Spring of the Blade - Chapter 59
Chapter 59
However, the weather was simply too hot. It was the height of midsummer, a season when ladies and grandmothers generally avoided going out; aside from offering morning greetings to the Old Madam, they mostly stayed indoors to recuperate.
With the summer heat at its peak, for the heat-averse ladies, riding in a carriage in the middle of the seventh lunar month to burn incense on a mountain was nothing short of a disaster. Their light, thin, rolling-snow silk garments clung to their bodies, soaked with sweat, and their makeup, applied early in the morning, gradually became mottled on their cheeks like cracking plaster walls. The Eldest Young Mistress of the Zhengjun branch, Madam Bai, gasped for air and pulled out a handkerchief to dab the sweat from her collar. She shared a carriage with Madam Ming; as a new bride who had only entered the household a few months prior, it was not her place to complain. She could only knit her brows and heave a soft sigh.
Zhenglun and Zhengjun were born of the same mother, so the two young mistresses were sisters-in-law by blood and naturally closer. Seeing Madam Bai suffer from the heat, Madam Ming fanned her, though she herself felt agitated. She grumbled, "The Mistress is truly something. It was clearly her intention to pray for the Second Miss, yet she had to drag us along! Claiming that the young masters have military examinations and that their success depends entirely on the Bodhisattva's protection!"
Madam Bai spoke in a hushed tone, "They said we were going to worship the Great Emperor Baocheng; our family has never worshipped this deity before."
Madam Ming replied, "She needs to achieve her ends, so naturally she says whatever suits her. People in the folk tradition do worship the Great Emperor Baocheng, though not many do. Since it’s nearing the fifteenth of the seventh month, everyone is a bit wary." As she spoke, she sneered, "Our Mistress is quite something; she really isn't afraid of bad luck."
Madam Bai smiled faintly and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. Ahead were the carriages of the Old Madam and the other mistresses, and following behind were the concubines, young ladies, maids, and servants. As they approached the foot of the mountain, the temple came into view, nestled amidst layers of emerald green, revealing vast stretches of yellow walls and black tiles. Perhaps because the incense offerings were overly abundant, dark grey smoke hovered above the temple like a thin mist, staining the better part of the mountain.
The carriages finally came to a stop, and the air was filled with noise. Madam Ming and Madam Bai descended together, standing firm to look back as the carriages of the young ladies stopped one by one. The Fourth Miss was always slower than her sisters; while Qingru and Qingrong had already ascended the steps, she was just stepping down from the footstool, fanning herself.
Baoxian went up to hold an umbrella for her, while Xiaoxi followed with a basket in hand. Qingyuan laughed and said, "It is truly hot." Her smoke-purple bodice was tied at the chest with magnolia-blue ribbons, which fluttered in the breeze, making her look like a beautiful kite.
The group entered the mountain gate and headed toward the Great Hall of Sakyamuni. Because Qingyuan had visited once before with Fangchun, she was not entirely unfamiliar with the temple grounds and walked obediently beside the Old Madam. Qingru and Qingrong, however, loved to look around while offering incense at every hall. No matter how many times Madam Hu called them, she could not keep them by her side.
The Old Madam said with a touch of sadness, "Let them be. Once they enter the palace, they will never have such an opportunity again."
Madam Hu could not retort, though the knot between her brows did not loosen. She ultimately signaled Cailian to bring them back and said in a low voice, "Those coming to burn incense today may include candidates for the imperial selection. I just saw the daughter of the Secretariat Drafter. With so many people here, who knows if a small mistake might provide gossip for others!"
Qingru, having been reprimanded, couldn't talk back as she might have at home. She could only nod submissively, secretly sticking her tongue out at Qingrong.
Huguo Temple was truly vast. Because the imperial court had once cast a golden body for a Buddha statue here, high-ranking officials and nobles had followed suit by donating money for expansions. Originally, the temple had only twenty-two rooms including scripture halls and meditation rooms, but it had grown year by year to a grand scale of one hundred and eight rooms today. If pilgrims wanted to tour it from the front hall to the rear mountain, it would likely take the better part of a day. Unfortunately, the weather was too hot, and the Old Madam was advanced in years. Once she finished offering incense to the Great Emperor Baocheng and recited two scrolls of scriptures for blessings, she retreated with the female relatives to the mountain quarters at the back.
