Chapter 100 : Reincarnation
The crowd was completely dumbstruck: this was such a wonderful opportunity to make any request, so why would Jiang Ruan make such a statement. Xia Yan silently jeered in her heart because she believed that this was merely the machination of Jiang Ruan’s to garner the Empress Dowager’s sympathy.
Even so, there was no shortage of court officials’ wives and womenfolk, who upon hearing such words, felt their hearts soften when they thought of Jiang Ruan having lost her mother in her childhood. Moreover, with her birthday drawing near, her heart’s desire for the simplest and most ordinary request to view the peach blossom with her mother could not be fulfilled. This was indeed somewhat pitiful.
Jiang Xin Zhi had also not expected Jiang Ruan to speak of this. His heart sighed because as an elder brother, even though he wanted to make up for everything in all regards and to let her live a carefree life, a mother would forever be someone that could never be replaced. Most days, although his sister seemed to be steadfast, in truth, she was still an ordinary daughter in need of her mother’s love.
Over at the Zhao family side, Zhao Guang, Zhao Yuan Jia, Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Yi all gasped in unison and Su Shi suddenly had tears streaming down her face. She lamented quietly, “How could Mei’er depart so early, making Ruan’er long for her so much. It’s so hard not having a mother by a child’s side.”
Zhao Yulong and Zhao Feizhou also sighed. Zhao Yuan Ping did not, his gaze inscrutable. He did not take Jiang Ruan’s heart stirring reminiscence at face value. Honestly, in Zhao Yuan Ping’s eyes, Jiang Ruan was a focused, goal-driven kind of person. There was always a rationale behind all her actions, moreover, all her goals seemed to have a strange tendency to be long range with a futuristic objective. So for such words to be said by her were indeed unfathomable. However, for Jiang Ruan to do something that seemingly looked simple, in the end, it would prove to be a vital piece in her whole scheme to attain her goal.
Besides, in Zhao Yuan Ping’s heart, Jiang Ruan was not one to act impetuously. Thus, concealed within what she had just said, there had to be some hidden motive. But, what could that be?
The Xia Family, upon witnessing this, scornfully disdained her in their hearts. Especially Xia Jiao Jiao, who was silently cursing Jiang Ruan with a torrent of abuse, as if she (JR) was the only vixen who knew how to stir and manipulate the emotions of an audience.
The Xia family was especially displeased because there were quite a number of young men with families who were present that were more protective and tender towards the fairer sex. Seeing a beauty downhearted, their protective instincts were naturally stirred. In particular Gu Yi, who’s heart was about to be melted by Jiang Ruan’s frown. Seeing the situation, Guan Liang Han said to Xiao Shao, “What’s up with the Gu family’s young lad? From the looks of it, has he also taken a liking to that girl?”
Mo Cong clicked his tongue in wonder, “If a beautiful young lady is in the family, countless families will go up to ask for her hand in marriage. Deputy General Jiang has recently gained substantial influence and this Eldest Jiang Miss, who was originally nothing out of the ordinary, has now risen like a boat rising on the high tide. This is indeed a fine thing .” After saying that, he casually asked Liu Min who was by his side, “Liu Daren, do you agree with me?”
Liu Min randomly replied with a few sentences but seemed to be absent-minded. Ever since the Emperor had appointed him as zhuang yuan (top scorer in the Imperial Examinations), he had trusted him greatly. It seemed that he did not have to put in much effort to be promoted to a third-rank official[1]. If Jiang Xin Zhi was the fastest promoted military official of the Great Jin dynasty, then he was the fastest promoted civil official. This was originally a good thing. However, the deeper he entered the court, the more he found it difficult to cope. Many envious people secretly set traps for him, and there were also others who fawned over him without sincerity. Everyday, he had to face the public with a fake mask. This was not the career that Liu Min had desired.
[1] 正三品 (zhèng sānpīn): The old Chinese bureaucracy was divided into civil and military positions, both having nine grades or ranks. A third-rank official was considered a high rank.
Oftentime during this juncture, he would think of the stranger whom he had communicated with through letters while he was at the Imperial Academy. That person had also told him about the path of an official but back then he had only felt that the other party was too smooth and sly, not all that upright and honorable.. Yet now, he felt that this person had both an intelligent and astute outlook.
However, that person had never appeared again.
Xiao Shao scrutinized Jiang Ruan’s every action carefully and he also took into account the Empress Dowager’s despondency. He also had a trace of doubt in his heart but he did not let this show on his face. Instead, he leisurely sipped his tea while sitting by himself, appearing quite aloof, thus causing a group of womenfolk to look at him with some infatuation.
