The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort

utation will also benefit in future, isn’t that so?” She went on long-windedly, “Your dage is now an official in the imperial court.
He should assist his younger brother because the person you marry in future will still look at your fu’s circumstances, won’t he? Zumu knows you are a good girl, help your family members as much as you can on ordinary days, and you will have a correspondingly good future.”

Jiang Ruan looked down.
After a brief moment, she raised her head and asked, with a faint smile, “What does Zumu want me to do?”

Old Jiang Madame was taken aback at her straightforward question.
She had always known that this granddaughter was different, but at that time, the people in Jiang fu had constructed the wrong impression of her, never imagining that she would possess her present opportunities.
Old Jiang Madame knew that she had one foot in the grave and her days were limited.
She could see that Jiang fu was declining day by day, which caused her great anxiety.
All her hopes were now pinned on Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi, but the two of them just had to have been on the receiving end of Jiang Quan’s cold treatment, so it was inevitable that they harboured resentment.
So, she had invited Jiang Ruan here today in order to raise these issues, but she never imagined Jiang Ruan would bear such an attitude. 

A sense of gloom arose in Old Jiang Madame’s heart.
Jiang Ruan presently possessed the position of junzhu due to the Empress Dowager’s bestowment, and the attitude of the General fu’s side was also providing food for thought.
Looking at Jiang Ruan’s detached expression, she felt powerless and indignant.
In the end, she merely smiled and said, “Your Second Brother is not bad at handling matters; since you are so close to the Empress Dowager, you can mention him to her once in a while.
Also, there’s Su’er, who is your meimei.
Bring her along to some of your young ladies’ gatherings so that she can see more of the world.”

She wanted to bring up Jiang Chao’s situation, and as for Jiang Su Su, she was at the age when she should be able to start to look for potential households.
Probably because Jiang Su Su had grown up before Old Jiang Madame’s eyes, she still held the affection a grandparent had for a grandchild.
But .
.
.
Jiang Ruan smiled coolly and said, “The inner palace does not interfere with the government, and the close relationship between the Empress Dowager and Ruan niang is by heaven’s grace.
How can Ruan niang dare to sway the Empress Dowager’s thoughts? As for Second Sister, she has grown up in the capital.
She is much more familiar with the social circles of the noble young ladies than Ruan niang.
Between us, she has seen much more of the world than Ruan niang.”

Old Jiang Madame was speechless.
Leaving aside Jiang Chao, Jiang Su Su was really a cause for endless worry.
Since the time of Xia Yan’s incident, the people in the capital had not only made fun of Jiang Quan being cuckolded by the foremost talented woman in the capital, Jiang Su Su had also been implicated, and treated accordingly.
The young ladies whom she would usually call her friends had each kept their distance from her, and it had been a long time since any of the noble young ladies had invited her to go out.
This being the case, there was no need to talk about future marriage prospects.
Old Jiang Madame was extremely worried, which was why she had thought of asking Jiang Ruan to take Jiang Su Su with her when she went out.
She did not expect to be rebuffed by Jiang Ruan in this way.

“They are your siblings, and you are actually unwilling to lend them assistance?” Old Jiang Madame said with some anger.

“Forgive Ruan niang for being truly useless.” Jiang Ruan sighed and continued, “Ruan niang fears that she has disappointed Zumu.”

Old Jiang Madame stared fixedly at Jiang Ruan and said, “Ruan’er, as matters stand, do you still harbour complaints towards the Jiang family?”

Jiang Ruan smiled indifferently.
It was not complaint, it was hatred.
At the moment, she did not know whether or not to think that Old Jiang Madame was too naive.
In this lifetime, her only ambition was to work, step by step, to cause the collapse of the Jiang family, so why should she help Jiang Su Su and her brother? It was futile to talk about reviving the glory of Jiang fu.
Since Jiang Quan was so concerned about this fu, then wouldn’t it be even better to allow him to watch what he treasured so dearly perish bit by bit, right before his eyes?

Perhaps because Old Jiang Madame felt that Jiang Ruan’s smile was overly mocking, such that it was exceptionally offensive to her eyes, she suddenly slapped the table and said, “Get out!” Shocked, Cai Que rushed over to say comfortingly, “Old Madame, please don’t get angry, be careful with your health.”

“Don’t forget you were born in the Jiang family!” Old Jiang Madame was so agitated, her words were bitingly caustic.
“What you eat, what you use, all of it is from the Jiang family! What justification do you have for complaining against the Jiang family? Your mother died early; if not for the Jiang family, would you have lived till now?”

Cai Que looked at Jiang Ruan with some unease, but Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao reacted to this speech with anger.
Jiang Ruan stood up and looked down on Old Jiang Madame condescendingly.
This formerly all-powerful mistress of Jiang fu had aged considerably, and the distorted expression on her face, together with her sagging skin, made her look somewhat comical. 

The Jiang family members all seemed to have been born with a propensity for selfish and cold behaviour, and naturally believed that all human beings should be of use to them.
Old Jiang Madame was no exception. 

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said, in a voice so cold it could penetrate even to bone marrow, “Perhaps I should ask, if not for the Jiang family, how did my mother die?”

Old Jiang Madame was astounded, and panic flashed in her eyes.
“What did you say?”

“Perhaps Zumu also knows, isn’t that right?” Jiang Ruan said dispassionately. 

