Spring of the Blade - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Since the Old Madam had given her permission, she could leave home without a worry.

Opportunities for a young lady in a sheltered household to venture out were rare. When she counted them up, all the times she had left the city since arriving in Youzhou had been related to the Shen family. Regardless of what kind of existence Commander Shen might be to the Xie family, as far as Qingyuan was concerned, the Shen family was, in the end, not a bad connection to have.

Early the next morning, as she dressed and groomed, she carefully tucked the beast-faced jade pendant into her small pouch and fastened it tightly to her button.

Chuntai teased her from the side, "Our Miss hasn't forgotten to bring this jade pendant wherever she goes now. If Commander Shen were to find out, I wonder what he would think."

Just as she was giggling, two matrons happened to walk past the steps carrying baskets. Qingyuan hurriedly signaled for her to be silent. Only after they had walked away did she say, "The man's property is sitting with me, and I feel terribly guilty. If I don't return it to him, it’s as if I’ve committed a theft. I suspect he must think this jade pendant is lost, given how much time has passed... It has been exactly ten days from the night of the banquet until now."

Baoxian helped her put on her veil hat and straightened the gauze, saying, "How do you know he isn't waiting for the Miss to return it? You saw him once when he gave it, and you'll see him again when you return it..." She smiled, "Commander Shen is a man who thinks things through."

Baoxian and Chuntai exchanged smiles. Qingyuan felt helpless at the romantic fantasies filling her maids' heads. If she had harbored vague premonitions at the beginning, then as time went on, such conjectures had been entirely dispelled. A high-ranking and powerful court official, one whose family had suffered tragedy years ago, who had utilized her father to bring down a nemesis—all while extorting a large sum of silver from the Xie family—how could one attribute the shy, maidenly thoughts of a young girl to such a man of such deep and calculating mind!

However, since Chuntai and Baoxian enjoyed joking about this, she was too lazy to argue with them; after all, she felt very happy every time she went out. She was not like Qinghe or Qingru, who could be taken out by their mothers to buy rouge and powder, or to visit a temple to pray, with the greatest of ease. She had no reliable elder to accompany her, and she might never be able to go out in her lifetime. Now, thanks to the Deputy Commander’s wife, being able to go out with her maids was truly a cause for great jubilation.

From the pendant flower gate to the main entrance was a distance of two bowshots. Previously, every time she left or entered, she had to pass through the interrogation of the Palace Guard soldiers. Today, looking ahead, those armored warriors were nowhere to be seen. Since there was finally no one watching, her mood was much lighter.

Qingyuan walked quickly toward the gate. The morning sun was not yet glaring, nor could it pierce through her veil hat. When the wind blew, it brushed against the gauze covering her hat. In this early summer season, there was always a sense of fresh fragrance, like peonies after the rain. Perhaps because she was young, her heart was never filled with too much sorrow. As she drew closer to that great gate, it felt as though she were breaking through a cage, and in the next moment, she might spread her wings and fly away.

"Hey..."

Just as she was about to step over the threshold, she heard someone call out. Qingyuan turned her head to look; it was Zhenglun coming from the direction of the covered walkway. Usually, those three brothers never spared her a glance, so she didn't know what had happened today that he was actually minded to greet her.

She curtsied, "Is Second Brother also going out?"

Zhenglun hummed, "I’m going to the official academy for a while. Are you going to the Commander’s mansion?"

Qingyuan said yes, "I’m meeting the Deputy Commander’s wife, and then we are heading to Huguo Temple."

Zhenglun nodded, "Do you know that Chunzhi is entering Youzhou in the next two days?"

Qingyuan hesitated for a moment and smiled, "I do not know. When we parted at Hengtang last time, he said he would also come to Youzhou in two months. Counting the time, it is about right."

Zhenglun was quite impressed by this "cheap" sister’s ability to play dumb. And it was no wonder; with an uncle who didn't cherish her and a grandmother who didn't love her, she had to keep her tail tucked to survive in the mansion. He was acting out of kindness; after all, among the three brothers, his friendship with Li Congxin was the deepest. He understood that young Marquis’s intentions clearly—even now, he was still obsessed with Qingyuan. Looking closely at this little sister, he had previously felt she was still childish, but later, when she reached her coming-of-age ceremony at the post station, she had been generous and decorous when paying her respects to his mother. Now, looking at her again, he felt she had grown up, possessed of a maiden’s natural, gentle beauty, and was much more pleasing to the eye than before.

