Spring of the Blade - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

This year’s rites to honor her mother were destined not to be as peaceful as those of previous years. Perhaps the path ahead was fraught with hidden dangers, but by stepping out from within the deep confines of the manor, Lady Hu had laid the groundwork for many possibilities, and Qingyuan herself now had room to maneuver.

If she were the daughter of an ordinary family, even if she had detected her stepmother's sinister intentions, she would likely have been powerless to cope. But Qingyuan grew up in the Chen household. Her paternal grandparents loved her wholeheartedly; her grandmother’s ample personal savings ensured she would never be left anxious or helpless due to poverty, and her grandfather had planned even more practically, worrying that if she were trapped in a desperate situation, there would be no one with the strength to rescue her from the fire.

"You don't know this, but those families that appear prosperous on the surface have endless methods within their inner chambers. Like concubines fighting for favor and scheming against one another—never mind other families, even our own has had such things. Your grandmother was such a formidable person back then; she found pretexts to get rid of all my concubines, and I couldn't even say a word against it. A lady of the house must, after all, manage the household behind the man." When her grandfather spoke of this, he shook his head with a helpless smile. Because so much time had passed, the resentment he felt back then had settled into the dyeing vat of the years, becoming light, so very light. He often had a habit of circling back to the beginning of his thought: "However, your grandmother was indeed a master at managing a house. I have had no sons in my life, and which branch of the uncles and brothers wasn't secretly plotting against our family property? Your grandmother was capable of handling such burdens; she managed the house like an iron bucket, preventing them from finding any loopholes, and ensuring that we could live as carefree in our old age as we did in our youth. But you..."

Her grandfather looked at her with tears faintly visible in his eyes—a deep, profound reluctance that, in the end, he could only hide by hastily turning his face away.

"Though you were not born to us, you are more important than those who were. Your grandmother doesn't say it, but I know she is heartbroken. Youzhou is a thousand miles away from Hengtang; she has never traveled far in her life, and it feels as if you are going to the ends of the earth. Your traveling expenses and valuables have been prepared by your grandmother. As for me, I am secretly giving you a few men to protect you along the way and ensure you remain safe and sound. They say money is an external thing; when a person walks into a predicament, having capable helpers is what truly matters. I have spent great wealth to support these men, keeping them until you are married and settled. If you find a good home, my heart will be at peace. But now that you are in the Xie household, everything is being handled by them, and I fear you will be mistreated. I worry about much: firstly, regarding your marriage; and secondly, regarding your daily life. I fear complications will arise. If you were still in Hengtang, it would be easier to handle, but now that you are going to Youzhou, we are beyond our reach and truly cannot be at ease. If you have need of the men I've prepared for you, use them without hesitation; they are reliable. You will be all alone in Youzhou; you must be careful in all things. Consider the intentions of others, but never forget to guard against them. You must remember my words."

After hearing this, Qingyuan felt as though a mountain were pressing down on her heart. Her grandfather usually appeared indifferent to the world, sometimes even childish, and always loved to contradict her grandmother. This was the first time he had spoken so much to her in one breath, every word and sentence a meticulous warning. Only then did she realize that her grandfather had grown old; the older a man gets, the softer his heart becomes.

She felt sad, but even more grateful for his foresight. Nothing had been in vain; today, it had truly come in handy.

In fact, she had been waiting for this very opportunity. Since Lady Hu had taken the initiative to send her out of the mansion, then regardless of what happened next, it could all be pinned on this stepmother. With Qingru having suffered a setback, it served as the perfect pretext; the motive was even ready-made, and everything stood to reason.

Is she calculating? If she weren't calculating, she wouldn't be able to survive in this household. Moreover, Lady Hu clearly had arrangements in place this time. If she had stupidly sat waiting for death, one couldn't even begin to imagine the fate of a young girl falling into the hands of villains.

Having a plan to respond, she knew how to walk the path ahead. At the first light of dawn the next day, the carriage was already waiting outside the corner gate. Items needed for the trip were steadily transported out of Danyue Pavilion and loaded onto the third carriage. Mama Tao and two young maids accompanied them. It was the middle of the sixth month, and the days were so hot that one could barely stand, so traveling before the sun rose was most suitable. The group of three carriages drove out from the narrow lane outside the Xie mansion.

