By now, Qiqian’er was composed and worldly, rarely startled by anyone or anything. Yet she never imagined that her own old madam would deliver such a shock right out of the gate.

Not just her — everyone nearby was thoroughly startled by the old madam’s sudden words and actions. The guards assigned to block the path exchanged bewildered glances, She Jixiang’s legs went weak with fright, and the group of hidden guards keeping watch in the shadows all stood there dumbfounded.

Both old women were white-haired, yet each possessed a remarkably sharp pair of eyes.

The plump old woman looked down the mountain first, and saw the commoner-dressed old madam being held back, earnestly pleading with her, calling out “old sister” while jumping about on her old legs.

She asked, “Who is that?”

A beardless, middle-aged man in a blue robe attending her replied, “Old Bodhisattva, perhaps it’s a pilgrim who’s come to worship at the temple today…”

The plump old woman nodded at first, then suddenly grew furious. “You wretches! This is the temple gate — since when am I any kind of bodhisattva? Is this the bodhisattva’s own domain? What am I, some old woman, to claim such a title? Oh, so because this tiresome old woman of mine has come today, the bodhisattvas can’t even accept the incense offerings of mortals? Heavens above, gods and buddhas everywhere! What a grave sin I’ve committed!”

Having scolded them, she turned and knelt before the temple gate, bowing reverently several times. Without waiting for anyone to help her up, she rose on her own, dusted off her knees, and turned warmly toward the old madam down the hill, calling out:

“Hey! You there, little sister — come on up! Let’s go pay our respects to the bodhisattva together! Once we’re done, we’ll go make a vegetarian meal for the monks in the back, to soak up some of the Buddha’s blessing and cultivate a compassionate heart…”

In that instant, every barrier between the two of them vanished.

The old madam hurried up the mountain, and upon meeting the plump old woman, greeted her with a bow. “Well met, well met, old sister! How do you do!”

The plump old woman was taken aback — it had been so long since she’d been addressed so warmly. Delighted, she returned the greeting with a smile. “Little sister, how do you do too!”

Everyone around them felt as though struck by lightning, terrified out of their wits — what was this, suddenly gaining His Majesty’s aunt out of nowhere?

Helplessly, they watched as the two old women — one plump, one thin — stood at the temple gate and began sincerely exchanging where they were from, their ages, their family members…

The old madam hadn’t misspoken — the plump old woman was actually two years her senior.

Once they’d finished establishing their connection, they walked into the nunnery hand in hand as though they’d known each other for a lifetime. The old madam felt that as long as she could bow before the bodhisattva today, she could endure any unfairness in this world with grace.

She knew, of course, that the woman before her was no ordinary person. But so what? Could it possibly be more terrifying than a battlefield strewn with tens of thousands of corpses? Could it be harder than an old woman carrying her bedroll, dragging her granddaughter across ten thousand li of hardship?

It couldn’t!

Qiqian’er stood at the nunnery gate holding the bundle, unwilling to go in — not out of disbelief, but because she worried that if her eldest uncle’s spirit truly resided in this robe, it wouldn’t do for the temple’s bodhisattva to claim it instead.

So she stood outside the mountain gate and called out, “A’Nai! I won’t go in!”

The old madam, already inside the nunnery, paused at this, turned back, and immediately understood. She nodded. “Ah, you always think of everything, good child! Wait for A’Nai here at the gate — I’ll be back soon!”

Qiqian’er turned to Yiyue and Eryue and instructed them, “Look after the old madam, and please ask the receiving priestess to come out — I have some incense donations to make.”

The two maids acknowledged and left. Once they were out of sight, Qiqian’er turned to the middle-aged eunuch standing beside her, who had been staring at her the whole time, and said, “Forgive my rudeness, may I ask your honorable surname, Grand Attendant?”

The man was startled, then gave her a warning look. “So you can tell our status, can you? Let me warn you — if you harbor ill intent, even the smallest wicked thought is a grave disaster.”

Qiqian’er couldn’t help but laugh. “Now you’re trying to scare me! Grand Attendant, we’re before the bodhisattva — watch your words.”

