Chapter 30 - Jiang Su Su

The night passed.

When the sun rose the next morning, a cacophony of sounds arose from the temple courtyard. All around the temple, doors were knocked upon in a flurry, and Li Mi’s anxious voice could be heard calling, “Miss Jiang, Miss Jiang!”

Jiang Ruan pushed herself off the bed. As she dressed herself hurriedly, she instructed Bai Zhi to check on the situation outside. After she had put on her coat, she pushed open the door, and the thick scent of blood rushed into the room.

Li Mi drew in a deep breath when he saw that Jiang Ruan was unharmed. The strain was evident in his voice as he questioned her, “Miss, are you all right?”

Jiang Ruan looked at him doubtfully. “What on earth has happened to cause Daren to ask this kind of question?” When she had finished speaking, she craned her neck to see what was happening behind Li Mi’s back. With a startled cry, she turned her head and said, with a fearful quiver, “This . . .”

Several bodies lay in a disorderly state on the snowy ground. Blood ran everywhere, as if a massacre had taken place on the Shura field*. Bai Zhi and several others rushed to block Jiang Ruan’s view of the gory spectacle and stood in front of her wordlessly.

*Xiuluo chang ( 修罗场 ) – lit. Shura Field. An asura in Buddhism is a demigod. A shura field refers to the scene where asura fight to the death, and therefore is used to denote a battlefield with fierce fighting.

Li Mi shook his head and said, “A group of thieves came here last night, and this is the scene we encountered this morning. I was worried that something might have happened to you. Thankfully, you are all right.”

Jiang Ruan frowned. “That . . . how could it be that I am unharmed?”

“You were probably not their target,” Li Mi said grimly. “Perhaps the motive was the usual seeking after revenge, which generally does not harm the innocent. Unfortunately, I need to remain here to investigate this matter. Miss Jiang, my duty lies here. My deepest apologies, but I will stay here today. There is not much farther to go on your journey. I will leave it to the horse guard to accompany you back to the capital.”

Jiang Ruan hurried to return the courtesy and said, “Daren does not need to be concerned about me. On the contrary, it is the situation here which is of prime importance as human life is beyond value. And since the murders occurred here, the temple personnel cannot disassociate themselves from the deaths. I wonder if I might be of any use to you here.”

Li Mi noted her evident sincerity and said consolingly, “Miss Jiang is worrying too much. The situation at hand has nothing to do with Miss Jiang. We have to conduct a proper investigation into the temple, but it would be better for Miss Jiang to set off on your journey as soon as possible. There is no need to hold you back from returning to the capital.” He did not speak falsely. Although he had grounds to suspect the temple personnel, Jiang Ruan was the person with the least amount of suspicion hanging over her. For one, she had only passed by this temple by chance. For another, the bodies on the ground were all marked with injuries caused by martial arts. Since the previous night’s massacre had not been noticed by a single person in the temple, the people responsible for the killing must have been highly skilled in martial arts. Thus, it was even more unlikely that the culprits were Jiang Ruan and her maids, four delicate ladies.

Since he had already given such a reply, to ask once more to remain at the scene would only be added trouble. Jiang Ruan instructed Bai Zhi to tidy up their belongings, then stepped into the horse carriage with Imperial Censor Wang. The both of them said their farewells to Li Mi.

They were already quite close to the capital, and the carriage reached the gate of the capital around noon.

Lu Zhu had never been to the capital, and her curiosity led her to lift up a corner of the window curtain and peer out. She exclaimed, “Ah, so this is the capital! Previously, I heard people say that the capital is always bustling. Now, I see that it is really true! So beautiful!”

Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao also looked outside. They had been away from the capital for five years, and on this occasion of returning, they were filled with an unspeakable excitement. They were also happy for Jiang Ruan, and it felt as if the bitterness of life was over, and the sweetness was about to begin. Unlike them, Jiang Ruan bore no happy or excited expression. Slowly, she lifted up the corner of the curtain nearest her, and was just in time to see a fine, jet black horse brush by the carriage as it sped away. That steed was a rare breed and she could not help taking another look. By that time, it was only a distant silhouette, but she felt that the rider had an incomparably graceful bearing.

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and took in the surroundings. The streets of the capital were full of hustle and bustle, and thronged with crowds. The scene coincided with what she remembered of the capital. She recalled the time when she had left the capital; it had also been in a horse carriage; however, at that time it was draped with mourning, with several people alongside, walking in a solitary group. In this manner, she had left the capital. In the time between her departure and return, she had already passed an entire lifetime. Now, the person returning was not the same as the person before.

