Chapter Twenty-Seven: Delaying Tactics
Counting the days, it's been since Master Ziying returned to Yuxu Temple on the 19th of last month that she hasn't seen her. After all, he's her master, and she can't keep neglecting him. Besides, Dongxue is still staying at the temple, and she doesn't know how she's doing. Ruan Bi asked the old lady and the first lady for permission to go to Yuxu Temple. The old lady agreed without hesitation, while the first lady was quite reluctant, but she had to give permission no matter how unwilling she was.
Early that morning, Ruan Bi was instructing Xiuzhi to bring the Luokeng tea that Miss Lan had sent last time to present to her master when she heard Hanxing outside say, "Miss, someone from the First Madam's room has come. They say that Master Ziying has arrived and they would like you to come over."
Ruan Bi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly led Xiuzhi to the First Madam's courtyard.
As they approached the side hall, they heard Master Ziying say, "...I never expected that the Second Miss would have such a deep understanding of Taoist classics, no less than the Fifth Miss. Well done, well done."
Then the second young lady said modestly, "You flatter me, sir. I just had some free time and flipped through a few books. I can't say I've studied them, and I certainly wouldn't dare to compare myself to the fifth young lady."
Ruan Bi chuckled softly. She figured the second young lady must have been working hard these past few days, trying to make a good impression on Master Ziying. That wasn't a bad idea, but unfortunately, what chance did she have of advancement if she always followed others? Did Master Ziying really intend to take another young lady from the Ruan family as his disciple?
As she pondered this, she walked into the side hall, where only the Second Young Lady and Master Ziying were sitting, but the First Madam was nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing her, the second daughter said with a hint of reproach, "Why did you take so long, little sister? I've been waiting for you for ages."
Ruan Bi ignored her and stepped forward to bow. "Disciple greets Master."
Master Ziying pulled her up and looked at her carefully. He said meaningfully, "You've grown taller and fatter. You're not the same as you were a while ago."
The implication was that without me as your master, your life wouldn't be so comfortable. Ruan Bi smiled knowingly and said, "I was just packing my things to go to Yuxu Temple to see my master tomorrow, but I didn't expect you to come here."
Master Ziying said kindly, “You don’t need to come to see me so often. I go to the palace twice a month, rain or shine, to preach to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. I just stop by to see you on the way. I came to the capital a few days ago, intending to visit you, but I left the palace late and went straight back to the temple. I came early today to see you first. I have to go to the palace later, so please get ready and come with me. The Empress mentioned you last time, asking why I didn’t bring my newly accepted disciple into the palace.”
The second daughter, standing to the side, felt very uncomfortable listening to this.
Ruan Bi felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing this, but because the Second Miss was present, she couldn't speak freely. She simply smiled and said, "Alright."
After sending someone to inform the First Madam and receiving her permission, he followed Master Ziying out and boarded the carriage. The carriage left Huai Shu Lane, but instead of heading towards the palace, it turned east and west into a small alley, continuing until it reached a courtyard at the end of the alley. A servant opened the small gate, and the carriage drove directly into the courtyard and stopped.
After getting off the carriage, Ruan Bi looked around. The courtyard was a large traditional courtyard house, quiet and deserted.
Ziying said, "This courtyard was bestowed upon me by the Empress Dowager, giving me a place to stay in the capital. I rarely come here; only a few servants live here."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone rushed out of the east wing, excitedly calling out, "Miss!"
Upon closer inspection, she was surprised to see Dongxue. "What are you doing here?" Ruan Bi asked in astonishment.
Before Dongxue could speak, Master Ziying said, "You're supposed to be a meticulous person, but you handled this matter very poorly. You should have let her take the carriage she hired at Tianqing Temple to the temple. Prince Han could have easily sent someone to investigate, wouldn't he have known? If he came to the temple demanding her, I couldn't refuse. So, I didn't let the people at the temple take her in. Sure enough, a few days later, her cousin and people from Prince Han's mansion came looking for her. After inquiring around, they heard that she had indeed been driven away, and that's when they gave up."
Dongxue's eyes reddened.
Ruan Bi felt ashamed. The situation was urgent that day, and she didn't have time to think it through. "It was indeed my negligence. Thank you, Master, for saving Dongxue."
Master Ziying said calmly, "What are you thanking me for? You are my disciple, and she was your former maid. I have no choice but to take care of her. Besides, I really can't stand the King of Han's character."
Her words sounded righteous, but Ruan Bi harbored doubts. It was true that Master Ziying was a good person, and perhaps he genuinely disliked the Prince of Han, but to publicly drive away Dongxue and then subsequently arrange for her to live in a mansion in the capital—there must have been some complicated process involved. Was it really just because of Ruan Bi's influence? Then Ruan Bi's influence was far too great. Besides, their master-disciple relationship was merely a transaction; although they admired each other, they each had their own interests, and could not possibly be as united as a true master and disciple.
Master Ziying waved his hand at Dongxue and said, "You can go down now. Your daughter and I still need to go to the palace. We can talk again when we have time."
Although reluctant, Dongxue had no choice but to nod and leave.
Master Ziying pulled Ruan Bi into the main room, closed the door, and pointed to a blue Taoist robe on the table, saying, "Change into this Taoist robe and come with me to the palace."
Ruan Biwei pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why do we need to change into Taoist robes to enter the palace?"
