Chapter 134 : Misunderstanding

The days pa.s.sed serenely, as if nothing had happened. In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of summer, and the weather was slightly cooler than the blistering heat of days past. The previous jumble of events had slowly settled down, and Old Jiang Madame’s death had seemingly been slowly forgotten by everyone.

In Jinying w.a.n.gfu, a snow pigeon fluttered in through the window and landed on the boxwood table in the middle of the room. Its wings accidentally came in contact with the ink in the well of the ink stone, and the snow-white feathers immediately became tinged with black.

Xiao Shao lifted the snow pigeon from the edge of the ink stone and placed it in his palm. The snow pigeon tilted its snow-white head to look at him; its eyes like black beans were bright and intelligent. Xiao Shao rubbed the snow pigeon’s head and removed the copper tube tied to its leg.

The message inside was brief, with a line of tiny handwriting near the top. Once Xiao Shao had read the message, he slowly furrowed his brow.

After a brief pause, he burned the message in the oil lamp, and ordered the person by his side, “Prepare my horse, I am leaving the capital.”

“Master . . .” Jin Yi was slightly hesitant.

“Tell Ye Feng to come out. He doesn’t need to be at Yi Bao Pavilion any longer. He is to go to Bai Zhang Lou and look for Qi Si.”

Jin Yi’s expression turned severe for a heartbeat before he replied, “Understood.”

* * *

In Ruan Ju, Tian Zhu lifted the curtains and said, “Miss, the carriage is ready.”

Lu Zhu grabbed a small basket of little pastries from the table and said, smilingly, “It will be nice to eat these on the way.”

A few days ago, they had received an invitation from Dong Furen. Although it had been Dong Yinger’s name on the invitation, it had been issued by Dong Furen, which could only mean that she wanted to invite Jiang Ruan to the fu for a little tete-a-tete. After Old Jiang Madame’s death, in order to observe the proper mourning etiquette, Jiang Ruan had simply stayed in the fu, and had never gone out. Where Dong Yinger was concerned, they had not seen each other for such a long time that Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi were somewhat surprised to receive this invitation from the Dong family out of nowhere.

Thus, today, Tian Zhu had readied the horse carriage in preparation for a trip to Dong fu.

As they were leaving, they coincidentally encountered Jiang Dan and Hong Ying in the middle of a conversation. Hong Ying’s belly had swelled considerably, and she looked like she was due to deliver in a few days. At present, Jiang Quan had handed over the management of the Jiang fu’s affairs to Hong Ying. Xia Yan had not yet been released from her confinement, and Second Yiniang had already pa.s.sed away[1]; Hong Ying was now the dominant figure, and had the bearing of the mistress of Jiang fu.

[1] 香消玉殒 (xiang xiao yu yun) – lit. the fragrance fades and jade crumbles/ vanishes, fig. a beautiful woman dies.

Lu Zhu’s gaze flickered momentarily as she contemplated whether Hong Ying intended to have her cake and eat it, too[2]. Apart from Jiang Su Su, Hong Ying was always amiable towards Jiang Dan and the two of them had an excellent relationship. On the surface, it appeared that Jiang Dan was not doing anything, but Lu Zhu had been with Jiang Ruan so long that she naturally had some sense of what might be going on. That Jiang Dan was not as innocent as she seemed to be, so wasn’t Hong Ying slapping Jiang Ruan in the face by doing this? Or, possibly, Hong Ying was thinking that fawning on Jiang Dan might enable her to cling to an imperial consort in future?

[2] 左右逢源 (zuo you feng yuan) – lit. to strike water right and left (idiom); fig. to turn everything into gold / to have everything going one’s way / to benefit from both sides.

Although her smile was sweet, she could barely conceal the indignation in her eyes. Jiang Dan caught sight of the two of them first and smiled as she greeted them, “Da Jiejie.”

Jiang Ruan nodded. “Fourth Sister, Fifth Yiniang.”

