Volume Two: Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Twenty-Seven: Old Hatred
It's true what they say, life is full of unexpected encounters.
Ruan Bi stared at him. Perhaps he sensed it, because he also looked in this direction. The carriage was engraved with the Ruan family's emblem, so he must have recognized it, and nudged Ruan Chi beside him, who then also looked in this direction.
A moment later, he urged his horse forward and asked the sedan chair bearers, "Who's in the carriage?"
The sedan bearers said, "It's the Fifth Sister."
"Oh." Ruan Chi looked inside through the car window curtain.
A chill seeped in from behind the curtain, but Ruan Bi remained motionless and said, "Greetings, Third Uncle."
Ruan Chi was silent for a moment, then said, "Hmm, it's chaotic outside, let's hurry back to the manor." With that, he turned his horse around and prepared to leave.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came again, and it was very urgent, like thunder. Passersby and pedestrians all dodged and looked back.
Through the bamboo curtain, one could vaguely see seven or eight riders rushing in like a whirlwind. Leading them was a tall, imposing figure in a deep purple brocade robe—none other than Prince Jin, whom Ruan Bi had met once before. The Great Zhou inherited the Tang dynasty's rule, and purple was the most prestigious color, worn only by officials of the third rank and above, and members of the Chai clan. In truth, deep purple didn't suit most people, but Prince Jin, tall and elegant, with fair skin and resolute eyes, exuded the aura of a general honed on the battlefield. He was like a finely forged sword, its sharp edge captivating, instantly seizing one's soul; clothing, like a sword tassel, was merely an embellishment.
When the Prince of Jin saw a line of imperial guards hesitating to move forward, and then saw Ruan Chi standing in the carriage, he sighed and reined in his horse. His entourage behind him also hurriedly reined in their horses, several of which nearly collided, and they spun around frantically.
The Prince of Jin looked at Ruan Chi, his voice icy. "What are you doing? Why aren't you changing shifts?"
Ruan Chi clasped his hands and said, "Today, a lady of the court entered the palace to pay homage to the Empress, so the change of shifts was slightly delayed. I just returned from training outside the city with my men and met her family. We exchanged a few words, and I'll be on my way now."
"Oh?" The Prince of Jin looked at the carriage. "Who is inside? Is it the wife of Duke Wenxiao?"
"No, it's my niece."
"Niece?" the Prince of Jin said with great interest. "I've heard you have several nieces. Which one is this?" As he spoke, he spurred his horse forward.
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat.
Ruan Chi was surprised. The Prince of Jin was not a lecherous man, and he would not care about other people's nieces. "It's the fifth prince."
The Prince of Jin nodded slightly, looked into the carriage, and neither spoke nor left.
Ruan Bi pondered. Since it was a chance encounter on the street, she probably didn't need to get out of the car to greet him. But should she greet him from inside the car? Would that be impolite? Before she could decide, Ruan Chi called from outside, "Xiao Wu, haven't you greeted Prince Jin yet?"
Ruan Bi forced herself to say, "This humble woman greets the Prince of Jin."
It was unclear through the bamboo curtain, but I could vaguely sense a flicker in the Prince of Jin's eyes. Then I heard him say, "No need for formalities."
He most likely recognized his own voice and probably even inquired about his identity. Such a meticulous person must have everything under control. Did he come to remind him? Or to confirm his identity? Ruan Bi was guessing when she heard Prince Jin say to Ruan Chi, "It's getting late. Go to the palace to change shifts quickly. I need to go to the Imperial Guard camp to see Commander Lu. Come over later too; I need to talk to you."
"yes."
The two men turned the carriage around and ran off at the same time. The coachman also cracked his whip, and the carriage continued forward.
For a time, the sounds of horses' hooves, cart wheels, and vendors' cries filled the air, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere. Only after leaving Horse Street did the noise gradually fade away.
Upon returning to the Ruan residence, Ruan Bi went straight to the old lady's backyard.
Granny Zheng was chatting and laughing with the maids in the courtyard when she saw her. She came up to her in surprise and said, "Fifth Miss, why are you back already? Where are the old lady and the others?"
"They've entered the palace, and I'm back."
"What happened?"
"I don't know either. We'll know when the old lady and the others come back in a bit." Ruan Bi winked at Zheng Mama.
Zheng Mama understood, glanced at the maids around her who were listening intently, and took Ruan Bi's hand, saying, "Fifth Miss, there are a few characters in the scriptures you helped me copy last time that I don't recognize. If you have time, could you help me take a look?"
"There's no time like the present, let's do it now."
Granny Zheng said, "Then thank you in advance, young lady. Please come inside with me."
Ruan Bi followed Zheng Mama into her small room, and when she saw that Zheng Mama was about to close the door, she quickly stopped her with a look.
Granny Zheng paused for a moment, then understood, and couldn't help but admire the girl's keen understanding of people's hearts. Most people feel safer with the door closed, but actually, closing the door signals to others—there's more to this than meets the eye; come and eavesdrop! With the door open and the person inside, who would dare to come in?
Granny Zheng invited Ruan Bi to sit down, took out the scriptures and placed them on the table, then asked in a low voice, "What would you like to ask, Miss?"
Ruan Bi took the scripture and said softly, "Mother, I was seriously ill at the beginning of the year. I had a high fever that wouldn't stop, and it confused my mind. I can't remember some things from before. I want to ask you, why does Uncle San always have such murderous intent in his eyes whenever he sees me, as if I were his enemy?"
