Chapter 198 : Breaking Off Relations with The Jiang Fu

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd broke into an uproar. The farcical situation of the Jiang fu a few years ago was common knowledge throughout the capital. At that time, Xia Yan’s family background was stainless, and she had a good reputation for her virtue and artistic talent. Later on, after the truth about her shameful morals and conduct was revealed, she had become an object of much disgust. Consequently, upon hearing the words spoken by these two maidservants, it was as if a stone had been abruptly thrown into a peaceful lake, setting off ripples that could not be stopped. Those who were older remembered the former furen of the Jiang fu, Zhao Mei.

Speaking of which, every person who had some impression of Zhao Mei truly had a good opinion of her. Zhao Mei had been a natural-born beauty, with a pure, kind-hearted temperament. When she married into the Jiang fu, she often helped the impoverished. She had never favoured the rich nor disdained the poor, and neither had she put on the airs of a lady from the upper class; she had been so amiable and approachable that it had shocked people. However, in the end, this good reputation had been attributed to Minister Jiang, adding considerable leverage to his official career. Jiang Quan’s reputation of incorruptibility at that time might very well have all been due to Zhao Mei.

It was just that as Zhao Mei slowly faded from people’s sight, the gentle and virtuous Xia Yan made an appearance, with the reputation for being a talented woman. Moreover, Jiang Quan had deliberately used his authority and power to elevate her status at every opportunity. As a result, people only remembered that the only furen of Jiang fu was Xia Yan, not the original, Zhao Mei. However, now that these maidservants had mentioned it, some people began to recollect the beautiful and kind-hearted woman from back then. There is good in the human heart, and so several people, keen on ensuring that justice was served, opened their mouths to say, “Oh! Which damned creature harmed the former Jiang Furen? The former Jiang Furen was such a good person, so amiable.”

The official came forward to receive the petition from Lian Qiao’s hands and eyed the crowd. These days, Hong’an Junzhu was a mighty figure[1] in the capital, and had such a huge backer in the Jinying Wangfu. Thus, once he heard Jiang Ruan’s name, he did not dare to show neglect in this situation. After calling out a few times for the crowd to not to make a racket, he went back inside with the document in his hands.

[1] 炙手可热 (zhìshǒukěrè) – lit. burn your hand, feel the heat (idiom); fig. arrogance of the powerful / a mighty figure no-one dares approach / hot (exciting or in favour).

Generally speaking, it took a day for the investigation department to start proceedings in court. By and large, ordinary cases went directly to the yamen[2] to be heard. Only when the case involved a great grievance of injustice brought forward by a member of the nobility, and also because there were fears that the power and influence of the accusing party would be so formidable that the yamen officials might intervene or cause the case to be unfairly resolved, then the case would be sent to the investigation department. This department could also choose whether or not to pursue and try a case. After all, the lives of the rich were full of twists and turns, and a little carelessness might invite disaster upon oneself. However, today, since an official had dared to take on the responsibility of resolving the complaint, it was evident that a superior had given him prior instructions. To receive the petition was to investigate and try the case, so the surrounding crowd knew that there would once again be some fun to watch the following day.

[2] 衙门 (yámen) – government office in feudal China. There are local officials in charge of hearing cases. The yamen servants in the yamen assist local officials in searching for evidence and arresting criminals.

Lu Zhu, whose resentment was overflowing, intentionally called out loudly, “The concubine of the Jiang fu, Xia Yan, poisoned Mistress with murderous intent, and harmed the di son and di daughter using vicious methods. Minister Jiang, as the head of the family, knew full well what was happening, but feigned ignorance and simply went along with the situation. When Mistress died, he claimed it was due to ill health. I humbly beg the investigation department to diligently examine and try this case, to return a clean reputation and justice to my Miss and deceased Mistress!”

