CH 17

The news of An Ning-gongzhu and shao-jiangjun Shi Zhengyan’s return to the capital caused a not-so-subtle stir in the capital, though the results were the opposite. Due to the well-known reputation of An Ning in the past, the children of the aristocratic families all over the city took refuge in their homes to avoid misfortune. However, there have been many poetry banquets held by noble women in the imperial capital lately, and the first invitation must be for shao-jiangjun Shi Zhengyan. It was heard that this general with outstanding war service had never taken a step back on the battlefield, but upon seeing the snowflake-like invitation, he hung up his immunity card, closed his doors and refused to come out.

(TN: 公主 – princess, 少将军 – Major General)

“Yuan Qin, this is just a rumour. An Ning’s war exploits are outstanding and her nature is bold, how can she not be welcomed by the sons of the aristocratic families?”

Although Ren Anle refused the reward from Emperor Jia Ning, the old emperor is not a stingy master. Not to mention the reward of a thousand taels of gold, but he also gave Ren Anle the privilege to enter and leave the restricted palace grounds at any time.

In the early morning, after attending the court meeting, Ren Anle saw that everything in the imperial city was in full bloom and the scenery was excellent, so she led Yuan Qin to stroll around the garden in the restricted palace grounds. By chance, she had heard the palace maids gossiping, so she was astonished enough to ask this question.

Yuan Qin’s expression was odd, shifting around behind Ren Anle for a while before saying, “Xiaojie, An Ning-gongzhu has a unique preference…”

(TN: 小姐 – young lady, miss)

“What preference?” Ren Anle stopped in her tracks, raising her eyebrows.

“Four years ago, when An Ning-gongzhu came down from Mount Tai, Bixia once held a banquet for her to choose a son-in-law.”

(TN: 陛下 – His Majesty, the Emperor)

“What, didn’t pick one that suited her eyes?”

“It’s not that.” Yuan Qin paused and said, “As the head of the banquet, An Ning-gongzhu was very happy and picked five sons-in-law in a row, saying that she wanted them to be placed in the princess’s mansion to raise until she returned from her military training in the northwest camps, to then get married a few years later. Bixia was furious and left his seat with a flick of his sleeves, and the matter of the princess choosing a Fuma was shelved aside.”

(TN: 驸马 – prince consort)

The young masters of the capital’s aristocratic families are gentle and elegant; since Emperor Jia Ning had chosen them for his eldest daughter, they were bound to be the best. If the high-ranking officials of the five great aristocratic families sent their children to the princess’s mansion together to serve upon one wife, it would truly be the greatest joke in the world.

(TN: 滑天下之大稽 – an idiom that indicates a hilarious and ironic situation)

For some reason, Ren Anle felt that this was exactly something that the woman she met in Tianjian Pavilion that night could say.

“It’s no wonder that the children of the aristocratic families hide in their mansions. Turns out that there are reasons for this. This An Ning-gongzhu actually quite suits my tastes.”

Ren Anle propped her chin in her hand, smacked her lips, and suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on the path ahead. She raised her eyebrows and looked towards it.

A fifteen or sixteen year old young girl in a light yellow palace dress was standing beside the rockery, with a dignified face and presentable bearing. She gazed at Ren Anle with an expression of indifference and subtle resentment and indignation. Seeing Ren Anle gazing back, there was a moment of slight hesitation, then she stepped forward and gave a small bow.

“Du Tingfang greets Ren-daren.”

(TN: 大人 – a title of respect used towards superiors)

Ren Anle’s eyebrows furrowed. Yuan Qin’s expression understood clearly, and she whispered a few words into Ren Anle’s ear. She just realized that the young girl in front of her was actually the daughter of Du-shangshu. Because of her friendship with Shaohua-gongzhu, she was protected by her, and she was admitted to the palace as a palace maid to avoid the crime of exile.

(TN: 尚书 – a government minister, a high official)

It was no wonder that the daughter of the minister’s mansion, whose name and title was famous in the capital in the past and was now a maidservant relying on another’s charity, would become resentful like this.

(TN: 寄人篱下 – idiom, lit. to lodge under another person’s roof)

“Du-xiaojie, no need to be polite, but do you want to ask something of Benguan?” Ren Anle said lightly.

(TN: 本官 – formally speaking of the self in third person, meaning ‘this official’)

Forget it, in the end it was her Du family that was at the end of its life, and couldn’t blame others. Du Tingfang lowered her eyes, “Tingfang is alright, daren, please go ahead.” Finished speaking, she stepped aside.

