Chapter Three: The Hideout
Master Ziying returned to his hermitage, sat cross-legged on a thin cushion, made a hand seal, closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened his eyes listlessly, looked at the words "Leaving the Realm and Forgetting the Dust" hanging on the wall, and sighed softly.
She was from the northwestern frontier, born into a wealthy ordinary family. Unfortunately, her parents had no sons, so she was raised as a boy from a young age, well-versed in poetry and literature, and somewhat knowledgeable in Taoism. More than twenty years ago, in the prime of her youth, the Northern Rong army breached the border, burning, killing, and looting, causing widespread suffering and economic devastation. Her parents died while fleeing, and her servants, taking advantage of her orphanhood, stole their possessions and scattered like birds and beasts. She wandered until she reached Yanzhou City, where she made a living playing the pipa.
One day, at a grand banquet held at the prefectural government, dozens of men were seen boasting and talking in a vulgar and uncouth manner. Only one man stood out, with a refined and scholarly appearance, clearly distinguished from the rest. Everyone recognized him as General Zhao. A stirring of affection arose within him, and his pipa music became a symbol of their love. General Zhao, born into a prestigious family, was unlike his vulgar colleagues. Having practiced music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, he possessed a keen ear and naturally recognized her voice. He glanced at her several times, and before long, they had fallen for each other.
That was the first time she had ever liked a man. She was in a daze every day, only thinking about being with him forever, and she didn't have any other thoughts. When her feelings for him were strong, everything that was meant to happen happened naturally. Not long after, she found out that she was pregnant.
At this time, General Zhao was not yet the marshal of the Western Route Army, but merely a vanguard under his father. When the old General Zhao heard that he had taken a liking to a courtesan in a brothel, he didn't pay much attention; men's casual affairs were nothing unusual. Later, however, upon hearing that she was pregnant, he was immediately displeased and ordered her to abort the child. She naturally refused, hoping he could persuade the old General Zhao, but instead, he advised her: "It's just a lump of ambiguous flesh; what harm is there in aborting it?"
She felt like she had been struck by lightning.
As the Northern Rong attacked the city for days, General Zhao and his father were too busy to care for her. She disguised herself and fled to Xingping City, hiding in Liuyue Lane. Half a year passed in a flash. When the war subsided, General Zhao came looking for her. She had just given birth to a daughter. Fearing that the Zhao family would not accept the child, she bribed a Taoist priest with a large sum of money, saying that she was destined for greatness and would become the empress. When General Zhao found out, he instructed his father to take her back to the capital and give her to Madam Zhao to raise. Coincidentally, on the day she was taken to the capital, Madam Zhao's two-month-old daughter died. So, she naturally took over the position. However, because the matter had been passed around in several places, and because of the turbulent times and the fear in people's hearts, very few people knew about it. Everyone had always believed that Empress Zhao was Madam Zhao's legitimate daughter.
Having witnessed the true colors of the Zhao family, and knowing that her background as a courtesan meant no good outcome even if she entered the Zhao household, she was utterly disillusioned. She went into hiding, wandering from place to place, and spent several years cultivating herself in a small Taoist temple. From a young age, she was well-versed in Huang-Lao philosophy, and having seen much of the hardships of life and the bitterness of human relationships, she gradually came to understand that worldly affairs are impermanent, only the Great Way remains constant. Later, she went to the Jade Void Temple in the capital to stay, discussing Taoism with others, and her reputation soared. This caught the attention of Emperor Xuanzong, leading to Empress Zhao's entry into the palace.
...
So many years have passed, and she has moved to so many places, changing her name more than ten times. She originally thought that no one would know about this old story anymore, but today Prince Jin has exposed it to the world. It was as if she had been skinned alive in broad daylight, and she felt an indescribable shock.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the young Taoist nun outside say, "Master, Princess Huiwen has arrived."
Master Ziying was slightly taken aback, but quickly composed himself, stood up, opened the door, and watched Princess Huiwen walk in with a calm and collected expression. He bowed with one hand and said, "Amitabha, Your Highness, why didn't you send someone to inform us of your arrival beforehand?"
"Knowing you have many things to do today, I didn't want to bother you. But I just heard those village women say that the Prince of Jin came in person to deliver the decree. Is that true?" The princess said as she walked to the pit under the north window and sat down. The window was half closed, and outside, a clump of wisteria had just sprouted new leaves.
Upon hearing the name of the Prince of Jin, Master Ziying trembled slightly, sat down opposite her, and said, "That's right, it was the Prince of Jin who personally issued the decree."
"Absurd!" The princess slammed her hand on the small table above the pit, making the bronze incense burner jump. She said bitterly, "This child is truly bewitched. He has completely ruined his reputation. Now, the whole capital is laughing at him for being infatuated with Miss Ruan Wu. He can't get her, and he doesn't even know how to be discreet."
"In my humble opinion, he is not afraid of ruining his own reputation in order to enhance hers." As Master Ziying spoke, she couldn't help but recall General Zhao's actions twenty years ago. The difference between the two was obvious. Although time had passed and she had long since let go of the past, she still sighed when she thought of it.
Princess Huiwen lowered her eyes and looked sad for a moment before saying, "-This is really outrageous."
"When the former Minister Du's wife came to pray for blessings, she said that the old Prime Minister Shen was so angry that he fell ill? Is that true?"
