Chapter Seventy: A Hidden Purpose
When Master Ziying noticed that she suddenly stopped speaking and her expression was somewhat unusual, especially the fading light in her eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "Madam Gu praised you, so why are you looking so dejected?"
Ruan Bi smiled and made up a story: "I thought I would win her favor, but I didn't expect to get such a comment, so I'm feeling really bad." Her voice trembled slightly when she said "feeling bad." She really was feeling bad. She remembered that day at Tianqing Temple, when the First Madam grabbed her servants and pushed her away against her will. She felt the same way now—in the face of powerful external forces, her own will was completely futile.
Her smile was forced, and her voice lacked its usual clear and calm tone. A strange feeling swept through Master Ziying. He stared at her for a long time, wondering, was she the kind of person who would be upset by someone else's comment? Of course not. She was always calm and resolute, showing no fear or anger even when condemned by a thousand men. Remembering how she had deliberately appeared in splendid attire at the Chrysanthemum Gathering at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, his heart tightened, and his voice became stern: "I don't know what you're thinking, and I don't care what you're thinking. Anyway, you can't afford to act recklessly this time, or don't blame me for being ruthless."
These words were as chilling as the autumn wind. Ruan Bi, though outwardly gentle, was inwardly strong. She was displeased but dared not say anything, so she remained silent. Master Ziying quickly realized that he had been too harsh and softened his voice, saying, "There are very few families in the entire Great Zhou with a background like the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. If you weren't my disciple, and if Princess Huiwen weren't my close friend, how could such a marriage have fallen into your lap? You should cherish your good fortune."
Ruan Bi knew that if she didn't express her opinion, her mother would remain uneasy, so she nodded.
Master Ziying let out a sigh of relief, looked up at the sky, and said, "It's almost noon, let's have lunch first. After lunch, come with me to see Yinxue, she wants to see you."
Who is Yin Xue? Ruan Bi was stunned, her mind racing, but she couldn't remember. But judging from the tone, it was clearly someone she knew well. Could it be Dong Xue? She tentatively asked, "Does Dong Xue want to see me?"
"It is her. Dongxue was her name when she was your maid. Now that she is no longer your maid, she should change her name back to her original name. Lu Yinxue, it sounds elegant too. Speaking of which, she is also pitiful. She was originally the daughter of an official. If her father hadn't died early and she had no relatives to rely on, why would she have had to sell herself into slavery?"
Her words were highly suspicious, and Ruan Bixin slowly sank into a slump.
Lunch was eaten with the Old Madam. Afterwards, Master Ziying said he wanted to take Ruanbi to his residence in the capital. The Old Madam naturally agreed, and specifically reminded Ruanbi to wear more clothes, as she had just recovered from an illness and shouldn't catch a cold again. She also instructed Xiuzhi to take good care of the young lady, and that if anything went wrong, she would be held responsible. Such earnest concern was unprecedented.
On the way to Master Ziying's outer residence, neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.
The carriage stopped as it entered the house. The door to the east wing creaked open, and a round-faced maidservant ran out, her bright black eyes giving Ruan Bi a curious look before turning back to say, "Miss, the real person is back, and there's a pretty young lady with her. She must be the Fifth Miss you've been talking about." Ruan Bi remembered that last time she came, there were only a few servants and no maidservants in the house; it seemed this maidservant was there specifically to serve Dong Xue.
As soon as she finished speaking, a clear tinkling of jade pendants came from the east wing. Then, Dongxue appeared at the doorway, her face beaming with joy and excitement. She took a step across the threshold, gripping the doorframe. Just then, Master Ziying coughed softly, causing Dongxue to pause, her joy freezing on her face. After a moment, she slightly composed herself, and her gait became more dignified.
As Ruan Bi watched her gracefully approach, adorned in a brocade robe embroidered with butterflies and flowers, and with her headdress, wristbands, and necklace all made of crimson gold and crystal beads, Ruan Bi realized that Ruan Bi's suspicions were now confirmed. She glanced at Master Ziying with slight displeasure.
Master Ziying smiled calmly and said, "Disciple, you and Yinxue haven't seen each other for a long time, you must have a lot to talk about. I'll just go to my room and meditate for a while, each of you can do as you please." With that, he walked straight towards the main room.
As soon as she left, Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief, took Ruanbi's hand, and said happily, "Miss, come on, let's go inside and talk."
Ruan Bi nodded and followed her into the east wing. She saw that although the furnishings in the room were not luxurious, they were still unique and exquisite.
