Chapter 181 : Night Attack

What Qi Feng said was indeed correct. Not much time pa.s.sed before Tian Jin admitted defeat to Great Jin, although no one had expected this war to last so long in the first place. Tian Jin was just a tiny kingdom, so it made people wonder where the ability to compete with Great Jin had come from. But in any case, they could only incite Great Jin a bit before being defeated in the end. Consequently, their envoy accompanied Great Jin’s army back to the capital to meet the emperor with a letter of surrender. Rumors flew about some of its terms, but everyone had their own opinions and it was impossible to tell which would become reality.

It was a long journey from the borders to the capital. Even so, the Jinying w.a.n.gfu began to busy itself from top to bottom and Steward Lin spent every day arranging things for when Xiao Shao returned. Of course, the task attracting the most attention was the upcoming grand wedding between Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan. The Empress Dowager had decreed that Xiao Shao could only get married after returning to the capital with victory, and now that Jiang Ruan had also finished the required mourning period, her days as ‘Young Furen’ of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu were just around the corner. Steward Lin had started planning when the decree came a year ago so Jiang Ruan a.s.sumed that everything would already be in order, but he still worried over every little detail, from the pearls for the wedding invitations to the engravings on the ivory chopsticks guests would use during the banquet.

Lu Zhu circled around Steward Lin, making a gesture of begging for mercy. “Steward Lin, we’ve already changed the dessert menu dozens of times. I really can’t think of anything else, so please let me go. I’m just a maidservant.”

Steward Lin looked at Lu Zhu and declared righteously, “Since you’ve been with Young Furen for so long, you also know who she usually spends time with. We can’t be sloppy with the banquet. The better it is, the more they can see how much our w.a.n.gfu values Young Furen. This is good for both Young Furen and you. Besides, since you’ve followed her into our w.a.n.gfu, you’re also one of us. How can a little girl be so impatient? Come on, take a look, how about making this entree porridge a bit lighter like the flavors from Jiangnan?”

Rolling her eyes, Lu Zhu sidestepped Steward Lin and walked into the house without looking back.

Inside, Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi were standing around Jiang Ruan for some reason, and even Tian Zhu was watching from nearby. Lu Zhu asked curiously, “Hey, what’s going on?”

Something lay on the daybed in front of Jiang Ruan, and when Lu Zhu stepped closer to take a look, she couldn’t help exclaiming, “What a beautiful wedding dress!”

In regards to wedding dresses, most were embroidered by the young ladies themselves, who started many years prior to their wedding; this custom also showed off their sewing skills and typically the young ladies would be in a sweet mood while embroidering. It’s just that in the time between Jiang Ruan receiving the Empress Dowager’s decree and then moving into the Jinying w.a.n.gfu, she hadn’t thought about it at all. And now, since there was far too little time left, she simply didn’t bother at all. Therefore, her plan was to use a dressmaker in the capital when the time came, as long as it didn’t let the Jinying w.a.n.gfu’s side lose face. However, unexpectedly, the shopkeeper of Bao Yue Lou came today with a wedding dress in hand, saying that Xiao Shao had ordered them to make it before he left the capital. Who was Jinying w.a.n.g? As long as they could fulfill this order, they wouldn’t need to worry about eating for the next three years. The shopkeeper invited the best embroiderer, plucked up 120,000 points of motivation, and managed to deliver the dress to Jiang Ruan before Xiao Shao returned.

Jiang Ruan thought it was strange: not only did she have no idea about this, but how did Xiao Shao know her measurements in the first place? All the same, now wasn’t the time to worry about this. And although she knew that Bao Yue Lou always made the clothes for the ladies in the palace, Jiang Ruan still couldn’t help but gasp when the wedding dress reached her hands.

The entire dress was bright red, but not an ordinary type of red. Rather, it resembled the sky at dawn when clouds drifted by, glamorous and alluring, and it was also made with the most exquisite fabric. It was embroidered with a phoenix in very thin gold and silver thread, every st.i.tch extremely delicate. The phoenix had its head raised as if it were singing, and its colorful tail was covered in sparkling gems, such that people would be dazzled when the dress lightly rustled .