The world was shrouded in a thin blue haze. A wind lamp hung from the corner of the carriage cover. As the carriage moved forward, the friction between the eave hooks and the lamp hooks, combined with the rolling of the axles, filled the world with a squeaking sound. Qingyuan lifted the window curtain to look out; the air was crisp and clear, and the vegetation in the suburbs was lush. Because it was still very early, there were few pedestrians on the road; one could travel a mile without encountering even one or two people.

Perhaps because it was the first day, the journey went very smoothly. By the time the sun came out, they had already reached the mountain gate of Biyan Temple. The temple abbot came out to welcome them, palms pressed together in greeting, smiling as he said, "Amitabha, Fourth Miss has arrived early. The Buddha hall was prepared yesterday, awaiting only the Fourth Miss’s inspection."

Qingyuan nodded and followed him through the mountain gate. Mama Tao and the maids and servants went to organize the tin foil and paper offerings; she didn't need to worry about those details. She went straight into the small Buddha hall. Upon entering, she saw the majestic Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva above the altar, and below, clouds of satin embroidered with golden lotuses were laid out perfectly. On top were empty plates, an incense table, and the spirit tablet inscribed with her mother’s name.

A concubine who had been cast out was not entitled to use the surname Xie. Looking at the inscription on the gold-sprinkled paper, Qingyuan felt her nose turn sour; because the title was so brief, there was a large empty space both above and below. Even in death, she was a lonely wandering ghost. Her mother’s short twenty years of life had been like a dream. No one in the Xie family cared about her background; perhaps no one could even remember where her ancestral home was.

"Miss..." Baoxian, seeing her standing there in a daze, called out softly, "Let us set out the offerings."

Qingyuan finally regained her senses. She took the food boxes, pulled up her sleeves, and filled the empty plates one by one.

Once she had finished arranging them, the temple steward was about to light the incense and candles, but she stopped him, turning to say, "I must also trouble the abbot to add a few words to the spirit tablet. My birth mother was a native of Yangzhou; she was born on the seventh day of the second lunar month in the ninth year of Shengping and passed away on the twenty-first day of the sixth lunar month in the sixth year of Qianyuan."

The abbot was slightly taken aback, surprised by the Fourth Miss's boldness in speaking up.

A concubine's daughter from an ordinary family was usually suppressed to the point where she couldn't lift her head; let alone one as lonely and helpless as this, even those with their own mothers to rely on were often timid in public and didn't dare to speak their minds freely. Biyan Temple was a family temple donated by the Xie family in the past, and they had some understanding of the Xie family's ins and outs. When people from the mansion came to notify them the day before the rites, it was merely for the requiem of a former concubine, so the temple staff felt little interest, and even the writing of the spirit tablet was done perfunctorily. The young lady, however, was not easily fooled; she had reported the exact dates of birth and death, making it impossible for them to brush it off.

The abbot had no choice but to agree, smiling and saying, "When your mansion sent people to inform us yesterday, I did ask, but unfortunately, they could not tell me anything concrete, so I wrote it down tentatively. Since the Fourth Miss has arrived in person today and provided the accurate dates, it is easy to handle; adding a few strokes is no trouble at all." He called for pen and ink while removing the gold-mud paper, moving to a nearby desk to fill in the details.

Qingyuan watched as she filled out the spirit tablet stroke by stroke. Looking at it now, it finally seemed a bit more proper, so she smiled and said, "This is my first time overseeing these rites myself, and there are many things I do not understand; I ask the abbot to advise me more. The temple staff here are all people beyond the mundane world, but I believe we should treat the departed equally. Since these rites are to be held for seven full days, I will rely entirely on the abbot."

Seeing the young lady was conscientious, the abbot dared not be negligent, repeatedly agreeing and then arranging for a group of nuns to enter and chant the scriptures.

Qingyuan naturally could not walk away. The rituals of the first day were the most important, requiring her to light incense and kowtow from time to time. The sincerity of the child was the merit for the recipient, so by the end of the day, she was exhausted.

"Tomorrow will be better," the abbot said. "From now on, the young lady only needs to offer one incense stick in the morning and evening; other times are not so crucial. You will only need to be present on the seventh day during the 'releasing of the flaming mouths' (a ritual for feeding hungry ghosts). I will have someone tidy up a meditation room for the young lady to rest. The temple is quiet, with many pines and cypresses; I hope the young lady finds this place of pure Buddhism acceptable to stay in."

Qingyuan only smiled at this. "I am a person of the mundane world, and I must return to the mundane world. The temple’s environment is indeed secluded, and it is nice to come and sit occasionally."

