Spring of the Blade - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Yet, regardless of how distressing it was, she had to go. A girl’s life is unlike a man’s; a man can venture out into the world, and if he is unhappy, he simply doesn't return. A girl is different. A girl is like a flower branch placed in a vase; while she is a maiden, she is sustained by the vase that is her maternal family. Once married, she is moved into the vase of her husband’s family. Do not think that finding a new path ensures safety—the new vase may not be as reliable as the old one. If the new one is unsuitable, the old one remains a retreat. If a person has no retreat in life, they are truly at a dead end.

Qinghe sat in the carriage, frowning as she said to Xinyu, "Actually, it would be better if Fourth Sister didn't return. That home... it really chills one’s heart."

One only hopes for the best for the husband’s family; as for the maternal family, they should be treated like ordinary relatives. Xinyu nodded, "I’ve noticed that both the Old Madam and the Madam prefer to burn bridges. Fourth Sister has been gone for only two days, and the Madam has already sealed off Danyue Pavilion, dispersing the servants who worked there, as if Fourth Sister had never existed at all."

"Then why make me go and beg her?" Qinghe complained, angrily wringing her handkerchief. "Whoever goes to act as a mediator loses face. They all shrink away and push me to the front; it’s as if I am the second Qingyuan. I increasingly look down on the people in this house."

Though she complained, what could she do? In no time, the carriage arrived at the gates of the Chen residence.

The gatekeeper saw a young lady descend from the carriage and hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "Which person is the young lady seeking?"

Xinyu responded with a smile, "May I ask, is this the residence of the elder Chen of Hengtang?"

The gatekeeper confirmed it, laughing, "I recognized the Hengtang accent. Are you esteemed relatives of our Master?"

Xinyu looked at Qinghe. Qinghe was actually somewhat ashamed to state her origin, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I am acquainted with your eldest young lady. Please report that Qinghe has come to visit; she will naturally understand."

But the gatekeeper of the Chen house was as sharp as a monkey. He sized up the visitor from head to toe, "Our young lady is of the 'Qing' generation in that household. Are you from the Xie family?"

Qinghe felt embarrassed but nodded in confirmation, "Please do me a favor and pass on the message."

The Chen family had this one good trait: neither the masters nor the servants ever intentionally made things difficult for people. The gatekeeper asked them to wait in the corridor, "Young lady, come in. The sun is quite harsh outside. Please wait a moment; allow me to report to the Old Madam first before informing our eldest young lady."

Qinghe thanked him and watched as he hurried away. Standing in someone else’s residence made her feel quite uneasy.

Not long after, she saw the gatekeeper return quickly. He bowed at the waist, "Our Old Madam invites you in. Please follow me, young lady."

Qinghe and Xinyu walked together toward the hall in the back. Chen Old Madam was already waiting at the door. She was a capable and elegant old lady who didn't intentionally put on airs just because they were from the Xie family. She smiled, her tone courteous and kind, "There are three young ladies in the Xie family. I wonder which one you are?"

Qinghe curtsied to the Chen Old Madam and replied, "Replying to the Old Madam, I am the eldest daughter of the family. When Fourth Sister was at home, she was closest to me. I only heard yesterday that you had come to Youzhou and that Fourth Sister had returned to the mansion. I have been missing her, so I made bold to visit today. I hope you will not take offense."

Chen Old Madam said, "Not at all. Since you are close to our young lady, we naturally welcome you." As she spoke, she turned to instruct a maid, "Go quickly and see if the eldest young lady is ready." Seeing Qinghe’s surprise, she laughed, "We don't have many people in our household, unlike your esteemed family where the younger generation must observe morning and evening greetings. In our home, once we open our eyes, everyone is busy with their own tasks. The Old Master goes fishing at daybreak, and as for me, I have my morning studies, so I forgo the greetings and let our young lady sleep in. Children, after all, are prone to drowsiness."

