“The end of the world is not boundless, only memory is eternal…..”
After reading the poem, Du Jiu eyed Count Rong with an odd expression, these lines …… were quite interesting.
Rong Xia had a genuine painting by Zhao Bicong at the residence, so he was able to instantly recognise this one as genuine. Moreover, this really was that legendary final work of Zhao Bicong’s.
Autumn moonlight at the mountains mourns the soul of the flower, lonely longings dwell without form.
The painting manifested loneliness and longing, the longing to welcome death, the longing to be reunited with the dead wife. For the elderly and frail Zhao Bicong, death was the best place for him to return to.
However, was it the dead wife or the return to his spirited youth that he longed for?
“Master Count,” Du Jiu saw Rong Xia stared at the painting not letting go, he tried to bring him back by asking in lowered voice, “If it was not Ban-shizi who sent it, is it….. Ban-junzhu?”
An unwed man and an unmarried woman, a precious gift casually exchanged between them. The poem on the painting was ambiguous, could it be that Ban-junzhu had special feelings to Master Count, otherwise how would she be willing to send this big gift?
He believed Ban-junzhu was very influential in her family, otherwise which young lady was able to send precious gift to a man who lacked relatives or background?
“Doesn’t matter who sent it.” Rong Xia put the scroll back into the tube. “You have done a good job on the previous matter.”
“Master, shuxia remembers something.” Du Jiu suddenly said, “Some time ago, a woman with a child stopped Marquis Jingting’s carriage, she said they were from Xue County and her husband had been wrongly convicted of a crime.”
* 属下 = This Subordinate
“Marquis Jingting’s carriage?” Rong Xia placed the painting tube into the shelves, said with a smile-but-not-smiling face, “Why didn’t she go to the Court of Judicature or Ministry of Justice instead of stopping a marquis’ carriage?”
* 大理寺 Court of Judicature and Revision, the central government agency in charge of reviewing judicial proceedings at all administrative levels and singling out the cases for a retrial by court officials or the emperor himself.
Du Jiu shook his head, “Shuxia doesn’t know. But Marquis Jingting ignored them, he just said he had no power at the Court so he couldn’t help.”
Frankly, when Du Jiu heard what the Marquis said, he felt Ban family’s way of thinking was different from other people.
The father had no qualm in calling himself powerless, the son liked to bury treasures in the mountain in his spare time, the daughter sent a man priceless gifts that money couldn’t buy. This family’s conducts were the actual example of unusual deadbeats.
Other families’ deadbeats played with women, gambled, or bullied people. This family was well-clothed and well-fed, but the dignified marquis was so much under his wife’s thumb that he had no concubines or tongfangs at all. The Shizi was a good-for-nothing wastrel, but he was never seen molesting commoner women or visiting gambling houses. He and his guards went to the market everyday for cricket fights or cock fights, but he interfered when he saw commoner women getting bullied. The only person he ever harassed was the Second Son of Xie family, but as the two families were in feud, it couldn’t be called bullying.
On the surface this family had a bad and unfavourable image, but to look closely, the money they squandered was their own ancestors’. They were not proper, but had never done anything bad to others either. Comparing them to people who were gentlemanly on the outside but bloody inside, this family had much better characters.
But why was it that when everyone thought of Ban family, the image that appeared was how lazy and extravagant they were?
No, they were indeed lazy and extravagant.
If Master Count hadn’t been in contact with them, he wouldn’t have paid attention to Ban family members because they had nothing good to notice. However after various coincidences, he had started to pay attention to them and found not only they were not that disagreeable, there were even some things to like about them.
This must have been the reason Master Count was willing to associate with them.
“The gift sent by Shizi is too precious,” Rong Xia looked at the sunshine outside the window, his mood was very good, “It is only right that I send a return gift.”
* shizi 世子 = an heir of a prominent family. Here it refers to Ban Heng as the Jingting’s heir.
—
When the housekeeper learned that Master Count wanted to open the storage, he and several other stewards hurriedly took out their keys, opened one door after the others.
Rong clan had illustrious ancestors, they reached the peak of fame in Daye country during Rong Xia’s grandfather’s time. He acted as the Crown Prince’s teacher when the current Emperor was young. Rong Xia’s grandfather passed away of illness not long after His Majesty ascended, but His Majesty still honoured him posthumously as the teacher of the Emperor.
