Spring of the Blade - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"The Mistress acts with less and less regard for her own reputation," Baoxian said while supporting Qingyuan’s arm. She paused, then took a long, searching look at her mistress before continuing, "Looking at it over this long period, the Eldest Miss is far better than those other two. I don't know what the Mistress is actually planning with such calculations."

Qingyuan walked back along the bluestone path and sighed softly.

She had witnessed the relationship between Qinghe and Li Guanling from the very beginning. From their initial cautious and warm meeting at the Spring Banquet to Li Guanling’s remark, "There will be no need to attend the Spring Banquet in the future," she had been genuinely happy for Qinghe. The engagement had been set and was unlikely to face any changes, but nobody could have foreseen the Xie family suffering such a massive setback, resulting in an order for the entire household to move back to Youzhou. It was only natural for the Kaiguo Earl’s mansion to wait and see, but as long as Li Guanling’s heart remained unchanged, what did it matter if the bride had to be sent thousands of miles away?

However, Madam Hu had changed her mind. On the surface, she claimed to be reluctant to see the Eldest Miss marry so far away, but secretly, there was no doubt some jealousy involved. Qingyuan swung her circular fan lazily and said, "The Mistress is naturally worried. With such vast estates in Hengtang, they can neither return to them nor sell them off easily. If the Eldest Miss were to be close at hand, wouldn't it be to the benefit of Concubine Lian’s branch of the family?"

Baoxian was momentarily speechless. She thought for a moment before replying, "I only thought the Mistress was wary of the Eldest Miss marrying into a high-status family; I hadn't realized there were such complications involved."

Qingyuan smiled, "By keeping everyone from having a share, it ensures that no one benefits. Once the Master’s career is secure in a couple of years, the mansions can be kept as holiday villas, and the other farms and shops can simply be liquidated. That is why the Eldest Miss cannot marry. If she does, she would inevitably be tasked with managing the assets. If she manages them for too long and ends up embezzling funds, the Xie family would have their arms broken inside their sleeves—who could they go to in the Kaiguo Earl’s mansion to argue the case?"

Baoxian listened and looked up at the Fourth Miss, "Just how many extra hearts of guile does the Miss actually have?"

"Just one," Qingyuan replied helplessly. "If I had returned and Grandmother and Father could have supported me like the Chen family grandparents did, I wouldn't even bother with this one. But I have no choice now. If I don't know how to think ahead and behind, I fear I'd be plotted to death without even knowing it."

Baoxian understood her dilemma and nodded with a heavy heart.

"Then what about the Eldest Miss... Miss, are you just going to watch the Mistress ruin her future?"

Qingyuan fell silent. After pondering, she said, "It is not easy for me to speak out of turn. I know the Eldest Miss’s feelings, but there is no guarantee that Concubine Lian doesn't also have the intention to call off the engagement. If one word leads to another and I let something slip, I would end up with the reputation of a troublemaker. As a young lady in a sheltered household, it is not worth it for me to attract such controversy."

She was always possessed of a clear-headed demeanor. Sometimes, being too clear-headed inevitably made one seem cold-blooded. In reality, she also wanted to act with passion, but there were simply too many reservations. She had to weigh every step she took, because while others had a retreat if things went wrong, she had absolutely no one behind her.

Baoxian did not disagree with the Miss’s decision. In these deep mansions, it was always a case of everyone sweeping the snow from their own doorstep. If the roles were reversed, the Eldest Miss would not necessarily have offered such a warning to the Miss.

They returned to Danye Pavilion. Chuntai was busy preparing clear water for her to wash. Qingyuan sat at the table and saw a box of pastries, so she asked where they came from.

Chuntai said, "The Eldest Miss had Xinyu bring them over, saying they are the famous rose pastries of Youzhou and inviting the Miss to have a taste."

Qingyuan picked one up and saw the exquisite craftsmanship; there was a pattern of magpies perched on branches. She smiled, "The Eldest Miss is far too thoughtful. Such a large box—how am I to finish it?" As she spoke, she asked Chuntai for a plate, placed six pieces on it, and packed the rest back into the box. She turned to instruct Xiaoxi, "Take this half-box back to the Eldest Miss. Thank her for me in person, and make sure to hand it directly to her."

Xiaoxi agreed. Braving the scorching sun, she carried the food box toward Hanxiang Hall. When she reached the moon gate, she saw from afar that Xinyu was supervising a young maid washing her hair. She went up, curtsied, and said, "Sister Xinyu, our Fourth Miss asked me to thank the Eldest Miss. This box is too much for our Miss to finish, so she asked me to return half of it."