“What nonsense are you blabbering? Get out, I don’t want to see you! Get out!” Suddenly stirred to action, Old Jiang Madame exerted all her strength to throw her jade pillow[3] on the ground, where it smashed into fine, sparkling particles. 

[3] 玉枕 (yu zhen) – yes, really, a pillow made of jade.
Jade and porcelain pillows were used by the wealthy in ancient China.
The pillow would have a slight depression in the middle corresponding to an important acupuncture point, and it was said that jade/ porcelain pillows would promote sleep, reduce anxiety, and improve eyesight.
In addition, sleeping on such pillows in the summer heat would be cooling.
More here. 

Jiang Ruan laughed softly, a peculiar expression in her eyes.
“As expected.” Old Jiang Madame took in her shining, lustrous eyes and smiling expression and, feeling as if she had been transported to a cold and gloomy cellar, could not help shivering all over. 

“What is Zumu afraid of?” Jiang Ruan asked.
“I will not treat the Jiang family the same way the Jiang family treated my mother.” They would not get off so lightly.
One day, they would feel a hundred times over the suffering they had inflicted on her.

Old Jiang Madame stared at Jiang Ruan with eyes like saucers.
Without warning, her body stiffened, and a thread of blood trickled slowly from the corner of her mouth.
Alarmed, Cai Que patted her lightly while calling out, “Old Madame, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Ruan paused and observed that Old Jiang Madame was gradually weakening.
A deathly pallor appeared on her face, her lips turned bluish black, and the blood that was trickling out was clearly black in colour.
Cai Que frantically held her finger underneath Old Jiang Madame’s nostrils.
In a trice, her face blanched, and she yelled, “Murder! Murder!”

“What’s happening?” Du Juan, who had been busy within, pushed aside the curtain and walked in.
With one glance, she was stupefied at the scene before her.
Cai Que, intentionally adding to the chaos, continued to yell, “Eldest Miss has killed Old Madame! Come quick! Help!”

Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao’s expressions changed, and they said simultaneously, “What nonsense are you spewing? Miss is just standing there, what has this to do with our Miss? This is malicious slander!” 

“Heavens! Eldest Miss, you’ve gone so far as to plot to murder Old Madame?” A familiar voice came from the doorway, with a faintly harsh tone, reminiscent of former days.
Upon careful listening, one could make out a hint of delight.
It was Second Yiniang. 

Jiang Ruan narrowed her eyes, smiled frostily, and trained her gaze on Cai Que, who was holding up Old Jiang Madame.
“Cai Que, did you really see me committing murder?” 

Pinned down by Jiang Ruan’s eyes, Cai Que felt some apprehension, but nevertheless, quickly replied, “There were only Eldest Miss and Old Madame in the room, Eldest Miss and Old Madame were very close to each other, and Old Madame was quarrelling with Eldest Miss .
.
.”

“Oh, heavens!” Second Yiniang cried out dramatically.
“Even if you had a disagreement with Old Madame, you should not have killed Old Madame! Such reprehensible, unfilial behaviour! Oh, heavens!”

“Second Yiniang, kindly conduct yourself with dignity,” Lian Qiao huffed out.
“Do you know it is an offence to slander Junzhu, a royal family member?”

Second Yiniang paused momentarily before continuing loudly, “What? So a Junzhu can kill people as and when she likes? Then you might as well kill this concubine too in order to ensure silence! Oh, is there no law under the heavens?”

Her voice was very loud, and many of the fu’s people, alarmed by the noise, had flocked to the scene.
Jiang Su Su and Jiang Dan hurried there as well, with Hong Ying being helped along some distance behind, holding her large belly.
Along the way, a maidservant was probably filling her in on the situation.
When she saw Jiang Ruan, she sized her up with eyes that reflected complicated thoughts and emotions. 

Jiang Su Su was looking on with no small sense of schadenfreude, but Jiang Dan gulped and said, in a panic, “Zumu, what’s the matter with Zumu?” 

“What does Fourth Sister not understand?” Jiang Ruan said coolly, “Zumu has been murdered, and it seems that she has died without finding resolution[4].”

[4] 瞑目 (míngmù) – to close one’s eyes / (fig.) to be contented at the time of one’s death.
Dying without closing one’s eyes would signify having unresolved grievances.

Jiang Dan’s expression flickered minutely, and she looked at Jiang Ruan in great distress to say, “Da Jiejie, why did you murder Zumu? Zumu loved you so much, she even specially invited you to sit with her today, how could you harm her in this way?”

“Fourth Sister, do take care.
A loose tongue causes a lot of trouble,” Jiang Ruan reminded her.
“Does this junzhu’s words not match up to the words of a coarse maidservant? From beginning to end, only Cai Que claims that this junzhu harmed Zumu, Fourth Sister is this junzhu’s shu meimei, but you don’t believe your own sister, and would rather put your trust in the words of a maidservant? Isn’t this too cold for a sisterly relationship?”

Jiang Dan was dumbstruck and could make no adequate rejoinder.
Just then, a cold, male voice interposed itself.
“This official is here to take charge according to the law.
Officers, come and take hold of the Jiang family’s eldest daughter who has murdered her own grandmother, Old Jiang Madame!”

There was really a squad of officers.
With a faint half-smile hovering on her lips, Jiang Ruan inspected the senior officer taking charge, and said softly, “This junzhu clearly did not realise that the patrol guards could be so swift in action, it’s as if .
.
.you knew beforehand that a mishap would befall Zumu.”