Chapter 76.2 - Trickster vs Trickster (Part II)

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly but did not speak, as if she had not heard Jiang Chao vilifying her. Hui Jue said, “Perhaps Second Jiang Miss experienced some kind of danger previously, or suffered an illness. During an illness, a person’s spiritual consciousness is weak, and the demon might have taken advantage of the weakness to enter the body.”

“Didn’t Second Jiang Miss fall into the water at the Ling Long Boat several days ago?” the Assistant Minister’s Furen smilingly said. “At that time, she was pulled from the water, gasping for breath. I am afraid it might have been at this time that the misfortune occurred.”

“Amitabha,” Hui Jue intoned as he placed his palms together.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone came to the awareness that Eldest Jiang Miss was not really born under a cursed star. Instead, the troubles faced by the Jiang fu were due to the proclivity for evil caused by Second Miss. On thinking about how Jiang Ruan had earlier been wrongly accused yet had not gotten angry or forgotten her manners, and even faced the situation with a smile, the furens were full of admiration for her. Thus, they started to discuss this amazing turn of events whereby the previously unjustly treated Eldest Jiang Miss was now being defended.

“So, it turns out that Eldest Jiang Miss is innocent. Just as I said, we’ve seen this nice girl dishonoured for no good reason.”

“She was almost made the scapegoat. Tsk tsk, Second Jiang Miss must have known that she was being possessed by the demon, and that’s why she wanted to throw the sh*t pot at Eldest Miss.”

“Eldest Miss is all alone, she doesn’t even have someone to speak on her behalf. If it wasn’t for the senior monk today, perhaps her entire life would have been ruined.”

The voices were not actually loud, but neither were they soft, and they were clear enough to be overheard. Jiang Su Su was aware that she had lost face and was full of bitter hatred. She had never imagined that, today, she would once again have victory snatched away from her at the last minute. Not only that, Jiang Ruan had also managed to turn the tables on her. When she thought about this, she felt somewhat flustered. If she had been singled out as the inauspicious person, then what would happen in future? After further consideration, she thought it was still all right. This bald donkey[1] had not said that she had the fate of one born under a cursed star, but only that she was possessed. Everything would be good after some days.

[1] Tu lu ( 秃驴 ) – lit. bald donkey; derogatory term for a Buddhist monk.

Xia Yan was so enraged, she was dying to charge at Jiang Ruan and rip out her throat. She knew there was something shady about this Great Master Hui Jue; he and Jiang Ruan must have established a connection earlier. Although she did not understand why this renowned senior monk would help Jiang Ruan, she was convinced that the cloud of big, black-winged bats which had appeared today had to be Hui Jue’s doing. However, they had followed him the entire time and Hui Jue had not made any kind of movement, so how on earth had he managed to stage something like this?

Old Jiang Madame had not said a single word during this time, only observing Jiang Ruan quietly. Jiang Quan had not been inclined to accept what was happening, but, at that moment, watching so many big, black-winged bats rushing into Jiang Su Su’s residence without any reason, he believed Hui Jue’s explanation to some extent. Thus, he said, “Great Master, what should my daughter do now?”

Jiang Ruan’s smile turned slightly mocking. Even till now, Jiang Quan was still concerned about Jiang Su Su; the father-daughter relationship was indeed strong. If their positions had been switched, Jiang Quan would have considered her filthy, and wished that she would disappear from the face of the earth. Hui Jue said, “We just need to get rid of the bad luck. This monk will write a few Buddhist texts and paste them in the room, and all will be well after a few days. However . . .” he hesitated for a while before continuing, “Second Miss has been possessed by this evildoer for too long, so a few days will not be sufficient.”

“Then what can be done?” Jiang Quan said agitatedly. “Please, Great Master, save my daughter!”

“Jiang daren does not need to be anxious,” Hui Jue said. “This monk knows of a private temple[2]. It would be best for Second Miss to go there to devote herself to spiritual development for a period of time. In the temple, she would feel the influence of eternal Buddist scriptures the entire day. The filthy energy will be dispelled, and Second Miss will emerge unscathed.”

[2] Jia miao ( 家庙 ) – lit. home or family temple. Apparently, in ancient times, officials could build such temples as a place to worship their ancestors (Confucianism).

Xia Yan was shocked. Jiang Su Su had already exclaimed, “I haven’t been possessed by any demon, and I don’t want to go to the temple!”

“Su’er!” Jiang Quan shouted coldly. He looked at Hui Jue and asked, “For how long?”

Great Master Hui Jue said, softly, “This monk does not dare to give any guarantees, but it is to be feared that Second Miss will not be able to return home for three to five years.”