Xinyu found this strange but said nothing more. She took it and said, "You can go back now; the Eldest Miss is resting."

Xiaoxi said, "Our Miss ordered that I must hand this directly to the Eldest Miss."

Xinyu found this even more bizarre, but she kept saying she understood. Once Xiaoxi walked out of the courtyard gate, she turned and entered the house.

Qinghe was not asleep. She propped herself up and asked, "What is it?"

Xinyu smiled, "I don't know what has gotten into the Fourth Miss. She usually loves pastries, but her appetite has actually become so small today." As she spoke, she opened the lid.

The other six rose pastries were placed neatly, but the one on the very top had been broken in two. The pair of birds on the magpie-perched-on-branches pattern, which had originally stood on the same branch, were now placed facing away from each other, worlds apart...

Xinyu looked at Qinghe in astonishment, "What does the Fourth Miss mean by this?"

Qinghe’s face turned deathly pale. She rose in a hurry and went straight to Concubine Lian’s room.

That evening, Concubine Lian carried a bowl of freshly brewed bird’s nest porridge into Xie Shu’s study.

Concubine Lian was not yet forty and still retained her charm. Xie Shu had once cared for everyone in his household, and because of their past intimacy, he was still warm and had much to say when they met.

Concubine Lian possessed an expert touch for massage. She stood behind Xie Shu and applied her craft; her slender fingers were strong and precise. She whispered, "The Master has been so exhausted lately. Although I cannot help much, I am truly anxious for you."

Xie Shu hummed, "Rest assured. Since Shen Run has accepted the petition, I doubt he will withhold it. Once the Saint sees it, he will naturally understand my intentions. If I am not mistaken, there should be an oral decree summoning me within the next two days."

Concubine Lian hummed, but the conversation lulled into an awkward silence.

Since she didn't speak, Xie Shu became curious. He patted her hand and asked, "Do you have something to say?"

"No..." Concubine Lian said in a low voice, "I just don't know when the Master will return. I fear that while you are away, some change will occur in the mansion, and we, mother and daughter, will have no one to rely on."

This was strange. Xie Shu turned and asked, "What change could possibly occur in the mansion? You are legitimate members of the household; who could possibly make things difficult for you?"

Since the conversation had reached this point, it was time for Concubine Lian to display her skill at crying. Her eyes filled with tears, and she leaned pitifully against Xie Shu’s knee, looking up, "Master, I have only borne one child, Qinghe, in this life. She is also your eldest daughter. Do you cherish her or not?"

Xie Shu said, of course, "Qinghe is my own flesh and blood. How could I not cherish her?"

"But now, someone is scheming against Qinghe, wanting to break her engagement with the Kaiguo Earl’s family. Master, our family has not fallen. If we were retreating in the face of difficulty, that would be one thing, but now that everything is fine, to destroy one's own future—what sense does that make? Qinghe is a respectable young lady. To betroth her to one today and another tomorrow—never mind Qinghe, even your own reputation, Master, would not be honorable." As Concubine Lian spoke, she lowered her head and mumbled, "You don't need to ask who this person is, Master; you know in your heart. When the Kaiguo Earl’s family first showed interest in an alliance, the Mistress had prepared the Second Miss. Who would have thought they would choose the Eldest Miss? She has held a grudge over it to this day. She is the Mistress in charge; the marriages of the children are all controlled by her. I have no say, so I am only afraid that a crisis will erupt while you are away from the mansion. I have come especially to beg you, Master: you must absolutely not agree to call off the engagement. Please consider our past affection and keep Qinghe in mind."

Xie Shu was infuriated upon hearing this, "Where did this idle gossip come from? Even if the Mistress is confused, the Old Madam sees things clearly—what are you so afraid of?"

Concubine Lian naturally would not say that she had glimpsed the truth from the pastries returned by the Fourth Girl. Such a thing was too absurd and baseless; wouldn't she be asking for the Master’s wrath if she told him? Thus, she insisted that the news had come from Huifang Garden. The Master would never go to verify this with the Old Madam, and if the Old Madam were to blame them for spying on the main chamber, Xie Shu would not be able to bear the fallout.

