Translated by : Shl
Edited by : Anks & Ely
**********
Trigger Warning: mention of suicide.
**********
The Zhao family had made especially clear to Ke Xiu Ran what they expected of him. Thus, agreeing in order to gain return favour[1], Ke Xiu Ran exerted every effort to ensure that this case was made public. Within the short period of a day, everyone in the capital knew that Jiang Ruan had been wrongly accused and imprisoned . Not only that, all the particulars of the case were also widely circulated. The past relationship between Hu Qian Qiu and Second Yiniang was exposed to the entire nation, and the 'green hat' that Jiang Quan wore became even more vibrantly green.
[1] 投桃报李 (tou tao bao li) – lit. toss a peach and get back a plum; to return a favour.
However, no one sympathized with Jiang Quan. This was because, from the time Jiang Ruan had entered the prison to the time she had been released, her father, Minister Jiang, had never gone to visit her once. Neither sight nor sound of him had been glimpsed on that day in the law court, too. People always sympathize with the weak. All who had witnessed Hong'an Junzhu's present steady rise to a splendid prominence never imagined that her days in Jiang fu were so full of suffering. It was truly too pitiful.
The sentence to behead Second Yiniang was passed swiftly and resolutely, and the execution was scheduled for noon the following day; Ke Xiu Ran was settling this matter in a swift and efficient manner. Naturally, after Hu Qian Qiu was dismissed from office, Ke Xiu Ran had taken over his position in the Censorate. Not only that, when Hu Qian Qiu was charged, more than half the officials in the Censorate had been implicated with him. After this long string of connections had been cleaned up, the cards at the Censorate had been completely reshuffled, and not a single one of Hu Qian Qiu's people remained. The newly recruited officials totally revised the structure of the Censorate, which finally bid farewell to several decades of stagnant practices and corruption, and welcomed a new vitality. However, all this is for later stories to record.
As for Minister Li's family, apart from Minister Li's punishment by beheading for his reprehensible crimes, no terrible disaster befell those of the younger generation, except that they were forever prohibited from taking the imperial examination and serve as officials. Thus the prominence of the Li family could be said to end with this generation, and so there was no reason to remain in the capital. Therefore, the entire family moved away, without sparing a thought for the currently incarcerated Minister Li and Second Yiniang.
Before they left, Minister Li did ask about the whereabouts of Li Qiang, but he seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. Minister Li knew then that Li Qiang had probably met with a terrible end and fainted at the thought.
In Jiang fu, the news about Second Yiniang made the rounds and finally came home to roost.
With a 'pa ta', the porcelain cup in Jiang Dan's hand dropped to the floor in a moment of unsteadiness, and shards of tea covered porcelain shattered across the floor in all directions. A maidservant hurriedly knelt down to pick up the shards. Jiang Dan said, urgently, "Minister Li's fu has been seized and searched?"
The maidservant had just reported what had happened from beginning to end to Jiang Dan. Then she heard Jiang Dan's question and replied, "Yes," but when she looked at Jiang Dan, she noticed that she did not seem to have heard her reply, for she looked rather distracted.
The maidservant had always been inexplicably afraid of her mistress, so she did not dare to say anything more. She hurriedly picked up the porcelain shards and quickly left the room in search of a cloth to mop up the tea on the floor.
Jiang Dan stared blankly at the spot, while the news she had just heard replayed itself in her mind.
Minister Li's fu had been seized and searched; Second Yiniang was swiftly sentenced to be executed by beheading and Minister Li was also to be beheaded; the younger generations of the Li family could never sit for the imperial examinations and serve as officials; Hu Qian Qiu had been dismissed from his official position; and Li Qiang had disappeared without a trace.
Although Jiang Dan had long expected that Second Yiniang would inevitably be defeated by Jiang Ruan, she never imagined that Jiang Ruan's methods would be so fierce and ruthless. The moment she made her move, she had condemned the entire Li family to be funeral sacrifices[2]. A lingering fear arose in Jiang Dan's heart. Jiang Ruan had treated Second Yiniang this way, if she knew of the situation at that time . . . Jiang Dan's insides turned to ice, and she suddenly felt cold sweat break out on her back.
[2] 陪葬 (pei zang) – objects, beasts, or people which are buried alive with a deceased person in order to obtain blessings for the departed spirit.
Jiang Dan stood up abruptly. Jiang Ruan was too dangerous; a day that Jiang Ruan lived on this earth was a day of threat for her. Either eliminate her immediately, or enter the imperial palace within the shortest span of time, then . . . slowly eliminate her.
