Ran Yan curled her lips to look at Ran Yunsheng, completely ignoring his accusation. She asked with a smile, “Is there any movement within the clan?”
Ran Yunsheng didn’t look at her warm smile. He sighed and said, “The rumors about you in the city are widespread. The Yan family has already announced that your marriage is annulled. The clan elders are especially furious at you. However, the Lu family has praised you in public. After all, it’s good to regain some face for the Ran family. As long as you cultivate peacefully in Yingmei Nunnery, no one can do anything to you.”
After a pause, Ran Yunsheng sternly continued, “Yan, if you lack money, just privately tell your Tenth Brother. Tenth Brother’s abilities are limited, but he has no shortage of money. Don’t be stubborn, do you understand?”
“Yes.” Ran Yan lightly nodded. She could only agree to Ran Yunsheng in this way, but in private, she still had to prepare her money to protect herself. It was not wrong to have more insurance. This was Ran Yan’s usual style of doing things.
Ran Yunsheng nodded and said, “I’ve already helped Divine Doctor Wu settle down. He’s in a courtyard in the west of the city. It’s very close to the west mountain. He can go to the mountain to collect medicine.”
“Thank you, Tenth Brother,” Ran Yan said.
Ran Yunsheng’s arrangement was right in Wu Xiuhe’s, as well as Ran Yan’s interest. Ran Yunsheng was someone who has faced through the thick and thin of the business industry. He was not an ordinary dandy. Everything he had to deal with has to be meticulous. As a result, Ran Pingyu had already handed many duties to him. The path of business was a doomed road for many, with no other alternatives awaiting them upon failing to pursue the said path, they will not find any success. Fortunately, he was very good at doing business.
The siblings spoke in the bamboo forest for a while before Ran Yunsheng sent the things they had brought to the monastery. On the way, she had added 500 taels of oil1 to Yingmei Nunnery.
Five hundred taels weren’t much, but based on the currency of the Tang Dynasty, these five hundred taels were enough to renovate the entire Yingmei Nunnery. Therefore, Ran Yan was treated like a Bodhisattva in the monastery. Even dinner was served with three dishes. Although the dishes were plain, their quality was much more refined.
Ran Yan finished her supper, and after bathing, she lit a lamp on the porch, reflecting on her past examinations.
Xing Niang stood outside the bamboo fence and looked around. She turned around and asked Ran Yan, “Miss, how long does this certification take? Why is it that the sky has turned dark, yet there’s no trace of Wan Lu on the horizon?”
“Wait a minute.” Ran Yan was a little worried as well. She became even more anxious when she was disturbed by Xing Niang, so she dismissed her and said, “Xing Niang, please keep the food warm.”
Xing Niang nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Not long after she entered the kitchen, Wan Lu returned.
“Miss!” Wan Lu’s face was a little pale. Her eyes were red and swollen like two walnuts. She rushed into the courtyard and held onto Ran Yan’s knee, crying.
The cry alerted Xing Niang. She came out of the kitchen and asked in a panic, “What’s wrong with Wan Lu?”
“Miss.” Wan Lu stood up and wiped away her tears. She choked up and said, “The prefecture office said that the two female corpses that were put together that day were Fourth Miss Yin and Ge Lan. Wuu… this servant… this servant couldn’t even recognize their identities in their current state!”
Wan Lu gulped, even the evening breeze contained the trace of sadness. Xing Niang’s eyelids became soft, and she couldn’t help but cry.
Ran Yan lowered her eyes and sighed. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, “I’ll write a letter tomorrow. You can hand it over to Provincial Governor Liu for me. If he agrees, I’ll personally identify the corpses.”
Ran Yan gently patted Wan Lu’s head and asked, “Have you had dinner?”
Wan Lu shook her head, her bright phoenix eyes filled with resentment. “This servant is not hungry. Looking at that beast-clad Yin Wanshu, she is so disgusted that she can not swallow! He had already known that he had killed Third Miss Yin by mistake, yet he had forced Fourth Miss Yin to pretend to be her. He even threatened her that if she revealed a trace of weakness, he would drown her in the Pingjiang River and send her to accompany Third Miss Yin.”
Xing Niang was filled with shock. She said in a trembling voice, “Even a tiger wouldn’t attempt to harm its kin. Yin Wenshu may appear elegant, yet he committed such a vicious act. Deserving of being punished by the heavens!”
“There was also Ge Lan! He admitted that he had sent someone to silence Ge Lan! It was said that Fourth Miss Yin had invited Miss to the Pingjiang River that day. She had gone to find Fourth Master Qin herself. Miss was on the river bank and had somehow bumped into Yin Wenshu and when he was about to throw Third Miss Yin’s corpse away. He wanted to kill Miss and dispose of Miss’s body. This…” Wan Lu was so angry.
Ran Yan slowly said, “To save me, Ge Lan led the guards of the Yin family away. Unfortunately, she got murdered. That’s right.”
Wan Lu’s expression turned to grief as she lowered her eyes and nodded.
