This year’s memorial service for her mother was destined to be different from previous years. Though dangers might lie ahead, Madam Hu had much to accomplish by stepping out of the grand residence, and she could finally act freely.

If she were the daughter of an ordinary family, even if she detected her stepmother’s malicious intentions, she would likely be powerless to respond. But Qingyuan had grown up in the Chen family, where her grandparents cared for her wholeheartedly. Grandmother’s generous private allowance ensured she wouldn’t be helpless due to financial constraints, while Grandfather had been even more practical, worried that when she found herself in dire straits, there would be no one to save her from disaster.

“You don’t know, but in those seemingly prestigious families, the inner chambers are filled with endless schemes. Take the rivalry between wives and concubines vying for favor – it’s not just in other houses, we had it too. Your grandmother was quite formidable back then, finding reasons to dismiss all my concubines. I couldn’t say anything about it – after all, the inner household manager controls everything behind the man,” Grandfather said, shaking his head with a resigned smile. The bitterness of those times had been diluted by the years, becoming lighter and lighter. He had a habit of bringing conversations back around, “But your grandmother was truly skilled at managing the household. In my life, I was destined to have no sons, and which branch of uncles and brothers wasn’t scheming for the family fortune behind our backs? Your grandmother could handle everything, running the household as tight as a drum, giving them no openings to exploit. She protected us so that even in our old age, we could live as freely as in our youth. But you…”

Grandfather looked at her, tears glinting in his eyes, such deep reluctance ultimately hidden behind a hastily turned face.

“Though you’re not our biological child, you’re more important to us than if you were. Your grandmother doesn’t say it, but I know she’s heartbroken. Youzhou is a thousand li from Hengtang, and she’s never traveled far in her life – it seems as distant as the edge of the sky. Your grandmother has prepared your travel money and personal items, and I’ve quietly arranged for some people to protect you along the way, ensuring your safety. They say money is external to oneself, but when people find themselves in difficult situations, having capable helpers is what truly matters. I’ve paid these people handsomely, supporting them until you marry. If you find a good home, my heart will be at peace. But now you’re in the Xie family, and they’re handling all your arrangements – I fear they’ll mistreat you. I’ve thought much about it, first about the marriage, second about daily life – I’m afraid there will be complications. If you were in Hengtang, things would be easier to manage, but now you’re going to Youzhou, and we’ll be too far to help – we really can’t be at ease. Those people I prepared for you – use them if needed, they’re all trustworthy. You’ll be alone in Youzhou, so you must be careful in everything. While considering others’ harmful intentions, you must maintain vigilance – be sure to remember my words.”

After listening, Qingyuan felt as if a mountain were pressing down on her heart. Grandfather usually appeared detached from worldly affairs, sometimes even childish, often contradicting Grandmother. This was the first time he had spoken to her at such length, each word carefully instructing her. She realized then that Grandfather had grown old – the older men become, the softer their hearts grow.

She felt sad but was more grateful for his foresight. None of it had been in vain – today, it had indeed proved useful.

She had been waiting for just such an opportunity. Madam Hu actively supporting her departure from the residence meant that whatever happened next could be attributed to this stepmother. With Qingru’s misfortune providing another pretext, and the motive ready-made, everything made sense.

Was she being too calculating? Without such depth of thought, one couldn’t survive in this family. Moreover, Madam Hu had arrangements in place this time – if she foolishly waited passively, she dared not even imagine what fate would befall a young girl who fell into the hands of villains.

Having countermeasures in place, she knew how to proceed. The next day at dawn, carriages were ready outside the side gate, with items to be transported streaming out of Danyue Pavilion and being loaded onto the third carriage. Matron Tao and two young maids also accompanied them. Now in the height of the sixth month, the days were too hot to stand still, so traveling before sunrise was most suitable. The procession of three carriages drove out through the narrow lanes outside the Xie residence.

A thin blue haze hung between heaven and earth. A lantern hung from one corner of the carriage canopy, and as the carriages moved forward, the sound of the eave hooks and lantern hooks rubbing together mixed with the rolling of the axles, filling the world with creaking sounds. Qingyuan lifted the window curtain to look outside – the air was very crisp, and the vegetation in the outskirts was lush. Because it was still very early, there were few travelers on the road; one might walk a li before encountering one or two people.