She narrowed her eyes, her fingernails cutting deep into her palms.
* * *
Because of the matter concerning Second Yiniang, when Jiang Ruan returned to Jiang fu, all the fu's servants looked at Jiang Ruan with a faintly discernible trace of dread in their eyes. Jiang Ruan simply pretended not to notice. Old Jiang Madam's death had caught everyone off guard, so the fu was busy with the funeral arrangements and everyone was wearing white silk mourning clothes. She had always felt disgusted on seeing white, but now, she could only change into plain, white clothes.
According to the customs of Great Jin, when a senior family member of the fupassed away, daughters who were of marriageable age had to observe a mourning period of an entire year, and their marriage arrangements would hence have to be delayed. Apart from Jiang Dan, whose portrait had already been sent to the imperial palace for the concubine selection and could not be withdrawn, the arrangement of Jiang Ruan and Jiang Su Su's marriages would have to be halted temporarily.
Bai Zhi and the others were highly worried about this, but Jiang Ruan was not particularly bothered. At present, the only woman in the fu who could manage the fu's affairs was Hong Ying, and Hong Ying was wholeheartedly exerting herself to maintain the position as Mistress of the Jiang Fu. Moreover, she was only a concubine, and did not have the qualifications or the inclination to worry about Jiang Ruan's marriage. When Old Jiang Madame was around, she might have possibly given it a thought or two on Jiang Ruan's behalf, but now that she was gone, no one in the fu would bother to notice whether or not Jiang Ruan could be married off to someone without a hitch.
What is more, Jiang Quan merely regarded her as a present which could be exchanged for something else when it came to consideration of her marriage arrangement. In such a situation, perhaps spending a year in mourning might not be a bad thing.
Lu Zhu pushed open the door and walked in to say, "Today at noon, Second Yiniang will be beheaded at Cai Shi Kou[3]. Miss . . ." Lu Zhu hesitated briefly before continuing, "Do you want to go?"
[3] 菜市口 (cai shi kou) – lit. entrance to the food market. The Cai Shi KouExecution Ground is an actual location in Beijing where most of the capital punishments were carried out in the Qing Dynasty, and was open to public viewing.
Bai Zhi frowned and said, "Such an unsavory spectacle, it will befoul Miss' eyes."
"Let's go and see." Jiang Ruan said, "Whatever the case, there are still relations between us, and we should send her off on her journey." Moreover, after two lifetimes of a familial relationship, their connection was not at all shallow.
* * *
Cai Shi Kou was surrounded by people who were there to watch the excitement. The clothes of the woman kneeling on the ground, bound by ropes, were completely dirty, and her hair was covered with stains and rotten vegetable leaves – there would inevitably be citizens filled with righteous fury who expressed their wrath against the prisoner in this way.
"Pah, what a shameless hussy, to collude with an adulterer to harm Junzhu."
"Exactly! And she wasn't originally from a good family, either, haven't you seen that Minister Li's fu has been seized and searched?"
"This is truly to reap what one has sown. Sure enough, that kind of person will raise the same kind of daughter. Isn't she the mother of that shameless Langzhong Furen(Jiang Li) who took her own life a few days ago. Can't say for sure, but she probably taught her all the wrong things."
In the midst of all the busily wagging tongues, the woman in prison garb raised her head, revealing a blotchy face. It was possible to see the traces of her former allure, but her gaze was unseeing, a foolish smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and saliva was smeared all over her face. She muttered to herself softly, and only the executioner, who was sharpening his bladel, was standing close enough to hear her clearly. She was saying, Li'er, Mother will take you to buy clothes.
The executioner pursed his lips disdainfully, looking at her with eyes full of contempt.
In the middle of the crowd at Cai Shi Kou, Lu Zhu and Tian Zhu ensured that Jiang Ruan was not hemmed in by the crowd by standing on each side of her. Jiang Ruan lifted the veil of her hat[4] to look at the mumbling woman.
[4] 帷帽 (wei mao) – drapery/ curtain hat. There are several styles, but it is usually a wide-brimmed hat made of straw with cloth draped around and hanging down from it.
Second Yiniang's foolish and dazed appearance was far removed from her previous astute and beautiful self. Although, in truth, Second Yiniang had never actually been shrewd, in her previous life, Jiang Ruan had always admired Jiang Li because she had such a strong mother, such that a shu daughter lived a more comfortable life than a di daughter.
