Chapter Forty: The Grand Ceremony
As they approached Liaoyuan Garden, they suddenly heard the Fourth Sister calling from behind, "Fifth Sister."
Ruan Bi stopped and turned to look at her. Qiu Lan approached gracefully, her already developed figure exquisite and alluring, every movement a sight to behold. "Why is my sister lagging behind me?"
"I just went to see my aunt," the fourth young lady said briefly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
Ruan Bi casually asked, "How is Aunt Lin?"
The fourth sister's eyes flickered as she said, "Perhaps it's too hot; my back just won't get much better."
Ruan Bi was shocked. Aunt Lin had been subjected to thirty lashes for almost two months, how could her condition still be recurring?
"Oh right, I haven't had a chance to congratulate my sister yet."
"What congratulations? It's nothing to mention." Ruan Bi smiled slightly.
The fourth sister tried her best to suppress her envy and said, "Of course, congratulations. My sister has finally overcome her hardships. I am very happy for her."
Ruan Bi said, "Thank you, Fourth Sister."
As they spoke, they returned to Liaoyuan Garden, said their goodbyes, and went back to their respective rooms.
Just as she sat down inside, Hanxing announced from outside, "Miss, the old woman guarding the gate has arrived. She says she wants to congratulate you."
"Xiuzhi, go and invite the hot water bottle in."
Granny Liu frowned and said to Ruan Bi, "Miss, you are of noble status, so you shouldn't see this kind of maid. Just have Xiuzhi give her some reward money to send her away."
"How could we possibly refuse her kind offer?" Ruan Bi said calmly. "Mother, you should go and rest first. You'll be in charge of training the new maid, Xiao Ju." After Xiu Shui was transferred to the Seventh Miss's courtyard, Granny He sent another young maid named Xiao Ju, who was only eleven years old and had just finished learning etiquette. Ruan Bi quite liked maids of this age; they were easy to train.
Having served in the inner quarters for so many years, Granny Liu had long since developed a keen eye for discernment. After accompanying Ruan Bi to the Jade Void Temple, she witnessed Ruan Bi's shrewdness and resourcefulness, and was filled with admiration. Ruan Bi's previous petty schemes, fueled by the First Madam's influence, had completely vanished. Knowing that Ruan Bi, though seemingly gentle, was actually a woman of her word, Granny Liu stopped trying to persuade her. She agreed and respectfully withdrew.
She had barely stepped out when the old woman came in, her face beaming like a chrysanthemum. "Congratulations, young lady! Congratulations, young lady!"
"Please sit down, Mother-in-law."
The old woman sat down, half her bottom touching the small stool, and said with a fawning smile, "When I first saw Fifth Miss, I was immediately struck by her beauty. I thought to myself, 'Your appearance and bearing are clearly from heaven. How could someone like that exist on earth?' And I was right." She leaned closer to Ruan Bi and whispered, "In my opinion, you must be the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess from heaven..."
Ruan Bi couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of what she said. "Mother-in-law, please don't say such things. If people believe them, it will be a laughing stock."
“Not at all, not at all. This Master Ziying is a highly accomplished Taoist, with eyes that have been opened to see the heavens. Naturally, he can distinguish between immortals and mortals…” Granny Tang said, her triangular eyes darting across Ruan Bi’s face. Seeing her indifferent expression, she knew Ruan Bi didn’t like to hear about these things, so she stopped talking. Then, remembering that Ruan Bi liked to hear about the affairs of the various courtyards, she rolled her eyes and said, “The day before yesterday, when Miss was not in the manor, a major incident occurred in our manor.”
Upon hearing this, Ruan Bi perked up immediately. "What important matter is it?"
"Aunt Lin and her personal maid Liu Xu are arguing..."
Liu Xu, isn't she the maid who betrayed Consort Lin after being beaten, yet was still placed by the First Madam beside Consort Lin? Back then, Ruan Bi was amazed by the First Madam's methods, how she sowed discord between the originally loyal mistress and servant, making them uncomfortable living under the same roof. "Why did they start arguing?"
