Chapter 54: Do not let hatred tarnish your wonderful life, you must live for yourself. [One + two updates]

Chapter 54: Don't Let Hatred Taint Your Precious Life; Live for Yourself. (Part 1 & 2)

"Tingfang, have I ever told you my story?"

Jiang Yunran still remembered falling gravely ill at the age of five.

Her mother, skilled in embroidery, had managed to keep them fed and clothed despite their struggles, making their lives manageable.

Until that severe illness struck.

It drained their meager savings and plunged them into considerable debt.

They lived in Huaishui County then. Her mother took on embroidery work, and the impoverished embroideresses themselves were their lenders.

Once Jiang Yunran recovered, her mother anxiously worked to repay the debts as quickly as possible.

Life was hard for everyone.

They couldn't exploit others' kindness to survive.

Jiang Yunran's voice was soft, drifting in the glow of the setting sun.

"Life was difficult back then, but it was happy. My mother and I relied on each other, alive and well. When other children bullied me, I paid them no mind."

Jiang Yunran continued, "What if we were poor? What if I had no father? I still grew up well, didn't I? With my mother by my side, I feared nothing."

From a young age, Jiang Yunran was resilient.

This was not only due to her innate character but also Xuan Ruoning's meticulous guidance.

Though seemingly an ordinary farm girl, Xuan Ruoning was learned in ancient and modern texts, well-read, and adept at painting, embroidery, and writing.

The children she taught all excelled.

Not just Jiang Yunran, but also Mo Li, Shitou, and Zhao Tingfang.

"By chance, my mother met a traveling merchant who spoke of a rising star in the capital. Starting as a reviewer in the Dali Temple, he had spent years reviewing and adjudicating capital cases in various prefectures and counties, overturning wrongful convictions for numerous innocent people, earning him the renown of 'Ruan Qingtian' across the land."

"My mother asked the merchant Ruan Qingtian's name," Jiang Yunran scoffed. "He said it was Ruan Zhongliang."

She looked up at Zhao Tingfang.

"I had never seen my mother so heartbroken."

Zhao Tingfang squeezed her hand.

"Don't say anymore, A Ran. Please, don't."

But Jiang Yunran shook her head.

Her eyes were clear, devoid of resentment or nostalgia for the past.

No regret, no forgiveness.

She calmly continued her narrative to Zhao Tingfang.

"That was the only time my mother lost her composure," Jiang Yunran said. "After agonizing over it for several days, she still decided to take me to the capital."

"Even then, I understood that this man, Ruan Zhongliang, must have had a profound connection to my mother."

Huaishui County felt so close to the capital, yet so impossibly far.

"On the journey to the capital, my mother told me the truth."

Jiang Yunran had never shared these words with anyone. Later, through countless hardships and events, she had borne it all alone.

Now, with victory's dawn approaching, she had to reveal the truth to her companion.

Only by laying everything bare, without concealment, could they avoid any missteps.

"Mother told me that her family ran an academy when she was young. A young man named Ruan, drawn by its reputation, came from Qingzhou. With his intelligence, he became a disciple of her uncle, thus becoming my mother's junior fellow student."

"Though he was older than my mother, he became her junior because he entered the academy later."

Jiang Yunran repeated her mother's words from years ago. Decades had passed in a flash, yet her mother's words were etched into her heart like a knife. For years, whenever Jiang Yunran felt hatred, she would recall this passage.

She could not forget, dared not forget.

Zhao Tingfang listened intently, this time without interruption.

"Mother said that young man never minded her calling him junior brother. He had a gentle disposition, cultured and refined. He would buy her candied hawthorn sticks during lantern festivals and accompany her to play in the back hills. Their youthful days were warm and touching, and the memories were sweet."

Childhood sweethearts, inseparable and innocent.

"Until my mother turned nineteen, when her family began discussing marriage. The young man's family only sent a distant uncle, who stated that the young man's family was prosperous and promised he would become a live-in son-in-law."