Hong Ying supported her belly with one hand, and there was no trace on her face of the haggardness and sloppiness that usually came with pregnancy. On the contrary, she was even more stunning, seemingly having enhanced the grace and charm she had previously possessed. In addition, her skin was as sleek as jade. Furthermore, her clothes and ornaments were of the best quality, evidence that she was greatly in Jiang Quan’s favour. When she saw Jiang Ruan, she smiled and asked, “Where is Eldest Miss going?”

“Miss Dong has invited me to a gathering at the fu.”

Jiang Dan smiled as she said, “Da Jiejie is truly enviable.”

“You will also be able to foster many ‘sisters’ in future, why are you envious?” Hong Ying smilingly said.

“Fifth Yiniang is making fun of me,” Jiang Dan said with some degree of bashfulness as she lowered her head.

Jiang Ruan observed the harmonious scene before her eyes. This fu’s youngest concubine and shu daughter really got along well, contrary to expectation. That Hong Ying would act this way must have something to do with Jiang Quan’s instructions. A hint of cold showed in her eyes briefly before she looked up with her usual pleasant expression and said, “I won’t disturb Fifth Yiniang and Fourth Sister’s little chat any longer. I will take my leave first.”

“Walk slowly, Da Jiejie.” Jiang Dan smiled with such benevolence that people who were unfamiliar with the situation might just think that the two of them were born of the same mother.

After they had left the fu and seated themselves in the carriage, Lu Zhu could contain herself no longer and said, “What is Fifth Yiniang’s intention? It appears that she is on closer terms with Fourth Miss than Miss.”

Jiang Ruan shook her head dispa.s.sionately and said, “Fifth Yiniang is an intelligent person and naturally understands that no benefit lies in cultivating me.” She was calmly indifferent about the situation. Previously, because of Xia Yan and SecondYiniang, Hong Ying chose to side with Jiang Ruan. Now that Xia Yan and Second Yiniang were gone, Hong Ying faced no threat in the fu, and her life was set as long as she managed to win Jiang Quan’s favour. However, Jiang Quan had never liked Jiang Ruan, and Hong Ying would lose Jiang Quan’s favour if she continued to be friendly with Jiang Ruan.

“Isn’t this too pragmatic[3]?” Lu Zhu pondered this, and finally shook her head.

[3] 见风使舵 (jiànfēngshǐduò) – lit. see the wind and set the helm (idiom); fig. to act pragmatically / to be flexible and take advantage of the situation.

“People’s hearts are fickle; there is no need to expect anything.” Jiang Ruan shut her eyes and leaned against the side of the carriage.

Lu Zhu stuck out her tongue but did not speak further. However, Tian Zhu eyed Jiang Ruan pensively. The longer the time she spent with this mistress, the deeper her doubts about her. She could not understand where Jiang Ruan’s almost G.o.dlike coldness of temperament came from. In some situations, Jiang Ruan was even more ruthless than a killer. While in the Jinyi Guard, Tian Zhu had encountered all kinds of people, but she had never met such a cloistered young lady, whose intelligence was both formidable and frightening.

Moreover, what Jiang Ruan had said just before Second Yiniang’s death was deeply engraved on Tian Zhu’s heart.

Jiang Ruan had said that Jiang fu owed her life debts, and she would claim them one by one. However, from beginning to end, the only person from her family who had died in Jiang fu had been Zhao Mei, so why did she want to claim multiple life debts one by one?

Tian Zhu felt that Jiang Ruan was hiding a very deep secret, which even the maidservants who were considered very close to her did not know about. She thought, perhaps she should look for a suitable occasion to bring this matter up to Master.

* * *

In Lord Mayor fu.

Dong Yinger reclined on the soft couch. Rather than ‘recline’, it was more that she had lost all her vigour and had collapsed on the couch. In comparison with her thin and wan appearance in the past few days, she looked better nourished. However, sorrow was still deeply evident on her face, and she looked nothing like a carefree young lady.

The maidservant, Hong’er, placed a bowl of freshly-cooked lotus seed and mola.s.ses congee on the couch, and said, with deference, “Miss, please eat some congee.”

“I don’t want any,” Dong Yinger retorted as she turned her head away weakly.