Xing Niang was filled with disbelief. She had seen so many treacherous and cunning things, but she rarely heard such shocking matters. The father killed his daughter, threatened his other daughter, and even wanted to kill the daughter of the first wife of another family. If he was not crazy, then he would be insane.
“What about Han Shan?” Ran Yan understood what had happened.
Wan Lu said, “That Han Shan had once gathered with Fourth Master Qin and the rest of the aristocratic families at a banquet to privately discuss the ladies. When Han Shan watch Fourth Miss Yin roaming about, he catcalled her and dared to claim that she was no longer a virgin. Fourth Miss Yin, who was pretending to be the Third Miss, trembled with fear from that statement. She didn’t know who had heard of this matter, so she became even more terrified and thought of the Wei clan.
“Speaking of Lady Wei, she told the public that she was the sole daughter of the Luoxi clan. Although she’s middle-aged, she has always kept her body pure. The beauty and charm of her birth, coupled with the fact that Madam Ling’s body had deteriorated after she had survived Third and Fourth Miss Yin’s labor led to Yin Wenshu accepting her as his concubine. However, Fourth Miss Yin found out that she often met with Cui Mei from the Caixiu Hall. When she found out that Cui Mei was a good musician, she deliberately said in front of Master Wei that she wanted to learn how to play music. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any good teacher for her.”
To be able to see Cui Mei often, the Wei clan went to the court and introduced Cui Mei to the manor as a musician. After that, Fourth Miss Yin investigated and she found out about Lady Wei from Cui Mei’s background. It turned out that it was true that Lady Wei was the sole daughter of the Luoxi clan. Later on, she had an affair with someone and had a daughter. That daughter was Cui Mei.
Prostitutes were always considered a pariah. Even if they were to serve the emperor, a pariah was a pariah. Even if they had already left the palace, their former identity would become a mark that could not be removed.
Wei Niang had used some unknown methods to fabricate her identity as a good madam. Even more so, one with an extraordinary bearing. Chang’an was quite far away, so she could smoothly hide this fact from Suzhou.
Lady Wei had managed to hide from Yin Wenshu the fact that she was not a virgin, which surprised Ran Yan. She wondered whether she should lament Yin Wenshu’s ignorance or Lady Wei’s ability to keep this secret.
Yin Wenshu used Lady Wei’s identity to blackmail Cui Mei into seducing Han Shan and poisoning him.
Fourth Master Qin’s assault on Han Shan happened to coincide with the timing of his poison. This wasn’t in Yin Wanwan’s plan, but this incident also inspired Yin Wanwan and stimulated her inner depression and hatred of Fourth Master Qin.
Ran Yan curled her lips to look at Ran Yunsheng, completely ignoring his accusation. She asked with a smile, “Is there any movement within the clan?”
Ran Yunsheng didn’t look at her warm smile. He sighed and said, “The rumors about you in the city are widespread. The Yan family has already announced that your marriage is annulled. The clan elders are especially furious at you. However, the Lu family has praised you in public. After all, it’s good to regain some face for the Ran family. As long as you cultivate peacefully in Yingmei Nunnery, no one can do anything to you.”
After a pause, Ran Yunsheng sternly continued, “Yan, if you lack money, just privately tell your Tenth Brother. Tenth Brother’s abilities are limited, but he has no shortage of money. Don’t be stubborn, do you understand?”
“Yes.” Ran Yan lightly nodded. She could only agree to Ran Yunsheng in this way, but in private, she still had to prepare her money to protect herself. It was not wrong to have more insurance. This was Ran Yan’s usual style of doing things.
Ran Yunsheng nodded and said, “I’ve already helped Divine Doctor Wu settle down. He’s in a courtyard in the west of the city. It’s very close to the west mountain. He can go to the mountain to collect medicine.”
“Thank you, Tenth Brother,” Ran Yan said.
Ran Yunsheng’s arrangement was right in Wu Xiuhe’s, as well as Ran Yan’s interest. Ran Yunsheng was someone who has faced through the thick and thin of the business industry. He was not an ordinary dandy. Everything he had to deal with has to be meticulous. As a result, Ran Pingyu had already handed many duties to him. The path of business was a doomed road for many, with no other alternatives awaiting them upon failing to pursue the said path, they will not find any success. Fortunately, he was very good at doing business.
The siblings spoke in the bamboo forest for a while before Ran Yunsheng sent the things they had brought to the monastery. On the way, she had added 500 taels of oil1 to Yingmei Nunnery.
Five hundred taels weren’t much, but based on the currency of the Tang Dynasty, these five hundred taels were enough to renovate the entire Yingmei Nunnery. Therefore, Ran Yan was treated like a Bodhisattva in the monastery. Even dinner was served with three dishes. Although the dishes were plain, their quality was much more refined.
Ran Yan finished her supper, and after bathing, she lit a lamp on the porch, reflecting on her past examinations.
Xing Niang stood outside the bamboo fence and looked around. She turned around and asked Ran Yan, “Miss, how long does this certification take? Why is it that the sky has turned dark, yet there’s no trace of Wan Lu on the horizon?”
