Seemingly just a few days ago, Jiang Xin Zhi had accompanied the victorious Guan Liang Han into the capital city, and now he had once again contributed a great meritorious service.
Although Guan Liang Han’s private deployment of troops was illegal and violated the Emperor’s command, the lives of the people were of prime importance. Therefore, attending to the situation had been of high priority. The imperial court had not, as of yet, issued a decree punishing those involved, which clearly indicated the Emperor’s opinion: this ‘crime’ did not override the meritorious service.
Guan Liang Han was a seasoned veteran of numerous battles, and was even known as the ‘God of War’ in the Great Jin dynasty. Thus, this state of affairs was not very important to him. However, for Jiang Xin Zhi, who had appeared out of nowhere with great achievement, it was a different matter. He had already been promoted to Deputy General at a young age, and this situation was like the icing on the cake[1]. Those who were interested in such matters postulated that Jiang Xin Zhi’s official career would skyrocket in future. No one could have imagined that the Jiang family, which had produced generations of civilian court officials, would in Jiang Xin Zhi start a new generation of military leaders.
[1] 锦上添花 (jǐnshàngtiānhuā) – lit. on brocade, add flowers (idiom); to decorate something already perfect / gilding the lily.
Hence, over the past few days, there had been an endless stream of horse carriages outside the Jiang fu, all making formal visits to court the favour of Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan wiped his perspiring brow in secret. Everyone in the Grand Councillor fu had been incarcerated and the situation was a total disaster. Even if, by some fluke, the Li family were finally released, they would never again be able to regain their former glory and favour. In addition, the power and influence of Eighth Prince had been damaged. At this moment, no one in the imperial court, no matter their rank, dared to act rashly, and even the Xia family was silent.
The Jiang family depended on the Xia family, who in turn depended on Xuan Li. If problems were to arise with respect to Xuan Li, then the Jiang fu would definitely have no future. Jiang Quan had initially been deeply worried about this, but Jiang Xin Zhi had emerged like a bolt from the blue, and to his shocked surprise, the Jiang fu, on the verge of collapse, found itself in a flourishing situation.
His feelings towards the colleagues who paid him formal visits and observed the social niceties in order to curry favour with him were complicated. If it were Jiang Chao who was bringing glory to the Jiang family, that would be fine, but it was Jiang Xin Zhi. At present, Jiang Xin Zhi could indeed be seen as bringing the Jiang fu plenty of benefits, but he had been very arrogant and condescending upon his return to the fu. If he really did gain the Emperor’s favour, in future, wouldn’t he rebel against the Jiang fu? Jiang Quan had never paid attention to this eldest di son, but he was now proving himself more and more capable with each passing day. If, in future, all the Jiang family property should fall into his hands, there would be no place for Jiang Chao or Jiang Su Su. When he thought about this, a trace of gloom flashed across Jiang Quan’s eyes.
While Jiang Quan was sorting out his complex feelings, there were people in an even worse state than he was. Ever since the collapse of Bo Chang reservoir, the number of cups and saucers smashed to smithereens in Yan Hua Yuan and Su Xin Yuan was steadily mounting. Xia Yan just happened to be bed-ridden due to the cold, but the people in the fu were whispering that the cause of her illness was her ill temper at Jiang Xin Zhi’s rendering of meritorious service. Once again.
The whispers grew and spread, and somehow even spread to the streets and alleys of the capital. Tongues were wagging all over the city, saying- look, even Xia Yan, who had been widely feted as a talented woman in those days, was unable to avoid becoming a petty[2], jealous woman once she entered the fu. They said that her usually dignified and imposing aura and her tolerant attitude were all for show, otherwise, why would she fall ill when Eldest Young Master Jiang rendered such a great service?
[2] 小肚鸡肠 (xiao du ji chang) – lit. small belly, chicken gut; fig. narrow-minded, petty.
This rumour made its way around the capital, eventually returning to the Jiang fu. Almost the next day, Xia Yan recovered from her illness.
Xia Yan recovered, but Jiang Chao fell ill again. He shut himself in his courtyard and refused to go out.
The main residence also fell victim to this atmosphere. As a result, whenever the yiniangs and other daughters of the Jiang fu encountered Jiang Ruan, they treated her as something like a taboo.
No matter what the attitude of the other people in the Jiang fu was like, Jiang Xin Zhi and Jiang Ruan were happy and content. If there was someone else in the fu who was also happy, then it would be the Old Jiang Madame.