The abbot listened to her words and gave a forced smile. Just then, a nun came to ask her about something, so she took the opportunity to walk away.

"That abbot is likely acting on the Madam's orders, trying to keep you here, Miss," Baoxian said. "There was a Xie family temple in Hengtang, too, and although it wasn't as large as this one, it was livelier. This place, I think, is too secluded. I went to the backyard earlier and saw a corner gate leading straight to the back mountain; it’s like a pocket with a hole in the bottom—it is not very secure."

Qingyuan gave an "en" in response. "This is a temple funded by the Xie family long ago. It hasn't been managed in years, and without outside pilgrims, it was destined to become desolate. Don't worry about it. I have already asked; the rituals conclude every day at the shen hour (3-5 PM), so we will be home before dark; there is no need to worry."

As they spoke, a ding sound suddenly rang out—the thin, distant, long toll of a prayer chime. That single thread of sound, like a gossamer thread, drifted slowly into the distance.

The first day passed without waves, everything as usual. When Qingyuan returned to the Xie mansion, she went to the Old Madam’s place to report. The Old Madam asked how it went: "Were the temple staff attentive?"

Qingyuan said it was very good: "They only rested for an hour at midday; I watched them, and they chanted very carefully."

The Old Madam nodded. "This family temple hasn't been used for many years, and I feared the people there might be lazy. I had originally intended to renovate it after a while. If the person in charge was slacking, I would have replaced them, but since they are being attentive, there is no need to make a big fuss."

Qingyuan said yes, then hesitated before asking: "Is the Second Sister any better today?"

The Old Madam lowered her eyes, her tone casual, only saying: "I hear she isn't sleeping as long as before. In another two days, she should be mostly recovered; you need not worry."

Qingyuan nodded slowly and said in a soft voice: "I only fear that the Madam will resent me. The sisters were originally fine, but then this incident happened..."

Was this incident not exactly what she had hoped for? The Old Madam understood this clearly. While she was secretly surprised that such a young child could have such machinations, it did not trigger any great rage within her.

Status and standing are things one is born with, but whether one is clever or not determines how far one goes in the future. In truth, if one speaks seriously, among descendants from the same vine, who should be treated with closeness and who with distance? If they remember their maiden family after they marry, that is good. Therefore, she did not reproach Qingyuan too much; Qingru was foolish herself, and she couldn't blame others.

The Old Madam was currently concerned with something else. "Since your second sister’s incident occurred, I haven't had the chance to ask you—at the banquet that day, did the Deputy Commander and the Commander seem normal?"

Qingyuan nodded and said yes, "Everything was normal." Of course, this "normal" was normal in the eyes of most people. For her, the Commander managed to make her hair stand on end every time; she supposed that by being startled over and over again, she would eventually get used to it.

The Old Madam asked again: "How are you getting along with that Deputy Commander's wife? I heard that the Dong woman has a very good temperament, but her family background is not high, and many people gossip behind her back, saying she is unworthy of the Deputy Commander."

"Unworthy of the Deputy Commander" meant unworthy of being the official wife of the Deputy Commander. Historically, the position of the legitimate wife had very high requirements, looking at lineage and background; if it were slightly lower, it would be a disgrace to the man. But for a secondary wife, it was different—there was no such high threshold, and it didn't matter if she came from a small family or was a concubine's daughter from a prominent family.

Qingyuan forced a smile, knowing what this grandmother was thinking. Ever since she had been sent to the Shen residence alone, this idea had never vanished. The Old Madam firmly believed that with her capabilities, she would surely be able to take Fangchun's place. Sometimes, it felt truly unbearable; in the eyes of this most authoritative elder of the Xie family, she was destined for the life of a concubine or a replacement wife.

However, as the Old Madam did not point it out, she acted as if she didn't know, avoiding the heavy and focusing on the light, saying that she got along very well with the Deputy Commander's wife.

"Since you get along well, then you should visit each other often. Go over more; it will do you no harm."

Visiting the other family’s mansion more often meant more opportunities to run into the Deputy Commander. A young girl as fresh and clean as a flower could always evoke a man's unique reveries and yearnings.

Qingyuan agreed orally but did not take it to heart. In the following days, she continued to go to Biyan Temple as usual to perform the rites for her mother, but the time of conclusion, which was originally set for the end of the shen hour, was gradually delayed, later and later each day. By the fourth day, it was dragged almost until the xu hour (7-9 PM).