The phoenix coronet was also elegant yet pet.i.te- not heavy at all- making it possible to wear for a while. On the coronet, a gold dragon soared above jade-green clouds while an emerald phoenix spread its wings amidst jeweled flowers and leaves. The most amazing thing was the pearl held in the phoenix’s mouth — it was perfectly round, crystal clear and faintly transparent, and seemed to emit a brilliant light as one walked. A gold dragon, an emerald phoenix, and sparkling pearls complemented each other to show imperial grandeur, many times more magnificent than anything an ordinary craftsman could make. The one who wore this coronet would be shining from head to toe.

Not only that, there were also buyao[1], a pair of gold rings, concentric knots[2], and embroidered mandarin ducks[3]. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had seen luxurious clothes in the palace, including the Empress’, but even still, she couldn’t help feeling a little lost.

手工复古典发簪流苏簪子步摇/汉服配饰/旗袍/古装头饰/浅草银色-淘宝网| Hair ornaments, Hair accessories, Asian hair pin

[1] 步摇 (bùyáo) – dangling ornament worn by women.

File:Traditional chinese wedding.jpg

[2] Bride and groom in traditional Chinese wedding dress holding the concentric knot. Concentric knots symbolize a long life without setbacks.

[3] 鴛鴦 (yuanyang) – A mandarin duck is a symbol of love and loyalty. Mandarin ducks are also a symbol of marital fidelity and can be used on the clothing of brides. Pairs of mandarin ducks were symbols of conjugal bliss and also symbolize peace, prosperity, marital stability and devotion due to the belief that mandarin ducks pair up for life and would die if they were to be separated.

A young lady’s wedding dress symbolized all her hopes for the future, so she would use all her power to make it more beautiful. Nevertheless, Jiang Ruan wasn’t particularly moved by beautiful things in this life, while Xiao Shao was surprisingly thoughtful. Lu Zhu’s mouth dropped open, obviously stunned, and only after a long while did she stutter out, “Guye is so generous, he’s giving Miss a minister’s manor to wear!”

Lian Qiao burst out laughing with a ‘pfft’. “Nonsense, what do you mean wearing a ‘minister’s manor’?” She glanced at this otherworldly wedding dress which didn’t seem like something found in the mortal world, and her smile became brighter. “How can a minister afford this dress?”

Ever since Jiang Quan distanced himself from Jiang Ruan, to the degree that he hardly asked after her for an entire year, Jiang Ruan’s maids also became colder towards him. At first they thought there would be a day when Jiang Quan would see how good Jiang Ruan was- after all they were father and daughter related by blood which gave them an indestructible bond- but now they didn’t want to bring him up at all. Anyway, Jiang Ruan was about to marry into the Jinying w.a.n.gfu and would be part of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu in the future, so there was no need to care about irrelevant people. Without this layer of scruples, Lian Qiao became much more impolite when talking about the Jiang family.

Everyone laughed once more, and when Jiang Ruan’s gaze fell on the wedding dress again, she couldn’t help shaking her head. If she really wore this dress that day, she could imagine what a sensation it would cause. This wedding dress from Xiao Shao was worth all the a.s.sets of a fifth-rank official in the capital, and after the wedding, even if she wasn’t labeled as a witch bringing disaster to the country, there would be no way to escape being called a beauty who brings trouble.

While they were all chatting, someone from outside announ, “Young Furen, Young Master Xia and Young Master Qi are here to see you.”

Jiang Ruan instructed Bai Zhi and the others to put the dress away, then she walked out the door, where she indeed saw Xia Qing and Qi Feng sitting at the stone table in the front yard. When they saw her approach, Qi Feng smiled and said jokingly, “I heard the servants say Bao Yue Lou just delivered the wedding dress. Fifth Brother and I have made a bet.”

“Betting on what?” Jiang Ruan smiled.

