At that time Bai Song was chewing on a blade of grass and leaning against a tree trunk by the roadside. Seeing her return, he spat out the grass from his mouth and greeted her.
Shen Xiling was somewhat stunned and asked, “How are you here?”
Bai Song walked toward her with his sword in his arms, and when he drew near he said to her, “If I weren’t here, your mother’s coffin would have been stolen.”
Though Jiangzuo was a prosperous region, with the current frequent warfare between north and south, it was truly a chaotic world. Shen Xiling was ultimately young and thought a coffin wouldn’t come to any harm, but didn’t know that the coffin Bai Song had bought for her mother was of the finest quality. Just lying there on the road, it could easily be stolen by unscrupulous people who would either dismantle the coffin to use the wood for other purposes or directly resell it for silver.
Shen Xiling silently lowered her head.
Suddenly her shoulder felt heavy. She turned her head to look and saw that Bai Song had draped that long fur coat she had pawned today back over her shoulders.
Shen Xiling was very surprised and looked up at him, “This…”
Bai Song snorted coldly and said, “A fine horse and a thousand-gold fur coat—how much do you think this thing is worth? You pawned it for a mere twenty taels?”
Shen Xiling pressed her lips together, not knowing what to say. After deliberating for a long time she began to speak, “Thank—”
“No need to thank me,” Bai Song interrupted her very coldly. “I just couldn’t bear to see the Young Master’s belongings end up in a pawn shop for people to gossip about the Qi family behind our backs.”
Shen Xiling also knew that pawning someone else’s belongings was very improper, but she hadn’t expected it would cause such trouble for others. She felt extremely guilty and embarrassed, hastily apologizing and explaining, “I didn’t mean to…”
Bai Song waved his hand and interrupted her again, continuing with a cold expression, “That carriage business is also a dishonest shop. Seeing you’re just a young girl easy to bully, they took your silver but tomorrow they definitely won’t honor their agreement to take you back to Jiankang. Being so muddled, how can you properly settle your mother?”
Shen Xiling stared speechlessly.
Bai Song looked down at her, seeing the desolation, guilt, and helplessness in her eyes, and couldn’t help snorting coldly again.
She thought he had left after delivering her to the Wei family’s door, but actually he had followed her for a day. It wasn’t that he was busybody, but before leaving Jiankang the Young Master had instructed him: “The world is dangerous, and she’s just a young girl who probably can’t handle it. After you escort her to Langya, wait until she’s settled before leaving.”
When he saw that she had indeed been driven out by the Wei family, he couldn’t help but admire the Young Master’s foresight.
He watched her sit dejectedly by her mother’s coffin for half a day, then go pawn the fur coat the Young Master had left her. Though just a young girl, she seemed very familiar with entering pawn shops, with no particular expression on her face. He had thought she would use that money to find a place to stay, but then saw her enter the carriage business, only then realizing she had thoughts of returning to Jiankang.
Foolish.
She probably thought her journey north had been an easy matter, but in reality she didn’t know how much arrangement by Qi Ying lay behind it. Otherwise, as fugitives, she and her mother wouldn’t have been able to pass even the first checkpoint after leaving Jiankang. Now having finally obtained a way to survive, she actually still wanted to go back.
Bai Song wanted to scold her somewhat, but for a moment couldn’t think of suitable words to scold her with. After all, he was actually thinking in his heart: at this time, where else could she go? He didn’t know whether he should tell her that her father had been sentenced to execution, and calculating the days, it was carried out the day before yesterday—he had departed on the same day as her mother.
He should tell her, but at that time he somehow couldn’t bring himself to speak, only asking her, “Must you return to Jiankang?”
Hearing this she seemed to freeze for a moment, then nodded extremely slowly yet extremely firmly.
Bai Song sighed and asked again, “Have you thought about what will happen after you return?”
She shook her head, was silent for a while, then answered, “If my father is alive, I’ll bring mother to find him. If my father… is dead, I’ll bury them together.”
This time it was Bai Song’s turn to be stunned: so she had already known in her heart. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense—having experienced that prison disaster, she had probably heard something about the crimes her father had committed.
Bai Song pondered for a moment, picked up her mother’s coffin and turned to leave, saying to Shen Xiling who fell behind him, “I happen to be returning to Jiankang too. Since you must go back no matter what, then travel with me.”
From Langya all the way south the rain and snow gradually increased, and by the time they reached the vicinity of Jiankang they saw snow filling the sky, appearing just as it had when they left several days ago.
When they entered the city they were questioned, but Bai Song produced a token and those soldiers all respectfully let them pass. Speaking of it, it was quite interesting—originally it was also at this city gate that she and her mother had tried every means to escape. It had been only a few days, yet her mother had already passed away leaving only her alone, and now she had to enter through this same city gate.
Jiankang City truly lived up to being the most prosperous place under heaven. Even though it was nearly nightfall when they entered the city, the city was still brightly lit and very lively, with the people in high spirits, as if no one remembered that a prominent noble household in Jiankang City had fallen—simply because New Year would arrive in a few days.
Bai Song drove the carriage slowly, turning his head to ask through the curtain where she wanted to go. He heard her answer quietly, “You told me a few days ago that most of father’s clan had been executed and the rest had all been exiled. Presumably no one collected his body either. I heard that unclaimed corpses are thrown into mass graves. If it’s convenient for you, could you take me there?”
Bai Song fell silent.
