The Duke of Ying’s mansion had never been as quiet as it was now.
Both the East and West Gardens were solemn, with maids and servants hardly daring to breathe. The high-ranking stewards and matrons stood outside the main hall of Old Madam Wei’s Jing’an Residence, waiting for instructions. Night had fallen completely, and an indescribable, oppressive atmosphere permeated the mansion.
It wasn’t until the lanterns along the pathway were lit, and a group of people escorted Yining over, that the stewards hurried to greet her. Fortunately, Yining had managed the household during the New Year, so the stewards respected her to some extent. They had all been chosen by Wei Ling and were naturally capable people—but no matter how capable, they were not the masters of the Duke of Ying’s household and couldn’t make decisions on many matters.
Yining was surrounded by the stewards, their faces visibly anxious. The Duke of Ying’s line had continued through Wei Ling’s generation with only young Ting as the sole child. What it meant for the Duke of Ying’s household if Wei Ling was gone was all too clear. Yining quickly scanned their faces and asked, “Has someone been sent to bring Ting back from the garrison?”
“We’ve sent a swift horse. He should be back by tomorrow morning,” one of the stewards promptly replied.
Yining exhaled slowly.
She remembered that in her previous life, Wei Ling had once had a brush with death, but back then, he was just the unfamiliar Duke of Ying to her. She only knew bits and pieces about his affairs, but one thing she did remember was that Wei Ling had always survived. However, she didn’t know if the events of this life differed from the previous one, so it was impossible not to feel anxious.
After all, in her previous life, there was no Wei Yining—that child had died early. But now, she truly existed.
Yining asked again, “Is Grandmother in her room?”
The attending matron hesitated before answering, “The Old Madam went to the ancestral hall after she woke up and hasn’t come out. Should I go…”
Before she could finish, Yining waved her hand, “I’ll go find her myself.” With that, she headed towards the ancestral hall. Cheng Lang watched her go, then stayed outside the main hall, instructing the stewards not to speak.
The ancestral hall of the Duke of Ying’s mansion was located behind the Jing’an Residence. The mansion had been passed down from ancestors, and the old ancestral hall had a plaque hanging above its tung wood lintel. Looking through the side door, one could see the lights were on inside. Zhao Mingzhu stood outside the side door, looking at Yining somewhat nervously, “I can’t enter the ancestral hall… I don’t know how Great-grandmother is doing. Earlier outside, she was crying so hard she almost fainted.”
Zhao Mingzhu didn’t like Luo Yining and still didn’t. The better Wei Ling treated Luo Yining, the worse he treated her, so she didn’t like Wei Ling either. But if Wei Ling was gone, the future of the Duke of Ying’s household was uncertain. When the lips are gone, the teeth get cold—she didn’t want Wei Ling to be in trouble.
Luo Yining nodded slightly. Zhao Mingzhu was of a different surname, so naturally, she couldn’t enter the Wei family’s ancestral hall. She stepped inside, where the matrons standing on both sides bowed to her. Yining barely noticed them, focusing on Old Madam Wei’s back as she stood straight before the ancestral tablets.
Old Madam Wei was just staring at the Wei family’s ancestral tablets without speaking. She turned her head when she heard footsteps.
Yining stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall, looking at her. The darkness outside made her silhouette appear even more frail. When Old Madam Wei saw Yining’s eyes, similar to Wei Ling’s but with a touch of youthfulness, she thought of how much Wei Ling adored this daughter. She had already lost her mother, and now she might have lost her father too. She became distressed again, her breathing heavy, her eyes reddening.
Yining walked to her side and saw Old Madam Wei’s pale face. The ancestral hall was near a pond and had always been damp. With her already poor health, if she fell ill now, what would they do? “Grandmother, come back with me,” Yining said to her. “There’s still no news of Father from Pingyuan Fort. Maybe he’ll return in a few days…”
Even Yining felt her comfort was too feeble. With 30,000 troops lost, would the Oirat spare the enemy’s leader? They were known for their brutality; immediate execution wasn’t impossible.
On the battlefield, bodies were wrapped in horse hide. Perhaps Wei Ling was among them. On that desolate frontier, there might not even be a place to bury the bodies.
Thinking of this scene, the emotions she had suppressed during the journey stirred again, but Yining continued, “Maybe when you go back and sleep, he’ll have returned.”
Old Madam Wei pulled her into an embrace, her voice choked with sobs, barely able to speak clearly, “Yining—what if your father doesn’t come back? I… I didn’t even see him off when he left. I didn’t see him for the last time…”
Old Madam Wei smelled of an unfamiliar sandalwood. Yining had never been close to her, but now she allowed herself to be held.
Old Madam Wei’s cold hands embraced her, holding Wei Ling’s child as she cried breathlessly, “I… he never wanted me to worry, he was so sensible from a young age! Ling’er… my Ling’er…” Her cries turned into near-wails. There is no greater tragedy in the world than for white-haired parents to bury their black-haired children.
Old Madam Wei cried until she could barely stand. Yining quickly supported her. She too was distressed, her eyes red with held-back tears. The matrons waiting at the door, hearing Old Madam Wei’s wails, rushed in to help support her. Yining directed them to take the Old Madam back to Jing’an Residence.
After escorting Old Madam Wei back to Jing’an Residence, the imperial physician promptly began acupuncture treatment. The Old Madam lay on the arhat bed, surrounded by matrons offering ginseng soup and hot water. She wore a headdress, her old and withered hand resting on the rosewood frame, blue veins visible due to her thinness.