Zhenglun nodded again, "It’s nothing. I just wanted to inform you. Perhaps the day after tomorrow, he should arrive."

Qingyuan said okay, understanding Zhenglun’s intention in telling her specifically. Once she sat in the carriage, Baoxian whispered, "This young Marquis is quite thoughtful, chasing from Hengtang to Youzhou, across a thousand miles..."

Qingyuan smiled, "If he comes, I can just thank him properly. That roster he gave helped a great deal."

As for helping a great deal, it wasn't exactly that, but it had indeed pointed her toward a path. Things in this world were all formed by coincidence. If not for that roster, perhaps her father would still be sitting trapped in a city of worries. As for her, she might have been treated like a key to open a door, casually handed over to some low-ranking guard watching the Xie house as a reward for his service.

Regardless of how things might turn out in the future, no one could say for sure right now. Qingyuan didn't dwell on it too much. The carriage clattered to a stop before the Commander’s mansion. The gatekeepers had seen her several times, and because Xie Shu had been restored to his official position, they were even more respectful toward her.

"The Madam has given orders that when the Fourth Miss arrives, there is no need to report; you may enter directly." The guard waved his hand, and the gatekeeper inside came out to greet them, eagerly leading them toward the long corridor.

This was the third time she had come, and she felt a sense of familiarity walking this path. The vast mansion was proper and conventional, only the trees and plants were kept exceptionally well. In the height of summer, they should be even more lush. As the wooden corridor passed through the verdant world, for a moment, it felt as though she were walking toward a secluded paradise.

At the end of the corridor, Fangchun happened to be walking toward her, wearing her veil hat, saying as she walked, "Is it hot today? I had someone prepare another carriage and installed an ice chest inside." She gestured with her hand, "One this big, packed with food and drink. We won't need to eat the temple food at noon; we have prepared our own."

Qingyuan hummed, feeling quite surprised by her methods. She had never heard of anyone going out on a trip and specifically using a carriage to transport an ice chest. The Deputy Commander’s wife’s thoughtfulness had reached a point that left her speechless.

Fangchun smiled, "This is a method that only someone as bad at socializing and as fond of comfort as I could come up with. The temple is crowded; one might run into this lady or that lady. If we meet, a greeting would suffice, but what if they opened a vegetarian table—wouldn't we have to eat at the same table as them? I don't like dining with people I’m not familiar with. It is better for the two of us to be quiet and peaceful. Last time, the Commander and the Deputy Commander attended your family's banquet, so this time, I’ll let you taste my family’s cooking. The cooks in our mansion are not bad; they know how to make dishes from both the North and the South. In the future, just say whatever you want to eat."

Qingyuan took it as a joke. Fangchun was not the type of person to be overly cautious or calculating. She had the direct and forthright style of a person from Yunzhong, saying whatever came to mind. As they were about to leave, she even took a detour to lead her up to a cooling pavilion, pointing far away to a courtyard in the east, saying, "Look, that is the Commander’s courtyard. Logically speaking, after Shen Che and I were married, we should have moved out to establish our own household, but you know, the Shen family suffered great hardships in the early years. Shen Che is very reluctant to be apart from the Commander, so we split the family but not the mansion; we still live together in the old home." She smiled at Qingyuan, "But when the eldest sister-in-law enters the door in the future, we will have to ask for her opinion. In any case, it doesn't matter. We are flesh and blood with endless ties; there is nothing that cannot be discussed. If we split the household later, we will just build a house nearby, close enough for easy visiting."

Qingyuan laughed supportively, "Truly, a great family has the bustle of a great family, and a small family has the mutual care of a small family. When there are few people, we must rely on each other; how precious that affection is!"

Fangchun blinked, "Indeed. You came today—aren't you going to ask if the Commander is here?"

