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Chapter 26: A Well-Played Chess Move (Part II)

The crowd dispersed from the court. Jiang Ruan’s eyes lighted upon the figure that was slowly moving towards her. She waited until it drew closer, then she bowed gracefully and said, "Wang Daren."

Imperial Censor Wang stroked his white beard and said meaningfully, "Girl[1], we meet once again."

[1] Ya Tou ( 丫头 ) – It refers to a girl/servant girl, but when the person is not actually a servant, it is a term of endearment.

Jiang Ruan also smiled lightly as she asked, "How well did the Daren’s red plum flower bloom today?"

"It showed no sign of inferiority, it did not resort to flattery, it was clearly of lofty and unyielding character, it showed vital energy throughout. It bloomed very well." Imperial Censor Wang looked straight into her eyes. "It was just a little obstinate."

Jiang Ruan smiled lightly once more and declined to comment.

The reason why she was so certain Imperial Censor Wang would judge on her behalf was entirely due to her memories from her previous life. When she was living in the residence in her previous life, Bai Zhi had gone out one day to hear the streets abuzz with talk of an old man who had been cheated out of his money on West Street, and who was so furious that he had gone to the local authority. However, they had not only refused to pay any attention to him, but had even called an officer to chase him away without any further ado, enraging him further. Not long after, an imperial edict had arrived from the capital banishing Qian Wan Li from his official position. It turned out that the old man was, unexpectedly, a high-ranking government official in the capital, the Emperor’s favored Imperial Censor Wang..

This Imperial Censor Wang was unrepentantly stubborn, and even dared to directly admonish the Emperor. As part of his everyday routine, he loved to meddle in other people’s affairs. If he sensed there was some injustice, he was more than delighted to interfere. This was why Jiang Ruan had suddenly suggested going to West Street that day, and had worked to resolve Imperial Censor Wang’s desperate situation[2]. Since Imperial Censor Wang highly valued righting a wrong, he would definitely want to look into Chen Zhao’s case. Moreover, once he realised that it involved Jiang Ruan, with whom he had a ’red plum blossom friendship’[3], he would naturally not stand aside and ignore her grievances.

[2] Ran Mei Zhi Ji ( 燃眉之急 ) – lit. the fire that burns one’s eyebrows

[3] It refers to the time when Jiang Ruan gifted Imperial Censor Wang with a stalk of red plum blossoms after she had resolved the situation with his stolen money.

That red plum blossom was the key that opened the door to Imperial Censor Wang’s stony heart. Imperial Censor Wang had boasted of his absolute sense of justice, but people always have a kind of balancing scale in their hearts. Unless one were a holy man devoid of desire or emotions, the scale would always tip in favour of one’s preferences. Imperial Censor Wang already had a very strong first impression of her. When Qiu Yan said that she was wrongly accused, he had already subconsciously believed her, and intended to spare no effort in looking for evidence which was beneficial to her.

Using Imperial Censor Wang was indeed a good chess move, but the true beauty of this move was to be revealed in its impact after the event. With Imperial Censor Wang’s stubborn nature, when Jiang Ruan’s current situation was brought to his notice, he was bound to harbour a lot of dissatisfaction against his fellow government official, Jiang Quan. Upon his return to the capital, he would surely write a scathing report about Jiang Ruan’s situation. Since his word was taken seriously, one could imagine the blow to Jiang Quan.

Jiang Ruan laughed and said, "Jiang Ruan will never be able to repay Daren’s benevolence."

Imperial Censor Wang’s face took on a rather strange expression. "Are you thanking me for the chance I have offered you to seek justice, for sending you back to the Jiang household, or for my cooperation in the court today?"

Those who have served with righteousness in the government for many years and still remain upright are naturally not incompetent. Jiang Ruan was not concerned about having been found out and calmly replied, "All the above."

Imperial Censor Wang looked at her searchingly. "Little girl, don’t let your heart be too burdened. Treat my slight effort today as being repayment for your stalks of the red plum blossoms. You said that this old fellow was like the red plum blossom, that it has to go through bitter cold before its fragrance emerges. However, this old fellow thinks that these words suit you even better." He shook his head and said, "Later, allow some guardsmen to go back with you and retrieve all your belongings. Everything must be returned to the rightful owner."

Jiang Ruan nodded her head in thanks.

Imperial Censor Wang walked on once again, but suddenly stopped. With his back to her, he told Jiang Ruan, "It is correct, your father was not strict enough in governing his household. He ignored the situation when those he had appointed to positions of responsibility bullied his di[4] daughter. To cultivate one’s moral character and to regulate one’s family is the only way to ensure proper rule and harmony in the country, yet Jiang Quan’s backyard is in such disarray. In all likelihood, the bureaucracy is excessively biased. When this old fellow returns to the capital, he will write an official report condemning his actions, using this bad example to warn others."

[4] Di ( 嫡 ) daughter – Di refers to the legitimate/first wife, the original spouse of a man. In the context of children, di means legitimate, a child born from the official wife. Di children have higher standing than shu (庶) children (born of a concubine) and are generally the rightful heirs of the family.

Translated by : shl

Edited by : Anks & Ely

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