Pensively, Xiao Shao stared at her. Jiang Ruan did seem furious. This epiphany of his made his heart feel a vague sense of satisfaction, though, such that even his cold expression that had been present since Jiang Su Su’s appearance, vanished. What remained was the slightest bit of laughter.
Seeing his smile, Jiang Ruan felt even more infuriated alongside a trace of self-disdain. Ever since she had reincarnated- perhaps due to the lessons she had received from her past life- she had never invested much expectations into anything. That said, in regards to the things that she had set her mind to do, she would have an extremely strong sense of possession. And now that she had already accepted the incumbent role of becoming the Jinying Wangfu’s Mistress who would manage the household, regardless of any feelings she had for Xiao Shao, in the depths of her heart she had selfishly already considered Xiao Shao’s as entirely hers.
Jiang Su Su had touched her things so naturally this would make her entirely displeased. Yet, this evildoer[1] did not have the slightest sense of self-awareness and had the cheek to feign innocence with those good looks of his.
[1] 始作俑者 (shǐ zuò yǒng zhě) – At first used to describe a person who would bury wooden doll figures with the dead during the funeral, it is now used to describe an originator of an evil practice or in this case, it serves as referring to the person with a negative, derogatory connotation, to censure someone as someone who had done a bad thing.
Accordingly, she became increasingly more enraged. Yet in Xiao Shao’s eyes, she seemed extremely adorable. He could not wait until Jiang Ruan spoke before he dragged her over to his side and pressed her onto his lap.
“You……” Jiang Ruan was indignant. To be frank, this was not the first time that Xiao Shao had done this. Before, when she was in the Jinying Wangfu, she had been treated similarly by him. Only, at the time, due to Xiao Shao being deliriously inebriated, she had overlooked it. But now, in broad daylight, although they had an engagement, this move of his was truly too rash and abrupt.
“Don’t move.” Xiao Shao pressed lightly on her back, yet his movement was both gentle and strong as if he did not allow for any resistance. What he said next, however, made Jiang Ruan unable to meet nor plan to directly meet his gaze. He added, “Let Husband hug you for a bit, it’s only right and proper for me to do so[2].”
[2] 天经地义 (tiān jīng dì yì) – an idiom that refers to a reasoning that is unalterable even by the heavens, something matter of fact and unquestionable.
Jiang Ruan could only roll her eyes inwardly and listen as Xiao Shao continued on, “To seduce me, it would have been better if they had swapped Jiang Su Su for the remarkably stunning and beautiful woman sitting before me.”
All day, this person made sarcastic comments, so who would have known that when he spoke like this it could be with such eloquence. Glancing at him in disbelief, Jiang Ruan was somewhat perplexed. At first, she had assumed he was pulling her leg, but at the same time he had such a serious look. In which case, this made one be unable to make any sense of the matter. However, with Xiao Shao’s action, that lingering speck of displeasure that she felt vanished without a trace.
As expected, it was to one’s natural unfair advantage to be born this well. Jiang Ruan remarked inwardly that beauty could really confound people. By now, she was solely preoccupied with her own thoughts and did not bother looking at Xiao Shao’s expression. Thus, she missed the trace of pleasure that flashed in his eyes at being able to embrace the beauty in his arms.
After an unknown period of time, there was the slightest change in Xiao Shao’s expression before he patted her head, “There’s someone coming.”
How these two were like privately, no one would be able to control nor care about it. Nevertheless, Jiang Ruan was still an unmarried young lady, so the etiquette that should be observed still ought to be scrupulously followed. Moreover, appearing like this in such a desolate area in the Jiang fu, if they were not the slightest bit careful, someone might spread unfavorable rumors about Jiang Ruan. With Xiao Shao’s reminder, Jiang Ruan then stood and made a motion in a well-behaved manner as if she was about to pour a cup of tea from the teapot on the table for Xiao Shao.
They heard a light knock on the door, “Eldest Miss?”
Hearing that voice, it was obviously Hong Ying, who had realized, albeit a little too late, that there had been no sign of activity. Furthermore, upon noticing how the person who was supposed to notify her had not returned to report to her, she had become inwardly suspicious. Consequently, she decided to personally come to get a grasp of the situation. Because of this, it was great that she (JR) had taken care of matters. If there had been any further intentions, then they would have fallen into another scheme that Hong Ying had set in their path.
