Chapter Eight: A Letter from Afar
No sooner had she finished speaking than a eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out from outside: "Consort Ruan, His Majesty has something to bestow upon you."
"Bring it in."
Footsteps sounded, and a eunuch entered carrying a red-kneedled, gold-painted wooden tray with a sprig of apricot blossom glistening with dew on it. He said respectfully, "Consort Ruan, the apricot blossoms outside the Imperial Study have bloomed today. His Majesty personally cut a sprig and said he would give it to you to enjoy."
The fourth daughter took the apricot blossoms from the table and said, "Eunuch, please wait a moment. I will write a poem to repay His Majesty's kindness." With that, she placed the apricot blossoms on the table, glanced at them, pondered for a moment, picked up her brush and wrote a seven-character quatrain in a short while, and handed it to the eunuch.
The eunuch accepted the poem and respectfully withdrew.
The second daughter watched coldly, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in astonishment. She had grown up with the fourth daughter since childhood, so how come she had never known that the fourth daughter possessed the quick wit to compose a poem in seven steps?
Seeing her dumbfounded expression, the fourth sister smiled, opened a drawer, and beckoned to her. The second sister walked over, puzzled, and looked down. She saw the drawer was full of poems written in black ink on white paper. She picked up a few and looked at them; some were about spring, some lamenting spring, some praising willows, some sighing at the moon…
"These are all things I made when I had nothing else to do," the fourth sister said, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to the second sister. "This is the poem I was just reciting."
The second young lady then realized that it wasn't that she possessed the talent to compose a poem in seven steps, but rather that she had been prepared all along. A strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart, and as she looked closely at the fourth young lady, she felt as if she had never known her at all before.
"Fortunately, the Emperor still remembers me and occasionally bestows me little trinkets." The Fourth Sister picked up an apricot blossom and played with it. "If it weren't for his concern, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to invite you into the palace. The eunuchs and maids in the palace are all opportunists, always trying to curry favor with those in power. A few days ago, the Emperor often came to visit me, and they went to great lengths to curry favor with me, but now, they've all scattered like birds and beasts..." She sighed, plucked an apricot blossom and tucked it into her hair, then turned to the Second Sister with a bright smile and said, "Second Sister, isn't it pretty?"
For some reason, the second young lady's eyes suddenly stung. "Fourth sister... are you... alright?"
The fourth sister nodded with a smile, saying dismissively, "Fine, there's nothing wrong with it. I've seen plenty of these kinds of faces since I was little, and I'm used to this kind of life. It's just a slightly bigger place now, nothing serious." As she spoke, she plucked an apricot blossom and tucked it into her hair, then looked at herself in the mirror.
She spoke from the heart, but the second young lady sensed her complaint about her previous situation—a situation caused by the first lady herself. Feeling awkward, guilty, and angry, she was speechless for a moment.
Seeing her face flush and then pale, the fourth sister understood and said with a smile, "I was just saying it casually, sister, don't take it to heart. By the way, tell me about the fifth sister. These past few days I've been dreaming that she and I were still living together in Liaoyuan, drinking wine under the moon... Alas, I wonder where she is now, and whether she's doing well?"
“You don’t need to worry about her anymore, Prince Jin is protecting her.” Mentioning Ruan Bi made the second young lady unhappy again. “I heard from my father that Prince Jin has arranged for his chief guard to be the governor of Haozhou, so she is most likely in Haozhou.”
"Haozhou, Haozhou." The fourth sister read it twice with her head down, then looked up and stared straight at the second sister, saying, "Second sister, I need you to deliver a letter for me."
Looking into her bright, star-like eyes, the second young lady nodded involuntarily.
The fourth sister bowed gracefully and said, "Thank you, second sister."
The second girl glanced at her sideways: "Don't try to pull this fancy stuff. You're surnamed Ruan, and so am I. I know that much."
