Chapter Fifty-Seven: Suspicion Arises
Ruan Bi put the letter away, changed into her everyday clothes, and asked Xiuzhi to bring in the hot water bottle. Since they were going to Dingguo Mansion, they had to find out the details beforehand, lest they get into trouble again without realizing it.
After understanding what she meant, Granny Tang slapped her thigh and said, "Oh my! You've come to the right person, young lady. This old woman has some connections with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
Xiuzhi's eyes widened as she listened.
Ruan Bi knew she was always exaggerating, able to conjure up completely unrelated connections, so she wasn't surprised. She just listened as she continued, "...An old woman from my hometown used to work for the Duke of Dingguo. Now she's the head maidservant to Madam Gu, living a very prestigious life. She even came to the hometown gathering last year, tsk tsk, dressed so elegantly, saying it was a gift from the Grand Princess..."
Seeing that she was rambling on and on, Xiuzhi couldn't help but interrupt her: "Mother, the young lady is asking about the temperament and character of the masters of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, not the head maid of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
"Yes, yes, I misspoke," Granny Tang said with a fawning smile. She paused, though she had only said this to buy time to organize her thoughts. She knew little about the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and her fellow townsman was someone she had only met a few times, exchanging no more than ten words. But she didn't want to miss the opportunity to earn a reward, so she tried to recall the few words her fellow townsman had spoken, as well as the rumors circulating in the capital. She said, "The current Duke of Dingguo was born in the Northwest and grew up in the Northwest military camp. He only returned to the capital in his twenties to receive his title. I heard he has a bad temper and a rigid personality, and dares to challenge even the emperor. Later, for some reason, Princess Huiwen took a liking to him. After they married, they only had one son, who is now the heir apparent of the Duke of Dingguo. This heir apparent, however, has never liked martial arts or economics." His greatest passion was calligraphy and painting; he spent his days at home reading and painting. The Duke of Dingguo was often angered by this and considered sending him to the Northwest several times, but the Eldest Princess always stopped him. This heir apparent married the daughter of the Fu family of Chenzhou, the Empress Dowager's sister. It was said that the Eldest Princess disliked her, but the Duke of Dingguo favored her. The son born to Lady Fu was Gu Xiaobai, a fierce, mischievous, and playful boy who greatly pleased the Duke of Dingguo. Fearing the maids would corrupt him, the Duke only allowed him to live in the outer courtyard, surrounded by a group of servants.
"What is Madam Fu's temperament like?"
"According to my fellow villagers, he is a respectful, kind, and gentle person."
Ruan Bi nodded slightly. She had always harbored a faint fondness for this Madam Fu, whom she had never met before. The reason was Gu Jingyi—although she was clearly a concubine's daughter, she was spoiled even more than the legitimate daughter. It seemed that this Madam Fu was indeed kind and gentle.
After sending the hot water bottle away, Ruan Bi pointed to the skirt and said to Xiuzhi, "Take it to wash and iron. I'll wear this the day after tomorrow." Since Madam Fu was a strict person, she certainly didn't like frivolous and gorgeous things. She was determined to dress as gorgeously as possible.
Therefore, on the day she went to Dingguo Mansion, she not only wore a floor-length pomegranate skirt and ruby earrings, but also a red gold and ruby-inlaid flower headdress. This was a departure from her usual simple elegance. When she went to say goodbye to the old lady, she was astonished. She blinked and said in disbelief, "Oh my, is this really Fifth Sister? I'm not seeing things, am I?"
The surrounding maids and wives all laughed and said, "It's Fifth Miss, no doubt about it."
The old lady took Ruan Bi's hand, looked her over carefully, and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Good, good, a young girl like you should have dressed like this a long time ago."
In contrast, the second young lady's attire today was much more elegant, a honey-colored dress adorned only with the pearl hairpin bestowed upon her by the Empress Dowager last time. When she saw Ruan Bi's pomegranate skirt, she felt a pang of envy and her heart raced, but then she remembered her mother's instructions and thought smugly to herself, "This time, the fifth young lady has finally made a fool of herself."
After getting into the carriage, she couldn't help but say mockingly, "Sister, you really put a lot of effort into this outfit."
Ruan Bi glanced at the tabby cat Chunyun was holding and said meaningfully, "Didn't you put in the effort, sister? You even brought the cat along."
The second girl's heart skipped a beat, but she said without changing her expression, "What nonsense are you thinking? I made a promise with Jingyi last time that I would bring the cat with me when I went to see her again."
"I didn't think about anything, I just felt that this outfit didn't suit my sister, the color was too plain."
That's the truth. The second daughter has striking features, and when she wears brightly colored clothes, she looks very imposing. But when she wears simple clothes, she looks like she's trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog instead.
"This outfit suits my younger sister quite well," the second young lady said, glancing at the pomegranate-red skirt with a hint of sourness. "This was made by my fourth younger sister, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Fourth Sister just likes to do things for others."
The second young lady's face changed drastically, and she gritted her teeth as she asked, "Are you ever going to stop?"
Ruan Bi looked directly into her eyes and said, "Does Sister think this matter is over?"
The second young lady was about to say something when Chunyun coughed lightly and winked at her. Only then did the second young lady remember that before leaving, the first lady had instructed her not to argue with the fifth young lady. They still needed to borrow Master Ziying, so they should give in to her for now and get their revenge later.
Thinking of this, the second girl took the cat from Chunyun's arms, gently stroked it, and ignored Ruan Bi.
The Duke of Dingguo's mansion was located diagonally opposite Princess Huiwen's mansion. In comparison, it was much less imposing, as the princess's mansion was built according to the standards of a prince's residence. However, the gatekeepers and servants were all exceptionally energetic and efficient, indicating the strictness of the family rules.