Qinghe heard this and felt a mix of complex emotions. The Xie family had many tedious rituals; as the younger generation, they never knew what it was like to sleep until the sun was high. Now that she thought about it, the difference between other families and her own was like heaven and earth. It was beneficial for Qingyuan to recognize her ancestors, but staying in the Chen house was truly Qingyuan’s good fortune.

A young maid went to the young lady’s courtyard to pass the message. Chen Old Madam invited Qinghe to sit, still harboring some wariness toward the Xie family. She spoke half-jokingly, "I only opened the gates today because it was the eldest young lady. If it had been your family’s Old Madam, that would be a different story. Our young lady lost her mother when she was two months old, and she refused anyone else’s milk; I raised her spoonful by spoonful on rice paste. You cannot imagine the hardship involved, young lady. Later, your esteemed family wanted her, and thinking that she was your own flesh and blood, I let her return. But once she arrived at your Xie mansion, her grandmother did not cherish her, her stepmother set traps to harm her everywhere, and in the end, they even used her to fill a hole and send her away... Heavens above, what kind of respectable family could commit such an act?"

Qinghe blushed and lowered her head, "For you to say that, Old Madam, truly makes me feel ashamed to face you."

Chen Old Madam continued, "This matter has nothing to do with the eldest young lady. I heard about it back in Hengtang—you are betrothed to the eldest son of the Earl of Founding, so you must be a blameless young lady of the inner chambers to catch the Earl’s wife’s eye. I have only one thing to say: if you come to see our young lady just for conversation and amusement, I am very welcoming. But if it is for anything else..." She didn't need to be explicit, but she smiled, and the meaning was clear.

Qinghe was already feeling guilty, and her heart began to race. Fortunately, the little maid came in to report that the young lady was ready and invited the Xie eldest young lady over. Qinghe stood up, bowed, and said, "Old Madam, please rest assured. It is just for us sisters to speak in private; there is absolutely nothing else."

Chen Old Madam smiled and agreed, ordering someone to lead the Xie eldest young lady over. Qinghe followed the maid into the garden. Beauty unfolded at every gate; after passing through three or four moon gates, she entered a small, exquisite courtyard. From a distance, she saw Qingyuan standing before the steps, looking just the same—dressed simply and laughing without a care in the world.

Seeing her now, her heart was filled with a hundred different flavors, impossible to put into words. There was guilt and shame; she even felt she lacked the face to see her. But Qingyuan was clearly far more magnanimous than she had imagined. It was Qingyuan who spoke first, smiling, "Big Sister, there is no need to say it. I know what you are here for."

Since she knew the intent, it spared her the awkwardness of prying. Qinghe lowered her head and said, "I originally didn't want to come. I know that you are faring much better here in the Chen house than in the Xie house."

Qingyuan remained open-hearted with her, taking her into the room as they walked, saying, "In the entire Xie family, only Big Sister understands my heart. The Old Madam sent you here to lobby me, surely to say it was all out of helplessness that they sent me away. Regardless of whether it was helpless or not, since it is done, I have nothing to do with the Xie family from now on. Look, Big Sister, I am doing very well right now; what reason is there to return to the Xie house? Come and visit me often, Big Sister; I would be very happy. As for those painful things, let us not mention them again."

It was true. The words Qinghe had mulled over before coming were all blocked by her. She sighed, "If that is the case, I will not persuade you. To tell you the truth, when Second Brother went back yesterday and mentioned it, the whole family blew up. The Old Madam called me alone to the side hall to discuss it. Not to mention you, even I found it distasteful to hear. I just met the Chen Old Madam; she is different from our Old Madam. At first, I was worried she would despise me or turn me away."

Qingyuan said, "That wouldn't happen. My grandmother is the most kind-hearted; she can see who is good and who is not."

