Volume Two: Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Five: A Twist of Fate
The next day, Ruan Bi first went to the First Madam's room to pay her respects, but the maidservant said that the First Madam had already gone to the Old Madam's courtyard. Ruan Bi then went to the Old Madam's courtyard, and as soon as she entered through the moon gate, she saw Xiuping and Manhua kneeling outside. Xiuping's hair was disheveled, and her face was streaked with tears. Manhua, on the other hand, stood tall and proud, her face full of indignation.
The maidservant stopped Ruan Bi and said, "Fifth Miss, the old lady said that the morning greetings are waived. Please go back."
Xiuzhi knew them all. She glanced at Manhua and Xiuping and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
The maidservant glanced at Xiuping disdainfully and said, "It's just some dirty business, Sister Xiuzhi, don't ask about it." Then she said to Ruanbi, "Fifth Miss, hurry back, be careful the sun is coming up and you'll get sunburned."
Her words were amusing, and Ruan Bi couldn't help but smile. She turned and took a few steps when she heard a crisp sound of porcelain shattering coming from the inner room. Startled, she heard Xiuzhi beside her say, "The old lady is angry."
Curious, Ruan Bi asked, "Xiuzhi, are you familiar with Xiuping and Manhua?"
"Sister Xiuping came in with me. Sister Manhua came later. I heard that she is the daughter of Lian Gu, who used to serve the old lady. She was a first-class maid from the start. She usually does needlework, reads books, and plays the zither in the courtyard. She is delicate and pampered, and is raised like a young lady. She is not very familiar with us."
It was clear that she disliked Manhua and was somewhat jealous of her.
"What about Xiushui?"
“Xiushui, speaking of which, she is even more pitiful than me. Her mother died early, and her father remarried. He beat and scolded her every day, and he didn’t let her eat her fill. He even wanted to sell her to a sixty-year-old man as a concubine. She had no choice but to run away and find Sister Manyun. Sister Manyun begged the old lady to buy her.” Xiuzhi thought for a moment and then added, “She is Manyun’s cousin.”
As they spoke, they had already left the old lady's courtyard. They saw the eldest young master, Ruan Jiaxuan, rushing over. When he saw Ruan Bi, his eyes suddenly sharpened. He stepped forward to block her, but didn't say anything, only glancing at Xiuzhi. Ruan Bi knew he had something to say to her, so she gave him a look. Xiuzhi, understanding the situation, moved forward about three zhang away.
Ruan Jiaxuan said viciously, "If you dare to tell anyone what happened last night, I'll skin you alive."
Ruan Bi feigned ignorance and asked, "Brother, what happened last night?"
Ruan Jiaxuan was taken aback and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Ruan Bi suddenly realized and said, "Are you talking about the Prince of Jin's meager strength? I don't know the Prince of Jin at all, and besides, I don't even leave my home. Who would I tell? Besides, we're family. If you offend the Prince of Jin, it's the Ruan family that offends him. What good will that do me? Don't worry, brother, I'm not that stupid."
Ruan Jiaxuan frowned, looking at her with a mixture of belief and doubt.
"Brother, is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave now."
Ruan Jiaxuan thought for a moment, then stepped aside, watching her walk gracefully forward. He thought to himself, perhaps she really hadn't seen it, and he was just overthinking it. Feeling a little calmer, he entered through the moon gate and immediately saw Manhua kneeling on the ground. His heart sank as if stabbed by a knife. Manhua saw him, felt slightly guilty, and quickly lowered her head.
As she lowered her head, a section of her fair neck was revealed, as white as jade. Ruan Jiaxuan was captivated by her beauty, a surge of passion rushing to his head, making him willing to brave even the most dangerous situations. Seeing him walking in with his head down, the maidservant quickly blocked his way, saying, "Young Master, the Old Madam said that the morning greetings are waived."
"I have urgent business with Grandmother," Ruan Jiaxuan said, pushing her aside and lifting the curtain to go inside.
Seeing that she couldn't stop him, the maid quickly called out, "Madam, the eldest young master is here."
Ruan Jiaxuan rushed into the side hall and saw the old lady sitting in the main seat with an angry expression, with Zheng Mama standing to one side. Ruan Chi sat to the right, and the First Madam sat to the east. Seeing him, the old lady's expression softened slightly, and she asked, "Xuan'er, what's the matter that you rushed over to?"
Ruan Jiaxuan glanced at Ruan Chi, then at the First Madam. Being young and shy, he said awkwardly, "Grandmother, I have something to tell you, but..."
"I'm busy right now. Come and talk to me when you get home from school this afternoon."
Ruan Jiaxuan was unwilling, so he neither spoke nor nodded.
The First Madam frowned and said, "Xuan'er, your father told me last night that he has something to say to you after returning from the morning court. He will be back in a little while, so you should go back and wait for him."
Ruan Jiaxuan was still unwilling and remained silent.
The First Madam stood up and bowed to the Old Madam, saying, "Mother, Master will be back soon. I'll take Xuan'er back first and come back later."
The old lady gave her a cold look, but still nodded. The first lady pulled Ruan Jiaxuan away. Although Ruan Jiaxuan was unwilling, she knew that this was not the time to talk about her love affairs, so she had no choice but to leave.
There was a moment of silence in the room. Ruan Chi toyed with the teacup in his hand, his expression uncertain.
"Chi'er, what do you think?"
"Since we've made a mistake, let's just leave it at that. Give Manhua to my elder brother."
The old lady shook her head repeatedly and said, "How can this be? If we handle it this way, won't all the maids in this courtyard start having ulterior motives? Manhua will stay with you. Xiuping has impure thoughts and will only cause trouble if we keep her. We'll just have a servant come and take her away later."