The crowd, which had been on the point of dispersing, was stirred up once again. Lu Zhu’s words could be said to have the effect of igniting an earth-shattering scandal. In reality, in wealthy families, it was not surprising for concubines to plot to do away with the main wife. But if Jiang Quan knew perfectly well what was going on yet pretended to be deaf and mute, and even tacitly agreed with Xia Yan’s methods, this would be the first time something like this occurred. Any official in the capital with a good reputation and who was not a fool would absolutely not let this pass. If everything was exposed, this would be a huge stain. The struggles between women in the rear residence were always due to the jealousy of rivals in affection. Men should not be involved, nor should they not worsen the situation. If a man could treat his own first wife with such cruelty, how could he possess any humanity at all?

If, previously, Jiang Quan had simply been perceived as a joke of a man who could not handle the affairs of his rear residence, now, with Lu Zhu’s words, from henceforth Jiang Quan would be regarded as the capital’s representative of the ‘ugly man’. He was hypocritical, vicious, and could even throw his own flesh and blood away without looking back. A father like him was surely one in a million.

Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao looked at each other and smiled, feeling as refreshed as if they had forcefully expelled foul air. They had been by Jiang Ruan’s side for many years, and had clearly seen Jiang Quan’s attitude towards Jiang Ruan. It would be better not to have such a father. The injustice of Zhao Mei’s death, the way Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi had been bullied and mistreated by anyone and everyone, to the present situation where no one would dare to underestimate them – this could be considered small revenge, and they were extremely happy.

The matter of Hong’an Junzhu suing her biological father spread throughout the entire capital rapidly. Xia Yan and the Xia family were already gone, Jiang Chao and Jiang Su Su were also dead; naturally, the dead cannot testify. The only one still alive was Jiang Quan, which meant that all the criticism was aimed at him.

* * *

In the palace, Jiang Ruan looked at the sun in the sky. The snow had stopped falling early in the morning, there was even a little sunlight and the weather was good. She slowly lifted her tea cup to take a sip, before addressing Jin San and Tian Zhu who were next to her. “Let’s go, it’s about time.”

Tian Zhu got up, draped an ermine cloak over Jiang Ruan’s shoulders, and handed her a hand stove* before accompanying her out of the door.

China Antique Metal Hand Warmer and Incense Burner, 19th Century – Schneible Fine Arts LLC

Court ladies with hand stoves in hands

A hand stove is a mini stove in the shape of a teapot. When walking outside, people held one hand stove that kept their hands warm and ready for writing.

* * *

Today, the Jiang fu was particularly busy. Since Jiang Chao’s death, no, it should be said, starting many years ago when Jiang Quan’s official career had begun to go downhill, the Jiang fu no longer resembled its early days, when there was an endless stream of horses and carriages at its front door. At that time, when Jiang Quan was like a fish in water at the imperial court, there were people calling on him everyday, and the invitation cards were piled so high that it was impossible to close the lid of the table. Jiang Quan would discuss the current political situation with the high officials and members of the nobility while Xia Yan would engage in pleasantries and chit-chat with the noble furens. They were both so adept at these social niceties that the entire fu would be full of the sound of laughter and conversation. At that time, Jiang Su Su was still an ethereal fairy, untainted by any sense of the commonplace. When she played the konghou (Chinese harp) in the garden, people would stop in their tracks and linger to listen. Many young men from the rich and noble families would be transfixed by the beautiful sound of the instrument and would stand at the corner of the outer wall to listen, and fall in love with this beautiful woman. And Jiang Chao would always return from the imperial academy pleased as punch with his success, conversing forthrightly with his newly made friends from influential families.

Konghou (Chinese Harp)

At that time, Old Jiang Madame was still alive, Second Yiniang and Jiang Li were angered by Xia Yan daily but dared not speak out, and Jiang Dan timidly hid herself in her room. And so, when all was said and done, it could be said to be a period of prosperity. People speculated that the seemingly clean and virtuous Jiang fu would one day become the pillar of strength of the imperial court, as they had sufficient loyalty and made no mistakes.

