Volume 2, Step by Step to Victory, Chapter 20: Gu Jia Xiaobai
"Fifth Miss, do you know who those two people were just now?"
Ruan Bi was startled and turned around. She didn't know when Master Ziying had appeared behind her. His feathered robes fluttered in the wind, and against the backdrop of the gloomy vegetation, he looked more like a fox spirit or ghost than a hermit.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know."
Master Ziying, however, seemed not to listen to her. Looking in the direction where the figure disappeared, he said to himself, "The one in blue is the sixth son of the late emperor, now enfeoffed as the Prince of Jin. The other one is his personal guard, Youde."
Ruan Bi frowned and asked, "What do you mean, Master? Knowing that it's better for me not to know than to know, why are you telling me?"
"Young lady, you are quite clever. Why don't you try to guess?"
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "I never waste my time on trivial matters. Master, I'll take my leave now." With that, she turned and left.
Hearing Master Ziying say from behind, "Fifth Miss, if in a few days rumors spread throughout the capital that Prince Jin secretly met with the late Emperor's former concubine at the Jade Void Temple, what do you think will happen to Prince Jin? What will you do?"
Ruan Bi turned around and smiled, saying, "If I were a true man, I would never do such a foolish thing. Who is Prince Jin? He joined the army at the age of fifteen and became the commander of the Xingping Army in the Eighteenth Army. As the commander of an army, he is meticulous in his thinking and must be able to think of things that others cannot. I have never met him before, so I naturally do not know his identity. If rumors spread in the capital in the future, I do not know what Prince Jin will be like, but he will certainly know that I did not spread them. If a true man wants to invite trouble, then go ahead and try. I would be happy to see it happen."
Master Ziying smiled inscrutably and said, "Good, good, Fifth Sister has indeed not disappointed me."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Bi felt a chill run down her spine. The unspoken message was usually, "I want to use you, so I'm testing you first." "Master, I've been out for quite some time; the maid must be worried. Farewell." Without waiting for a reply, and disregarding her appearance, she turned and ran. She was determined that even if Master Ziying called her, she would never turn back, and from now on, she would stay far away from her.
However, Master Ziying did not make a sound.
She ran back to her lodgings at Xichen Mountain Residence in one breath. Xiuzhi was practicing calligraphy. She looked at her in surprise and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Ruan Bi collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily, and said, "It's nothing."
Xiuzhi looked at her for a while, then went outside and brought in a basin of water, saying, "Miss, you're covered in sweat. Get up and wash your face first. Don't run around like that in the future. My mother said that the backyard of Yuxu Temple is full of yin energy, and there are many spirits and ghosts that roam around. Be careful not to bump into them."
Ruan Bi sat up, took the wet face towel handed to her, and said dismissively, "There aren't that many ghosts. Ghosts only exist in people's hearts."
Xiuzhi paused for a moment, then said, "I don't understand what you're saying, young lady."
Ruan Bi was too lazy to explain to her. She handed the face towel back to her, lay back down on the bed, and said, "Don't worry, I won't run around like that again."
For the next few days, she diligently followed the Taoist nuns in their morning prayers, and whenever she had free time, she would go to the Sutra Repository to find books to read. The Sutra Repository was mostly filled with Taoist classics, but she managed to find some geographical records, unofficial histories, and legends in a corner. In these unofficial histories and legends, she finally figured out the origins of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The history before the Great Zhou Dynasty was consistent with what she knew, except for the later Zhou Dynasty under Chai Rong. After inheriting the throne, he did not only live for five and a half years, but reigned for twenty-one years, completely eliminating the opportunity for Zhao Kuangyin to seize power in the Chenqiao Mutiny. He unified the country, including recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. He died at the age of fifty-six, and was posthumously honored as Emperor Taizong of Zhou, passing the throne to Chai Zongxun. Now, the country has been established for one hundred and ten years, its national strength is strong, and its people live in peace and prosperity.
Just as I was closing the book and lost in thought, I suddenly heard Xiuzhi calling from outside: "Miss, Miss."