Ruan Chi said, "Mother, I don't blame her. Manhua drank too much last night. She brought Manhua back. I asked for tea in the inner room, and she brought me tea. I mistook her for Manhua."
The old lady snorted and said, "With so many maids and servants, why would she need to escort Manhua? Besides, given her status, she clearly had this planned all along."
Ruan Chi paused for a moment and said, "Mother, I think she's nice, and I like her too."
The old lady paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, since you like it, I won't say anything more. Manhua will stay with you."
“I certainly can’t accept Manhua anymore, so please give her to my elder brother.”
Seeing that he was determined not to accept it, the old lady knew she couldn't force him, and felt very frustrated, but she didn't know what else to say.
“Mother, I have to pay my respects at the Prince of Jin’s residence today. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now.”
The old lady was no longer willing to speak, and simply waved her hand. As soon as Ruan Chi left, she became increasingly angry, slamming her hand heavily on the table and saying, "They've all rebelled."
Manhua was the daughter of her former head maid, Lian Gu, and the steward. The entire family's indentures were in her hands; their lives and deaths were entirely at her command. Manhua was also clever, which was why she decided to place her by Ruan Chi's side as an informant. As for Xiuping, she was meant to cause trouble for the First Madam, but unexpectedly, last night's series of mishaps ruined her entire plan.
Granny Zheng called in a young maid to clean up the broken teacups on the floor, and then personally brewed a cup of tea for the old lady, saying, "Calm down first, and then we'll think of a solution."
The old lady took a sip of tea, sighed, and said, "Ayao, am I getting old? These two are all getting too big for their britches."
"Perhaps this was truly an accident."
The old lady shook her head and said, "Ayao, you're getting old. Can't you even see through such a trick? Right now, Madam Wang is probably laughing to herself."
Granny Zheng asked, puzzled, "You're saying this was the First Madam's idea? But how did she persuade Xiuping, and how did she end up joining forces with the Third Master?"
"It wasn't her idea, but it went exactly as she wished. That little vixen Xiuping's eyes were glued to the third son last night. I knew something was off, but I was careless. As for the third son, he might have just gone along with it." The old lady frowned and said, "Ayao, I'm really on edge right now. Wang Shi is alright, at least the deeds to the estate and shops are still with me. It's just that the third son is no pushover. Last night, he dared to threaten Jiaxuan's life with me and the eldest son in front of so many people. Alas, I can only blame myself for not being ruthless enough back then, letting that wretched maid give birth to him and raise him."
Granny Zheng said, "Madam, don't worry too much. Even if he has a relationship with Prince Jin, Prince Jin can't interfere in other people's family affairs. Besides, our old master was an important minister of the late emperor, and you are also a Lady of Imperial Decree. Prince Jin should at least give you some face, right? Didn't you discuss the marriage with your uncle? After he marries our Liu family's daughter, we can slowly train her."
“You’re right. I’ll write a letter to my elder brother later and get this settled as soon as possible. But Liu Mei is the legitimate daughter of our family, so it would be a disservice for her to marry him. If it weren’t for me, my elder brother wouldn’t have agreed.” As she spoke, the old lady beckoned to a maid, “Go and get paper and ink.”
"There are two more people kneeling outside this house."
The old lady frowned and said, "I don't want to see either of them. Go ahead and send them away."
At this moment, Manyun hurried in and whispered something in the old lady's ear.
The old lady raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"
Manyun nodded.
The old lady's face darkened and she said, "No wonder I was wondering why Xuan'er came in such a hurry but didn't say what it was about? This shameless girl! I only treated her well because she's Lian Gu's daughter, but she's been flirting with everyone. A Yao, take her to the back room and lock her up. No one is allowed to see her. In a few days, have Guo's family's merchant caravan take her back to her parents in Yangzhou."
Zheng Mama responded and went out, saying to Xiuping and Manhua, "Xiuping, go back to Third Master's room and serve him well from now on. Manhua, go to the backyard to rest first; the Old Madam has other arrangements."
Xiuping secretly let out a long breath, but Manhua's face turned deathly pale.
"Thank you, Madam." Xiuping kowtowed towards the house, stood up, glanced triumphantly at Manhua, and then left.
Leaving the old lady's courtyard, she hurried to Ruan Chi's courtyard, where a maid told her that Ruan Chi was still in his study. She first washed her face, tidied her hair, and changed her clothes before timidly entering Ruan Chi's study and kneeling down, saying, "Third Master, the old lady has been kind enough to allow Xiuping to follow you from now on. However, Xiuping is of humble appearance and not as sensible and understanding as Sister Manhua, which has wronged you, Third Master."
Ruan Chi stared at her for a moment, then grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, saying coldly, "What I hate most is women who say one thing and mean another. They clearly have so many thoughts in their minds, yet they still pretend to be innocent. However, you do have some self-awareness, knowing that you are just a pretty face."
Xiuping's face changed drastically, and tears streamed down her face involuntarily. "Third Master."
“You look really ugly when you cry. From now on, you’d better stay put. You’re not allowed to come into my room unless I give you permission. If you want to go and talk nonsense to the old lady, that’s fine too…” Ruan Chi grabbed her throat and tightened his grip until she couldn’t breathe and tears and snot streamed down her face before letting go.
Xiuping fell to the ground, trembling like a leaf, all her previous smugness vanished.
Ruan Chi wiped his hands with a handkerchief, straightened his clothes, and was about to go out when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, what's your relationship with Xiuzhi in the Fifth Miss's courtyard?"
Xiuping said in a trembling voice, "It's...okay."
"Okay, then let's keep in touch." After saying that, Ruan Chi refused to look at her again and strode out.
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