In the summer, the xu hour was exactly the time when the sky was neither light nor dark. As they descended from the mountain gate, the twilight rose. Looking into the distance, the trees were indistinct and shadowy; it was already impossible to see the trunks and branches clearly.

Baoxian helped her onto the carriage. As usual, the servant cracked the whip, hurrying to rush back to the city. There were seven or eight miles from Biyan Temple to the Xie mansion. Qingyuan pondered to herself: this road had to pass through a piece of wasteland. In the past, channels had been dug on both sides of the main road, but later, with no one to manage them, they had gradually grown into a reed marsh. At this time of the season, the growth was at its most exuberant. Standing on the road and looking north or south, the reeds stretched as far as the eye could see. If anything was to happen, it would surely happen in that section.

She gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly, listening carefully for every rustle outside. The horse’s hooves clicked into the reed marsh. The sky had turned pitch black, and the wind lamp at the corner of the carriage became the only light in this gloomy world, like a cluster of brilliant reflections on a long sword, moving rapidly forward along the blade.

Suddenly, the lead horse galloped and let out a neigh, stopping its pace abruptly. The people sitting in the carriage lurched forward violently due to inertia; if Baoxian hadn't stubbornly blocked them with her arm, she would almost have been thrown out of the carriage box.

"Miss..." Baoxian, her soul still shaken, held her shoulders and asked, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Qingyuan shook her head and took two steadying breaths. Knowing that what was meant to come had finally arrived, she pushed open the carved wooden door and leaned out.

The original design was for someone to pose as bandits to abduct her, and for others to be "warm-hearted" and rescue her, with the final finger pointing at Lady Hu. In any case, Lady Hu had used this trick of framing others against her mother before, so returning the favor in kind was not excessive at all. Since she had arranged it all herself, she had the script in her head; she only needed to put on a show for the entourage to see.

In the moonlight, shadows lingered, and the wind lamp swayed, revealing many complex footsteps. She jumped off the carriage shaft, watching the maids and old women run in panic, scurrying like headless flies. However, they could not break through the encirclement and were eventually forced back to their original position. The servant driving the carriage secretly pulled out the knife tied to the carriage shaft, but before he could grasp the blade firmly, a cold light slashed across. The servant didn't even moan and collapsed to the ground.

Qingyuan was startled, and the screams of the maids and servants exploded in her ears. That fear, like two hands suddenly born, seemed ready to tear her heart apart. She retreated in a panic, watching the servant lying motionless on the ground. Within a moment, a large amount of blood spread beneath him. Only then did she realize that the situation was not as she had initially planned; it was out of control, or perhaps the fake had turned into reality.

In this situation, the entire group became lambs waiting to be slaughtered, huddling together in shock and fear. The black-clad men held knives and grinned savagely. The leader squinted at Qingyuan in the light and chuckled: "What a beautiful young lady; it would be a shame to die." As he spoke, he leaned over with a drooling face: "If you become my wife, I will spare your life. How about that?"

With both the path ahead and behind cut off, and no room to retreat, Qingyuan had to steady her mind and scold: "Who are you people! To dare to rob in broad daylight under the Emperor's feet—is there no law?"

The black-clad men were stunned by the clear, sharp shout, and after being stunned, they laughed: "As expected of the Governor-General’s daughter—truly courageous."

Qingyuan’s legs were shaking. At such a juncture, she had to remain calm. Although she knew that negotiating was useless, she had no other choice but to try: "You take such risks merely for wealth. Since you know my background, why not let me go? When I return, I will definitely reward you generously."

The result was another round of ridicule: "Let you go so you can notify the government to hunt us down? Although we are doing this for money, we aren't stupid..." The words were still unfinished when he was strangled to death by a golden-clad arm.

Suddenly, fire light flared up from all sides, and the sound of horse hooves thundered. The black-clad men were surrounded by Palace Guards in brocade robes and golden armor. Everything happened in a flash. The Palace Guards, who had once made the Xie family fearful, were now like heavenly soldiers descending. Qingyuan heard Baoxian murmuring as if crying and laughing: "Miss, we are saved... we are saved..."

Qingyuan, still in shock, raised her eyes and looked around. The circle of men in brilliant clothes and furious horses finally cracked open a gap. The person in the lead had a cold, exquisite face. He spurred his horse to her, lowering his eyes to gaze at her with intense interest. Without a single word of nonsense, he raised his hand and waved it: "Take her!”