Chapter Sixty-Nine: You Turn Away From Me
When the maidservant came to report, Ruan Bi had just finished breakfast. Having anticipated this, she wasn't surprised. After tidying herself up slightly, she led Xiuzhi to the main room in the old lady's courtyard, only to find the doors closed and a group of maidservants playing shuttlecock in the yard. Manyun, who was sitting at the door making knots, stood up with a smile and said, "Miss, the old lady and Master Ziying are talking right now. Please wait a moment." She then gave Ruan Bi a meaningful look.
Feeling puzzled by her gaze, Ruan Bi sat down beside her and asked, "Sister Manyun, is my makeup inappropriate today?"
Manyun shook her head, smiled and asked, "Miss, I heard that Young Master Gu is very handsome and imposing, is that true?"
It's getting weirder and weirder. Ruan Bi carefully chose her words and said, "It's alright, the nose and eyes are in their proper places."
Manyun chuckled and said, "You're so funny, young lady." She glanced at Ruan Bi again before sitting down and continuing to make knots.
Ruan Bi looked at the clouds in the sky, the half-yellow and half-red maple leaves, and the cat in the yard stretching lazily... After waiting for an hour, she heard the old lady calling from inside: "Man Yun, has the Fifth Miss arrived? If she has, tell her to come in."
"I've been here for a while now, sitting outside." Manyun stood up, pushed open the door, lifted the curtain, and invited Ruan Bi in.
When Ruan Bi entered, she saw that the old lady and Master Ziying both had smiles on their faces, and it seemed that they were having a very pleasant conversation.
"Sir, I'm afraid you'll have to take good care of my fifth daughter."
"Madam, you're too kind. She's my apprentice."
"Yes, I'm getting senile."
The two laughed heartily. Ruan Bi was completely bewildered, forcing a smile, vaguely feeling as if she had been sold out by the two of them. After a few more casual words, Master Ziying said he wanted to see the osmanthus grove in the back garden of the Ruan family mansion. The old lady naturally granted his request and then told Ruan Bi to take good care of her master.
After leaving the old lady's courtyard, Ruan Bi sent Xiuzhi back to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden. Then, she led Master Ziying slowly along the covered walkway. Perhaps because they understood each other perfectly, they remained silent the whole way. The sky was overcast today, the wind was too strong, the clouds were thick, and the sun was barely visible. Although the temperature was not low, it exuded a desolate late autumn atmosphere.
Reaching a secluded spot, Master Ziying suddenly stopped and looked up at a ginkgo tree. Ruan Bi followed her gaze and saw the wind blowing through the leaves. One yellow leaf clung stubbornly to the branch for a long time before finally drifting down.
Master Ziying sighed and said, "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease."
Ruan Bi said, "It's just a leaf that's been blown off; the branches are unharmed. When spring comes next year, the tree will be lush and green again."
Master Ziying said, "Perhaps it won't survive this winter; the tree will wither and die."
Ruan Bi said, "That would require a really heavy snowstorm. Judging from this year's weather, it hasn't reached that point yet."
"What if someone cuts the roots?"
Ruan Bi turned to look at her in surprise.
Master Ziying said, “The young lady is confined to her inner quarters and unaware of the changing political landscape at court. Someone has already submitted a memorial stating that General Zhao has guarded the Northwest for several years, performing meritorious service. However, he is now advanced in years and suffering from injuries and illnesses. The Northwest is also characterized by harsh winds and frosts, which are not conducive to his recuperation. The Emperor’s grace is boundless. He should be considerate of his unyielding spirit, loyalty to the country, and sincerity in serving the people. He should be transferred back to the capital, and his merits should be recognized, with additional titles and rewards bestowed upon him, so that he may be hailed throughout the land.”
"To suppress, first praise; Consort Xie has a mastermind behind her."
With such a heavy burden placed on him, General Zhao would be unable to disobey the imperial decree and would have no choice but to return. At that time, he would be given a high-ranking but sinecure position, and his military power would be stripped away, leaving the Empress with absolutely no external support.
