Chapter Seventy-Four: Three People Talking About Tigers
After a moment's thought, Consort Xie said, "Speaking of the unity of all things, I'm reminded of a story. There was a pedantic scholar who, like you, firmly believed in the unity of all things. Every time he saw a hunter carrying his prey and hawking it in the street, he would go up and lecture him, saying things like, 'We are all of the same origin, why are we so eager to harm each other?' and so on. One day, he went to visit relatives in a neighboring county, but he walked several miles too far and missed his lodging. With no village or inn in sight, he rested in a dilapidated temple. In the middle of the night, he suddenly woke up and found a white-browed tiger with piercing eyes crouching diagonally opposite him. He was terrified and instinctively reached for a stone on the ground to hit it. Suddenly, he remembered that he usually looked down on hunters..." What difference was there between his actions and those of a hunter? Feeling ashamed, he threw away the stone, straightened his clothes, and bowed before the tiger, saying, "Forgive me, brother tiger, for all these years of studying the classics, I have actually harbored thoughts of harming you. The sages said, 'Man is the heart of heaven and earth, and all things in heaven and earth are originally one with me…'" Before he could finish, the tiger opened its mouth and swallowed him whole, thus becoming "one." This passage compares Ruan Bi to a pedantic scholar arguing with a tiger, compares himself to a fierce tiger, and implies that the idea of all things being one is nonsense, ultimately leading to his death in the tiger's belly.
Aunt Wan, who had been expressionless and silent the whole time, slightly smiled, revealing a hint of approval.
Although Eunuch Lu, Eunuch Yu, and the four palace maids only understood about half of what was being said, they guessed it was meant to mock Ruan Bi. So they all looked at Ruan Bi with disdain, covering their mouths and snickering. But Ruan Bi's face remained calm and composed, as still as water.
In truth, Ruan Bi was quite surprised; she hadn't expected Consort Xie to be so eloquent. She'd heard rumors before that "in the harem, only Consort Xie is known, not Empress Zhao," and she'd wondered why the Empress, whose looks were no less striking and whose family background was even stronger than Consort Xie's, was allowed to steal the spotlight. Now she understood; the Empress's defeat wasn't unjust. In terms of appearance, she was only slightly inferior, but in terms of talent, cunning, and eloquence, she couldn't match Consort Xie in any of these three areas. A woman naturally beautiful, intelligent, and eloquent, who also bore the eldest prince—no wonder the Emperor favored her.
After a moment's thought, Ruan Bi smiled and said, "The story of the Imperial Concubine is truly wonderful. It's just a pity it's a bit short. I'm itching to add a sequel. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."
"allow."
Ruan Biqing cleared her throat and said, "The tiger swallowed the pedantic scholar without lifting a finger, feeling completely relaxed. Lying on the ground, it lazily thought, 'Is there really such a cheap thing in the world? Compared to the past, when I toiled in the mountains catching rabbits and deer to barely fill my stomach, this is much more leisurely.' So, from then on, it became more cunning, often loitering around the dilapidated temple. It was lucky; every ten days or so, it would encounter a pedantic scholar, who, with a heart of oneness with all things, did the foolish thing of feeding the tiger with his own body. After swallowing seven or eight pedants, the tiger became increasingly lazy and arrogant, looking down on everyone. One day, under a clear moon, it strolled through the forest and smelled the scent of humans coming from the dilapidated temple. Upon closer inspection, it saw another scholar, holding a book, reciting in the moonlight, '...All things are one, suffering is intimately connected; this is the height of virtue and the ultimate in benevolence.' The tiger heard the words 'All things are one, suffering is intimately connected with all things, this is the height of virtue and the ultimate in benevolence.'" The tiger, feeling reassured that it would soon have another feast, sat down beside the scholar. The scholar, unafraid, patted its head and said, "Brother Tiger, the moon is bright and the breeze is gentle. We are of different natures, yet we can share this beauty. This is truly a blessing from the workings of heaven and earth, a fortunate convergence of causes and conditions." No sooner had he spoken than the tiger opened its mouth to swallow him whole. Startled, the scholar quickly picked up a stone and smashed the tiger's head, causing it to bleed. The tiger, enraged, questioned him, "You speak of benevolence and creation, and of the unity of all things. Once inside me, we are one. Why then do you harm me? Isn't this a lack of benevolence?" The scholar laughed heartily and said, "Brother Tiger, you misunderstand. 'Unity of all things' means that all things share the same origin and are interconnected. I treat you with benevolence, and you should repay me with benevolence. If you harbored any intention to harm me, I had no choice but to kill you. This is what is meant by 'human hearts are one.'" The tiger, deeply ashamed, fled with its wound.
Her words were spoken slowly and deliberately, long and convoluted, but because of her clear and melodious voice, no one grew impatient. However, the palace maids, eunuch Yu, and Eunuch Lu, with their limited knowledge, were completely bewildered, only understanding the last sentence as "I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me, I will retaliate." They failed to grasp the preceding mockery of Consort Xie's arrogance, the reminder not to forget benevolence, and the implicit expression of a willingness to coexist peacefully with her… and so on.
Aunt Wan listened, her face expressionless, but her eyes were filled with turbulent emotions. If it weren't for their differing stances, she would have rushed forward and grabbed her hand. What she said was truly brilliant.
Consort Xie understood about 80-90% of what she was saying and was shocked. She no longer dared to underestimate her and her gaze became serious.
