Chapter 108 : Borrowing a Knife to Kill

Trigger Warning: implied plan to force abortion.

Note: As a reminder, secretly giving another person a potentially harmful substance is unlawful and could be life threatening.

A pleasant springtime always pa.s.ses quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the summer heat arrived. Lu Zhu bought big blocks of ice from outside and placed them in the courtyard. The Empress Dowager had bestowed a considerable amount of money on her, so even though ice was expensive, Jiang Ruan did not lack for anything.

Lu Zhu served her the iced lotus leaf and lotus seed congee. Jiang Ruan tried a mouthful; it was deliciously clear and sweet, and delightfully refres.h.i.+ng – truly a taste of summer. Although the ornamental bamboo planted in the western corner of the courtyard was not abundant, the patch of verdant green was sufficiently beautiful. Thus, although it was blazing hot outside, it was comfortably cool within Ruan Ju.

As Lu Zhu was greedy for the coolness, she monopolised all of the embroidery work to be done within the residence, but Jiang Ruan did not call her out on it. Meanwhile, Tian Zhu was like a decorative item, merely sitting at one side watching as Lu Zhu embroidered a handkerchief. Truthfully, it was not that Tian Zhu’s embroidery skills were unremarkable. On the contrary, if one took her embroidery and presented it as being the skilled work of one of the capital’s most renowned embroiderers, the a.s.sertion would not be doubted. In fact, her skill was so outstanding that people would ironically view it with suspicion. Although the clothes Jiang Ruan wore daily were vibrant in colour, she was not particularly concerned with what she wore, so she just allowed Tian Zhu’s hands to remain idle. All she had to do was to keep an ear out for information and make inquiries.

While the interior was cool and refres.h.i.+ng, the sun outside looked as if it was growing bigger and bigger. Sometime in the afternoon, after the midday meal had been eaten and Jiang Ruan had also partaken of a bowl of ice-cold dessert, she felt a little sleepy. She was just thinking of reclining on the couch for a nap when someone arrived in the courtyard.

It was Old Jiang Madame’s personal maidservant, Du Juan. Tian Zhu asked, “Why are you here?”

Du Juan smilingly replied, “Old Master’s(Jiang Quan’s father) former colleague came to visit Old Madame and gifted her two spools of chou-yu[1] silk thread. Old Madame asked this servant to bring one spool to Eldest Miss.”

[1] 綢魚絲 (chou yu si) – lit. fish silk thread. We’re a.s.suming it’s a kind of silk thread that s.h.i.+mmers like fish scales.

Jiang Ruan asked, “Have Third Younger Sister and Fourth Younger Sister also been given this silk?”

Du Juan regarded Jiang Ruan smilingly. At present, not a single soul in the Jiang fu would dare to underestimate this eldest daughter. When the previous Furen had been alive, she had only experienced the cold shoulder from Master. The status in the fu of the previous Furen and her children, Eldest Young Master and Eldest Young Miss, had been such that even servants had been able to abuse and insult them as they wished, believing that there was no way these three could ever bring about a change in their fortunes within their lifetimes. Who could have imagined that Eldest Young Master would effect such a startling transformation, becoming a high-ranking military official in the Great Jin dynasty at present? And that Eldest Miss would become the Junzhu? Furthermore, even if she did not bear this t.i.tle, the General fu had already made their support clear so who would dare to look down on her? Thus, one could say that a person’s fate was truly wonderfully strange. She said, “No, there are only two spools of silk; Old Madame originally wanted to give them to Furen, but Furen said she was too old, and that silk embellishments look much better on the younger ladies of the fu who are of the appropriate age. Going by status, you and Second Miss are undoubtedly the worthy recipients. Moreover, Third Miss and Fourth Miss are somewhat younger.”

Jiang Ruan was practically unable to stop herself from laughing. Jiang Li and Jiang Dan had both come of age now, and there was very little difference in the ages of the four sisters. This partiality in gifting the silk thread was to show the difference between the di and shu daughters. Of course, this was understandable if not entirely forgivable, as it had clearly been Xia Yan who proposed it. Jiang Ruan motioned to Bai Zhi to receive the chou-yu silk thread, and said to Du Juan, “If this is the case, then I will have to trouble Du Juan jie to convey my thanks to Zumu.”

