Spring of the Blade - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Early the next morning, as Qingyuan dressed and groomed herself, Chuntai offered to pin a floral crown onto her hair. It was a popular hairstyle for young ladies going out—neat and not easily blown apart by the wind. But Qingyuan shook her head and said, "Just style it as you always do."

Chuntai hesitated. "Miss, are you truly not planning to go?" Truth be told, it would be a pity to miss this. This might have been a monumental opportunity to cultivate feelings. The Marchioness of Danyang had only one son; even if the Marquis was usually strict, the Marchioness was overly protective of her child and would overlook almost anything. The Fourth Miss had no one in this household who truly cherished her. If she did not take her future into her own hands, what would become of her? Those of them who served her closely—so long as the mistress didn't mind—would follow her to her husband’s house as personal maids. In truth, they were the only ones who stood heart-and-soul with her. In Chuntai’s view, if the mistress wanted to marry into the Danyang Marquis’s house, winning over that Third Young Master was half the battle.

Yet Qingyuan still shook her head. "I cannot go today, and I should not go."

Baoxian straightened the scented ball hanging from her knot and asked, "Miss, what do you mean by that?"

Qingyuan looked toward the hazy sky outside the window and replied languidly, "I have actually been suspicious of the letter's authenticity all along. The truth will be revealed shortly. If the Old Madam and the Madam still allow me to go, the letter is surely fake. If they rack their brains to keep me here, then the letter is most certainly real."

Baoxian and Chuntai were taken aback. Upon reflection, it was indeed the truth. It was precisely because of this that they felt all the more sorrow for the Fourth Miss. She was only fourteen, yet she had to expend so much effort—it was truly vastly different to have a mother compared to not having one. The Second Miss was the apple of the Madam’s eye, used to being domineering, charging forward with her eyes closed because the Madam always took care of things for her. As for the Fourth Miss, she was unsupported and had to weigh every step three times before taking it. Everyone who saw this sighed at her hidden depth and composure, while also feeling pity for her sad lot in life.

Her predictions, however, proved accurate nine times out of ten. After paying her morning respects, she was detained by the Old Madam. The Old Madam said, "Your father has been back from Jiannan for several days now. With family matters piling up—first entertaining relatives, then your Third Brother’s wedding—we mother and son, and you father and daughter, have not had a proper chance to speak. I was thinking that for you to remain so distant from your father until now is truly not the way things should be. Today, I have asked your father to dine at the Huifang Garden. We three shall talk; that is what a family should look like."

Qingyuan understood. The letter was indeed real. She owed the Old Madam thanks for such thorough planning. She was not without a sense of melancholy—not because she regretted being unable to meet Li Congxin, but because she felt like an outsider in this house, constantly being plotted against. Still, this arrangement was not bad. She had indeed never properly interacted with her biological father. She intended to take this opportunity to bring up the long-standing confusion in her heart and seek his guidance.

She said, "Will my brothers come over after finishing their studies?"

The Old Madam said no. "I have only invited your father. There are many people in the household, and some things are better not said in front of everyone. Only the three of us will be more relaxed and casual."

So, Qingru and Qingrong were not invited. While she was being restrained in the Old Madam’s garden, they remained free to move about.

Qingyuan smiled, her mind as clear as a mirror. She knew it was not the time to object, so she stayed. After serving the Old Madam her medicine, she strolled to the east side to watch Yuequan handle the silk reeling. The Old Madam was a diligent woman with strict standards; since her youth, she had refused to wear silk from outside, insisting on raising silkworms and reeling the silk within the family. Over time, this had created much work that the maids were not accustomed to, leading to complaints behind her back.

A silkworm cocoon is tiny, but the process of boiling, reeling, and spinning is incredibly complex. In a shed at the southeast corner of the garden, a full set of equipment was set up. Qingyuan saw Yuequan binding her sleeves, busy stirring a hot pot with a large rod. The sun outside was scorching, and she was hard at work with only a young girl to tend the fire.