When Jiang Ruan was young, Zhao Mei had been the Mistress of Jiang fu, managing all the household affairs. However, this had only been in name. Xia Yan had always been gentle and sweet-tempered, not doing anything which could be used against her, but Second Yiniang had been quick to grasp that Jiang Quan did not like Zhao Mei, and persistently bullied the three of them – mother and children.
In her youth, Second Yiniang had been very domineering, and had treated Jiang Ruan badly behind everyone's backs many times. The person she had feared in her previous life had fallen so low in this lifetime. In this reincarnated life, she felt that the people she had previously considered formidable were all like this, nothing but paper tigers.
From the time Second Yiniang's attitude had undergone a tremendous change after she was released from her confinement, Jiang Ruan had been especially mindful. Jiang Dan was not above using someone to do her dirty work, and she and Second Yiniang also had old grudges between them. Before she had been taken off to prison, she (JR) had spent the entire night writing a letter detailing all of Minister Li De Xing's accumulation of wealth and bribery over the past few years, as well as his usage of connections to climb the ranks.
In her previous life, the Li family had, in the end, still sought Xuan Li for shelter. The Li family and the Jiang family were connected by marriage, and Xuan Li had been willing to take care of them. However, Xuan Li had a particular habit. Even though he looked like someone who would not doubt those he made use of, and would not make use of someone if he doubted them, when it came to his own people, he would always run a thorough investigation and hold their weaknesses firmly in his hand in order to prepare for sudden situations.
At that time, she happened to come across all that Li De Xing had done. In this life too she remembered it well. As for dealing with Hu Qian Qiu, it was not because she was targeting Second Yiniang. Hu Qian Qiu had originally been in Xuan Hua's faction, but when he saw the shifts in power, he had defected to Xuan Li, and so close to half the personnel in the Censorate had become Xuan Li's people. The Censorate wielded considerable power in the imperial court, especially when it came to handling major cases concerning court officials. This time, with Hu Qian Qiu brought down, and the Censorate reshuffled, she had effectively disconnected Xuan Li from a significant source of future assistance.
The Li family, Hu Qian Qiu, and Xuan Li's future wings had been cut off by her at present, but there was no knowing whether Xuan Li's struggle for the throne would still be able to proceed smoothly in future. As for Second Yiniang, she had been an expendable sacrifice, and Jiang Ruan held no sympathy for her; there was no room for sympathy in this world. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had fallen into such dire circumstances in the end, while Second Yiniang had coasted along to a flourishing life by relying on her connections with Minister Li and Xuan Li. And while Second Yiniang was nothing when compared to Xia Yan, still, she had trampled on Jiang Ruan's battered body to reach greater heights.
The Jiang family had used her blood to pave their way to success without the slightest sympathy for her. They had been her mortal enemies in her previous life, so how could she be soft-hearted towards them?
The time of the execution was drawing near. For normal prisoners, at this time, friends and relatives would be coming up to give them a final farewell. Second Yiniang was not an orphan, but today, no one had come to send her off on her final journey. Jiang Li had already departed for the underworld before her and the remaining members of the Li family had moved away. As for Jiang Quan, Second Yiniang had made him wear a 'green hat', so it was already charitable of him not to vent his anger towards her by kicking her. Therefore, it was ludicrous to think that he would see her off.
Amidst the whispers of discussion, one person walked forward unhurriedly with magnificence and ease, clad in plain white clothes and wearing a drapery hat. The crowd slowly quietened as they eyed this woman who had come forward out of the blue.
The woman walked up to the prisoner and lifted the veil of her hat, revealing a sweet, charming and bright face. Those who caught a glimpse of her face immediately sucked in their breaths and said, "It's Hong'an Junzhu!"
It actually was Hong'an Junzhu! The citizens were most capable of imaginative thinking, so, after a momentary pause, the hubbub of discussion started up again. "It's really Hong'an Junzhu, what's Hong'an Junzhu doing here?"
"Her heart is truly merciful. This poisonous woman has harmed her in such a manner, yet Hong'an Junzhu still came to send her off, such rare behavior!"
"She is indeed the sister of the 'god of war', this manner is not one which ordinary people can achieve."
Jiang Ruan sent the executioner a slight smile and said, "Elder Brother, may I have a few words with the yiniang of my family?"
