As it was only her first visit to the Shen fu, Jiang Ruan had only spoken a few words with just Lin Zi Xiang while the other young ladies merely looked upon them from afar. On the other hand, Jiang Su Su had quite a favourable impression amongst everyone; therefore, there were numerous people with whom she spoke intimately with.
Shooting a glance at Jiang Su Su, who was speaking with Lieutenant General Lin’s didaughter, Lin Zi Xiang snorted coldly, “How pretentious!”
“How did you surmise this?” Jiang Ruan asked as she picked up the teacup in front of her with both hands.
Chinese teacup
This is how the cup is held using both the hands.
“She has a haughty and aloof appearance, yet, deep at the very core of her bones, her heart has changed, becoming gaudy and inelegant. If this person is not a sham, then what else can she be called? Moreover, people speak of her as if she is some immortal fairy from the immortal realm; in truth, she is merely someone who has blinded the secular world with her deceptive appearance.” Lin Zi Xiang’s words were shockingly impolite and yet, Lu Zhu who stood behind them, had burst out in laughter upon hearing them.
Chief Historian Lin oversaw the Palace’s historical annals and the astronomical calendar. Moreover, he placed a great importance on literary and historical knowledge, therefore, Chief Historian Lin and Imperial Censor Wang were both similarly upright and frank people who had always spurned flattery. With such an honest and candid disposition, Lin Zi Xiang had completely inherited that very same character from Chief Historian Lin. And so, her straightforward nature was naturally unpopular among all the young ladies present. Yet, Jiang Ruan felt that this temperament of hers was excellent. Candidly honest people were hard to come by in the world and this sort of person was much more adorable in comparison to those duplicitous people. Still with Lin Zi Xiang’s nature, for her to marry into the ranks of the Third Prince or similar men with profligate lifestyles, was to ruin her future prospects and even her entire life thereafter. This really caused one to heave a sigh and deeply sympathize with her.
Lin Zi Xiang noticed Jiang Ruan’s gaze and frowned, “To look at me this way, it feels as if you are looking at an extremely pitiful person?”
“Is that so?” Jiang Ruan smiled as she changed the subject, “Young Lady Lin, despite disliking my second meimei so, you are willing to sit with me. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful.”
“This has no relation to you.” Lin Zi Xiang had no qualms and ruthlessly denied her, “I am simply unwilling to see them bully a young lady. You and your second meimei are the same, both of you are equally pretentious. However, unlike her feigned form as a pure immortal fairy, you don’t appear to portray the same. On the contrary, it makes one feel somewhat more at ease. ”
In her heart, Jiang Ruan gave Lin Zi Xiang several praises in admiration as she said, “I could not possibly compare to an immortal fairy. Everyday, I have my hands full with the usual daily routine and tangle with worldly affairs; what I do are mundane things and what I eat are just coarse grains. I am just a human.”
After hearing her words, Lin Zi Xiang could not help but take a second glance at Jiang Ruan, “Contrary to what I had expected, you do have some self-awareness.”
Lian Qiao wanted to say something but hesitated, and finally managed to somehow endure. Jiang Ruan, herself, paid no heed to this as she knew that the young miss of the Lin family bore her no malice at all. Still, for her (LZX) to not spare others with her words, that was fine as well. In fact, this sort of person was truly an example of how great intelligence may appear to be stupidity[1]. Rather, that young lady simply had a slightly arrogant and candid personality, and it was not like she (JR), herself, had a fragile heart.
[1] Da zhi ruo yu (大智若愚) – Great intelligence may appear to be stupidity is an idiom which basically means that who knows the most, speaks the least. Therefore, Lin Zi Xiang is showing her stupidity by highlighting what should not have been said.
Unwittingly, they had spent half their time whilst eating, drinking tea and chatting leisurely. But then, they saw Jiang Li stand up from her seat and walk over to Jiang Ruan’s side murmuring, “Da Jiejie, I need to make a trip to the powder room, won’t you accompany me?”
Jiang Ruan smiled lightly, “But I don’t know the way.”
Jiang Li glanced at Shen Ming Zhen, “It’s alright, there will be Miss Shen’s maid to guide us there. It’s just that I feel somewhat afraid going alone. I have already informed Mother and Mother has also agreed. You and I are sisters, therefore today, I’ll have to trouble Da Jiejie to look after Li niang[2] for a while.”
[2] T/N: There is an emphasis here, it isn’t as clear as it may seem, however, Jiang Li is clearly using ileism, referring to herself in third person, to be humble since she is asking for a favour.
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, yet coincidentally, it could be heard by all the furens and young ladies around them. With this awareness, it actually gave Jiang Ruan no chance to refuse her. After all, it was not considered a big deal to accompany her family’s younger shu sister to the powder room. Moreover, Jiang Li had already lowered herself and spoken in such a polite manner to her. Now that she had just returned to the capital, she could not have even the slightest unfavorable opinions about her being spread around.