"The Master trusts the Mistress wholeheartedly, but do you know that she has been hoarding wealth and cutting corners behind your back?" Concubine Lian gave a miserable smile, "Just take the other day, for example—six or seven of those wine jars were funded by myself and the pomegranate courtyard. Where did our money come from? It was all saved from the gaps in our teeth during our daily lives! She forced us to contribute; if we didn't, she made us dip into the young ladies' dowries or the daughter-in-laws' trousseaus... Master, you are blind to what happens under your own lamp. It is pitch black. If you don't take charge, this household will sooner or later be squeezed to death by that Hu Wenzhuo."

Now Xie Shu’s face turned stern. He had always avoided managing the inner household. Whether one woman was slighted today or another tomorrow, it was impossible to distinguish right from wrong in a few words. Anyway, whenever someone came to complain of being wronged, another hateful face would immediately rise up. They were all people close to him, and he didn't want to listen because he couldn't judge these family matters, nor could he be anyone's impartial arbiter.

Concubine Lian cried until he had a headache, and the previous spark of affection was completely extinguished. He said in a coarse voice, "Fine, I have my own plans for this. You may return first."

Concubine Lian walked out of the study, not feeling any regret that she hadn't gained the Master’s favor. When she was young, she had sought love and intimacy, but now that she was older, she only looked to her children. Originally, she hadn't found a way to vent this foul air, but today, by using Qinghe’s matter to pour out the black mud in her heart and forcing the Master to see the true face of the Hu woman, it could be considered a victory.

The next day, just as Xie Shu had anticipated, the oral decree from the Saint arrived at their gate. The whole family was jubilant. Their mouths had been sealed shut recently, not allowed to speak, but now that was over—the Saint had granted them permission to speak, giving them the opportunity to state their case in person and reclaim their lost glory.

He went to Huifang Garden to bid farewell to the Old Madam, "Mother, you can be completely at ease now. The Xie family has served the imperial court for generations; we cannot have any mishaps during my tenure. When I enter Shangjing this time, I will naturally explain everything to the Saint. As long as I can request the grace to make up for my sins with merit, even if I were to die on the battlefield during this campaign, I would still be able to ensure the peace of the entire family."

These words violated a great taboo. The Old Madam spat, "It is clearly a good thing, so why say such unlucky words! Since that Commander Shen is willing to help, you can consider yourself to have someone you can rely on in the Palace Guard. Go ahead with courage."

Xie Shu agreed. Before leaving, he glanced at Madam Hu, then cupped his hands to the Old Madam, "After experiencing such storms this period, the whole family must be of one mind. As the ancients say, 'hold on to simplicity and maintain consistency.' Keeping everything as it is will be the greatest fulfillment for your son."

The Old Madam was a clever person. From that one sentence, she immediately understood and secretly grew resentful of Madam Hu’s selfishness. She promised, "I am here in the household; I am still capable of being the master over these people."

Madam Hu heard this and knew that although the Master hadn't pointed it out directly, he was referring to the engagement between Qinghe and the Kaiguo Earl’s eldest son. How did this news reach Hanxiang Hall? Except for Qingyuan, no one else had been present at the time, and since she and Qinghe were close, it was undoubtedly she who had delivered the news.

Madam Hu was filled with rage, but for the moment, she had to suppress it. The family watched as the Master whipped his horse and headed toward Shangjing, only then retreating to the inner household.

When they were about to disperse, Madam Hu finally spoke up and called out to Qingyuan, "Fourth Girl, wait a moment. I have a few words to say to you."

The unrelated people had all left. Qingyuan felt a bit helpless. In fact, she had known for a long time that once she intervened in this matter, she would not be able to detach herself. However, there was no need to be afraid—there were already too many new and old grievances between her and the Madam Hu-Qingru mother-daughter pair; it would be impossible to clear the slate even if she wanted to. She smiled and responded, "Please give your instructions, Mistress."

Madam Hu excelled at superficiality. Her expression remained as usual as she whispered to the Old Madam, "Our family has never had such an occurrence before—what is said in the main chamber is passed to the outside the very next moment. The Fourth Girl has only been back for half a year, and there are some rules she still doesn't understand. It would be best to inform her."

The Old Madam felt stifled and had no patience to act as such a judge, so she supported her head and closed her eyes.

Madam Hu was given the cold shoulder and felt a bit embarrassed. She smoothed her breath before saying to Qingyuan, "The words I spoke to the Old Madam yesterday—it was you who passed them on to your Eldest Sister, wasn't it? I know you two sisters are close, but there are some things that should not have been said. Nothing else matters, but for the flesh and blood of the same family to harbor resentment, that is your fault."