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly, “Enter.”
Hong Ying’s hand, which had been slowly pushing the door open, paused as her heart abruptly began to hammer ferociously. How was Jiang Ruan still this calm and why was the area so silent that not even the slightest thread nor trace of displeasure could be heard in her voice. She also didn’t know where the little manservant and old servant that were on duty as doorkeepers had gone so Hong Ying was even more afraid and did not dare to lightly push the door open. She could not help but begin to regret that she had so carelessly agreed to Jiang Su Su’s request. Xiao Shao was naturally not a normal person, and if he had seen through her schemes and wanted to take revenge, then she would not have even the slightest means to fend against him.
Yet, the door still had to be opened. Taking a deep breath, Hong Ying stepped inside to look and saw how neat and tidy everything was and observed Jiang Ruan by Xiao Shao’s side. She was currently pouring tea for him and nothing seemed out of place.
Looking closely once more at the two people before her, Hong Ying noticed how Jiang Ruan looked unfazed and indifferent without any emotions except for a faint curl of a smile on her lips. It was as if she was filled with thoughts that one could not grasp. Xiao Shao was also the same, similarly indifferent without any particularly special expression on his features. Even so, Hong Ying seemed to be able to sense the slightest bit of joy in the room?
Joy?
What had happened here? Hong Ying made a searching glance around the room and did not see Jiang Su Su’s figure anywhere. How could this be? Hong Ying was at first alarmed, but then she slowly calmed down and began to feel a bit celebratory. Seeing that Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao were not in the slightest bit unhappy, meant that Jiang Su Su had naturally not succeeded. Hong Ying was somewhat disappointed, yet at the same time, somewhat in disbelief. According to Jiang Su Su’s plan, there should have been no mistake. Jiang Su Su had such charm, so even if she did not use any special means, she could still make men go crazy for her. Why… How could Xiao Shao be such an exception that he was not overtaken by her charms?
With so many racing thoughts, Hong Ying ultimately let out a sigh of relief. Earlier, when she had pushed open the door, she had been rather regretful about hastily agreeing to Jiang Su Su’s request without any careful consideration. After all, Xiao Shao was still a prominent figure in the imperial court and had multiple times more power than Jiang Quan. If she was truly found to be in collusion with Jiang Su Su- to scheme against him, no less- than retaliation would be inevitable. Moreover, when one was going against such a person, the risks were truly too much. And now that Jiang Su Su had bolted in defeat after overestimating her own capabilities, it stood to reason that the scheme had been revealed. However, no matter what, she would have neither any relation to nor responsibility for this matter.
She smiled apologetically, “This concubine had come over to see if Wangye and Eldest Miss still needed anything. If so, I will instruct someone to prepare. This is Wangye’s first time coming to our fu and in the future the two families will become closer, therefore, I absolutely cannot neglect in serving our guest.”
Jiang Ruan shot a glance at her and with a flutter of curled lashes, she slightly smiled, “Fifth Yiniang is truly considerate. However, coincidently, this room does need some cleaning.”
Hong Ying was startled and blankly asked, “What instructions does Eldest Miss have?”
Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan without speaking a word with a gaze that was filled with pampering and indulgence. It was clear that he was prepared to listen with respectful attention to this Young Furen’s babbling nonsense.
Jiang Ruan brushed aside her hair with an incomparably sincere expression that did not show the slightest hint of pretense, “The presentation of this reception hall that Fifth Yiniang has chosen is elegant and its location is rather good. However, perhaps it has been too long since someone did any cleaning. Inside the room, there are traces of mice who have nibbled on food.”
“Mice?” At first Hong Ying had been a little nervous upon seeing Jiang Ruan open her mouth, yet when she heard her words, she chuckled, “How can there be mice? Perhaps Eldest Miss is mistaken. I instructed the servants to especially clean this place.” Moreover, for Jiang Su Su to be able to achieve her goals, she had long since had this tea reception hall decorated and arranged from the inside out. For such a place, how could she bear to have some mice throw their plans into disarray?