The size was roughly the same as Ruan Bi's, but the styles were completely different. Ruan Bi's family was a scholarly family, their architecture primarily elegant and exquisite, with painted eaves and typical carved beams and painted rafters. In contrast, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was imposing and simple, with eaves predominantly in shades of gray and dark red, clearly reminiscent of the Sui and Tang dynasties. The trees and greenery along the roadside were also neatly trimmed. The maids wore brownish-yellow clothes, and most had ordinary appearances.
A servant led Ruan Bi and the second young lady into the living room. Two guests had already arrived, and Gu Jingyi was keeping them company.
Hearing footsteps, the two guests looked up and saw Xie Mingzhu and Han Lu.
The four pairs of eyes exchanged awkward glances. Xie Mingzhu harbored resentment towards Ruan Bi for not accepting Xie Mingyue's letter, and had also severed ties with the Second Miss because Xie Mingyue's marriage had fallen through. However, in this setting, where all the women were from respectable families, they had to maintain appearances of propriety. Therefore, they all regained their composure and rose to greet each other.
After exchanging greetings, Gu Jingyi ran admiringly to the second young lady and said, "Is this the Tiger Girl you mentioned last time? She is indeed extremely cute. I want a tabby cat, but my mother won't allow it. She says cats have fleas, and they love to crawl into bed. If I keep too many, they might give them to me."
The second young lady smiled and said, "Madam Fu is right. I also have a headache. Tiger Girl refuses to take a bath in winter and loves to lie in the sun while the maid helps her catch fleas."
"Quickly, let me hug your tiger girl."
The second girl handed the cat to her, glancing at Ruan Bi out of the corner of her eye, unable to hide her smugness.
The two chattered away while raising the cat until Madam Fu came in, at which point they stopped.
Lady Fu was in her thirties and bore only a slight resemblance to the Empress Dowager. The main difference was their face shapes; the Empress Dowager had an oval face, while Lady Fu had a square face, sparse eyebrows, and phoenix eyes. She wore a blue blouse with large floral patterns and a jade headdress, clearly indicating her dislike of extravagance.
The four young ladies rose to greet her, and Madam Fu looked at them one by one. When she saw Ruan Bi, who was wearing a pomegranate-colored skirt, her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
After exchanging greetings, they sat down again.
Madam Fu spoke to each person with a smile.
First, ask Han Lu: "I heard that the Duchess of Zhenguo was ill a while ago. Is she feeling any better?"
Then he asked Xie Mingzhu, "Last time in the palace, the Imperial Concubine said that you are learning to play the zither?"
He asked the second young lady, "How did you come up with the idea of using only yellow plum blossoms in the painting you presented to the Empress Dowager?"
The second daughter glanced at Ruan Bi and said guiltily, "I embroidered it for fun, but later I thought it was nice, so I wanted to give it to the Empress Dowager."
Madam Fu praised, "She is truly intelligent and virtuous."
Finally, he said to Ruan Bi, "So you are the disciple of Master Ziying. The Princess has spoken of you."
This was a difficult question to answer, so Ruan Bi could only say, "The Princess has taken great care of me."
After talking for a while, Madam Fu stood up and said, "Jingyi, why don't you take your sisters to admire the chrysanthemums?"
Gu Jingyi, who had been sitting still for a while, nodded happily upon hearing this and led the four young ladies out of the living room towards the back garden. The group split into several groups: the second young lady and Gu Jingyi, with their maids, walked in front; Xie Mingzhu and Han Lu, with their maids, walked in the middle; and Ruan Bi, with Xiuzhi, walked at the back. After walking a short distance, Han Lu turned to look at her dress and said with a smile, "Fifth young lady, who made this dress? It's truly beautiful."
"It's my fourth older sister."
"I had heard that Miss Ruan was good at embroidery, but I didn't expect her to be so good at making clothes as well."
Xie Mingzhu was quite unconvinced and said, "It's nothing special. The dress my sister wore when I went to the palace last time was much prettier."
Ruan Bi smiled and said, "How could my fourth sister's skills compare to those of the Imperial Embroidery Workshop in the palace?"
Xie Mingzhu took a deep breath, glanced at Ruan Bi, and seemed to say something like, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you."
The chrysanthemum garden wasn't far; it was a very large area with many famous varieties, each with its own unique beauty. Half of the chrysanthemums were in bloom, while the other half were still forming calyxes. Ruan Bi had seen many of these before, so she wasn't particularly interested. Following behind, she listened to the four girls chattering about how precious this pot was and how rare that pot was, and gradually became a little lost in thought.
Suddenly, Gu Jingyi said loudly, "Of course, the Spring Water Green Waves is the best. My cousin's favorite variety is this one."
The other three girls were taken aback. They all knew that Gu Jingyi was born to a concubine, so who was her cousin? Xie Mingzhu hesitated and asked, "Are you talking about the Prince of Jin?"
Gu Jingyi said, "Of course it is him. Spring water and green waves are the most difficult to cultivate. If you are not careful, the color will be too dark or too light. Only when it is as green as spring water is it rare."
The second daughter suddenly remembered the chrysanthemums on Ruan Bi's desk, looked up at her in surprise, and said, "Speaking of spring water and green waves, I just remembered that my fifth sister has a pot of them on her desk."
Gu Jingyi was overjoyed and jumped over, saying, "Fifth Sister, do you really have one? Can you give it to me so I can give it to my cousin?"
Ruan Bi thought for a moment, then said with difficulty, "This was a gift from someone else."
Gu Jingyi gave a disappointed "Oh".
The second young lady frowned as she looked at Ruan Bi, wondering to herself, who could have sent her such an expensive flower?
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