Chapter 33 - In The Residence

Mei Qing courtyard was where Zhao Mei had lived previously, and she had meticulously arranged and cared for every plant and tree within it. The interior had a good orientation. The fengshui[1] master had come to take a look and declared that blessings would completely surround it. When Zhao Mei died, the name of the residence was changed to Yan Hua Yuan (lit. beautiful flower park), and Jiang Su Su and her mother began to live there.

[1] Fengshui ( 风水 ) – It refers to geomancy, a Chinese belief that individuals can be harmonized with their surrounding environment using energy forces (known as qi, 气), thus bringing them better fortune. Historically, it was used to orient buildings in an auspicious manner, as in this chapter. (It’s still practised today. My friend’s brother had his bed set at an awkward angle for better fengshui.)

Wang momo, the old maid-servant who was bringing Jiang Ruan to her new residence, was loyal to Xia Yan. Her shrewd, triangular eyes[2] were constantly assessing Jiang Ruan and her maids, and she never stopped talking. “Eldest Miss doesn’t know this, but today new people are coming to the residence. As Second Miss has already grown up, she has been given her own residence, so today rooms are in short supply, but Eldest Miss’s residence was specially arranged for by Madam. Don’t know whether Eldest Miss will like it or not.”

[2] San Jiao Yan ( 三角眼 ) – lit. triangular eyes. People with triangular eyes are said to be shrewd, deep thinkers, difficult to get along with, and highly suspicious in nature. They also experience very strong emotions e.g. if they fall in love, they remain wholeheartedly dedicated to that person.

As Lu Zhu walked along, she looked all around her with interest. Because she was the newest servant, the onlookers assumed she was a country girl who had never seen the world before and regarded the Jiang household with wonder.

Wang momo stopped at a compound and said, with a smile, “This is it.”

Jiang Ruan sized up her surroundings. The compound could not be considered big, but she did not have many servants, so it would actually be more than enough. The courtyard had been tidied up in an acceptably neat manner. When she opened the door to enter the room, she found it to be clean and tidy. Furniture and other items she needed for daily use were readily available. In comparison to the other residence, this was immeasurably better.

Upon seeing this, Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi heaved a sigh of relief, and started to deal with their belongings. Old auntie Wang noticed Jiang Ruan standing in the middle of the room, deep in thought. She put on a smile and said, “Although this compound is a little remote, it is very clean. Moreover, the compound of Fourth Miss is not far away. When you are free, Eldest Miss will be able to look for a companion; you won’t be bored.”

Jiang Dan? Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, “I think this compound is quite good. Please convey my thanks to my mother. However, since this is where I will be residing, I would like to change the name of the compound. May I trouble you, momo, to convey this to my mother?”

As Wang momo smilingly assented, Jiang Ruan turned around and walked out of the room to the compound’s front gate. Above the entrance hung a plaque with three large characters written on it: ‘Fu Ping[3] Courtyard’.

[3] Fu Ping ( 浮萍 ) – Duckweed.  In Chinese culture, each flower’s meaning is unique and important. However, flowers sometimes carry negative meanings as well. For instance, the flowers from poplar trees can easily be blown apart, so they represent an unfaithful spouse or lover. Likewise, duckweed is a floating flower that has no roots, which contrasts with the Chinese moral value placed on harmony and family unity.

Fu Ping Courtyard, how excellent! Xia Yan really knew how to observe and understand people’s hearts. If these three commonly used characters had been applied to her previous life, they would have been an accurate foreshadowing of her depressing, long-term suffering. However, in this present time, this Fu Ping Courtyard should indeed change its name.

In the evening, Wang momo came over once more. Firstly, she conveyed Xia Yan’s message that this compound had been given to Jiang Ruan, and therefore, she was at liberty to change its name as she desired. Secondly, she informed Jiang Ruan that Jiang Quan and Jiang Chao were returning later that night. Hence, they would not be able to eat dinner together; Jiang Ruan was to eat on her own.