In a split second, Xia Yan’s face took on an unsightly expression as she turned to look at Jiang Ruan. Their plan just now had been to send Jiang Ruan to the temple for three to five years, and now, Jiang Ruan had returned the intention with thanks, instead sending Jiang Su Su to the temple for a few years. So ruthless!

Grieved, she said, “Is there any other way? Great Master, I only have this daughter.”

Great Master Hui Jue shook his head and sighed without saying anything further.

Jiang Quan was in a dilemma. If Jiang Su Su stayed at the Jiang fu, even more incidents would occur. Moreover, if Jiang Su Su stayed at the temple, her personal bad luck would also be eliminated. Although he was reluctant to part with her, he knew that this was the best way.

Xia Yan grew even more anxious on beholding Jiang Quan’s expression. Jiang Chao had already thrown caution to the wind and was yelling at Hui Jue, “You attention-seeking bald donkey! Clearly you’re putting on a show to trick us! See if I don’t tear your mouth off!”

Although Hui Jue was fearful, he maintained a calm expression in the face of this storm and retreated a few steps wordlessly.

“Stop him.” Several of Jiang Quan’s personal guards stopped Jiang Chao. Usually, Jiang Chao gave everyone the impression he was a person who tried not to offend anyone, but now, his eyes were fierce and his words were crude. Upon seeing this, several of the furen present who had been on the hunt for a man to marry their daughters off to changed their plans.

Jiang Quan felt his head hurt. Ordinarily, these siblings were the ones who made him feel the proudest, but, lately, they had disappointed him over and over again, making him impatient, impetuous, and short-sighted. Not even Jiang Ruan had made him feel thus.

Jiang Ruan? He froze and looked at Jiang Ruan, who was still in the position she had been previously, a small smile on her face. She was clearly at the centre of the entire situation, but she looked relaxed and at ease, seemingly having nothing at all to do with the proceedings. It was as if she had everything and everyone in her grasp, and was quietly watching the course of events unfold from the outside, observing other people’s disputes with cold eyes.

Jiang Quan could not help but shiver. He heard Jiang Ruan say, “Second Older Brother has certainly spoken in error. Great Master was invited here by Ruan niang, so if you doubt Great Master, then you also doubt Ruan niang. In Second Older Brother’s opinion, why would a person like Great Master do the bidding of Ruan niang? For money? With a monthly allowance of two coins, even the incense burned at an ordinary temple would cost more.”

The crowd was once again in an uproar. Two coins a month, that was the allowance of a second-ranked maidservant! Even though Jiang Ruan was the Jiang family’s di daughter, she was frugal and exercised self-control. All this caused the people to wonder what the root cause was – was Jiang fu embarrassingly short of money at the moment, or was Xia Yan, the mistress of the fu, too harsh on her step-daughter?

Jiang Quan could only feel as if his self-respect had been shattered. He glowered at Xia Yan and forced himself to suppress his anger, only to hear Jiang Ruan say, “Second Older Brother considers Great Master Hui Jue to be a trickster, but Ruan niang has yet to say that Xu Kong dao zhang is a trickster. Since Second Younger Sister is demon-possessed, that means that Ruan niang was not born cursed and does not have the fate of being the bane of others’ existence. What about the dao zhang who calculated Ruan niang’s birthdate characters five years ago, such that Ruan niang had to waste five years at the rural residence? How should this debt be calculated? No matter what, there is no clear way to calculate the cost. It would be better to seek the advice of the Capital Magistrate[3]. I am on good terms with the young miss of the Capital Magistrate’s fu; perhaps it might be possible to ask him to accommodate us.”

[3] Jing Zhao Ying ( 京兆尹 ) – apparently an official title used in ancient times, akin to the mayor of the city.

She had a gentle smile on her face, but, in contrast, every word was laced with intense accusation. It was so menacing that one knew, whether retaliating or retreating, one was on dangerous ground. Xu Kong dao zhang had long since started to sweat heavily, and he looked to Xia Yan in an unspoken appeal for help.

Xia Yan said, stiffly, “Dao zhang is an old acquaintance, and there must be some misunderstanding. Ruan niang, you are still young, there are many situations which cannot be seen as simply black or white. It would be best not to draw a definite conclusion.”

Jiang Quan finally could no longer bear the eyes of all who were watching the entertainment and growled, “Enough!”

Xia Yan promptly stopped talking. Hui Jue said, “This monk will send disciples with the scriptures when they have been written. Now, the matter is over, this monk ought to take his leave.”

