As for the matter of inviting Nie Yunzhu to visit the Su household, Yun Zhu herself appeared indifferent to it — or perhaps had simply accepted it calmly and chosen to face it head-on — but Ning Yi, for his part, was still turning it over in his mind.
Matters of the heart have little to do with reason. Though Ning Yi had already made up his mind on certain things, decisiveness in battle didn’t necessarily translate well to handling something like this. His modern-day moral instincts got in the way in certain respects, and besides, in his past life, he’d never developed any particular skill tree in the art of romance — so when it came to a situation like this, he found himself genuinely uncertain, unable to find the best way forward for the moment.
This particular blind spot in his character was, in the end, rooted in the fact that in his previous life he’d never truly invested his own feelings in anyone. He himself might not have thought much about it, his mind simply turning over how to solve the problem at hand — but Yun Zhu had noticed this about him. She found it one of Ning Yi’s more endearing, sincere qualities; had she told him so, she wasn’t sure whether he’d have laughed it off with a helpless smile. In any case, when Xing’er came to deliver the invitation, Yun Zhu did not mention it to Ning Yi the next morning.
Jin’er, too, had been sworn to secrecy by Yun Zhu. That morning she just kept glaring at him, muttering to herself: “Your wife’s going to bully us, your wife’s going to bully us…” She felt a little uneasy about Yun Zhu’s decision to accept the invitation — on one hand, she had no idea what sort of confrontation might await, and hoped Ning Yi might finally realize what threat she and Yun Zhu had been under; on the other hand, some part of her thought that if Yun Zhu ended up being mistreated, it might actually be for the best, since once Ning Yi found out, he’d surely think his own wife had behaved unreasonably.
The two of them still weren’t quite in sync enough for Ning Yi to pick up on any of this from her expression — he only sensed that Jin’er seemed rather displeased with him today. Which was probably just as well, since he assumed she’d simply recovered from the shock of the day before and realized, deep down, that the whole mess had been his fault to begin with.
It wasn’t until that afternoon that he learned, from Wenren Buer, that Xing’er had visited Yun Zhu the previous day. Sensing something was wrong, he hurried straight back — by which point Yun Zhu had already been sitting at the Su residence for half an hour.
…
The sky remained overcast, as though rain were coming. The long alleys with their tall eaves gave off a rather gloomy feeling, though the occasional child or servant passing by, laughing loudly or chatting in low voices, softened the impression somewhat. The Su family’s great estate was neither particularly large nor small by Jiangning standards, and had housed many people over many years. The blue-brick courtyard walls carried an air of aged solemnity, overgrown with moss and vines; each courtyard, shaped by the gentle warmth of those who lived within, had gradually taken on a character all its own. Merchants held no social status under the Wu Dynasty, but they were wealthy nonetheless, and the Su family had purchased the original estate generations ago, expanding it steadily ever since, until by now it had finally achieved a certain air of comfortable indulgence.
As she walked the long path through the estate, people from various courtyards occasionally glanced her way, their expressions cautious and varied. Some who had been talking fell silent upon seeing the maid leading her forward, their gazes turning strange and curious.
Yun Zhu had seen homes and grandeur like this before, back when her father had not yet been implicated in scandal, back when she’d still been a young lady of an official’s household. Though officials weren’t necessarily as wealthy as merchants, she had walked paths like this many times before, led by her parents, had seen sights like this before — and had glimpsed, faintly, the complicated tangles of human hearts hidden within such deep and stately compounds. She had once thought she would never walk through such a grand estate again — and yet here she was now, her beloved living within just such a compound…
The thought struck her as strangely wondrous…
Ten years ago, even a few years ago, she could hardly have imagined the feeling she’d experience today. And yet time truly had carried away and transformed so much — from the carefree innocence of childhood, to being cast down into a courtesan’s life, to the years of struggle and uncertainty that followed, to the poverty and hardship that came after redeeming herself, and everything that came after that. But one thing, at least, was curious — whatever image she might once have imagined for the man she’d eventually devote her life to, surely none of it would have looked anything like this strange man, Liheng, as he stood before her now in reality. And she felt not the slightest bit of unease about that.
“Miss Nie, this way…”
Sensing her guest’s footsteps slowing, and noticing her glance back, Xing’er stopped and waited a moment, and only after confirming there was no one unusual following behind did she speak up to remind her. This Miss Nie’s expression seemed rather strange — looking at her bearing and manner now, she seemed nothing like an ordinary courtesan, more like a young lady from an official’s household, though it was hard to tell what exactly she’d been looking at just now… Still, once reminded, Yun Zhu nodded and followed Xing’er further inside.