The di daughter had returned home, but her father was unwilling to even meet her briefly. One could very well imagine the cold indifference encapsulated in that decision.

After hearing Wang momo’s words, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao felt chilled to the heart. Presently, the closest kin Jiang Ruan had in the Jiang household was Jiang Quan. Since Jiang Quan had insulted her today in this way, Jiang Ruan’s future would, in all likelihood, be much harder than imagined.

Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao were each occupied with their own thoughts. On the other hand, Lu Zhu stood next to Jiang Ruan, who was writing. Quite happily, she commented, “Miss, you write beautifully.”[4]

[4] T/N – Chinese ‘writing’ is known as calligraphy, where a brush is dipped into ink and the character is written (almost drawn) on specially prepared thin rice paper. There are many styles of writing, and the way each person ‘writes’ is as distinctive as handwriting. Calligraphy is really an art form.

Two large characters snaked across the snowy white writing paper, like imposing dragons: Ruan Ju[5]. The characters were truly remarkable, magnificently written. People often said that one could discern a person’s character by looking at their written words. Jiang Ruan’s brush strokes were smooth and sleek, but there was also a hint of sharpness to her words. It was as if the melancholy in her heart had been concealed under a tranquil facade; at first glance, all seemed as peaceful as an undisturbed pool of water, whereas reality lay in the far-reaching murderous intent within.

[5] Ruan Jū ( 阮居 ) – Ruan Residence. Jū (classifier for bedrooms) is a part of the fu. 阮 is, of course, Jiang Ruan’s name, but it also refers to a four-stringed lute. 阮居 thus could possibly also be said to be a ‘poetic’ name for a residence.

“You can read?” Jiang Ruan asked Lu Zhu.

Lu Zhu shook her head. “This servant cannot read, but can still recognise that Miss has written the words well.”

Jiang Ruan laughed in spite of herself. That Xia Yan, once the most talented lady in the Great Jin dynasty, would allow the change of residence name without making a fuss might appear to be a magnanimous action, however, in reality, she only wanted to encourage Jiang Ruan to make a fool of herself. Jiang Ruan wanted to change the words on the sign, but had just returned to the Jiang household, without a single silver coin to boot. Thus, she would have to write the words herself. However, she had been sent to the countryside residence at a young age, where there was no one to teach her how to read or write. Everyone had long assumed that she was an idiot who couldn’t even recognise the simplest characters. If she actually could write something, who knows who the joke would actually be on.

Lu Zhu asked suspiciously, “When Miss lived in the residence, you never practised writing or learned to read. How did you learn how to write?”

How did she learn how to write? Jiang Ruan’s eyes lighted on the writing paper in front of her. In her previous life, she had been groomed by Xia Yan to be a brainless beauty. All she had learned was how to play the zither[6] and to dance, such that if her name were mentioned to any citizen of the Great Jin dynasty, they would say, with extreme disdain: That brainless beauty ah, her talent could only be compared to that of a low-class singer, so different from her brilliant younger sister.

[6] Qin ( 琴 ) – probably refers to the 古琴 (guqin), a long zither with seven strings, plucked with the fingers. You can hear the sound of the quqin here. (psst – irisu-san can play the guqin!)

After she was sent into the palace, she realized that there were countless women in the inner palace whose talent in dancing and playing the zither far surpassed hers. In order to gain favour, she was forced to undergo several hellish training sessions. One of those was to practice writing characters, which had been personally supervised by the Eighth Prince.

When flowers were blossoming as far as the eye could see, he taught her how to hold the brush and write, on the snowy white writing paper: ‘Just like the red beans inlaid in tinkling ivory dice, my longing for you runs deep in my bones’[7] – such touchingly emotional words. Who would have ever thought that it was just playacting?

[7] Ling long shai zi an hong dou, ru gu xiang si zhi bu zhi? ( 玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知？) – It’s from a poem by Tang dynasty poet 温庭筠 (Wen Tingjun). The line is actually a question – Do you know how much I long for you?

