Chapter Thirty-Four: Double Pearls, Double Signatures
"...The Second Master's situation is truly unfortunate. Originally, it was just a young member of the Guo family who caused trouble, but because he is the future son-in-law, he got involved. Therefore, the First Madam's idea is that the government cannot pay for everything; the Guo family should split the costs 70/30..."
Hearing this, Ruan Bi felt it was utterly absurd and said, "How could you say that? The Guo family is, after all, relatives. Relatives naturally help each other. How could they be so clear-cut when things come to a head? Besides, the Guo family has also suffered this time, and they owe a life debt. Who knows how much money they will have to spend."
Granny Zheng said, "Miss, you don't know. She said she would split the profits 70/30 with the Guo family, but actually she was unhappy because she saw that the two shops that the Second Madam brought with her dowry were making money. She wanted the Second Madam to contribute some money as well. But she was scolded by the Old Madam and made to kneel on the ancestral archway."
Ruan Bi suddenly realized, thinking that the First Madam's kneeling in the ancestral hall this time was not unjust at all. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "I noticed that the estate stewards who came and went from house to house recently, what was that about?"
Granny Zheng sighed and said, "Speaking of this matter, the old lady has been quite troubled. Our Ruan family has such a large estate, yet we only have less than 20,000 in cash on hand. If 10,000 were taken away, we wouldn't even have enough money for winter wheat seeds. The second madam has been clamoring to see the accounts for a long time, and this time she insisted that the first madam had embezzled the family fortune, which is why she refused to hand over the money. The first madam said she was making false accusations, and the two of them got into a fight. The old lady saw that the cash was indeed too little and had her own doubts, so she had the accountant and the estate manager come over to check the accounts. There were indeed no oversights, but the estate harvests in recent years have been poor, and the eldest master waived half a year's rent for the tenants, so the income was less."
Ruan Bi's thoughts shifted slightly, but she remained silent. She had once met a very capable accountant whose ledgers were so meticulously maintained that even after seventeen or eighteen investigations, no evidence of his embezzlement could be found.
Granny Zheng continued, "Now that the money has been sent and they've readily agreed, it's safe to say that Second Master Bao will be fine. But that young master Guo won't be so lucky. Even if he escapes the death penalty, he won't escape punishment. It seems the Third Miss's marriage to him is off..."
Speaking of the Third Sister, Ruan Bi couldn't help but feel a little regretful. This morning, when she went to pay her respects, the Third Sister still didn't appear, saying she was still ill.
Xiuzhi, who was standing to the side, tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Miss, it's this one, this one."
Ruan Bi stopped and lifted the veil of her hat to see a seated Arhat, knees drawn up, gazing ahead with a distant expression. Beside him was a red lacquered wooden plaque that read: "Achieving fame and success is no easy feat; soaring like a dragon and leaping like a steed, one's ambition is naturally high. With arms raised high, steel and iron, one can captivate all beings—that is true heroism."
Granny Zheng read it aloud in a low voice, then frowned and asked, "What is the young lady asking about?"
"future."
"Why is the young lady asking about her future? She should be asking about her marriage." Granny Zheng said in surprise, then glanced at the fortune slip again and said regretfully, "What a pity, what a pity. If the young lady were a man, this fortune slip would be excellent."
Ruan Bi said indifferently, "It's just a number for fun." After saying that, she walked out of the Arhat Hall.
But then a young maid with no hair turned around from behind a row of Arhats, pointed to one of them, and said excitedly, "Miss, it's this one, it's this one."
A moment later, a young woman wearing a veiled hat and a yellow dress turned around with her head maid and an old nanny. The old nanny gently scolded her, "Yunshan, don't make such a fuss and disturb others. They'll think all the servants in our Prime Minister's residence are so frivolous and undisciplined."
The identity of the visitor to the Prime Minister's residence is self-evident.
The little maid pouted and said, "Mother is such a spoilsport. Since we're here at the Arhat Hall, why don't you let the young lady count the Arhats and play? You won't allow this or that, you're going to make her feel stifled before you'll stop!"
The old nanny said, "It's not that I didn't want the young lady to come, but Tianqing Temple is full of gossips. What if something goes wrong? How would I explain it to the old lady and the madam? Didn't you see it yourself? There were a few dissolute young men wandering around aimlessly. If we hadn't moved quickly and entered the Arhat Hall, we would have run into them. Our young lady is of such high status..." She was rambling on when she noticed Chen suddenly stop and stare straight ahead. She swallowed the rest of her words and looked over as well. She saw a young lady in a green dress standing with the old nanny and a head maid. The young lady wore a veil, so her face was not clearly visible, but her demeanor was outstanding and no less than that of her own young lady. Upon closer inspection, she recognized Zheng, the nanny standing next to Ruan Bi. She let out a soft "Oh dear," and nudged Chen, saying, "Young lady, don't stand there. Let's go."
He grunted an "Mmm," but didn't move, still looking at Ruan Bi.
Ruan Bi looked at her for a long time, but finally felt she had nothing to say, so she lifted her foot and continued walking forward.
As they brushed past each other, Ruan Bi glanced sideways at the Arhat the maid was pointing to. Beside it, a wooden slip read: "Falling flowers seem to have feelings, but the flowing water seems indifferent." The plays on stage captivate audiences. She wondered what the maid was asking for; the omen seemed rather mystical.
As I stepped out of the Arhat Hall, I heard whispers coming from there.
"They're out, they're out..."
