Volume 2, Step by Step to Victory, Chapter 16: Heart to Heart
After leaving the Rose Garden, Ruan Bi walked slowly, lost in thought.
It was all my carelessness. I misjudged the situation regarding the locust flowers, and now my true intentions are revealed. I haven't handled things properly either. If Granny Tang tells the Second Miss what happened, how could she not be suspicious? Although she's only fourteen, she's not stupid. I underestimated her, thinking she dragged me here to embarrass herself…
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard someone calling me from behind: "Fifth Miss..."
Turning around, I saw Chunyun.
She jogged over, her forehead covered in sweat, panting heavily, and said, "Fifth Miss, the manor has sent someone to pick us up, saying there's an emergency."
Ruan Bi asked in surprise, "What's the urgent matter?"
"They didn't explain clearly, only that there was an urgent matter and they had to go back immediately." Chunyun took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Fifth Miss, you'd better hurry up, Second Miss, Third Miss, and Fourth Miss have already left."
Ruan Bi nodded and, with Xiuzhi in tow, hurried to the hanging flower gate. The second, third, and fourth young ladies, along with a group of maids and nannies, were already there. They all seemed unaware of what had happened, their faces grave. The second young lady was holding Xie Mingzhu's hand, saying, "I didn't have time to thank Madam, so I can only ask you to tell her."
Xie Mingzhu said, "Go ahead, I'll come see you another day."
The servants had already brought over four sedan chairs. The four young ladies boarded the sedan chairs and went to the gate of the Marquis of Yanping, where they boarded the Ruan family's carriage. As soon as they were settled, the carriage eagerly started moving.
Ruan Bi asked Zheng Mama in a low voice, "Does Mama know what happened?"
Granny Zheng shook her head.
Ruan Bi looked at the Fourth Sister again, who also shook her head, looking puzzled.
The atmosphere in the carriage was heavy. Everyone knew that unless it was something very important, they would not come to pick them up halfway through the journey.
As soon as the carriage turned into the Locust Tree Lane where the Ruan residence was located, the servants' shouts could be heard: "They're back! They're back..."
A group of servants and maids rushed out from the side gate, some pulling the horses, some carrying stools, some lifting the curtains... As soon as the second young lady and Granny Zheng got off the carriage, the maids whispered in their ears. The two women's expressions changed drastically at the same time, and they hurriedly walked inside, with Ruan Bi and the others quickly following.
Entering through the hanging flower gate, passing through the east and west passageways, we arrived at the old lady's courtyard. Maids and wives were bustling about at the gate, all seemingly preoccupied and speaking in soft voices. A young maidservant guarding the gate came forward and whispered, "Miss, you're back! Please come in. Master and ladies are inside."
The second young lady went first, without needing a maid to lift the curtain, and went in herself, followed by the others.
The hall was packed with people, some standing and some standing.
Ruan Bi glanced at it.
The eldest master, Ruan Hong, paced back and forth, still in his official robes, clearly having been summoned from the yamen. The third master, Ruan Chi, sat at the head of the right row, his head bowed, his expression unreadable. Ruan Jiaxuan, the third young master, the fourth young master, the sixth young lady, and the seventh young lady were all seated, while the concubines and mistresses of each household stood, including Concubine Lin, who had just been given thirty lashes yesterday. All were present, holding their breath, their faces grave.
Among so many people, the old lady, her head maid Manyun, the first lady, and the second lady were nowhere to be seen.
The second daughter walked up to the master and asked softly, "Father, what about Grandmother...?"
Ruan Hong waved his hand impatiently.
The second young lady dared not ask any more questions and looked up at the curtain separating the hall and the room.
A maid brought over a rusty stool and invited the young ladies to sit down.
There were twenty or thirty people in the room, but not a single cough was heard; the only sound was the soft footsteps of Ruan Hong pacing back and forth.
After a long while, soft footsteps came from the inner room, followed by the lifting of the curtain, and the First Madam came out.
Ruan Hong hurried forward and asked, "Mother, she..."
The First Lady clasped her hands together and said, "She's awake. Amitabha..."
A collective sigh of relief filled the room.
The First Madam then said to Ruan Hong, "Your mother wants to see you. Go in."
“Okay.” Ruan Hong hurriedly lifted the curtain and went inside.
A moment later, the Second Madam led Doctor Xu out and then to a side hall, presumably to write a prescription. The Second Miss finally couldn't hold back any longer, stood up, walked to the First Madam, and whispered, "Mother, what's wrong with Grandmother?"
The First Madam said, "Doctor Xu said that it was caused by anger and distress that caused stagnation of qi, and that the patient needs to be carefully recuperated for a period of time."
The second daughter asked in bewilderment, "Why did Grandmother suddenly fall ill all of a sudden?"
The First Madam glanced at Ruan Chi and said, "You'll have to ask your Third Uncle about that."
Ruan Chi raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes, and asked, "What does sister-in-law want to ask me?"
The First Madam said, "I heard that Mother suddenly fell ill while she was talking to you alone earlier?"
"yes."
Why did Mother suddenly fall ill?
Ruan Chi retorted stiffly, "I'm not a doctor, how would I know?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Ruan Hong came out of the room. With a stern face, he said to Ruan Chi, "Third brother, come to the study with me. I have something to say to you." After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and went out first.
Ruan Chi stood up and followed him out with a gloomy expression.
As soon as he stepped out the door, Ruan Jiaxuan stared at his back and slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of his chair.