All this prosperity seemed to exist just yesterday, where the liveliness of the fu had nothing to do with Jiang Ruan; it was as if Zhao Mei and her children were total strangers. However, later, when she returned from the rural residence, the Jiang fu appeared to fall under a demonic influence and gradually declined. The glory of former days had long disappeared, and even if the time for vengeance had not yet arrived, the heavens were still watching from above. The seeds of sin that the Jiang fu had planted in the past had finally borne fruit in the present disaster. Today, with Jiang Ruan’s petition, the truth behind all of the incidents that the Jiang fu had constantly faced over the past few years had been ripped open for all to see.

Ordinary people were simple and straightforward in their thoughts and actions. Some people immediately settled themselves in front of the Jiang fu and threw eggs and vegetable leaves at the main gate. The Jiang fu’s guards came out to stop them but were met with a torrent of verbal abuse which they did not dare to retaliate against. Hence, they could only retreat with their tails between their legs and close the gate in the face of the hot anger of the people. Indeed, it was dangerous to incur public wrath.

Just as the crowd was brimming with righteous indignation, they saw a horse carriage slowly making its way through the crowd, and they parted to let it through. The horse carriage was exquisitely made but not ostentatious, with a subdued aesthetic. The coachman was a tall, handsome young man, and one could tell at a glance that he was from the upper class. With one look, people could guess that the person inside the carriage was a wealthy and respectable person. Seeing as how the carriage was headed for the Jiang fu, the crowd fell silent to wait and watch.

Finally, the horse carriage stopped, the curtain was drawn aside, and two young ladies with their heads held high jumped out. Both ladies bowed as they assisted yet another lady out of the horse carriage.

This lady was wearing a dark red velvet jacket embroidered with flowers, with a bright jade-green skirt of silk crepe scattered with flowers. These bright colours were not garish, but instead were shockingly glamorous. Over these she wore a woven, golden ermine cloak, and she held a small stove in her hands. Her skin was as fair as jade, and her appearance was movingly lovely, while her hair was simply combed in a duo ma hairstyle[3], thus suppressing her beauty and vitality by a few degrees. Her charming eyes were so limpid as to be astonishing, but her gaze was flat, tampering her breathtaking brightness and colour with a measure of sombreness and indifference.

古装影视发型之唐贵族少妇造型- 知乎

[3] 堕马髻 (duo ma ji) – the characteristic of this hairstyle is that the hair is tied in a bun to one side in a downward shape.

Someone in the crowd recognised her and exclaimed, “Isn’t that the eldest di daughter of the Jiang family, Hong’an Junzhu?”

The Jiang family’s eldest di daughter – that was what she was first known as. Even though she was both Jinying Wangfei and Hong’an Junzhu, she was Eldest Miss Jiang, first and foremost. Her appearance here at present provoked much thought. Everyone knew that she had sent her own personal maidservants at the crack of dawn to present her petition at the investigation department, so what was she doing at the Jiang fu now? The onlookers were watching avidly to see what she would do next.

Jiang Ruan sent Tian Zhu a knowing glance which she immediately understood. She walked up to the main gate of the Jiang fu and knocked lightly three times. Her actions were polite and gentle, not at all like someone who had come to find fault, but instead like someone who had come to visit, full of courtesy. She then said, deferentially, “Would you kindly communicate that my Wangfei has returned today to visit her parents[4].”

[4] 归宁 (guīníng) – It is the day when the newlyweds visit the woman’s natal family after marriage, and it is also the first time for the groom to formally meet his parents-in-law as a son-in-law. The newlyweds go to the woman’s home with gifts on a certain day after marriage & the woman’s family must also prepare a banquet at this time. In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and returning home may be the last chance for a woman to set foot in her natal home. Because of this, people attach great importance to this wedding custom.

When Jiang Ruan had married into the Jinying Wangfu, she had not been able to make this formal visit to her parents before she was poisoned. However, even though this was the case, the Jiang fu was not thousands of miles away from the Jinying Wangfu. If he had had the mind to, Jiang Quan could have sent someone to inquire after her. Who could have imagined that Jiang Quan would actually keep silent and make no mention of this at all; it was as if he never had such a daughter. Now that Tian Zhu had brought up this visit to the parents, the onlookers collectively gasped. Everyone knew that the Jiang family’s eldest di daughter and Jiang Quan were not close, but it was so cold to return to visit her parents after being a newlywed for so long. It was truly a joke at this point.