Rong family storehouse was piled high with treasures left by generations of Rong ancestors. Rong Xia took an ebony box from the shelf, wiped the dust off and opened the lid.
The box contained a set of blood jade jewelleries, hairpin, earrings, bracelet, bangles, and pendant. All of the pieces were as red as blood, yet each of them was indescribably beautiful.
Rong ancestors had been officials in the previous dynasty, there was even a marriage with a Gongzhu, so strictly speaking Rong Xia had the bloodline of the previous dynasty. However the marriage with the Gongzhu was during the golden age of the previous dynasty, and by the time that dynasty ended there was no official in the Rong family. That was the reason that after the current dynasty was established and Rong family entered officialdom again, noone ever doubted their loyalty, they rather felt Rong family had noble bloodline.
* gongzhu 公主 = an emperor’s daughter.
This set of blood jade jewelleries was said to have been part of that Gongzhu’s dowry. People of Rong clan preferred literatures rather than frivolity, thus such luxurious thing was left sealed in storage.
When he was very young, Rong Xia had followed his mother into the storehouse. He had thought this set was very beautiful but none of Rong female members ever worn it. It was disappointing, but since he was afraid that Father would scold him, he never expressed it.
Closing the lid of that ebony box, Rong Xia also took an ink stone from the shelf then left the storehouse with the box in his arm.
—
At the Jingting residence, Ban Huai met with Yan Ming.
Yan Ming had thought Ban family would be like the Grand Princess and refused to meet him. He didn’t expect to be invited in quickly and served hot tea. This was the most basic courtesy, but for Yan Ming at that moment, it made him touched to the core.
“Young Yan-daren,” Ban Huai sat on the main seat with a completely serious face, “Today’s visit, would you mind telling the purpose?”
“Wanbei is here to apologise. Wanbei‘s younger brother and mother have been reckless, causing troubles to your family and Junzhu. Our Yan family is very remorseful, but since Father is too ill to get up, so it falls on wanbei to represent the family to apologise.”
* wanbei 晚辈 = This Younger Generation
Yan Ming put the teacup down, walked to the middle of the room, lifted his robe and knelt down on one knee.
“A lady’s reputation is invaluable, our Yan family had been improper. Please let wanbei make amends to the Junzhu.”
A man’s knee was as precious as gold, kneeling was reserved for Heaven and Earth, mother and father. Kneeling to other people was a great humiliation. Yan Ming was Yan family’s legitimate eldest son, as the future successor, kneeling in front of Ban Huai was a gesture of lowering himself to dust.
Ban Huai looked at Yan Ming who was docilely kneeling in front of himself, he turned to Ban Heng who was trying hard to pretend drinking his tea.
Ban Heng turned sideways without speaking. Ban Huai glared at him, so he put down the cup and walked over to Yan Ming.
“Yan-daren doesn’t need to make such a big courtesy.” Recently Ban Heng had been following Ban Hua exercising, he hadn’t grown much stronger, but a weak scholar like Yan Ming whose hands couldn’t truss a chicken was nothing for him.
Ban Heng lifted Yan Ming from the floor, “Sit down to talk.”
Yan Ming hadn’t been resting well these days, he looked as if he had aged a few years, none of his past elegance was left. “Please let wanbei meet Junzhu once, wanbei would like to apologise directly.”
Ban Huai blandly said, “Perhaps….. there is no need.”
“Wanbei understands that no amount of apologies can make up for the grievances suffered by Junzhu, our humble family dares not ask Junzhu to really forgive us.” Yan Ming bitterly smiled, “Just hoping to see Junzhu once to express our remorse, it is enough for wanbei.”
Ban Hua was outside the door, listening to Yan Ming’s weary voice. She walked in with her maids.
“Young Yan-daren wishes to meet me, for what reason?”
Yan Ming turned, and his whole body was shaken. An extremely beautiful woman in a red blood wide skirt embroidered with plum flowers entered the room, a red jade pendant on her forehead. Her appearance made everyone and everything in the room dull and colourless.
Behind her was a group of pretty maids, like stars surrounding the moon. He could smell the faint fragrance from her body, this was Motuo perfume tributed by a vassal country. As the quantity was very limited, only very few ladies were rewarded the perfume by His Majesty.