“If Fifth Yiniang does not believe me, then you can have a look.” Jiang Ruan pointed to the screen decorated with tree kingfishers in the hall with a meaning-laden smile. “Earlier, a mouse suddenly scuttled out and gave me a scare. But then, Xiao Wangye personally took care of the mouse by killing it. What remains is the stain behind there.”
Hong Ying’s gaze followed where Jiang Ruan was pointing and saw in astonishment: a puddle of blood stains at the bottom of the jadeite screen. Moreover, the puddle was actually a spray of blood. It had also slightly stained the screen and the splatter looked vivid and distinct on it, which could not help but make one jump.
For a moment, Hong Ying was puzzled and was about to say a few words before a thought flashed through her mind. Immediately, her face turned pale as she stepped a few steps back. She stared at the blood stains, and then turned to look at Jiang Ruan. Jiang Ruan smiled towards her with a light nod and spoke blithely, “Fifth Yiniang has seen it clearly?”
And then, one heard from the outside someone shouting loudly, “It’s terrible, terrible. Something has happened to Second Miss!”
* * *
Presently, in an area no more than a few hundred meters away from the Jiang fu’s entrance, was an impenetrable crowd; this big crowd was filled with the common people and amongst them, the men’s gazes were especially zealous.
[T/N – Readers who want to avoid the scene of sexual harrassment, skip the section below that is within red borders.]
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“What a fine, beautiful, delicate young lady we have here, and that gaze of hers would entice anyone. Even an old man would not be able to resist!”
“It is truly a fairy-like face with an alluring body. And this figure, if one were coiled with it for nine days, one would not be able to stop!”
“Whose family’s young lady is this? Without rhyme or reason, why is she lying out here like this?” There were also such comments from some kind people.
“Look at how she is dressed. Does she seem like an unmarried young lady of a good household? Hah, brother[3], I reckon that you have never experienced such a matter before. We’ve seen this often enough in our capital; for the most part, this is probably some indecent woman that mixed around with men. She was probably cleaned up by the wife, no, this was done to intentionally give her a lesson. Anyway, this young lady is truly interesting, with just a look, she would make one unable to resist. I’m not sure which gentleman or lord of any family had the good fortune [to have slept with her], as what’s most difficult to bear is the grace of such a beauty!”
[3] 兄台 (xiōngtái) – brother (polite appellation for a friend one’s age).
“Pah! What kind of gaze do you have? What indecent woman? Isn’t this Second Miss of Minister Jiang fu? That famous and talented lady in the capital. If not her, from what I can see, then why does she seem so familiar? I’m sure that it’s her, but what in the world has happened here?”
The person who was cloistered in the middle of the crowd was dressed in a plain white dress. From the beginning, her outfit had been thin enough that it showed the outline of a figure that would lead one to have wild and fanciful thoughts. In addition, her long black tresses were damply clinging to her body, as if she had just bathed. Absorbing the moisture, her thin clothes had become even more transparent as if one would be able to see the beautiful view beneath her robes. Even though the young woman’s head faced downwards, one could still see that small, exquisite and elegantly attractive face. At the moment, one could not be sure if she was furious or shy because that bright little face of hers was somewhat flushed- but that made one feel even more excited. With a faint sweet fragrance that lingered in the air around her like a first rate aphrodisiac, it caused those crowded around her to look at her with ferocious gazes like wolves and tigers. A few men had already begun to stir restlessly, wanting to grope at her.
As if she wanted to grind her teeth to smithereens due to her extreme anger, Jiang Su Su was unsure about which acupuncture point that secret guard had touched when she was thrown here. At present, she was truly as soft as a sponge all over without the slightest ability to exert any strength. Like a drenched dog, she was here to be a spectacle for these lowly, despicable common people and she even had to accept the disgusting gazes of these men. Once she thought of this point, Jiang Su Su hated that she could not have all the eyes of these people before her gorged out. Of course, the one she hated the most was the mastermind behind it all, Jiang Ruan.
Unfortunately she was unable to say anything and could only listen to the inexplicably demeaning words and discussions from the people around her.
