A Visit
Zhao Ruxi had a comfortable night's rest. The next day, the family of four had breakfast. The old lady sent Zhao Jingtai to review his lessons and then pulled Zhao Ruxi aside to ask about the current situation.
"It's very chaotic." Zhao Ruxi didn't say anything when she was in Nanyang because she was afraid they would prevent her from returning to the capital.
Now that everyone has returned to Beijing, we have to be careful everywhere we go, so it's good to let them know.
She then made no attempt to conceal the situation and briefly explained the circumstances of the fight between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince's faction, which had broken out due to their failed attempt to frame each other.
"That's also why I don't approve of Father returning to the capital. You're all fine; you just stay at home and don't go anywhere, so you won't get into trouble. But if Father returns to the capital and becomes an official, someone might set a trap for him, and he could easily fall into it. Those traps aren't even aimed at him, but at Prince of Qi, trying to embarrass Prince of Qi in front of the Emperor and the court officials, so it's impossible to guard against them all. I think it's better for Father to stay in Gusu."
"Yes, yes, your father doesn't have that kind of brain. He sees everyone as a good person. If someone is plotting against him, he won't be able to escape. With Lord Zhang watching over him in Gusu, he can't cause any trouble. It's better to let him stay in Gusu obediently." The old lady immediately agreed.
"Won't you be in danger?" Compared to her husband's future, Lady Zhu was more concerned about her daughter's safety.
"No, they're too busy fighting amongst themselves to care about me. Making things difficult for me would only make more enemies and invite retaliation from Prince of Qi; it wouldn't do them any good," Zhao Ruxi said.
"Don't go out during this time. Stay home and prepare for the wedding. You don't need to embroider the wedding dress, but you need to make the design. Zhou Chun and Ma Sheng will manage the estates and shops, so you don't need to worry about them. You can't earn all the money in the world, but safety is the most important thing. Even if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about the Prince of Qi and avoid causing him any trouble," said Lady Zhu.
"Yes, I'll just go to Master's house today, and then I won't go anywhere else. I'll just stay home obediently." Even if Lady Zhu didn't say it, Zhao Ruxi had the same plan.
The capital is going through a turbulent time, so staying at home is the best option.
Knowing that Zhao Ruxi wasn't one to give perfunctory answers, the old lady was relieved to hear that Zhao Ruxi had said so and would definitely do it.
She told them about Zhao Ruyu and Zhao Rurui.
"In my opinion, I won't allow these two to come in. They've already degraded themselves to be concubines, what face do they have to come here and claim kinship? Aren't we ashamed enough? It's just that Miss Yu is alright, she still has some sense of shame. But Miss Rui is getting more and more shameless as she gets older. If she makes a scene at our door and we don't let her in, she might cry and make a scene at the gate. Then we'll be even more embarrassed."
The old lady looked at Zhao Ruxi: "So Miss Xi, do you think we should ask Prince of Qi to send a message to the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, asking them to keep a close eye on her and prevent her from harassing us?"
Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "She hasn't even come to our door yet, and we're already sending a message. The Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan is known for her loose tongue. If she says something inappropriate at the banquet, it'll make us seem cold and opportunistic. Let her come, and don't block the door; just let her in. Once she's inside, you can scold her however you want—that's entirely up to you, Your Majesty. If you don't want to talk to her, send two strong maids or wives to berate her so she'll never dare come again. What are you afraid of?"
The old lady slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Ah, this is a good idea. Let's do it this way." As she spoke, she began to look forward to Zhao Rurui's arrival.
"Grandmother, if you have nothing else, I'm going to my master's house." Zhao Ruxi stood up.
"Go, go, be careful, take plenty of guards, and bring all the imperial Imperial Guards the Emperor gave you," the old lady instructed.
Zhao Ruxi sent a letter to Kang Shilin yesterday, saying that she would visit him today.
When Zhao Ruxi entered the Kang Residence, she found Kang Shilin already waiting for her in the study.
Zhao Ruxi quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Master, how are you feeling?"
"Alright." Kang Shilin looked at his young apprentice, and seeing her rosy complexion and bright eyes, he felt relieved. "Sit down."
After Zhao Ruxi greeted the Kang Family and her fellow disciples, Kang Shilin said, "I was hoping you could stay in Gusu or Nanyang a little longer, but instead, you've come all the way back to the capital. You were the one who kept urging us to go to Jiangnan. You finally managed to get out, but now you're rushing back. Are you afraid of missing out on the excitement in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruxi knew that her master had a clear understanding of the current situation.
However, even a woman like Lady Su, who was usually oblivious to the outside world, had heard about the turmoil in the capital. It was normal for her master to have an even clearer understanding of the situation.
She asked, "Why doesn't the Emperor do anything about it?"
This is what she can't understand.
In her view, the emperor was not incompetent; how could he just watch his sons cause such trouble without taking any action?
Kang Shilin sighed, "His Majesty is good in every way, except for one thing: he's too sentimental and always considers family ties. Even if he dislikes his sons, he can't bring himself to be ruthless. The Crown Prince has a different status and is naturally suspicious; the Third Prince used to rely on his mother's favor and always felt the throne was his. Therefore, these two acted with less fear. Now they're fighting to the death, and only killing them can quell this struggle. But His Majesty can't bring himself to do it."
As he spoke, Kang Shilin shook his head.
Zhao Ruxi was silent for a moment, then asked, "How is Senior Brother?"
"Your eldest brother is caught in the middle of the vortex and can only tough it out. Fortunately, he has the Emperor's protection, so he's safe for now."
Kang Shilin said, "That's why I didn't approve of your marriage to Prince of Qi in the first place. They were all on good terms and the fighting wasn't so fierce, so it would have been fine for you to marry Prince of Qi; but now that things are so chaotic, the risks you would be taking if you married him are just too great."
Zhao Ruxi said with a wry smile, "There's no point in talking about this now. Can we really call off the engagement?"
Kang Shilin sighed deeply and fell silent.
Zhao Ruxi opened her mouth to comfort him, but thinking that her senior brother was in the vortex and she was also going to the center of the vortex, her master would be worried. Her comfort was of no use.
She simply said, "It will all pass."
She thought to herself: It will be soon.
Whom the gods would destroy, they first drive mad. When she left the capital for Nanyang, she observed the situation in the capital. Although there was infighting, it hadn't reached the point of irrationality. Everyone was secretly engaging in underhanded maneuvers within permissible boundaries.
She thought to herself that since the Second and Fifth Prince and Fu Yunkai had survived, the plot had changed, and the tragedy that would happen this winter was unlikely to repeat itself. She and Xiao Lingyan needed to prepare for a protracted battle.
Unexpectedly, the battle for the throne that she ignited suddenly escalated, growing increasingly fierce, and it seemed the Third Prince was about to go mad.
However, this is for the best. A short, sharp pain is better than a long, drawn-out one. If the coup d'état still occurs as described in the book, then this struggle for the throne will soon be over. At that time, the Great Jin can develop peacefully and steadily, no longer affected by the struggle for the throne.