Every larger temple had a place reserved for noble pilgrims to rest, slightly removed from the noise in the front. Although one could still vaguely hear the chanting, the heavy scent of incense was not as intense, and it was enough to keep the Third Madam, Madam Pei, from an asthma attack.
There, the Old Madam met an old acquaintance, a sister from her maiden days with whom she had once shared a bit of friendship, now the Old Matriarch of the Kaifeng Prefecture Magistrate's family. Having not seen each other for years, and both leading their juniors, they naturally took the time to get well-acquainted.
In truth, the circles of noble ladies in various regions were like small imperial courts—the winds of gossip blew strong and fast. News on the outside was ten thousand times better informed than one might imagine. The Xie family, including both the east and west branches, had eight young ladies in total, but the first thing the Old Matriarch of the Prefecture Magistrate’s family asked about was the Fourth Miss.
"Our family is connected to the maternal family of the Danyang Marquis’s wife. I heard a few days ago that the Danyang Marquis’s direct son, in order to seek the hand of your Fourth Miss, even set aside his duties and rushed back to Hengtang?" As the Prefecture Magistrate's Old Matriarch spoke, her gaze swept over Qingyuan, looking and tsk-tsking, "She truly is a perfect child, no wonder..."
Being beautiful and adept at captivating souls—if it were a degenerate playboy she had ensnared, her background could be held against her (after all, born of a concubine, destined for such behavior). But if she had ensnared a talented young man with a title to inherit, her background was open to interpretation. Heroes do not ask where one comes from; a less-than-glorious origin was merely a black border on a rich tapestry, adding layers and making the beauty more striking.
Qingru, standing to the side, felt intense revulsion even now when she heard people stirring Li Congxin and Qingyuan together in conversation. She disdainfully turned her gaze away, thinking these so-called noble ladies were nothing more than this; the world was full of snobs who would discuss matters that hadn't even begun to take shape.
The Old Madam Xie no longer cared to curry favor with the Danyang Marquis's family. Once a "good marriage" was weighed and found wanting, it became a matter of indifference.
"Where did you hear such rumors? I'm surprised you believed them," the Old Madam laughed. "The young Marquis had urgent business at the Marquis's estate; it had nothing to do with our Fourth Girl."
The Prefecture Magistrate's Old Matriarch exclaimed "Oh," and then looking at Qingyuan again, she smiled even more warmly, "If it's not the Danyang Marquis's family, then surely she is entering the Commander's mansion!"
This time, the Old Madam did not refute it, but smiled vaguely, effectively tacitly agreeing. She said half-evasively, "Our child is close to the Commander's wife, but she does not have deep dealings with Commander Shen himself."
The Prefecture Magistrate's Old Matriarch immediately tsked, "Old Sister, you are even prevaricating with me. We were extremely close back in our maiden days. I never hid anything from you; that you are so distant with me now truly hurts my heart."
The Old Madam hurried to appease her old "sister," taking her hand and saying, "How could I have the heart to hide anything from you? It is simply that the marriage is not yet settled. If we boast about it and it doesn't come to pass, we are the ones who suffer as young ladies." After a pause, she added, "I heard the Prefecture Magistrate's family also has young ladies entering the palace for selection this year?"
The Old Matriarch said yes, "There is a second round of selection on the sixteenth. That round is extremely difficult; they examine everything from head to toe, down to the very strands of hair. Those who pass are virtually perfect. I heard your family also has two young ladies participating?" As she spoke, she searched through the crowd of women, and after a long time, she cried out, "Forgive my poor eyesight; all the young ladies of your noble house are so beautiful, which two are they?"
The implication was that they were undistinguished—indistinguishable from the rest. Qingru listened, sneering coldly. The Old Madam was not pleased, but she had to keep up appearances, so she summoned Qingru and Qingrong, "Hurry and pay your respects to the Old Matriarch of the Prefecture Magistrate’s family."