(TN: 气数已尽 – idiom, lit. ‘the number of breaths are already used up’)

Ren Anle took a step and went, walked a few steps, then stopped. “Du-xiaojie, what the Du family does has nothing to do with you, and what Ling-xiong does also has nothing to do with you.”

(TN: 兄 – brother, often used to indicate a friendly and familiar closeness with someone)

With these few light words, Du Tingfang suddenly raised her head, wearing a complicated expression. She was about to open her mouth, but was unexpectedly interrupted by someone.

“Tingfang…” Shaohua-gongzhu came rushing over from the other side of the path, with disheveled hair adornments and an urgent expression. She reached the rockery, blocked Du Tingfang with one move, and looked at Ren Anle with a somber face, “Ren-daren, Tingfang is a person from my palace. If there were any offenses, may daren please forgive them.”

Taking one look at Shaohua’s appearance, it was clear that she had hurried over. As she had an imposing and overbearing presence, Ren Anle was a little surprised. She didn’t think Shaohua, who was domineering and arrogant on a daily basis, would have a bit of a genuine temperament towards the young lady of the Du family.

“Gongzhu, that’s not the case…” Du Tingfang had gratitude within her eyes as she held onto Shaohua’s sleeve.

“No need to be afraid, Bengong is here.” Shaohua took a step forward, her eyebrows raised, “Ren-daren, Bengong knows that you have Fu-huang’s praise and you are an upstart in the court. Bengong can’t afford to offend you, and can’t offend relatives. Presumably, daren will not argue with little girls, and lose the manners of a court official.”

(TN: 本宫 – formal ‘I’ in third person, often used by royalty, meaning ‘this royal’, 父皇 – Emperor Father)

Maybe it was because she still remembered what Ren Anle said in the hunting grounds that day, Shaohua would then use Ren Anle’s words to question her back at this time.

Ren Anle’s eyebrows furrowed. This princess wasn’t too bad at heart… It’s just that her eyesight was too poor.

Ai, women are so troublesome, and women with poor eyesight are even more troublesome!

“Gongzhu, Ren-daren did not make things difficult for me.”

“Shaohua, having not seen you for a few years, how have you become such a troublemaker!”

The two voices sounded almost at the same time. An Ning-gongzhu came out from behind the rockery, her face cold and solemn, looking at Shaohua with a slightly displeased expression.

Almost immediately, Shaohua’s complexion changed. She stepped back and bowed her head in greeting: “Greetings to huang-jie.”

(TN: 皇姐 – royal sister)

The eldest princess An Ning has made outstanding merits and achievements, and she is no longer comparable to the princess raised in the deep palace. No matter how domineering Shaohua was, she dared not to make it known in front of her.

Shaohua’s complexion changed several times. In a low voice, she answered “Yes,” and with red eyes, she led Du Tingfang away in a hurry.

“Anle has always had a bad reputation, how does the princess know that Anle didn’t make things difficult for the young lady of the Du family just now?” Ren Anle didn’t miss the unwillingness in Shaohua’s eyes, and looked at An Ning in front of her.

“With your temperament, if you have the time to talk glibly with that little girl, you might as well send her scattering with one slap to save the trouble.” An Ning shook her head and walked over, the corners of her mouth twitching as she spoke.

“I’m afraid that’s gongzhu’s temperament.” Ren Anle broke into laughter.

“Shaohua has been used to being domineering since childhood, and the children raised by the Tian family are not as gentle and pure as ordinary people’s families.” An Ning sighed, and gazed in the direction Shaohua was walking away with lamentation. Turning her head, she saw Ren Anle leaning on the rockery staring at her without blinking. She said with a smile, “Fortunately, I have met daren. The weather is fine today. Letting things take their course, why don’t we visit the capital together, how about it?”

(TN: 择日不如撞日 – idiom, lit. “choosing a day rather than bumping into one”; since they’ve already met up today, there is no need to pick another day to see each other)

Ren Anle stretched, turned around, and walked towards the palace gate to exit.

“Gongzhu has invited me, how dare I disobey? Chen has a carriage and horses, so it can be regarded as repayment for today’s rescue.”

(TN: 臣 – this subject. Used in the same way that Han Ye uses Gu to formally refer to himself, and Emperor Jia Ning uses Zhen, etc. 解围 – lit. to lift a siege, meaning to help someone out of trouble or embarrassment)

An Ning looked at the lazy woman in front of her, grinned, and followed.

The streets were truly bustling. Passersby were in a hurry, some were laughing and playing noisily, including those that were orphans. The carriage stopped steadily, and Ren Anle lifted the curtain and walked out. She glanced at the building in front of her with a clear and understanding expression, and looked at An Ning who was following behind her.

