Lu Qian did not cry again. He simply gazed at Ling Jingshu in a daze.
As though he were engraving her face upon the depths of his heart.
For the first time in her life, Ling Jingshu felt no revulsion at his devoted, yearning stare.
When all was said and done, Lu Qian too was a pitiable person. In his previous life, he had sought what he could not have; in this life, it was the same. His only fault lay in having fallen in love with someone he should not have loved.
On the other side, Ling Old Madam and the Ling family woman were weeping together through the bars of the prisoner cart, every word they had meant to say driven from their minds. Ling Daye and Ling Wuye were full siblings to the Ling family woman, and there was some genuine feeling between them; at this moment, both their eyes had reddened.
Sun Shi, as the eldest sister-in-law, managed to compose herself and took the Ling family woman’s hand. “Sister, now that things have come to this, pretty words are no use to you. As your elder sister-in-law, I cannot help but remind you of a few things. Be obedient and keep to yourself on this journey — don’t stir up trouble, don’t cause problems.”
“Your Elder Brother has already made arrangements for you. At the very least, your journey should pass without incident. Once you reach the frontier pass, life will certainly be harder than it was before. But even if only for A’Qian’s sake, you must hold on and not collapse.”
“There is not much more we can do for you. Take good care of yourself from here on.”
The Ling family woman choked back tears and looked at Sun Shi. “I have heard every word. Thank you, Elder Sister-in-Law.”
Sun Shi looked at the Ling family woman — dishevelled, tear-streaked, and in a wretched state — and felt a pang in her heart as well. She walked over to Lu Qian and spoke quietly: “A’Qian, you are now the pillar of this family. Your mother will be depending on you from now on. You must hold yourself together — you must not give in to weakness.”
Lu Qian returned to his senses and nodded silently, with force.
The time of one stick of incense passed quickly.
The escorting official walked over and coughed once. “Time is up. We must set off now — if we delay, we won’t be able to reach the post station by nightfall.”
Ling Daye drew a deep breath and forced out an unpleasant-looking smile. “Yes, yes, of course — we will go now.”
With that, he moved to help Ling Old Madam back to the carriage.
Ling Old Madam had wept herself to near fainting and had no strength left to resist. She was supported by Ling Daye and Ling Wuye and helped back into the carriage.
The Ling family woman’s eyes were swollen and red, and her cries grew more and more desolate. “Mother — your daughter is leaving. Your daughter is unfilial — I can no longer attend to you at your knee…” But no matter how piteous her wailing, it was all to no avail.
The escorting official gave the order, and the prisoner carts began to move.
As Ling Jingshu listened to the Ling family woman’s cries and took in her miserable state, what came to her mind was that final moment before her death in her previous life.
The Ling family woman had gripped her neck with force, her face full of hatred and a vicious sneer. “You worthless creature — the Empress Dowager wants you dead, and dead you must be. Since you refuse to go on your own, your Aunt will send you on your way. Don’t blame your Aunt for being cruel when you reach the underworld.”
The Ling family woman had strangled her to death with her bare hands, sending her down the road to the underworld.
Now, the Ling family woman sat in the prisoner cart, and in despair, she walked a different road from which there was no return.
In the workings of Heaven, retribution always follows.
……
Ling Jingshu watched the prisoner carts disappear into the distance. The last thread of her remaining obsession was finally, completely, released.
“A’Shu — the prisoner carts have long since gone into the distance. We should head back.” Ling Xiao’s voice sounded in her ear.
Ling Jingshu returned to herself and answered softly.
After boarding the carriage, Ling Xiao could not help but say quietly: “A’Shu, our aunt and Cousin Qian have been exiled beyond the frontier passes — they will likely never meet you again in this lifetime. You don’t seem troubled by it in the least.”
Though the bonds of affection had been thin, witnessing such a sorry fate could not help but stir some compassion. Ling Jingshu had been completely composed from beginning to end.
Just like that day at the execution ground — watching the Lu brothers lose their heads with perfect calm. A composure that simply did not match what a young woman of her age should display.
Ling Jingshu tugged at the corners of her lips. “I am truly not troubled in the least. All of this is the consequence of Second Uncle Lu bringing ruin upon himself and dragging the entire Lu Family down with him. That our aunt and Cousin Qian are alive at all — that is already a fortunate outcome. Do they still hope to return to how things were before?”
Ling Xiao was at a loss for words.
Thankfully, there was no one else in this carriage — only the two of them. What Ling Jingshu said was heard by him alone.
“You can say these things in front of me without worry — but in front of Grandmother and First Uncle and the others, never say anything like this.” Ling Xiao looked at Ling Jingshu with concern. “Or you’ll end up making Grandmother unhappy.”
Ling Jingshu gave a casual smile. “Rest easy — I am not a fool. Why would I say such things carelessly to others?”
With the lightest, most offhand tone, she had lumped Ling Old Madam and the rest into the category of “others.”
Ling Xiao was at a loss for words again. After a long pause, he finally said: “A’Shu, do you truly intend to have me move into the Wei household after you marry?”
“You don’t want to?” Ling Jingshu countered. “At the rate things are going, Father and the others don’t know how long they’ll remain in the capital. Do you want to keep living with them, letting Li Shi stir up trouble and manipulate your fate?”
Ling Xiao answered without hesitation: “Of course not.”
The words had barely left his mouth before he felt the ambiguity in them, and he quickly added: “What I mean is, I don’t want to live under the same roof as Li Shi. She is always adept at fanning flames and tripping people up from the shadows. I’m not afraid of her, but I’m too weary to bicker with her day after day. Living with you — naturally I would be happy. I only fear that the future brother-in-law will resent me, his shameless little brother-in-law freeloading under his roof, and be displeased in his heart.”
If it were to affect the relationship between Ling Jingshu and Wei Yan, he would refuse no matter what.
Ling Jingshu considered it briefly and guessed at Ling Xiao’s concern. She smiled and said: “This matter I will bring up with him myself — you need not worry about it.”
“But…”
“There is no ‘but.'” Ling Jingshu interrupted Ling Xiao gently. “You are my only full-blooded younger brother. We are deeply close — neither of us can do without the other. Wei Yan already knows this. Given his character, he certainly would not object to you moving into the Wei household.”
“If you are still not at ease, after the wedding I will have Wei Yan speak with you himself.”
Faced with Ling Jingshu’s insistence, Ling Xiao quickly gave in. “Fine, fine, fine — I’ll do as you say.”
……
After Ling Old Madam returned to the household, her illness grew worse again. She took to her bed and could not rise.
Sun Shi specially invited the most renowned physician in the capital to see Ling Old Madam. Countless precious tonics and supplements were consumed, but unfortunately, Ling Old Madam suffered from an illness of the heart. No amount of ginseng or other delicacies could cure it.
Her sons and their wives attended to her beside her bed each day, and the grandchildren’s generation was kept just as busy.
With Ling Jingshu’s wedding approaching, it was not appropriate for her to stand vigil at the sickbed day after day. If she were to catch the illness, affecting her wedding — that would be a great disaster indeed.
Ling Wuye specifically instructed her: “A’Shu, you stay well in your own quarters. Come visit your grandmother once a day. There is no need to keep standing watch here.”
This instruction was exactly what Ling Jingshu wished to hear. She made a show of declining several times, then accepted.
Time flowed past like water. In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. Ling Old Madam’s illness had not yet recovered, and the day of Ling Jingshu’s wedding was already drawing very near.