Ruan Bi quickly put down her book and went outside. "What's wrong, Xiuzhi?"
"Miss, the manor has sent someone to take us back."
Ruan Bi was taken aback. She had originally thought it would take at least half a month for the old lady to recover. But she recovered in less than ten days, so it seemed her illness wasn't serious. That was good, too. She was tired of staying in the temple, and Master Ziying's attitude made her uneasy.
Back at Xichen Mountain Residence, I tidied up my belongings.
After some thought, Ruan Bi decided to bid farewell to Master Ziying. This was a habit she had developed in the workplace: no matter how much she resisted it, she had to maintain a facade of friendliness with the privileged class and those in power. Master Ziying was renowned, and a single word from him could be worth ten from others; she couldn't afford to offend him. Otherwise, if she were to simply tell the First Madam that the Fifth Young Lady was possessed by a demon, Ruan Bi would likely be "exorcised" by the demon.
Upon arriving at Fushu Abode, they saw two guards with swords standing at the entrance, in addition to the usual young Taoist nun. They were imposing and kept their eyes straight ahead.
Ruan Bi hesitated for a moment, not daring to approach, and beckoned the young Taoist nun to ask in a low voice, "Is Master Ziying in the hermitage? I have come to say goodbye to her."
The young nun shook her head and whispered, "I'm afraid it won't work. The Master is meeting with an important guest right now and has instructed us not to disturb him."
Ruan Bi said, "Then please tell the Master that the Fifth Miss of the Ruan family in Jingxi has come to say goodbye."
The young nun nodded.
Ruan Bi quickly left with Xiu Zhi. Ever since she met Prince Jin at Wan Miao Ju, she had concluded that she should try to avoid meeting strangers as much as possible, and if she did, she should quickly avoid them. This era was different from later generations; there was a privileged class who valued human life less than grass.
Upon arriving at the mountain gate, a small sedan chair was already waiting.
The sedan bearers took her directly to a blue-draped carriage. Ruan Bi got out of the sedan, and a tall coachman with a full beard whose age was hard to guess jumped down from the carriage shaft, bowed to her, and said, "Fifth Miss, the First Madam has sent me to take you back to the mansion."
Ruan Bi looked at the carriage and asked, "Are you alone?"
The coachman said, "Yes, young lady, please get in the carriage quickly. It's getting late, and the Madam instructed us to arrive before dinner."
A prestigious family like the Ruan family had its own set of rules. When sending someone to fetch the young lady, it would either be a matron with a coachman or a steward with a coachman; they would never send just one coachman, because coachmen were only the lowest-ranking servants in the household and would not be entrusted with important responsibilities. Ruan Bi quickly glanced around. Today was not the first or fifteenth of the month, so there were fewer people offering incense at Yuxu Temple, and it was past Shenshi (3-5 PM), so there were even fewer people. Only a magnificent four-horse carriage adorned with tassels was parked on the west side, along with two other large two-horse carriages. Many horses were tied around the carriages, and many guards and servants with swords were either sitting or standing nearby.
After a moment's thought, Ruan Bi asked the driver, "What's your name?"
The driver hesitated for a moment, then mumbled, "My surname is Liu, and everyone calls me Liu Da."
“Liu Da, I left the temple in a hurry and forgot to copy the talisman for my grandmother. Could you please run to the mountain gate for me and tell the magistrate to bring it down?” Ruan Bi said as she took out a string of coins from her purse and handed it to Liu Da. “This is your errand fee. I’ll wait for you in the carriage. Go and come back quickly.”
Xiuzhi looked at Ruanbi in surprise. When did the young lady become so generous? When did she copy the curse to dispel misfortune?
Liu Da looked at the string of cash without hesitation and said, "Miss, it's fine if it's left behind. It's getting late, we should go back to the manor first."
For ordinary servants and menial laborers, it's rare to see a string of coins without being tempted, and they wouldn't hesitate at all.