After settling Old Madam Wei and instructing the matrons to watch over her carefully, Yining walked out of the west side room. As soon as she exited, she saw Cheng Lang standing in the courtyard. He turned to face her and said, “There’s something I must tell you. Are you available to listen?”
Yining nodded and invited him to sit in the tea room.
Once seated in the tea room, Cheng Lang furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before saying, “Although the Duke of Ying’s whereabouts are unknown, I must tell you something cruel. The Duke’s misfortune has also implicated 30,000 troops. Xuanfu’s military strength has been weakened. If it weren’t for Lu Jiaxue’s efforts to salvage the situation, the border might have been in danger. The Emperor will surely be angry about this, and with young Ting still so young, the Wei family might be stripped of the Duke of Ying title…”
As a court official, Cheng Lang was particularly sensitive to political matters. Given past merits, the Emperor wouldn’t do anything to the Wei family, but the Duke of Ying title was another matter.
Hearing Cheng Lang’s words, Yining felt a chill in her heart. Although she had suspected this, she dared not think too deeply about it. She murmured, “Father was acting for the border people, and he is in danger, now missing. If the Emperor strips the Wei family of their title because of this…”
“Logically, that’s true, but Xuanfu has always been a military stronghold, and the Emperor values it highly. If it were really to fall, he wouldn’t care why the Duke of Ying sent troops,” Cheng Lang patiently explained. “Since the founding of the dynasty, among the families who followed the founding Emperor and were granted titles, few still hold them now. After ascending the throne, the Emperor stripped Song Yue, the Marquis of Jining, of his title…”
She understood all of this.
Yining remained silent, thinking about Wei Ling’s situation.
Years ago, Wei Ling had been in danger but eventually returned. Not only did he return, but he continued to be the Duke of Ying and the Commander of Xuanfu.
Yining should now hope that Wei Ling is safe, or that this incident is just part of Wei Ling’s strategy. But she didn’t know what variables her existence had introduced to the overall situation. If it was truly because of her existence that he died on the battlefield, or even lost the title of Duke of Ying… Yining felt she would rather have never existed! At least not to implicate him!
“I understand,” Yining nodded and said, “I’ll think about what to do. You need to go to the Six Ministries tomorrow, let me see you out.”
As Cheng Lang stood up, he suddenly said to her, “…I will help you.”
Yining looked up at him; he was much taller than her.
Cheng Lang said, “Yining, I’m no longer that little Lang.” He was now a proper court official, not the child hiding behind her back.
Yining shook her head and said, “This concerns the state. How can you help me?” Even if he could help, the price would surely be high. She didn’t want to burden Cheng Lang.
Cheng Lang smiled without saying more.
While others couldn’t help Yining, there was one person who could. The Duke of Ying’s household was now in a dangerous position, and it would be very difficult without someone backing them. Yining hadn’t come of age yet, how could she manage such a large household as the Duke of Ying’s? But he didn’t want Luo Yining to seek out this person, so he could only help himself. However, it would be extremely thorny.
Apart from Lu Jiaxue, the Commander, who else in the world could sway the Emperor’s mind?
No matter how much he hated it, he had to acknowledge this point.
Yining had the steward escort Cheng Lang out. When she returned, it was already the hour of Zi (11 pm to 1 am). After hearing from the matron that Old Madam Wei had calmed down, she left Jing’an Residence. She gazed at the magnificent carved beams and flying eaves of the Duke of Ying’s mansion. Her steps were somewhat unsteady.
All around her was endless darkness, and Pearl, Qingpu, and others standing beside her remained silent. Yining walked down the steps, and Zhao Mingzhu was still standing at the edge of the steps, her maid supporting her hand as she prepared to visit Old Madam Wei. Seeing Yining pass by and catching a glimpse of her expression, Zhao Mingzhu suddenly called out to her.
Yining turned back to look at her, and Zhao Mingzhu hesitated before saying, “Sister Yining… don’t be too upset.”
She noticed that Zhao Mingzhu’s eyes held a hint of sympathy when looking at her.
Yining thanked her and then returned to the East Garden.
There were fewer guards in the East Garden than usual. Yining saw Wei Ling’s courtyard shrouded in darkness. She thought of the times she would go to his study to find him, and how he would lead her by the hand to have meals. The candlelight had been so warm then, and even the darkest night held no fear because someone was standing beside her, protecting her.
Yining quickly walked towards her courtyard.
Songzhi had already had the servants settle everything. Back in her familiar room, Yining leaned tiredly against the cushions.
Her pet crested parrot, seeing her, became very excited. After not seeing its owner for a long time, its listlessness instantly disappeared. It flapped its wings and flew from its perch to her hand. Yining stroked the parrot’s feathers and noticed they were not as smooth as before, with some areas balding. She took a small porcelain plate from the side table to feed it, filled with crushed millet. It lowered its head to peck at the food.
The maid who had been caring for it said, “I’ve been feeding it according to your instructions, miss. This parrot is strange. It gets anxious when it doesn’t see you and even pecks at its feathers… Now that you’re back, it’s so happy and eating well.”
Yining stroked the parrot’s feathers. The parrot, in its excitement, called out twice, “Yining, Yining!” It had often heard Wei Ling call her this way and had learned to imitate.
Hearing the second word it had struggled to learn, Yining suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore. Her eyes welled up, and she buried her face in her arms on the table, sobbing uncontrollably. Her shoulders shook violently as if all the grief was rushing towards her at once.