CH 35

Wen Residence, Harmonious Dwelling.

When Wen Ting Zhou tore open and read the contents of the letter that Mama Lin sent, the corners of his lips raised, a hint of laughter appearing in his eyes.

“Delving into the Avatamsaka Sutra to quieten her heart?”

It seems like that hug of his had prevented Ruan Ruan from sleeping well last night.

He was not the only one that was incapable of sleeping soundly last night.

Since the letter put Wen Ting Zhou in a cheerful mood, he even felt like the black-lacquered ink stone on the desk of his study room looked particularly exquisite and pleasant to the eye.

Raising the handwritten letter, he blew dry the inked brushstrokes, placed it in an envelope and sealed it, before he retrieved a set of the Avatamsaka Sutra from the bogu shelf and placed it inside the small wooden box.

Picture of a Bogu shelf

Who said studying the Avatamsaka Sutra would allow her to quieten her heart?

“Zhang Qing!”

He called out to Zhang Qing who was standing outside the door. Once Zhang Qing heard his voice coming from the study, he went in with due haste.

“Gongzi, do yõu have any orders?”

“I have a set of the Avatamsaka Sutra here, dispatch someone to send it to the Earl Chengyi Residence.”

Wen Ting Zhou gave the wooden box to Zhang Qing as he instructed Zhang Qing to deliver it to Ruan Xi.

Zhang Qing: “……”

His gongzi was actually sending Ruan si xiaojie Buddhist scriptures. It was hard not to pay particular attention to his choice.

Yes, Lao Furen and perhaps their matriarch had the tendency of making the younger generation copy Buddhist scriptures, and regardless of whether it was a punishment, a means to grind down a junior’s personality, or if it was the case of the junior pandering to their elders by copying the Buddhist scriptures on their own accord, he had never seen an engaged but unwedded man sending his partner Buddhist scriptures.

It felt slightly strange.

Was his gongzi not afraid of Ruan si xiaojie misconstruing this, and believing that gongzi had opinions about her?

“Gongzi, are yõu really going to send the Buddhist scriptures to Ruan si xiaojie?” Zhang Qing hugged the wooden box with a complicated expression as he asked for confirmation.

A smile hung on Wen Ting Zhou’s lips and his gaze was gentle.

“Mn.”

He trusted that Ruan Ruan would grasp his meaning after reading his letter.

It was evident that Wen Ting Zhou had forgotten about the fact that he had promised Ruan Xi a surprise at that instance. What was he going to do when she misunderstood the Buddhist scripture as the surprise?

Zhang Qing: “……”

He hoped that Ruan si xiaojie would not be angry over this. Deeply worried and sick at heart, Zhang Qing carried the wooden box and left the study.

Only Wen Ting Zhou remained in the study. He sat there quietly for a long moment before he kept his emotions and took out a secret letter. After reading the contents of the secret letter, the smile on Wen Ting Zhou’s mouth disappeared instantaneously.

Mu Family, it was the Mu Family again.

The Mu Family was becoming increasingly audacious as they were conducting themselves with even lesser scruples. This time around, their courage had truly covered their skies with how they dared to stretch their hands into the funds and provisions for the troops.

Back then, the third branch of the Mu Family did not hesitate to ruin and orphan the Yang Family for the sake of obtaining the secret recipe for maintaining good health that had been passed down from generation to generation within the Yang Family to offer it to Mu taifei.

This matter was suppressed by Mu taifei afterwards. And since the current Emperor owed a favour to Mu taifei, he concealed the misdeed, then sent Mama Yang – who had intentionally gotten close to Mu taifei – to the Mu Family to find her vengeance, while disallowing her from harming Mu taifei.

If it was not for the other important identity he had, he would not have known about these secrets.

But who could have thought that when his Mother learned of the fact that Earl Chengyi was looking for a Mama that was retiring from the imperial palace for Ruan Ruan, she would stick her foot in, thereby causing Mama Yang to go to the Earl Chengyi Residence to guide Ruan Ruan.

Before his mother confided in him about her intervention that day, he hadn’t known about the things that his mother had done in the dark.

Wen Ting Zhou had been split between laughter and tears in response. Fortunately, this Mama Yang was not a terribly evil or wicked person, or else his heart would never be at ease.

After reading the secret letter, Wen Ting Zhou muttered irresolutely to himself for a brief moment before he raised his brush to write two secret letters, one to the Fourth Prince, and the other to the Emperor.

……

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Earl Chengyi Residence. The sun was setting in the west, filling the skies with a myriad of colours.

Ruan Xi stared at her oldest brother Ruan Yu Wen who was holding onto his tea bowl silently. Inwardly, she found his behaviour strange.