"And so, the young junior brother and senior sister became husband and wife."

"But their good fortune was short-lived."

Jiang Yunran paused before continuing, "My mother never told me exactly what happened back then. She only said there was a family crisis, and that man took my mother and fled, living under assumed names in Huaishui County."

"Mother changed her surname to my grandmother's, and that man put aside his books, earning a living through hard labor."

"Until my mother was diagnosed with pregnancy."

"That child was conceived before the incident. In those perilous times, no one had realized."

This part of the past sounded harrowing, but with the passage of time, it had all turned into an unfolding ink-wash painting.

No longer carrying the blood and tears of the past.

"Due to the turmoil at home, my mother's health was frail, and the pregnancy placed a heavy burden on her. She needed rare medicinal herbs to nourish her body."

"And so... that man settled my mother, left all the money behind, and resolutely left home."

Zhao Tingfang gasped, looking at Jiang Yunran in disbelief. "That man was Ruan Zhongliang?"

Throughout her narrative, Jiang Yunran never used the word "father" to describe Ruan Zhongliang.

She could never call that man her father.

Jiang Yunran nodded. "Did you know? Ruan Hanzhen and I are only five months apart."

In other words, as soon as Ruan Zhongliang returned to the Ruan family, he took the imperial examinations, excelled, and became the Liao family's prized son-in-law from the merit list, elevating his social status overnight.

But...

Although Zhao Tingfang had never formally studied or taken the imperial examinations, she was well aware of how this worked.

"This isn't right."

Jiang Yunran nodded. "No, it's not."

"Mother was determined to come to the capital precisely because there were so many suspicious aspects to this matter."

The imperial examinations weren't something one could pass in a single attempt; one had to start as a *Tongsheng* and progress step by step to the capital, participating in the Ministry of Rites' Spring Exam, and finally the Palace Examination to determine rankings.

This process took at least three years.

But during those three years, that man was always by Mother's side—first studying at Liyang Academy, then fleeing to Huaishui County. Throughout the entire process, he never left.

Who took the exams for him before the final Palace Examination?

"Mother was very clever. She wasn't just heartbroken over the betrayal; she began to suspect Ruan Zhongliang's identity."

Zhao Tingfang asked, "Did Aunt Ning suspect that man had been harmed by the Ruan family?"

Jiang Yunran nodded.

That was the case at the time.

Until—

"But after we arrived in the capital, Mother took me all the way to the Ruan residence. We concealed our identities and didn't mention any connection to the Ruan family, but once we entered, we realized things weren't as Mother had suspected."

Jiang Yunran raised her eyes. "The moment Mother saw Ruan Zhongliang, she froze."

"Mother told me, 'He is that man.'"

Zhao Tingfang still had doubts. She could tell from Jiang Yunran's expression that she did too, but she remained silent for now.

Jiang Yunran even smiled faintly at Zhao Tingfang.

She said calmly, "Ruan Zhongliang seemed surprised that we, Mother and daughter, were still alive. At first, he showed joy, then grew troubled, saying he'd gotten sick after arriving in the capital, lost his memory upon waking, and only recalled the past after marrying Liao Shi."

"But the damage was done. Tormented by guilt, he didn't dare face Mother or even contemplate whether we were still alive, so he could only evade us."

His explanation seemed reasonable enough.

"At the time, Mother was too shocked to notice the malice in Ruan Zhongliang's expression. We were tricked into the inner quarters of the Ruan residence."

"It wasn't until we were locked in the woodshed in the rear courtyard that Mother finally snapped out of it."

Jiang Yunran looked at Zhao Tingfang. "Ruan Zhongliang intended to eliminate us completely."

"As a *jinshi* who passed both imperial exams and a court official, he had taken a new wife while still married, betraying his vows. If discovered, he would surely be impeached by censors—lightly punished with demotion, severely enough to bring ruin to his family."