After Aunt Wan returned from the lotus-viewing gathering at the Marquis of Yanping's residence, she specifically mentioned her, saying she was extraordinary and wondered what kind of future awaited her. She hadn't taken it seriously at the time, but still followed Aunt Wan's advice and removed her from the list of those to be received at the palace. Unexpectedly, Empress Zhao issued an additional decree summoning her. Therefore, she followed Aunt Wan's advice and had Eunuch Lu stop her at the Donghua Gate. This served two purposes: first, to prevent her from entering the palace, thus tarnishing the reputation of the Ruan family in Jingxi and currying favor with Old Madam Shen and Princess Rouzhen (Shen's mother); and second, to give Empress Zhao a slap in the face. Therefore, she deliberately asked Old Madam Ruan in front of everyone about Ruan Bi standing in the snow for Xie Mingyue.
Ruan Bi's reputation was ruined as a result. When she heard about it, she smiled and thought, "That's it. I reckon she'll get married quietly soon." Unexpectedly, a month later, she became a disciple of Master Ziying and even entered the palace for an audience. Upon finally meeting her, the master saw that Ruan Bi had just grown up. Although she was beautiful and spoke eloquently, she didn't have any particularly outstanding qualities. The master suspected that Aunt Wan was being paranoid.
Hearing her clear and articulate words, she realized that it wasn't that Aunt Wan was overly suspicious, but rather that she had underestimated her. Few people possessed the skill to blend pleading and threats so subtly, without making anyone feel uncomfortable.
As the saying goes, in a battle of wits, the skill of a master is revealed in a few moves. This time, the two each told a story, engaging in close combat. Though no weapons were seen, the air was thick with tension and a chill ran down their spines. Each had their own plan, and neither was willing to speak easily. They looked at each other, their minds racing. One was plotting how to frame her and drag Ziying Zhenren into the mess. The other was thinking about how to escape their predicament unscathed.
Those around them were quite surprised to see the two women exchanging knowing glances, but dared not say anything.
The sun was already setting in the west, and the sunlight was no longer as warm as before. The wind rustled through the trees, creating a sound reminiscent of the howling of birds.
After a long pause, Consort Xie spoke again: "I have just carefully considered the story of Fifth Miss Ruan, and it is indeed exquisite, but the ending is inappropriate. The tiger is the king of the mountains and the chief of all beasts. How could it allow a scholar to harm it? I think the ending of the story should be changed to: The tiger, after listening to the scholar's pedantic speech, became very angry and thought to itself, 'I am the king of the mountains and the chief of all beasts. How can you say that I am one and that I am benevolent?' So it opened its mouth wide and swallowed the scholar whole."
It means I will never let you go.
Ruan Bi was not surprised. While telling the story, she was thinking about the reason. She had no grudge against Consort Xie, so why did Consort Xie repeatedly target her? She had not taken Consort Xie seriously before, so she had not thought about it carefully. But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was only because her surname was Ruan and because she was a disciple of Master Ziying.
Consort Xie needs the support of both the inner and outer courts to ascend to the position of Empress. In the outer court, Prime Minister Shen is the head of all officials; his call to action is swift and decisive. Therefore, it's essential to win him over, at least to ensure he won't voice his opposition or say, "Why should His Majesty consult others on his family matters?" Winning over Prime Minister Shen and attacking the Ruan family, which has a grudge against the Shen family, is one way to show goodwill. As for the inner court, to overthrow Empress Zhao, she must eliminate the Purple-Armored Immortal who has always supported her. However, the Immortal is a Golden-Armored Feathered Swordsman bestowed by the late Emperor, and is a fellow Daoist with the Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess. He once supported the Emperor's ascension to the throne, making it difficult to bring him down. She has no choice but to start with herself—if she harms the imperial heir, the Purple-Armored Immortal who brought her into the palace will also be implicated. Today is indeed an excellent opportunity; although the method of framing is clumsy, it might still be effective.
Between her and Consort Xie, there was no longer any personal grudge; they had been enemies from the moment she became a disciple of Master Ziying. After eight and a half months in this world, she finally fully understood the political vortex she was in: the feud between the Shen and Ruan families, the struggle between the Empress and Consort Xie… The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease; this was a life-or-death contest, one that could not be avoided but only confronted.
Thinking of this, Ruan Bi refused to back down and said, "The ending that the Imperial Concubine mentioned only considered the tiger's habits, but forgot about human nature. Although the tiger is the king of the mountains, in terms of intelligence and agility, it cannot compare to humans, the most intelligent of all creatures. How could the scholar easily enter the forest? He must have a backup plan." Having said this much, her true intentions were revealed.
Consort Xie raised an eyebrow and sneered, about to ask what the next move was. Suddenly, she heard a soft cough. Turning her head, she saw Prince Jin striding over and asking, "I think I just heard you talking about a tiger attacking people. Did the white tiger from the Hundred Treasures Garden run out and attack people? Where is it? I'll take some men and kill it with one stroke." Within the Forbidden Garden, there was a Hundred Treasures Garden, which housed rare and exotic animals transported from all over the country, including a white tiger.
The speaker meant it, and the listener did too. A warm feeling flowed through Ruan Bi's heart. She stole a glance at him and saw that his eyes were also looking at her. When their eyes met, his eyes curved almost imperceptibly, as if to say, "Don't worry."
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