The eunuch, embarrassed, quickly threatened again, “I don’t know where you got word of the Empress Dowager, but if you don’t want to die, you’d better—”

Qiqian’er froze. She looked in disbelief at the two old women walking away, then turned back to ask the eunuch, unable to believe it, “Is — is this truly Empress Dowager Zheng’s imperial procession?”

The eunuch, hearing this, grew even angrier. “You ignorant, vulgar woman! Do you think Empress Dowager Zheng is the only one entitled to be called Empress Dowager in this world?”

Qiqian’er was even more astonished. “Ah! So it’s our Empress Dowager Jiang! Truly, truly! How rude of me — I hadn’t even bowed to the Empress Dowager just now. Empress Dowager Jiang is truly a compassionate soul, a living bodhisattva reincarnate!”

It turned out that the plump, fair-skinned old woman was none other than the Emperor’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Jiang.

She was also a kind soul — before her death, she had issued an imperial decree that her body be buried simply, in the manner of a Buddhist nun, and had commanded her descendants never to search for her remains nor establish an ancestral tablet in her honor.

She had kept aside some of her private savings, and before her death, had donated it all to establish a foundling institution across Daliang dedicated to taking in abandoned girls, giving a chance at life to countless baby girls from poor families who might otherwise have been drowned.

In truth, Qiqian’er had only gradually come to understand this woman after Empress Dowager Jiang’s death.

As it happened, His Majesty’s family had few descendants, so to ensure the continuation of the bloodline, the old Grand Marshal had selected many women of extremely humble birth but from prolifically fertile families to enter his household.

Simply put — women whose mothers were especially capable of bearing many children.

Empress Dowager Jiang’s mother had been just such a woman — her family had been desperately poor, yet her mother had been remarkably fertile, bearing twelve children for her father’s family, all of whom survived!

With so many children, the family only grew poorer.

In poor families with too many children, drowning infants was often the only recourse; daughters couldn’t simply be given away, so they were raised haphazardly, meant to be sold later to help support the family.

Lady Jiang was sold at age four to a family in the same village to be raised as a child bride, enduring beatings and scoldings until she was ten. Her parents-in-law, upon seeing the Grand Marshal’s household notice, were struck by greed and exchanged her for thirty taels of silver, handing her over to the Grand Marshal’s estate.

This was why, later, those who criticized Empress Dowager Jiang first pointed to the fact that she had been “remarried” and thus unworthy of occupying the principal seat.

At ten years old, Lady Jiang, with no say in her own fate, entered the Grand Marshal’s estate, was raised on the finest food and care until sixteen, and was then sent to the old Grand Marshal’s bed, where she soon fell pregnant.

That year, to protect the precious child in Lady Jiang’s womb, the old Grand Marshal invited countless masters of the arts into his household to pray for blessings and perform every manner of ritual… yet at five months into the pregnancy, something went wrong — she began to show signs of miscarriage.

Later, an unknown old immortal appeared and advised that the old Grand Marshal’s excessive fortune was suppressing the family’s bloodline — if he wished to keep this child, he must sever the father-son bond, neither acknowledging nor meeting the child until age seven, concealing it from the heavens to preserve the pregnancy.

So it was that the pregnant Lady Jiang was inexplicably charged with theft and sent away to be kept under watch at a rural estate.

Strangely enough, once Lady Jiang arrived in the countryside, things settled down. She did indeed give birth to a son, and having learned the old immortal’s words, Empress Dowager Jiang became devoted to burning incense and worshipping the Buddha from then on, building temples and shrines everywhere — and until age seven, Yang Zao believed himself to be the illegitimate son of a woman surnamed Jiang, his mother a thief.

Because of this, young Yang Zao got into more than a few fights as a child.

Yet who could have guessed that Lady Jiang, once mistaken for a common thief, was in fact raising a true dragon emperor.

Everyone who knew the truth of the matter agreed that Empress Dowager Jiang was a woman of great fortune. Look at her — born into poverty, yet she suffered only ten years of hardship before entering a household of wealth in one fell swoop, bearing the estate’s only true dragon heir, after which she wanted for nothing and struggled for nothing, becoming Empress Dowager and enjoying the utmost splendor life could offer.