“Greetings Fule Junzhu.” Yan Ming saluted Ban Hua respectfully. His salute was impeccable, there wasn’t any trace of reluctance or of it being perfunctory.
“Young Yan-daren needs not be too polite.” Ban Hua lowered her eyes. She accepted a teacup from a maid, the fingers with painted nails held the cup, her lips only brushed past the rim of the cup before it was put down. Yan Ming saw the silk handkerchief in her hand lightly touched those moist and glistening red lips.
He withdrew his eyes and buried his head lower, “Today zaixia is here to apologise to Junzhu.”
“Apologise?” Ban Hua tilted her head, as if only now she had properly looked at Yan Ming, “I have said earlier, Yan family and I don’t share the same sky. You don’t have to apologise to me, I don’t care about any of this.”
Yan Ming’s heart sunk, he bowed deeply to Ban Hua, “Yan-mou knows that we are completely in the wrong, we dare not beg for Junzhu’s generosity. Wishing Junzhu good health, eternal youth, beauty as the bright moon, and a joyous peaceful life.”
* -mou = This Person (humble). Yan-mou = This Yan Person.
Ban Hua laughed softly at his words, with one hand supporting her cheek, she said, “Young Yan-daren is really good at talking. It’s a pity that I am a strange person, I dislike pretty words.”
Yan family was interesting. Their conducts were full of inconsistencies, it was unclear whether they were smart or stupid. This Yan Ming was very good at talking, but he failed at smooth-talking his own wife.
Chen-shi’s miscarriage was because of the mother-in-law, but the divorce was possibly because she was too heartbroken. Sharing a bed for many years and a child was finally coming, this must have been very painful for Chen-shi.
Ban Hua felt lucky that she was a Junzhu, so Yan family’s threats and lures couldn’t force her to marry into that family. Even a woman as gentle as Chen-shi couldn’t have a good life there, then how could she?
A beautiful woman was always enchanting in whatever she did. Even if her expression was laced with insult, even if her tone was not gentle, not many men in the world could get angry in front of her.
Well, someone with brain disease like the Second Prince was certainly an exception.
Yan Ming was about to speak when Ban family steward came in.
“Master Marquis, a guard from Cheng’an residence is here.”
“The end of the world is not boundless, only memory is eternal…..”
After reading the poem, Du Jiu eyed Count Rong with an odd expression, these lines …… were quite interesting.
Rong Xia had a genuine painting by Zhao Bicong at the residence, so he was able to instantly recognise this one as genuine. Moreover, this really was that legendary final work of Zhao Bicong’s.
Autumn moonlight at the mountains mourns the soul of the flower, lonely longings dwell without form.
The painting manifested loneliness and longing, the longing to welcome death, the longing to be reunited with the dead wife. For the elderly and frail Zhao Bicong, death was the best place for him to return to.
However, was it the dead wife or the return to his spirited youth that he longed for?
“Master Count,” Du Jiu saw Rong Xia stared at the painting not letting go, he tried to bring him back by asking in lowered voice, “If it was not Ban-shizi who sent it, is it….. Ban-junzhu?”
An unwed man and an unmarried woman, a precious gift casually exchanged between them. The poem on the painting was ambiguous, could it be that Ban-junzhu had special feelings to Master Count, otherwise how would she be willing to send this big gift?
He believed Ban-junzhu was very influential in her family, otherwise which young lady was able to send precious gift to a man who lacked relatives or background?
“Doesn’t matter who sent it.” Rong Xia put the scroll back into the tube. “You have done a good job on the previous matter.”
“Master, shuxia remembers something.” Du Jiu suddenly said, “Some time ago, a woman with a child stopped Marquis Jingting’s carriage, she said they were from Xue County and her husband had been wrongly convicted of a crime.”
* 属下 = This Subordinate
“Marquis Jingting’s carriage?” Rong Xia placed the painting tube into the shelves, said with a smile-but-not-smiling face, “Why didn’t she go to the Court of Judicature or Ministry of Justice instead of stopping a marquis’ carriage?”
* 大理寺 Court of Judicature and Revision, the central government agency in charge of reviewing judicial proceedings at all administrative levels and singling out the cases for a retrial by court officials or the emperor himself.
Du Jiu shook his head, “Shuxia doesn’t know. But Marquis Jingting ignored them, he just said he had no power at the Court so he couldn’t help.”