Ruan Bi was certain that this person was not sent by the Ruan family. "Then wait a moment, I'll find a sedan chair carrier and have him make the trip."
Liu Da sensed that Ruan Bi was deliberately stalling, and his eyes gleamed. He said, "Miss, it's just a few repetitions of the Dispelling Curse Mantra. You can copy it later. If I go back late, Madam will blame me." In his haste, he stopped using the derogatory term "villain" and started referring to himself as "I."
Xiuzhi also sensed something was wrong at this moment, and she scolded him with a long face: "How can you, the coachman, be so ignorant of the rules? You don't listen to the young lady's instructions? If we get back late, the young lady will take responsibility. What are you afraid of? Go back and tell the madam to send someone who knows the rules to pick you up." She took Ruan Bi's hand and said, "Come on, young lady, let's go back to the temple."
“Okay.” Ruan Bi pulled her along and turned to leave.
"You son of a bitch!" Liu Da hissed, grabbing Ruan Bi by the collar and throwing her into the car like a chick.
Although Ruan Bi was prepared, the difference in strength was too great, and she had no chance to resist. She fell heavily into the carriage, feeling dizzy and disoriented. She managed to shout, "Xiuzhi, run! Find someone to save me!"
Xiuzhi paused for a moment, then turned and ran away.
Liu Da had no interest in Xiuzhi. He quickly jumped onto the carriage shaft, swung his whip at the horse's rump, and the horse neighed and charged away.
Ancient carriages lacked shock absorption and traveled at high speeds, causing Ruan Bi to be jostled around inside. She felt dizzy and her stomach churned. She gritted her teeth, slowly shifted her body, bracing her back against the right side of the carriage and placing her feet on the left side, which made her feel slightly better.
Just as I was thinking about how to escape, I heard faint sounds of horses' hooves behind me, it seemed that someone was chasing us.
Liu Da knew someone was chasing him, and he kept waving his whip.
Ancient roads, ancient carriages—Ruan Bi felt as if her bones were about to fall apart.
Gradually, the sound of hooves grew closer, suggesting that the person was riding a fine horse, much faster than the others.
"Stop, or I'll shoot you in the head." Even in such a noisy environment, the man's voice remained clear and resonant, demonstrating his powerful voice.
Ruan Bi was thinking that she seemed to have heard this sound before when she heard a sharp whooshing sound coming from afar...
The carriage suddenly veered to one side, and an arrow pierced the rear wall, grazing Ruan Bi's scalp and embedding itself in the right side of the carriage. The arrow's force was still strong, causing the carriage to vibrate and pull on Ruan Bi's hair. She inwardly groaned, "Old man in the back, are you here to save me or to kill me?"
The carriage wheels seemed to hit something, causing the carriage to shake violently and then fall over.
Ruan Bi was upside down, her head facing down and her feet pointing upwards. She was in excruciating pain all over her body and even turning over was difficult.
The man shouted, "Don't run!"
Then several sharp whooshing sounds rang out.
Following the thunderous sound of hooves, they rushed closer and all let out a collective sigh.
Another unfamiliar male voice rang out: "Xiao Bai, don't chase after a forest, don't pursue a desperate enemy."
Ruan Bi suddenly realized that it was him—Gu Xiaobai.
Gu Xiaobai said sullenly, "You actually dodged three of my arrows."
The stranger's voice said, "Little Bai, don't be discouraged. He's gone into the woods, so you naturally won't be able to hit him." He paused, then added, "Your Sa Lu Zi is really fast."
Gu Xiaobai's voice was filled with undisguised pride: "Of course, this is the mount of the Northern Rong general Shabolue. My cousin captured it and, knowing I like it, specially gave it to me."
"You'll have to let me try it another day."
"That's only if it submits to you. You don't know, I slept with it in the stable for half a month before it finally submitted to me..."
Ruan Bi, suppressing her anger as they continued their endless chatter, said, "Gentlemen, could you please rescue me? So that I may express my gratitude to the valiant Salu Zi."
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