“Betting how much money the wedding dress from Third Brother is worth.” Xia Qing’s youthful face was extremely pleasing to the eye, and he looked very cute when he spoke seriously. “Fourth Brother thinks it’s 100,000 taels, I think it’s 50,000.”

They were so bored that they betted on such a thing. Jiang Ruan was a little embarra.s.sed. She felt that Xiao Shao’s martial brothers were very lively, so how did he turn out to be such a stuffy gourd? Xia Qing’s crisp voice rang out again: “It’s just that no matter whether it’s 50,000 or 100,000, Third Brother is too wasteful. Why spend so much on a piece of clothing? If the money were used to open a few more charitable soup stalls, who knows how many people you could save.”

“It’s none of your business,” Qi Feng said as he knocked hard on Xia Qing’s head. “It’s not as if you earned Third Brother’s money, and you didn’t build the Jinying w.a.n.gfu either. They can use their money as they like, therefore, who cares what kind of wedding dress Third Sister-in-law wears? If I married a wife like her, I’d definitely use all my power to find her a dress that is worthy of her!” As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Feng realized what he was implying, abruptly cut himself off, and looked uneasily at Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan didn’t respond, as if she was thinking about something else. Qi Feng’s eyes dimmed. Xia Qing rubbed his head and responded in an aggrieved voice, “Fourth Brother, you’re so attached to Third Sister-in-law now. She’s not your wife, what are you protecting her so tightly for? Do you still want to keep our brotherly friendship?”

“You–” Qi Feng really wanted to give his weak little junior a beating. However, when he saw Jiang Ruan looking a little thoughtful, his movements slowed down.

At this moment, Jiang Ruan was thinking that in the blink of an eye, she would be marrying Xiao Shao. She was unwilling to repeat her past mistakes, so in this life she did her best to avoid the path she took in her previous one. In that life, she wasn’t able to be a proper wife in the end. Although being a consort in the palace sounded nice, she was just another of the Emperor’s many concubines. Becoming the ‘Young Furen’ of Jinying w.a.n.gfu was equivalent to getting a solid backer, and Xiao Shao’s power would make many of her actions easier, but most importantly, it would allow her to be completely free from Xuan Li’s shadow. In terms of emotions, she would finally be able to sever the last connection between herself and Xuan Li in this life. From now on, she would be a woman of the Xiao family, not the Xuan family.

She soon came back to her senses, then smiled at Qi Feng and Xia Qing. “Soon, both Xiao Shao and my Dage will return, and the capital will probably become chaotic once again so keep your guard up. I’m not worried about Young Master Qi, but Young Master Xia…”

Xia Qing was unconvinced. “What about me? Third Sister-in-law, why is your att.i.tude so different?”

“You’re kind-hearted and gentle, so it’s easy for others to use you,” Jiang Ruan smiled gently. “Just keep an eye out. Before Xiao Shao returns, we must be careful.”

Xia Qing’s eyes met Qi Fengs and he shrugged. “Okay, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, thus I’ll listen to Third Sister-in-law.”

Nearby, Lu Zhu smiled secretly.

* * *

That night, the wind rose. When Bai Zhi got up to close the windows, she found that it had started to drizzle outside. Winter nights were already quite cold, and when the rain fell onto people, it would be very chilly. Bai Zhi closed the window, then looked over at the desk where Jiang Ruan was still reading a book. “Miss, why don’t you sleep earlier so as to be mindful that you don’t catch a cold when it rains harder later.”

Jiang Ruan nodded and closed the book, but just as she was getting up, she heard a sound from outside, like something exploded. She frowned- there shouldn’t be any firecrackers. What’s more, she’d always had an uncanny instinct for danger, so she immediately put on a cloak and prepared to go out to take a look.

Bai Zhi watched Jiang Ruan but didn’t stop her. After all, there were hidden guards protecting them outside so nothing much could happen. When Jiang Ruan stepped out into the yard, she saw a young servant run over, reporting anxiously, “Young Furen, a group of people are at the front, claiming to be officials here to catch a.s.sa.s.sins. However, I didn’t dare to open the door so I came here to ask for Young Furen’s instructions.”