The First Madam frowned and gave him a wink, and Ruan Jiaxuan angrily turned his head away.
"Madam." Manyun came out from the inner room and whispered a few words in Madam's ear.
The First Madam nodded and said to everyone, "The Old Madam is fine now, but she is weak and needs to rest quietly. You should all go back. You can skip the morning and evening greetings for now and let the old lady recuperate for a while."
"Yes," everyone responded in unison and left one after another.
Ruan Bi deliberately walked slowly. After leaving the old lady's courtyard, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took out two hundred coins from her purse and stuffed them into Xiuzhi's hand, whispering, "You stay here and go find someone to ask how the old lady got sick."
Xiuzhi hesitated for a moment, then pushed the money back to her, saying, "Miss, why do you need money for such a small matter?"
Ruan Bi thought for a moment, took back the money, and said, "Then go ahead."
Xiuzhi nodded and left.
Ruan Bi returned alone to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, changed into casual clothes, and then remembered that she hadn't returned the pair of kingfisher feather hairpins. Thinking that the old lady's courtyard must be in a state of chaos, she carefully put them away and would return them another day. She let her hair down and lay on the chaise longue, reflecting on the day's events, a chaotic mess.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard footsteps. Opening her eyes, Xiuzhi was already standing in front of her, her face slightly damp with sweat. She said, "Miss, I've found out. This afternoon, the old lady brought up the marriage with the third master, but the third master said that his deceased concubine had already arranged a marriage for him, and he couldn't disobey his mother's orders... In a fit of anger, the old lady vomited blood and fainted."
So that's how it is. Ruan Chi is indeed tough, but for now, he's not harmful to me. Ruan Bi breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the embroidered stool next to her, saying to Xiu Zhi, "Sit down, I have something to say to you."
Xiuzhi sat down as instructed, looking at Ruanbi with trepidation.
"Just now I asked you to go to the old lady's courtyard to inquire, and you hesitated. Were you unwilling?"
Xiuzhi lowered her head and remained silent.
Ruan Bi nodded and said, "I understand. I will never ask you to do such a thing again."
Xiuzhi looked up at Ruan Bi for a moment, then suddenly knelt down and said, "Miss, the old lady has treated me very well..."
Ruan Bi waved her hand and said, "I understand, you can go now."
"Please let me finish, young lady," Xiuzhi said through gritted teeth. "As long as it doesn't harm the old lady, Xiuzhi is willing to do anything for you."
Ruan Bi looked at her thoughtfully.
"You may not believe it, but I asked to serve by your side."
Ruan Bi said calmly, "I really don't believe it."
“Young lady, you don’t know, but I used to be in charge of the utensils and tea sets in the old lady’s courtyard. The old lady praised me a few times, and a few days later, there was a centipede in the teapot that had been kept in the cabinet. Luckily, I found it early. Since then, I’ve been on tenterhooks every day, checking it seven or eight times a day… Later, the old lady wanted to assign someone to serve you, so I asked for the job. Being by your side is certainly not as prestigious as before, but I don’t have to be on tenterhooks anymore, and I can sleep soundly at night.”
Ruan Bi said, "Xiuzhi, of course I would not harm the old lady. But you must also understand that a person can only have one master in their heart."
Xiuzhi lowered her eyes, her expression shifting between light and shadow.
Ruan Bi jumped off the bed, helped her up, and said, "I am very happy that you said these words to me today, which shows that you are honest with me. There is plenty of time in the future, so you don't need to rush to make a decision."
Xiuzhi was so moved by her words that her eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded.
"Go down and make me a cup of tea."
Xiuzhi left the room, but Ruanbi lay back down on the couch. She still hoped to treat those around her with sincerity. After observing for so long, she found Xiuzhi to be of good character, and she could feel much more at ease if she could recruit her. That's why she had deliberately tested her earlier—asking her to inquire about what was happening in the old lady's courtyard—and it seemed the result wasn't bad.
As for the others, bribing them with money is still the fastest way, but unfortunately I'm too poor right now; even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.
"Girl, Sister Baoli is here," Xiushui announced from outside.
This is one of the First Madam's head maids; she can't be neglected. Ruan Bi quickly jumped off the bed, casually tied her hair with a silk scarf, and went out to greet her with a smile.
Baoli stood at the door without coming in. When she saw Ruan Bi, she gave a curtsy and said, "Fifth Miss, the First Madam sent me to tell you that she is going to Yuxu Temple early tomorrow morning to pray for the Old Madam and will stay overnight. Please pack your things first."
"Yes, is there anything else we should be aware of?"
Baoli shook her head and said, "That's all. It's just that Yuxu Temple is on the mountain, and the weather gets a bit cool in the mornings and evenings. You should bring a light jacket, young lady."
"Yes, Sister Baoli, who will be going with us tomorrow?"
"Madam, Second Madam, and all the young ladies and gentlemen are going to school and cannot go."
Ruan Biwei felt relieved and said, "Thank you for making the trip, Sister Baoli. Please come in and have a cup of tea."
"No, I have to go back and report to the Madam."
"Well then, take care, Sister Baoli."
Baoli nodded indifferently, then turned and left.
As Ruan Bi turned to go back to her room, she heard Xiu Shui mutter softly, "Strange, why go to Yuxu Temple when it's so close to Wuyue Temple?"
Xiuzhi brought over a pot of tea and said, "You don't understand. Our First Madam has a good relationship with Master Ziying of Yuxu Temple."
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