Qingyuan had originally intended to ask, but as soon as the other party mentioned it, the words were instantly swallowed. She touched her small pouch and said, "My father has survived this crisis without harm thanks to the Commander’s mediation. My grandmother said that when the Commander is free, she will want to thank him properly. However, those are matters my brothers should oversee; I will not ask..." After saying this, she smiled again, "The Commander shouldn't be on leave today, should he?"

A young woman, although already very composed, was still somewhat childish in certain subtle ways. Fangchun observed her expression with great interest; the light, airy glance she gave after finishing those words looked truly lovely.

Fangchun let out a short laugh, "Let me calculate: the next time he has leave is still far off; at the very least, it will be another half-month."

Qingyuan had known early on that returning the jade pendant wouldn't be possible, so she was not in a hurry.

The two of them walked out of the mansion together. Indeed, a carriage was waiting outside the gate. Fangchun led her over to take a look. As the carriage door opened, there sat a square bronze ice chest. The tiger head cast on the front had its mouth wide open, baring its fangs. Qingyuan recognized it at a glance, "This ice chest has been around for years; it is an old relic from a previous dynasty."

Fangchun squeezed into the same carriage with Qingyuan. Along the way, she asked about Qingyuan’s situation and, while at it, introduced her own family circumstances, "Outsiders always hold some fear when mentioning the Shen brothers. In fact, the Shen family originally started as scholars. The old master was very good at choosing names. Have you heard the childhood names of the Commander and the Deputy Commander?"

Qingyuan shook her head. Outside the window, the daylight filtered through a layer of silver-red soft gauze, casting a gentle, alluring light on her cheeks.

"Shen Run’s childhood name is Shouya (Upholding Elegance), and Shen Che’s childhood name is Chengbing (Clear Ice)." When Fangchun mentioned her first meeting with her husband, there was a touch of shyness in her eyes, "At that time, when he came to report to my father’s command, I saw his name card and fell in love with his name at first sight. He didn't know me then, but I knew him. I was the one who racked my brains to make his acquaintance first. Later, the Commander entered the service of the Privy Council, and he followed him back to Shangjing. There were three years there where there was no news of him at all. Three years later, when I saw him again, he arrived with ten carriage-loads of bride-price gifts and married me home."

Qingyuan listened to their old story—simple and direct, yet deeply affectionate and passionate. The person who had previously seemed so far away now had a face that was gradually becoming clear. Shouya, Chengbing—truly, they were both gentle and limpid names. The year Shen Zhibai met with disaster, the brothers were only fourteen or fifteen. Pampered young nobles who had fallen from the heavens into the heart of the earth in an instant; the hardships of the past ten years had permeated the texture of their fate, and it was no longer possible to examine them.

Qingyuan sighed softly, "Fortunately, the bitterness has passed and the sweetness has come. Yesterday, my family was still saying that to be an official of the Second Grade at such a young age—since ancient times, how many people could achieve that?"

Fangchun said, "Firstly, in the case of the succession dispute, the old master was implicated, but after taking a long detour, the very person he protected ended up inheriting the throne. Secondly, after the Saint ascended the throne, the Filial King caused trouble, and the rebel army attacked the Gongchen Gate; it was the brothers who held the line to the death. The Saint considered their military merits and was also moved by his gratitude for the old master, so he had no choice but to vigorously promote them."

A few brief sentences were enough to depict the ups and downs of the Shen family. A woman’s life in the inner chambers was mostly trivial, while a man’s path to officialdom was filled with tumultuous waves. Qingyuan sighed, "The times create heroes."

Fangchun laughed, "Now that the heroes are created, all that’s left is to enjoy the blessings." Saying this, she moved closer, "Fourth Sister, has your family arranged a marriage for you?"

Qingyuan smiled and shook her head, "I have three elder sisters above me, and none of them are married yet; where would it be my turn?"

"This isn't dividing family property—why do you have to go by order of seniority!"

Qingyuan did not want to discuss this with her. She gave a vague excuse and turned her head to look out the window. Huguo Temple was the largest temple in all of Youzhou. It was said that the Empress had also come here to pray to Buddha in her early years, and thus, the temple had always been prosperous with incense. From afar, they could hear the chanting of scriptures, and the scent of sandalwood wafted in the air. She lifted the gauze curtain, and the apricot-yellow temple walls appeared amidst the mountain forest. Qingyuan was somewhat excited, "Is that it?"