Frankly, when Du Jiu heard what the Marquis said, he felt Ban family’s way of thinking was different from other people.
The father had no qualm in calling himself powerless, the son liked to bury treasures in the mountain in his spare time, the daughter sent a man priceless gifts that money couldn’t buy. This family’s conducts were the actual example of unusual deadbeats.
Other families’ deadbeats played with women, gambled, or bullied people. This family was well-clothed and well-fed, but the dignified marquis was so much under his wife’s thumb that he had no concubines or tongfangs at all. The Shizi was a good-for-nothing wastrel, but he was never seen molesting commoner women or visiting gambling houses. He and his guards went to the market everyday for cricket fights or cock fights, but he interfered when he saw commoner women getting bullied. The only person he ever harassed was the Second Son of Xie family, but as the two families were in feud, it couldn’t be called bullying.
On the surface this family had a bad and unfavourable image, but to look closely, the money they squandered was their own ancestors’. They were not proper, but had never done anything bad to others either. Comparing them to people who were gentlemanly on the outside but bloody inside, this family had much better characters.
But why was it that when everyone thought of Ban family, the image that appeared was how lazy and extravagant they were?
No, they were indeed lazy and extravagant.
If Master Count hadn’t been in contact with them, he wouldn’t have paid attention to Ban family members because they had nothing good to notice. However after various coincidences, he had started to pay attention to them and found not only they were not that disagreeable, there were even some things to like about them.
This must have been the reason Master Count was willing to associate with them.
“The gift sent by Shizi is too precious,” Rong Xia looked at the sunshine outside the window, his mood was very good, “It is only right that I send a return gift.”
* shizi 世子 = an heir of a prominent family. Here it refers to Ban Heng as the Jingting’s heir.
—
When the housekeeper learned that Master Count wanted to open the storage, he and several other stewards hurriedly took out their keys, opened one door after the others.
Rong clan had illustrious ancestors, they reached the peak of fame in Daye country during Rong Xia’s grandfather’s time. He acted as the Crown Prince’s teacher when the current Emperor was young. Rong Xia’s grandfather passed away of illness not long after His Majesty ascended, but His Majesty still honoured him posthumously as the teacher of the Emperor.
Rong family storehouse was piled high with treasures left by generations of Rong ancestors. Rong Xia took an ebony box from the shelf, wiped the dust off and opened the lid.
The box contained a set of blood jade jewelleries, hairpin, earrings, bracelet, bangles, and pendant. All of the pieces were as red as blood, yet each of them was indescribably beautiful.
Rong ancestors had been officials in the previous dynasty, there was even a marriage with a Gongzhu, so strictly speaking Rong Xia had the bloodline of the previous dynasty. However the marriage with the Gongzhu was during the golden age of the previous dynasty, and by the time that dynasty ended there was no official in the Rong family. That was the reason that after the current dynasty was established and Rong family entered officialdom again, noone ever doubted their loyalty, they rather felt Rong family had noble bloodline.
* gongzhu 公主 = an emperor’s daughter.
This set of blood jade jewelleries was said to have been part of that Gongzhu’s dowry. People of Rong clan preferred literatures rather than frivolity, thus such luxurious thing was left sealed in storage.
When he was very young, Rong Xia had followed his mother into the storehouse. He had thought this set was very beautiful but none of Rong female members ever worn it. It was disappointing, but since he was afraid that Father would scold him, he never expressed it.
Closing the lid of that ebony box, Rong Xia also took an ink stone from the shelf then left the storehouse with the box in his arm.
—
At the Jingting residence, Ban Huai met with Yan Ming.
Yan Ming had thought Ban family would be like the Grand Princess and refused to meet him. He didn’t expect to be invited in quickly and served hot tea. This was the most basic courtesy, but for Yan Ming at that moment, it made him touched to the core.
“Young Yan-daren,” Ban Huai sat on the main seat with a completely serious face, “Today’s visit, would you mind telling the purpose?”
“Wanbei is here to apologise. Wanbei‘s younger brother and mother have been reckless, causing troubles to your family and Junzhu. Our Yan family is very remorseful, but since Father is too ill to get up, so it falls on wanbei to represent the family to apologise.”
* wanbei 晚辈 = This Younger Generation
Yan Ming put the teacup down, walked to the middle of the room, lifted his robe and knelt down on one knee.
