Chapter Thirty-Six Crooked Thoughts
However, even if someone had a wicked idea, it was too late to intervene at this point.
Ruan Bi withdrew her gaze, leaned back comfortably on the soft couch, and watched Manyun's fingers fly as she made the knot.
When she arrived at Tianqing Temple, she rode in the same carriage as the old lady. Just as she boarded the carriage, the old lady suddenly told her to sit in the blue-curtained carriage behind her and also sent Manyun over, leaving only Zheng Mama to accompany her. It is estimated that she had something private to say.
She wasn't wrong. Because of the "hand-touching" incident, the old lady was filled with resentment and was currently complaining to Zheng Mama: "...It's not that I'm petty or can't stand seeing others do well. I'm just really angry and can't hold it in. Every time I look at Fifth Sister, I miss Lan Sister a little more. I dreamed about her again last night. She just sat there crying without saying a word. When I woke up, my heart felt like it was being choked by a stone..."
Granny Zheng comforted her softly, "It's because you've been thinking about it during the day that you're dreaming about it at night. Miss Lan's situation isn't bad either; she explained it clearly in her last letter. Master Xu is quite fond of her..."
The old lady snorted coldly and said, "Can you trust this girl's words? She always reports good news and never bad. In the past, whenever I asked her how I treated her, she would only say it was good, but then things turned out like this. Besides, she still hasn't given the Xu family a son or daughter. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache..."
Granny Zheng calculated the time and said, "It's been more than a month. The letter should have arrived in Guangzhou. Once Miss Lan replies and finalizes the marriage between Young Master Xu and Fifth Miss, you won't have to worry anymore." She paused, covered her mouth, and smiled, saying, "Just now, when all the old ladies were praising Fifth Miss, the Shen family's expression was not very pleasant."
Mentioning this, the old lady felt a little gratified and said, "Fortunately, Fifth Sister is quite proud now, so it wasn't for nothing that I raised her for so many years."
"Yes, Fifth Miss is so sensible and well-behaved." As she spoke, Zheng Mama remembered the matter that Ruan Bi had asked her to do. She thought about it for a moment, but felt that the time was not right, so she had to give up. Speaking of which, Fifth Miss's ideas were quite different from ordinary people. The other girls all felt that moving to the old lady's courtyard was too restrictive, but she alone wanted to move here.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
The old lady asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
The coachman outside replied, "I don't know, the third steward gestured for us to stop."
The old lady lifted a corner of the curtain in puzzlement, just as the third steward turned his horse around and rode over, whispering, "Old lady, Prince Han's entourage is approaching."
King Han was notoriously arrogant and domineering. Whenever he went out, pedestrians had to give way. Otherwise, if they bumped into him, they would be punished with a beating. Once, an imperial censor accidentally bumped into his carriage and made him kneel down and beg for forgiveness in the street before he would let it go.
The old lady said, "Then let's quickly retreat into the alley."
"yes."
The third steward waved his hands, directing the procession into a side alley. The alley was already crowded with people making way—horse riders, peddlers carrying loads, sedan chairs, and carriages… Once the three carriages from the Ruan family squeezed in, it was almost impossible to move. But no one dared to make a sound, fearing that if Prince Han heard them and became displeased, he would punish them all for disturbing the peace.
Ruan Bi, unaware of what had happened, looked out the car window and asked in bewilderment, "Why did you suddenly end up in an alley?"
“There must be an important person traveling.” Manyun said, lifting the curtain to take a look, and said, “No wonder, it’s Prince Han’s entourage.”
Curious, Ruan Bi also came over to watch. A procession passed by at the alley entrance, banners fluttering, one of which was embroidered with a dragon and phoenix, the character "Han." She couldn't help but think of the Prince of Jin, who always traveled lightly, accompanied only by his personal guards, sometimes even forgoing his princely robes. Both were members of the imperial family, yet the difference was like heaven and earth.
The procession suddenly stopped, followed by unusual sounds, seemingly the shouts of guards and the pleas of others.
Manyun sighed and said, "Which unlucky guy ran into this again?" She gently tugged at Ruanbi and said, "Girl, stop looking. Let's sit down. We'll probably have to wait a while."
Ruan Bi nodded, and after a quarter of an hour, the noise stopped, and the procession started moving again.
After the King of Han's procession had completely passed, the people in the alley filed out and went their separate ways.
When they returned to Huai Shu Lane, it was already late afternoon. Several servants were standing at the entrance of the lane, looking around. When they saw the carriage, they shouted, "They're back! They're back!"
When the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Ruan residence, the second steward was already standing outside. As soon as the old lady got off the carriage, he came up to her and said, "Old Madam, the head steward has sent someone back from Yangzhou. He is in the master's courtyard now."
The old lady said "Oh" and quickly went inside.
After passing through the hanging flower gate, he said to Ruan Bi, "You should go back and rest first." Without waiting for her reply, he hurriedly led Manyun, Zheng Mama, and the others inside. Before they even reached the main room, a maid had already lifted the curtain and called out loudly, "The old lady is here."
As the old lady stepped across the threshold, the first lady and the eldest master came out from the side hall to greet her.
Looking around the empty side hall, the old lady asked, "Where is everyone?"
The old man said, "He rushed back without eating. After I finished asking him questions, I sent him off to eat first."