"How can I not be angry and sick?" the eldest princess said. "What should have been a prestigious and prestigious marriage has turned into a laughing stock. Now, it's neither good to marry nor not to marry. And because of Miss Ruan and her family's Yuanyuan, they are being pointed at and gossiped about by ordinary people. The number one family on Zhuque Street has become the number one joke on Zhuque Street. It's truly a disgrace."
Master Ziying smiled slightly and said, "Now Old Madam Ruan should be satisfied."
"While it's certainly satisfying, she's still on edge. This time, she's completely offended the Empress Dowager. In the first month of the year, when the noblewomen entered the palace, the Empress Dowager kept her there for an extra hour, leaving her kneeling outside the palace gate to suffer the cold. I heard that it was only after the Emperor pleaded for her that she was allowed to leave."
"The Emperor is pleading for mercy?" Master Ziying opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"Didn't he just take a new concubine, a maid from the Ruan family, who seems to be the fourth in line? I suppose she's the one who pleaded with him." Princess Huiwen paused and said, "Speaking of which, that girl once visited my residence. Although she was pretty, she seemed a bit dull and wooden. But after entering the palace, she suddenly became quite clever, resembling Consort Xie back then. She's completely captivated the Emperor, and now he favors her every night, which has even upset Consort Xie so much that she's had a miscarriage."
Upon hearing that Consort Xie had gone through a miscarriage, Master Ziying felt a surge of joy and exclaimed, "I haven't been to the palace in so long, I had no idea so many things had happened there."
Princess Huiwen said, "You'd better not go to the palace. I'm afraid that if the Empress Dowager sees you, she will think of Miss Ruan Wu and start to dislike you as well."
Master Ziying said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid she's already tired of me. She didn't even summon me for the grand sacrificial ceremony this January."
"You really didn't deserve to take this disciple as your apprentice."
Master Ziying remained silent. Her feelings for Ruan Bi were complex; there was blame, but also admiration. Since the destruction of her family, she had wandered for over a decade, deeply understanding the hardships a woman faced traveling alone. Ruan Bi, however, had abandoned her noble birth and the life of luxury in the Prince's mansion, venturing alone to the ends of the earth. How many young women could match her courage and audacity?
Their master-disciple relationship was originally a transaction. Now that she had sent Miss Ruan Wu into the palace, the transaction was over. She hoped that from now on, Ruan Bi could live a life of unbridled joy that she herself had never experienced. Thinking of this, she sighed and said, "I wonder where that girl has run off to?"
“That girl is quite capable. I sent people to look for her in private, but the trail went cold when they reached Zhuozhou,” said Huiwen Changgong. “However, I do know where she is now.”
Master Ziying paused for a moment, then asked, "Where?"
“Haozhou.” Princess Huiwen said, looking south. “Feiyang has a bodyguard named Yu Qing, who has followed him since childhood. A few days ago, Feiyang suddenly found him a job as the governor of Haozhou, with 10,000 troops under his command. It is conceivable that he must be in Haozhou.”
Master Ziying frowned and said, "In that case, wouldn't many people already know?"
"He deliberately wanted everyone to know. Although that girl was clever and knew how to disguise her whereabouts, she was ultimately just a weak woman. If someone really wanted to track her down, where could she run to? If she hid in the shadows, she would be more likely to be killed to silence her. So he simply revealed her hiding place and sent his trusted confidant to Haozhou as a local official. In this way, everyone would have to think carefully..."
Meanwhile, in the study of Prime Minister Shen, the first house on Zhuque Street, Princess Rouzhen spread out a map, her finger lightly pointing at Haozhou. She was frowning in thought when she suddenly heard the door open. Turning around, she saw that it was Prime Minister Shen who had returned. She hurriedly went to greet him, helped him take off his outer robe, and said, "Why did you return so early today, sir?"
"I suddenly felt tired, so I came back early." Chen Xiang said, walking to the table and sitting down. Looking at the spread-out map, his heart skipped a beat. "What place is Madam looking for?"
Princess Rouzhen smiled gently and said, "Just browsing."
Shen Xiang took her hand and said gently, "Madam, even if you know something, it's best not to think about it."
Princess Rouzhen hesitated for a moment and said, "Master, Hua'er has lost a lot of weight lately. Yesterday she cried to me and said she wanted to break off the engagement."
"Nonsense." Prime Minister Shen said with a stern face, "A marriage is no child's play. She and Prince Jin have been matched according to their birth dates and are a perfect match. Besides, this is a marriage decreed by the Empress Dowager and announced throughout the land. How can it be canceled so easily?"
"But nowadays, natural wonders are criticized, while petty thieves are rewarded?"
"That reward is just to silence the people and has no real benefit." Prime Minister Shen waved his hand dismissively and said, "Besides, the imperial decree issued today is also a good thing for us. The people all know that she is loyal and chaste, and that she spent three years cultivating at Yuxu Temple for her mother. Her relationship with Prince Jin has also been settled. You should stop thinking about it and focus on preparing Hua'er's dowry."
Princess Rouzhen said, "There is still a thorn in my heart."
“Madam,” Shen Xiang said unhappily, “she is, after all, my daughter.”
Princess Rouzhen's face paled slightly. She said, "Yes, Master. I was just feeling sad for Hua'er. I will be more careful in the future." With that, she slightly bent her knees, turned around, and left the study.
Shen Xiang watched her disappear behind the door, then turned his gaze to Haozhou on the map, lost in thought.
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