A short while later, Yun Zhu met Su Tan’er in a room in the small courtyard. This woman, whom she’d heard of so many times and secretly imagined and speculated about in private, looked somewhat haggard from having just given birth, though she had already changed into formal attire. When Yun Zhu first entered, she saw Su Tan’er sitting propped against the bed, looking rather slight and slender, and then, supported by her maid, Su Tan’er rose from the bed and, with a faint, somewhat weary smile, bowed to her in greeting.
In Yun Zhu’s original imagination, this would be a beautiful, formidable woman capable of running the entire Su household. But seeing her now, she realized the smile she wore wasn’t domineering at all — it was a kind, if somewhat searching, smile, carrying none of the qualities Yun Zhu had come to dislike. She hurried to return the bow. Then she heard the other woman begin to speak.
“Inviting Miss Nie here at a time like this is rather presumptuous of me, I know. There’s been no shortage of things happening in this household recently, both large and small, none of it fit to speak of outside. Miss Nie is my husband’s friend, and yet you’ve been caught up in this affair as well — allow me, on behalf of those responsible, to offer you my apologies first…”
…
At the very moment Su Tan’er and Nie Yunzhu finally came face to face, Ning Yi had taken his leave of Wenren Buer and was hurrying back. Beneath Jiangning’s overcast sky, aside from somewhat fewer pedestrians than usual, everything appeared perfectly ordinary, no different from any other day. Near the government offices in the northern part of the city, a group of travelers dressed as itinerant merchants, pushing carts and pulling goods, passed by a squad of patrolling soldiers coming the other way, then turned off toward a street behind the offices.
This group of travelers numbered around thirty or so, tall and short, thin and stout, some carrying long spears and blades strapped to their backs. Merchants traveling north and south through Jiangning often hired escorts or martial men for protection, so this wasn’t unusual in itself. But after rounding the government offices and catching sight of the outline of Jiangning’s prison, they paused briefly, meeting a short man walking toward them from the opposite direction. Both parties exchanged a cupped-hand greeting.
“Confirmed, then.”
“That’s right. The heroes the dog court dragged up from the south are being held right there. They’re only stopping for two days — tonight’s the last chance.”
“Then let’s proceed as planned.”
“The weather doesn’t look good. Think it’ll rain?”
“We were originally counting on the city’s bustle to help cover the confusion when we move. Rotten luck with this weather. This way, I’m afraid it might not work as well.”
“Rain would actually be better — catch them completely off guard.”
“…Then it’s settled, we go after dark. Everyone stay sharp… and if it does rain, all the better.”
…
Mixed in with the faint chime of wind bells beneath the eaves came the sound of a baby crying. The courtyard was quiet; Xiao Chan hurried over, picked the child up from the cradle, and gently sang and swayed him, humming softly. He’d already been fed and wasn’t likely hungry yet, so after a little soothing, he gradually quieted down again. As she held him, Xiao Chan glanced toward the neighboring courtyard, a hint of worry in her eyes.
She knew the young mistress had invited that Miss Nie to the household — she’d even snuck over earlier to listen in. She couldn’t quite make sense of what her mistress intended by it, but according to what Juan’er had told her just a moment ago, the young mistress and Miss Nie were simply having a very ordinary, casual conversation — the young mistress had asked about her family background, her past experiences, and Miss Nie had answered naturally enough. From any angle, neither woman’s words seemed to carry any hidden barbs or attempts to put the other in her place — it was simply an unassuming effort to get to know one another, though most of the time, of course, it was the mistress asking questions and Miss Nie answering.
Surely it wasn’t meant as any kind of display for the other woman — otherwise, the mistress would hardly have had her keep the baby out of sight in this courtyard instead. Even if the relationship between Miss Nie and the young master hadn’t been confirmed, keeping things polite and showing her the baby would only be to their advantage, harmless at worst. But for some reason Xiao Chan couldn’t quite grasp, the mistress had insisted on doing it this way regardless.