“Da ge, it looks like you have matters of the heart?”

Ruan Tu Wen laughed bitterly, “Is it that obvious?”

“It is.”

Ruan Xi nodded her head. After not seeing him for two days, Ruan Yu Wen’s energy, spirit, and mind did not seem to be in a good place, and he appeared extremely disturbed.

“Si mei, if you discover that the person you have always been doting on had suddenly changed into a different stranger, what would you do?” Ruan Yu Wen asked, his words filled with double meanings as he raised his head to look at Ruan Xi.

He recalled the conversation he had with his mother that night. When he learnt that the current san niang had a wild ghost supplanting her body and there was no way to expel it, he did not dare to believe it. It was hard to accept that the younger sister he had always cherished was suddenly gone, and the current one was fake.

But when he thought about how his usually sensible younger sister had contradicted their father and the clan’s interest without any rhyme or reason, Ruan Yu Wen could not deceive himself.

Back then, he had blamed his younger sister’s anomaly on the stimulation she had received from his fourth sister’s marriage matters.

His father probably thought the same.

He had never suspected that his younger sister was no longer his younger sister.

Ruan Yu Wen was not resigned in his heart. This was just a conjecture, what if his mother was wrong? Hence, for the past two days, he would go to san niang’s courtyard to converse with her once he had returned to the residence to probe her discreetly. The results of his probing made him feel like he had descended into an ice cellar, because the current san niang was no longer his actual younger sister.

With how heavy and significant this matter was, he did not dare to divulge this secret, and he did not dare to tell his father either. Rather, he could only stifle it in his heart like his mother.

However, that counterfeit unexpectedly climbed the wall and broke her legs in the fall today. That was his younger sister’s body, and yet she did not cherish it at all. In the midst of his frustration and anger, he genuinely wished that he could tear her apart right then and there.

But he could not, and it was even to the extent where he had to pretend to feel distressed for this counterfeit like his mother, as if nothing had occurred.

Ruan Yu Wen was afraid that he would end up with an illness from choking all these thoughts back, so he decided to go to Limpid Heart Garden to talk to his fourth sister and alleviate his emotions.

Ruan Xi’s heart thumped audibly. It seems like Ruan Yu Wen had also discovered the fact that Ruan san niang had changed cores, but he did not know how he should deal with it. She gave Ruan Yu Wen a deep gaze.

“That’s hard to say, it depends on how the other party has changed. If it’s less-than-desirable, look for an excuse to slowly distance yourself, there is no need to wrong yourself and continue doting on the other party.”

Ruan Yu Wen’s emotions stirred in his heart. His fourth sister spoke correctly. He was the eldest legitimate son of the Earl Residence; he should not be using his emotions to deal with these conflicts, and the matter of san niang being supplanted by a wild ghost could not travel outwards.

No accident should befall on his fourth sister and Wen gongzi’s marriage.

Coincidentally, he had to participate in this year’s autumn provincial imperial examination, he just needed to bury his head and bitterly study.

He would leave the matter of san niang for his mother to handle.

Once those thoughts occurred to him, Ruan Yu Wen’s entire person became more relaxed. He offered Ruan Xi his heartfelt and genuine thanks.

“Thank you, si mei.”

Ruan Xi chuckled, “There is no need to thank me. Da ge is merely baffled as the person inside the scene, you would have figured it out on your own after a few days.”

Since the two-day haze was swept away, Ruan Yu Wen was in a better mood when he looked at Ruan Xi seriously to say: “Si mei, I’m speaking truthfully. In the past two days, I’ve asked other people the same question, and they’ve given me all sorts of suggestions, with some suggestions being quite similar to yours, but I wasn’t moved in the slightest. If it weren’t for si mei, it’s highly likely that I would have continued to squeeze into that dead end.”

Ruan Xi: “……”

She was utterly speechless. It was a casual sentence from her heart that she randomly voiced, she did not know how or why it moved Ruan Yu Wen’s heart.

Could it be that she had the talent for being a psychologist?

When Ruan Yu Wen saw his fourth sister’s speechless appearance, he could not resist laughing out loud.

Honestly speaking, he did know why he felt peaceful and serene at his fourth sister’s place.

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At this moment, Su Zhu’s voice travelled over from outside.

“Young Lady, Wen gongzi has sent a gift.”

“Bring it inside quickly.”

The corners of Ruan Xi’s lips curled up upon hearing those words, staining her eyes and brows with some joy and expectation.

Was Ting Zhou da ge’s surprise finally here?

Ruan Yu Wen: “……”

In the next instant, Su Zhu brought the exquisite-looking wooden box inside. After giving Ruan Yu Wen a bow, she placed the wooden box on the table.