The two sisters stepped back and bowed. The Prefecture Magistrate's Old Matriarch hurriedly helped them up, one by one, and asked them to be at ease, "Look at that, aren't they both beauties? Truly, the Old Sister was beautiful in her youth, and now her granddaughters are all like flowers." She then turned and instructed her servant, "Go and call the Second Miss over to pay her respects to the Old Madam and the Mistresses of the Xie house." She then smoothed things over for the Old Madam Xie, "The child is born shy and has not seen outsiders, so she is inevitably a bit timid. Since she is participating in the selection with your two young ladies, have them get to know each other and ask your two ladies to look after her."
The Prefecture Magistrate's Old Matriarch spoke with such humility that one would think her own family’s young lady was of mediocre quality. Madam Hu and her daughter had always harbored a bit of pity for mediocre people; after all, "dragons and phoenixes" among men were too rare, so one had to allow for imperfections.
The Xie family’s female relatives also waited to see that Second Miss. Both were the second-born, so comparisons were inevitable. However, no young lady in Youzhou was known to be particularly outstanding, so naturally, they didn't set their expectations too high. Yet, unexpectedly, when the servant led her in, the sight made everyone’s eyes light up.
The girl was only sixteen or seventeen, with a symmetrical and tall figure. Her appearance was cold and alluring, like a cherry atop a mound of cream. Even in the midst of the bustle, she was a clear stream in muddy waters, soaking into one's heart with every passing moment.
When it came to superiority and inferiority, the feeling was too intuitive—clear at a glance. The small scrap of pity Qingru had prepared crumbled like residual snow on a spring branch. A premonition of failure crept in; her breath was knocked out of her, and her heart felt grey. She suddenly felt her own participation in the selection was a bit over-ambitious. Originally she had been confident of victory, but seeing such a competitor, she immediately saw the truth. It was infuriating, yet left her feeling helpless.
Qingyuan looked at Qinghe, and the two sisters blinked, their eyes overflowing with unspoken amusement.
The Old Madam couldn't help but sigh, no longer caring about Madam Hu's expression, and simply exclaimed, "What a perfect child! You clearly kept her hidden away in the boudoir, unwilling to let her be seen. I had no idea we had such a beauty in Youzhou."
Beauty? She was so tall she looked like a long-legged egret! Qingru discussed her behind her back with Qingrong, her words filled with unwillingness, to the point that even her vegetarian meal tasted cloying. She took a bite of dried bean curd, found it insipid, and threw down her chopsticks, saying she was done.
Madam Hu did not care about her daughter’s small mood; she had more important things to do. She replied to the Old Madam, "Since we are here, we should offer some incense money and seek a few safety talismans for the children."
The Old Madam agreed, but because of the heat, she was too lazy to move. The Buddhas that needed to be worshipped had mostly been taken care of; they only needed to wait for the sun to tilt west before preparing to return to the mansion. She granted a favor to the accompanying female relatives, saying it was a rare outing, and allowed them to walk around the grounds, listen to scripture, or seek fortunes, as they pleased.
Madam Hu took Old Nanny Sun aside and, while walking toward the temple priest’s merit room, asked, "Is everything prepared?"
Nanny Sun replied in the affirmative, leaning close to her mistress's ear to whisper, "I have had people disguised as monks. Even if the Fourth Miss has a hundred schemes, she cannot be on guard against everyone."
Madam Hu nodded, turning to look at the plaza where pilgrims wandered. Among them, monks passed by constantly; it was impossible to tell who was a real monk and who was a fake.
Her earlier unease slowly dissipated. Since things had reached this point, she had only to move forward. If anything happened to her in the inner quarters, Shen Run might not let it go, especially since he had given specific warnings. But if she were out in the world, in broad daylight, and someone kidnapped, robbed, or violated her, one could only blame her own bad luck. Whether it was Shen Run or Li Congxin, if they still had an interest in a "damaged flower," that would be true, deep love indeed!
Madam Hu heaved a long sigh, gripped her handkerchief, and stepped over the threshold, ordering with a cold face, "Go and do it."