Du Juan hurriedly laughed and said, “Eldest Miss, this servant is not worthy of such a compliment.” She looked at Jiang Ruan, who was all smiles, and sighed inwardly. Generally Jiang Ruan was not partial to putting on airs. Even after she had been conferred the t.i.tle of Junzhu, she had never deliberately asked the servants to treat her with the courtesy required as per her status. However, all she had to do was to stand in one place and sweep her gaze lightly over the surroundings, and anyone present would feel their heart sink. She truly had the bearing of a member of palace n.o.bility.

After exchanging a few more words with Jiang Ruan, Du Juan quickly took her leave.

After Du Juan had left, Jiang Ruan asked Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao to unroll the chou-yu silk thread she had brought. The silk thread was from a region in Persia and was very rare in the Great Jin dynasty; it would not be a stretch to say that it was worth a hundred taels of gold. The colour of the silk thread was vibrant and bright and, sure enough, when Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao unrolled it, Lu Zhu gasped in admiration.

Each strand of silk thread was as l.u.s.trous and white as jade, seeming to exude a faint pearl-like luminescence; just looking at it caused one to feel delight. If this thread were to be used to embroider just one flower on clothes . . . it would truly be the talk of the town amongst the n.o.ble ladies of the capital!

Lu Zhu was already saying with great excitement, “This thread is so beautiful, why don’t we let Tian Zhu embroider a flower with it . . . no no no, a flower is too common and gaudy, it would be a waste of such beauty, why not embroider fireflies; Tian Zhu is so skillful, the result would definitely be delicate and life-like.”

Then Tian Zhu walked over to the chou-yu silk thread and stretched out her hand to caress it. Lu Zhu called out in distress, “Be gentle. Don’t damage it.”

She had barely finished speaking when they saw Tian Zhu bend down and sniff lightly.

Jiang Ruan observed her thoughtfully. After a moment, Tian Zhu straightened up and once again rolled up the chou-yu silk thread to place it to one side. Although she remained composed, her eyebrows were creased into a frown.

After pensively watching her movements, Jiang Ruan asked, “What is the problem?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the chou-yu silk thread itself,” Tian Zhu said, “but a spice has been applied to the surface of this spool, which acts on the silk to create a particular effect.”

Jiang Ruan lifted her eyebrows and said, “What is the effect?”

“On smelling this spice, a pregnant woman will miscarry within three days. If a virgin girl were to smell this spice over a long period of time, she will not be able to conceive,” Tian Zhu stated dispa.s.sionately.

“What?” Lian Qiao said in alarm. She was so angry that she almost charged at the thread to rend it to pieces. “How could this happen? How could Old Madame send such a thing over?”

Tian Zhu said, “The spice on the surface is still fresh; the thread must have been soaked with the spice over several nights and left to dry in the sun.”

“It wasn’t Zumu but Xia Yan,” Jiang Ruan said with a faint smile. Although the now-pregnant Xia Yan was not able to appear in person to handle several matters, the household matters were still firmly in her control. The gift of Old Jiang Madame’s friend had to be entered into the household accounts, and thus naturally had to pa.s.s through Xia Yan’s hands. For her to take action was therefore as easy as turning over a hand. As soon as Du Juan had said that the silk thread had only been gifted to herself and Jiang Su Su, she had suspected that something fishy was going on. Xia Yan had indeed not disappointed her.

“What is she thinking of doing? She really has tremendous guts to dare to actually plot against Miss’s life in the fu!” Bai Zhi was also indignantly angry.

“It’s possible that she was not only taking action against me alone.” Jiang Ruan smiled slightly as she continued, “Fifth Yiniang’s pregnancy has just pa.s.sed the three-month mark.”

Hong Ying’s belly was growing, and Xia Yan had long been eager to take action. However, Hong Ying had been thorough in her defences; her little courtyard was operating under strict precautions and everyone was continually on guard, such that not even a fly could gain entrance. Jiang Quan had also promised Hong Ying that she could use the small kitchen in her own courtyard, so for Xia Yan to move against her was harder than climbing up to the sky. However, the child in Hong Ying’s belly was a constant thorn in her heart. The sons of the Jiang fu could only come from Xia Yan’s body.

Xia Yan must indeed be anxious to the point of ruthlessness in order to come up with a method like this. Although Jiang Quan did not like Jiang Ruan, everyone in the fu knew that Hong Ying and Jiang Ruan were on fairly good terms. Understandably, when compared to Xia Yan, Jiang Ruan would naturally be more inclined to help Hong Ying. Thus, although Jiang Quan was inwardly annoyed, he did not block their relations.h.i.+p.