The Empress Dowager finally came back to her senses and said, “What kind of wish is this? Aijia would like to hear your reason for it.”
“Of all the multitude of things in this world, nothing can surpass having your beloved family members stay harmoniously and happily by your side,” Jiang Ruan smiled faintly as she replied. “However, this subject and her mother have long been eternally separated, and will not have the opportunity to view the newly blossomed peach flowers in Ning Shui Valley together in this lifetime. Ruang niang simply regrets that she did not view the flowers with her mother while her mother was still alive. There is nothing that can possibly make up for this lifetime of regret.”
With her every word, Empress Dowager Yi De sat up straighter, even though she did not reveal even a hint of what she was feeling in her expression. However, Jiang Ruan knew that Empress Dowager Yi De was listening intently to her words.
Truthfully, everyone knew that Empress Dowager Yi De was ruthless, for even her own son and daughter had been used by her. Everything and anything could be abandoned as long as it was for the benefit of the Great Jin dynasty. At that time, Princess Yuan Rong was in the springtime of her youth, and already had a sweetheart. Hence she was unwilling to be married off to a far-away, foreign land. Therefore, Empress Dowager Yi De locked her up in the palace under house arrest, and even though Princess Yuan Rong pleaded with the Empress Dowager piteously, Empress Dowager Yi De did not soften in the slightest. In the end, Princess Yuan Rong had no choice but to be married off to that distant country, but within three years, she had died there due to extreme anxiety. Yet, Empress Dowager Yi De didn’t even allow Princess Yuan Rong’s body to be transported back.. Thus, Princess Yuan Rong could only sleep in the land of that foreign country forever.
Every single person who knew of this situation at that time regarded Empress Dowager Yi De as being excessively ruthless, to the point that she would even treat her own flesh-and-blood daughter so cruelly. However, in her previous life, Jiang Ruan had heard from Xuan Li’s own mouth that Empress Dowager Yi De was not at all such a cold-hearted person. In fact, she viewed her three children as being of utmost importance. At that time, the Eldest Prince had met with an accident and died, and she had been powerless to do anything about Princess Yuan Rong’s marriage arrangement. On the day of the marriage, Empress Dowager Yi De had shed an entire month’s worth of tears in Ci Ning Palace. When news of Princess Yuan Rong’s death had reached them, Empress Dowager Yi De had even wanted to follow her into death. Were it not for the fact that the then-Emperor’s grasp on his throne was weak and he needed her support, Empress Dowager Yi De would not have been able to live on, no matter what. The most beloved in Empress Dowager Yi De’s entire lifetime, and also her greatest regret, was Princess Yuan Rong.
Xuan Li had once tasked someone to carefully investigate the events of that year. Because Empress Dowager Yi De had done so much for the Emperor’s throne, Xuan Li had found a woman whose features and figure resembled that of Princess Yuan Rong to enter the palace as a companion reader[2], and specially briefed her. Not long after she had entered the palace, that woman had ‘accidentally’ been seen by Empress Dowager Yi De, who called her to come to Ci Ning Palace as a messenger. After a few days, that woman had become Junzhu[3]. But then, not long after that, Empress Dowager Yi De suddenly passed away.
[2] 伴读 (ban du) – lit. ‘companion reader’. The scholar who taught the children of the rich in the old days, or a person of similar age who accompanied the children in their studies; also the official name of the person who accompanied the Emperor’s nephew and grandchildren.
[3] 郡主 (Junzhu) – ‘Princess of a Commandery’ or ‘Princess of the Third-Rank’. It was usually granted to the daughter of a qinwang(Prince of the First-Rank).
In her previous life, the excuse Xuan Li had given Jiang Ruan was that his own zumu spent her entire day missing his aunt, to the point where she was overly anxious and pensive, so he had deliberately found someone who looked like Princess Yuan Rong to make Empress Dowager Yi De happy. At that time, Jiang Ruan had thought Xuan Li was truly filial, but on thinking about it now, there was no mistaking the connection between Empress Dowager Yi De’s abrupt passing and that woman who had been conferred Junzhu.
No matter what, now time had gone backwards, and she was fortunately at a point in time when not only had that woman not yet entered the palace, it was even before Xuan Li had thought about investigating Empress Dowager’s past matters. At a time like this, if she were unable to obtain Empress Dowager Yi De’s trust, then it would be really inexcusable.