Jiang Ruan smiled and said, “Not quite, Great Master has forgotten something.” Hui Jue was slightly startled. Jiang Ruan continued, “Ruan niang invited Great Master here today to pray for zumu, but Great Master unexpectedly expelled a demonic influence from the Jiang fu. If it is convenient for Great Master, could you please pray for blessings for zumu?” Everyone present was quite astonished that Jiang Ruan still remembered, at this time, to ask for prayers for Old Jiang Madame. Old Jiang Madame’s face remained expressionless as she said, “There is no need. Great Master and I are both tired. That you have purged my Jiang fu of these demonic influences is the greatest blessing I could have.” She then said, “Cai Que, help me back to my room,” and departed without taking leave of anyone.

On seeing this, the furens hurriedly got up to take their leave. Today, they had witnessed such a good show, and it would not be appropriate for them to stay longer. However, the next day, there would undoubtedly be yet another rumour about the Jiang family making its way around the capital.

Almost instantly, the room was cleared of guests. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly and said, “If Great Master is taking his leave, I will see Great Master out.” Hui Jue nodded.

After they had reached the entrance of the fu, Jiang Ruan looked at him and smiled. “Many thanks to Great Master for coming to my aid today.”

“Did Young Miss mean what she said at the start?” Hui Jue lowered his head and maintained a humble attitude, looking very much like a benevolent Buddha.

“Of course,” Jiang Ruan said with a smile. “If Great Master is able to continue aiding Ruan niang in the same way as today, Buddha will see you accumulating much merit, and will not be indifferent to the child.” She continued, “Great Master has indeed opened the eyes of many people today.”

Hui Jue had been deceiving people for so many years that speaking truthfully was no longer something he could do. Mixing falsehood and truth was what the wandering monk had taught him from the very beginning. Today, as he had passed through Jiang Su Su’s residence, he had casually scattered a handful of powdered pig’s blood there.

Bats like pig’s blood, but will not come and go at will. There were other substances blended with the powdered blood as well as also mixed with the incense burned at the main residence, which would cause the bats to come forth even in daytime. Those in the know would not have taken today’s scene to be anything alarming, but the ignorant would have seen it as the manifestation of demonic influence.

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. “Mother loves Second Younger Sister dearly, and definitely will not easily let her go to the private temple.”

“The bats will disperse in the daytime, but they will come and knock at the door at night. Now Second Miss is worried at heart, so she will naturally not oppose the notion of leaving for the temple,” Hui Jue said without emotion. He had smeared a substance on Jiang Su Su’s door so that the bats would fly there at night and bump against the door with sufficient force to make a loud sound, but when Jiang Su Su opened the door, she would find no one there. This would occur repeatedly until Jiang Su Su would become paranoid, and then not long after, she would, of her own accord, suggest going to the temple.

“Great Master is indeed brilliant.” Jiang Ruan raised an eyebrow – this Hui Jue had some brains, and knew how to leave himself room to manoeuvre, if she could ensure a firm hold on him . . . she smiled and said, “If Great Master can aid me in this way, I will return Great Master the favour. In a few days, I will visit once again. Great Master must not forget what I have said.”

Hui Jue stared dazedly at the young girl in front of him, whose beautiful eyes were chilly even though she was smiling. She was so young, yet her thoughts were more profound than any other unmarried daughter[4] that he had ever met, with wisdom that was almost otherworldly. Hui Jue kept his thoughts to himself as he bid her farewell and left.

[4] Hou yuan nu zi ( 后院女子 ) – lit. backyard woman/ daughter. This alludes to the fact that noblewomen were kept at the back of the residence and were not involved with the worldly affairs of men. It is just a sad way of saying that unmarried daughters have a narrow world view.

* * *

In the Commander-in-chief’s fu.

Gu Furen had just returned home when Gu Yi ran in excitedly from outside. “Mother, did you see the Jiang family’s Eldest Miss? What do you think?”

Gu Furen smiled and said, “Her looks are exceptional, her temperament is mild, she is educated and well-balanced, and she behaves in accordance with propriety.”

“That is to say, she’s not bad?” Gu Yi laughingly said, “I knew that Mother would find her acceptable. He then scratched his head and said, “Did you . . .”

“Psh, how old is she? Hurry back to your room; when your father returns and sees you like this, he’s going to chastise you again. We’ll talk about this another day,” Gu Furen scolded good-naturedly.

As soon as he heard Gu daren coming back, Gu Yi immediately disappeared like a wisp of smoke. After he had left, Gu Furen sighed deeply.

“Does Furen think that Eldest Jiang Miss is not good?” the maidservant beside her asked softly.

“You saw it for yourself today, the waters of the Jiang family run deep. Eldest Jiang Miss has barely returned to the fu yet has raised such a big tempest, and even managed to escape unscathed today. Her mind is definitely not as simple as she presents herself to be.” She shook her head and continued, “I only want to find a simple, pure girl to be Yi’er’s wife. That girl’s tendency towards evil is too great.”