"Aunt Lin said that Liu Xu wanted to harm her by poisoning her medicine. Liu Xu said that Aunt Lin had wronged her, and she cried and screamed, threatening to jump into the pond, but was stopped by others. Then she ran to the First Madam and the Master to complain, saying that Aunt Lin was narrow-minded, jealous of her being favored by the Master, and wanted to kill her..."
Ruan Bi was surprised and was about to ask when she heard Granny Tang say, "Aunt Lin said that Liu Xu is a vixen with a heart of stone, a reincarnation of a seductress, who took advantage of Ruan Bi's illness and inability to serve her to seduce the master..." At this point, Granny Tang suddenly remembered that Ruan Bi was an unmarried girl, and quickly slapped herself twice, "Look at my foul mouth, it's always causing trouble. Girl, what this old woman is saying is nonsense, don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously."
Ruan Bi had already understood, and waved her hand, saying, "Let it go this time, but be more careful in the future, and don't say such nonsense again."
"I'm not saying anything more, I'm not saying anything more, I'd rather die than say anything more."
"What happened when Liu Xu ran to the First Madam and the Master to complain?"
"The First Madam has confined Concubine Lin to her quarters, telling her to reflect on her actions. If Liu Xu's service to the Master is considered a vixen, then what is she herself?"
Ruan Bi was secretly alarmed. This First Madam acted like a Go master, never using the same moves repeatedly. Sowing discord between Liu Xu and Concubine Lin, yet continuing to let them live under the same roof, was all to watch them fight. Concubine Lin's back injury kept flaring up, indicating there was more to the story. Liu Xu, taking advantage of Ruan Hong's inability to serve him, had moved in. While she might not necessarily take away Concubine Lin's long-standing favor, her youth and beauty could always hold a man's attention for a while. Concubine Lin's only advantage in the inner quarters was the Master's favor; if she couldn't serve him, her future would likely be difficult.
This time, Aunt Lin suffered another crushing defeat, no wonder the Fourth Miss looked so depressed.
"There's one more thing, I'd like to tell you to cheer you up."
"Oh? Please tell me, Grandma," Ruan Bi asked curiously.
"I heard that the eldest young master and the first wife had a fight last night, but I don't know what they were fighting about."
The hot water bottle being assigned to guard the gate is such a good deal for Ruan Bi. Thinking this, she winked at Xiu Zhi, who was standing to the side. Now, unless it was something particularly confidential, she let Xiu Zhi listen in so that she could understand the situation and it would be easier for her to handle things in the future.
Xiuzhi took out three hundred coins from her purse and handed them to Granny Tang, saying, "Granny, this is a reward from the young lady. She spends all day writing and embroidering, which I find quite boring. If you hear anything interesting or fun in the future, please come and tell the young lady."
The old woman nodded repeatedly, accepted the reward, apologized to Ruan Bi, and then happily left.
Ruan Bi looked at Xiuzhi approvingly and said, "What you said just now is correct."
Xiuzhi blushed slightly and said, "Thank you, young lady."
Two days later, a hastily constructed pontoon bridge was built across the Yichun River. The First Madam, accompanied by her steward, personally visited the Yuxu Temple to discuss the details of accepting disciples with Master Ziying. Considering the destruction of the stone bridge across the Yichun River and the inexpensiveness of going to the Yuxu Temple, it was decided to hold the ceremony at the Ruan residence on June 19th.
After receiving the confirmation, Ruan Bi stayed quietly in Liaoyuan Garden, either writing or embroidering.
During this time, the Fourth Sister came once, talking about needlework, but her eyes were always looking at Ruan Bi thoughtfully.
Xiuping also came once and praised Ruan Bi highly.
The old woman came twice, spreading some gossip. Something about how the master posed a riddle, which the eldest young master couldn't answer, but the third young master did. The master scolded the eldest young master and then rewarded the third young master with a fine piece of Huizhou ink. And something about how the second young lady was in a bad mood lately and beat Chunliu over a bamboo flute.