Yet few in this world knew that Empress Dowager Jiang rarely smiled throughout her life. She disliked laughing, disliked voicing her opinions too much, disliked meeting strangers, and spent each day finding ways to burn incense and kowtow to the gods.

It wasn’t until her son ascended the throne that she was brought to the Daliang palace — where she stayed only a single day, met Empress Dowager Zheng once, and after hearing some idle gossip, insisted on leaving.

The official story, inside and outside the palace, was that the old madam was simply timid and had been startled by an assassin.

From then on, Lady Jiang never again had to endure Empress Dowager Zheng’s moods — in truth, she simply didn’t want to make things difficult for her son! Having suffered the slight, she understood it wasn’t wise to provoke that woman.

Empress Dowager Jiang understood that as long as she never entered the palace, never set foot in Yandu, Empress Dowager Zheng would remain the one blocking His Majesty’s filial devotion — otherwise, people might say Empress Dowager Zheng was being overbearing, refusing to let mother and son reunite.

So if she ever wished to interfere in her son’s court affairs, she would have to consider the consequences carefully.

The eunuch, named Qiu Le, hearing Qiqian’er address the old woman as “bodhisattva,” felt somewhat satisfied and said with a snort, “You’re a clever girl, aren’t you! So you do know our lady?”

Qiqian’er’s least fear in the world was eunuchs.

Hearing this, she laughed and said, “Grand Attendant, we’re not outsiders — my husband guards the gate for His Majesty himself!”

Eunuch Qiu was startled and asked, “Oh? I hadn’t heard of anyone bold enough to marry outside the palace while serving on duty.” He looked her up and down with a touch of envy. “You — which palace does your husband stand guard in? Tell me his name, and I’ll see if I know him.”

Qiqian’er realized he’d misunderstood, and said with a smile, “Ah, you’ve misheard me. Let me put it this way — your palace’s Grand Attendant She is my husband’s teacher! My husband serves in the Imperial Guard, his name is Chen Dasheng! I wonder if the Grand Attendant knows this name?”

Qiu Le froze upon hearing this. He served Empress Dowager Jiang, and anyone who served Empress Dowager Jiang was of a different faction from the palace eunuchs — especially those aligned with Empress Dowager Zheng!

It wasn’t that Eunuch Qiu looked down on Grand Attendant She — it was just that She wasn’t Grand Attendant She supposed to call Empress Dowager Zheng his aunt?

So — were they enemies?

Eunuch Qiu thought for a moment, then said politely, “Well then! Since you’re not outsiders, please sit and wait over there. I’ll have them bring the little sister-in-law a bowl of tea.”

His entire demeanor had turned cool, and Qiqian’er understood at once that Grand Attendant She’s name carried no weight here after all.

Qiqian’er, not fully understanding why, still thanked him sincerely and said she happened to be thirsty anyway.

So she sat quietly at the nunnery entrance without another word, sipping tea in the small pavilion, waiting patiently for the old madam.

The old madam’s visit stretched on until well past noon before she finally emerged, all smiles, alongside Empress Dowager Jiang.

Empress Dowager Jiang, having raised six deities’ worth of devotion, was naturally well-versed in the origins of every bodhisattva and arhat — their lives before becoming buddhas, the trials they endured, how they achieved enlightenment and came to save all sentient beings…

What had the old madam ever seen of the world? She’d originally only wanted to build a connection, hoping simply to bow before the bodhisattva.

Who could have guessed that her new old sister knew Buddhist teachings inside and out, to the point that even the abbess listened, transfixed. The old madam was thoroughly impressed, and after hearing several stories of karmic retribution and reward, felt her spirits lift considerably.

By the end, the two newfound sworn sisters had linked arms, supporting each other from hall to hall, forgetting themselves entirely as they prayed devotedly for their children and grandchildren.

As they came out, Empress Dowager Jiang was still telling stories. “Little sister, you may see nunneries everywhere these days, but back in the day, Buddhism had no bhikkhunis at all.”

The old madam, not understanding, asked in surprise, “Oh? Why was that? Didn’t you just say all beings are equal, sister?”