"The moment we were locked in the woodshed, Mother realized the truth."

The truth didn't matter anymore; what mattered was surviving and escaping.

Jiang Yunran said, "I was only five years old at the time, but Mother never treated me like a child. She patiently explained the situation to me, and finally told me that Ruan Zhongliang might kill us."

At this point, Jiang Yunran's eyes reddened slightly.

"Mother apologized to me, saying she shouldn't have brought me to the capital. Perhaps if we had stayed in Huaishui County forever, we would never have been in such danger."

Jiang Yunran said, "I didn't fully understand, but I knew the dark woodshed was creepy and scary. I told Mother there was another possibility."

Jiang Yunran clenched her hands tightly.

She closed her eyes, recalling the first time she had seen Ruan Zhongliang.

At the time, she was just a five-year-old child, young and innocent. Perhaps he thought of her only as a child, and all the pain and feigned remorse disappeared.

Only malicious judgment remained.

"I told Mother that when Ruan Zhongliang looked at us, he looked just like the pawnshop owner at the street corner."

His gaze was sizing them up, as if they were mere merchandise.

What price could he get for the two of them?

At that moment, Mother realized that Ruan Zhongliang might want to extract more value from them.

Wouldn't killing them be a waste?

Though it was painful, though it was unjust, they had to survive.

If they died, they'd lose everything.

"I don't know how he explained it to Liao Shuyan, but from that day on, we were locked in the woodshed, given only one bowl of water a day."

"One day, two days... until the fourth day, I came down with a fever."

Jiang Yunran's gaze grew distant.

"The woodshed was so dark. I thought I was dying of hunger. My stomach burned with hunger pains, so severe I didn't even have the energy to cry."

That period was the most painful experience of Jiang Yunran's life.

Beatings, hardship, bleeding, and pain were not the worst of it.

The worst part was the endless, terrifying darkness of the unknown future.

"On the fifth day, I thought I heard voices outside. Later, I learned it was Liao Shuyan and Ruan Hanzhen."

"At the time, Liao Shuyan told Ruan Hanzhen that the mother and daughter were worthless wretches who had come to harm Father and Mother, and asked her how they should be dealt with."

Jiang Yunran laughed coldly. "Ruan Hanzhen had just had her fourth birthday at the time."

"She told Liao Shuyan that simply locking them up and starving them was boring—they should find someone to sharpen a blade outside."

"Over and over, until we were too exhausted, hungry, and sleepy, we wouldn't dare sleep."

Tormented day and night.

"How cruel."

That entire family—including the four-year-old Ruan Hanzhen—was rotten to the core.

Jiang Yunran smiled, but there was no joy in her expression.

"After ten days, we were at death's door from torment. When we came to, we found ourselves locked in a carriage."

The journey from Yujing to Qingzhou took two full days. Throughout the trip, Jiang Yunran drifted in and out of consciousness, barely avoiding starvation.

"When we woke again, we had arrived at Yixiang Pavilion," Jiang Yunran said. "The one good thing was that although Mother's eye, injured by Peilan, couldn't fully recover, she could still see."

She lifted her gaze to meet Zhao Tingfang's eyes.

Their eyes met, both lost in the memories of the past.

Ruan Zhongliang truly was a beast—he ended up selling his former wife and daughter into a brothel, reducing them to slavery.

The indentures for Jiang Yunran and Xuan Ruoning were held firmly in Ruan Zhongliang’s hands, trapping them in a living hell—unable to live or die on their own terms.

Zhao Tingfang reached out and took Jiang Yunran’s hand again.

Her hand was warm, and her faint medicinal scent had a calming effect.

“A Ran, it’s all about timing and fate.”

“That place was like the underworld, yet it brought us together.”

“In a sense, it was a blessing.”

————

Compared to Jiang Yunran, Zhao Tingfang’s story was simpler.