June 19th is an auspicious day for betrothal, marriage, engagement, sacrifices, and prayers... in short, it is a lucky day according to the Chinese almanac.
The Ruan residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. The windows of the five-room main hall in Xihe Courtyard were wide open, and the floors, tables, and chairs were all polished to a shine.
Around 4:45 AM, the servants guarding the main gate were speculating which noble lady from a prestigious family would arrive first. Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps. One of the servants guarding the alley entrance ran over and shouted, "Quickly inform the Madam that Princess Huiwen's entourage has arrived!"
Was Princess Huiwen the first to arrive?
The servants were all shocked. The Great Zhou Dynasty had waged war against the Northern Rong, which had once emptied the national treasury. This princess had sold all her dowry and land to fund the war effort, thus earning her the respect of the royal family and ministers. However, she remained aloof and self-absorbed, rarely associating with aristocratic families except for discussing metaphysics with the Taoist master Ziying. She had absolutely no connection with the Ruan family.
The Emperor was the first to react. He immediately ordered his servants to open the main gate wide and instructed his servants to quickly report to the hanging flower gate.
The First Madam and the Old Madam were also shocked upon hearing this. It was Master Ziying who had suggested inviting Princess Huiwen, and after the invitation was sent, there had been no reply. They never expected that she would actually come. Despite their shock, the Old Madam and the First Madam straightened their clothes and quickly led Ruan Bi and the young ladies to wait at the main gate.
Not long after they had stood still, Princess Huiwen's entourage arrived. A eunuch carrying a blue canopy led the way, followed by two rows of guards. Four tall, fine horses pulled a large gilded carriage decorated with phoenixes and jewels. Two eunuchs rode alongside the carriage, and two more rows of guards followed behind.
The carriage stopped at the main gate of the Ruan residence. The accompanying eunuchs dismounted first, one of them placing a footstool on the ground, while the other bowed his head and reached out his hand. The beaded curtain of the carriage was slightly lifted, and a slender, fair hand reached out to support the eunuch's wrist. Then, Princess Huiwen slowly emerged from behind the beaded curtain and stepped off the carriage using the footstool.
Ruan Bi secretly glanced at her. She had heard that she was in her early fifties, but she looked like she was in her forties. She had black hair, fair skin, and an arrogant expression. She looked seven or eight parts similar to Gu Xiaobai.
The old lady led a group of people to greet them, bowed, and said, "The presence of the Princess is an honor to our humble abode."
The eldest princess waved her hand slightly and said, "Madam Ruan, you're too kind. It's only natural that I'd come to support Ziying in taking on a disciple." Her gaze swept over the group of young ladies. "May I ask which young lady this is?"
Ruan Bi stepped forward and said, "This humble woman, Ruan Bi, greets the Princess."
“Raise your head.”
Ruan Bi looked up as instructed. Princess Huiwen glanced at her carefully and said indifferently, "She looks alright." After saying that, she took the lead and walked inside.
Ruan Bi secretly stuck out her tongue; it turned out that Gu Xiaobai's arrogance was inherited from her.
Princess Huiwen was led to the flower hall to sit with Master Ziying, who had come the previous night. Not long after, the gatekeeper announced that the old lady of the Marquis of Dongping had arrived in person. The old lady and the first lady, along with the young ladies, went out to greet her.
The Lady of Dongping was about the same age as the old lady. She was not tall, but round and plump, with a smiling face, and looked like a kind and amiable old lady.
After that, other prominent families also sent representatives. Some came in person as the matriarchs, some sent their daughters-in-law, and some sent their daughters. For example, the Lady of Yanping Marquis did not come in person, but only sent Xie Mingzhu with congratulatory gifts. As for the Shen family, neither they came nor sent gifts; they arrived without a word.
At 9:00 AM, the magistrate of Yuxu Temple announced: "Please invite Master Ziying to take a seat."
"Please take your seats, guests."
"The auspicious time has arrived; disciples, enter the arena."