The servants of Jinying w.a.n.gfu were all carefully selected; in short, they weren’t stupid. It was strange that people would come to arrest anyone at such a late hour, and so it was appropriate to keep their guard up. Jiang Ruan smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, they need an official seal and a token if they’re here to arrest criminals. Since you haven’t opened the door, this means they don’t have these two things, and if they don’t have those, they can’t prove their ident.i.ties. It’s impossible for just anyone to break into a household, let alone the Jinying w.a.n.gfu. No need to care about those people, you did well.”

The young man blushed a little at Jiang Ruan’s praise, but he quickly regained his worried expression. “Young Furen is right, but those people are so aggressive that I could hear them through the door. I’m afraid they won’t let us go even if we don’t allow them in.”

Then, as if to confirm his words, one of the guards from the entrance hurried over. “It’s bad Young Furen, they’ve begun to forcibly break in. This servant took a look and many of them are carrying bows and arrows, hence they definitely won’t be kind. I’m afraid it’s going to be dangerous.”

Steward Lin, who had also followed, heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Ruan. The Jinying w.a.n.gfu had already recognised Jiang Ruan as their Mistress, so every time something happened now, they would skip Steward Lin and report directly to Jiang Ruan. With all his usual joviality put aside, Steward Lin said seriously, “Young Furen, it’s too dangerous here. Soon the Jinyi Guards will escort you away, and Young Master’s token will protect you.”

If someone dared to act so unrestrained even in such a public manner they must have made adequate preparations beforehand, and Jiang Ruan wouldn’t be safe if she remained. Subsequently, no matter what, the Young Furen of Jinying w.a.n.gfu had to come first.

But Jiang Ruan only pondered a short while before shaking her head. “No.”

Everyone was surprised at her words, and Lu Zhu responded anxiously, “Miss, now isn’t the time to mess around. Since those people dare to break into the w.a.n.gfu, they must have many tricks. What if something goes wrong?”

Generally speaking, the Jinying w.a.n.gfu was like a fortress, and no one would ever think of breaking in. Furthermore, Xiao Shao was now on his way back with men and horses. However, the attackers were using a military formation to surround the w.a.n.gfu so tightly that those remaining inside did not have an opportunity to send any messages out. Obviously these people were taking such blatant measures for two reasons: one was to take their lives, and the other was for something within the Jinying w.a.n.gfu.

Taking their lives was easy to explain- she was the only extra person in the Jinying w.a.n.gfu. As for the other thing… Jiang Ruan looked at Steward Lin. “How many guards are in the residence in total?”

“There are a total of 180 guards, and every maid or servant knows some martial arts,” Steward Lin answered. “But it’s nothing compared to the people outside. They have both archers and cavalry; it’s simply using an army to deal with a manor. Young Furen, this place is very dangerous, and Young Master left a token behind. If you insist on staying, why not call the Jinyi Guards to guard you?”

“No,” Jiang Ruan refused flatly. “Since they dare to come so arrogantly, they must have other intentions. I’m afraid they want to test the might of the Jinyi Guards — does this w.a.n.gfu hold any secrets?”

Steward Lin was startled and looked up at Jiang Ruan, who stared back at him. The person who usually smiled now had more sharpness in her eyes, and this gave Steward Lin such a fright that he no longer dared to hide anything, saying, “It does. Young Master handles official doc.u.ments at home and confidential topics are sometimes discussed here. I’m not very clear about this but I know that there are some very important things in the w.a.n.gfu. Although they’re hidden very well, it’s not impossible for others to discover.”

Jiang Ruan’s heart sank. “Killing many birds with one stone, what a good strategy,” she commented coldly.

“What do you mean?” Steward Lin asked.