Her relationship with Ruan Zhongliang was one of pure, deep-seated hatred.

She was from Qingzhou, born into a merchant family, and had enjoyed a life of luxury since childhood, never experiencing the slightest hardship.

All that ended when she was four years old.

At that time, another merchant family named Wang in Qingzhou was murdered—almost the entire household was wiped out overnight in a massacre.

The magistrate of Qingzhou at the time was named Deng En, a *tongjinshi* degree holder from a modest background. His appointment to the prosperous and wealthy Qingzhou at a young age was due to his diligence—he had received outstanding evaluations for three consecutive years in remote counties before being promoted.

He worked with his deputy magistrate to investigate the case. After several days of rigorous examination, they discovered that the Wang merchant family had an illegitimate son who was the sole survivor.

Coupled with various pieces of evidence, he was ultimately pinned as the culprit.

The case was reported to the capital, Yujing, and the Wang son was sentenced to execution in autumn by the Board of Punishments. The case was then sent to the Dali Temple for review by Ruan Zhongliang, the reviewing judge (*pingshi*) of Ling'an Circuit.

As it involved human lives, all death penalty decisions had to be reviewed by the Dali Temple.

Ruan Zhongliang personally went to Qingzhou.

Through his meticulousness and effort, he overturned the case for the Wang son.

The case was ultimately attributed to the Zhao merchant family, who were competing for interests and carried out the horrific massacre.

With twenty-eight lives lost in the Wang family, the crime was heinous, and the perpetrator exceptionally cruel. After deliberation by the Three Judicial Offices, the Zhao family was ordered to have their property confiscated, the family head and his two sons were sentenced to hanging, and all others were exiled to Ganyi Province.

This was the first major case Ruan Zhongliang handled.

It was also when his reputation as "Qingtian Ruan" began to spread.

Zhao Tingfang was the sole surviving child of the Zhao family.

Her father and mother, upon hearing the devastating news and realizing they had been framed with no way to clear their names, knew that if the women and children could survive the exile, there might still be a glimmer of hope. Her father urged her mother to raise their two children well and, if the opportunity arose, to seek justice for their clan.

He then surrendered along with his two sons.

But how would Ruan Zhongliang let them off?

Living witnesses are always a threat.

A great fire burned down the Zhao family’s century-old carved beams and painted rafters, and also killed all the innocent members of the Zhao clan.

Only a pair of four-year-old twins—Zhao Tingfang and her third brother—were spared.

The ancestral properties of the Zhao and Wang families, as well as the innocent children of both households, ended up in Ruan Zhongliang’s possession.

It wasn’t out of conscience—he simply saw that young children, who knew nothing of the world, could be sold into a brothel to extract the last bit of value from them.

Even their bones had to be squeezed for blood.

That was Ruan Zhongliang.

Though young and naive, Zhao Tingfang grew up quickly because of this upheaval.

Her twin brother had been frail since birth but was precocious. Even at just four years old, he had hazy memories of the past.

When they first arrived at Yixiang Pavilion, life was hard for the siblings. The boy did everything he could to protect his sister but succumbed to the harsh winter.

The following year, Zhao Tingfang met Jiang Yunran and her mother.

Recalling these events, Zhao Tingfang was seething with anger. Though only four at the time, she could still faintly remember the warmth and happiness of her family.

All of it was destroyed by the greed-driven Ruan Zhongliang.

She smiled, eyes welling with tears.

“If it hadn’t been for Aunt Ning’s sharp mind—she saw right away that Cen Mama was profit-driven but not evil to the core—and used that to protect all of us.”

Cen Mama became the madam not because she enjoyed this unsavory trade. She herself had been a prostitute, struggling for years, enduring hardships and tears, never fantasizing about leaving the profession or becoming a concubine or mistress.

She stayed at Yixiang Pavilion, and as she grew older, she outlived the previous madam, who fell seriously ill and left the brothel to her.