The people within did not respond for a long time, so Tian Zhu carefully retreated to stand behind Jiang Ruan. The three of them stood quietly at the gate of Jiang fu, while the surrounding crowd talked in low voices among themselves, somewhat shocked at Jiang Ruan’s coldness at this moment. Her eyes were deeply shadowed, and it seemed as if she was not looking at the Jiang fu, but was standing at a distance from the main gate of Jiang fu contemplating all the many years that had passed.

Jiang Ruan’s thoughts returned to her previous life. It had been on a similarly snowy day that she had returned to the Jiang fu from the rural residence for the first time. This was her own family, yet it was as if she was living under someone else’s roof and relying on their charity. She had stood at the door of the Jiang fu, nervous but happy. She had been dressed in shabby clothes, and the surrounding crowd had pointed at her, each person conjecturing her identity; she had felt ashamed and wanted to hide her face. At this very door, Xia Yan and Jiang Su Su had worn brightly coloured and beautiful clothes to greet her. The more gentle and refined they were, the greater the contrast had been with her utter coarseness. It was precisely under this plaque of Jiang fu that the tightly closed great door had opened, and all kinds of harm and humiliation poured out. From the main door of Jiang fu to the main door of the deep palace, each step of the journey had placed her in an even more pitiable state than before. The scenes of her previous life were like a joke, constantly reminding her of those unbearable past moments.

And now? Jiang Ruan raised her head, and her gaze landed upon the huge plaque of the Jiang fu. This plaque had been bestowed by the former Emperor, and was Jiang Quan’s pride, but at some point in time, it had started to collect dust. In her previous life, Xia Yan’s favourite past-time had been to order the servants to wipe the plaque until it was spick and span, as if it represented the glory of the Jiang fu. Now, the Jiang family was close to collapse. In this lifetime, when she returned to the Jiang family it had been here, at this very place. Outside the main gate she had sworn an oath to slaughter every single person who had harmed her loved ones in her previous life. She had planted a seed of revenge here, and now this seed had already broken through the ground and grown into a towering tree. With just a little more exertion, she would be able to uproot this colossal burial mound that had buried her and her loved ones.

After who knows how long, the door finally creaked open. From behind the doorkeeper a man wearing the garb of an official slowly came forth. His countenance was gloomy, and he stared fiercely at Jiang Ruan.

Perhaps Jiang Quan had just left the court and had not had time to change clothes, or it could be that he intended to dress in such a manner in order to suppress Jiang Ruan’s power. However, he looked really haggard. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, and politely greeted him. “Father, it has been a while since we met.”

A while since they met. Jiang Quan looked almost completely different from the scholarly and decisive middle-aged man in Jiang Ruan’s mind. He had lost a considerable amount of weight, and his complexion had become very tanned. The cheekbones on both sides of his face stood out sharply due to his deeply sunken cheeks, and he was exceptionally thin; his entire being gave the impression of being old and frail. Jiang Quan had always placed a great deal of importance on his appearance. Before, even though he was forty years old, he looked like he was thirty, youthful and refined. Now, he was a man who was not so good-looking, perhaps a few degrees short of collapse.

Only the cold indifference and acrimony in his gaze was exactly the same as in her previous life. Jiang Quan sneered and said, “Visiting one’s parents. Do you still have any regard for my Jiang family?”

Jiang Ruan nodded and said, “I keep Father in my heart at all times; I have never dared to forget.” How could one forget deep hatred and humiliation? The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she said, “It’s just that Father does not seem to like this daughter in this way.”

These words were clearly intended to accuse Jiang Quan of being an inhumane father. Angry and anxious, Jiang Quan barked out, “I brought you up and provided all your food and clothing allowance, don’t forget I’m still your father! Without me, could you have grown to this age? Like a bird fleeing the nest, now that you no longer need those who raised you, and you have your own means of support, here you are actually fabricating lies to ridicule your father! Which crude rural area taught you this uncivilised standard of morality?” Jiang Quan had always maintained a scholarly air and spoken with extreme refinement; never before had outsiders seen him curse anyone so vulgarly. At present, it was probably the unease in his heart that was causing him to speak recklessly, but it certainly had the result of enabling the onlookers to see his true colours.