Empress Dowager Jiang explained, “Little sister, you just saw Ananda, didn’t you? You should make more offerings to him from now on. It’s thanks to Ananda that Buddhism came to allow women to become nuns at all… They say that men in this world are born with the seven treasures, while women’s bodies carry the five hindrances, and being soft-hearted, easily fall into attachment, making it harder for them to cultivate. But then Ananda…oh, look at the time, look, there’s your granddaughter-in-law over there…”

Seeing the two old women finally emerging, Qiqian’er hurried to greet them. She set down her bundle and walked straight up to the Empress Dowager, bowing deeply. “Thank you, Old Bodhisattva, for your mercy — my A’Nai has finally been able to pay her respects before the bodhisattva today…”

The Empress Dowager immediately scolded, “Child, you’ve got it wrong! This is the bodhisattva’s own gate — what kind of bodhisattva am I?”

Though this was a newly made sworn sister, the old madam wasn’t about to let anyone speak against Qiqian’er, and quickly defended her, “Old sister, don’t you dare say anything against my good granddaughter-in-law! There’s no better child in this world than her…”

The Empress Dowager, startled, asked the old madam, “This isn’t actually your granddaughter?”

The old madam immediately swelled with pride. “Ha! No! This is my darling granddaughter-in-law. She’s so filial, you see — all of this, she made for me herself.”

The old madam lifted up her own robes and, following old custom, unfolded layer after layer, showing off everything from top to bottom to the Empress Dowager, not even skipping her socks.

The Empress Dowager looked on with genuine envy. Her son had arranged plenty of wives for her, but those women were far too cunning — their needlework was often sent to her too, claiming filial devotion, but the Empress Dowager wasn’t foolish; she knew those women weren’t doing it out of genuine care, merely using the opportunity to earn the reputation of being close to her, always with some hidden motive behind it.

The Empress Dowager reached out, touching the old madam’s clothing, carefully examining the edges and the stitching… and in the end, praised it wholeheartedly and sincerely.

“My, such a small thing you are — how did you turn out so lovely? So skilled?”

Qiqian’er’s hands were unhurried, but she had a lifetime’s worth of household experience behind her — two lifetimes, in fact. Her needlework could easily hold its own in the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau, on par with the skill of a chief attendant there.

The old madam loved nothing more than others praising Qiqian’er, and upon hearing this, said, “Qian’er, ah, today A’Nai is basking in your glow, Auntie Jiang! Why don’t you measure Auntie Jiang’s feet, and make her a nice comfortable pair of shoes later — that would be a fine gesture of filial devotion from you too!”

Empress Dowager Jiang was taken aback and was about to decline, when she found the smiling young wife already kneeling to lift her foot, measuring it in an instant.

Well, this young wife really did have excellent character. She found she liked this old sister too, and thought she might want to keep her company again sometime — so if she wanted to make her shoes, then so be it!

She couldn’t very well shortchange the girl after all…

Once the greetings were finished, the two old women were escorted by a crowd of attendants to sit for a while in the pavilion.

They hadn’t been seated long when the abbess, Jingguo, who had just left, returned, bringing with her a young, wide-eyed novice nun carrying brush and ink with great reverence.

Though Qingque Nunnery looked fine from the outside, the chaos of war had left few nuns remaining — aside from the elderly ones no longer able to move about, there was only this bewildered young novice capable of running errands, and she’d only just been taken in.

Abbess Jingguo, of course, knew the Empress Dowager was someone of wealth and status, and did her utmost to attend to her throughout, though her knowledge of Buddhist teachings genuinely paled in comparison to the Empress Dowager’s own. Having listened the whole way with fresh admiration, she didn’t dare interject or say much, only murmuring Buddhist invocations of praise along the way.

This, in turn, earned her a measure of respect from the Empress Dowager, who found her sincere and grounded — unlike some of the recently visited larger temples, where the monks put on airs of profundity or spoke glibly of Zen wisdom, hardly behaving like true monastics before the bodhisattva at all.

Most of them, seeing her wealth, only wanted to curry favor with her, hoping to secure themselves a major patron.

