Miss Truth
Chapter 139 - 88 Night Talk_2

Chapter 139: Chapter 88 Night Talk_2

Ran Yan, listening to Xing Nanny’s tone, seemed unaware of her earlier departure, thus she changed the subject and asked, "Have Wan Lu and Xiao Man awoken?"

Xing Nanny, while wringing her hair, replied, "Wan Lu sleeps soundly and can’t be woken up no matter how much you call her. Xiao Man is awake, though. This old slave doesn’t sleep much due to age, so I let her continue resting."

Ran Yan hummed in acknowledgment. Xing Nanny rambled on, "My lady mustn’t wash your hair with cold water again next time. A woman’s body is delicate indeed, and if you fall ill when you’re young, you’ll suffer greatly in your old age."

"I won’t do it again next time." Ran Yan understood this reasoning, thus she obediently agreed with Xing Nanny.

Ran Yan’s hair was very long, and it took a while to wring it dry, so she asked Xing Nanny, "Did you manage to find out about the matters down the mountain during the day?"

She already knew Xing Nanny would have inquired; this question was merely to learn about the situation at the foot of the mountain.

Xing Nanny sighed before speaking, "The Yan Family is still concerned about the Ran family’s reputation after all. They have settled a marriage arrangement but chose the fifteenth young lady, Ran Meixi, for it."

"Fifteenth young lady? With Yan ErLiang?" Ran Yan raised an eyebrow. The fifteenth young lady was a concubine-born daughter from the third branch of the family. Such a status was surely not a match for Yan ErLiang, whom the Yan Family treasured dearly.

"Indeed, but she will only be a concubine. They say that after the official wife enters, they will bring the fifteenth young lady over. Xing Nanny sneered and said, "This old slave figures, this matter is just the Yan Family’s way of preserving the Ran family’s face. How could the matter of taking a concubine be settled before the bride has even entered the household? Yan ErLiang will surely marry a noble daughter from a distinguished family in the future. How could such a lady endure such an insult!"

In the Tang Dynasty, taking a concubine required the approval of the legal wife. Although that was the legal requirement, most of the time the wife, even if unwilling, would have to agree due to various reasons. However, settling the status of a concubine before the legal wife had even entered the household was indeed disrespectful to the future lady. Both families were cunning, and perhaps both were well aware of this.

Ran Meixi, the fifteenth young lady... Ran Yan reminisced about the somewhat dull, timid girl who always followed carefully behind her older sister, whose plain timidity somehow revealed an extraordinary indifference, thus she couldn’t help but ask, "What kind of person is the fifteenth young lady?"

Xing Nanny took the comb and began carefully combing through Ran Yan’s hair. Hearing Ran Yan’s question, she paused for a moment, thought for a while, and said, "This old slave has only seen the fifteenth young lady a few times, and my impression is not strong. However, Ge Lan once said to this old slave that the fifteenth young lady is no ordinary person. Her own mother was just a maid who was promoted to a concubine only after bearing a son. I know her mother, Yage Nanny, who is devoid of ideas. If not for the fifteenth young lady plotting behind the scenes, she likely wouldn’t be as favored as she is today."

Xing Nanny never doubted Ge Lan’s judgment; seeing no change in Ran Yan’s expression, she continued, "If this old slave had not seen for myself someone as clever as Ge Lan, I wouldn’t believe that such a young girl could be so influential."

Ran Yan smiled faintly. Based on Xing Nanny’s words, was the fifteenth young lady teaching her mother how to capture her father’s heart? If so, she truly was no simple girl!

"Your hair is dry, my lady, please get some rest. Tomorrow morning, you must wake up early to attend the scripture reading," Xing Nanny urged.

Ran Yan nodded and lay down, going with the flow. Xing Nanny asked if she wanted to keep the lamp on, but Ran Yan asked her to extinguish it.

The room suddenly fell into darkness. Her eyes took a while to adjust before she could gradually see things. Staring at the moonlight on the ground like frost, Ran Yan’s mind wandered over many things until she closed her eyes with great fatigue.

That nightmare from her past life surfaced again, haunting her unceasingly, making her furrow her brows tightly even in her sleep.

It wasn’t until dawn’s early break, when Ran Yan heard a distant bell sound, piercing through the pure mist, like a stream of spring water, washing away the fear and resentment in her heart.

The bell tolls continued incessantly, and by the time they reached the twentieth ring or so, the faint sounds of monks chanting sutras could be heard. Even without understanding the Sanskrit, one could still feel the tranquil power embedded within.

Monks? Ran Yan thought groggily, puzzled in her drowsiness. Gradually, swept away by this soul-soothing sound, she fell back into a deep sleep.

It wasn’t until daybreak that Wan Lu came in to wake her up.

"The monastery’s meals aren’t much to speak of, but the feng shui is good," Wan Lu said as she took several garments out of a trunk and held them up to Ran Yan, "Wife, which one will you wear today?"

All the dresses in Wan Lu’s hands had been custom-made for Ran Yan by Ran Yunsheng, exquisite and luxurious. Ran Yan frowned slightly and said, "I came here to cultivate purity, and even if it is just for show, I should at least play the part. How can I wear such clothes?"

Wan Lu glanced at the clothes in her hands and also felt they were inappropriate. She then took out a few plainer robes, and Ran Yan chose a dark-colored robe to wear.

Xiaoman assisted her with washing and dressing.

While Wan Lu tidied up the bed, she asked, "Lady, are you going to listen to the scriptures?"

"Yes. You don’t need to come with me," Ran Yan replied.

If a common maid had heard this, she would probably have felt anxious, worrying that she had somehow displeased her mistress. But Wan Lu turned around, her face lighting up with excitement, and said, "Really?"

"Stay here and copy the medical books, specifically the one the Master gave called ’Herbal Collection.’ Make sure the handwriting is clear and neat, no slacking off!" Ran Yan casually added the last part.

Puffing her cheeks, Wan Lu said, "Wife shouldn’t take such heavy breaths when speaking. You made this slave get excited over nothing... But, Wife, I can’t recognize all of the characters..."

Xiaoman was just combing Ran Yan’s hair and could only sneak a glance at Wan Lu using the moonlight in her eyes, calmly saying, "You are the formal study companion of the distinguished daughter of the Yan Family. How can you belittle yourself so?"

Wan Lu bit her lip. This was not a matter of belittling or not belittling herself; recognizing those characters wasn’t something she could simply do by saying so. Xiaoman stifled a laugh, but then she heard Ran Yan say, "Xiaoman, join Wan Lu in copying the medical books."

Xiaoman’s hand trembled, her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Lady, I don’t know many characters either!"

"Let Wan Lu teach you, then," Ran Yan glanced at herself in the copper mirror, her hairdo now complete, and stood up to leave, taking Xingniang with her to listen to the scriptures.

That left Wan Lu and Xiaoman, two equally matched in their lack of ability, staring blankly at each other.

Understanding that Ran Yan’s intentions were for her own good, Xiaoman slightly bowed to Wan Lu and said, "Please teach me, Sister Wan Lu."

With a heavy heart, Wan Lu wasn’t sure if she was up for the task. The sight of characters alone gave her a headache, let alone teaching someone else—she thought it would be less painful to just die. (To be continued. If you like this work, please cast your recommendation and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)