“Without Father, I would naturally not exist,” Jiang Ruan said coolly. “Thanks to Father, when Mother was still around, Dage and I saw Father no more than ten times a year, whereas Xia Yiniang’s children, Second Sister and Second Brother, were together with Father the entire day. Second Brother could go into Father’s study, but even Dage’s teachers had to be invited by Mother herself. Second Sister had the best momo to teach her the four arts (playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting), while I was personally taught by Mother – but Mother came from a family of generals, so she knew nothing about the arts. Father, could it be that you will claim that you empathised with Mother’s loving heart which wanted us to stay only beside her all day long?”

The question was full of sarcasm. Jiang Quan’s face slowly turned red, and he immediately opened his mouth to retort, “This . . .”

“However, it was exceedingly pleasant to stay beside Mother, so it was no problem. I had no love for the four arts, and to this date, Dage has never had any practice in the language of officialdom. This is all thanks to Father’s foresight.” Ridicule flashed for a moment in Jiang Ruan’s eyes as she continued, “But when Dage was sick and we urgently wanted to send for a doctor, Xia Yiniang claimed that Father had already gone to bed and said to wait until next day, so Mother had to use her only resource; she kept Dage warm with her body heat the entire night. If it were not that he is fated to have a long life, Dage would not be living so calmly today. What explanation will Father give for this?” Not waiting for Jiang Quan’s response, Jiang Ruan smiled and said, “Father was busy with official business, so I avoided the topic. Thus, when Mother was seriously ill, Father did not come; when she was lying on her deathbed, even then Father did not come. It was only on the day when Xia Yiniang’s status was raised from that of concubine to wife, Father came, bringing Second Brother and Second Sister, and everyone was very happy. After that, Dage left home in a fury, and I was sent to the rural residence.”

She smiled lightly and said, “Does Father remember why I was sent to the rural residence? Because a Taoist priest said I was born under a cursed star who would be the bane of other’s existence. But, five years later, when I returned to the capital, that Taoist priest repeated his old tricks and was exposed as a liar. Does Father remember who employed this Taoist priest? It was Father’s most loved concubine at that time, later acknowledged as your first wife, Xia Yiniang.”

Jiang Ruan drew out her words and sighed at the end of them, instilling fear and alarm in the hearts of the onlookers. If not even a young girl was let off, Xia Yan’s heart was indeed immensely merciless.

“Is Father thinking of saying that you had no idea of such happenings? Then there are too many things that Father did not know about. For example, on the day my Dage returned to the capital, he met with an ambush in the forest, and the intent was clearly to kill him. If General Guan had not rushed to help turn the tide of the situation, all signs indicated that it would have been a disaster. Does Father know who was behind it all? Of course, Father has no idea, because it was Father’s beloved concubine, Xia Yiniang.” Jiang Ruan smiled minutely and said, “Father wants to be an honest and upright official, but you don’t even truly know the person who shared your bed. On seeing this, your daughter feels somewhat sorry for you.”

Some of the onlookers were sneering while others were pointing accusingly at Jiang Quan. They said, “So, it turns out that the Jiang fu is such a sinister place[5]. No wonder General Jiang wanted to join the military, otherwise, how could he have protected himself and his younger sister; eventually there would have been nothing left of them, not even their bones!”

[5] 虎穴龙潭 (hu xue long tan) – lit. cave of tigers, pool of dragons.

Xia Yan’s viciousness had reached the stage where it caused people’s hair to stand on end, after realizing what would have happened if both Jiang Xin Zhi and Jiang Ruan had not been let off. And who knew how many old grudges Xia Yan had held against Zhao Mei? A furen with such a malicious heart; if Jiang Quan claimed that he was not aware of anything, then one was truly looking down on this third-rank official. No one believed that this was the case; it could only be that he had turned a blind eye to what had occurred. Even if one said that Jiang Quan was merely taking advantage of Zhao Mei’s death (to elevate Xia Yan), this was still undeniably cruel and unscrupulous. But to be unaware of anything pertaining to his di son and di daughter, that was something that everyone could not fathom. It was said that a tiger, though cruel, would not devour its cubs. In that case, was Jiang Quan’s heart made of iron?