Suddenly, a rack nearby wobbled and nearly tipped over. Qingyuan rushed over to steady it, laughing, "Sister Yuequan, you have been working hard. I saw you lighting the fire as soon as I walked in; are you still not finished?"

When Yuequan saw it was her, she smiled. "Why has the Fourth Miss come over? The air here is foul; you should go inside and rest."

Though she said this, she didn't leave. Instead, she put down her fan and pitched in to help. They were both young girls; it wasn't hard for them to get along. Yuequan saw she couldn't be persuaded to leave, so she let her join. After a while, she noticed Qingyuan’s technique was incredibly skillful and exclaimed, "Has the Fourth Miss reeled silk before?"

Qingyuan nodded with a smile. Her delicate and gentle features, seen beneath the shed where shards of sunlight leaked through, were dazzling to behold.

When she smiled, dimples appeared—slight and sweet, like a sugar bowl. She said slowly, "At my previous home, my grandmother also led the servants in reeling silk. I watched for so long that I eventually learned."

Yuequan realized, "No wonder." She gave a vague smile. "It is also because the Fourth Miss is eager to learn. Silkworms are raised on the manor for three seasons, but if you were to ask those other three misses, I fear they wouldn't even know how a cocoon is turned into clothing."

Young ladies who never had to worry about food or clothing naturally had no need to know such things. Qingyuan joked, "I learned to break the cocoons only because my grandfather loved eating silkworm pupae. I don't know how he had the appetite for it; every time he had them served on a platter, my grandmother and I would eat at a separate table—we were scared to death."

"That is a delicacy! Outside in the markets, they sell silkworm pupae as snacks, a platter for one hundred coins," Yuequan said, sticking out her tongue. "Goodness, one hundred coins could buy over a dozen catties of rice or flour!"

Indeed, there was nothing in this world that humans wouldn't eat. They sighed over it, feeling a mix of horror and amusement.

Yuequan chatted with her for a long time, feeling more and more that the Fourth Miss was naturally good-tempered. As a maid in the Old Madam’s inner circle, she heard more internal gossip than others. Today, she felt great pity for the Fourth Miss. Unable to speak too clearly, she offered a subtle hint, looking at the sky outside. "The Second Miss truly knows how to pick a day. Going to the Great Buddha Temple to pray... what a fine day, not a single wisp of cloud."

Qingyuan’s hands paused for a split second, and she understood immediately.

Xiaoxi must have passed Li Congxin’s letter to Madam Hu shortly after. Madam Hu had one trait: whenever there was a minor matter, she loved to seek the Old Madam’s advice. She must have told the Old Madam and asked for instructions on whether to let her go or to find a way to sever her hopes. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had racked their brains for the reputation of the Xie family and the future of the legitimate daughter. Naturally, the result was to delay her while having Qingru meet Li Congxin instead. If feelings grew, so be it; the man was unmarried and the woman was single. Even if the Danyang Marquis house turned around and asked for Qingru, who could say anything against it?

Truly, for the sake of a marriage, they had used every desperate tactic—this was the sort of behavior those dignified ladies of high rank engaged in! Qingyuan’s lips curled slightly. On the surface, she had suffered a loss, but in reality, it matched her wishes perfectly. She did not grow angry; instead, she laughed joyfully. "They are bathing the Golden Buddha at the Great Buddha Temple today. I faintly heard that some important people are coming, and the temple is preparing a reception. It is most efficacious to pray at this time. If I were not tied up here, I would have liked to go."

The look in Yuequan’s eyes was filled with pity. She lamented that the Fourth Miss was truly pitiful—a lonely flower blooming in a deep, walled courtyard. Not only did she receive no protection, she was also constantly trampled upon. Now, she was forced to endure everything, and even if she didn't complain, she would still not find peace until her sisters had all married off. In the entire Xie household, no one treated her as family. When this became a habit, who wouldn't want to exploit her and keep her under their thumb!

Yet, Qingyuan remained perfectly calm. She helped Yuequan twist the silk into a strand and set it on the spinning wheel to wind onto the spindle. Just as they were busy, the Old Madam’s head maid hurried over. "The Fourth Miss is here! I have been looking everywhere for you. The Master has entered the garden, and the Old Madam has asked for you."