Perhaps because it was the first day, the journey went smoothly. By the time the sun came out, they had already arrived at the mountain gate of Bijin Temple. The temple steward came out to welcome them, pressing her palms together in greeting with a smile, “Amitabha, Fourth Young Lady has come early. The Buddha hall was prepared yesterday, just waiting for your inspection.”

Qingyuan nodded and followed through the mountain gate. While Matron Tao and the servants busied themselves with the tin foil and paper offerings, she didn’t need to concern herself with those matters. She went directly to the small Buddha hall, and upon entering, saw the large and imposing Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva above the offering table. Below, brocade embroidered with golden lotuses had been properly arranged, with empty plates and incense holders on top, along with the spirit tablet bearing her mother’s name.

An expelled concubine was not worthy of bearing the Xie family name. Looking at the gold-flecked paper with its inscription, where the brief title left large spaces above and below, Qingyuan’s nose stung with emotion. Even in death, she was a lonely ghost. Her mother’s brief twenty years of life had passed like a dream. No one in the Xie family cared about her background – perhaps no one could even remember which ancestral home she came from.

“Young Lady…” seeing her standing in a daze, Baoxian called softly, “Shall we arrange the offerings?”

Qingyuan came back to herself, took the food box, and lifted her sleeves, filling each empty plate one by one.

The temple keeper was about to light the incense and candles after she finished arranging everything, but she said to wait, turning to say: “I must trouble the steward to add a few words to the spirit tablet. My aunt was from Yangzhou, born on the seventh day of the second month in the ninth year of Shengping, and died on the twenty-first day of the sixth month in the sixth year of Qianyuan.”

The steward was slightly stunned, surprised by this Fourth Young Lady’s directness.

Generally, daughters of concubines were suppressed to the point they couldn’t raise their heads. Let alone one as isolated as this – even those with mothers to rely on were mostly cautious in public, not daring to speak freely. Bijin Temple was a family temple previously donated by the Xie family, so they understood something of the Xie family’s background. The day before the ceremony, when people came from the residence to inform them, it was just about performing rites for a former concubine, so the temple congregation was listless, even writing the spirit tablet carelessly. But this young lady wasn’t to be fooled – she directly stated the birth and death dates, making it impossible to brush off.

The steward could only agree, saying with a smile: “When your residence sent people yesterday to inform us, I asked in detail, but couldn’t get the exact dates, so we wrote it this way temporarily. Now that Fourth Young Lady has come personally and knows the exact dates, it’s easily handled – adding a few strokes is no trouble.” While calling for brush and ink to be prepared, she took down the gold-flecked paper and moved to a side desk to add the writing.

Qingyuan watched as she wrote each stroke to complete the spirit tablet. Only now did it look somewhat proper. She smiled and said: “This is my first time personally overseeing a memorial service, and there’s much I don’t understand. Please guide me, Steward. The temple congregation here are all outside the secular world – I expect they treat all deceased equally. This service will last seven full days, so I’ll rely entirely on the steward’s assistance.”

Seeing the young lady’s conscientiousness, the steward dared not be negligent, repeatedly agreeing as she lit the incense and installed the main tablet, then arranged for the group of bhikkhunis to enter and begin chanting sutras.

Qingyuan naturally couldn’t leave. The first day’s rituals were the most important, requiring frequent offerings of incense and prostrations. The children’s sincerity became the deceased’s merit, so by the end of the day, she was extremely tired.

“It will be better tomorrow,” the steward said. “After this, the Young Lady only needs to offer incense morning and evening. The other times aren’t so crucial – you’ll only need to be present on the seventh day for the feeding of the hungry ghosts ceremony. Let me have someone prepare a meditation room for you to rest. The temple is tranquil, with many pine and cypress trees – Young Lady, see if our peaceful Buddhist sanctuary suits you.”

Qingyuan merely smiled, “I am a person of the mundane world, and must return to it. The temple environment is indeed peaceful – it’s nice to visit occasionally.”

Hearing her words, the steward gave an awkward smile. Fortuitously, a bhikkhuni came seeking her about some matter, so she took the opportunity to walk away.

