Hibiscus
After sending me home, Wei Tan went back to the military camp.
I was accustomed to it, as I calmly expressed care and concern at the door by asking him to take care. Upon returning to the room, I quickly wrote a letter to inform Li Shang about Wei Jue’s upcoming conquest of Tan Xi next month. After handling the letter to Ah Yuan, I thought for a second before taking out a jade bracelet from my jewellery box.
“If you are able to see your XiongZhang, give this to him. On Ruochan’s birthday at the end of this month, intrust your XiongZhang to send it over to NingXiang Pavillion on my behalf.”
Ah Yuan was somewhat startled when she heard this.
“Furen wants to give this to Chen NǚJun?” She frowned, “Furen, Chen NǚJun is now…”
“She is still Chen NǚJun.” I interrupted, “Ask your XiongZhang to be careful about it.”
Ah Yuan made a sound (to show she complied) and put the jade bracelet away.
“Furen,” She whispered after a while, “Do you want to make a lot of money?”
“En?” I glanced at her and smiled, “Of course I have to make a lot of money.”
“So what if there is a lot of money?” Ah Yuan pouted in disagreement, “Even if one becomes as rich as Lu Gong, one can only be a yes-man before ChengXiang and Da GongZi.”
“That’s better than the refugees on the street,” I said.
“Refugees?” Ah Yuan found it funny, “Furen is the daughter-in-law of the Prime Minister, how can it be comparable to refugees?.”
“Why can’t it be compared?” I tapped her forehead with my finger, and said lightly, “Don’t forget that before the Emperor came to Yongzhou, he was also homeless and miserable, without the full three meals a day.”
Ah Yuan still wanted to say something but the voices of the servants' greeting sounded. Wei Tan had returned. Ah Yuan quickly fell silent and stood aside.
*****
Ruochan’s reply quickly came. She told me that the hibiscus flowers at the Qionghua Temple in Xishan Mountain were blossoming, and she would go there to admire them on the fifteenth day of this month.
I had not travelled for quite a time, so when I received this invitation, my interest was piqued. In the past, the noble ladies in Chang'an liked to meet up in temples at various blooming periods. On such days, Ruochan and I would definitely follow our mothers there. Both of us enjoyed looking at flowers and would specially dress up, painting a scene of little girls playing among the flower bushes.
On the fifteenth, I took a leave of absence from Guo Furen early in the morning, and headed up towards Qionghua Temple with my offerings.
Unlike the Baihe Temple, Qionghua Temple was rather small. Even on days like the first day of the month or the fifteenth, there were not many people who came to worship.
I did not see Ruochan when I entered the temple. After I finished offering, a boy from the temple came over and greeted me and told me that ZhenRen was lecturing in the back garden. I nodded and instructed Ah Yuan to handle the rest of the affairs in the hall, before following the boy inside.
Just as expected, in front of the hibiscus flower in the back garden, Ruochan was sitting at a stone table making tea. But she was not alone. Across the table, sat a young man on the tiny couch holding a small tea cup, with a tall and thin figure. It was Gongyang Gui.
I looked at them astonishedly, as I stopped my steps.
“Ah Jin.” Ruochan greeted me with a smile. Today, she was wearing a light coloured dress, her black hair was tied up with a silk ribbon and decorated with a pearl hairpin. There was no makeup on her face, making her look like the young lady in a boudoir from the past.
“Ruochan.” I walked over, looked at her, then at Gongyang Gui as I greeted, “Gongyang GongZi.”
Gongyang Gui clasped his hand as he greeted calmly, “Fu Furen.”
“Have a seat.” Ruochan poured tea into a small teacup and said, “After great difficulty, I have finally bought this mist tea from Lushan.”
Her voice was soft, as if the aggressive attitude she had on the day we first met had ceased to exist.
“Really?” I smiled relaxedly, “That’s good.” After saying that, I sat down at the stone table as Ruochan handed over the teacup.
I picked up the teacup and took a gentle sip, as the tea fragrance lingered long.
I was ashamed to say that I had a father who had a tea addiction, while my tea brewing skill was only half-learned. On the other hand, Ruochan’s parents didn’t like to drink tea, but Ruochan’s tea brewing skill was impeccable.
There was no exchanging polite greetings and conventional courtesy, however this feeling was very familiar, as if we had returned to the past.
“How is it?” Ruochan asked me.
“It’s still so fragrant.” I praised her sincerely.
Ruochan looked at me as the corner of her lips curled up. After a moment, she looked at Gongyang Gui, “Do you want more?”
Gongyang Gui nodded and pushed the teacup over.
Ruochan scooped out a ladle of tea broth and poured it into his cup.
I looked at Ruochan. She lowered her brows slightly, which made her profile face elegant. Her hand that was holding the ladle was like an orchid and her other hand was gently lifting the sleeves, displaying an indescribable charm. Looking at Gongyang Gui again, I saw his expression relaxed and there was a faint smile between his brows, making his originally cold face look soft.
“You came out alone, did your family say anything?” Ruochan asked me.
“My mother-in-law is a person devoted to the gods, so she has no objection.” I said, “My Father-in-law and Husband are busy, and they don’t take care of the family affairs.”
“Oh?” Ruochan smiled, “You’re more free than I had expected.”
I smiled as I declined to comment and said, “The weather today is good. Does Ruochan come here often?”
“I don't come here often.” Ruochan sipped her tea and continued, “My shop conducts a lot of entertainment and every month there would only be two or three days of free time. Since it is bright and shining today, I came out for a walk. Tomorrow one has to go to Jia Gong and….”