Nanny Sun accepted the order and retreated. With a flick of her figure, she disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Today was the birthday of the Great Emperor Baocheng; there were monks chanting all day. The murmuring sound waves were like the long songs of the Buddha land, which, in the height of midsummer, had a strangely tranquilizing power. Since the Old Madam had given the order to disperse, Qingyuan naturally went along with the flow. She had been with Qinghe at first, but later Aunt Mei wanted to take Qinghe to seek a fortune, so Qingyuan took a different path, intending to go to the Ksitigarbha Hall to donate a spirit tablet for her mother.
The Ksitigarbha Hall was some distance from the Avalokitesvara Hall. She used her circular fan to block the sun. Through the two layers of silver-patterned cicada gauze on the thin fan, she saw an old woman rushing hurriedly from the corridor, looking frantic. When she reached her, the woman bowed and said, "Fourth Miss! I don't know what happened to our Eldest Young Mistress, but she suddenly has a stomach ache. Her face is white as a sheet, and she can't even walk... I am anxious to report to the Old Madam and the Mistress. There is only a small maid by the Eldest Mistress's side. I beg the Fourth Miss to look after her for a moment; our Eldest Mistress is with child, after all."
Qingyuan said "Oh," and asked, "Where is she?"
The old woman pointed toward the other side of a large banyan tree, "In the pavilion not far ahead. Many thanks to the Fourth Miss; I am going to find the Old Madam and the Mistress now." She then walked briskly toward the meditation quarters.
Qingyuan watched her walk away and smiled faintly, "They truly have gone to great lengths."
Baoxian said to Xiaoxi, "You go. Follow the instructions the Miss gave you. If you handle this carefully, there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
Xiaoxi said "Yes" timidly, but did not move, still mumbling something.
Qingyuan looked at her with a gentle expression, "If you are obedient, I will naturally cherish you. If you do not listen to me..."
Xiaoxi shuddered, and there was no need to hear the rest. Yesterday, when the Fourth Miss told her to accompany them, she hadn't thought much of it. Later that night, when she was summoned into the room, she thought it was still about the temple incense. When she lifted the curtain and entered, she saw the Fourth Miss sitting by the light, with several pieces of jewelry neatly laid out on the sandalwood crescent moon table beside her.
The Fourth Miss said, "Miss Xiaoxi, come and take a look for me. Do you recognize these things?"
She hesitantly stepped forward to look, her legs went weak, and with a thump, she knelt down.
Nanny Sun sneered from the side, "The Miss usually treats you all as human beings and does not supervise you strictly. I thought you would know how to be grateful to your master, but who knew some would prefer not to be human and instead covet the master’s jewelry? Xiaoxi, do not think people don't know your background. The Fourth Miss was magnanimous and kept you in the courtyard, but I have been watching you all along. How many times have you snuck into the Miss's room? The Miss gave you face, saying that if things were lost, they were lost, and did not pursue you. But look at you; you were actually going to move the Miss's entire jewelry box. Who gave you the courage? Your parents, or the Mistress?"
She was shaking like a leaf, millions of windmills spinning in her ears, her heart trembling as if it were about to crack. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed like pounding garlic.
The Fourth Miss was still quite gentle, "You are a slave born in this household. Stealing the master’s property—do you not know that you and your parents will be driven out?"
She wept and begged, "I was greedy for a moment; please, Fourth Miss, have mercy... I beg you, Miss. I will never dare again. Please don't drive me away, and don't let my father and mother know..."
But for a handle that people had waited so long to grasp, now that the time had come to settle the debt with interest, it wasn't something one could muddle through just by kowtowing and begging.
The Fourth Miss smiled, her beautiful face looking as compassionate as a Bodhisattva even when she was plotting against someone. She beckoned and said, "Come here and listen closely; I will teach you a way to redeem yourself." She listened tremblingly, and after the Fourth Miss finished, she smiled, "I will keep these things for now. If you handle this well, it will all be in the past, and you will continue your duties at Danyue Pavilion. If you handle it poorly, I will send you to the Criminal Justice Office, and then no one will be able to save you."
Xiaoxi was past tears. No matter how good the Mistress was, she couldn't serve time in jail for her. When a person is pushed to the edge, they will gamble on anything. Since the matter had arrived today, she steeled her heart, took a deep breath, and walked briskly toward the meditation quarters.