Ruan Xi did not take heed of Ruan Yu Wen as she opened the wooden box in an anxious manner.

However, after she saw the set of Buddhist scriptures inside the wooden box, her delighted smile froze instantaneously. Her eyes widened slightly, brimming with disbelief.

To her astonishment, the surprise that Wen Ting Zhou had been preparing for so many days was a set of Avatamsaka Sutra.

Ruan Yu Wen took a glimpse curiously and he nearly burst out into laughter. Hastily, he raised his tea bowl to drink the tea, covering the smile hanging on his lips.

“Young Lady, there is a letter at the side of the wooden box.” Su Zhu was similarly dumbstruck after she caught sight of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Although her Young Lady said that she wanted to study the Avatamsaka Sutra to quieten her heart, and Wen gongzi was sending charcoal in the snowy weather, ah, that was not right, it was a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse, but this was too… untasteful as a choice.

Who would inexplicably send their fiancée Buddhist scriptures?

She hoped that Wen gongzi’s letter had an explanation.

Ruan Xi pursed her lips, retrieving the letter from the wooden box and opening it. After reading the letter’s content, Ruan Xi’s gloomy expression cleared up.

As it turns out, the Buddhist scriptures was not his surprise. Mama Lin had written a letter to Wen Ting Zhou to ask him for help.

“I asked Mama Lin to look for a set of the Avatamsaka Sutra this morning. I didn’t expect that Mama Lin would write a letter to Ting Zhou da ge, and he would dispatch someone to send the Buddhist scriptures over so quickly.”

Su Yu heaved a sigh of relief internally. She said smilingly, “Wen gongzi treats Young Lady well.”

The feeling of being placed in someone’s heart was truly wondrous. Ruan Xi’s mouth curled higher, her heart beating faster until it was spouting sweet bubbles.

She was completely unaware of the fact that her heart’s lake had been disturbed by Wen Ting Zhou’s small action again.

Copying the Sutra to quieten her heart?

Impossible.

Ruan Yu Wen was faintly speechless. It had to be said that Wen Ting Zhou truly placed his fourth sister in his heart. Judging from his fourth sister’s joyous appearance, it goes without saying that Wen gongzi definitely wrote something that made his fourth sister happy.

It was better if he did not stay here, lest he disturbed his fourth sister. Hence, he stood up and bade farewell.

“Da ge, walk slowly.”

After Ruan Xi sent Ruan Yu Wen away, she went back to her room swiftly to write her letter.

Su Zhu looked at the wooden box of Buddhist scriptures that her Young Lady had forgotten: “……”

Su Yu just happened to walk into the room, and when she saw Su Zhu staring at the wooden box in a daze, she went over to take a curious look. She became happy immediately.

“Mama Lin found a set of the Avatamsaka Sutra so quickly.”

Speechless, Su Zhu glanced at Su Yu, saying: “Wen gongzi sent it.”

Su Yu’s smiling expression stiffened. With utmost caution, she asked:

“Is the Young Lady angry?”

Su Zhu promptly grinned: “She misunderstood at the start, but after she read Wen gongzi’s letter, she became happy again.”

Su Yu: “……”

“Why is the Sutra still here then?”

Su Zhu covered her mouth to laugh secretly. “Young Lady is busy replying to Wen gongzi’s letter, she forgot about it in the moment.”

Su Yu was rendered speechless.

“Didn’t the Young Lady say that she wanted to copy the Buddhist scriptures to quieten her heart? I think it will be very difficult, as long as Wen gongzi’s letter arrives…”

“Indeed, it will probably be a difficult endeavour.”

Su Zhu nodded her head in agreement. Her Young Lady was currently experiencing a phase where her affection was growing, and with Wen gongzi brushing up his sense of existence time and time again, it would be hard for her Young Lady to not feel moved even if she did not wish for it.

Furthermore, she could not shake off the feeling that Wen gongzi’s act of sending the Buddhist scriptures was in part, deliberate.

Su Zhu proceeded to tell Su Yu about her conjecture, while also voicing her own doubts.

“Su Yu, Wen gongzi liking our Young Lady is admittedly something we should be happy about, but I fear that after our Young Lady submerges herself, Wen gongzi will meet another lady that he likes. What should we do then?”

Pursing her lips, Su Yu said with a face of resolution: “Su Zhu, we have to believe our Young Lady, and believe in Wen gongzi.”

Ruan Xi, who was writing a reply letter in her room, did not know that her two trusted maidservants were worrying for her again.

But even if she knew, she would only dismiss it with a laugh.

If Wen Ting Zhou was so easily moved by other women, he would not have remained unmarried for his entire life in Ruan san niang’s previous lifetime.