An Ning clapped her hands, sighed and said: “Haven’t returned to the capital for a few years, but the business here is getting bigger and bigger.” After speaking, she lifted her feet and wanted to walk inside.

“Gongzhu…” Yuan Qin changed her title when An Ning’s eyebrows wrinkled, “Xiaojie, my lady is an official of the imperial court, so she is not allowed to enter here.”

In front of the three of them was the largest gambling house in the capital, Jucai Lou.

An Ning glanced at Ren Anle with a half-smile.

Ren Anle waved her hand: “Yuan Qin, you return to the mansion first.”

Yuan Qin bowed her head and returned to the carriage. Ren Anle said: “Today, as long as there is a place that the princess wants to go, Anle will accompany her to every one.”

“Good…” An Ning smiled widely, with a relaxed expression, “I was about to ask how there would be bandits who weren’t willing to gamble. Ren-daren really wins my heart. When going out, keep it simple. Daren can call me An Ning.”

Ren Anle nodded, taking the lead and walking towards Jucai Lou first, and replied with a smile: “An Ning, you can do the same.”

An Ning was slightly startled, the corners of her mouth raising as she walked in with her.

The racket in the lobby was quieted down in an instant by the appearance of the two of them. Although Jucai Lou was full of customers drifting in and out, very few female guests entered. In addition, the two of them had extraordinary dispositions  and wore luxurious clothing, which immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room.

The two turned a blind eye to it, and An Ning casually sized up the lobby at once: “Anle, which one are you good at?”

“I can play one or two of them all,” Ren Anle said, walking to the betting on size game, “This kind is the simplest, how about it?”

An Ning nodded, and waved imposingly at the people crowded around the table: “Scatter, don’t disturb this young lady’s mood to enjoy.”

(TN: 本小姐 – Ben + xiaojie, formal self-address in order to indicate her nobility and superiority)

When everyone heard this, they all felt that today’s gambling was interesting, and immediately retreated and scattered.

The game master who was sitting as the dealer sized up the two of them with a glance, thinking in his heart which family’s young ladies must have come out to distribute their wealth. He smiled fully with satisfaction and squinted a pair of mung bean eyes, saying: “May the two young ladies sit down, welcome, welcome, big bet, small bet?”

“Came out in a hurry and forgot to bring bank notes.” An Ning had already untied a piece of a green pendant from her waist, throwing it on the table, and it just so happened to land on the character for “big”. Then she said with a smile, “Let’s take this jade as a wager, equal to one thousand taels. Since it fell onto “big”, I will thus go big.”

“I will also go big.” Ren Anle drew out a bank note from her sleeve, and said lightly, “One thousand taels.”

A look of astonishment flashed across the game master’s eyes. This green pendant is completely clear and was of exceptional quality. It was definitely enough to pay for one thousand taels. As for a young lady who could easily take out a thousand taels from Huitong Bank, it was quite a rare sight. He smiled: “You two are bold. Jin Tong will certainly help you enjoy yourself to the fullest.”

After speaking, the dice box was shaken, and there were crisp knocking sounds ringing in the lobby. When a single breath of time had passed, the dice box fell onto the table with a crash. Under everyone’s focus, the dice box was opened, and shouts and applause rose throughout. Jin Tong’s expression fluctuated slightly; looking at the dice in the center of the box, his mung bean eyes narrowed even further.

He had been operating in the gambling house for ten years, and his internal strength was extremely strong and unparalleled. No one has ever been able to beat him. Today, it was just that his hands were itching and he put down two plates, and then he encountered such a strange thing?

“One more plate.”

As An Ning’s voice fell, the gamblers watching the chaos beside them put their gold and silver on the grids selected by An Ning and Ren Anle in quick succession, and even people from the gambling games of other tables gathered around too.

Half a shichen later, not even a crow or sparrow could be heard within the entire Jucai Lou, and it was so quiet that a needle dropping could be sensed. Looking at the banknotes piled up as high as a small mountain in front of An Ning and Ren Anle, Jin Tong’s hand holding the dice box trembled slightly. How could it be possible? They clearly haven’t even touched the edge of the table, how could they hit it every time?

(TN: 时辰 – two hours; half a shichen would be one hour)

He had already lost nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver, and nearly a year’s bonus from Jucai Lou. If he continued to lose, he was afraid that…

Undoubtedly, at this time, even fools would know that these two women were here to kick at the pavilion, but Jucai Lou had stood in the capital for several years, and it was making a fortune every day. If there was no noble person backing it up, it would have long been swallowed up by the envious high officials.