Master Ziying glanced at her sideways and said unhappily, "Do you want to boost the enemy's morale and diminish our own?"
Ruan Bi thought to herself, when did Consort Xie become her enemy? But now she and Master Ziying were in the same boat, they could only advance and retreat together. If Empress Zhao fell, Master Ziying probably wouldn't let her remain unscathed. In that case, Consort Xie really had become her enemy. After thinking for a moment, she asked, puzzled, "Master, the Empress is the Emperor's first wife, doesn't he have any affection for her at all?"
"What about my wife of many years?" Master Ziying lowered his eyes sadly and sighed, "I am filled with fear and dread, and you are the only one I have. When I am at peace and happy, you turn away from me."
This is a line from the Book of Songs, meaning that it is easy to share hardship but difficult to share wealth.
"Back then, the Emperor was merely the Third Prince. Though exceptionally talented, his position was precarious because he wasn't born to the Empress. General Zhao, on the other hand, was one of the late Emperor's most beloved generals, considered one of the two greatest heroes of the nation alongside the Duke of Dingguo. He guarded the Northwest and repeatedly repelled the Northern Rong armies. The Emperor first sought to marry Empress Zhao, gaining the support of the Zhao clan. Furthermore, because Lady Gu and the Empress Dowager were sisters, he received the support of the Duke of Dingguo, which enabled him to ascend the throne. At that time, the Marquis of Yanping was utterly insignificant, a fallen marquis with a sinecure, so destitute that he had to sell his land to survive. But just because his daughter gave birth to the eldest prince and was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, he suddenly rose to prominence, even having his former Liang Prince's residence allocated to him. Now that Consort Xie is pregnant again, I fear she will soon be granted the title of Duke or Prince." As he spoke, Master Ziying became quite indignant.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat. Could Consort Xie be another Yin Lihua? When Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, was still a commoner, he admired the noblewoman Yin Lihua, exclaiming, "If I were to marry, I would marry Yin Lihua!" He did indeed marry her, but at that time, he was still poor and destitute. Later, he married Guo Shengtong, the niece of Liu Yang, the powerful Prince of Zhending, and seized power with Liu Yang's help, becoming the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Guo Shengtong was briefly made empress, but in the end, Emperor Guangwu deposed her and made his beloved Yin Lihua empress.
"Master, what do you need me to do?"
Master Ziying glanced at her and said with a half-smile, "You're overthinking it. I'm here today not to see you, but to see the old lady."
"Even if you are looking for your grandmother, it must be related to me."
“That’s right, I’ve come for your marriage proposal.” After a pause, Master Ziying said with a hint of reproach, “How did you, such a clever person, come to the point that Madam Gu thinks you’re being ostentatious?”
Ruan Bi suddenly realized why the Empress Dowager had later given up on arranging for her to enter the palace and instead tried so hard to arrange her marriage to Gu Xiaobai. Grand Princess Huiwen was an elder of the Emperor, and Madam Gu was the Empress Dowager's sister. With the support of such a large family, the Empress's position was far more effective than her own entry into the palace. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I don't know either. Perhaps it was because I dressed too extravagantly that day, which backfired."
Master Ziying didn't believe it. He snorted and said, "You've never liked extravagance, so why were you dressed in such finery that day? It's clear you've got some scheme in mind."
Ruan Biqiang argued, "It's not that I don't like luxury, it's just that I didn't have any luxurious clothes before. That day, a new one was made, so I naturally wore it happily."
Master Ziying looked at her and said sternly, "Alright, whatever your intentions were before, you are not allowed to do anything reckless in the future. Fortunately, Madam Gu thinks that although you are flamboyant, you are still reasonable and sensible, and you act and speak with a lot of discipline. You also know how to love your sisters, which is truly rare."
Ruan Bi was stunned for a moment, then realized that Madam Gu must have heard about her words and actions in defending the second young lady in the thatched pavilion. She sighed inwardly; that outfit had been wasted. Then, recalling the old lady and Master Ziying's joyful expressions, a jolt went through her; could the marriage be a done deal?
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