When An Zike mentioned Ling Ruoyun, Yuxi agreed immediately, without asking for details, because she trusted him not to deceive her. Furthe...
When An Zike mentioned Ling Ruoyun, Yuxi agreed immediately, without asking for details, because she trusted him not to deceive her. Furthermore, the fact that he had brought up the matter in front of her himself showed that he genuinely cared for the girl. Nevertheless, what needed to be investigated had to be investigated.
Although Xu Wu was very efficient, he didn't share the information he had found with Yuxi until that evening.
After reading it, Yuxi could not help but sigh with emotion. Ling Ruoyun's father, Master Ling, was also a juren1, but when Ling Ruoyun was five years old, he suffered an accident that left both his legs crippled. Just a few months later, Ling Ruoyun's mother, Zhen Shi, proposed a consensual divorce. At that time, Ling Ruoyun's younger brother was only two years old. Before long, the couple formally separated. In the same month that they divorced, Zhen Shi remarried. The man she married was her green plums and bamboo horses2, Zeng Wenbin, her own cousin.
Yuxi said, "You often hear of men abandoning their wives, but it's rare to see a woman abandon her husband and children." If she no longer wanted her husband, one could say there was no affection left. However, abandoning the two children she carried for ten months and gave birth to in order to be with her lover truly showed a complete lack of humanity.
Xu Wu added, "Eight months after Zhen Shi remarried, she gave birth to a son. Later, she had another son and a daughter. Their life together has been quite harmonious."
The corner of Yuxi's face twitched, and she said, "Evil will be repaid with evil, and good with good. It's not that retribution won't come—it's just that its time hasn't arrived yet. That's something my mother often says." Yuxi had previously wondered why Ling Ruoyun had never been betrothed before Master Ling's death. With a mother like that, not to mention a prestigious family, even an ordinary household would hesitate to welcome her into their family.
Xu Wu snorted coldly and commented, "Only a useless coward would swallow his pride and suffer in silence after being forced to wear a green hat3." A woman who so blatantly violated moral conduct deserved nothing less than to be drowned in a pig cage. To actually agree to a divorce and let her remarry only proved how weak Master Ling was.
Yuxi shook her head. "I think the exact opposite of you. I believe Master Ling was a man of noble character and broad-minded temperament." Seeing Xu Wu's confusion, she continued, "Put yourself in his position. If you encountered something like this, what would you do? Wouldn't you harbour resentment?" After suffering a sudden calamity that left him crippled, and then being cuckolded by his wife, who demanded a divorce, most people would be unable to withstand such blows and would change completely. But Master Ling did not. After calmly divorcing Zhen Shi, he devoted all his attention to his children.
Xu Wu fell silent. It wasn't that Yuxi had managed to persuade him; he simply didn't want to argue with her, because he knew he would never win anyway.
The next day, Chang Shi brought a young lady from the Sun family, while Bao Shi brought one from the Xie family. The two parties arrived at the Governor-General's residence almost back-to-back.
Upon reaching the rear courtyard, the two women did not see Yuxi. Momo Quan received them and said with a smile, "Master Jiu4 has returned from Suiyuan, and Madam is currently discussing matters with him." Having said this, she glanced discreetly at the two young ladies.
Chang Shi smiled and introduced her companion: "Momo, this is Miss Hanlian from the Sun family." Sun Hanlian was from a prominent northwestern clan. Although the Sun family had submitted to Yun Qing, they had not gained his trust. Upon hearing that Xu Wu was unmarried, they hoped to secure Yun Qing's and Yuxi's trust through this marriage alliance.
The Xie family had the same intention. Otherwise, they would not have established a connection with Bao Shi in order to recommend their own family's daughter. Bao Shi also introduced her companion, saying, "This is Miss Bingmei from the Xie family." The Xie family were the clan of Xie Junxiong🔗, who had died in battle in Yongcheng.