No wonder the Buddhist scriptures spoke of how the demon king Mara once said: in the age of the Dharma’s decline, let my demon children and grandchildren don monastic robes, chant your name, and corrupt and destroy your Dharma from within…

But now that her son had ascended the throne, surely that age of decline was over.

Thinking this, the Empress Dowager’s expression took on a faint air of reserved dignity.

Abbess Jingguo said apologetically, “Forgive the poor hospitality, honored guests! Our former abbess passed away three years ago, and this humble nun has barely managed to keep the small nunnery standing — I truly don’t know how best to receive such distinguished benefactors.”

Having gone inside, the old women could plainly see how impoverished the little nunnery had become — some of the bronze bodhisattva statues had even been carried off, leaving only bare lotus pedestals.

The Empress Dowager felt a pang of sympathy, and seeing an opportunity for great merit, resolved to use her private funds to rebuild Qingque Nunnery later — but with others present, she couldn’t make too grand a show of her generosity, or the good deed would lose its meaning.

She smiled without speaking, watching as the young wife took the brush and ink and laid them out on the stone platform, just as she heard her old sister praising her again: “This granddaughter-in-law of mine is so capable! She can read, she can do arithmetic, there’s nothing about running a household she doesn’t know! So skilled! So adorable!”

Qiqian’er suppressed a laugh and chided the old madam. “A’Nai, don’t praise me so much, or people will laugh at you later!”

The old madam swung her neck proudly, clearly relieved of a great weight on her heart.

Empress Dowager Jiang, having worshipped so many deities, had absorbed something of their divine nature, and upon hearing this, took the old madam’s hand and praised her. “Mm, I can see it too. You’re a woman of great fortune!”

The old madam immediately nodded, accepting the compliment. “That’s right! Good is good, bad is bad! Let me tell you, old sister — that fourth daughter-in-law of mine…”

But the Empress Dowager pointed toward the nunnery hall behind them and said, “We mustn’t speak carelessly before the bodhisattva. Let’s not discuss her, not complain about her, not hold resentment against her. Everyone has their own karma — we can only watch and let it be.”

The old madam was stunned again, and felt a strong urge to cry, yet still didn’t dare. She raised a hand to pat her own mouth. “Yes, yes, yes! Just so! I won’t say any more! Just so! The bodhisattva is watching me!”

Qiqian’er didn’t disturb them, and quietly laid out a simple sheet of rice paper, worn with moth holes, dipped her brush in ink a few times, and then asked Abbess Jingguo, “May I ask — which great master oversees the Buddhist establishments near Yandu?”

Religious sites, whether Buddhist or Daoist, typically operated under a certain standard — just as Buddhism itself was divided into several major schools, each region had its own presiding master overseeing the smaller temples beneath it, following that master’s lead.

And in turn, the presiding master would take a certain share of the offerings.

Qiqian’er didn’t know which school or which presiding master Qingque Nunnery answered to, hence her question.

Abbess Jingguo, hearing this, smiled bitterly. “Amitabha, forgive me, benefactor — in the past, we followed Huguo Temple, but now that Huguo Temple in Yandu has withdrawn from worldly affairs, this humble nun doesn’t know who we should follow now.”

Hearing this, Qiqian’er sighed softly. “Then I won’t ask about that. Let me ask instead — by the old custom, for hanging permanent red and yellow longevity tablets, what was the standard rate in the past?”

This matter of permanence was significant — as long as Qingque Nunnery stood, the tablet would remain, only removed if the temple itself was destroyed.

The red tablets were for the living, and the yellow ones for blessing the deceased.

Abbess Jingguo had no idea of this custom, having been just a young novice before the war, and could only shake her head awkwardly.

Qiqian’er understood, and said, lowering her head, “In that case — regardless of which type — shall we say thirty strings of cash per tablet?”

Her words brought silence to everyone around.

Thirty strings of cash truly was a substantial sum — before the war, even the grandest of temples wouldn’t have charged such a price, and Qingque was, after all, only a small nunnery.