Fangchun said that it was and urged the coachman to go faster. Today was neither a holiday nor a festival, yet there were still quite a few carriages parked outside the mountain gate. The carriage door opened, and their respective maids came up to help them. They put on their veil hats. Qingyuan straightened Fangchun’s hat brim, and then they walked together toward the main hall.

Huguo Temple had a total of one hundred and eight steps. After reaching the top, one stepped onto a vast, open platform. In the middle of the platform stood an iron incense burner over a zhang high. Passing around the burner, they reached the main hall of Huguo Temple.

Qingyuan followed Fangchun inside, kowtowing and offering incense to the Bodhisattva with respect. Fangchun was normally a careless person, but upon entering the temple, she was cautious in everything. With a solemn expression on her face, she bowed deeply, her forehead firmly pressed against the prayer mat. After getting up and withdrawing from the hall, she asked Qingyuan, "What did you pray for?"

Qingyuan said, "Peace for the whole family." But her interpretation of "the whole family" did not include the Xie family; it was the Chen grandparents far away in Hengtang. Chuntai handed over a bundle of incense, and she lowered her head to tear off the seal, asking, "And you, Sister? What did you pray for?"

Fangchun said with a flushed face, "Naturally, peace for the whole family as well. There is one other matter: I am also praying for a child. My husband and I have been married for two years, and there has been no movement. My heart is a bit anxious."

She only said these words from the bottom of her heart because she did not avoid her. Qingyuan was an unmarried girl and did not know how to comfort her. Just then, she happened to see someone interpreting fortunes in front of the hall, so she said, "Sister, why don't you ask someone to cast a lot?"

Fangchun had an impatient temperament. Whatever she wanted to do, she wished she could fly there immediately. The bundle of incense in her hand wasn't lit, and there was no time to offer it everywhere, so she stuffed it all into Qingyuan’s hands. She pointed to the lamp pavilion where a row of candles was burning for guests to light incense, and then pointed to the iron incense burner on the white stone pedestal, "Just light them all and put them in; let the various gods and Buddhas divide them among themselves."

Qingyuan held the incense Fangchun handed to her, watching as she and her maid turned back. Along the way, they met familiar faces and stopped to nod and greet each other.

Baoxian said, "The Deputy Commander’s wife has a truly refreshing temperament."

Chuntai took the incense from Qingyuan’s hands and divided half for Baoxian, sticking out her tongue, "Let the various gods divide them among themselves—to think she dared to say such a thing."

Baoxian took Chuntai to the lamp pavilion. The lamp pavilion was no more than four or five zhang away from the great incense burner. Because there were too many open flames, Baoxian asked the Miss to wait by the incense burner; they would bring them back after lighting them, lest the Miss be careless and burn her clothes.

Qingyuan had to listen to their arrangements and stood there alone.

She looked up at the sky; today the sky was high with light clouds, the dome was azure, so blue it seemed to want to suck one’s soul into it. However, the terrain here on the platform was high, and the wind was stronger than below, blowing her hat skirt and veils until they flew, obstructing her view. She raised her hand to brush them aside. The front of the veil hat had an opening, and the long, soft, rolled-snow fine gauze covered most of her body. Separating it was like lifting a curtain.

But when she lifted the gauze curtain, the first thing she saw was not the blue sky above Huguo Temple, but a man with handsome eyebrows and sharp eyes. Like that day, he was wearing an intricate brocade robe, his eyes deep and complex.

Qingyuan had crossed paths with him three times—two in the dusk, and once in the dead of night. In her impression, he was a very good-looking man, but how exactly he looked remained blurred. Seeing him now under the clear, sunny sky, that magnificence and composure, and even the secrets hidden under his slightly raised eyelids, seemed to have a unique flavor. If the gold-armored soldiers behind him were a steel blade, then he was the exquisite pattern on the back of the blade. You think this is decoration? In truth, it is a blood groove for bleeding.

She had always hoped to return what he left behind in person, but now that she truly saw him, her heart shrank with fear. Not knowing how to speak, she took a half-step back and folded her hands to bow, only to hear his low, deliberately lowered voice come over—

"Fourth Miss, it seems I have dropped something with you.”