The Old Jiang Madame was constantly ill in bed, for she was after all a person in her sixties. When illness struck her, it was always severe, and her recovery was extremely slow[3]. When she heard that Jiang Xin Zhi had been promoted to Deputy General and returned to the fu, she was very happy. However, after Jiang Xin Zhi’s return to the capital, he was kept busy with military matters, and the Old Jiang Madame found it challenging to get up and walk due to the frailty of her body. Thus, with great impatience, she called for Jiang Xin Zhi and Jiang Ruan to visit her.
[3] 病来如山倒病去如抽丝 (bing lai ru shan dao, bing qu ru chou si) – lit. when illness strikes, it’s like a mountain falling; recovery is as slow as the pace at which silk is spun by the silkworm.
In Gui Lan Yuan, the Old Jiang Madame surveyed the extraordinary youngsters before her with satisfaction. She was already advanced in age, and while she had previously doted on Jiang Chao, who had been brought up in her presence from a young age, he had disappointed her repeatedly in recent times. On the other hand, this Jiang Xin Zhi had returned to the capital after a great victory, which caused her to sit up and take note of him.
In contrast to the Old Jiang Madame’s warm and friendly demeanour, Jiang Xin Zhi was polite but seemed somewhat awkward and distant. He exhibited plenty of courtesy, but little of the familiarity of close relations. Over time, the Old Jiang Madame could see Jiang Xin Zhi’s attitude, and her expression slowly became less amiable.
Moreover, Jiang Xin Zhi had been trained and toughened up by his military experiences, so he calmly ignored the Old Jiang Madame’s deliberate silence. Jiang Ruan was even less likely to say anything, and merely sat in silence without uttering a word. The Old Jiang Madame both explicitly and implicitly reminded Jiang Xin Zhi that he had to help the Jiang family. If he could, he should also help Jiang Chao, as he (Jiang Xin Zhi) was most likely to inherit the Jiang fu, and Jiang Chao was, for better or for worse, his younger brother.
Jiang Xin Zhi remained calm and manoeuvred the situation so that the words rebounded without him making any promises[4].
[4] 打了个太极 (da le ge tai ji) – lit., to make a tai chi move. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art which has many different styles, often characterised by graceful, sweeping hand motions. In colloquial terms, for someone to make a tai chi move is to ‘push’ away a responsibility or a suggestion in an expert manner. More about Tai Chi here.
All her life, the Old Jiang Madame had been remarkably astute. When she perceived that Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi were this stubborn, she was naturally somewhat displeased. She offered a few more words in line with conventional greetings, but her manner gradually became increasingly frosty. Finally, she waved them away, saying she was tired.
After they had taken their leave, she said to Cai Qiao, who was by her side, “I had thought that he would be a valuable treasure, but it turns out that he shows no understanding of the times and is not amenable to reason.”
“Eldest Young Master has some resentment towards Furen. Once this resentment has passed, he will be alright. After all, he is still family,” Cai Qiao said persuasively.
“What resentment, it is clearly hatred.” The Old Jiang Madame sighed deeply and said, “Well, let them torment each other all they like. Xia Yan should suffer as well.”
Although she doted on Jiang Chao, she was not actually set on him. In the end, Jiang Quan was not her own child, and she only sought to protect the glory of the Jiang fu. In her opinion, whether it was Jiang Chao or Jiang Xin Zhi in charge of the fu in future, it made no difference.
When Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi walked out of Gui Lan Yuan, Jiang Ruan said, “Zumu is probably angry with you.”
“I don’t give a damn about the Jiang fu’s position,” said Jiang Xin Zhi in a low voice, “what’s more helping the fu.”
“It would be best if you do not need to,” said Jiang Ruan with a smile.
Because the Jiang fu would eventually collapse one day. Was there any need for dying people to waste time and effort chasing after prosperity and beautiful things while they are alive?
As she said this, she noticed a flash of clothing from within the garden. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, then abruptly raised her voice and said, “Since Zumu wants to recognise Dage as the eventual heir of the Jiang fu, then this must be the will of her heart. Dage will have to seriously consider it.”
Jiang Xin Zhi was slightly taken aback, but seemed to understand the situation when he looked at Jiang Ruan’s expression. He smiled along with her and said, “Exactly.”
The flash of clothing amidst the bushes swiftly vanished. Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi exchanged glances and laughed.
These two siblings of the Jiang fu were taking things easy, but naturally there were people who were not enjoying such leisure. For example, the Grand Councillor fu which had been seized and searched, and the Li family who had been incarcerated.