Hong Ying frequently visited Ruan Ju. This chou-yu silk thread was so valuable and beautiful, a young lady of Jiang Ruan’s age would surely be itching to use it on her clothes. And, if she had really used the chou-yu silk thread on her clothes and sat with Hong Ying for a while, Hong Ying would later suffer a miscarriage. Later, when the matter was looked into, the investigation would lead to her clothes. Xia Yan would most probably say that the chou-yu silk thread had been gifted to both Jiang Su Su and Jiang Ruan, but there had been no problem with Jiang Su Su’s thread, so the issue could not be with the material. Ultimately, it would have led to Jiang Ruan being accused of poisoning Fifth Yiniang’s unborn child.

A single arrow killing two golden eagles. Apart from getting rid of the child in Hong Ying’s belly, Jiang Ruan would have attained the reputation of being sinister and vicious. Especially as the Junzhu, she would not be able to bear the stain of such an accusation pressed upon her.

Xia Yan had indeed composed an excellent scheme, one which was worthy of great admiration.

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. She had waited for so long, and this soft tortoise had finally stretched out its four limbs. Since Xia Yan had taken action, it only remained to be seen who would act with greater agility.

Tian Zhu pondered for a moment before asking, “Miss, should this subordinate change your silk thread with that of Jiang Su Su?” Even though Tian Zhu was now following Jiang Ruan, she seemed to be unable to rid herself of certain habits she had attained while following Xiao Shao, such as calling herself a ‘subordinate’.

“One does not kill a chicken with a sledgehammer,” Jiang Ruan said as she shook her head. “There is no need for you to be called into action, someone else will resolve this difficulty for us.” Since Xia Yan intended to attack Hong Ying, how could Hong Ying not strike back?

She asked Tian Zhu, “You know about poisons?”

“I have previously followed Master to deal with South Xinjiang people, so I have some knowledge.

The spice that was applied to the surface is fairly common.”

“Excellent. Is there some way to detoxify the silk?”

“I will try.”

* * *

Hong Ying visited Ruan Ju as was her usual custom. As she accepted the tea which Bai Zhi had poured for her, she gazed at Jiang Ruan’s clothes with some degree of wonder, and said, “The embroidery on your clothes is truly beautiful. The silk threads appear to be glowing.”

Upon Jiang Ruan’s crimson, chrysanthemum-patterned skirt was clearly embroidered a snow-white luan bird[2]. The workmans.h.i.+p was exquisite, and the embroidered luan bird looked amazingly life-like. The silk threads gave off a faint pearlescent light, which only enhanced the impression that the bird was about to take off from the skirt in full flight.

Wakan Sansai Zue – Lan.jpg

[2] 鸞鳥 (luan niao) – a mythical bird, related to the phoenix, which was regarded as divine and auspicious in ancient times. It was so named because it originated in 鸞州 (luan zhou, present day Luanchuan County in Luoyang).

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, “This is the chou-yu silk thread that Zumu sent over, it’s truly beautiful. If Fifth Yiniang likes it, you can take the remainder back with you.”

Such silk thread was indeed rare, and Hong Ying was very vain. When she heard Jiang Ruan’s offer, she was unable to contain her joy, and immediately took the material back with her.

After she had left, Tian Zhu looked at Jiang Ruan in bafflement. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Why does Miss want to do it this way? Is it such a bad idea to have this servant switch the silk directly?”

“Of course it’s a bad idea.” Jiang Ruan smiled slightly as she said, “Xia Yan naturally wants to tidy up everything, but Hong Ying is too clever. If clever people don’t have any information that can be used against another clever person, then it is very difficult to guarantee the success of future plans.”

Of course, Jiang Ruan had not told Tian Zhu the most important reason. Because of what had happened to Pei’er in her previous life, she would never take pity on the child in Xia Yan’s belly, though she would also never deliberately attempt to kill it. Allowing Tian Zhu to take action was one thing, but leading Hong Ying to strike against Xia Yan was another.

In her previous life, Xia Yan and Jiang Su Su had been experts at getting someone else to do their dirty work. In this life, she was not going to be any less adept.

Jiang Ruan ordered Tian Zhu, “Early tomorrow morning, you must tell Fifth Yiniang that the silk thread carries a spice that induces miscarriage, and that this was Furen’s doing.”

* * *

Early in the morning of the next day, at the first glimmer of light when Jiang Ruan was still at her morning ablutions, Hong Ying rushed into Ruan Ju, bringing the chou-yu silk thread with her. Perhaps due to the abruptness of the news, her mood was sombre and she looked highly worried, something which was not only out of the ordinary for her, but was far removed from her usual calm and unhurried elegance. Without preamble, she asked, “Eldest Miss, what on earth is going on?”