Silently Empress Dowager Yi De watched Jiang Ruan with eyes that were surprisingly warm and gentle. Everyone assumed that the naturally cold and headstrong Empress Dowager had been moved by Eldest Jiang Miss’ tragic life experience, but no one knew the real emotional upheaval and astonishment that she felt at that moment.
This was because, regardless of how Jiang Ruan dressed up, even her smile and her words were exactly the same as that of Princess Yuan Rong!
When the Emperor at that time died, even she as Empress Dowager was not stable in her position. Moreover, the Crown Prince, Eldest Prince, had died by chance due to a secret plot. So, Second Prince took the throne, but all the factions became restless and started to exert their power. With no options left, she could only think of making use of Princess Yuan Rong to forge a marriage alliance.
Princess Yuan Rong stayed deep within the palace all year round, so people had few opportunities to see her. At that time, Princess Yuan Rong loved to dress in peach-pink clothes, and although she was clearly a beautiful young lady of marriageable age, she still liked to comb her hair in a single snail bun and insert a rose dangling hair ornament in it. With one look, anyone could tell which family’s pampered young lady she was. Princess Yuan Rong had an excellent temperament; although she was kind-hearted and pure, she was also extremely sensible. When she found out about her marriage alliance, although she was not truly willing to accede to it, she was not at all as obstinately opposed as the rumours made her out to be. Empress Dowager Yi De still remembered that day, when Princess Yuan Rong stepped into the bridal sedan chair, and paid her respects by kowtowing before her for a long time, bidding her farewell with a slight smile and saying, “This daughter is leaving now. The distance between us will be as high as the mountain and as long as the river. This daughter wonders if she will ever be able to step foot on the soil of the Great Jin dynasty in future, and get an opportunity to view the peach blossoms in Ning Shui Valley with Mother.” Slowly, she said, “Take care of yourself.”
Every time Empress Dowager Yi De remembered the way Princess Yuan Rong had said farewell, she felt an incomparably sharp pain in her heart. Afterwards, just as Princess Yuan Rong had said, the mountain was high and the river was long, and the two of them, mother and daughter, were forever separated, never again to be able to view the newly blossomed peach flowers in Ning Shui Valley.
Today, Jiang Ruan had dressed up in exactly the same way as Princess Yuan Rong. The way she prostrated herself at length gave rise to familiar feelings, and her words reminded Empress Dowager Yi De of the voice and smile of Princess Yuan Rong, whom she had last seen decades ago. She suddenly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Almost all the people who knew about the events of that time were now no longer in the imperial court, and no one could have overheard the softly spoken words which Princess Yuan Rong had uttered to her. At present, Jiang Ruan was only a little older than Princess Yuan Rong would have been then, so it was impossible for someone to have intentionally told her to speak this way. Too much time had passed.
The longer she looked at Jiang Ruan, in her mind, the more she resembled that person.
Was reincarnation possible on this earth? If so, had Princess Yuan Rong returned in the form of Jiang Ruan?
Empress Dowager Yi De did not know that Jiang Ruan had in fact been reincarnated- but not as the kind-hearted and sensible Princess Yuan Rong who had sacrificed herself to benefit the kingdom. She was the reincarnation of that weak and ignorant Jiang Ruan, who in her previous life had been hoodwinked until her entire body was covered with blood, and tears flooded her life; she had been reincarnated into this lifetime’s Jiang Ruan, who could talk cheerfully and wittily while secretly killing people like flies.
What goes around comes around, and karma was real. What Xuan Li had told her in her previous life had become her best weapon to deal with Xuan Li in this life.
The longer Empress Dowager Yi remained silent, the more people thought that she was experiencing grief in response to Jiang Ruan’s- this pitiful young lady from the Jiang fu – hardship filled life. When Princess He Yi observed Empress Dowager Yi De’s reaction, displeasure showed in her eyes, and the look she directed towards Jiang Ruan was somewhat sinister. Jiang Su Su’s face was pale. She had always been fair, but this time she looked like a sheet of snow-white paper, and her usual elegant and refined features had become dull and insipid, as if she had deteriorated due to some illness.
When Imperial Consort Chen noticed that Jiang Ruan was not taking the opportunity to put forward further requests, the slight smile on her face became even more gentle, and it encompassed both sympathy and consolation. She was just like a girl walking by the side of Jiangnan river who accidentally saw an injured rabbit and scooped it up in her hands with a tremendously loving yet distressed look. She said, “Pitiful child, this person has already passed on, you should look instead to the future.”
The future? Of course she would look to the future. Jiang Ruan lowered her head slightly. In future, she would make it so that all these people would collapse and be destroyed, bit by bit, to become a sacrifice for vengeance.