After talking for a while, it was nearly noon when the Second Miss finally left the palace with the letter. All the way there, she pondered how to deliver the letter to Ruan Bi. Although she knew Ruan Bi was in Haozhou, only the Prince of Jin probably knew her exact location. Thinking back to that stunning glimpse at the Jade Void Temple, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. How could such a magnificent man have taken a liking to Ruan Bi? She also thought of Consort Xie winning the Emperor's favor with a game of chess, and Consort Ruan's chance encounter with the Emperor while standing alone in the cold wind. She felt that she had lived too conventionally for the past fifteen years. Despite her exceptional beauty and distinguished family background, marriage had become a difficult matter…
Just as I was lost in thought, the carriage stopped; we had returned to the locust tree.
She composed herself, alighted from the carriage, and saw the gatekeepers huddled together, looking anxious and talking amongst themselves, not even noticing her return. She was both surprised and angry, and was about to reprimand them when she heard one of the servants say, "...The Second Master has been transferred to a post outside the capital, and the First Master has been dismissed from his post. Won't the Third Master be the only one in power in our Ruan family from now on?"
The second daughter trembled, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who was dismissed from office?"
The servant and the gatekeeper then noticed her return, turned pale with fright, and scattered.
The second daughter pointed at the message that had just been spoken and said sternly, "Tell me quickly, who has been dismissed from office?"
The servant said in a trembling voice, "Yes... Master."
When did this happen?
"It concerns the matter of today's morning court session."
The morning court session today? Second Miss calculated the time; wasn't it just before the eunuch delivered the apricot blossom to Fourth Miss? In other words, the Emperor had just dismissed Ruan Hong from his post and then sent an apricot blossom to his daughter.
At this moment, in the study of the Prince of Jin's residence in the east of the capital, Xu Maoyu was also discussing this matter: "Feiyang, this was entirely expected. The Shen family, father and son, have cultivated deep roots in the court over two generations, and their power is extraordinary. Now, with the Marquis of Yanping adding fuel to the fire, how can the precarious Ruan family compare? Furthermore, Ruan Hong is truly disappointing. He has served as a vice minister for five years without accomplishing anything. He can neither assist the emperor nor benefit the people; he is truly a figurehead. It would not be unjust for him to be dismissed from office."
“You’re right, Mao Gong. Ruan Hong’s dismissal is nothing to regret,” said the Prince of Jin, a worried look on his face. “I fear this is just the beginning.”
Xu Maoyu was taken aback, then said thoughtfully, "What Feiyang means..."
"Prime Minister Shen's actions this time were swift and decisive. Besides the help of Marquis Yanping, he must have also received the Empress Dowager's authorization. If the Ruan family in Jingxi is completely eradicated..."
Before he finished speaking, Xu Maoyu understood. If the Ruan family in Jingxi were uprooted, then the "Fifth Sister" practicing at Yuxu Temple would be nothing. He had wondered why the Empress Dowager would agree to the Emperor's decree to reward the Fifth Sister Ruan; it turned out there was another plan to undermine her. "Will Feiyang see the Empress Dowager when he enters the palace today?"
The Prince of Jin shook his head sadly and said, "My mother still refuses to see me."
Xu Maoyu hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Feiyang, in my opinion, you should apologize to the Empress Dowager and accept the marriage with the Shen family. After all, she is your mother, she gave birth to you and raised you, and it is only natural to respect family ties. Besides, once the Ruan family falls, Fifth Miss will truly be adrift in the world and will never be able to return to the capital..."
The Prince of Jin tensed his jaw, remained silent, and gradually clenched his fist.
"She's so delicate and frail; without the support of a powerful family, her future..." Before he could finish speaking, Prince Jin's face darkened, and he slammed his fist heavily on the desk with a loud thud. Xu Maoyu was startled, forgetting the rest of his words. She stared at him in astonishment. Having followed him for seven or eight years, from the capital to Xingping, and back again, this was the first time she had ever seen him lose control.
The King of Jin realized he had lost his composure and said, "Lord Mao, I am not in a good mood today. Let's discuss this another day."
Xu Maoyu nodded and left.
The Prince of Jin wearily closed his eyes, an indescribable weariness washing over him, as if every pore in his body was screaming for help. Never in his life had he felt so exhausted, never so torn between two conflicting goals. In the past, no matter the difficulties or obstacles, whoever stood in his way, he would simply slaughter them. But this time, the Empress Dowager stood before him. How could he possibly kill his own mother?
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