All the people in the Grand Councillor fu had been imprisoned, with the sole exception of Li An because the Li family’s Second Young Master had fled, afraid of being caught as a criminal. The entire capital had been searched from front to back, but no one had so much as caught a glimpse of his shadow. This was a major event in the capital, and people were being searched every day by the bailiffs.
The Li family’s Second Young Master had always been highly intelligent, therefore, no one knew where he was hiding. As he was also very cautious, it would probably be hard to capture him.
In an alley in the slums of the capital, there was a filthy and dilapidated inn. The continuous rain had rendered half of the roof useless, and as the wind and rain battered the structure, the inn looked as though it would collapse the very next second.
A man in grey clothes walked in. The innkeeper was at that moment resting his head on the table for a nap, for he had not expected that anyone would enter at this time. He hurriedly and courteously welcomed the guest, saying, “Sir, are you here to stay or for a meal?”
“I want a middle room.” The grey-clad man fished out a piece of broken silver and said, “Send food to my room.” Having said this, he walked up the stairs. The inn was old and in a sad state of disrepair, and since it was located in a dark alley in the slums, the rich would never deign to stay in such a place, while the poor had no money to do so. Thus, there were very few guests in the inn.
The innkeeper smilingly agreed and also went up the stairs to look for a room for this grey-clad guest.
After he led him to a room, the innkeeper went back down the stairs while the grey-clad man shut the door. He slowly took off his flapping, filthy, and grey outer clothing to expose an elegant face- except his expression held a touch of malevolence and gloom.
This was none other than Li An.
The highly intelligent and arrogant Li An had been reduced to nothing but a stray dog, hiding in every possible corner in order to escape the authorities’ pursuit. From a young age, people had always praised him, calling him the hope of the Grand Councillor fu. He was totally contemptuous of Li Yang, a profligate rake who enjoyed whoring, and he disdained Li Dong, whose lifestyle was utterly hedonistic.
He wanted to be a master of others and enjoy their worshipful gazes. In fact, he had achieved this, so he did not expect that one day he would suffer such a terrible defeat, especially at the hands of such a young girl!
Over the past few days, he had carefully gone through the entire sequence of events in his mind. In the end, he had come to the conclusion that all of it had been orchestrated by Jiang Ruan. He could barely conceal his shock. From the time that Jiang Ruan had castrated Li Yang, it seemed as if she had been moving step by step through a plan to target the Li family. However, no matter what her reason might be, this kind of naked provocation had caused the Grand Councillor fu to suffer such a huge loss. How could Li An take this lying down?
Most of all, recently, news had been spreading around the marketplace that the Emperor had seen the countless valuables and precious jewels that had been in the Grand Councillor fu– clearly more than what was in the national treasury. The Emperor was furious and filled with murderous rage, and wanted to execute the whole family and confiscate their property within the next few days.
Although this was just a rumour, it had originated from the palace. No one could tell truth from falsehood, but Li An himself was certain that, even if it was only for the reason of filling up the national treasury, the Emperor would very likely demand the lives of the people of the Grand Councillor fu.
However, if this happened, the Grand Councillor fu would absolutely lose the possibility of changing its fortune!
This was not acceptable, he had to do something. He could not sit and wait for death; he could not watch the Grand Councillor fu collapse due to such a small thing as a reservoir.
He had already made some inquiries and found out that, since the heavy rainfall had yet to stop, many rich families in the capital were frequently visiting the most famous temple to pray – Bao Guang Temple.
Moreover, the day after tomorrow, Jiang Ruan would set off together with the other young ladies from the Jiang family to donate some money for incense.
Bao Guang Temple was located far away from the capital, on Xue Yi cliff. The mountains were high and the valleys were deep, and the journey was long. For this reason, the incense that was offered (by those who had braved this journey) was considered potent, as people believed their actions proved one’s sincerity of heart.
That all the young ladies of the Jiang fu were visiting Bao Guang Temple was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.
He had to turn the tables before the Emperor made a decision on the Grand Councillor fu. This meant that he had to get to Jiang Ruan first. However, nowadays, not only could he not appear openly, he needed to find a way to get close to her.
The only way was to seize her, and then . . . get her to admit that it was all a conspiracy.
Li An had always relied on stratagems to harm people, and had never before made such a decision to take direct action. However, at present, this was the only way.
This would be the first time he was undertaking a task personally, and he believed that there would be no way for Jiang Ruan to escape.
Slowly, he withdrew something that looked like a bronze medal from within his clothes. It was about the size of his palm, and was exquisitely made. Li An gripped it tightly in his hand, then laughed unhurriedly.