Ruan Bi entered the main hall from the side room and stood respectfully with her hands at her sides.
"The disciple presents six gifts to the master."
Ruan Bi accepted the basket handed to her by Xiuzhi and presented it respectfully. The basket was full of celery, lotus seeds, red beans, longan, dates, and dried lean meat strips.
"Disciple offers tea."
"Disciple bows to Master."
"The master gave me a gift in return."
The gift that Master Ziying gave to Ruan Bi was a bunch of celery, a handful of scallions, and a copy of the Tao Te Ching.
"Words of advice from my master."
Master Ziying looked at Ruan Bi with a deep smile in his eyes. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was happy, but Ruan Bi felt that his smile had a deeper meaning.
“Excellent, excellent, Bi’er. I will give you eight words: ‘When body and mind are in harmony, follow the Way.’”
Bi'er? Ruan Bi felt a chill run down her spine and was about to thank her when she suddenly heard a high-pitched voice: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, we're not late."
Everyone turned to look at the entrance of the main hall, where a senior eunuch led three junior eunuchs in. Each junior eunuch carried a gilded lacquer tray covered with a bright yellow cloth. The First Madam greeted them with surprise, and in her fluster, she stammered, "I am truly sorry for my rudeness. I have failed to greet you properly, Eunuch Lu."
“Madam Ruan, there’s no need to blame yourself. I told the gatekeeper not to report it.” After saying that, Eunuch Lu walked up to Princess Huiwen and bowed. “I didn’t expect the Princess to be here today. Lu Ping greets the Princess.”
The eldest princess waved her hand and said, "No need for formalities."
Eunuch Lu then walked up to Master Ziying, bowed, and said, "Congratulations, Master, on finding such a fine disciple."
Master Ziying rose, made the Three Pure Ones Mudra with his hands to return the greeting, and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Lu."
Eunuch Lu stepped aside, waved to the three eunuchs, and said, "Bring it here."
Amidst the astonished and puzzled gazes of the crowd, three young eunuchs brought over lacquer trays. Eunuch Lu lifted the cover of the first lacquer tray and said, "The Empress Dowager congratulates Master Ziying on finding a fine disciple and hereby bestows upon Ruan Bizhen, granddaughter of Ruan Wenxiao, a string of pearls."
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude.
Eunuch Lu lifted the cover of the second lacquer tray and said, "Your Majesty the Empress congratulates Master Ziying on finding a fine disciple and hereby bestows upon Ruan Biyu, the granddaughter of Ruan Wenxiao, a jade bracelet."
Ruan Bi kowtowed again to express her gratitude.
Eunuch Lu then lifted the cover of the third lacquer tray and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine congratulates the True Man Ziying on finding a fine disciple and hereby bestows upon him a copy of the Great Mirror of Returning to the Heart, personally copied by Ruan Bi, the granddaughter of Ruan Wenxiao."
This Consort Xie actually bestowed scriptures upon her, clearly a reminder to devote herself to the Dao. Ruan Bi cursed inwardly as she kowtowed and expressed her gratitude. Only then was the ceremony complete, and she stood up. Dozens of people in the hall stared at her, their gazes intense—some envious, some inquisitive, some curious, some delighted…
Ruan Bi only looked at Master Ziying, thinking to herself, "I've been tricked by her again."
Master Ziying looked back at her, a deep smile in his eyes, thinking to himself, "Didn't you want a grand apprenticeship ceremony to vindicate you? Then I'll give you the grandest one. The Empress Dowager and the Empress will send people to congratulate you and bestow gifts. Is there any grander apprenticeship ceremony in the world?"
Ruan Bi raised her eyebrows and gave her a gentle smile.
I wasn't afraid of having nothing or a tarnished reputation before, so what am I afraid of now?
Under everyone's gaze, she suddenly felt a sense of arrogance over everything.
(There was still a lot more to write, but since it's going to be a paid chapter tomorrow, I'll finish this one first. Please support me with your pink tickets, thank you!)
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