“Even if you don’t want to, you should eat it.” A cold and resolute voice was heard, and Lord Mayor Dong walked into the room. His expression was extremely stern, and he said, harshly, “Put away your unrealistic ideas. Your portrait has already been sent to the palace, and people from the palace will be here in a few days. You had better go to the palace obediently.”

“Father,” Dong Yinger said in a soft voice. Yet, her tone was resolute as she continued, “Yinger will never enter the palace.”

“Not enter the palace? Then, you can accompany your mother to the Chang family to make a formal apology, and enter the family!” Dong Daren said in anger.

“Yinger will only marry one person in this lifetime, and he is the great Deputy General Jiang. Jiang Xin Zhi!”

The minute she said this, Dong Daren blew his top. He immediately raised his hand towards Dong Yinger, who faced him without fear. In the end, Dong Daren just could not bring himself to hit her, only saying furiously, “Muddle-headed! I see that you still cannot think clearly. You will be confined for a few more days!”

Having said this, he stormed off in a huff.

After Dong Daren had left, all the vitality seemed to leak out of Dong Yinger, and she sagged against the soft couch, weeping. Dong Daren had always doted on her, but now, he had placed her under house arrest and ordered the servants to ply her with delectable food and drink daily with utmost care, for the sole reason of having her enter the palace. She had originally thought that she had a good father and sympathized with Jiang Ruan’s bitter experience. However, looking at her current situation, there was no difference between her father and Jiang Ruan’s father. In the end, they were equally heartless!

In the outer hall, Jiang Ruan stepped down from the horse carriage and was welcomed into the fu by the Dong fu’s servants. Jiang Ruan had visited Lord Mayor fu several times, so the servants were well acquainted with her. She was led into the main hall, where Dong Furen was sitting, lost in thought. On seeing Jiang Ruan enter, she hurriedly rose to welcome her, saying, “Junzhu.”

“Furen, just call me ‘Ruan niang’,” Jiang Ruan said with a faint smile.

Dong Furen smiled and said, “Ruan niang, I actually sent you that invitation in Yinger’s name. You . . . please don’t blame me.”

“Furen speaks in jest,” Jiang Ruan said as she smiled slightly. “But, what has happened to Yinger Jiejie?”

Dong Furen’s heart jumped. She looked at Jiang Ruan, meeting her gentle, smiling eyes, which seemed to hold some kind of magic power to rea.s.sure and incite trust. She relaxed somewhat and sighed before saying, “I’m not afraid of Junzhu’s laughter. Yinger, this girl, has never given me cause for worry, being very sensible from a young age. Ruan niang might have heard, Yinger had been in an arranged marriage with the third son of the Chang family from her adolescence, but . . . Ai, at precisely this critical juncture, she has fallen in love with someone, and she went and told Third Young Master Chang of her own accord. As a result, the Chang family terminated the arrangement.”

She observed that Jiang Ruan did not show any contempt, so she continued boldly, “If this kind of situation occurred in our fu, it would not be tolerated, and it is the same for the Chang family. After the dissolution of the marital arrangement, news of the matter started to circulate. At her age, Yinger should have been matchmade much earlier, but after this fuss, the families which had thought of arranging a marriage with Yinger all dropped the idea. Soon, people will say that Yinger has no choice but to remain in the fu. In a fit of pique, Laoye had Yinger’s portrait painted and submitted for the selection of imperial consorts.”

“Yinger Jiejie is unwilling?” Jiang Ruan asked.

“She is unwilling.” The look of worry on Dong Furen’s face deepened further as she said, “When Yinger found out, she had a big argument with Laoye. Laoye is gruff and abrupt by nature, and having to deal with such irrational behaviour from his own daughter, he reacted by locking Yinger in her room and commanding the servants to watch her eat. He said, if she used her own body to threaten him (i.e. if she threatened to starve herself), he would have the maidservants in her courtyard beaten to death. Yinger had no way out. She eats the food set before her daily, but she is visibly more sorrowful by the day.” She said to Jiang Ruan, “Good child, I know that you have a good relationship with Yinger, and she will possibly listen to what you say. Please convince her to give up on those unrealistic ideas, and stop her from descending further into this obsession.”