“Many thanks to Imperial Consort for your care.” Jiang Ruan replied.
“Rather, Bengong has suddenly thought of a matter,” Imperial Consort Chen smiled toward the Emperor, “Your Majesty, this concubine once looked upon this Eldest Jiang Miss and had thought that she was good: a proper sense of propriety, extremely courteous, and thus, this concubine has always been quite fond of her. Now, after hearing her words, my heart feels extremely distressed too. Would the Emperor please grant a wish for this concubine?”
“What wish does my beloved imperial consort have?” The Emperor was a person of the highest status, he did not have an excessive tendency to be merciful. As for his memories of Princess Yuan Rong, they had already become completely faint, so for him, there was nothing special about Jiang Ruan. Hearing this inquiry from Imperial Consort Chen now, he had just chosen to ask in passing.
Imperial Consort Chen smiled as she took a glance at Jiang Ruan, “With such a clever and lovable child, this concubine does not know if there would be any good fortune to have her become this concubine’s daughter-in-law.”
Silence. There was complete silence amongst everyone at the feast.
As for Jiang Su Su who had been listening to Imperial Consort Chen below them, at that moment, her complexion had become deathly white that even her lips had turned wan. Her entire body was teetering on the verge of a collapse, as if she was about to fall backwards. Fortunately, soundlessly and discreetly, Xia Yan had supported her by her side. Otherwise, there would surely be an unexpected accident.
The Zhao family, too, had followed suit as their faces stiffened. What was Imperial Consort Chen’s intention?
“What my beloved consort means is……” The Emperor asked.
“Little Eighth has now reached the marriageable age, only this Eldest Jiang Miss is still a little too young. They could first be betrothed and wait until she’s reached the coming-of-age ceremony, then she could enter Little Eighth’s fu to become furen of the household: Little Eighth’s Princess Consort.”
If earlier it had been completely still, then at this moment, one could only hear the sounds of everyone feeling a deathly chill run down their spine.
To go as far as to propose for her to be the Princess Consort.
Although Jiang Quan’s status was not low, for Jiang Ruan to be Eighth Prince’s Consort was still somewhat of a social climb for her. If she was to become a concubine[4], then that would still be good enough. When Imperial Consort Chen’s first spoke, everyone had assumed that she would ask for Jiang Ruan to be brought over as a concubine. Therefore, who would have thought that she would want Jiang Ruan to become the Princess Consort? Now, anyone with a little foresight could already imagine that maybe Eighth Prince would become the heir apparent to the throne someday and the Great Jin dynasty’s future Emperor. Then, would Jiang Ruan not become the Empress? This was indeed a matter of small capital gaining a huge profit[5].
[4] 侧妃 (cefei) : lit. ‘side concubine’, akin to a secondary wife. Among a prince’s consorts, cefei is the highest rank below the wangfei (王妃, the principal wife). A prince can have two cefei.
[5] 本万利 (yīběnwànlì) – small capital, huge profit (idiom); to put in a little and get a lot out.
Jiang Quan’s gaze was complicated. For a long time he had wanted to establish a connection with Xuan Li thus to stabilize their connection, the best would be to marry a daughter to him. Now that Imperial Consort Chen’s one speech has revealed the hidden wish in his heart, naturally, it was exactly what he had been looking for. Yet, why was the person Jiang Ruan? Why was it not Jiang Su Su?
Meanwhile, Jiang Xin Zhi was clenching his fists tightly; he had never thought that his own good intentions would turn out into the current situation. Although he did not have a good impression of Xiao Shao, he disliked Xuan Li even more. No matter what was said, Xuan Li was part of the royal family. What was the royal family: a large harem of wives and concubines, where the fighting and scheming amongst each other in the rear court was even more treacherous than the imperial court. How could he allow Jiang Ruan to go to such a place? Why did Imperial Consort Chen have to pull Jiang Ruan into these muddy waters? If it was Jiang Su Su, would it not be even better? Jiang Quan would be happy and it would be the best of both worlds. Why did it have to be Jiang Ruan? Thus in his heart, Jiang Xin Zhi decided: even if the Emperor agreed, he would fight against the imperial decree. Furthermore, even at the risk of losing all his meritorious contributions, he would exchange them for Jiang Ruan’s freedom.
When Xiao Shao heard Imperial Consort Chen’s request, his brows knit together and those beautiful eyes lit with a chilly glow as if they were quality black gems with their own luster. However, those long lashes hung low to cover the emotions in his gaze. One could only feel the change in his temperament around him as it became even more cool and frigid.