“You . . . What rubbish are you spouting?” Jiang Quan’s anger was born of humiliation, as well as the fear that Jiang Ruan would reveal even more secrets. “You don’t have any evidence, and here you are babbling nonsense. Who told you to say such things to insult my Jiang fu? What is his motive?”

Jiang Quan was indeed a crafty old fox, quickly thinking of a way to arouse everyone’s suspicions. As a child of the Jiang fu, Jiang Ruan would naturally not wrongly accuse her own father without reason, but what if there was someone behind her directing her accusations? Since Jiang Ruan was now married to Jinying Wang, Jiang Quan was clearly implying that this person was Xiao Shao.

Anger showed briefly in the eyes of Tian Zhu and Jin San. Jiang Quan trying to falsely accuse someone at this point was truly an unforgivable crime. Jiang Ruan gave a small smile and said, “Father, all this is not important. Of course, I have evidence of when Xia Yiniang asked someone to poison my mother. Mother told me about it, so you don’t have to accuse others indiscriminately.”

Straightaway, the surrounding crowd burst into hoots of laughter. Jiang Quan thought that Jiang Ruan was simply trying to frighten him. So many years had passed, and Jiang Ruan at that time was a mere child who did not know anything. Now that Xia Yan was dead, how could there be any evidence? Jiang Quan was not worried, but Jiang Ruan had made such a fuss that he felt he had lost all face today. Instantly, he said, furiously, “You really want to do this? Evil girl, you have the impertinence to file a petition against your own biological father. Is this how you show filial piety? Is this how you treat your biological father?”

In this world, no matter what, when someone was judged according to ‘filial piety’, that person would be brought down a few notches, regardless of who he or she was. Even if Jiang Quan’s actions had been cruel and unscrupulous, he was still Jiang Ruan’s biological father. There is no such thing as a daughter suing her father in this world. If your parents wanted you to die, then that was what you had to do. This was the common principle of ethics, and everyone on this earth had to abide by this principle. Seeing that Jiang Ruan remained silent, Jiang Quan’s self-satisfaction showed for a split second in his eyes. Feeling that his back had become straighter and his confidence had been boosted, he said, “Don’t forget, my blood runs in your body! Without me, you would not exist!”

The onlookers fell silent. Indeed, even if Jiang Ruan had spoken the truth, in berating Jiang Quan for his ruthlessness, the people’s perspective of Jiang Ruan had become complicated. Suing one’s biological father was a universally shocking affair, and even the Jinying Wangfu was perceived as being a little strange. It was not an exaggeration to say that Jiang Ruan, as an offspring of the Jiang family, had overstepped her bounds in doing such a thing. Moreover, even if she eventually won this lawsuit, Jiang Ruan would still have to face the way people would look at her peculiarly.

Jiang Ruan was not in the least affected by everyone’s stares. She stood, elegant and slender, amidst the cold wind. It was a kind of dauntless attitude, as if no manner of wind or storm could ever move her, and she seemed to declare to everyone that she would brook no compromise. Furthermore, her words were cold and unyielding, each one slowly drumming into the onlookers’ ears. “In truth, Father, you gave me life; without you, I would not exist. You gave me half of my blood and bones, but the heavens know,” she laughed grimly, “how disgusted I am.”

Before she had finished speaking, an exquisite dagger appeared in her hand. The crowd was startled, not knowing what she would do. The dagger lightly sliced through the back of her hand, and big drops of blood oozed out, blossoming into bright red flowers on the snowy ground.

Her smile was brightly charming, yet cruel; her voice was cold and detached, and resolute. In the face of Jiang Quan’s stunned gaze, she said, elegantly, “Now, I return it to you.”