The executioner was astonished by Jiang Ruan's beauty, and the way she addressed him so courteously caused him to be both excited and embarrassed. With a red face, he said, "Junzhu is too courteous, please go ahead." After saying this, he walked to one side, leaving his space vacant for Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan crouched down before Second Yiniang. Lu Zhu hurriedly retrieved a clean, moistened handkerchief from her basket and wiped Second Yiniang's face a little. Second Yiniang's hands and feet were both bound, so she could not struggle free, and could only twist her body in futility.
It was only after Lu Zhu had cleaned Second Yiniang's face that Jiang Ruan said to her, "Yiniang, isn't this better? You'll look a little more beautiful, otherwise, when you descend to the underworld and meet your old friends, how are they going to recognise you?"
Second Yiniang's foolish expression and vacant eyes registered no change, but her body started trembling slightly on hearing Jiang Ruan speak. Jiang Ruan bent even lower, pressed her lips against Second Yiniang's ear and whispered, "Second Yiniang should also have a taste of what my mother was subjected to at that time. You should be able to understand me whether or not you've truly gone mad."
She looked down condescendingly at the prisoner on the ground, and the hostility in her voice caused even Lu Zhu, by her side, to feel somewhat apprehensive. Jiang Ruan's expression transformed in a split second to something very dark, and very deep, like a bottomless vortex, and she said, "Second Yiniang ought to know what happened at that time. Everyone within the Jiang fu was aware. Don't you see, all of them are despicable for viciously murdering my mother. My dageand I, and our mother- the people in Jiang fu took such great pleasure in stepping on our blood and suffering to climb higher. Now, we should really give the Jiang family a taste of their own medicine."
"Second Yiniang and Third Sister are the first to go down to the underworld, as well as Old Jiang Madame. When you meet one another down there you have to exchange greetings, but you shouldn't walk too rapidly. You need to wait for the other talented people from Jiang fu."
"Didn't he cherish this Jiang family the most and even sacrifice my life for the family? Thus I want him to live, I want him to see with his own eyes how I will destroy the Jiang family with my own hands."
"The Jiang family owes me life debts. I will collect them one by one, and no one will be able to escape."
The lines of her lips were soft and her tone held a smile, but her words were spoken like an evil spirit, sending shivers down one's spine. She continued, "I have walked the road of hell; all of you ought to properly appreciate the red spider lily that blooms amidst the piles of dead bones by the side of the road."
She said, "Second Yiniang, take care of yourself."
As she finished speaking, Second Yiniang's eyes seemed to light up in faint comprehension, but not a moment later, she merely chuckled foolishly. Jiang Ruan stood up, and the executioner came over to say, with a rather apologetic smile, "This person's mind is not quite right, I fear that she might not understand what Junzhu has said."
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, "I'm just sending off Second Yiniang." Having said this, she turned and walked away, taking Lu Zhu and Tian Zhu with her.
The official supervising the execution tossed the signed edict in his hand to the ground, and called out in a shrill voice while dragging out the words, "The time has come —-"
Immediately, the executioner lifted his sword and brought it down. With a flash of silver, fresh blood spurted out, and a life was thus ended.
Jiang Ruan's footsteps did not falter, as if this situation was one which was unworthy of attention. The only sound was that of the prisoner's head rolling into the crowd. It rolled for a while on the muddy road, looking nothing at all like what it used to.
In this way, the Li family, once considered to be a high-ranking official's family in the capital, collapsed. Jiang fu became even more cold and cheerless. The only person who was utterly happy was Hong Ying, for she did not need to observe a period of mourning or abstain from meat. Her stomach seemed to grow bigger with each passing day, and if Jiang Ruan had not known that she was was pregnant with a pillow, she would almost think that a lin'er[5] was within Hong Ying's stomach.
[5] 麟儿 (lin er) – abbreviated form of 麒麟儿 (qi lin er). The qilin is a mythical creature which symbolizes auspiciousness and is used to refer to extraordinary people. Xiao Shao has been described previously as wearing clothes patterned with qilin.
After Old Jiang Madam's death, authority over household matters fell into Hong Ying's hands. Perhaps because he felt that having a concubine who had come from a pleasure house take over the household management was not quite right, Jiang Quan had made the unprecedented move of issuing a command to First Yiniang, telling her to work together with Hong Ying to manage the fu's affairs.
First Yiniang was almost invisible within the fu, and posed no threat to Hong Ying ordinarily. She was not even on the same level as a favored maidservant, and Hong Ying consequently did not think much about her.