Dongxue pulled Ruanbi to sit down on the couch, examined her carefully for a while, and said happily, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. You've grown taller and more beautiful. No wonder everyone outside is talking about your beauty."
Ruan Bi examined her closely. The scar on her cheek was barely noticeable; with powder, it would be completely invisible. Perhaps because of her recent pampered life, her entire demeanor had changed, like a pearl cleansed of dust, like jade polished to a shine. Ruan Bi had long suspected that Master Ziying had ulterior motives for taking her in, which was why he had considered marrying her off to Prince Jin's guard. Alas, what a pity…
Seeing that she had been staring at her ever since she came in, with no joy on her face but rather a growing look of regret, Dongxue felt a little uneasy. She smiled nervously and asked, "Miss, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
"Dongxue, what does my master want you to do?"
Dongxue's smile faded, and she lowered her eyes, saying, "Indeed, nothing can be hidden from you, Miss." She paused, then continued, "Miss, this is my own choice. It wasn't that the Master forced me. My cousin is a scoundrel... and I'm homeless now. The Master and you are both my saviors. I'm willing to do anything. It's just serving people, isn't it? That's what I'm best at, and you know that too."
She thought that saying "I'm willing" would dispel Ruan Bi's doubts, but little did she know that her words had already exposed her true colors. Ruan Bi thought to herself, with her level of speaking, entering the palace would be worse than a lamb entering a tiger's den. After a moment of silence, Ruan Bi stood up and said, "Dongxue, I have something to say to my master. Wait for me."
Dongxue grabbed her arm and pleaded, "Miss, please don't go. I owe you, and I also owe you, Master."
Ruan Bi patted her hand, signaling her to let go, and then gestured for Xiuzhi to stay with her. Only then did she leave the east wing and go to the main entrance, where she found the door ajar. She gently pushed it open. Master Ziying sat cross-legged on the couch, slowly opened his eyes, and said, "I knew you were coming to find me. You are a very strange person. Sometimes you are clearly cold and ruthless, yet you take good care of those around you. No wonder Dongxue is so devoted to you."
“Master, I’ve been very kind to you. It’s really hard to bear seeing you make such a bad move.”
Master Ziying smiled but remained silent.
"You want to send Dongxue to the Empress's side as a palace maid?"
"Her brothers are helpless, and she has offended the King of Han, so she originally had no way out. This is her only way out. As for palace maids, when Empress Wu Zetian first entered the palace, she was just a palace maid of Empress Wang. So I am just pointing out a path for her. The specifics depend on her fate."
"Who was Wu Zetian? She's a once-in-a-century figure. She could turn her hand to make clouds and rain. Besides, she and Emperor Gaozong knew each other since their youth, and their relationship was extraordinary. How could Dongxue possibly have such power? She only said one sentence to me, and she's already revealed everything. Yes, she's beautiful, but there are dozens of imperial concubines, each with their own unique charm. Even Consort Xie alone can't compare. Furthermore, she was once sold into slavery; that experience alone makes her easy to criticize and ridicule. Even if she were to be favored, her rank wouldn't be high. Therefore, sending her into the palace would only add another resentful woman to the inner palace."
Master Ziying smiled but did not answer.
"Of course, perhaps you never intended for her to be favored by the Emperor. You just wanted to place her next to the Empress to attract his temporary affection and keep her in the Empress's palace from time to time. As for her, let her fend for herself." As Ruan Bi spoke, she kept staring into the eyes of Master Ziying. Sure enough, she saw a strange light flash deep in Master Ziying's eyes. Ruan Bi understood the situation perfectly and made up her mind to stop Master Ziying from sending Dongxue into the palace.
Master Ziying said unhappily, "Fifth Miss, you are meddling far too much."
“Master, she and I grew up together since childhood, and we are like sisters. How can I watch her walk the path to her death? Just as I wouldn’t watch anything happen to you, Master, I can’t watch anything happen to her either. Besides, I already have a complete plan.”
“I’ve already seen your overall plan last time.”
"If this goes wrong again, I'll bring you my head."
These harsh words startled Master Ziying. She knew that her disciple was extremely cunning and always left herself room to maneuver in her words.
"Master, I would like to ask you, can you arrange for me to meet with the Emperor?"
Master Ziying pondered for a moment, then said, "It's not difficult, but what do you want to do?"
Ruan Bi leaned close to her ear and whispered.
Master Ziying's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at her.
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