Volume Two, Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Thirty-Eight: Twists and Turns
Ruan Bi was taken aback and turned to look at Granny Liu.
Granny Liu, sensing the situation, stepped forward and said, "Master, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"
The coachman shook his head repeatedly and said, "That's right. Just now, an old man came over and gave me five hundred coins, asking me to come and pick up the young lady. He described her clearly: wearing a beige embroidered thin shirt, a light blue silk long skirt, a veiled hat, and accompanied by a nanny and a maid."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Bi knew it was her and, without further hesitation, beckoned Liu Mama and Xiuzhi to get into the carriage. Liu Mama and Xiuzhi were still in shock, staring blankly at Ruan Bi. Ruan Bi smiled and said, "What's wrong? We were going to hire a carriage anyway, and here it is!"
"What you say is true, young lady," Liu Mama replied meekly, but in her heart, she was thinking that the one who hired the carriage must undoubtedly be Prince Jin. With his noble status, and the fact that they were just strangers, yet he was so meticulous and thoughtful in arranging things for the young lady… Could it be…? She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild for a moment, then suddenly remembered that the Fifth Young Lady was about to be engaged, and her thoughts shattered like a dream. Turning her gaze to Ruan Bi, she saw that Ruan Bi had already removed her veil, her head resting against the bamboo curtain as she looked out the window, a hint of contentment in her eyes. She couldn't help but sigh with regret. This woman, no matter how clever and intelligent you are, no matter how beautiful you are, without a good family background, it's all for nothing.
The carriage hadn't traveled far towards the capital when the thunderous sound of hooves echoed from behind, followed by Xu Maoyu, Yu Qing, and the other six, who swept past like a whirlwind. Watching their dashing departure, Ruan Bi was filled with envy and secretly resolved to learn to ride a horse. Horses were the fastest mode of transportation in this era; a fine steed could travel a thousand li in a day and eight hundred li at night, while a single-horse carriage could travel a maximum of three hundred li a day, and a two-horse carriage, perhaps five hundred li, while walking was about a hundred li a day. In case of any future emergency, not knowing how to ride a horse would be a huge disadvantage.
After the torrential rain, the ground was full of potholes. The coachman, being a businessman, was only thinking about getting Ruan Bi and the others to their destination as soon as possible so he could find the next fare. Therefore, he drove very fast, and the bumpy ride was to his credit. Fortunately, they were not far from the capital. As they approached the city gate, the number of pedestrians on the road gradually increased, and all kinds of vehicles and livestock filled the road, so the carriage slowed down.
Outside the carriage, the sounds of horses neighing, mules braying, cows mooing, sheep bleating, coachmen shouting, and vendors hawking their wares filled the air with a cacophony of noise. Ruan Birao listened and watched with great interest. Although the sounds were not very clear through the bamboo curtain, she was thoroughly enjoying herself. This down-to-earth atmosphere of life was something she could never experience in the secluded Ruan family mansion.
After passing through the narrow city gate, they entered the main street, and the carriage quickened its pace. The city streets were all paved with bluestone slabs, making a crisp, clattering sound as they traveled, taking a little over fifteen minutes to reach the Ruan residence. Upon alighting from the carriage, Ruan Bi, accompanied by Granny Liu and Xiuzhi, went first to the First Madam's courtyard. Just as they entered, several young maids who had been squatting under the white stone rock, playing with the cat, stood up and exclaimed in unison, "Fifth Miss is back! Fifth Miss is back!"
The bamboo curtain moved, and Baozhen came out, gently scolding, "What are you shouting about! Don't you know there are guests here?"
The little girls lowered their heads timidly.
Ruan Bi looked at the sky in surprise. The sun should be about 12 o'clock. How could there be guests at this time?
Baozhen turned to look at Ruan Bi and said with a smile, "Amitabha, Fifth Miss, you're finally back. Yesterday's torrential rain terrified the First Madam. She sent people to guard the city gate early this morning. Did you see them just now, Miss?"
Ruan Bi said, "Perhaps we missed it, and never saw it."
Baozhen said "Oh", and then said, "Fifth Miss, the First Madam has guests here right now. Why don't you go and greet the Old Madam first?"
Ruan Bi nodded and was about to turn and leave when she heard a "crash" from inside the room—most likely a teacup had been smashed. Then came the First Madam's angry shouts: "...Get that shameless old hag Min out of here!"
Baozhen's expression changed, and she whispered, "Fifth Miss, you should leave quickly."
Ruan Bi, accompanied by Granny Liu and Xiuzhi, hurried towards the backyard. They paused briefly at the corner. There, two burly women and several maids dragged an unfamiliar old woman out of the house. The old woman, in her early fifties, with a fleshy face, wore a brand-new brown blouse and wailed, "My poor daughter! You've been violated for nothing! Is there no justice? Is there no law?"
The First Madam appeared at the door, angrily saying, "Why haven't you gagged her yet?"
One of the maids hurriedly untied her handkerchief and tried to stuff it into the old woman's mouth, but the old woman was surprisingly fierce and bit her hand. The maid cried out, "Ouch!" The old woman opened her mouth and wailed again, "...Girl, this whole family is heartless! Why are you so stubborn? All that 'Master Ruan' and 'Young Master Ruan' stuff, they're all scoundrels! I'll definitely go to the yamen to get justice for you..." Her voice trailed off—this time, the maid had successfully stuffed the handkerchief into her mouth.
