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Chapter 28: A Murderous Intent (Part I)
The distance from this town to the capital would take two, but at most three days to cover. Imperial Censor Wang always advocated frugality. Thus, contrary to one's expectation, he eschewed the comfortable sedan chair that Qian Wan Li had arranged for, and ordered instead two horse carriages .
Sedan Chair vs Horse Carriage:
(Sources: ; )
Jiang Ruan's chests of miscellaneous items had already been sold and the value converted to banknotes[1], so only a chest of books remained to be moved into the carriage. Thus a lot of space was saved.
[1] Yin Piao ( 银票 ) – Used in olden times, banknotes with a value in silver
(Source: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/銀票)Banknote (Yin Piao)
Apart from being accompanied by Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao, Lu Zhu would also join them in their journey. Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao were not only witty and intelligent servant girls, but also bold, which was quite a rare trait. Before the departure, Lu Zhu had voluntarily offered to serve Jiang Ruan. And as it turned out, Jiang Ruan had also planned to bring Xiao Yuan along with them. However, Xiao Yuan had been born a servant in that residence, and was reluctant to leave her father and mother. So, she tactfully and politely declined Jiang Ruan's kind intention. Thus, Jiang Ruan did not force the matter, and had left her a sum of money in repayment for the favour Xiao Yuan had done for her.
On the other hand, Lu Zhu was a servant girl who had been bought from outside. After both parents' deaths, her relatives had sold her to the slave traders. And since she had travelled extensively and had met a great number of people, she was extremely bright. In the short time of their interaction, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao had already grown close to her.
Because of Jiang Ruan and the other womenfolk, Qian Wan Li had tried to curry favour with Imperial Censor Wang by arranging for Li Mi and another officer to escort them to the capital. And so, the entire journey was travelled in harmony. During their journey, Lu Zhu was very lively, recounting the time she had spent travelling with the slave traders and the strange things they had encountered. Or, perhaps she was naturally optimistic; every word she spoke was full of charm and interest, with nary a hint of low spirits. If she were harbouring any sadness or fear, only she herself knew of it. Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao could naturally sense that she was a gentle and outgoing person, and the three of them chattered away enthusiastically, while Jiang Ruan sat in the horse carriage with a book in her hand, seemingly enjoying the taste of freedom.
They soon reached the half-way mark of their two-day journey. After a night's rest, they would probably be able to reach the capital by the afternoon of the next day.
Li Mi and the other officer sat astride their ponies, accompanying Imperial Censor Wang in the other horse carriage. The sky gradually darkened. Li Mi had made enquiries and discovered there was a temple ahead of them. As they were in the middle of the wilderness, he considered the difficulty of finding an inn to stay in overnight. Thus, after asking Jiang Ruan's opinion, he decided that they should stay at the temple.
The temple was quite large, yet not much incense had been lit. Perhaps, due to its remote location in the deep mountain wilderness, very few people travelled here to light incense. Even the monks going to and fro were few in number.
Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao had not stepped over the threshold of a temple for a long time. Earlier, when Zhao Mei had still been around, she had often taken Jiang Ruan to the temple in Putuo to pray for blessings. After her death, when Jiang Ruan had been sent to the countryside residence, life became harsher by the day, and there was neither time nor money to visit the temple. Money required to buy the fragrant oil used in worship was still money. Asking for Buddha's blessing and protection came with a cost.
Lu Zhu was no stranger to temples. At Jiang Ruan's command, while Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao were tidying up, she had already made one round of the temple and even returned bearing several dishes of vegetarian food. As she urged Jiang Ruan to eat while the food was hot, she described the temple's layout to her in detail.
Night had fallen by the time they settled in the temple. All the men, including Imperial Censor Wang, Li Mi and the other officer, had arranged to sleep on the other side of the temple. Even though Li Mi had some misgivings regarding this, he concluded that the reputation of the ladies was of prime importance. Moreover, although the temple was quite large in surface area, if anything truly did happen, he would still be able to react in time.
Lian Qiao trimmed the long wick in the oil lamp to make the lamp glow more brightly. Jiang Ruan put down the book she was holding and rubbed her temples.
"Miss, it is quite late, shouldn't you sleep?" Bai Zhi asked. Jiang Ruan had rested enough in the past few days, and was now full of spirits, with no inclination to sleep.
"There's no rush, there is still time for an entertaining play tonight," Jiang Ruan said with a small smile.
Translated by : shl
Edited by : Anks & Ely