Volume Two: Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Thirty: Who Will Regret It?
Upon arriving at Yuxu Temple, I stayed at Xichen Mountain Residence.
After settling in and having dinner, the young Taoist nun came to invite them. Ruan Biliu and Xiuzhi tidied up in their room and followed the young Taoist nun to the Fushu Hermitage. Master Ziying had changed into a plain white Taoist robe and stood at the entrance of the hermitage, looking at the clouds in the sky.
It was the height of summer, with long days and short nights. Although it was past 5:45 PM, the sun had just set, and the western sky was ablaze with colorful clouds, as brilliant as brocade. Master Ziying dismissed the young nun, gestured for Ruan Bi to follow, and slowly walked along the gravel path.
"Fifth Miss, to be honest, it was I who spoke to Empress Zhao and asked her to summon you to the palace for an audience. It was the people around Consort Xie who prevented you from entering the palace."
Ruan Bi thought to herself, the lotus-viewing gathering at the Marquis of Yanping's residence predates her audience with the emperor by nearly half a month, clearly indicating that Consort Xie had already received the news. If the Emperor himself told her, it showed that she held a special place in his heart; if the news came from the outer court, it showed that she had amassed a powerful force there. This was understandable, given that the eldest prince she gave birth to as a Consort was highly likely to inherit the throne, and anyone with ambition in either the inner or outer court would probably be siding with her.
Seeing that she was not surprised, but rather seemed thoughtful, Master Ziying asked, "Why don't you speak, young lady?"
"This matter has nothing to do with me, so I have nothing to say about it."
Master Ziying paused for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "Miss, you must not know the purpose of this audience, which is why you said that. The Emperor is having difficulty conceiving, and the officials have submitted a memorial requesting the selection of virtuous and beautiful women to ensure a large heir. This audience is to summon the young ladies from various families to the palace for an examination, and to select one from among them. If one is selected, she will enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor."
After she finished speaking, she stared intently at Ruan Bi, only to see Ruan Bi smile wryly and say, "It's fine if others say this, but it really surprises me to hear it from someone else. If one could have a lifetime of wealth and glory, why would the Wanmiao Residence in the backyard of Yuxu Temple even exist?"
Master Ziying was speechless.
"...Besides, even if I were to enter the palace to pay my respects, what then? I'm afraid the decision-making power doesn't lie with Empress Zhao."
“There’s no need to worry, young lady. I have a foolproof plan.” Hearing this, Master Ziying assumed she was interested and continued, “Fifth Miss, the reason I invited you here today is to discuss this matter further. I wish to send you back to the palace, but I will have to trouble you for the time being…”
Ruan Bi interrupted her and said seriously, "Thank you for your kindness, but Ruan Bi is just a weak woman and has no intention of becoming a dragon or a phoenix."
Master Ziying stared at her for a while and said, "I thought you were a girl with spirit, but I didn't expect that Consort Xie would ruin you like this, and you can still tolerate it?"
Ruan Bi chuckled and said, "Master, if I were to change my mind because of your provocation, wouldn't that mean I'm impatient? What great things can an impatient person accomplish?"
Master Ziying's face flushed slightly, and in his anger, his voice carried a hint of coldness: "Fifth Miss, have you ever thought about this? If I had said to the First Madam that you were possessed by a demon that day, you would probably be seven days past your death anniversary by now."
Ruan Bi's smile vanished. She turned to face Master Ziying directly and said sharply, "Master, whether I am possessed by evil spirits is another matter. Master, what are you? You were originally a person beyond worldly affairs, indifferent to the rights and wrongs of the mortal world, laughing at the grudges and grievances of the world. But now, worldly matters weigh on your mind, desires cloud your judgment, you do not hesitate to distort right and wrong, to demand repayment for favors, to throw the teachings of the Three Pure Ones to the back of your mind, and to treat tranquility and inaction as a joke..." She paused, then said, word by word, "Master, the one who has truly gone astray is you."