“A lady’s reputation is invaluable, our Yan family had been improper. Please let wanbei make amends to the Junzhu.”
A man’s knee was as precious as gold, kneeling was reserved for Heaven and Earth, mother and father. Kneeling to other people was a great humiliation. Yan Ming was Yan family’s legitimate eldest son, as the future successor, kneeling in front of Ban Huai was a gesture of lowering himself to dust.
Ban Huai looked at Yan Ming who was docilely kneeling in front of himself, he turned to Ban Heng who was trying hard to pretend drinking his tea.
Ban Heng turned sideways without speaking. Ban Huai glared at him, so he put down the cup and walked over to Yan Ming.
“Yan-daren doesn’t need to make such a big courtesy.” Recently Ban Heng had been following Ban Hua exercising, he hadn’t grown much stronger, but a weak scholar like Yan Ming whose hands couldn’t truss a chicken was nothing for him.
Ban Heng lifted Yan Ming from the floor, “Sit down to talk.”
Yan Ming hadn’t been resting well these days, he looked as if he had aged a few years, none of his past elegance was left. “Please let wanbei meet Junzhu once, wanbei would like to apologise directly.”
Ban Huai blandly said, “Perhaps….. there is no need.”
“Wanbei understands that no amount of apologies can make up for the grievances suffered by Junzhu, our humble family dares not ask Junzhu to really forgive us.” Yan Ming bitterly smiled, “Just hoping to see Junzhu once to express our remorse, it is enough for wanbei.”
Ban Hua was outside the door, listening to Yan Ming’s weary voice. She walked in with her maids.
“Young Yan-daren wishes to meet me, for what reason?”
Yan Ming turned, and his whole body was shaken. An extremely beautiful woman in a red blood wide skirt embroidered with plum flowers entered the room, a red jade pendant on her forehead. Her appearance made everyone and everything in the room dull and colourless.
Behind her was a group of pretty maids, like stars surrounding the moon. He could smell the faint fragrance from her body, this was Motuo perfume tributed by a vassal country. As the quantity was very limited, only very few ladies were rewarded the perfume by His Majesty.
“Greetings Fule Junzhu.” Yan Ming saluted Ban Hua respectfully. His salute was impeccable, there wasn’t any trace of reluctance or of it being perfunctory.
“Young Yan-daren needs not be too polite.” Ban Hua lowered her eyes. She accepted a teacup from a maid, the fingers with painted nails held the cup, her lips only brushed past the rim of the cup before it was put down. Yan Ming saw the silk handkerchief in her hand lightly touched those moist and glistening red lips.
He withdrew his eyes and buried his head lower, “Today zaixia is here to apologise to Junzhu.”
“Apologise?” Ban Hua tilted her head, as if only now she had properly looked at Yan Ming, “I have said earlier, Yan family and I don’t share the same sky. You don’t have to apologise to me, I don’t care about any of this.”
Yan Ming’s heart sunk, he bowed deeply to Ban Hua, “Yan-mou knows that we are completely in the wrong, we dare not beg for Junzhu’s generosity. Wishing Junzhu good health, eternal youth, beauty as the bright moon, and a joyous peaceful life.”
* -mou = This Person (humble). Yan-mou = This Yan Person.
Ban Hua laughed softly at his words, with one hand supporting her cheek, she said, “Young Yan-daren is really good at talking. It’s a pity that I am a strange person, I dislike pretty words.”
Yan family was interesting. Their conducts were full of inconsistencies, it was unclear whether they were smart or stupid. This Yan Ming was very good at talking, but he failed at smooth-talking his own wife.
Chen-shi’s miscarriage was because of the mother-in-law, but the divorce was possibly because she was too heartbroken. Sharing a bed for many years and a child was finally coming, this must have been very painful for Chen-shi.
Ban Hua felt lucky that she was a Junzhu, so Yan family’s threats and lures couldn’t force her to marry into that family. Even a woman as gentle as Chen-shi couldn’t have a good life there, then how could she?
A beautiful woman was always enchanting in whatever she did. Even if her expression was laced with insult, even if her tone was not gentle, not many men in the world could get angry in front of her.
Well, someone with brain disease like the Second Prince was certainly an exception.
Yan Ming was about to speak when Ban family steward came in.
“Master Marquis, a guard from Cheng’an residence is here.”