Lost in thought, gently rocking the child in her arms, she turned and, out of the corner of her eye, caught a flicker of a shadow — something like the young master’s silhouette. But when she looked more closely, there was no discernible movement at that corner of the courtyard wall. Probably just her eyes playing tricks on her… She looked again a few more times, then, thinking little more of it, laid the sleeping child back down in the cradle and crouched beside it to keep watch…
Ning Yi crept furtively up to the second-floor room.
…
His furtiveness was, admittedly, driven largely by curiosity. There was, after all, nothing especially honorable about what he was doing here — with Yun Zhu’s visit already a fact he couldn’t undo, and realizing that charging in now would hardly be the wisest course, he’d climbed up to the second floor instead, settling in to eavesdrop quietly for a good while. His inner strength had grown considerable by now, but since the room directly above wasn’t easy to open without notice, he’d chosen a room slightly off to the side instead, from which the voices below drifted up faintly but clear enough to make out.
Before long, he began to sense something odd about the situation. The two women were talking as intimately as old friends reunited after years apart; from his wife’s side, he couldn’t detect much emotional undercurrent or hint of what she was really thinking, though reason told him this kind of situation was the most troublesome of all — he simply couldn’t guess what form the trouble might eventually take. Then, at some point, he heard Su Tan’er suddenly say, “Xing’er, Juan’er, why don’t you two step outside for now… Miss Nie, would you mind keeping me company a while longer? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately.”
Yun Zhu said nothing, presumably nodding in agreement. Xing’er seemed to hesitate, but Su Tan’er smiled. “It’s fine. I can hardly overpower Miss Nie in my current state, and Miss Nie isn’t about to hurt me either… go on, close the door behind you.”
Xing’er and Juan’er stepped out, and the room below fell silent. After a while, Ning Yi heard Yun Zhu say, “Miss Su.” Then Su Tan’er began speaking, her voice pitched low, difficult to make out clearly…
…
Su Tan’er rose from the bedside and walked toward Yun Zhu, who quickly stood as well, calling out, “Miss Su.” She reached out to support her. Su Tan’er smiled, her voice growing softer still, as she guided Yun Zhu over to the bed and had her sit down.
“Miss Nie, I’ve asked you here today with a request — it’s rather too much to ask, I know, and hard to even put into words, but… Miss Nie, I’ll simply say it. If you refuse, that would be entirely understandable. I’m sorry…”
She seemed to feel the request itself was quite excessive; after a moment of visible struggle, she finally spoke it in a hushed voice. Halfway through, Yun Zhu’s face flushed crimson, and then, suddenly, went entirely pale…
…
Faintly, Ning Yi could make out that Tan’er was proposing some kind of unreasonable request, but her voice was simply too soft — he caught only scattered fragments of words: “heard,” “intact,” “husband,” “still a maiden,” “argue,” and the like, but couldn’t piece together the shape of it in time. Outside, the sky had already darkened, though whether evening had truly fallen he couldn’t tell — then a flash of white light split the sky, a crack of spring thunder rumbled through the air, drowning out whatever was being said below entirely. After that, he could make out nothing more at all.
His mind kept turning over these fragments, trying to piece together what might be happening, when suddenly, an utterly absurd thought flashed across his mind…
…
Down in the small courtyard’s bedroom, Yun Zhu stood there, one hand almost instinctively clutching the front of her robe, her gaze fixed on the window lattice that had just been lit white by the lightning. Naturally tall and slender, she now seemed to carry a kind of frailty and delicacy about her; standing there, she unconsciously bit down lightly on her lip, though the request she’d just heard seemed to have left her expression somewhat dazed. She stood thinking this over for a good while before finally drawing her gaze back to Su Tan’er before her — whose own expression carried a certain complexity as well — the wife of the man she loved.
“Alright…” An unsteady, unfamiliar sound escaped her throat, one she herself couldn’t quite recognize. She swallowed, then closed her eyes.
Gently, her hand loosened the sash at her waist, and in the dim room, the outer robe slipped silently to the floor…
Su Tan’er closed her eyes, and a single tear welled up in the darkness, sliding down silently…
…
“That can’t be it…”
Up in the room above, Ning Yi sat there, lifting his head. He’d just thought of something — but if it were true, it would be far too strange.
“I want… to see whether you’re still a maiden… just me, alone. I know this is strange…”
How could that possibly be…
…
The sky was growing dark; the rain began to fall.
Near the Jiangning prison, Lin Chong gave his long spear a shake, while the men beside him drew their blades and weapons, dozens of shadowy figures spreading silently toward the prison…