Originally, Granny Zheng was leaning towards her, but upon hearing this, she unconsciously shrank back, creating distance, and lowered her eyes with a troubled expression.
"Mom, this is no small matter. Please tell me."
After a moment's hesitation, Granny Zheng said, "Miss, that's all in the past. The Third Master won't do anything to you. Just forget about it."
"Mom, do you think Uncle San will let me go? Let me tell you, a few days ago when I was still at Yuxu Temple, a man disguised himself as our family's coachman and came to pick me up. After I saw through his disguise, he kidnapped me and put me in the carriage. Fortunately, I was rescued by a group of benefactors, and I managed to escape. But the kidnapper got away..."
Granny Zheng was shocked and asked, "Is that so?"
Ruan Bi nodded and said, "It's true. Today I saw my third uncle leading his cavalry on the street, and the robber was right behind him. Even though he was disguised, I recognized him at a glance. Mom, my third uncle won't let me off the hook. Please tell me so I can prepare a plan."
Granny Zheng lowered her eyes, pondered for a moment, and resolutely raised her head to say, "The Third Master holds a grudge against the young lady, mostly because of two things."
"Which two things?"
"You know, young lady, that the Third Master was born to a concubine. That concubine's name was Muxiang; she used to be a courtesan. She was a gift from a subordinate to the Old Master on his forty-eighth birthday, and the Old Master was very fond of her. She gave birth to the Third Master that year. The Third Master was exceptionally handsome and intelligent as a child. The Old Master doted on him, personally raising him, teaching him to read, write, and paint. He even took him with him when going out to meet with colleagues. Everyone praised him for having the Old Master's character, saying he would surely be a star at the Jade Forest Banquet." Granny Zheng sighed. "This continued until the Third Master was seven years old. That year, you were born, and the Old Master died. The Third Master's good days… came to an end. Everyone said the Old Master was cursed to death by the young lady, and the Third Master hated her from a young age…"
"And the second thing?"
"The second thing..." Granny Zheng hesitated for a moment, "is that the young lady caused the death of her biological mother, Muxiang."
"Me?" Ruan Bi exclaimed in astonishment. "How old was I when she died?"
Five years old.
How did she die?
"She was sick at the time and was decocting medicine in the kitchen. When the girl ran into the kitchen to play, she caught a poisonous scorpion and threw it into her medicine pot, which then produced toxicity with the other medicines."
Words fail to describe Ruan Bi's feelings at this moment. Absurd? Ridiculous? "Was I framed, or was someone instigating this?"
Granny Zheng looked at her without saying a word.
Ruan Bi remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her eyebrows and smiled.
Granny Zheng was surprised. She had seen her smile many times, but most of the time it was a faint, ethereal smile that was hard to fathom. Occasionally she would smile nonchalantly, as if worldly affairs were as insignificant to her. Sometimes she would even sneer disdainfully... but she had rarely seen her smile so brightly and flamboyantly, with a kind of fiery heat.
Back in the east wing of Liaoyuan, Ruan Bi instructed Xiuzhi, "Go find Xiuping and play with her. While you're at it, find out when the Third Master gets off work."
Although Xiuzhi was puzzled, she nodded and left.
Then he called Xiushui in and said, "There's nothing to do in the house today, so go play with Sister Manyun. Come back when the old lady returns."
Xiushui was also puzzled, but she still went to the old lady's courtyard.
Manyun was doing needlework when she saw her coming over. She glanced at the water clock and said in surprise, "Why are you here at this hour?"
Xiushui said, "Fifth Miss asked me to come over, saying that I should wait for the old lady to return before going back."
Manyun gave an "Oh." Although she hadn't met this Fifth Miss many times, she had always left a deep impression on her. She knew that the Fifth Miss must have a reason for calling Xiushui over. After thinking for a moment, she pulled Xiushui into an empty room and asked in a low voice, "Is there something you need?"
"I don't know. I heard that the young lady was unable to enter the palace today. Perhaps it's related to this."
Manyun couldn't figure it out, so she put it aside and continued to do her needlework, while Xiushui helped her separate and thread the needle.
At noon, the old lady and the first lady returned together, and Xiushui hurried away.
Manyun instructed the maids to prepare tea, and then accompanied the old lady into the inner room, helping her remove her formal attire and change into simple, everyday clothes. The old lady's complexion was not good, a dark bluish-black, and her lips were tightly pursed, clearly indicating that she had been upset. After changing her clothes, they went out to the side hall, where the first lady was already drinking tea.
The old lady sat down, picked up her teacup, and said to Manyun, "Send all the maids away to a distance, and you stay outside and keep watch."
Manyun responded and sent the maids outside, standing guard at the entrance of the side hall, listening intently.
There was a loud bang, probably from the teacup being slammed onto the table, followed by the old lady saying, "Today I've completely lost face."
The First Madam said, "Mother, you've just recovered, so don't get sick from getting angry again."
After a while, the old lady sighed and said, "The capital is both big and small. There are only a few families who keep in touch with each other... Never mind, what about your eldest brother's son that you mentioned last time? What's he doing now?"
The First Madam said, "He was paralyzed before, but I heard he can sit up now, although he has no feeling in his legs. He is the eldest son and grandson of our Wang family and will continue the family business in the future. Although his legs are broken, he will not disgrace Fifth Miss."
The old lady said wearily, "Let's choose him and finalize the decision quickly."
Manyun was shocked. Marrying the Fifth Sister to a cripple was going too far.
I'm also curious; I wonder what Fifth Sister will do if she finds out.
(Thank you everyone for all the votes you cast!)
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