Her senior colleague once said that sometimes offense is the best defense.
Sure enough, Master Ziying was hit squarely, his body trembled slightly, and his face turned pale. It took him a while to recover before he said bitterly, "That's right, I have indeed failed the teachings of the Three Pure Ones. But, does Fifth Miss have any family member in her heart for whom she would risk her life?" After a pause, she said softly, "In my heart, there is such a person."
It felt like a hammer blow to her heart, cracking the hard shell she had built up over two months. Ruan Bi couldn't speak; her eyes stung, and her nose tingled. In her past life, she was unmarried, but she had loving parents and a younger brother…
The greatest hardship in life is the separation of life and death. Not wanting to lose her composure in front of Master Ziying, she took a few steps forward, rolled her eyes, and suppressed her tears.
Hearing Master Ziying say from behind, "Fifth Miss, there is no road ahead."
Ruan Bi paused, then looked around and realized she had unknowingly reached the edge of the cliff. There was no path ahead, and on both sides were tall bushes, which seemed to be rarely pruned, their branches intertwined to form two natural barriers. Dusk was falling, and the mountain wind rustled the leaves.
"Consort Xie's words today will soon be known throughout the country. To cover up this scandal, the Ruan family will surely arrange a marriage for you as soon as possible. With your current reputation, even the sons of noble families with a modicum of standing will look down on you. The only ones who will be matched with you are the old, weak, sick, or disabled, and perhaps even a concubine..."
Ruan Bi turned around and looked at her.
She stood a zhang away, her white Taoist robe billowing in the wind, giving her an air of otherworldly refinement. She spoke gently and persuasively, "...Fifth Miss, you have no other way out but to turn back."
Ruan Bi smiled slightly and said, "Master, you're wrong. Roads are made by people walking on them; where there are feet, there are roads." With that, she disappeared into the bushes. Her slender and flexible body slipped in like a fish. However, her thin summer shirt was tugged by the jagged branches, and with a few rustling sounds, several pieces of her skirt were pulled off.
"Fifth Sister, you'll regret this." Master Ziying watched her disappear into the bushes and gradually walk away. Although he was annoyed that she didn't know what was good for her, he was also quite impressed.
After passing through the bushes, they entered a pine forest. Ruan Bi leaned against a tree and shed tears for a while before finding another way back to Xichen Mountain Residence.
When Xiuzhi saw her, her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Oh dear, what happened to your clothes, young lady? Oh, your arm is scratched too?" After a pause, she picked up the oil lamp and leaned closer to examine it. "Did you cry, young lady?"
Ruan Bi turned her head away from the oil lamp, saying, "Go and prepare the water for me; I want to take a bath."
Xiuzhi put down the oil lamp, picked up the bathtub, and filled it with water. Ruan Bi quickly washed herself, then went to bed without a word. She didn't want to be sad, because sadness was meaningless now. The her from the previous timeline was already dead; too much overtime had taken its toll, and the cold medicine was just a trigger. The current Ruan Bi was who she was now; sometimes, no matter how unwilling you are, you have to accept your fate…
On the first day of the month, the First Madam brought all the young ladies to burn incense and fulfill their vows, and then took Ruan Bi back with them. Ruan Bi was still in the same carriage as the Fourth Miss. She seemed a little depressed and thinner than she had been two days ago. She would glance at Ruan Bi from time to time, but would not say anything.
Ruan Bi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Fourth Sister? Is there something you want to tell me?"
The fourth sister shook her head repeatedly.
"Anything new happening in the capital?"
Speaking of this, the Fourth Miss sighed again and said, "There's nothing new, except that an imperial edict was sent to Minister Du's house yesterday, bestowing the title of Consort upon Du Qiuhua, who will be brought into the palace in a few days."
She was a concubine from the very beginning, a position of considerable rank, no wonder the Fourth Miss was so depressed.