All the daughters of the Jiang fu had to observe a period of mourning for Old Jiang Madam, but Jiang Dan was an exception as her portrait for the imperial selection had already been submitted. In the past few days, a reply had been received, and people from the palace had come to the fu. Jiang Dan had been chosen and was slated to visit the palace, together with the other candidates, to display her talents. Whether she could eventually enter the palace, though, was unknown.
However, Jiang Quan had clearly set his heart on this. In reality, the Emperor's selection of Jiang Dan was not due to outstanding talent. In Jiang Ruan's previous life, the selection of the Jiang family daughters to enter the palace had simply been a means to control the Jiang family. In the previous life, when it came to this period in time, the Jiang family's power and influence was already at its zenith. However, three years earlier, when she had returned to the capital, the Jiang family had been curbed in many ways both overt and covert, and its reach was no longer anything like what it had been in her previous life. Nevertheless, even though this was the situation, the Emperor was still very wary of Jiang fu.
Jiang Quan called Jiang Dan into his study and talked with her for two hours, and the fu's people guessed that he was telling Jiang Dan what she had to do. In this way, Jiang Quan valued Jiang Dan highly, and the fu's servants took pleasure in dreaming of the time an imperial consort would emerge from Jiang fu.
As Lian Qiao served the peony cake[6] made in the kitchen, she said, "Master is serious about wanting to elevate Fourth Miss, but Fourth Miss cannot even compare with Second Miss, so how can she gain the Emperor's favour?"
[6] 牡丹糕 (mu dan gao) – peony cake, also known as 'hundred flowers cake'. Bean flour is the main ingredient, mixed with ground rice and steamed. The result is then mixed with peony petals and ingredients like red beans and red dates, then baked.
Lian Qiao was a frank person, and when there was no one else around, she was even more candid. What she had said was not wrong. If he really wanted to elevate the Jiang family by sending a Jiang daughter into the palace as an imperial consort, why not send Jiang Su Su? Jiang Su Su was a natural beauty and was also considerably talented. Although she was not as capable of patient endurance as Jiang Dan was, she was more likely than Jiang Dan to gain the admiration of men. If Jiang Su Su were to enter the palace, she would definitely gain the Emperor's favor.
"Master is unwilling to part with Second Miss," Bai Zhi whispered. "The palace looks like a place of splendor and glory, but the hardships that have to be endured are inhumane."
Lu Zhu pursed her lips as she said, "Master is too biased. However, I think others may not think the same way. In the past few days, the fu's servants have all been rushing to curry favor with Fourth Miss."
No one understood Jiang Quan's intentions more than Jiang Ruan, for, in her previous life, she had been coaxed into entering the palace in the same way. Jiang Quan had told her that there would be people in the palace to look after her, and that Jiang Su Su's health was not too good. That this was all for the sake of the Jiang family, and Xuan Li had also said that he would take care of her. Thus, she had entered the inner palace, but in the end, she could not even leave behind an intact corpse.
At present, she would not get involved, and would merely watch Jiang Quan repeat his skilful tricks with a detached eye. Jiang Dan was not her, moreover, Jiang Dan was entering the palace voluntarily. Jiang Quan was unwilling to sacrifice Jiang Su Su, but he did not know that Jiang Dan had enough audacity to sacrifice the entire Jiang family- as long as she could climb up to higher peaks.
Perhaps Jiang Quan was under the impression that he could control Jiang Dan. However, he did not realize that once this plan was set in motion, it would sow the seeds of future disaster[7]. Jiang Dan was like a poisonous viper- once she found a patch of warm and damp soil, she would undoubtedly grow at lightning speed, and then . . . there would be nothing left once she had swallowed Jiang fu.
[7] 放虎归山 (fang hu gui shan) – lit. let the tiger return to the mountains; fig. set the stage for calamity in future.
Both of them harbored ulterior motives. Jiang Quan thought to achieve his aim by underhanded means[8], and Jiang Dan was actually taking advantage of the situation for her own benefit[9]. To watch in safety while both sides fought and then reap the rewards when they were exhausted[10] would also be thoroughly enjoyable.
[8] 瞒天过海 (man tian guo hai) – lit. cross the sea using a trick; to achieve one's aim by underhanded means.
[9] 顺水推舟 (shun shui tui zhou) – lit. push the boat with the current; fig. to take advantage of the situation for one's own benefit.
[10] 坐山观虎斗 (zuo shan guan hu dou) – lit. to sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight; fig. watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted.