“Zhenniang, I’m heading north tomorrow. While Wang Decai and the Qin family are setting their trap in Huizhou, I’ll cast my net in the north,” Luo Wenqian said to Zhenniang, his eyes showing a sharp glint. This was not only a confrontation between Wang Decai and the Li family but also between him, Luo Jiu, and the Qin family.
“Please be careful, Brother Luo.” Zhenniang couldn’t help but caution him, understanding this was a crucial moment and Luo Wenqian’s journey was necessary.
“Don’t worry,” Luo Wenqian smiled, gently brushing the hair from her forehead.
Zhenniang’s lips curved into a smile.
The sun was setting, and seeing the sky’s color, Zhenniang knew it was time to head home. She waved goodbye.
Luo Wenqian naturally saw her out, and they walked side by side, discussing their plans. The setting sun cast their shadows before them, and Zhenniang watched their long shadows seemingly lean on each other, radiating harmony and warmth.
The next day, Zhenniang accompanied Luo Wenqian out of the city to Three Li Pavilion. Luo Wenqian, along with Luo Ping’an, departed on horseback into the dawn.
At that moment, outside the city at Three Li Pavilion, a new chastity memorial arch had just been completed. A string of firecrackers celebrating many offspring crackled—it was Tian Ronghua’s chastity arch, identical to the one honoring the Luo family’s aunt years ago.
Nearby, Zhenniang saw Tian Benchang and Sun Yuejuan pouring libations before the arch.
Zhenniang approached, and Sun Yuejuan handed her a cup of wine-water. Zhenniang poured it on the ground.
After standing silently before the arch for a quarter hour, Zhenniang left.
More than ten days later, the New Year approached. Luo Wenqian indeed hadn’t returned, but Luo Ping’an came back first, bringing word that all was going well and Luo Wenqian would return to Huizhou in a few days.
Zhenniang understood the message.
During the first month, the Li family’s Seventh Branch was especially lively with various New Year visits.
After lunch, Zhenniang accompanied her grandmother to the Seventh Branch to keep Seventh Great-grandmother company. In recent years, the Seventh Great-grandmother had grown increasingly frail.
When Zhenniang and her grandmother arrived, both aunts from the Seventh Branch were present, along with three aunts from the Sixth Branch, plus Ninth Branch’s Ninth Grand-aunt and Young Madam Huang, as well as Aunt Jingming and Huaer. The women packed the main hall full.
Seventh Great-grandmother now enjoyed having many people crowded in the room, talking and creating a lively atmosphere.
At this moment, the roomful of women were discussing the Li family’s New Year affairs.
This year, the Li family welcomed two joyous events at the start of the year. One was the marriage between Li Jinhua and Cheng Changgen.
The Sixth Master had been alternating between clarity and confusion this past year, and thinking about how the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Brothers had all passed while he lived on, he felt his time might be limited. He worried about Jinhua and wanted to ensure she had someone to rely on, finally settling on Cheng Changgen.
Initially, Runer opposed this, so it was temporarily set aside. Now that the boy had learned his lesson and become more sensible, he no longer opposed his mother’s relationship with Changgen. Finally, Sixth Master Li and Old Madam Li discussed it and, following the custom of not marrying during the last or first lunar month, set the wedding for the second day of the second month.
This was one happy event, and the second was naturally Zhenniang’s marriage.
Old Madam Li had already discussed with the Third Grand-uncle and Grand-aunt Luo that the mourning period of one year was nine months, so by the second month, Zhenniang’s mourning period would be complete. Additionally, Zhenniang was already twenty this year, so they quickly decided to set Zhenniang and Luo Wenqian’s wedding for the twenty-sixth day of the third month.
Though it seemed rushed, the necessary preparations had been made the previous year.
At this moment, Zhenniang was discussing the ink workshop’s development for the coming year with Seventh Great-grandmother.
“Zhenniang, do you know what one wish your Seventh Great-grandmother still has?” Seventh Great-grandmother asked, reclining in her rattan chair with sunlight streaming through the open window behind her, resembling an old grandmother from a previous life’s photograph—nostalgic, warm, and intimate.
“The Li Family Ink Manual,” Zhenniang replied with a smile.
For scholars, reading, serving in office, and writing books to establish one’s legacy were important, and in ink making, reaching the pinnacle similarly meant writing books to establish a legacy. An ink manual would be something passed down through the ages.
“You girl, you know your Seventh Great-grandmother’s heart best.” Old Madam Li said happily—Zhenniang speaking of this meant she was already preparing for it.
Just then, Ergou entered carrying gifts, his face showing his usual impudence as he made an exaggerated bow to the women: “Happy New Year to all the old madams, all the grandmothers, and all the grand-aunts.”
His behavior caused everyone to giggle, while Huaer glared at him in anger, feeling he had completely embarrassed her. She secretly pinched him and drove him out—this was a gathering of women, what was a man doing barging in so shamelessly?
“By the way, Ergou and Huaer’s marriage has been set for some time now, when will they wed?” Spring Flower Grand-aunt asked with a smile, seeing Huaer push Ergou out. They had been discussing Li Jinhua and Zhenniang’s marriages, which naturally brought Huaer to mind.
At Spring Flower Grand-aunt’s words, Huaer’s mother Madam Fang’s face showed some gloom.
The Seventh Branch’s First Madam Chen smiled and said, “Well, Huaer is waiting for her sister-in-law to marry in before she marries out.”
However, speaking of the sister-in-law’s arrival, no one knew when that would be. Li Zhengping now spent more than half the year overseas, and couldn’t even make it back for New Year’s, so the marriage matter remained delayed.