“Don’t you dare trick me and assume I have little insight, that Minister fu is a magnificent official family. How could a young lady as clear as ice and clean as jade do such an unrestrained thing? Moreover, look at this woman. All you can see is an amorous bearing, how could this be the disposition that a proper young lady would exude? I fear this one is a rare and extraordinarily beautiful young woman that is comfortable with love affairs.”
A big bellied middle aged man finally could not resist any longer and he fanned himself as he stepped forward towards Jiang Su Su. Crouching down, he pinched her jaw and lifted her head for a look. With the rise of her head, everyone could see Jiang Su Su’s appearance clearly. At once, there was a spell of cool air as if there was a flurry of admiration and compliments for her good looks. That middle-aged man appeared extremely content as his lecherous gaze flittered all over her body before commenting, “Not bad, what a wonderful figure. I’m not sure which (brothel) building this young lady is from? Why not come with this lord and become my seventeenth concubine. I, this lord, will dote on you immensely.”
This man was dressed in gold and adorned in silver but he looked extremely shallow and his every word was extremely vulgar. One look and one could tell that he was some lord of a family that had suddenly made a fortune. On any other day, if anyone would treat Jiang Su Su in such a manner, she would have already berated them. Yet now that she was faced with such a gross face, she was unable to even open her mouth to speak.
Seeing how Jiang Su Su did not say a word, the middle-aged man regarded her silence as consent. He then stretched out his plush hand to pat her face, “Little beauty, then why don’t you come home with this lord.”
However, amongst this crowd, there was not just this one person alone who had such lecherous thoughts as abruptly, another person burst out, “It was clear that I had chanced upon this lady first. Why are you fighting over her with me?” The one speaking was a pampered older son of a wealthy official family.
“What are you quarreling about, this old man has also taken a fancy to this woman. If we must speak for all, then it should be first come, first served.”
This beauty had attracted all kinds of attention, moreover with such a rare beauty as if sculpted by the heavens, some were thinking of bringing such a rarity home as one’s own property. Some had even been planning on dressing this beauty up as a gift to a superior in exchange for a smooth official career path. With such a beautiful woman, if she was able to receive such a patron as a bestowed gift, then in all likelihood, it would bring much honor for them.
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Unlike the men, the women present all gazed upon Jiang Su Su with scorn, “Tsk, this charming fox is extremely calamitous. After all, she has the cheek to be this openly shameless in these great streets and small alleys.”
“Indeed.” In the eyes of the furens present, they were unable to tolerate this sort of troublesome person and they fervently gossiped, “Truly offending public morals. This brothel woman is brazen and truly lacking in integrity. Which lady of any normal family would ever do such a thing?” It was practically a foregone conclusion that Jiang Su Su was a woman of prostitution from the brothel district.
Jiang Su Su hated that everything before her was beyond her control, but she could barely move her mouth or her body. Otherwise, she would definitely use a pair of scissors to twist and tear those long-tongued furens to shreds. She had always considered herself as a fairy that had descended from Mount Kunlun[4], and she had always appeared as aloof, noble and virtuous from material pursuits like someone above the common populace. Even in the capital, all sorts of praises were because of her radiance and brilliance that was added to her mysterious nature. When had she ever fallen to such a despicable state, as if her entire body’s disguise had been ripped apart and nakedly revealed before anyone’s gaze to appraise. It was truly such an extreme humiliation!
[4] 九天瑶池 – It refers to the name of a pool on Mount Kunlun, a place of olden legends and folklore that is the abode of Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the west and the keeper of the peaches of immortality, popularly known as Wangmu Niangniang, 王母娘娘. This grand and majestic Mount Kunlun is as if it existed as an exception apart from the Ninth Heaven (the highest of heavens) with brilliant white snow covered peaks with admirably stately, old pagodas that seemed as tall as the sky. This land is the nurturing grounds and her other residence in which Wangmu inhabited apart from the Imperial Court was considered a heavenly paradise.
Perhaps the only thing that could prove her charm was all thoese men who had begun to raise their arms as they rivaled each other for her affection. Even though she had landed in this state, these men were still falling over due to her beauty. Only… all the men who were coming to blows over her were all ordinary folk; either they were money-grubbing merchants, or nouveau riche officials. They were entirely light-years apart from those elegant, graceful pampered sons of wealthy families that used to flutter around her. Even if she had picked the most unremarkable one among that crowd of admirers in the past, they too would be a million times better than every person here. The past was incomparably bright in comparison to what she saw presently and Jiang Su Su was practically collapsing at this situation before her.