“Wait a minute.” Ran Yan was a little worried as well. She became even more anxious when she was disturbed by Xing Niang, so she dismissed her and said, “Xing Niang, please keep the food warm.”
Xing Niang nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Not long after she entered the kitchen, Wan Lu returned.
“Miss!” Wan Lu’s face was a little pale. Her eyes were red and swollen like two walnuts. She rushed into the courtyard and held onto Ran Yan’s knee, crying.
The cry alerted Xing Niang. She came out of the kitchen and asked in a panic, “What’s wrong with Wan Lu?”
“Miss.” Wan Lu stood up and wiped away her tears. She choked up and said, “The prefecture office said that the two female corpses that were put together that day were Fourth Miss Yin and Ge Lan. Wuu… this servant… this servant couldn’t even recognize their identities in their current state!”
Wan Lu gulped, even the evening breeze contained the trace of sadness. Xing Niang’s eyelids became soft, and she couldn’t help but cry.
Ran Yan lowered her eyes and sighed. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, “I’ll write a letter tomorrow. You can hand it over to Provincial Governor Liu for me. If he agrees, I’ll personally identify the corpses.”
Ran Yan gently patted Wan Lu’s head and asked, “Have you had dinner?”
Wan Lu shook her head, her bright phoenix eyes filled with resentment. “This servant is not hungry. Looking at that beast-clad Yin Wanshu, she is so disgusted that she can not swallow! He had already known that he had killed Third Miss Yin by mistake, yet he had forced Fourth Miss Yin to pretend to be her. He even threatened her that if she revealed a trace of weakness, he would drown her in the Pingjiang River and send her to accompany Third Miss Yin.”
Xing Niang was filled with shock. She said in a trembling voice, “Even a tiger wouldn’t attempt to harm its kin. Yin Wenshu may appear elegant, yet he committed such a vicious act. Deserving of being punished by the heavens!”
“There was also Ge Lan! He admitted that he had sent someone to silence Ge Lan! It was said that Fourth Miss Yin had invited Miss to the Pingjiang River that day. She had gone to find Fourth Master Qin herself. Miss was on the river bank and had somehow bumped into Yin Wenshu and when he was about to throw Third Miss Yin’s corpse away. He wanted to kill Miss and dispose of Miss’s body. This…” Wan Lu was so angry.
Ran Yan slowly said, “To save me, Ge Lan led the guards of the Yin family away. Unfortunately, she got murdered. That’s right.”
Wan Lu’s expression turned to grief as she lowered her eyes and nodded.
Xing Niang was filled with disbelief. She had seen so many treacherous and cunning things, but she rarely heard such shocking matters. The father killed his daughter, threatened his other daughter, and even wanted to kill the daughter of the first wife of another family. If he was not crazy, then he would be insane.
“What about Han Shan?” Ran Yan understood what had happened.
Wan Lu said, “That Han Shan had once gathered with Fourth Master Qin and the rest of the aristocratic families at a banquet to privately discuss the ladies. When Han Shan watch Fourth Miss Yin roaming about, he catcalled her and dared to claim that she was no longer a virgin. Fourth Miss Yin, who was pretending to be the Third Miss, trembled with fear from that statement. She didn’t know who had heard of this matter, so she became even more terrified and thought of the Wei clan.
“Speaking of Lady Wei, she told the public that she was the sole daughter of the Luoxi clan. Although she’s middle-aged, she has always kept her body pure. The beauty and charm of her birth, coupled with the fact that Madam Ling’s body had deteriorated after she had survived Third and Fourth Miss Yin’s labor led to Yin Wenshu accepting her as his concubine. However, Fourth Miss Yin found out that she often met with Cui Mei from the Caixiu Hall. When she found out that Cui Mei was a good musician, she deliberately said in front of Master Wei that she wanted to learn how to play music. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any good teacher for her.”
To be able to see Cui Mei often, the Wei clan went to the court and introduced Cui Mei to the manor as a musician. After that, Fourth Miss Yin investigated and she found out about Lady Wei from Cui Mei’s background. It turned out that it was true that Lady Wei was the sole daughter of the Luoxi clan. Later on, she had an affair with someone and had a daughter. That daughter was Cui Mei.
Prostitutes were always considered a pariah. Even if they were to serve the emperor, a pariah was a pariah. Even if they had already left the palace, their former identity would become a mark that could not be removed.
Wei Niang had used some unknown methods to fabricate her identity as a good madam. Even more so, one with an extraordinary bearing. Chang’an was quite far away, so she could smoothly hide this fact from Suzhou.
Lady Wei had managed to hide from Yin Wenshu the fact that she was not a virgin, which surprised Ran Yan. She wondered whether she should lament Yin Wenshu’s ignorance or Lady Wei’s ability to keep this secret.
Yin Wenshu used Lady Wei’s identity to blackmail Cui Mei into seducing Han Shan and poisoning him.
Fourth Master Qin’s assault on Han Shan happened to coincide with the timing of his poison. This wasn’t in Yin Wanwan’s plan, but this incident also inspired Yin Wanwan and stimulated her inner depression and hatred of Fourth Master Qin.