As the madam, her goal was solely to make money, and she didn’t abuse the girls under her.

Because each girl was an asset—without them, how could she earn big money?

When Xuan Ruoning first arrived at Yixiang Pavilion, she was seriously ill, coughing up blood, and very frail. Cen Mama, noticing her beauty, literacy, and skill in embroidery which could bring in money, didn’t force her to entertain clients while ill.

This moment of softheartedness was taken advantage of by Xuan Ruoning.

Xuan Ruoning read her intentions and knew her character, so she carefully explained how to train the girls.

How much money could simply entertaining clients bring in?

What could guests really pay? It depended on Yixiang Pavilion’s prestige and the girls’ talents.

Along the Qingshui River, there were so many brothels—why did Chuming Residence enjoy such fame? Wasn't it because the girls there were skilled in singing, dancing, poetry and the arts?

Xuan Ruoning also told Cen Mama that especially the younger girls should be raised well, like young ladies, so they could later be placed as concubines in wealthy households. Not only would they fetch a high price, but it would also maintain Yixiang Pavilion’s connections with the powerful and rich—killing two birds with one stone.

At that time, Yangzhou already had its ‘thin horses’ (trained concubines).

Cen Mama was confused, but Xuan Ruoning was well-educated and shrewd—she could even diagnose and treat simple illnesses for the girls at Yixiang Pavilion. With only five young people at the time, it wasn’t too burdensome, so Cen Mama agreed.

After all, the children were still young. Even if they were put to use now, they could only serve tea, squandering potential.

And so, Xuan Ruoning became Instructor Xuan of Yixiang Pavilion.

After establishing a foothold in Yixiang Pavilion, she began helping Cen Mama manage the business, handling surplus cash, and maximizing their value.

This earned her far more than entertaining patrons ever could.

Cen Mama completely gave up on the idea and respectfully addressed her as Mistress Xuan.

With Xuan Ruoning around, the children’s lives improved dramatically.

She taught them properly, just like in a formal school—the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, literature, and speech—all had to be studied.

The children grew up slowly.

But Xuan Ruoning was struck by a severe illness.

It wasn’t until Xuan Ruoning was bedridden with illness, beyond the help of medicine, that Jiang Yunran realized she had been poisoned.

That slow-acting poison caused her excruciating pain on cloudy or rainy days, leaving her weak and short of breath. At most, she could endure a few cold autumns, but no more.

Jiang Yunran was eleven when Xuan Ruoning finally passed away, reluctant to go.

Her children were still young.

What would happen in the future?

Zhao Tingfang still remembers how they wept fearfully, their hearts filled with grief and reluctance, kneeling before Xuan Ruoning, unwilling to leave her side.

In their hearts, Xuan Ruoning was not only their teacher but also their mother.

Without Xuan Ruoning, would they have been able to grow up safely in a brothel?

Only Jiang Yunran did not cry.

She wore a hemp headband on her head, her face pale, but her eyes icy cold.

She told them, "Don’t be afraid. Mother is gone, but from now on, you have me."

"I won’t let any of you sink into the mud."

She kept her word.

Zhao Tingfang came back to herself and looked steadily at Jiang Yunran.

"A Ran, what do you think we should do?"

Jiang Yunran lowered her eyes and said, "First, I need to know all the details about the palace staff around Ruan Hanzhen. We’ll start with her."

"Second, from now on, we must keep a close watch on Ruan Zhongliang with all our strength."

"Third, we need to find out where Deng En, the former magistrate of Qingzhou, is now. He likely was in cahoots with Ruan Zhongliang back then and was involved in several major cases in Qingzhou."

Jiang Yunran told her, "Punishing just Ruan Zhongliang isn’t nearly enough, even if we add Ruan Hanzhen and Liao Shuyan."