“Zhengping should be back soon, right? Why don’t we help look for a match first, and when he returns, we can proceed with the wedding,” Young Madam Huang suggested from the side.
“I’d like to, but that stubborn boy won’t listen to anyone,” Madam Fang said somewhat angrily, understanding that Zhengping probably still thought of Sister Ge Qiu.
The conversation couldn’t continue on this topic.
“Sister, Sister Yuejuan is here to see you,” Xihuer poked his head in from outside, calling Li Zhenniang.
Li Zhenniang excused herself from her aunts and followed Xihuer out.
Sun Yuejuan stood at the entrance, looking somewhat urgent.
“Yuejuan, how have you been?” Zhenniang hurried forward to greet her.
“Fine,” Sun Yuejuan nodded slightly, then pulled Zhenniang aside. After checking that no one was around, she lowered her voice: “Zhenniang, Benchang heard something and asked me to tell you and Master Luo. Wang Decai and the Qin family are plotting against you. Recently, Wang Decai and Third Master Qin have been pressuring someone called Feng Daniu to find your father. Afterward, I heard Third Master Qin tell Wang Decai that once Feng Daniu meets your father, he’ll report to the officials. Then, when the authorities find Feng Daniu at your home, your father won’t be able to defend himself.”
Hearing this, Zhenniang’s face darkened. Wang Decai had indeed laid a deep trap.
“I understand. Thank you,” Zhenniang said to Sun Yuejuan.
Sun Yuejuan didn’t understand the specific details. After delivering the message and giving a few more words of caution, she hurried back—though she now lived in the Tian household with Tian Benchang, her movements were very restricted. She had only managed to come out under the pretense of visiting her natal family for New Year’s; normally, her every move was watched and guarded.
Knowing Sun Yuejuan’s situation, Zhenniang didn’t detain her and saw her off. Then she went to the Yihou Trading Company to find Luo Ping’an.
“Miss Zhen,” Luo Ping’an hurried forward to greet her when she entered.
“Brother Ping’an, has Wenqian arrived?” Zhenniang asked.
“He should be here in the next couple of days,” Luo Ping’an calculated the journey time.
“Brother Ping’an, why don’t you ride out to meet him, and ask him to hurry,” Zhenniang suggested, not explaining further.
“Alright, I’ll ride out now,” Luo Ping’an didn’t ask questions, just nodded and immediately called for assistants to prepare his horse.
“Thank you for the trouble, Brother Ping’an,” Zhenniang thanked him and took her leave.
Soon after, Luo Ping’an rode out of the city.
Zhenniang then returned home, and upon entering, saw her father playing with Huiguan’er in the courtyard.
“Xiaoguan’er, take Huiguan’er to play elsewhere,” Zhenniang called Xiaoguan’er to take Huiguan’er away. With things having reached this point, there were certain matters she needed to discuss clearly with her father.
“Zhenniang, is something the matter?” Li Jingfu heard Zhenniang’s tone and knew his daughter had something to tell him.
“Yes, Father, let’s sit and talk,” Zhenniang said, bringing over two stools for them to sit by the courtyard.
“Father, do you clearly remember how the Qin family’s gold mining team rescued you back then?” Zhenniang asked, sitting beside her father.
“Of course, it’s something I’ll never forget in my life,” Li Jingfu still felt lingering fear remembering that time.
“Then tell me about it, Father,” Zhenniang said. Previously, because it was a matter of survival, the Li family had avoided asking detailed questions for fear of bringing up bad memories for Li Jingfu.
“Mm,” Li Jingfu nodded and recounted the events in detail.
“Father, you’re saying the road where you were attacked was very remote, a horse trail discovered by local mountaineers?” Zhenniang asked for confirmation.
“Naturally. There were many Tartars in the north, so merchant caravans always hired local mountaineers as guides,” Li Jingfu explained.
“So that means aside from occasional mountaineers, people rarely used that road?” Zhenniang confirmed again.
“That’s right, you might not see anyone for days at a time,” Li Jingfu replied.
“Then Father, don’t you find it strange? If people were rarely seen on that road, how did the Qin family’s mining team happen to pass by right after you were attacked?” Zhenniang asked.
“What do you mean by that?” Li Jingfu could hear the implications in his daughter’s words and frowned.
At this point, Zhenniang explained everything: how Luo Wenqian had accidentally discovered the Qin family’s collaboration with the Tartars while in Shi Prefecture, the truth behind the merchant convoy massacre, First Uncle Yao Qianshan’s investigation of Feng Daniu, the grudge between the Qin family and that merchant company, and finally, what Sun Yuejuan had told her today.
“You’re saying the Qin family was actually behind the merchant convoy massacre, and my rescue was just them cleaning up afterward?” Li Jingfu was no longer the gambling, drinking man he had been—in the north, such things were not uncommon, and with Zhenniang’s explanation, he could trace the whole sequence of events.
However, he had always considered the Qin family his lifesavers, and it was difficult to adjust to this perspective suddenly.
“The Qin family being behind the convoy massacre is certain, but whether the mining team’s rescue was planned or coincidental is harder to say,” Zhenniang spoke objectively.
After all, the Qin family was a large clan, and not everyone was involved in dealings with the Tartars. While the Qin family was indeed behind the convoy massacre, if the mining team that saved her father truly happened to pass by coincidentally, then for her father, that debt of gratitude was still genuine.
“Let me think about this,” Father Jingfu said with a dark expression.
Zhenniang took her leave, knowing her father needed time to process this information.