Jiang Ruan smiled a little and said, “Naturally, Ruan niang cannot help but to inquire, who is the person in Yinger Jiejie’s heart?”

Upon hearing these words, Dong Furen’s expression changed and she bowed her head, as if unable to bear the weight of the reply. She did not dare to look at Jiang Ruan’s face. It took a moment before the words were eked out with much difficulty, “He is Junzhu’s Dage . . . Deputy General Jiang.”

* * *

The maidservant opened the curtains. Dong Yinger said, impatiently, “Get out, I want to be by myself.”

“Miss, Hong’an Junzhu has come to visit you,” the maidservant said softly as she nodded towards Jiang Ruan, who was behind her. Jiang Ruan signaled the maidservant to go out, which she did, shutting the door behind her.

Dong Yinger had been lying on the soft couch. When she heard the maidservant’s words, she was startled. As if unable to comprehend the words ‘Hong’an Junzhu’, it was a while before she suddenly reacted. She hurriedly sat up to look, and indeed, Jiang Ruan was walking towards her.

“Ruan Meimei,” Dong Yinger said as she stood up in sudden alarm. When Old Jiang Madame died, she ought to have visited the Jiang family with the fu’s people to offer her condolences, but Dong Daren had confined her to her room and forbidden her to go out, so she was unable to see Jiang Ruan. Actually, the two of them had not seen each other for a considerable length of time. These past few days, Dong Yinger had not met anyone from outside the fu. Thus, to have Jiang Ruan pay her a visit out of the blue raised her spirits a little.

She carefully a.s.sessed Jiang Ruan. Because it was still the period of mourning, Jiang Ruan was not able to wear red. Instead, she wore a green thin robe, extremely simple and muted in colour, which conversely gave her a refined softness which she did not ordinarily exhibit. She still looked full of vitality; she had clearly not sunken into sorrow as a result of Old Jiang Madame’s death.

“Ruan Meimei, how are you? I can’t leave the fu, but I heard that you were arrested and imprisoned. You didn’t suffer any grievance?” Dong Yinger asked with concern.

Jiang Ruan shook her head, and her gaze paused momentarily on Dong Yinger’s face. Dong Yinger had always been vivacious and cheerful. Dong Daren had protected her well, and she seemed carefree and free of anxiety all the time. Now, the cheerfulness that had been a constant presence on her face had vanished, and what remained was a deep melancholy.

Dong Yinger noticed Jiang Ruan’s gaze and lowered her head uneasily before asking, “Ruan Meimei, why did you come to visit me?”

It was not that Zhao Jin, Lin Zi Xiang, Wen Fei Fei and the others had not come to visit her, but Dong Daren had told them that she was sick, and sent them home. That Jiang Ruan had been allowed to enter the fu by Dong Daren indicated that there must be some good reason.

“Dong Furen invited me to come.”

“My mother?” Dong Yinger said suspiciously. “Why did she ask you here?”

Jiang Ruan surveyed her wordlessly. Dong Yinger was briefly silent before saying, “You know everything, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ruan said dispa.s.sionately, “You are going to enter the palace.”

“I don’t want to enter the palace,” Dong Yinger said as she shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to be sent to the palace, Ruan Meimei, please save me.”

“Then, will you marry into the Chang family?” Jiang Ruan asked.

“No, I don’t want to marry into the Chang family either. I . . . Third Young Master Chang is a good person, and I could not deceive him.” Dong Yinger murmured, “I already have someone in my heart, I can’t be married to anyone else.” She tightly clutched the silk cloth on her lap and continued, “Father wants to send me into the palace and totally ignores my wishes; he doesn’t listen to anything I say.”

“What Dong Daren is doing is not wrong,” Jiang Ruan said calmly, not moved in the slightest by Dong Yinger’s words.