"It's nothing, just for convenience."
Ruan Bicai didn't believe such nonsense and said seriously, "This convenience is not something to be taken for granted; it could easily lead to trouble. If the Empress wants to see the Fifth Miss of the Ruan family, I shouldn't go in wearing a Taoist robe. If the Empress wants to see the lay disciples of Master Ziying, I shouldn't go in wearing a Taoist robe either."
Master Ziying knew she had many thoughts, so he patiently explained, "You are my disciple, so there's nothing wrong with you changing into a Taoist robe. The late emperor and empress dowager also wore Taoist robes."
"Originally, it was nothing. If it were just a matter of letting me stroll through the palace, it wouldn't be a problem. But, Master, is it really just a matter of letting me stroll through the palace?"
Master Ziying's expression changed slightly, but he remained silent.
She really wanted to send herself to the palace again. Ruan Bi sighed and said, "Master, you are a meticulous person. Why do you get flustered when you mention Empress Zhao? If I enter the palace in this Taoist robe, it will be improper. If someone with ulterior motives accuses me of trespassing in disguise, it will not only be my fault, but also your fault."
Master Ziying had already accepted these words, but he was annoyed that Ruan Bi had seen through his intentions, and also worried about Empress Zhao. He sneered and said, "If I were a shrewd person, how could I have fallen for your tricks time and time again? Tell me the truth, haven't you been using delaying tactics all along? All that talk about making a deal with me, about me handling things later, it's all just stalling for time. I treated you sincerely, and now you've gained such a huge benefit, yet you don't want to give anything in return. Is there such a thing as a free lunch in this world?"
This time, Ruan Bi truly gained a significant advantage, and she did indeed employ delaying tactics. The so-called transaction, the promise of being able to dispose of things at her disposal in the future, was merely buying herself some time. During this period, if the situation changed, perhaps the transaction terms wouldn't need to be fulfilled, or they could be replaced with other terms. If that didn't work, she would also have a backup plan.
However, Ruan Bi would never admit this, saying, "It's going too far for you to say that, Master. When I made the conditions, it was Master who agreed to them. It was a mutual agreement, and I didn't force you."
Master Ziying was speechless, and could only blame himself for underestimating her. He sighed and said, "You're amazing, I can't argue with you."
Ruan Bi was afraid of upsetting her, so she thought for a moment and said, "Master, let's put aside the rights and wrongs of the past for now. Now you are my master and I am your disciple, and everyone in the capital knows this. You and I are now in the same boat, sharing both glory and ruin. You understand this, don't you?"
Master Ziying snorted coldly and said, "If I didn't understand, I wouldn't have spoken well of you in front of the Princess."
"Alright, since that's the case, let's be honest with each other from now on, shall we?"
Master Ziying looked at her, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Ruan Bi took it as a yes and said, "I have many questions in my mind, and I hope you can tell me."
"Speak."
"Why does the Master suddenly want to send me to the palace again today?"
Master Ziying lowered his eyes sadly and said, "The Empress... is ill, and there is really no one capable by her side, so I thought of sending you in."
"Then she should be the one to issue the decree to summon me..."
"This palace is full of opportunists. Now that Consort Xie is powerful, those who are willing and able have long since sided with her. Who would listen to her orders? On the Qixi Festival, she wanted to summon you to the palace to speak, but the head eunuchs were afraid of Consort Xie's tyranny, and none of them dared to make the trip. Now, only I can help her."
"What about the Zhao family?"
"Madam Zhao is also of a gentle nature; she wouldn't have any ideas. General Zhao is in the Northwest, and his influence is too far away to reach her."
Ruan Bi thought for a moment, then asked, "The second matter, what does the Master intend to do by sending me to the palace?" Previously, she had been reluctant to delve into the details, fearing that getting too deeply involved would make it difficult to extricate herself. But now it seemed that even if she didn't want to get involved, Master Ziying wouldn't let her go. She might as well jump in, understand it thoroughly, and then she could better deal with it.
Master Ziying said in a mysterious and profound way, "As for what you can do by staying by the Empress's side, that's up to you, young lady."
He's still a cunning old fox after all; this answer is quite remarkable.
Ruan Bi then asked, "Regarding this third matter, who exactly is Empress Zhao?"
Master Ziying's eyes flickered. After a long while, he said, "Alright, I'm not afraid to tell you." He paused and then said, "She is my sister's daughter, and she is my only relative in the world."
Ruan Bi asked in surprise, "Is your sister Madam Zhao?"
Master Ziying shook his head sadly and said, "It was born to the late Madam Zhao..."
Ruan Bi didn't know anything about the deceased Lady Zhao. She only vaguely felt that Master Ziying's words were somewhat vague and contradictory, but judging from her expression, she wouldn't elaborate further. So she had no choice but to give up and said, "Thank you for your frankness, Master. Then I will also tell you that the method you and the Empress used was completely wrong."
Master Ziying turned his gaze, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "Where did I go wrong?"
"The Master wants to send me to the palace, but he wants me to stay by the Empress's side and fight with Consort Xie. It would be even better if I could compete with her for favor?" Actually, it was quite strange for a thirteen-year-old girl to say this, but Ruan Bi didn't consider herself a little girl, and even Master Ziying was used to her sharp words.
"That's right, that's exactly what we plan to do."
Ruan Bi said decisively, "That's wrong."
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