On the road back to Jiankang he had told her about her father’s death. At that time she had only been slightly stunned, then nodded and said “thank you” to him—nothing more than that. Though he had always feared trouble and was most impatient about hearing others cry, seeing her like this at that time made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. He had thought that perhaps she had been struck too hard by the successive bad news for the moment, and that later when she recovered she would still cry after all. But throughout the entire journey south from Langya she never cried, and now she mentioned the matter to him so calmly, even saying she wanted to go to the mass graves.
Bai Song continued driving the carriage, saying, “Since the Young Master took charge of your situation initially, perhaps he has also already handled the Finance Minister’s funeral arrangements. You might as well ask the Young Master and get reliable information before going to the mass graves.”
He heard her remain silent for a while, then ask, “Young Master Qi, was he well acquainted with my father?”
Bai Song answered, “Just ordinary interactions between aristocratic families. I haven’t heard of any special friendship.”
Shen Xiling hesitated, “Then how would he…”
Bai Song actually didn’t understand this matter either. Though he didn’t dare say he understood the Young Master very well, he had followed by his side since age fourteen—eight years now—and still knew something of his temperament. He was definitely not someone who liked to meddle in others’ affairs. With the Shen family in their current situation, all other noble families avoided them for fear of association. Why would the Young Master lend aid?
He was silent for a while, then said, “I also don’t know the Young Master’s intentions.”
He heard Shen Xiling respond quietly, then ask, “Are we going to the Qi mansion now?”
Bai Song calculated the days, saying, “At this time the Young Master probably isn’t at the main residence. He’s most likely staying at his other residence.”
Shen Xiling asked, “Where is that?”
With the sound of hoofbeats, Bai Song said, “Qingji Mountain, Fenghe Garden.”
Qingji Mountain was actually a famous scenic spot in Jiankang City. It wasn’t any extraordinary mountain or beautiful water, but in the midst of worldly clamor it was valued for its tranquility, much beloved by literati and scholars. This place was actually private property of the Qi family, left unused for many years until recent years when construction was undertaken, making it Young Master Qi’s private residence, so unrelated people could no longer approach.
This private residence was called Fenghe Garden, built right in the mountain forest hidden among bamboo groves. One had to climb one hundred and eight stone steps from the foot of the mountain to glimpse its true form, and these stone steps weren’t built straight to the top in one go, but had the deeper meaning of winding paths leading to secluded places, spiraling around the mountain terrain for several turns. It was rumored that Young Master Qi, who despite his young age held high position in officialdom, quite loved this private residence. Though in the past he still stayed at the main residence more often, he would come here for brief stays during rest days.
As Shen Xiling followed Bai Song walking up the stone steps in the mountain, it was still snowing heavily. The mountain was clear and cold, with the green bamboo on both sides of the stone steps bent somewhat under the snow’s weight, yet the elegant bamboo fragrance could still be detected. The stone steps were simple and unpretentious, not particularly wide or level, but this instead created interest—every few steps climbed changed direction, and the scenery before one’s eyes would change accordingly.
Shen Xiling thought of her father, who was also someone who loved bamboo. He had once personally planted bamboo in the small courtyard where she and her mother lived, but that courtyard wasn’t very spacious, so the few bamboo stalks never flourished, always leaving father with regret. If father could see the bamboo forest in Qingji Mountain, he would probably find it very appealing.
Thinking this way, when she raised her head again she saw the residence gate above the stone steps, built with blue tiles and white walls, with two lanterns hanging high, and three large characters “Fenghe Garden” inscribed above the gate.
She had seen this calligraphy before—it was from copybooks on father’s desk. When he taught her to write, he had even had her practice copying it, praising it at the time as “remarkably free and bold, like a sharp blade cutting and carving.” But not long after, he changed to different copybooks for her to write, and when she had asked father the reason, he had gently stroked her head and smiled, saying, “Though Jingchen’s calligraphy is good, beneath its elegant flow there’s subtly the air of military conflict—ultimately it’s not very suitable for young girls to copy.”
In a daze, Shen Xiling realized that the calligraphy she had once copied was actually Qi Ying’s.
Bai Song knocked on the door. Shen Xiling followed behind him, and before long a young gatekeeper emerged. Seeing the person knocking was Bai Song, he greeted him familiarly and said, “I heard earlier that Brother Bai had gone to Langya on business for the Young Master. I was afraid you wouldn’t return before New Year—how was it? Was this trip fairly smooth?”
Bai Song also greeted him, but didn’t mention whether it was smooth or not, only asking, “Is the Young Master staying here tonight?”
“Indeed,” that gatekeeper answered, “at this hour he probably hasn’t retired yet.”
That gatekeeper was about to invite him in when he suddenly noticed Shen Xiling standing behind him, showing a very surprised expression, and asked Bai Song, “Brother Bai, this…”
Bai Song said, “There are some matters—I need to bring her to see the Young Master.”
That gatekeeper looked troubled, saying, “Brother Bai also knows the rules of Fenghe Garden—outsiders have never been permitted to set foot here. Even when Young Master Fu brought several strangers to visit a few days ago, they were turned away. I wouldn’t dare let anyone in.”
Bai Song pondered for a moment, then turned to Shen Xiling and said, “Wait here. I’ll go in and speak with the Young Master.”
Shen Xiling pressed her lips together and nodded gratefully at him. His expression remained cold as he entered the gate.
After about the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, the door opened again, but it wasn’t Bai Song who emerged, but rather a child about her age wearing blue cloth clothing. He came out and said to her, “The Young Master calls for you to enter.”