As he raised his gaze to glance at Jiang Ruan, he saw her lowering her head slightly without being able to see the expression on her face clearly. Xiao Shao’s heart stirred: after all was said and done, Jiang Ruan was still only a young lady in her early teens. With how badly she hated Xuan Li, even though he did not know why, he was sure that she would definitely be unwilling to be married to Xuan Li. However, Imperial Consort Chen was the Emperor’s favourite consort- if the Emperor agreed to her request, Jiang Ruan would not be able to resist his imperial decree.
His heroic brow was tightly furrowed. In reality, it was not as if there was no way out. If he came forward at that moment to tell the Emperor that he wanted to marry Jiang Ruan, she would be able to escape the fate of being married to Xuan Li. But, Jiang Ruan might not necessarily want to be married to him. Xiao Shao had taken over the Jinyi Guard and all year round, he would be out and about. Thus, he too seemed to have been infected by some of the habits of those who roamed in the Jianghu. However, he still understood the customs of those younger aristocratic brothers in the capital. He understood what marrying signified for a female and with his temperament, he had no intentions of getting married in this lifetime. Jiang Ruan was his benefactor that saved his life; even if this benefactor of his was now only in her teens, if she was met with danger then he would acknowledge his initial promise, and take on whatever the risk to help her.
Only, for her to swap from the Eighth Prince fu to the Jinying Wang fu, would Jiang Ruan truly be willing?
“Pfft!” Imperial Consort Shu suddenly laughed, “Why did Jiejie recklessly match two ill-fit mandarin ducks (figurative speech for a happily married couple) together? Leaving that aside, does His Eighth Highness know of this matter? Not to mention, Eldest Jiang Miss is also the daughter of Minister Jiang and the pearl of his eye. Thus, why has Jiejie not asked: is Eldest Jiang Miss willing to marry His Eighth Highness?”
With this measure of a tit for a tat, Imperial Consort Chen’s brows wrinkled minutely as she turned to look at Jiang Ruan. Her tone was all the more gentle and amiable, “It was bengong who neglected this point. Miss Jiang, do you look favourably upon my family’s Little Eight ?”
This question was asked amiably and charmingly, as if this was the common teasing fun of a furen from an ordinary family, yet, Jiang Ruan sneered silently in her heart. This question of Imperial Consort Chen’s was certainly asked splendidly: what could she say? If she said no, then she would imply that she did not look upon Xuan Li favourably. If this was said in front of all of those present, then the first person to not spare her would be the Emperor. Yet if she said she liked him, then wouldn’t that be her directly jumping into the fire pit that someone had dug for her?
Everyone present held their breath as they waited for Jiang Ruan’s reply. All of the womenfolk were naturally feeling indignant. Amongst the menfolk, these gentlemen: Gu Yi, Jiang Xin Zhi and many others hated that they could not rush forward to immediately bring Jiang Ruan out of this spot of trouble. Dong Yinger and Zhao Jin inwardly felt a chilly pinch of sweat on Jiang Ruan’s behalf. If their words could be taken into account, they naturally knew that Jiang Ruan had no intentions of marrying into the royal family. Zhao Guang felt a tremendous jolt in his heart: they had just recognised this granddaughter, yet so quickly, she had been drawn into this struggle of vying for the position of a main wife. For the first time, Zhao Guang felt his own helplessness. He did not dare to bet on the entire General fu to help Jiang Ruan resist the imperial decree. Even if at this very moment, his heart was bleeding, he could not do so. Su Shi, who had followed suit with the family to the seats for the womenfolk, had almost twisted and wrung the handkerchief in her hands into shreds, and her eyes were also filled with grievance.
Jiang Ruan looked highly embarrassed, and did not immediately respond. “This . . .”
She lowered her head even further, but in her heart, she was silently counting.
Imperial Consort Chen’s smile became even deeper, “Since she is such a shy child and this concubine sees that this is an extremely good marriage, is the Emperor willing to bestow this marriage?
The Emperor watched everything with a pleasant expression and it seemed as if he did not have any objections.
Xiao Shao’s expression was cold and aloof. After thinking for a while, he was about to stand up to request for marriage from the Emperor while holding a tea cup in one of his hands. Then unexpectedly, just as he was about to stand up, he heard a cold and harsh voice say, “Aijia is not willing.”
Jiang Ruan counted till three in her heart and upon hearing those words, she hooked her lips into a smile. Then, she slowly raised her head and using the same tone as that person, said firmly, “Replying to Imperial Consort, Ruan niang is not willing.”