But just as the fighting around her attracted an increasing crowd of people who had stopped to watch, at this moment, one could hear a voice, “Right there!”
Jiang Su Su raised her eyes to look and saw the crowd being parted. Some people stepped forward; it was some family servants. Behind them was a woman who was supporting a large tummy. It was Hong Ying.
Upon seeing Hong Ying, Jiang Su Su felt anger and anxiousness. Hong Ying hurried forward and without a word to her, she instructed the servants to support Jiang Su Su home. They both knew that this could be considered a scandal and neither dared to show any sign of revealing their status and could only hope that they could escape in peace.
Only, while Hong Ying had such thoughts, the people surrounding them were discontented. Upon seeing her leaving, those men who had fought till they were flushed with anger for Jiang Su Su, unanimously agreed to stop them. One had even blocked Hong Ying, “What are you doing? You dare to touch the person that I have fancied?”
Hong Ying resisted her fury and smiled towards that man, “This official, I won’t conceal it from you. This is my distantly related niece. Due to some matters, I am only able to bring her home now. Would this official please keep away from us?”
If this was anyone else, they would have let things drop. However, the person she was dealing with was absolutely a coarse, ignorant and wealthy merchant who abruptly burst out into laughter, “Young Madame[5], don’t try to bully this old lord for not knowing much. To say that this woman is some distantly related niece of yours, with one look, it’s clear that this is a young lady from some brothel. I, this old lord, isn’t someone who is unreasonable. Young Madame, why don’t you name any price, this old lord would be willing to pay. I have taken a liking to this little beauty and am planning to bring her back to be my seventeenth concubine.”
[5] 娘子 (niángzǐ) – form of address for one’s wife / polite form of address for a woman.
Upon hearing this, Hong Ying’s cheeks were flushed red in anger, this person was truly preposterous. One could not use reason with him, but now she really could not allow this person to take Jiang Su Su as he pleased. If Jiang Su Su was taken away and there was someone who recognised her, then there would be no place for the Jiang family in the capital any longer. As for Jiang Quan, if he knew that this second daughter of his that he doted upon the most had such a matter happen to her, then he would definitely put all of the responsibility on her(HY). By then, how could she still have her cake and eat it too?
That said, Hong Ying had forgotten that there was no airtight wall in the world, meaning paper would never be able to cover fire. This matter would inevitably be spread and even if it was not revealed to be her responsibility, it was only because the crowd present did not associate this amorous-looking woman with the fairy-like Second Miss of the Jiang fu. However, the capital was only so large, and eventually there would be people who recognised her. Now that Jiang Su Su had met with such misfortune today near the gates of the Jiang fu, her good reputation was done for. For the rest of her life, what good playing field could she leverage upon? For a woman, what happened today was as good as a death sentence; if Jiang Quan knew of this matter, how could he be prepared to let it go?
Hong Ying feigned a forceful laugh, “This official, she isn’t some woman from whichever brothel from the pleasure district, she’s a proper and honorable young lady from a good family. I’m afraid it will not go as this official wishes.”
“What sort of proper young lady.” That rich merchant was somewhat displeased, “Do you assume that I have no ability? What are you trying to do here? Someone come and bring this lord’s seventeenth concubine back with us.” This person was completely unreasonable and planned to take her away. After giving his command, he looked at Hong Ying with a chortle, “Young Madame, try and appreciate the favor and kindness I’m bestowing here.”
“You–” Hong Ying had never encountered such a hoodlum and all at once, she was anxious, “You dare! Do you know who she is?”
“Who then?” That man smiled insincerely, “Could it be that she is some golden branch or jade leaf? A blue-blooded nobility?”
Hong Ying choked and did not dare speak of Jiang Su Su’s name. However, in the next moment she saw a person dressed as a bodyguard running from afar, and calling out loudly, “Fifth Yiniang, Junzhu has asked this subordinate to assist in searching for Second Miss’ whereabouts. Do you have any news?”