A group of people dragged her out of the Xihe Courtyard.
Afraid that the First Madam would see her, Ruan Bi quickly went out the side gate to the east, crossed the alley to the Old Madam's backyard, and followed the covered corridor to the main house entrance. Two young maids were sitting side by side on the rock, dozing with their eyes half-closed. Hearing the noise, they opened their eyes, stood up, and whispered, "Fifth Miss is back? The Old Madam was just asking about her. But she has just retired for the night. Why don't you go back first and come back when she wakes up?"
Under the blazing sun, Ruan Bi was exhausted and hungry, so she gave up.
Back in the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, thankfully, Chamei had prepared food. Ruan Bi ate hastily and then lay down to rest. Just as she was sleeping soundly, she heard Xiuzhi calling her: "Miss, Miss, get up quickly, the old lady wants to see you."
Ruan Bi struggled to open her eyes, glanced at the water clock, and realized it was already late afternoon. She quickly got out of bed, changed her clothes, combed her hair again, and applied a towel soaked in cool water to her face for a while before feeling much better.
The old lady leaned against the couch in the side hall. The first lady sat on the edge of the couch, looking tired and with a somewhat gloomy look in her eyes.
Ruan Bi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Grandmother, Mother, I am an unfilial child and have caused you worry."
The old lady looked at her carefully and said, "Amitabha, it's good that you're back safely. Yesterday's rain scared me so much that I didn't sleep well all night."
Standing behind her, Manyun smiled and said, "Fifth Miss, last night the old lady got up in her sleep and insisted on going to the Buddhist hall to recite the Great Compassion Mantra for you. We couldn't stop her."
Is that really true? Ruan Bi was puzzled, but she didn't show it on her face. She knelt down with a thud, kowtowed deeply, and said, "Granddaughter feels guilty."
"Get up quickly." The old lady gestured for Manyun to help Ruan Bi up, and asked, "I heard that the bridges on the Yichun River leading back to the capital have all been washed away. How did you get back?"
"The bridge collapsed, so we took a ferry across the river and walked back to the city gate to rent a carriage."
The old lady frowned slightly but did not speak.
The First Madam said unhappily, "It is really unseemly for a lady of a prominent family to walk like this on the road."
Ruan Bi said softly, "There was no other way, the child was wearing a veil..."
The First Madam scolded, "Still talking back? In any case, you'll learn your lesson this time. From now on, stay quietly in the manor and don't run around. Although Master Ziying of Yuxu Temple is a highly accomplished person, it's still unseemly for an unmarried young lady like you to always show your face in public, do you understand?"
"Yes, Mother," Ruan Bi replied obediently, secretly wondering what was wrong with the First Madam today? She was acting like she'd swallowed gunpowder.
The old lady standing to the side also looked at the first lady with surprise.
"You used to be so impetuous, but we thought it was because you were still young. Now you're thirteen, and in another year and a half you'll be of marriageable age. All of you girls, regardless of whether you're legitimate or illegitimate, are treated the same in terms of what needs to be taught and what needs to be taught. How well you learn is up to you..." The First Madam was speaking merrily when she suddenly heard the Old Madam cough softly. Startled, she realized the servants were all looking at her with surprise. Her face flushed slightly, and she said gently, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Anyway, your safe return is more important than anything else."
"Thank you for your teachings, Mother. I will keep them in mind." Ruan Bi said, taking out a letter and respectfully handing it over. "Mother, this is a letter from Master Ziying to you."
"For me?" The First Madam was surprised. She took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and immediately frowned.
The old lady asked, "What did the letter say?"
The First Madam remained silent and handed the letter directly to the Old Madam. She glanced at it, then sat up straight from her reclining position on the couch, her expression grave as she stared at Ruan Bi for a moment. "Fifth Girl, do you know what Master Ziying said in the letter?"
Ruan Bi said, "The master mentioned to me that he wanted to take me as a lay disciple."
The people around gasped in surprise. The famous Master Ziying of the capital wanted to take the Fifth Sister as a lay disciple.
The old lady pondered for a moment and asked, "This time, besides this matter, did the master invite you to discuss anything else?"
"That's why I didn't say anything else."
The old lady looked at Ruan Bi suspiciously and said, "This matter is of great importance. Your mother and I will wait for your father to come home from work before we discuss it. You should go back first."
After Ruan Bi and her two servants walked out of the side hall, the old lady gave a signal, and the servants all withdrew.
The old lady read the letter again and asked, "Eldest daughter-in-law, what do you think?"
If this were to happen, Ruan Bi's marriage to her eldest nephew would be ruined. The First Madam pondered this, saying, "It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't know what Master Ziying means. I've heard that in Taoism, it's always the master who finds the disciple. If they can't find one with a good foundation, they'd rather not take on a disciple for life. If the Master values Fifth Sister's understanding of Taoism, I'm afraid that taking Fifth Sister as a lay disciple is just the first step, to deceive us into letting our daughter associate with her, and in the end, she intends to convert her into a Taoist nun."
The old lady's heart tightened; it wasn't impossible. Although Taoism was flourishing now, and Taoist priests with titles held high positions, and prominent families were willing to associate with them to establish good relations, the Ruan family was a century-old family of scholars and poets, still grand and magnificent. How could they allow their daughter to become a Taoist nun? If word got out, people would think the Ruan family in western Beijing had fallen into decline.
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