After Qingyuan listened, she bowed and said, "The Mistress is right to reprimand me. However, after I returned from Huifang Garden yesterday, I did not see the Eldest Miss or Concubine Lian. The Eldest Miss only sent me a box of pastries first; I couldn't finish so many, so I returned half of it to her. I also sent Xiaoxi to Hanxiang Hall. Xiaoxi is the most honest and would never gossip. The Mistress should know that." She smiled again, "But perhaps it was the Mistress who spoke of this to others in her own room—perhaps the Mistress spoke without intent, but it was passed on by someone with intent? I am a young lady in a sheltered household; I generally do not concern myself with such trivial matters. I have taken the Mistress’s instruction to heart, but as for matters that have nothing to do with me, I am afraid I cannot accept the blame."

Her response was well-founded and reasonable, leaving Madam Hu with no way to pick a fault. Xiaoxi was her eyes and ears, and any stir in Danye Pavilion would be reported immediately. Since she had sent Xiaoxi to Hanxiang Hall, it would naturally withstand questioning.

Knowing in her heart that it was no one else but her, yet being unable to catch any evidence, was infuriating. Madam Hu pursed her lips tightly. When she was angry, she habitually pulled her lip corners down, which was quite different from her usual benevolent appearance.

Seeing that no conclusion could be reached, Old Madam Xie tried to mediate, "This was not an important matter to begin with. It was spoken of during idle conversation; it should not be taken as truth. I don't know how it was misrepresented and reached your Master’s ears, and it even troubled him to specially give a warning. He is quite thoughtful regarding the children. Let’s not mention this matter anymore. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Can we manage them for a moment, or can we manage them for a lifetime?"

Madam Hu had always had the final say in the Xie family and had always been overbearing. Now that she had been refuted twice in a row, she felt both aggrieved and disheartened. She sighed and said, "I won't manage it anymore. I have done my duty as a legitimate mother; whether the future is good or bad, I cannot be blamed."

Qingyuan and Baoxian walked out of Huifang Garden in silence, though the smile on the corners of Qingyuan’s lips was slightly deeper than usual.

She had stepped onto the battlefield and had been fighting alone all this time. Her strength was not yet sufficient; she needed to borrow force to defeat force in order to grind down Madam Hu’s arrogance. Bringing the news to Qinghe’s side was meant to help her on one hand, but on the other, it was also meant to incite a war between Concubine Lian and Madam Hu. After being back in the Xie family for so long, she had finally realized a truth: watching a fire from the other side of the river was far less strenuous than entering the battle oneself.

——

The sunset shone through the window lattice, casting a floor full of diamond-shaped light. The southern transom windows were all wide open, yet there was not a trace of wind.

Two eunuchs held thick registers as they walked over. Once outside the threshold, they bowed and shouted toward the interior, "Commander, the duty records from all the palace gates have been summarized. Please, Commander, have a look."

As usual, there was no response from inside the threshold. The two eunuchs adjusted their official caps and entered. The magnificent wooden hall was supported by row upon row of pillars. The depth of nearly ten zhang had no walls, and one could occasionally see the guards passing by with their blades. Reaching the innermost part of the hall, a seven-wheeled fan was turning vigorously. The person behind the desk was taking advantage of the last rays of light before sunset, slowly flipping through old case files.

The young eunuch shaking the fan lowered his voice and called out, "Commander. The people from the Eunuch’s Office have arrived."

The person behind the desk didn't even lift an eyelid. He waved the scroll in his hand casually, "Leave them there."

The two eunuchs agreed. They cautiously stepped forward and stacked the registers in the corner of the desk. This was the Palace Guard’s spot check, which only occurred once every three months, and it was audited personally by the Commander.

A hand with distinct joints reached over, picked up a volume, and began flipping through it. While reading, he asked, "The Jinnan Circuit Commissioner has already entered the Palace, hasn't he?"

The eunuch replied, "Yes. The Saint just summoned him a quarter-hour ago, and they are still in their meeting."

The person behind the desk curled his lips slightly, "A quarter-hour... it is just about time."

He did not finish his thought regarding what time it was for. The two eunuchs exchanged glances secretly. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from outside. Looking back, they saw the Deputy Commander had arrived. He cupped his hands and said, "Commander, the Commissioner Xie has exited the Gongchen Gate and is hurrying toward the Palace Guard in a great state of agitation.”