"Back then, the Ruan family was just a little-known scholarly family in the capital. For three generations, no one in Ruan Zhongliang’s lineage had held a high office. The family was ordinary and not wealthy. Otherwise, do you think everything Ruan Zhongliang did was just for fame?"

Jiang Yunran looked down at her clean fingers.

"For fame and for money, he needed to slowly climb the ranks of officialdom and bring the Ruan family back to wealth and prominence. That requires money."

"Now, has only Ruan Zhongliang benefited? The entire Ruan family has risen to prominence with him, and who knows how many underhanded deeds were committed along the way. What we must do now is ensure all the wrongdoers are brought to justice, that the Ruan family is completely wiped out from among the powerful, so they can never make a comeback."

When you cut weeds, you must pull them up by the roots.

This phrase, Jiang Yunran engraved in her heart, and so did Zhao Tingfang.

Ruan Zhongliang was too greedy. He left behind these mere weeds, and now, those weeds have grown into tall trees. It’s time to return for revenge.

Now, besides Zhao Tingfang, Mo Li, and Shi Tou, there were several other siblings still by Jiang Yunran’s side. Without exception, they were all enemies of Ruan Zhongliang.

For this, they gave up new lives, abandoned the chance to change their names and live normal lives, and instead waited there, waiting for Jiang Yunran to tell them how to proceed.

They wanted to witness all the evil members of the Ruan family die on the execution block.

The silver they helped Cen Mama earn in the early years was lost when the place burned down and everyone changed their identity. They stayed in hiding, waiting for this very day.

Jiang Yunran looked at Zhao Tingfang and said, "Tell them it’s time to make a move."

Zhao Tingfang had always believed in Jiang Yunran.

She said, "We have enough money for now. You don’t need to be in such a hurry."

Jiang Yunran smiled faintly and said, "It’s alright."

She gently tapped her teacup in her hand, her expression full of certainty.

"His Majesty will provide the funds."

Zhao Tingfang was a little surprised. "Really?"

"Of course, it’s true."

She paused and added, "Perhaps, soon enough, I can ask for even more."

But not now.

She couldn’t tell Jing Huayan everything. It wasn’t out of arrogance, but because the matter was far too risky.

What they were plotting involved an entire family, the Ruan clan.

Moreover, Xuan Ruoning had repeatedly warned her before dying that she must never let anyone know who she really is.

Otherwise, it would mean disaster.

Jiang Yunran re-entered the palace for several reasons: first, she needed power; second, she needed money; third, she needed to get close to Ruan Zhongliang and others to slowly dig up evidence of their crimes.

Fourth, she wanted to make the Ruan family dig their own graves and gradually head toward their ruin.

She and her companions all needed to survive, not get themselves killed for the sake of revenge.

Otherwise, none of it would be worth it.

Jiang Yunran held Zhao Tingfang’s hand and said, "Tell them to prioritize safety and not let hatred cloud their minds."

Though she wasn’t the oldest, she always acted like an older sister, watching out for all her younger brothers and sisters.

Jiang Yunran urged them earnestly, "Take it step by step, look into every clue. We will find something eventually."

Jiang Yunran said.

Zhao Tingfang listened quietly and nodded, to show she understood.

At the same time, she also turned her gaze to Jiang Yunran.

Just like the way they first met.

That thin, pale young woman stretched out her hand to her.

"Hello, I'm A-Ran. What's your name?"

Zhao Tingfang's former name could no longer be used—it was a criminal's name. When she entered Elegance Pavilion, Mama Cen gave her the name Jiaofang.

She didn't like this name and murmured, hesitating to speak.

Later, Aunt Ning gave her a new name.

"Where one settles, the courtyard fills with fragrant grass."

From then on, she was called Zhao Tingfang.

Verdant and lush, like flourishing fragrant grass.

Zhao Tingfang took Jiang Yunran's hand in hers: "A-Ran, you must also remember Aunt Ning's words as well."

"Don't let hatred taint your promising life. You must live for yourself."