“Jia Gong?” Gongyang Gui interrupted suddenly, “You are going personally?”
Ruochan looked at him and smiled lightly, “Of course I have to go personally. I have inquired that three of the Nine Ministers are coming to Jia Gong’s banquet.”
“You said that you won’t personally go to the banquets in the future!” Gongyang Gui’s complexion sank, and said anxiously, “That old coarse man is known for his lust, so how can you go?”
“Which man has no lust?” Ruochan disagreed. “How many are there brothel in Yongzhou these days? For such a big client like Jia Gong, others will snatch him if I don’t keep tight.”
“Is a salt merchant who suddenly got rich (because of the war outbreak) could be considered a big client? Ruochan, even if you…”
“Even if one doesn't conduct oneself with dignity, one should pick someone respectable,” Ruochan sneered, “Such as your father, is it?”
Gongyang Gui’s face suddenly turned ashen as he stared at her.
Ruochan turned her head away as she calmly and unhurriedly added water into the copper kettle.
“I am the one who is superfluous!” Gongyang Gui clenched his teeth and said in a low voice, before kicking the couch as he turned and walked away.
I looked at his figure as he left furiously, and felt somewhat awkward, and could not help but look at Ruochan.
Ruochan was also looking over there, her complexion was somewhat pale, and there seemed to be some regret in her complicated eyes. After a while, she looked at me, and the corners of her lips curved unnaturally.
“That’s how he is.” Ruochan said, “Stubborn, and can’t say more than two words without losing his temper.”
I nodded.
The tea in the teapot boiled again and Ruochan reacted upon hearing the sound by stopping up the tea. She filled my cup with a steady hand but it was obvious that it was done absent-mindedly.
The two of us did not speak for a while, the surrounding became quiet, and the birds’ chirp in the trees could be heard.
“Just ask what you want to ask.” After a while, Ruochan finally could not tolerate my constant peeping eyes as she put down the spoon.
I looked at her, “What is going on between you and Gongyang GongZi?”
“It is exactly what you see.” She said indifferently
******
Because of me and my Ci Xiong, Ruochan and Gongyang Gui had always known each other. But after all, there were distinctions between men and women. As far as I knew, they did not have much contact in the past.
Ruochan and Gongyang Gui met again two years ago. At that time, Wei Jue just settled in the capital with the Emperor, and Ruochan just opened her brothel. In one of the many banquets, Ruochan brought her performance to live things up, and Gongyang Gui, who was a guest, recognized her immediately. After that, Gongyang Gui frequently visited her brtohel, not listening to the music nor wanting other women to accompany him, but just to see Ruochan.
Being accustomed to the cold and frivolous nature of humans, Ruochan treated him as a customer at first. But after half a year, Gongyang Gui suddenly said that he wanted to marry her.
This was a complete shock to Ruochan, Gongyang Gui’s family did not allow it.
But since Gongyang Gui was born with a rebellious nature, so much that he did not hesitate to move out of the house after things ended in a deadlock with his family. Things became bumpy; Ruochan needed to survive and her brother could not be abandoned. Gongyang Gui’s family was determined to not allow Ruochan to enter their door, and threatened that if he dared to marry her, the Gongyang Clan would remove his name from the genealogy records.
Recalling the previous incident of Gongyang Gui’s resignation, I said, “I heard that ChengXiang intended to bring Gongyang GongZi to serve the military, but Gongyang GongZi did not accept it and resigned.”
“The Shang Shu Ling, Wen Zhen, appreciated him and recommended him to ChengXiang. But Gongyang Yu Shi wanted to go further, and asked Zhong Ping to marry Wen Zhen’s daughter. Zhong Ping was furious, turned around and resigned.”
I looked at her in surprise and was unable to speak for a while. I knew about Gong Yang Yu Shi’s temperament and he was one who kept his word. For Gong Yang Gui to take such a step, one feared that Ruo Chan and his matter were even more hopeless.
"He treats you very well." I said after a while.
"En." Ruochan sighed softly.
"He was genuinely angry just now." I said.
Ruochan smiled bitterly, and there was a distance silent in her eyes. She did not speak and after a moment, she turned her head to pour more tea.
"I heard that ChengXiang wants to go to war with Tan Xi, so your husband is busy lately?” She asked.
"En." I nodded.
"One heard that he always spent the nights in the camp?"
I was stunned and looked at Ruochan.
"How did you know?" I asked.
Ruo Chan continued with a smile but yet not a smile, “You have forgotten what I do. What kind of news in Yongzhou can be hidden in the idle chat during a banquet? Ah Jin, you have been in the Wei family for about half a year?”
I nodded, "Almost."
“Have they ever urged you to add a son to the family?”
I blushed with embarrassment.
Ruo Chan's eyes were profound, “The husband was out on the battlefields, and it was not easy for him to come back. And yet, the couple sleeps together only for very few days. Ah Jin, I’m not faulting you, but you should pay attention to these matters.”
It was not just a few times sharing a bead, it was even worse than that. I thought to myself and my face felt a little hot.
Ruo Chan seemed to see my embarrassment and smiled gently.
“Ah Jin is still a shy person.” She said softly.
“Who says!” I glared back to refute.
Ruo Chan instead laughed and stroked my hair, just like in the past when I felt wronged and complained to her.
“Actually it is not that difficult to keep a hold on a man.” Her fingers lightly combed my hair and there was some mysterious look in her smile, “Ah Jin, let me take you to see some things.”