Pivoting around, Jiang Ruan quickly walked towards the main hall. “This seemingly reckless course of action happened to take place at this particular time. If the Jinyi Guards come out, they can determine the Jinying w.a.n.gfu’s true strength. If we abandon the Jinying w.a.n.gfu to escape, they may be able to ferret out the secrets inside, and it would be a simple matter to harvest some lives. They’re bandits, but clever bandits.” Indeed, Xuan Li wasn’t so easy to thwart. This move of his was very aggressive. Her steps were fast, and her long fox fur cloak made a gorgeous arc as it flew through the air. “It’s not too late. Lao Lin, call everyone together to gather at the front hall. Tonight, no one is allowed a single step outside the Jinying w.a.n.gfu!”

Steward Lin was shocked at the ruthlessness hidden in Jiang Ruan’s voice. He immediately responded, “Yes!”

Steward Lin was very fast and it took less than half a stick of incense’s worth of time for everyone to gather at the front hall. Jiang Ruan stood in front of everyone in the front hall’s yard, Steward Lin next to her, while Jin Er and several other hidden guards stayed behind her without a word. All eyes were on the future mistress of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu. The situation was dangerous tonight, yet she refused to escape alone — this had already won the servants’ favour, after all, anyone would admire such courage. But if there was courage but no brains, she wouldn’t do the Jinying w.a.n.gfu any good, so everyone wanted to see what countermeasures Jiang Ruan had come up with.

As she stood before them, the dark night complemented her stunning appearance; in such a perilous situation, her eyes shone and her lips curled in a faint smile, yet this only caused people to feel dread. “Everyone, I won’t say much. You know that people are forcing their way into the Jinying w.a.n.gfu at present,” she said, “I don’t know what their goal is, but they definitely won’t be kind. You are all Jinying w.a.n.gfu’s people. Right now, someone wants to break into your home to kill your loved ones, steal your valuables, and they might even try to frame you and label you as a.s.sa.s.sins.”

Her tone was indifferent, as if this were happening to someone else, but the audience’s hearts jolted. It was one thing to guess what might happen, and another thing entirely to hear someone say it clearly. Their eyes gradually changed.

“Your master entrusted the Jinying w.a.n.gfu to me before he left, and I promised to protect it. Every tree and blade of gra.s.s in the w.a.n.gfu is important to its future, we mustn’t take it lightly. So tonight, I will fulfill my promise to your master — I will not abandon the w.a.n.gfu to escape, I am staying with you all. If you don’t leave when those bandits come in, neither will I. I will stay here until the end.”

Everyone stared at her blankly, not understanding at all how Jiang Ruan, the precious w.a.n.gfei and the entire w.a.n.gfu’s mistress, could be willing to stay. She knew this was a trap but refused to retreat and with a look in her eyes only found in hungry wolves, resolute yet indifferent, she ignored her own life or death.

Tian Zhu stood quietly next to Jiang Ruan. From the first moment she followed her, she knew that her master was in some respects the same as a Jinyi Guard in her bones. No matter how the world changed, her heart would remain strong.

“Now,” Jiang Ruan commanded coldly, “as Jinying w.a.n.gfei, I order all maids and servants to go back to your rooms and find a place to hide. All the guards of the w.a.n.gfu stay here, focus on protecting Xiao Shao’s study and bedroom. Kill all intruders. Jin Er, you find a way to break out of the w.a.n.gfu — it’s best to use a secret pa.s.sage — and light all the houses around the Jinying w.a.n.gfu on fire. Jin San, Jin Si, you set off signal flares, the Jinyi Guards can’t show their faces but the Zhao family can.” Her gaze was unfathomably cold, as was her voice. “If they want to enter, first they have to see if they have the ability. They want to see the Jinying w.a.n.gfu’s true power, I want to see them unable to leave!”

Everyone was shocked by her curse and couldn’t help but raise their heads to look at their beautiful Mistress. She was enchantingly bright and her deep crimson dress blowing in the cold night wind made her look like a red flower, but her tone was as cruel as a demon climbing out of the underworld. Her narrowed eyes contained a contempt engraved in her bones that caused people to be unable to react. Steward Lin’s hands trembled. He didn’t know why, but he felt that the current Jiang Ruan was very similar to Xiao Shao — strong and tenacious, not afraid of anything. Even if a sword swung at them in the next second, they could continue to calmly give orders.

“Act now!” she ordered.