骰子 = dice, usually made of ivory, where two sides are hollowed out and inlaid (安) with red beans (红豆), which are symbols of love-sickness. 玲珑 is an onomatopoeia, the sound of dice being thrown. Whichever way the dice lands, the red beans will be visible. 相思 = longing or yearning.

Looking back, she should be grateful to Eighth Prince. In the Great Jin dynasty, his writing style was considered to be outstanding. He always said that her brush strokes were too soft, without sufficient firmness or will power. This was why, in the end, she had met her demise[8]. Presently, her writing style was still smooth and sleek, but she wondered if he would be able to see the murderous intent threaded through all her characters.

[8] Ming sang huang quan ( 命丧黄泉 ) – 黄泉 is literally to return to ‘Yellow Springs’, the underworld of Chinese mythology, akin to Hades/ Hell. Fig. it means to die / to meet one’s end

Jiang Ruan smiled, took up the writing paper and blew on it, then gave it to Lu Zhu. “Mount it above the entrance gate.”

Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao also smiled. “Ruan Ju, what an excellent name! Miss has written the words so well, it would be wonderful if Eldest Young Master[9] could see them.” After saying this, they realized that they had misspoken, and looked at Jiang Ruan with some unease.

[9] Da Shao Ye ( 大少爷 ) – Eldest son and ‘young master’ of the household.

Jiang Ruan’s gaze wavered. When Zhao Mei died, and she had been sent to the countryside residence, Jiang Xin Zhi had knelt in the ancestral hall[10] for a whole day and a night, but was still unable to move Jiang Quan to change his mind. In a fit of anger, Jiang Xin Zhi had enlisted in the military. Before he left, he had urgently exhorted her to return to the Jiang household in glory, so that no one would be able to bully her.

[10] Ci Tang ( 祠堂 ) – The ancestral hall refers to a room where the ancestral tablets, which embody the spirits of deceased ancestors, are kept. The ancestors (or their spirits) are still considered part of ‘this world’. If not in a room, the tablets are placed on a table. There is usually an altar and incense burner nearby. Confucian philosophy calls for paying respect to one’s ancestors, an aspect of filial piety. Incense is lit before the altar daily, significant announcements are made before the ancestors, and offerings (such as favourite food and spirit money) are made bi-monthly and on special occasions (e.g. Ghost Festival).

In those days of unbearable pain and heartache, Jiang Xin Zhi had been her only source of strength, her pillar of support. Until one day, at the other residence, she had received grave news from the Jiang fu that Jiang Xin Zhi had died on the battlefield, and his body had not been recovered.

A thought suddenly struck her. In her previous life, when news of Jiang Xin Zhi’s death arrived, it had been two years after the actual event. Because in this life she had returned two years earlier, was there still a chance for the situation to have changed for the better? On thinking about this point, Jiang Ruan was abruptly seized with excitement. If Jiang Xin Zhi were still alive, she would not be so lonely in this lifetime. It was only . . . how to find out if Jiang Xin Zhi were still alive? And how to reverse his fate?

Lian Qiao noticed Jiang Ruan’s tightly furrowed brow and altered countenance. Worried, she asked, “Miss?”

“Lian Qiao, when my mother died, I was sick in bed, and did not know anything that was happening outside. I only knew that my Eldest Brother knelt in the ancestral hall for a day and a night, then he came to bid me farewell. You and Bai Zhi were outside. I want to ask you, do you know whose military unit he joined?”

Lian Qiao looked blank for a moment, then exchanged looks with Bai Zhi and shook her head. “The Eldest Young Master never said anything about this. Even the servants don’t know anything. However, we remember very clearly, the barbarians (i.e. ethnic groups in the north and west of China) were causing trouble at the border at that time. The commander of the Chen family army and General Guan were both recruiting troops, but this servant does not know whose command he came under.”