"...Also, I heard that the Emperor is going to select a consort for Prince Jin." The Fourth Miss said listlessly. Prince Jin's consort must be a daughter of a noble family, which she could not reach even if she stood on tiptoe, so there was no need to even think about it.
Ruan Bi was slightly surprised and asked, "Isn't Prince Jin already in his mid-twenties? Why isn't he married yet?"
"There was a marriage arranged for him, and we were waiting for him to return from the Northwest to get married, but that girl passed away last year."
Ruan Bi responded with an "Oh," showing little interest in the affairs of the powerful and wealthy. She was more concerned with matters within the Ruan family household. "Anything new happening in our household?"
The fourth young lady glanced at her and slowly shook her head. Even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn't dare tell Ruan Bi—that she was about to get engaged, and her fiancé was a cripple. Ever since Aunt Lin was beaten last time, she hadn't dared to make any rash moves.
Upon returning to the Ruan residence, everyone first went to the old lady's room to pay their respects.
The old lady leaned against the couch, her face radiant; she seemed to have recovered considerably. A group of maids and servants stood around her, including Granny Zheng. As soon as Ruan Bi entered, she noticed a light green purse hanging from the old lady's waist, instead of the dark blue one she usually wore. A thought struck her, and she recalled the unusual expression on the Fourth Miss's face in the carriage.
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard the old lady say, "Fifth girl, what did Master Ziying say to you?"
Ruan Bi said with a focused expression, "It's nothing, just a discussion of metaphysics and Taoism."
The old lady gave a slightly disappointed "Oh," and didn't ask any more questions. She chatted with everyone for a few more minutes, then waved her hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
Ruan Bi lingered for a while, the last to leave. She stayed in the old lady's backyard for a moment, but seeing that Zheng Mama hadn't come out, she had no choice but to give up. She went out through the side gate and walked through the east-west alley, lost in thought, and almost bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.
Looking up, he saw it was Ruan Chi, and quickly bowed, saying, "Hello, Third Uncle."
Ruan Chi gave a cold "hmm" and started to walk away.
“Third Uncle,” Ruan Bi called out to him, “I have something I would like to ask you.”
Ruan Chi stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Xiuzhi, take your bundle back inside first. I'll talk to Uncle San and then go back on my own." After sending Xiuzhi off, Ruan Bi gestured towards the lotus pond, "Uncle San, let's talk as we walk."
Ruan Chi hesitated slightly, but still followed her.
Once they reached an open area, Ruan Bi asked, "Uncle, do you believe that a five-year-old child could have the intention to kill?"
Ruan Chi narrowed his eyes, stared at her, and said through gritted teeth, "All I know is that she has a history of murder."
"She was either framed or instigated. Can't you see that, Uncle?"
“I understand, but she has lives on her hands, and I will never let her go.”
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "Third Uncle, instead of finding the real culprit, you're taking your anger out on her. This shows you can't distinguish right from wrong."
"How do you know I won't look for the real culprit? Don't worry, I won't let anyone who has my mother's life go." Ruan Chi looked around the Ruan mansion and said coldly, "Let the Ruan family of Jingxi, a century-old family, be buried with my mother."
Is this his plan? Ruan Bi was a little shocked. Just how much hatred did this man harbor? And how arrogant was he? He said it to her face. "Has Third Uncle forgotten that he is also a member of the Ruan family?"
Ruan Chi looked towards the main courtyard and said, "You people are nothing without the Ruan family mansion in Jingxi, but I am not. I can build another Ruan family mansion."
Ruan Bi's mind raced. If she formed an alliance with Ruan Chi, she could avoid danger to her life and also gain the upper hand in her future marriage. So she said, "Third Uncle, I'll lend you a hand, and then we can settle our scores. How about it?"
Ruan Chi laughed loudly, and after laughing, he said contemptuously, "Pah, what are you? I could crush you with one finger. I'm keeping you alive so you can wish you were dead." With that, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.
After walking a few steps, he heard Ruan Bi's clear, cold voice ring out from behind: "Third Uncle, you will regret this."
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