Chapter One: Entering the Palace to Express Gratitude
After the ceremony came a banquet, which filled three tables.
The noble ladies rarely had the opportunity to go out, so when they had this relaxed gathering and there were no men present, they were all more unrestrained than usual and had a good time. Even the usually serious and aloof Huiwen Changwen revealed a slight smile during his conversation.
At noon, Huiwen Chang was the first to rise and take his leave. As if signaling, apart from the Lady of Dongping Marquis and Xie Mingzhu, the other noble ladies and daughters followed suit. The First and Second Madams, along with the young ladies, personally saw them off. Everyone boarded their magnificent carriages. In an instant, Huai Shu Lane was filled with a sea of dignitaries.
After seeing off the guests, everyone dispersed and returned to their respective courtyards to rest.
Lady Dongping rested in the old lady's courtyard, Master Ziying rested in the first lady's courtyard, and Xie Mingzhu went to the second young lady's courtyard. Ruan Bi returned to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, dozed off for half an hour, and was then woken up by Xiuzhi to wash her face, comb her hair, and change into a new set of gorgeous clothes. She was going to the palace to express her gratitude; accepting the pearls, jade bracelets, and the "Great Return of the Heart" was not enough.
They traveled to the palace in Master Ziying's carriage. She rested with her eyes closed the whole way, but her expression was relaxed, as if everything had settled down. Ruan Bi remained silent. In any case, both sides had made a brilliant move this time, and the outcome would remain to be seen.
Leaving the Huai Shu Lane where the Ruan residence was located, passing through Xiwazi Street, turning north after Liangmen Gate, and walking two li, one would reach the Xihua Gate of the Imperial Palace. After passing through Xihua Gate, one disembarked from the carriage and boarded a sedan chair. Master Ziying finally slowly opened his eyes, giving Ruan Bi a mysterious glance, then silently got out of the carriage and into the sedan chair. Ruan Bi followed suit, getting out of the carriage and into the sedan chair. The creaking sound of the sedan chair, like a lullaby, made her drowsy.
Eunuchs kept announcing things along the way, their high-pitched voices rising and falling. After less than a quarter of an hour, the sedan chair stopped. Ruan Bi alighted and saw a magnificent palace before her, with three large gilded characters on the gate plaque: "Cining Palace." A senior eunuch hurried out of the main hall and said to Master Ziying, "Master, please come in. The Empress Dowager has just gotten up and is waiting for you inside."
Master Ziying nodded and said to Ruan Bi, "Come in with me."
Upon entering the main hall, a fragrant aroma filled the air. However, the Empress Dowager was not in the main hall; she sat on a chaise longue in a side hall. It was said that she was about the same age as the immortal Ziying, but she looked much younger, with a full, moon-like face, without blemishes or wrinkles, black hair like clouds, and a serene expression.
Master Ziying bowed with his hands forming the Three Pure Ones Incantation. She, still seated, returned the bow with her own Three Pure Ones Incantation, gesturing for a palace maid to lead Master Ziying to a seat. Then, her beautiful eyes turned to Ruan Bi, and she asked, "Is this your newly accepted disciple?"
Ruan Bi hurriedly went up to the gate and kowtowed, saying, "Ruan Bi greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"Get up."
Ruan Bi stood up, took three steps back, and stood solemnly behind Master Ziying, her head bowed and eyes lowered.
“Raise your head.”
Ruan Bi looked up, and the Empress Dowager glanced at her carefully, nodded slightly, and said, "Not bad, you have a clear and bright spirit, and a handsome appearance, with the air of Duke Ruan Wenxiao. I heard that you are only thirteen years old, yet you have quite a grasp of Taoist arts."
"I wouldn't dare say I have any insights, I just know a little bit about it," Ruan Bi said casually, making things up.
The Empress Dowager said, "He is quite humble. If he truly only knows a little, how could he have won Ziying's favor? He must have extraordinary abilities."
Before he could finish speaking, a eunuch announced from outside: "The Empress and the Imperial Concubine request an audience."
The Empress Dowager leaned back on the chaise lounge and lazily uttered a single word: "Approved."
Footsteps echoed from the main hall toward the side hall. A moment later, two women, adorned with jewels and dressed in opulent attire, entered, chatting and laughing. They appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Ruan Bi immediately recognized Consort Xie, for she bore a striking resemblance to Xie Mingzhu, only far more refined, with delicate, arched eyebrows and captivating, limpid eyes. As for Empress Zhao, she paled in comparison. It wasn't that her features were unattractive or her figure lacked grace; she simply lacked vibrancy and appeared somewhat somber.
Master Ziying rose and performed the Three Pure Ones Incantation to pay his respects. Empress Zhao and Consort Xie returned a half-bow. After the ceremony, the three sat down. Ruan Bi knew it was her turn to step forward, so she stepped forward, knelt on the ground, placed her hands on the ground, and performed a full bow. "This humble woman, Ruan Bi, greets Your Majesty the Empress and Your Majesty the Consort."
"Get up." Empress Zhao's voice was clear and bright, somewhat like that of a young girl who had not yet married.
Ruan Bi got up from the ground, feeling a bit sore in her back and waist. She had knelt down and kowtowed so many times that day.
"Lift your head up and let me see you."
Ruan Bi raised her head, thinking that if she had to look up and down so frequently every day, she would definitely have deep wrinkles on her neck before she was even thirty. It's clear that the palace is truly torturous, unless one becomes the Empress Dowager. But is it possible to become Empress Dowager without first becoming a concubine? Obviously not.