Momo Quan smiled and said, "Girls of fifteen or sixteen are just like flower buds in bloom. Looking at them makes this old woman feel a few years younger." Sun Hanlian seemed shy and reserved, whereas Xie Bingmei was much more socially adept and charming. Hearing this, she chimed in brightly, "Momo, you don't look old at all!" This sentence was not just flattery—although Momo Quan was over fifty, she looked only a little over forty and was very well preserved.
Momo Quan let out a soft laugh.
The group chatted for quite a while. Xie Bingmei kept glancing towards the doorway several times, but there was still no sign of Yuxi.
Momo Quan smiled, choosing not to send anyone to ask when Yuxi would arrive. The purpose of this meeting was for Xu Wu to assess the candidates—what mattered was Xu Wu's opinion; whether her mistress attended or not made no difference.
In the study, Yuxi was discussing a case with Han Jianming. The case itself was straightforward: a widow surnamed Zhang had killed a man surnamed Cao. Widow Zhang claimed that the man surnamed Cao had attempted to assault her, and that she had killed him accidentally while resisting. However, all the villagers testified that Cao Han was an honest, well-behaved man who would never have molested her. On the other hand, Widow Zhang was said not to observe a woman's moral path5. She was often seen flirting with multiple men, like willow blossoms drifting on water6.
Han Jianming reviewed the judgement and found that the county magistrate had sentenced Widow Zhang to death. However, if Yuxi were to intervene, Widow Zhang would be exiled to work in remote areas for the rest of her life instead.
Yuxi said, "This case has not been thoroughly investigated. I would like to ask you, Dage7, to personally go to Fu County and retry it." There were no actual witnesses, so convicting Widow Zhang based solely on village testimony would be far too careless.
Han Jianming nodded. "You're right. Passing judgement before clearing up all the doubts in this case is far too rash." For a mere woman to kill a big, burly man would hardly be that easy.
Yuxi had her own reasons for sending Han Jianming on this trip. "Dage, in Yu City, it's perfectly normal for widows to remarry. But in many other places, it's considered an unforgivable crime. This is particularly the case among elite families in the capital, where even childless widows are expected to remain chaste for their deceased husbands for life. It's truly pitiful."
Widow Zhang lost her husband at eighteen and had no children. In such circumstances, she would most likely want to remarry. Yet now, aged twenty-four, she still had not done so—others must have prevented her. Had she been allowed to remarry, this killing would never have happened.
Han Jianming smiled. "I was wondering why you wanted me to make a trip over for such a minor case. So this was your real intention! Still, let's discuss what you've proposed after I return."
No matter what one does, there must be a justification, and all aspects must be carefully considered beforehand. It had to be said, Yuxi was exceptionally cautious when it came to official matters—a trait she had learned from Han Jianming.
After the siblings had finished talking, it was nearly noon. Yuxi suddenly exclaimed, "I invited Madam Feng and Madam Du over and completely forgot about them! Momo Quan didn't even send someone to remind me."
Han Jianming smiled and said, "Then hurry back to the rear courtyard and have a look—perhaps they're still there." He had long known that Yuxi had asked Feng Dajun's wife and the others to help find a potential bride for Xu Wu.
When Yuxi returned to the rear courtyard and saw that the reception hall was empty, she knew they had already left. She asked Momo Quan, "How were the two young ladies, Momo?"
Momo Quan replied, "Young Miss Sun is rather shy and doesn't open up easily. Young Miss Xie is quite lively, though a bit impatient. Still, on the whole, neither has any major faults." After pausing for a moment, she added with a smile, "Ultimately, though, it's up to Xu Wu."
Before Yuxi could voice her opinion, Gancao called out from outside, "Madam, Xu Daren8 requests an audience." A smile appeared on Gancao's face as she spoke.
Xu Wu had come to inform Yuxi that he had taken a liking to Young Miss Sun.
Yuxi, however, shook her head. "There's no rush." After reaching the age of understanding, Ling Ruoyun took charge of household affairs and cared for her paralysed father. She was strong-willed and resilient—the type Yuxi admired. Therefore, Yuxi wanted to meet Ling Ruoyun first before making a decision.