The old lady sat down and asked anxiously, "How is it?"
"The head steward has already visited my second brother in prison. He said the Guo family has pulled some strings, so he didn't suffer any hardship. However, the students are still sitting in protest at the Education Bureau, demanding severe punishment for the murderer and my second brother." The master paused and said, "But there's something extremely bad. This morning at court, I heard that students from Suzhou and Hangzhou also started a disturbance, supporting the Yangzhou students and demanding severe punishment for the murderer."
The old lady's face changed drastically. She said, "What exactly happened? We already gave them ten thousand taels of silver, so why didn't it settle things? Instead, they've started making a scene."
The eldest master said, “Mother, don’t panic. I just discussed it with my advisors and we think this matter is not aimed at my second brother. It’s just that my second brother entered officialdom through hereditary privilege, and our Ruan family has a reputation in the capital. Students from all over the country took the opportunity to cause trouble. In reality, they are still against the hereditary privilege system.”
The old lady slapped the armrest of the chair and said, "It's really infuriating that I had to get into this mess."
The master continued, “The students’ riots in various places have alarmed the Emperor. Today, he issued an edict appointing Zhang Xiushan, a senior official, as the envoy to Yangzhou to investigate and handle the matter. This matter is currently at a critical juncture. Because my second brother is involved, I cannot visit him. Fortunately, this Zhang Xiushan has some connections with the Prince of Han’s residence. I have already sent my advisor, Mr. Yang, to the Prince of Han’s residence to deliver a letter. I will go to the Prince of Han’s residence this afternoon.”
The old lady was not familiar with the affairs of the court. After thinking for a while, she couldn't come up with a solution, and her head started to ache. Seeing her tired face, the eldest master said with concern, "Mother, let me take you back to the courtyard to rest. Don't think too much about it. There's always a way out."
The old lady nodded, stood up and said, "Alright. You don't need to see me off. Just let me know when you get back from the Prince of Han's residence."
The master nodded and escorted her to the door, then had Manyun help her back to Chunhui Hall.
The old lady took a short nap, but after waking up, she was restless. She ordered someone to stand guard at the door and inform her immediately if the master returned. However, by dusk, the master had not returned. He only sent someone to say that he was attending a banquet at the Prince Han's residence, and it was unclear when the banquet would end.
The old lady waited until dusk, then, unable to resist any longer, lay down on the bed fully clothed. She drifted off to sleep, when she heard the young maidservant at the gate say, "The master has arrived." She quickly sat up and tidied her hair.
Man Yun, who was on night watch, opened the door, and the master came in, reeking of alcohol, with flushed cheeks and sleepy eyes.
The old lady frowned and said, "Manyun, quickly go and tell the kitchen to make a bowl of hangover soup."
Man Yun knew that she was being asked to leave, so she responded, went back, and closed the door.
"Hong'er, how is he?"
The master sat down on the brocade mat in front of the bed, looking troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Mother, I saw Prince Han today..."
The old lady asked in surprise, "Did he see you in person?"
Given the rank of the master, it would be an insult for Prince Han to personally receive him. Sending a staff member or a clerk of the fourth rank or above to meet him would suffice; last time, it was the third-rank tutor of the Prince's mansion who met him.
"No, it just so happens that the Prince's mansion is having a banquet and invited me to join them for dinner and drinks."
The old lady asked, "Did he say anything?"
The old man's lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Hong'er, stop stammering. Is there anything you can't say?"
"At the banquet, he asked about our fifth daughter, what disciple of the Purple Ying Immortal, what immortal descended from the Flower Goddess of Yaochi..." The master's voice trailed off.
The old lady glanced at his expression and suddenly realized what was going on. After a moment of silence, she sneered and said, "This shameless man, we've already given him ten thousand taels, and he's still not satisfied? He's up to no good again."
The master said, "Mother, I said on the spot that those were just rumors and not to be believed. But, but..."
"Stop beating around the bush and just say it."
"But when the banquet ended just now, a minister from the Prince of Han's residence saw me out and said that one of Prince Han's concubines had just passed away."
"What concubine? She's just a maidservant." The old lady sneered. "Our Ruan family in the capital never sells our daughters. If you want our daughters to be concubines, don't even think about it. Otherwise, how will we face our ancestors after we die?"
The master said, "Mother, I understand, but how should I deal with this?"
The old lady thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, pick a few maids who are good-looking and send them over."
"Yes," the master said hesitantly, "What if he's not satisfied?"
The old lady angrily slapped the edge of the bed and said, "If you're not satisfied, can't you think of a solution? Whether it's buying the head of the troupe or bribing his subordinates to speak well of you, why do you ask me for everything? Where have you gotten so old? If the old master were still alive, would Prince Han dare to ask for this? Blame it on your lack of ambition..."
The master knelt down abruptly, interrupting, "Mother, I was wrong, please calm down."
The old lady glared at him angrily for a while, but finally realized that her son lacked courage. She sighed helplessly and said, "Get up, the ground is cold."
The old man got up and sat back down on the embroidered stool.
The old lady's anger subsided, and after gazing at the matter for a moment, she said, "I think this matter is a bit strange. Last time, she didn't mention Fifth Sister at all. Why is she suddenly being mentioned this time? Investigate carefully. Is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?"
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