The old madam was too frightened to speak, but Abbess Jingguo, after a long pause, finally admitted honestly, “This humble temple never dared charge such a sum before! But now that so many bodhisattva statues have lost their golden forms, this humble nun has indeed felt the stirrings of greed. Rest assured, benefactor — from this day forward, as long as the temple stands, the tablet shall stand with it! Amitabha, this humble nun wishes upon your entire family the light of all Buddhas, the blessing of heavenly dragons, may a thousand fortunes gather and blessings and wisdom multiply for you…”

Seeing the abbess struggling to find the right words, Qiqian’er quickly stopped her, then turned with a smile to ask the old madam, “A’Nai, do you still remember my grandfather’s name?”

The old madam thought for a moment. “Of course I remember — his name was Chen Wucang.”

“And my eldest uncle?”

“And my second uncle?”

“My father-in-law?”

“My eldest aunt?”

…

As the old madam recited name after name, everyone around them fell into stunned silence — how many people had this family lost?

As the old madam continued, she noticed that even the birdsong around them seemed to fade away. Looking at the names her granddaughter-in-law had written, she remembered how others once looked down on her for having such a hard fate, and fear crept into her heart. She quietly rose to put some distance between herself and her new old sister, afraid she might be shunned once the woman realized the truth.

But just as she stood, the Empress Dowager caught her hand, firmly pulling her back down to sit, then patted her hand comfortingly. “It’s not your fault! Not your fault! In those years under the old dynasty, who could control their own fate? Life was hard for everyone, every family suffered the same. No one could ever look down on you for it, little sister, don’t be afraid…”

Tears filled the old madam’s eyes, but still she didn’t dare cry.

Empress Dowager Jiang said, “Go ahead and cry. You’ll feel better once you do.”

The old madam shook her head. “No tears. I can’t. I mustn’t cry — if I cry, they won’t rest easy down there, they won’t dare to be reborn!”

Hearing this, the old madam’s words moved the Empress Dowager to tears instead. Wiping her own eyes, she said, “Alright then! I’ll cry for you instead!”

She, too, had a bellyful of grievances she hadn’t dared release!

With that, the two old women wept together for a long while, soaking several handkerchiefs, until at last, having cried it all out, they both felt strangely lighter and more at ease.

The old madam pressed a hand to her chest and sighed, “Old sister! Now that I’ve had this cry, why does my heart feel so much lighter!”

Empress Dowager Jiang, too, pressed a hand to her chest. “Yes, exactly — mine feels clearer too, even my breathing feels easier now!” She patted her stomach and laughed. “And now I’m hungry too! Little sister, if you don’t mind, come have a meal at my place — it’s not far from here…”

The old madam shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum. “No, no! I still need to go with Qian’er to see His Majesty in Yandu!”

The Empress Dowager’s expression turned strange at this. After a long pause, she looked at the old madam seriously and asked, “You want to go see the Emperor?”

The old madam nodded. “Yes!”

“What for?”

The old madam declared righteously, “To ask him for the reward-merit money!”

The old madam liked this new old sister so much that she held nothing back, explaining the whole situation from beginning to end.

At first, Empress Dowager Jiang was skeptical, but the more she listened, the more devastated and shaken she became. It turned out that far from doing this old sister a favor, it was her own rotten son who owed this family a debt of karma! And he hadn’t even told his own mother where the man was buried? How had this ungrateful wretch turned out so heartless?

Once the old madam finally finished, the Empress Dowager stood up in fury, grasped the old madam’s hand, and declared, “Let’s go! Little sister! I’m coming with you to confront that wretch…”

At this, everyone in her entourage lit up with delight, and Eunuch Qiu trembled visibly with excitement.

The day Empress Dowager Jiang had left the palace, she had sworn that as long as she drew breath, she would never see the Emperor again, nor ever set foot in Yandu again.

But her enthusiasm didn’t last long — the Empress Dowager stopped short at the top of the steps, unable to bring herself to descend, and let go of the old madam’s hand.

The Empress Dowager looked at the old madam with a bitter smile. “Little sister, I — I spoke too big just now. Talking nonsense before the bodhisattva. I can’t go after all…”

That woman surnamed Zheng had been right about one thing — if the palace had two Empress Dowagers, it would surely undermine the foundation of the state! With two maternal clans behind the Emperor, the court officials would too easily split into factions…

The old madam didn’t understand where her new old sister had gotten stuck, but having endured more than her fair share of hardship, she pulled the Empress Dowager close and said, “Old sister! It’s fine, don’t trouble yourself! I know you’re worried about me, but I already had my cry, and I already feel better!