Xu Wu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Does Madam think Young Miss Sun is unsuitable?" For someone like him, being able to marry a girl like Sun Hanlian would absolutely mean marrying far above his station.
Yuxi smiled and replied, "I haven't met Young Miss Sun yet. It won't be too late to decide after I've met her."
Xu Wu did not think much about it and nodded. "I'll leave everything entirely to Madam's decision."
After her afternoon rest, Yuxi heard a maid report that Madam An had come to pay a visit. Sitting before her dressing mirror, Yuxi instructed, "Please invite her to sit in the reception hall."
Upon entering the reception hall, Yuxi's gaze unconsciously fell upon Ling Ruoyun. The young lady wore a light green Hangzhou silk📹 blouse with a pale purple phoenix-tail skirt📹 tied at her waist. Her hair was styled in a crescent-moon bun, adorned with a cloisonné, fish-shaped tasselled hairpin that swayed as she moved. Her beauty was exquisite; her only flaw was her somewhat pale complexion, which made her appear physically weak.
Ling Ruoyun stared at Yuxi as she walked in, forgetting to lower her head even for a moment. In her imagination, Yuxi should have been someone who inspired awe and fear, yet the real person was completely different from what she had expected.
Seeing Ruoyun staring foolishly at Yuxi, Madam An hurriedly gave Ling Ruoyun a gentle tug, then apologised to Yuxi.
Ling Ruoyun came back to her senses and stepped forward to offer a formal greeting. "Greetings, Madam Yun." Her manner was poised and graceful, as if the earlier lapse in etiquette had never happened.
After inviting the two of them to sit, Yuxi chatted casually with Madam An about household matters. Then she turned to Ling Ruoyun and asked, "May I ask what Miss Ling usually does at home?"
Ling Ruoyun replied, "I manage the household affairs, so I don't usually have time for much else. As for needlework and women's crafts, I'm not very skilled." Ever since she had become sensible, Ling Ruoyun had taken over the management of daily affairs in order to spare Master Ling from exhaustion. For all these years, she had cared for the Ling family's properties.
Madam An was somewhat hating iron for not becoming steel9. While others would hide their shortcomings as deeply as possible, yet this girl seemed afraid that others might not know how little she could do. It truly felt like she was wasting all the painstaking effort her husband had invested in her.
Yuxi smiled and asked, "If you're not skilled in needlework, then what about the four arts🔗? Do you not know those either?"
Ling Ruoyun answered honestly, "I don't."
A smile tugged at Yuxi's lips as she said, "Modesty is a virtue, but there's no need to be overly modest. As far as I know, you began your education at the age of three, have read quite a number of books, and your handwriting is rather good."
Ling Ruoyun replied, "Madam flatters me. I've only read a few books, and my handwriting is merely passable." Yuxi's reputation for being widely learned and talented had long spread throughout the northwest. To claim that one's calligraphy was good in front of her was akin to brandishing an axe at Lu Ban's door10.
Yuxi smiled again and asked a cruel question, "Miss Ling, do you hate your mother?" Despite their brief interaction, Yuxi had actually grown fond of Ling Ruoyun. But this was a question she had to ask, because it concerned the future.
Ling Ruoyun's face turned pale in an instant.
Footnotes Full List
- 举人 (jǔrén) – a successful candidate in the imperial examination system
- 青梅竹马 (qīngméi zhúmǎ) – childhood sweethearts
- 戴绿帽子 (dài lǜ màozi): to be cuckolded
- 舅 (jiù): wife's brother; brother-in-law
- 不守妇道 (bù shǒu fù dào): Accused of violating traditional expectations of female chastity.
- 水性杨花 (shuǐ xìng yáng huā): A woman who is emotionally or sexually unfaithful; very derogatory.
- I think you guys already know what this word means, don't you?
- 大人 (dàren): title of respect toward superiors
- 恨铁不成钢 (hèn tiě bù chéng gāng): (fig.) to feel exasperated disappointment towards someone who fails to meet expectations
- 班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ): (fig.) to show off one's skills before a true master
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