“This steward has probably received orders from the Madam, hinting at having Young Lady stay here,” said Baoxian. “Previously in Hengtang, there was also a Xie family temple. Though not as large as this one, it was more lively. This place, I find it too quiet. Just now I looked at the back courtyard – there’s a corner gate that leads directly to the mountain behind, like a bag with a hole in it. It’s not very secure.”

Qingyuan made a sound of acknowledgment. “This is a temple the Xie family supported in earlier years. Without management these years, and no outside worshippers, its decline was inevitable. No matter – I’ve asked, and the daily ceremonies will finish by the hour of Shen. We’ll be home before dark, don’t worry.”

As they spoke, suddenly there came a clear ‘ding’ – the drawn-out ring of the qing bell, that thread-like sound drifting far away.

The first day passed without incident, everything was as usual. Upon returning to the Xie residence, Qingyuan went to report to the Old Madam, who asked how things went, “Did the temple congregation show proper dedication?”

Qingyuan said it was good, “They only rested for an hour at midday. I observed them chanting very carefully.”

The Old Madam nodded, “This family temple hasn’t been used for many years, I feared the people there might have grown lazy. I was thinking of renovating it after a while – if the managers were negligent, we would replace them. But since they’re dedicated, there’s no need for such drastic measures.”

Qingyuan agreed, then hesitated before asking, “Is Second Sister better today?”

The Old Madam lowered her eyes, speaking casually, “I heard she’s not sleeping as long now. After another couple of days, she should be mostly recovered – you needn’t worry.”

Qingyuan slowly nodded, saying softly, “I fear the Madam resents me. Things were fine between sisters, and then this happened…”

How could this not be exactly what she had hoped for? The Old Madam understood clearly, and while secretly amazed that such a young child could possess such cunning, it didn’t particularly anger her.

Status and position are inherited from the womb, but intelligence determines how far one can go in life. Strictly speaking, among descendants from the same vine, who should be favored and who should be distant? In the future, after marriage, those who still think of their natal family are the good ones. Therefore, she didn’t overly reproach Qingyuan – Qingru’s foolishness was no one else’s fault.

What the Old Madam currently cared about was something else. “When your Second Sister’s incident happened, I didn’t get a chance to ask you – at that day’s banquet, did the Commander and General seem normal?”

Qingyuan nodded, saying, “Everything was normal.” Of course, this normalcy was in most people’s eyes. For her, the Commander could make her skin crawl every time – perhaps after enough crawling, one gets used to it.

The Old Madam asked further: “How are you getting along with the General’s wife? I heard Lady Dong has a nice temperament, though her natal family’s status is low, causing many to gossip behind her back, saying she’s not worthy of the General.”

Not worthy of the General meant not worthy of being the General’s primary wife. Traditionally, the position of the main wife had very high requirements, considering family background and origins. If slightly lower, it was also a kind of disgrace to the man. But a second wife was different – there wasn’t such a high threshold, and women from modest families or even concubines’ daughters from good families were acceptable.

Qingyuan forced a smile, knowing what this grandmother was thinking about – from the time she let her enter the Shen family’s door alone, this thought had never died. The Old Madam firmly believed that with her capabilities, she could certainly replace Fangchun. Sometimes thinking about it was truly unbearable – in the eyes of this most authoritative elder of the Xie family, she was always destined to be a concubine, a replacement wife.

However, since the Old Madam didn’t speak plainly, she pretended not to notice, avoiding the main point and saying lightly that she got along well with the General’s wife.

“Since you get along well, then visit frequently. Go often – it won’t hurt you.”

More visits to their residence meant more chances to encounter the General. A girl as fresh and pure as a flower would surely stir different thoughts and longings in a man.

Qingyuan agreed verbally but didn’t take it to heart. In the following days, she continued going to Bijin Temple as usual for her mother’s memorial service. However, what was supposed to end at late shen hour gradually delayed more and more, each day later than the last, until, by the fourth day, it almost dragged to the xu hour.

At the xu hour of a summer day, just when it was neither dark nor light, coming down from the mountain gate, dusk was rising all around. Looking into the distance, the trees were indistinct – their trunks and branches could no longer be seen.