When she heard this, Dong Yinger stared at Jiang Ruan incredulously. “You actually think that what he’s doing is right? No, Father only wants to use me in exchange for the glory and wealth of the fu, he only wants to ensure that I don’t bespoil the good name of the Lord Mayor. Father has never once thought about me. Jiang Meimei, the way Minister Jiang treats you, surely you must resent him? How can you say my father is right? What’s the difference between what my father is doing now and the way Minister Jiang treats you? Ruan Meimei, how can you say this?” Her tone swelled with reproach and paranoia, so far removed from her former optimistic and cheerful self.

Jiang Ruan quietly observed the young woman before her. In the fleeting pa.s.sage of time, emotion had become a poison, transforming Dong Yinger into someone totally different, such that she would even treat her own father this way. Lord Mayor Dong and Jiang Quan were nothing alike. Jiang Quan sought riches and honour to gild the skies, and would not for a second hesitate to step on herself and Jiang Xin Zhi in order to attain his desire. On the other hand, the Lord Mayor only wanted to help his obsessed daughter sober up somewhat, and it was a great pity that his painstaking effort had come to naught. Not only was there no way to clear the muddle in Dong Yinger’s mind, she now hated him.

Suddenly, Dong Yinger lifted her head and stared at Jiang Ruan fixedly, then abruptly flung herself off the couch to fall at Jiang Ruan’s feet. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she said, “Ruan Meimei, help me, help me. There is only Deputy General Jiang in my heart, I will never marry anyone else in my lifetime, please help me persuade my father. Ruan Meimei, you are so clever, you will definitely think of a way.”

Her hair was disheveled and she spoke humbly as she prostrated herself at Jiang Ruan’s feet like the withered gra.s.s by the roadside. With her hands gripping Jiang Ruan’s legs and her hazily tearful eyes, she looked like she was at the end of her rope.

Jiang Ruan sighed lightly, bent down, and pried Dong Yinger’s fingers off her one by one. She looked at Dong Yinger with pity and said, “Why should I help you?”

Dong Yinger was taken aback and could not comprehend what she meant.

She then spoke with a mild expression and gentle tone, yet her words were completely callous. “My dage has no intentions towards you. What has it to do with him if you like him or not?”

“I . . .” Dong Yinger was at a loss for words. It was true, at that time, she and Jiang Xin Zhi had only met hastily, and Jiang Xin Zhi had not shown any special interest in her. She had fallen in love with him wholeheartedly without knowing his att.i.tude, but she had been able to fool herself as he was busy with military duties and had to lead his troops into battle. Now that Jiang Ruan had laid out the naked truth, Dong Yinger instantly felt embarra.s.sed.

“You are both unwilling to enter the palace or marry into the Chang family. However, you will never be able to marry Dage.” Jiang Ruan said softly.

“Why?” Dong Yinger asked with a sob in her voice as she looked at Jiang Ruan as if looking at a stranger.

Why? Jiang Xin Zhi’s star was rising rapidly in the imperial court, and in future, he must not join Eighth Prince’s faction. The Lord Mayor had always maintained a neutral stand, and could not offend Eighth Prince; neither could he offend Fifth Prince. If Jiang Xin Zhi were to actually marry Dong Yinger some day, Xuan Li could use the Lord Mayor to threaten Jiang Xin Zhi. Jiang Xin Zhi would thus have another weak point, and would never be free of someone’s control.

If Jiang Xin Zhi truly liked Dong Yinger, then all this would not matter. Unfortunately, Jiang Xin Zhi had not shown even a hint of interest towards Dong Yinger.

“Because Dage does not like you.” Jiang Ruan’s words crushed Dong Yinger’s final delusion. She opened and closed her mouth several times before addressing Jiang Ruan, “Why do you . . . want to do this to me?”

“In this world, the only thing which cannot be forced is love.” Jiang Ruan nodded and said, “If Yinger Jiejie likes Dage, that is Yinger Jiejie’s business. Yinger Jiejie has a resolute heart.” She continued impa.s.sively, “I just don’t know if Yinger Jiejie will be able to have no regrets, as you do now, on the day that Dage gets married.”

“Ruan Meimei, are you seriously so heartless?” Dong Yinger asked with difficulty.

Jiang Ruan looked so beautiful and totally unperturbed as she said, “Yes.”