“The two young ladies, do you still want to place a bet?” Cold sweat dripped down, and the sound of Jin Tong’s voice escaped through the gaps of his teeth.

“Naturally.” An Ning stretched her waist, her pair of phoenix eyes glowing. Full of smiles, she turned her head to look at Ren Anle, and said in a low voice, “I heard that today is the day where Linlang, the headliner of Lingxiang Lou, will perform. After earning enough money, let’s go and check it out.”

Ren Anle nodded, then raised her eyes to look towards the silent Jin Tong, and leisurely tossed out two words: “Go on.”

On the second floor of Jucai Lou, a shopkeeper with a dark expression stood behind the railing. The other dealer behind him hurriedly said: “Wu-ye, going on like this will be impossible, how much money have we lost already! I will call some people to get these two ignorant women driven out, and to spit out the money they won.”

(TN: 五爷 – Fifth master)

“Nonsense.” With a cold face, Wu-ye scolded, “If you make a move, it wouldn’t be as simple as our Jucai Lou only losing one hundred thousand taels of silver.” He pointed at the green pendant hanging on An Ning’s waist: “That is the Shuangfeng Xiangyun Pendant. There is only one piece in the world, and it was gifted by Bixia when the eldest princess An Ning reached the age of a full moon. As for the other one… she is not even afraid of the Marquis of Zhongyi, would she be afraid of a few of your mere thugs?”

The man sucked in a cold breath, and muttered: “This is the one who is begging to marry the Crown Prince!” Then he immediately said with a mournful face, “How did we provoke these two living Bodhisattvas to come in…”

“I’ve already sent the news to Mu-wang’s residence. Wang-ye said to wait and see what happens, and not to provoke these two people.” Wu-ye sighed, having slightly admitted defeat.

(TN: 沐王 – Prince Mu, 王爷 – formal address towards Prince Mu)

In the imperial garden of the royal palace, Han Ye and Shi Zhengyan exited from Shangshu Pavilion, and met a maid from An Ning’s palace who was hurriedly passing by. Seeing the little palace maid’s panicked face, Han Ye was a little curious, and casually asked, “Where did An Ning go?”

The little palace maid’s face flushed, and she knelt on the ground for a long while before opening her mouth.

“Replying to Taizi-dianxia, the princess has invited Ren-daren out of the palace to have fun.”

(TN: 太子殿下 – His Royal Highness the Crown Prince)

Han Ye’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling a small headache, and for the first time in history, asked another question: “Where did they go to have fun?”

The little palace maid buried her head even lower, “Dianxia, the princess said… she said that she won enough money and took Ren-daren to Lingxiang Lou to expand her horizons…”

The imperial garden suddenly became quiet. The little palace maid raised her eyes quietly, looking at the cold and hard expression of Taizi-dianxia, and she was so frightened that she dared not to even breathe.

After a long while, Han Ye stepped forward and gradually walked towards the palace gate. Shi Zhengyan followed behind him, and said in a deep voice: “Dianxia, Chen believes that the martial arts of the princess and Ren-daren are enough to protect themselves in the capital.”

Han Ye stopped, and within the evening, his voice was a bit inexplicable: “The customs in Jinan are very open. It’s good that Ren Anle hasn’t learned much, but she knows a lot about a wide mess of things. What kind of place is Lingxiang Lou? If she learns just a bit more, with her temperament, with the addition of An Ning, the children of aristocratic families from all over the capital would dare not even to leave the door!”

Shi Zhengyan blinked, looked at the crown prince in front of him whose feet were practically swaying with the wind, and laughed out loud.

This female bandit who came out of the Shiwanda Mountains truly had some skills.

(TN: 十万大山 – a mountain range in the west of Guangxi. It can also translate to ‘hundred thousand great mountains’)

On the back hill of Yongning Temple, in the center of the book pavilion full of flowers, ambergris diffused within the room, which was extravagant and luxurious.

(TN: 龙涎香 – has a sweet, earthy scent)

The woman standing in front of the window heard the maidservant’s whispered report and frowned in displeasure: “Xin Yu, when did you hear this news?”

“Xiaojie.” Xin Yu lowered her head, and her eyes were somewhat apprehensive, “The left minister said that Ren Anle has already been in the capital for three months, and covets Taizi-dianxia quite a lot, and even proposed to marry him in court, in front of all the civil and military officials…”

The woman waved her hands, her voice cold and disdainful: “Even a mere female bandit dares to dream…” She only said half of her sentence, and after a long silence, she slowly opened her mouth: “Tell the left minister, if he can allow me to return to the capital, whatever he wants, I will lend him a helping hand.”

Xin Yu paused, answered “Yes” in a low voice, and retreated.