"Are you blind? The one who went in just now wearing the yellow shirt is the real one. This one is wearing the green shirt."
"Was that woman in the yellow shirt really the Pearl of Kyoto?"
"Nonsense, I've found out everything. They really are here with Madam Shen today to eat vegetarian food and offer incense."
"Wearing a veil, you can't see anything clearly, it's boring."
"That's why I specifically called Xiaobai over. He's a good archer; he can just shoot off her hat in a bit. Xiaobai, is that alright?"
Xiao Bai? Ruan Bi was taken aback and looked up in the direction from which the voice came. She saw several boys peeking out from behind a rockery. They were all dressed in brocade robes and had jade belts around their necks. They looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, but Gu Xiao Bai was nowhere to be seen.
Gu Xiaobai's casual voice rang out: "What's in it for me?"
Ruan Bi shook her head and chuckled, recalling how, in junior and senior high school, the boys in her class would often go on bike rides to see the school beauty from another school. In any era, teenagers of this age are so naive, yet so carefree and exuberant.
"What's the benefit? Don't you want to see what the Pearl of Kyoto looks like?"
Gu Xiaobai's voice was dismissive: "Can't you grow another eye?"
"How about we shoot off the veil of this girl in the green dress first? I'm curious about what she looks like."
Ruan Bi, Zheng Mama, and Xiuzhi quickened their pace and walked forward.
Hearing Gu Xiaobai exclaim "Oh!" from behind, the others asked, "Why didn't you ejaculate again?"
As I entered the side hall, the sounds of wooden fish drums and chanting filled the air, drowning out the whispers of the group of teenagers behind me.
Xiuzhi glanced back, patted her chest, and whispered, "That was close! We almost ran into that plague god Gu again." She then said to Ruanbi, "Girl, we have to be careful. That plague god Gu is nearby."
Ruan Bi was also apprehensive about the Little White Curse, so she nodded and said, "Let's stop shopping and go to the guest room to wait for Grandmother."
After sitting in the guest hall and drinking a cup of tea, the old lady returned from the abbot's room, looking relaxed with a hint of joy on her face. It seemed the divination had yielded good results. Ruan Bi rose to greet her, taking her arm and asking, "What did Master Baiyun say that made Grandmother so happy?"
The old lady smiled and said, "Of course it's a good thing, but it won't work if you tell people." She patted Ruan Bi's hand and said, "Come on, Fifth Sister, come with me to give the scriptures."
Ruan Bi nodded and was about to lower the veil of her hat.
The old lady pressed her hand down and said, "It's not too late to put it down when we get to the side hall. There are no outsiders along this road, and it's too stuffy to be covered up like this."
Ruan Bi was taken aback, but still obeyed.
Turning right after exiting the gate, the door to another guest room opened, and a young novice monk led a group of people out. In the center was none other than Old Madam Shen, wearing a brown ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) pattern, still only adorned with a single pearl hairpin, exuding a very dignified air. She had initially stepped ahead of Old Madam Ruan, but her steps faltered slightly when her gaze fell upon Ruan Bi's face. Old Madam Ruan then walked past her haughtily, not even glancing at her.
Ruan Bi suddenly realized that the old lady had another purpose in bringing her to Tianqing Temple to offer incense.
Although movable type printing had appeared in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the printed characters varied in depth, and some characters would become blurred due to excessive ink absorption. Therefore, handwritten books remained the preferred choice. However, paper and ink were expensive, and ordinary families could not afford them. Tianqing Temple guided people to Buddhism, holding a scripture donation ceremony on the first day of each month. The scriptures were donated by prominent families and personally presented by the matriarchs of these families. In the eyes of the common people, matriarchs from prominent families were blessed individuals, and receiving the books from them was believed to bring them good fortune. At the same time, the matriarchs also gained a reputation for benevolence and kindness. It was a win-win situation, and everyone was happy.
The sutra-giving ceremony was held in a side hall next to the main hall, and it is not usually open to the public.
When Ruan Bi entered through the back door, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and the place was empty except for the colorful patterns painted on the walls. Upon closer inspection, she saw the Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras and the Dragon Girl offering a dragon pearl, which was probably taken from the Lotus Sutra, "The Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras, humans and non-humans, all saw the Dragon Girl attain Buddhahood from afar."
Along the wall, several waist-high square tables were joined together to form a long platform, covered with a red cloth. The old lady walked to the middle and stood still, looking at Manyun. She stepped forward, untied the bundle she was carrying, placed the handwritten Diamond Sutra on the platform, then stepped back a few paces and stood respectfully behind the old lady.
Madam Shen led her entourage straight to the head seat, where her head maidservant untied her bundle, took out scriptures, and placed them on the table. More ladies arrived, greeting each other with smiles. Several who were on good terms with the old lady sized up Ruan Bi and asked, "Is this young lady a disciple of Master Ziying?"
The old lady nodded and said, "That's right."
Everyone praised, "Truly a place blessed with beautiful scenery and outstanding people."
The old lady was pleased, but she didn't show it on her face. She said modestly, "Not at all. She's just a silly girl. I don't know how she caught the eye of Master Ziying..."
Madam Shen frowned slightly and gave the monk in charge a wink.
The monk nodded slightly, clapped his hands, and said, "Ladies, please be quiet for a moment. It's time to present the scriptures."
The old lady glanced at Ruan Bi, and Ruan Bi understood, so she lowered the veil covering her face.
The two young monks guarding the gate removed the bolt and opened the gate.
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