haozhou City and donated military rations. The Empress Dowager also issued a kind edict to commend her. However, I haven't heard about Princess Rouzhen. It can't be true, otherwise the Emperor would have posthumously conferred upon her the title of princess and her daughter the title of county princess."
The fortune teller laughed heartily and said, "That's what you don't understand. It's nothing but tricks to cover things up. Princess Rouzhen, a daughter of the imperial family, killing her benefactor on the city wall—wouldn't that make the whole world despise her? As for Miss Shen being made a county princess, it's just compensation for her being jilted. The court always says one thing and does another. All the fancy talk is useless if it doesn't lead to anything. Now the Northern Rong people are saying that Miss Ruan Wu is the pearl of our Great Zhou. Do you think this is just a joke? It's just something someone with ulterior motives is using."
After being repeatedly rebuffed by him, the big man was unconvinced and rolled up his sleeves, wanting to argue again.
The shopkeeper quickly smoothed things over: "There are always many different opinions about things in this world. Only the parties involved know the truth. We're just talking nonsense for the sake of having a good chat, why ruin the harmony? Those big families in the capital rise and fall like the tide, powerful when it's high, and utterly devastating when it's low. Whether it's real glory or just a facade, that's their business. We ordinary folks should just live our lives peacefully. Although we can't live like them, with our fine clothes and servants, we can at least live a peaceful and harmonious life."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It was late at night, and the guests in the lobby stopped their late-night chat and blew out the candles to rest.
In the room on the second floor, the daughter whispered, "Finally, it's quiet."
The old woman gave a soft "hmm".
Do you think she recognized us?
"It's hard to say, but she's a rare smart person."
"Will they report me?" The daughter asked anxiously, touching her belly.
"She is not a ruthless person."
After a moment of silence, the daughter said again, "What are we going to do next? We have no money, and the things we brought with us are all too valuable to sell."
“This shopkeeper is not bad. Let’s have the baby here first. Then we’ll find a town that’s neither too big nor too small and sell the Beihai Pearl Necklace in pieces.”
The daughter sighed and said, "That's all we can do. We'll just have to take it one step at a time."
Suddenly, there were two knocking sounds at the door.
The two held their breath in fright, but there was no sound outside the door.
"But she came looking for us?"
“If that’s really the case, then we can’t hide from it either. I’ll go take a look.” The old woman got out of bed, opened the door, and peeked out. The corridor was empty, except for a small bundle placed in front of the door. She picked it up, closed the door, and went back into the bedroom.
"What's that in your hand?" the daughter asked, looking at the bundle in her hand.
The bundle, though small, was heavy. The old woman had a vague idea of what was going on. When she opened it, she found gold and silver ingots, totaling thirty taels of gold and thirty taels of silver. Underneath was a slip of paper, unsigned, containing only one sentence: "The Kingdom of Miaoxiang is located in the southwest. The women in the kingdom are of noble birth. You may travel south from Shu."
After looking at it closely, the daughter remained silent for a moment and then said, "She really isn't a ruthless person." She paused for a moment, then added, "You didn't make a mistake in choosing this apprentice."
The old woman looked at the gold and silver for a while, her eyes slightly moist, and then she brought the note close to the candle and burned it.
The next day, before dawn, Ruan Bi and her party left the inn and continued their journey north.
Ever since leaving the inn, Hanxing had been muttering to herself. Even after the carriage had traveled several miles, she was still muttering, "Miss, something's really wrong. The dowry is much lighter. Someone might have broken into our room last night to steal something. Take the key and open it to check. If it's gone, we should hurry back and chase after them."
On the third day, even though they were more than a hundred miles away from Luling Town, she was still muttering, "Girl, someone must have touched our dowry that night. It's really much lighter now. You can feel it for yourself..."
...
The journey was incredibly boring, and the carriage swayed and rocked, so Ruan Bi spent most of her time dozing off.
One day, she was half asleep when she heard a noisy chatter outside the carriage. She squinted and asked, "Hanxing, what's all the commotion outside?"
"I don't know, young lady. It's packed with people, so densely packed, it's kind of creepy."
Ruan Bi was startled, opened her eyes, and lifted the curtain to look outside. She saw a dense crowd of people lining both sides of the official road, a sea of black. Every ten feet or so, a soldier stood, holding a gleaming spear, ready to block anyone who tried to cross. People on both sides stared at her carriage, pointing and whispering amongst themselves. And yet, on this vast official road, only her carriage rumbled along.
"Liu Shizhi".
Liu Shizhi leaned closer to the carriage window and said, "The young lady is awake? That's just in time. The North Gate Post Station is just ahead."
Ruan Bi was stunned and asked, "Didn't you say you wouldn't arrive in the capital until tomorrow?"
Liu Shizhi chuckled and said, "I was just kidding, girl."
Just as Ruan Bi was about to ask him why he had lied to her, she suddenly heard someone shout, "They're here! They're here!" Then the people on both sides of the official road began to stir, craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to look in the direction behind her. Many women waved their handkerchiefs and excitedly screamed, "Prince Jin! Prince Jin..."
It turns out that the Prince of Jin has returned with his troops.
Ruan Bi's heart began to pound. Her gaze unconsciously swept around her surroundings. Suddenly, she remembered that on that snowy day two years ago, they had parted ways here... She suddenly realized, overwhelmed with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes. No wonder Liu Shizhi insisted on arranging the journey from Haozhou to the capital. No wonder he dragged his feet all the way, turning a five-day trip into eight days.
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the crowd lining the streets, the rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar and paused near the carriage window.
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat, and all the worldly thoughts vanished in an instant. Only his slightly rapid breathing rose and fell in her ears, only his warm breath, imbued with the midsummer sun, gradually enveloped her... All the past events surged and ebbed in her mind like the tide.
I recalled our first encounter under the ginkgo tree at the Marquis of Yanping's residence, where I heard his voice before I even saw him...
I recall that life-or-death encounter in front of Wanmiao Residence...
I recall our encounter amidst wind and rain at the City God Temple...
Recalling the blatant probing by Xiangmu Xiaozhu...
Remembering the pressure of being shoved with ten gold bars...
I remember the first concession I made in the Imperial Garden...
I recall the ambiguous beauty of spring waters and green waves...
...
After many twists and turns, separations and reunions have occurred.
Ultimately, the world is still perfect.
She turned her head and smiled brightly at him outside the window.
(End of article)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