The previous day, she had really liked that spool of silk thread, and as soon as she had returned to her courtyard had started thinking about which design would be best to embroider first. Thus, she never imagined that Jiang Ruan’s personal maidservant, Tian Zhu, would arrive at daybreak to inform her that the thread had been tampered with in a way that would cause a miscarriage.

Jiang Ruan poured a cup of tea for her and said, “Fifth Yiniang, there is no need to be anxious. I have also been affected by this manoeuvre.” She sighed deeply and went on, “If a virginal young lady from the inner chamber is exposed to this spice, it is feared that, in future, she would be . . . infertile.”

Hong Ying was further taken aback. This was something she had never considered. She looked hesitantly at Jiang Ruan and asked, “Eldest Miss, so what will you do now?”

“What else can be done, I have to look for a physician,” Jiang Ruan replied, shaking her head.

Hong Ying said, “How can this be, that Furen is so vicious as to go as far as harming Eldest Miss, and even the child in this concubine’s belly. This kind of conduct is truly vile. This lowly concubine is merely a servant, but Eldest Miss is of n.o.bility, a true blue-blood[3], the impressive and upright eldest di daughter of the Jiang fu – how can you possibly bear this slight against you? The Empress Dowager loves Eldest Miss dearly, if Eldest Miss were to report this matter to the Empress Dowager, she would surely make a decision on your behalf.”

[3] 金枝玉葉 (jin zhi yu yue) – lit. golden branches and jade leaves; fig. people of imperial lineage; royalty.

A little half-smile hovered around Jiang Ruan’s lips as she surveyed Hong Ying. Hong Ying was no fool; she had also considered how to use Jiang Ruan to deal with Xia Yan. Really? There was nothing so conveniently resolved on this earth, and she was also no bodhisattva; why would she help other people sweep away the obstacles in their path?

“Does Fifth Yiniang really think that entering the palace and reporting this matter to the Empress Dowager is the best option?” Jiang Ruan asked.

Hong Ying’s heart pounded. She had discerned that there was a hidden meaning to Jiang Ruan’s words, so she asked slowly, “This . . . Would it be inappropriate?”

“Fifth Yiniang has probably thought it through clearly by now; this chou-yu silk thread would cause a miscarriage within three days of contact. To tell you the truth, my Ruan Ju is actually not very ‘clean’, moreover, when Fifth Yiniang carried the silk thread back to your own courtyard yesterday, you must have been seen by quite a few servants along the way. Jiang fu is also not very big, and this small matter will easily be found out if someone were to investigate carefully. Fifth Yiniang, you are expecting, but you carried the thread without miscarrying. When Furen finds out, who knows what she will think?”

Hong Ying was taken aback for a moment. In an instant, she understood the intent behind Jiang Ruan’s words, and felt chills run down her back.

Jiang Ruan continued, “I could certainly enter the imperial palace and make a report to the Empress Dowager, but even when Furen is found out, she will undoubtedly not be waiting submissively to be caught. She hates Fifth Yiniang so much that she would drag you down with her, even if it leads to her death. When the time comes, the imperial physician is not an ordinary person who is susceptible to bribery and will be able to sniff out any irregularity immediately. If this is the case, I’m afraid that Fifth Yiniang will also suffer a dismal end. I have nothing to lose, and there will be some retribution if Furen tries to harm me in retaliation. And finally, is Fifth Yiniang willing to allow all that you’ve painstakingly worked so hard to achieve come to naught? Is Fifth Yiniang willing?”

Each word was uttered like an incantation to bewitch her. Hong Ying muttered, “Not willing, I’m not willing.”

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly.

Hong Ying looked at Jiang Ruan and abruptly grabbed her sleeve. She said, “Miss, Miss, save this concubine. This concubine does not want to fall prey to Furen’s conspiracy, this concubine just wants to establish a foothold in this fu!” She finally understood that this Eldest Miss of the Jiang fu in front of her, the current Hong’an Junzhu, was the only one who could save her. Although Jiang Ruan did not say a word, Hong Ying knew that she undoubtedly had a way.

“Fifth Yiniang does not need to be anxious.” Jiang Ruan patted Hong Ying’s hand, and her smile became even more gentle. “At present, Furen is confident that Fifth Yiniang will miscarry, so if Fifth Yiniang does not do so within three days, Furen will presumably begin to become suspicious about the child in Fifth Yiniang’s belly. However, what happens if the spool of silk Fifth Yiniang took with her is not this spool of chou-yu silk thread which has been treated with spice?”