She tilted her head back, and felt the capital’s cold winter wind slowly brush her face. Lian Qiao was just about to advise that Jiang Ruan let the curtain fall back in place for fear of catching a cold when she caught a glimpse of the expression on Jiang Ruan’s face, and could not help being shocked. Her mistress’s eyes were coldly indifferent. Although there was no visible emotion on her face, she gave off the aura of utter chilliness, as if she were a demon who had returned from hell. Looking at her made one shudder.

Not far from the Jiang residence, Jiang Ruan and Imperial Censor Wang parted ways. Now that he had filed an official complaint against Jiang Quan, Imperial Censor Wang viewed him with utmost disdain, and was reluctant to even see him. He sent Jiang Ruan off with the horse carriage, and left them.

The closer they got to the Jiang fu, the more tense Bai Zhi and the other occupants of the horse carriage became. Returning to the Jiang fu indicated a change of fortune for them, a better life, but it also indicated the beginning of a war. Jiang Ruan looked the most calm of them all, for only she was privy to the violent hatred that surged in her heart.

The Jiang fu was located on the most prosperous and bustling street in the capital. Because a messenger boy had gone ahead with the news, the entire Jiang household had to come out to receive the Jiang family’s di daughter. Jiang Quan was not at home, so Xia Yan personally came out to welcome them. Adding to the emperor’s anger was the people’s gossip. It was only by showing that they regarded the Jiang family’s di daughter as someone of importance that they could hope to gradually calm the storm.

When the people saw Xia Yan coming outside with all the household servants, from the lowest to the highest ranked, they understood what was going on[1]. Some went so far as to stand obstinately at the gate of the residence, waiting to see the fun. In a course of time, a whole crowd of people had gathered at the Jiang fu’s entrance. Xia Yan did not order the servants to shoo the crowd away. The more people, the more witnesses.

[1] Lai long qu mai ( 来龙去脉 ) – fig. the rise and fall of the terrain, the whole sequence of events.

The horse carriage jolted on its way, and finally came to a halt at the Jiang residence gate.

“Da Xiaojie[2] has returned!” An old servant next to Xia Yan called out loudly. Immediately, a warm smile surfaced on Xia Yan’s face.

[2] Da xiao jie (大小姐 ) – the eldest (大) daughter of an affluent family (小姐).

The bystanders all eyed the horse carriage curiously. News of Jiang Ruan’s conduct at court had spread throughout the capital, and everyone wanted to see what the righteous yet ill-destined di daughter of the Jiang family looked like. Two servant girls speedily descended from the carriage. One lifted up the curtains, and the other extended a hand to help the passenger.

“Jiejie!” Someone exclaimed with pleasant surprise. A young girl emerged from behind the residence gate, all in white. Despite her young age, she was already a stunning beauty, like an elegant lady in an ink-wash painting. Her beautiful eyes seemed to contain depths of clouds and mist, while her crimson skirt and jacket, richly embroidered with white lilies and lined with white brocade, set off her pale skin perfectly and made it glow like pure jade. Her pink lips were like cherries. Her most beautiful feature was a tear-shaped birthmark under her eye. It was neat and lovely, and stirred up people’s emotions, elevating her beauty to that of a mystical fairy. She wore no ornaments, only two green ribbons, so that those looking at her felt their hearts softening towards this exquisite and refined girl.

As some people had discerned, the Jiang family’s di daughter was not favoured. Thus, Jiang Ruan’s name was known to very few people. However, Jiang Su Su’s name was well known throughout the capital. She was the pearl of the Jiang family, an outstanding beauty who moved people with her looks, and was considered the prettiest woman in the capital.

With the appearance of this stunning beauty, fewer people looked towards the carriage.

“Slow down, guniang[3],” A delicate voice was suddenly heard from within the carriage.

[3] Gūniang ( 姑娘 ) – girl / young lady.

In the next moment, a beautifully slender lily-white hand emerged. The hand was so pale that it was almost like translucent jade. Just looking at it, one would hardly dare to grasp it, as it seemed so soft and delicate that it would shatter at any moment. It was only a hand, but, somehow, it caused the onlookers to be shaken to the core. Those who had been enticed to look at Jiang Su Su found themselves once again looking towards the carriage.