Didn’t I tell you? My grandson guards the gate for His Majesty — once I get there, I’ll be able to see him! Don’t you be upset now! You said it so well yourself just now — let it be, whatever will be…”

The Empress Dowager, heartbroken, nodded helplessly. “Alright! Let it be, let it be! One generation looks after the next — we’re old now, past our usefulness. As long as we don’t burden them, that’s blessing enough for them…”

Qiqian’er had She Jixiang go down the mountain and fetch six gold ingots from the cart for Abbess Jingguo, who received them with overwhelming gratitude, needless to say.

As for the two sworn sisters, they had already set a date to meet again — by the end of April, once the weather warmed, the Empress Dowager would visit the Guard Alley in Quanhou Manor to stay for a few days and unwind.

As they made their way down the mountain, Eunuch Qiu kept glancing back and forth between the old madam and Qiqian’er with a strange expression.

By now, he understood this had all been pure coincidence — the family really had just happened to pass by. He couldn’t find a single fault with them either — this family truly seemed to be one of loyal, upright martyrs, worthy of genuine admiration.

As for the Empress Dowager, she saw them off down a short stretch of the steps, then stood watching until the grandmother and granddaughter-in-law disappeared from sight.

Only once they were completely out of sight did Eunuch Qiu carefully ask, “Your Highness, would you like me to send word to His Majesty?”

The Empress Dowager shook her head slightly. “No need! Can’t you tell? That little granddaughter-in-law of hers has a good head on her shoulders! And that old sister of mine — never mind going to Yandu, if my wretched son doesn’t hand over that reward money, you think she won’t put a hole clean through his golden throne hall out of sheer nerve…

Heh — in this life, whoever you meet, whoever comes into your life, it’s all fate. What’s owed can’t be avoided; what’s borrowed can’t be escaped, not even in the next life…”

Qiqian’er and the old madam, hurrying along without pause, finally entered Yandu just before nightfall.

Neither of them had ridden in the carriage — they wanted to see the sights! They got down and walked in through the gate, wanting to measure the Emperor’s grand gate with their own two feet.

This was the old madam’s first time in Yandu, and just gazing at the city walls kept her occupied for a good while. Eventually, she asked Qiqian’er, “Qian’er, how many zhang tall do you think His Majesty’s walls are?”

Qiqian’er had no idea either, but after studying them for a while, guessed, “Well… at least five zhang, I’d think…”

Before the two of them could finish their conversation, they heard firecrackers and a great gong sounding at the city gate.

The old madam startled and turned to Qiqian’er. “This is Yandu, where His Majesty himself lives — even this late, are there still monkey shows drumming up business?”

Back where the old madam was from, monkey trainers used to bang gongs to draw a crowd.

She figured that in a wealthy place like Yandu, such performances would spare no expense… but before she could even finish admiring the thought, the lead gong was already right in front of them.

A crowd gathered to watch as two enormous gongs rang out, earth-shattering, while a burly man carrying a banner marked with the character for “duel” walked ahead, shouting: “On the third day of the third month, Grandmaster Pang Tu of Yuegong Mountain issues this open challenge — inviting Registrar Chen Dasheng of the Imperial Guard’s Changdao Bureau to a duel at the arena!!”

The enormous gong clanged right in front of the old madam, truly startling her so badly her heart nearly leapt into her throat.

Qiqian’er instinctively reached out and covered the old madam’s ears.

Before she could even lower her hand, she heard someone behind her exclaim excitedly, “Well I’ll be! This is huge! The Grandmaster’s come down from the mountain — he means to kill our Emperor’s guardian beast! See that? The red death-duel banner — this is a fight to the death, no holds barred!”

Hearing this, Qiqian’er’s fury flared instantly, and she thought venomously to herself: To hell with his ancestors!! My husband hasn’t even come home yet — who dares try to cut off my line of descent!!