Baoxian helped her into the carriage, and as usual, the servant whipped the horses, hurrying towards the city. From Bijin Temple to the Xie residence was seven or eight li. Qingyuan pondered silently – along this road, there was a wasteland where channels had once been dug on both sides of the main road. Later, with no one to manage them, they gradually grew into reed marshes. At this time of year, the growth was particularly vigorous. Standing on the road looking north and south, the reeds stretched endlessly beyond sight. If anything were to happen, it would surely be in that section.

She gripped her handkerchief tightly, listening carefully to every sound outside. The horses’ hooves clattered into the reed marsh, and the sky had completely darkened. The lantern at the corner of the carriage canopy became the only light in this dim world, like a brilliant reflection on a long sword, racing forward along the blade.

Suddenly, the lead horse let out a neigh and forcefully halted its steps. The passengers lurched forward from the momentum – if Baoxian hadn’t firmly blocked with her arm, she would have been thrown from the carriage.

“Young Lady…” Baoxian, still shaken, held her shoulders and asked, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Qingyuan shook her head, took two steady breaths, knowing that what was meant to come had finally arrived, and pushed open the carved door to look out.

The original plan was to have people pose as bandits for the hold-up, have someone play the good Samaritan for the rescue, and ultimately direct suspicion toward Madam Hu. After all, this trick of false incrimination was one Madam Hu had used against her mother – returning the favor with the same method wasn’t excessive. Since she had arranged it herself, she knew the plan and only needed to act out a scene for the accompanying people to witness.

Shadows lingered in the moonlight, the lantern swayed, illuminating many interwoven footsteps. She held the shaft and jumped down, watching the maids and servants panic and scatter aimlessly like ghostly winds, yet unable to break through the encirclement, ultimately forced back to their original positions. The carriage servant secretly drew out the knife bound to the shaft, but before he could grip it firmly, a cold flash struck diagonally – the servant fell without even a grunt, face-first onto the ground.

Qingyuan was startled, the maids and servants’ screams exploding in her ears, that fear like suddenly sprouting hands nearly tearing her heart apart. She hastily retreated two steps, watching the servant lying motionless on the ground. In just a moment, a large amount of blood spread beneath him. She suddenly realized the situation wasn’t as she had planned – it had lost control, or perhaps the pretense had become reality.

In this situation, the entire group had become lambs awaiting slaughter, huddling together in terror and fear. The black-clothed men sneered while holding their knives. The leader examined Qingyuan in the light and laughed, “Such a pretty young miss – it would be a shame to kill her.” As he spoke, he leered closer, “If you become my mountain camp’s wife, I’ll spare your life. How about it?”

With no way forward or back, at this point, there was nowhere to retreat. Qingyuan could only steady herself and shout angrily: “Who are you people? How dare you rob on the road under the Son of Heaven’s feet – is there no law?”

The black-clothed men were startled by that delicate shout, and after their surprise, they burst into laughter. “Indeed the daughter of a Military Commissioner, truly courageous.”

Qingyuan’s calves were trembling, but at this critical moment, she had to stay calm. Although she knew negotiating would be useless, there was nothing else to try, so she attempted to reason with them: “You’re taking such a risk, ultimately for money. Since you know my background, why not release me? When I return, I’ll certainly reward you generously.”

This only invited another round of mockery. “Let you go back, so you can notify the authorities to arrest us? Though we’re after money, we’re not stupid…” Before he could finish speaking, his words were choked off in the embrace of golden armor.

Suddenly, firelight blazed from all directions, horse hooves thundered, and the black-clothed men were surrounded by guards in brocade and golden armor. Everything happened swiftly – those Palace Guards who had once been feared by the Xie family now appeared like divine soldiers descending from heaven. Qingyuan heard Baoxian’s voice, somewhere between crying and laughing: “Young Lady, we’re saved… we’re saved…”

Qingyuan was still shaken. She raised her eyes to look around, and the circle of magnificently dressed mounted soldiers finally opened a gap. The leader had a cold, refined face. He rode his horse to her front, looked down at her intently, and without a single extra word, raised his hand and commanded, “Take her!”