Hong Ying slowly released Jiang Ruan’s sleeve, and stared blankly at her.

“There are two spools of chou-yu silk thread; one was sent to my courtyard, the other was sent to Second Sister’s courtyard. In order to prove that the material is without any issue, it may be a.s.sumed that Second Sister will also have a set of clothes embroidered in this fas.h.i.+on. If the maidservant were to have taken the wrong material, then Fifth Yiniang will not miscarry, which is Fifth Yiniang’s good fortune.”

Hong Ying gradually regained her senses. If Jiang Ruan’s spool of silk could be exchanged with the one which had nothing wrong with it, then Jiang Su Su’s spool would be the one treated with spice. Hong Ying would not miscarry, because the person who would . . . would be someone else.

Hong Ying opened and closed her mouth several times, and looked at Jiang Ruan with some degree of incredulity. She said, “It is easy for Eldest Miss to say this, but how is this concubine going to exchange the silk?” She pondered for a while before saying, “Eldest Miss has so many outstandingly capable people, is it possible for Eldest Miss to . . .”

“Fifth Yiniang,” Jiang Ruan cut in before she could finish speaking, “although Furen and I have a history of contention, there is no time limit involved. If I should desire to retaliate sometime in future, I will naturally think of a way to do so. However, Fifth Yiniang cannot afford to wait. Fifth Yiniang, if you cannot exchange the silk within three days, then your only recourse,” she smiled faintly, “is to think of a way to miscarry. You can, of course, use this method, but that means that Fifth Yiniang will have lost your bargaining chip.”

Hong Ying’s heart dropped like a stone. Every single word spoken by Jiang Ruan had struck at her vital spot. It was true, in order to avoid suspicion, she could pretend to miscarry, but this would mean the loss of her bargaining chip. If she could exchange the silk, then not only would she cause all of Xia Yan’s hopes, centred on the child in her womb, to become futile, she would also be able to make a clean sweep by striking from within. After all, wasn’t that spice a result of Xia Yan’s own machinations?

Jiang Ruan’s voice floated softly to her ears. “Fifth Yiniang is seriously not thinking about getting rid of the child in Furen’s belly? Fifth Yiniang, why don’t you listen to your heart?”

Hong Ying’s body trembled violently. Yes, she hated Xia Yan, and hated even more that lump of flesh within her belly. Because of this, now would be a good time to strike against Xia Yan in the fu and vanquish her, leaving Jiang Quan to pay much more attention to her!

Hong Ying considered Jiang Ruan profoundly. Without warning, she stood up and said, “This concubine offers Eldest Miss many thanks for her suggestion.”

Jiang Ruan smiled but said nothing. People’s hearts were all the same: envious, unwilling, compet.i.tive, hostile. A tiny nudge was enough to completely topple one’s reason. Hong Ying had already made her choice. That’s how it was with the affairs of the world; if one wanted something, one would have to pay an equivalent price.

Before she left, Hong Ying turned towards Jiang Ruan and said softly, “Eldest Miss, when you sent the silk to this concubine, you really did not know that it had been contaminated by this lethal spice?”

Jiang Ruan lifted up her tea cup and slowly took a sip. “I did not know.”

Hong Ying remained silent as she turned and left.

After she was gone, Tian Zhu walked over to Jiang Ruan’s side and said, “Will she actually have a way to exchange the silk thread?”

“Of course.” Jiang Ruan stared in concentration. From a prost.i.tute in a pleasure house to the position of a concubine who could rival the main wife, and earn the favour of Jiang Quan. Hong Ying was clearly no ordinary woman; for so many years she had been a thorn in Xia Yan’s side, yet had remained unscathed. If she was devoid of capability, she would have been already devoured, without even bones remaining.

Hong Ying was not Zhao Mei. She was more intelligent than Zhao Mei, as well as more ruthless.

Tian Zhu observed Jiang Ruan but said nothing. This situation had not required Jiang Ruan to take action, and had even resulted in information which could be held against Hong Ying. It was indubitably a far better solution than sending Tian Zhu to exchange the silk thread.

Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes, but an odd smile appeared on her face. There was no mother in the world who did not suffer agony when she lost her child. The pain that she had experienced in her previous life would not only be suffered by Xia Yan in this one, but to a more painful degree.