Qinghe nodded, "That day when you were sent to the Commander’s mansion by the Old Madam, I was always afraid that you would have a bad life in the future, becoming someone’s concubine and begging for a meal under someone else’s hand—everyone knows the suffering that entails! Later, when I heard Zhenglun report back, I was secretly relieved. I said earlier, whether it was the young Marquis or Commander Shen, both were good matches. As long as you were the legitimate wife, you could keep your face. There are four sisters in our family, and only the two of us are close. As for Second Girl and Third Girl, we needn't worry about them—they will have their own fates in the future. I only hope for the two of us to do well; who cares about their survival!"

Qinghe was a sincere person. When Qingyuan first returned to the Xie family, she, like the others, was not very accepting of her. But as time passed, they slowly opened their hearts. People need to get along; if they are good people, it is effortless to get along. If they are bad, they wouldn't have reached this point.

Qinghe asked her, "Have you and Commander Shen settled things?"

Qingyuan smiled bashfully, "It is considered settled..."

Before she could finish, a palm-sized kitten crawled out from under the table and then crawled into the bottom of a cabinet. Qinghe said, "This cat is truly interesting. Those two patches on its face look like they’ve been touched with rouge."

The kitten had just arrived and was quite shy, but it also had a heart eager to be close to people. At night, it had jumped onto the bed and slept on her arm for half the night, but this morning, the crowds scared it, and it had been darting around the house, elusive as a dragon.

"The Commander took me to 'hire' it. He bought fish and salt, performing all the proper rituals, only then did he invite it back," Qingyuan said softly. Her joy from the bottom of her heart was something she felt shy to reveal in front of her grandparents, but Qinghe and Li Guanling shared a deep affection, so she could understand.

She pulled her sleeve to pour a cup of tea for Qinghe. The lingering tenderness of a young lady as she lowered her head was fully reflected in her. She smiled, "Big Sister, he is truly a good person. He treats me very well and knows how to be filial to my grandfather and grandmother. I heard earlier that he was an arrogant and cold-blooded person, and I was afraid of him. Now that I know his good points, I hate those people for being so wicked, spreading rumors that he is like a wolf or a tiger."

Qinghe scoffed, "You are a lover viewing beauty; he isn't like that to outsiders."

Qingyuan smiled, "Treating everyone well regardless of intimacy is a disaster."

While they were chatting, a servant woman stood in the corridor and reported, "Eldest Young Lady, Commander Shen has sent two carriages of things and asks that you check them personally."

Qingyuan said, "Oh," knowing it must be that sixty thousand taels of silver. She also knew that when Qinghe returned, she would have to report it to the Xie Old Madam, so she didn't intend to hide it from her, laughing, "Sister, come with me. The garden is very large; I will take you for a walk."

Qinghe followed her to the front hall. When they arrived, the carriages had already been unloaded—rows of large, rivet-studded wooden trunks filled the room.

Chen Old Madam stood to the side, folding her sleeves and muttering, "This future son-in-law of ours is a bit too impatient. He sent so much for the small betrothal yesterday, and he’s sent more today. At this rate, don't empty out the Commander’s mansion."

Qingyuan laughed, motioning for Baoxian to undo the seals and open the boxes. When the lids were opened, everyone was stunned. They saw snow-white silver neatly stacked inside; the amount, calculated carefully, was truly astonishing.

Chen Old Madam didn't understand, "Why did he send all this silver?"

Qingyuan said, "He said yesterday he was adding to my dowry."

Chen Old Madam was naturally happy, tsking, "At least he has the heart. A girl as good as ours deserves this deep love."

Later, when Qinghe said goodbye, Qingyuan saw her to the door, taking her hand and saying, "I didn't tell Big Sister: that day the Old Madam tricked me into going to the Commander’s mansion, she didn't reveal a whisper of information beforehand, and I left empty-handed. The jewelry and personal funds my grandmother gave me earlier were all left behind—there were always four or five thousand taels. If the Old Madam was sincere about letting me return, why didn't she entrust Big Sister to bring my things to me? It is always like this. Such a prominent family, yet the things they do are not even as good as a small, humble household. Among ourselves it doesn't matter, but now that we have a son-in-law, what must he think? Big Sister, think more for yourself in the future. Things like subsidizing your maiden family—do as little of it as possible. Don't end up having the savings you worked hard for end up filling someone else’s pockets."