Empress Zhao looked her up and down, from head to toe. She was a little surprised to see that she was not nervous at all, and even seemed slightly distracted. However, she still said what she had agreed on before: "You have a calm and composed demeanor. No wonder the real person likes you. I like you very much too. If I had met you earlier, I would have competed with the real person for you."
The Empress Dowager chuckled and asked, "You don't take on any disciples, so what's the point of stealing them?"
Empress Zhao said with a touch of naivety: "I've always longed for a younger sister, a warm and comforting little cotton-padded jacket, since I was a child, but unfortunately, my wish has never come true."
Consort Xie smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that? She's just a lay disciple of a true immortal; you can simply take her in as your younger sister. But in doing so, this Fifth Miss Ruan will probably become the most fortunate woman in our Great Zhou Dynasty."
These words are truly malicious. If Ruan Bi is the most blessed woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, then what about the Empress Dowager who gave birth to the Emperor? However, every time Consort Xie makes a move, she pushes Ruan Bi a step further away from the palace, so she is happy to listen with her head bowed and eyes lowered, behaving very obediently, and absolutely not disturbing the big bosses' performance.
Empress Zhao said calmly, "My dear Consort, you are mistaken. If we're talking about good fortune, is there anyone in the world more blessed than my mother?"
Ruan Bi thought to herself, "Eh?" Empress Zhao wasn't stupid either. She wondered how Consort Xie would handle the situation.
Consort Xie chuckled and said, "I didn't say everything. The most fortunate among the commoners are none other than the Empress Dowager. To compare her to the commoners would be to bully them, wouldn't it?"
She was indeed a formidable person; Ruan Bi had already given her heart to her.
The Empress Dowager, standing nearby, chuckled and said, "Mingke's little mouth speaks more beautifully than the orioles outside."
"Mother, I am not entirely without merit. How can you compare me to a feathered beast?"
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I was wrong."
Ruan Bi secretly glanced at Empress Zhao, only to see that her expression remained unchanged, but her eyes held a hint of helplessness. It seemed that they had encountered such battles many times before, and she had mostly come out on the losing end.
"Miss Ruan, I heard about you at the beginning of the year, and now I've finally met you in person," Consort Xie said with a smile. "You are truly a beautiful woman, like a painting. It seems my Mingyue has been blind." She then stared intently at Ruan Bi with her beautiful eyes. The Empress Dowager and the Empress had also heard of Ruan Bi's "scandal" and looked at her with curiosity.
"You jest," Ruan Bi said. "Speaking of this, I am quite ashamed. At the beginning of the year, I went to the Marquis of Yanping's residence to admire the plum blossoms. The plum grove was so large, and it was my first time there, that I actually got lost. Later, I met Young Master Xie and managed to get away. I didn't expect that word would get out and become the reason for my getting lost."
Consort Xie took the teacup and sipped it, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes. "So, it's me?"
This was a difficult question to answer. To say she fabricated something would be insubordination. To say she didn't would be self-contradictory and a crime of deceiving superiors. Although Ruan Bi didn't want to show off, Ruan Bi's persistent pressure left her no choice but to fight back. Years of experience in the workplace had taught her that unity achieved through compromise would perish, while unity achieved through struggle would survive. So she said, "Indeed—"
The faces of everyone present changed, and the head eunuch standing to the side growled, "How dare you!"
"—The Tao Te Ching says: 'All things under heaven are born of being, and being is born of non-being.' It also says: 'Being and non-being give rise to each other.' It is clear that being and non-being are one and the same. I never had the intention to stand in the snow for Young Master Xie, but in the eyes of others, I did stand in the snow for Young Master Xie. I have something that gives rise to non-being, and the Imperial Concubine gives rise to something from nothing; they are essentially the same thing."
She used clever and illogical arguments to leave everyone speechless.
After a while, the Empress Dowager realized what she meant and said to Master Ziying with a smile, "Your disciple is indeed very intelligent. She made the idea of the common origin of existence and non-existence quite interesting."
Master Ziying glanced at Ruan Bi and said, "Your Majesty, please don't praise her. She is still young and should focus on self-cultivation. Don't waste her intelligence by constantly trying to be a wise and clever person."
The Empress Dowager beckoned to Ruan Bi and said, "Come here, let me examine your filth carefully."
Ruan Bi walked up to her, took her hand, looked her over carefully for a while, and asked how old she was, what month her birthday was, and what books she had read.
Ruan Bi answered each question, displaying an extremely obedient demeanor.
Empress Zhao said with a sly smile, "Master, look, now even the Empress Dowager is going to try and take it from you."
The Empress Dowager laughed and said, "I don't take on disciples, so what use would it be to seize them?"
Consort Xie smiled and said, "Doesn't the Empress Dowager still need one more daughter-in-law?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered, and she released Ruan Bi's hand.
Ruan Bi couldn't help but glance at Consort Xie, thinking to herself, "I have no grudge against you, so why do you always pick on me?" Her seemingly obedient demeanor had been twisted into ulterior motives by Consort Xie. Consort Xie met her gaze, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes, before turning away.
"Fine, fine. Since you don't want me to have an easy time, I won't let you have an easy time either." Ruan Bi secretly made up her mind.
After that, the Empress Dowager lost interest.
Master Ziying tactfully pulled Ruan Bi away to take their leave. Once outside the Xihua Gate, they heard the clamor of people and horses on the street. Ruan Bi pricked up her ears to listen; this was real life, vibrant and lively. Seeing her beaming with joy at the sounds of the mundane world, Master Ziying couldn't help but sneer, saying, "Is that all you've got?"
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