The Gossip Beauty - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Speaking of which, this marriage was actually a case of my family marrying up.

The subject of the imperial decree was a man named Xie Qingxuan. He had recently become a hot topic of conversation among the circles of official families.

He was twenty-three years old and the only son of Duke Zhenguo and the late Grand Princess.

Because of his deep affinity for Buddhism, he had been chosen at a very young age by the famous monk Master Liaoran and taken to a renowned temple in Jiangnan to practice.

When he finally returned to the capital, instead of living in the splendor of the Duke’s Mansion, he insisted on staying at White Horse Temple on the outskirts of the city. He had been there for three years now.

He lived in seclusion and rarely saw anyone.

According to rumors leaking out from White Horse Temple, ever since Xie Qingxuan moved in, no one had heard him utter a single word. He was likely a mute.

This rumor received indirect confirmation from His Majesty.

“My dear minister, look at these two. One talks too much, and the other doesn’t talk at all. Isn’t it a match made in heaven?”

And so, with a grand wave of his hand, His Majesty paired the two of us together.

My father was very happy. First, he had fulfilled the task my mother had set for him. Second, a child raised in such an ancient, famous temple since childhood was bound to have a decent character.

My mother was also very happy. Duke Zhenguo had been handsome and elegant in his youth, and the Grand Princess had been a peerless beauty; their child’s appearance was bound to be exceptional.

The two of them put their heads together and packed me off to White Horse Temple to cultivate our feelings.

I knew that once the news of the imperial marriage spread, it would cause quite a stir in our social circles, but I didn’t expect anyone to move so quickly.

In a pavilion by the pond in the back courtyard of White Horse Temple, I sat waiting for the monk leading the way to call for Xie Qingxuan. My bottom hadn’t even warmed the stone stool yet.

“Isn’t this Sister Bailing from Minister Ji’s family? You’ve rarely left the house lately, sister. Why have you come to White Horse Temple today?”

“I heard your father begged the Emperor for a marriage decree because you couldn’t get married. It hasn’t been easy; after all these years, your marriage finally has a destination.”

The speaker was Zhao Ning, the married daughter of the Left General.

If one were to rank which noble lady in the capital hated me the most, she would definitely be at the top of the list.

She already bore a grudge against me because I had publicly mocked her for her hand tremors once before.

To make matters worse, the husband she married was the very scholar I had rejected on the street years ago, Xu Xianzu.

That Xu Xianzu originally had no talent to speak of, but he was blessed with a good name.

During the imperial examinations, his ancestors must have manifested their spirits, allowing him to perform beyond his usual level and actually pass.

In his daily life, he did nothing productive and spent all his time scheming on how to climb the social ladder. Unexpectedly, his ancestors manifested again, and he actually managed to climb up.

I reckon all the remaining strength of his ancestors was spent on him.

When I learned the two of them were getting married, even I couldn’t help but marvel-was this the legendary ‘Alliance of Victims’?

However, the relationship between the two was not good.

Initially, Xu Xianzu had only been after Zhao Ning’s family background. But after marrying her, he discovered that his father-in-law was all show and no substance; he held the title of Left General but had no real power.

As time went on, he became increasingly neglectful of Zhao Ning.

I had never heard of Zhao Ning being a Buddhist believer. Today wasn’t a day of worship, nor was there a dharma assembly. One could guess why she was here with their pinky toe.

Zhao Ning sat down beside me and poured herself a cup of tea.

“Is sister waiting for that Eldest Young Master Xie?”

Heh, asking what she already knew.

I knew that a war of words was unavoidable today, so I had no intention of holding back.

“Your information is quite well-informed, sister. What, did you station someone at my front door?”

“It takes crossing several streets to get from my house to yours. For you to rush here so quickly, you must have exhausted several carriage horses on the way?”

“I’m truly flattered that you value me so much. However, I must advise you, sister: instead of focusing your attention on me, you should spend more time learning the way of husband and wife from your family. I heard that although you’ve been married for three years, you’ve never managed to win your husband’s favor.”

“Oh, right, I almost forgot-the Left General doesn’t have a very harmonious relationship with his wife either.”

“Blood ties are truly a marvelous thing. It seems you didn’t just inherit the Left General’s hand tremors, Sister; even your unhappy marriage is a direct legacy from the General’s wife.”

Zhao Ning had clearly improved over the last two years. Despite my provocation, she only took a sharp breath.

“Everyone has been very concerned about Sister Bailing’s marriage. After all, being your age and still unmarried makes you quite the exception among the young ladies of the city.”

“The Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion is a prestigious lineage of scholars and officials with many rules. As someone who has already walked this path, I must remind you, Sister, that once you’re married, you must learn to hold your tongue.”

“You should know that being a gossip is one of the ‘Seven Grounds for Divorce.’ If you truly end up being despised and cast out because of it, you’ll become the laughingstock of the entire Capital City.”

Tsk, tsk. Listen to this non-sequitur of a response. She must have prepared that script the whole way here.

How dull. Truly dull. It’s like being a hero with no battlefield to fight on.

“There’s no need for you to worry, ‘experienced’ Sister. After all, my mother-in-law passed away long ago, and my father-in-law is away guarding the border. Once I marry into the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion, I’ll be the mistress of the house. I won’t be like you, Sister, having to engage in a daily battle of wits with a mother-in-law while dealing with a difficult sister-in-law.”

“And another thing-perhaps you’ve forgotten, Sister? My marriage was bestowed by His Majesty. It cannot be dissolved so easily.”

The messy affairs of the Xu Family were one of Zhao Ning’s sore spots. Whenever she heard them mentioned in social circles, her face would inevitably darken.

Furthermore, both my tone and expression were calculated to fan the flames.

Fury climbed into her eyes. The resentment of having her shameful secrets exposed, combined with the irritation of being unable to counter my barbs, made her entire body tremble with agitation.

This… it seems my earlier thought that she’d improved was a mere illusion.

“Ji Bailing, what do you have to be so proud of? So what if you’re the ‘Number One Beauty’? You still couldn’t get yourself married off and ended up betrothed to a mute!”

“What’s wrong with being a mute? At least my future husband has been nurtured by the teachings of Buddha since childhood and has kept himself pure. He’s not like some people’s husbands, who spend every day lingering in flower streets and wine shops.”

“Those girls have ‘vermilion lips tasted by ten thousand men.’ You should take care of your health, Sister.”

“Ji Bailing, see if I don’t tear your mouth apart today!”

She couldn’t take it anymore. She finally snapped.

Accompanied by the sharp *shatter* of a teacup hitting the floor, Zhao Ning stood up.

As for me, I had already retreated and prepared myself the moment her last sentence left her mouth.

This wasn’t the first time.

When she can’t win an argument, she resorts to violence. I really don’t know whether to call her reckless or praise her for truly being a daughter raised in a military household.

However, there was one thing I ultimately miscalculated.

In the past, when Zhao Ning and I got into physical scuffles, I usually had the upper hand, or at the very least, it was a fifty-fifty split.

But now-

As I was pushed into the pond behind me, only one thought crossed my mind:

Could it be that getting married actually makes a person stronger…?

I was quickly pulled out, but I certainly suffered for it, choking on several gulps of water.

The water rushing in from all sides made me instinctively close my eyes. By the time I regained my senses, I was already on the shore.

I was lying in the arms of my rescuer. My eyes were met with a gray monk’s robe, a collar slightly pulled open from the dive into the water, and dripping wet, long black hair.

Wait, no… since when do monks have hair?