Thus, Jiang Ruan nodded, “Is there a need to say all this? I’ll accompany you then.” After saying so, she stood up. Upon seeing this, Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao wanted to follow suit, however, Jiang Li reached out to stop them, “We are just going there and will be back shortly, I too have not brought any maid with me. These two maids can also remain here as it’s alright with just Shen meimei’s maid to come with us.”
Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao were somewhat concerned but Jiang Ruan simply smiled at them, “No worries, I will be right back.”
Jiang Li then delightedly pulled on Jiang Ruan’s hand as they left their seats while the maids stayed back. They left from the rear end of the banquet hall. Then Shen furen seemed to have noticed the two empty seats in the middle of the banquet and asked Xia Yan, who was sitting beside her, “Your family’s eldest young lady and third young lady, they seem to be missing?”
Xia Yan smiled as she glanced around the banquet hall and nonchalantly remarked, “Perhaps, they have gone to the powder room. With this many people around them, they will be alright.”
Pleased as a plum, Shen Ming Zhen tugged at Jiang Su Su’s hand as she smiled, “Su’er jiejie, you just have to wait and enjoy the show later.”
Jiang Su Su was somewhat worried and looked at her hesitatingly, “Please don’t do anything improper. Da Jiejie, she is just a newcomer…”
“Look at how kind you are,” Shen Ming Zhen remarked impatiently, “I’m merely giving her a lesson – see if she will still act this ostentatiously going forward.”
Outside the hall, Jiang Ruan and Jiang Li followed the small pathway in the Shen fu’sgarden at a normal pace. At the very front of them was Shen Ming Zhen’s personal maid, Xiao Cui. Occasionally, Jiang Li would glance at Jiang Ruan from the corner of her eyes. Seeing that Jiang Ruan had an ever-present smile on her face as if she absolutely had no idea of what would happen later, only then could Jiang Li feel more at ease.
While they were walking down a small corridor with no one around, Jiang Li suddenly covered her stomach as she turned to look at Jiang Ruan, “Da Jiejie, I can’t hold it in any longer. Why don’t I have the maid bring me to the powder room first, then after a while, she can come back to get you.”
Worriedly, Jiang Ruan asked, “Will you be alright by yourself?”
“Don’t worry, I will swiftly come back.” Jiang Li frowned, putting on an expression filled with pain. From the side, Xiao Cui remarked too, “Miss Jiang, I will bring Third Young Lady to the powder room first, and in the meantime, Miss can sit in this room. This is the room that the fu uses to receive guests, so there is tea and desserts inside.
Jiang Ruan took a glance at the door of the room and thought for a bit, nodding, “All right, Li niang, you need to hurry then.”
Jiang Li urged on, “Yes, Da Jiejie, please hurry inside.”
Jiang Ruan then pushed the door and entered. From the outside, once Jiang Li and Xiao Cui had seen this, only then did they pick up their skirts and quickly leave . Once the sound of the footsteps had faded away into the distance and could no longer be heard, the room’s door was once again pushed open and Jiang Ruan stepped out. Tightening up her crimson crane overcoat over herself, the slightest trace of a cold smile emerged on her face.
She did not know what sort of person would enter this room later. However, once this person was found to be alone together with her, and that scene was witnessed by both Jiang Li, who had been ‘worried’ about losing her, and everyone else, her reputation would be in a complete disarray.
Or perhaps, this was precisely Shen Ming Zhen’s plan. However, this was merely her first time meeting Shen Ming Zhen today. To have thought of such a ruthless scheme of entrapment, she might have been encouraged by Jiang Su Su to push the wave and add to the billows[3]; what Jiang Su Su was best at was precisely attacking someone whilst using the strength of another.
[3] T/N : It means to add onto the severity of her previous scheme.
However, Jiang Su Su was not the only one who knew how to get someone else to do her dirty work.
Jiang Ruan slowly followed along the uninhabited passageway as she walked rather leisurely and in high spirits. However, if Jiang Li had been present, she would have been definitely astounded because this familiarity of hers evidently did not seem like it was her first time entering the Shen fu.
In reality, this was definitely her first time entering the Shen fu, however, in her previous life in the palace, Jiang Quan and the Eighth Prince had informed her of various classified matters. At that time, she had thought that they were not keeping any secrets from her and that they had regarded her as one of them. So, she had always kept this information close to her heart, hoping that one day she could be of use to them.
Who would have known that now, this was actually a boon to herself. All of that classified information also included the secret inside the Shen fu. Jiang Li’s greatest error was to presume that she, who was unfamiliar of her surroundings, could only obediently stay in the room to wait for someone to find her. Unfortunately, no matter whether it was in her past life or in this present one, she would always remember the structural blueprint of the Shen fu.
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