What Qingyuan said was always correct. Qinghe agreed and kept it firmly in mind. When she returned to the Xie family to report to the Old Madam, the whole family was waiting for news. She bluntly laid out what she had seen today, "When I was there, Commander Shen was transporting silver to the Chen house as an addition to Fourth Sister’s dowry. There were a dozen large trunks filled with pure silver—at least several tens of thousands of taels. Fourth Sister also asked, the jewelry box she left in Danyue Pavilion, why hasn't anyone sent it to her? She has returned to the Chen family. If she had truly become someone’s concubine, she wouldn't have a single copper to her name and would likely not survive. The Old Madam only told her to return, but she was full of grievances; why would she be willing?"

Needless to say, Danyue Pavilion had been sealed, and the Madam had disposed of it as if the person were dead, naturally confiscating everything. At that time, she hadn't expected Qingyuan to turn things around. She had thought Qingyuan would have to serve Shen Run as a concubine before the head wife entered and would inevitably be tormented to death by the Mu family’s daughter. Who would have thought she would leap over the dragon gate and make a comeback with such a stance? The whole family’s dozen pairs of eyes looked at Lady Hu, thinking that the money hadn't even warmed their hands before their faces were blackened. The Madam now had even less face than before.

But Lady Hu was not flustered. She smoothed her skirt and said, "Her things are being kept for her. I expected that when she saw these funds, she would naturally return. Who knew she would climb such a high branch, adding huge amounts of silver to her dowry—she clearly doesn't care anymore."

Mentioning that huge amount of silver made Lady Hu’s heart ache. Where did that silver come from? Others might not know, but how could she not know! Shen Run had swindled a huge amount from her on one side, and on the other, he was using someone else’s flowers to pay homage and make himself look good—truly excellent scheming. What was infuriating was that she had suffered a huge, silent loss and couldn't even voice it. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, but hindered by the presence of others, she had to suppress it for now.

The Old Madam was so angry she had no recourse, letting out a hum of earth-shattering intensity.

Zhengze was, by comparison, more moderate. He sat there sighing, "If you ask me, just let it go. Why bother sticking a hot face against a cold butt?"

Lady Qiu quietly tugged at his clothes, signaling him not to speak. Originally, they had hoped their biological sister would have a good future, but who knew Qingru would end up half-human, half-ghost, causing them brothers to lose all their face. With the military exams approaching, they couldn't rely on the Master, so naturally, they had to rely on Shen Run. The imperial guards throughout the capital were all under his command; with just one look from him, these men in the family would save so much trouble!

It was just hateful that the Madam and Qingru insisted on pushing the Fourth Girl out. Now they could only hope that their branch would not be implicated by the Fourth Girl, and that for the sake of kinship, she might give them a hand!

Everyone was gloomy. Lady Hu clutched her prayer beads in silence. As for what she wanted to say, Nanny Sun would say it for her.

"Old Madam, don't worry for now. What kind of grudge between a girl and her maiden family doesn't fade overnight? Even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected. If the Fourth Young Lady doesn't want to return, then don't let her. On the day of the great celebration, the Old Madam can go to the Commander’s mansion personally to sit. Why worry that the groom and bride won't kowtow to you? Even in heaven, the Fourth Young Lady is a member of the Xie family. When the time comes, the Old Madam can just slap the household register in front of them. It doesn't matter if they don't acknowledge the kin; just let the dignitaries of Youzhou see that the Commander and his wife are being undutiful to their elders and not following the old rites. If Fourth Young Lady wants to hold her head high in the circles of the nobility, she won't be able to."

Hearing this, the Old Madam let out a long breath and muttered to herself: "If only she still acknowledged this kinship, we wouldn't have to reach this point. But if she truly has no regard for me or her father in her eyes, then letting her suffer a good lesson might not be a bad thing.”