Qingyuan answered, set down her sleeves, and exited the shed. She walked through a corridor until she reached the side hall where the Old Madam was having a meal. This side hall was different from the main chambers; it was a purely wooden structure. The corridors and rows of partition doors were coated with tung oil, giving off the warm, rustic glow of natural wood in the sunlight.

She took off her shoes on the steps and stepped barefoot into the small hall. Looking inside, she saw her father had arrived and was chatting with the Old Madam. One could not speak casually in front of elders, so she performed a deep curtsy and stood quietly to the side. At first, she couldn't understand what they were discussing, but she soon realized that her father’s return from Jiannan was not a visit to pay respects, but because he had been suspended from his post and was awaiting a decision from the Imperial Court.

The Old Madam’s face was as dark as water. "Our Xie family is a century-old clan. Though not as glorious as in the days of our ancestors, we cannot be ruined in your hands. Now, what is the situation? Have you thought of a way to respond?"

Xie Shu replied, "Mother, please calm yourself. I have already entrusted people in the capital to negotiate. Spending money is a small matter. As long as we suppress the current storm, if the Saint remembers past military merits, he will certainly not pursue this."

"It is only good if someone can speak to the Saint." The Old Madam sighed. "Moving the family from Youzhou to Lin'an and later establishing our estate in Hengtang was a massive miscalculation. A family like ours—how could we leave the shadow of the Emperor? If connections are not maintained, they fade with every passing mile. When trouble arises and we must beg for help, who will truly help you solve your predicament?" She paused and asked, "Whom have you entrusted this time? Are they reliable?"

Xie Shu stroked his knees. In truth, he was not entirely certain, but to soothe the Old Madam, he insisted, "There can be no mishaps. It is a protégé of Father’s. I have entrusted him to bridge the gap and reach the Commander of the Imperial Guard, so that he can plead our case to the Saint."

The Old Madam fell silent. After a long while, she said, "The people in the Imperial Guard have been rotated again and again, and not one of them is easy to deal with. Those people—they devour you without spitting out the bones. Even if they get the job done, half of our family fortune will be swallowed up, and I fear it won't be enough!"

But what else could be done? Xie Shu lowered his head, blinking his dry eyes. "It is all because I have been negligent, troubling you, Mother. I have pondered this deeply. Money alone may not buy true sincerity; we must find a way to climb up through a marriage to be truly secure."

Indeed. The marriage alliances used by states were just as useful for ordinary families. A family connection would provide a guarantee—one prospering, all prospering; one suffering, all suffering. Then he wouldn't need to worry about a lack of sincerity. But such connections were not easy to forge. Not to mention that such people were often ruthless, even looking at the ranks: the Commander of the Imperial Guard and a Regional Military Governor were both of the same rank (second-tier). To forge such a marriage, without a powerful and influential matchmaker, it could never be achieved.

The Old Madam pondered again. "Have you inquired if that Commander has any children of an age comparable to ours?"

Xie Shu laughed dryly. "The newly appointed Commander is but twenty-five or twenty-six. How could he have children that old?"

"This is difficult then. Perhaps he has siblings, nephews, or nieces..." The more she spoke, the more troubled she became. She struck her leg and said, "Winding around a hundred and eighty turns is useless. At such an age, they must surely be married..."

"Not necessarily," Xie Shu said. "His father met with disaster ten years ago, implicating the entire family. This extraordinary promotion is partly because he is shrewd and ruthless, deeply trusted by the Saint, and partly to console his father. But Mother, consider this—such a person is used to licking blood from the blade. He is different from ordinary military generals. If he knows we are trying to climb up through him, I fear..."

Suddenly, the Old Madam raised her hand to stop him, smiling. "Enough. Let us not talk of this now. Of all things in heaven and earth, eating is the most important." She stood up and waved at Qingyuan. "Fourth girl, come over here. Tell them to set the table and start the meal.”