Chen Mingyu was somewhat nervous, but more than that, she was filled with an excitement that emanated from deep within her bones. Heaven knows, since she was eleven years old, she had perceived the danger that Song Chuyi would bring her in the future. From that year when she was eleven, she had begun hoping for Song Chuyi’s death. But the elders in her family would never permit her to speak of it openly, much less allow her to act on such thoughts. Her own meager power was utterly insufficient to move against Song Chuyi—every attempt had been nothing more than minor skirmishes. Even when her grandfather later harbored thoughts of reducing the Song family to ashes and dust, in the end it all came to nothing, like drawing water with a bamboo basket. She had almost believed there was no hope left, when her grandmother suddenly made up her mind with firm resolve.
Old Madam Chen leaned against the soft cushions. Not far away, a nanny carefully and quietly poked at the charcoal brazier, sending up a few sparks that crackled and popped in the silent depths of the night, involuntarily lifting people’s spirits.
It was inevitable that the people of Huangjue Temple hated Song Chuyi. After all, Song Chuyi had not only caused them to lose an eminent monk who had believers spread throughout the realm and considerable standing even within the imperial family, but had also caused the status of Buddhist monks in the Great Zhou Dynasty to plummet catastrophically.
That single phrase—”Rather than ask of the common people, ask of ghosts and spirits”—had practically caught all the monks of Huangjue Temple in one net, pinning them all on the pillar of shame. A smile tugged at the corner of Old Madam Chen’s mouth as she turned back to mock with Nanny Chen: “After all, she’s just a child. She thinks that as long as she clings to adults to take revenge for her, all will be well. She doesn’t realize that with those words, she offended every monk under heaven.”
Huangjue Temple was an imperial temple, not some rootless establishment. Behind it gathered powerful and influential nobles with deep-rooted forces. Their greatest support had formerly been Emperor Jianzhang, and now that they had lost Emperor Jianzhang as their pillar, they naturally would place this account squarely on Song Chuyi’s head.
This too was Song Chuyi’s destined fate. It seemed Master Yuanhui hadn’t been wrong when he said she was a lone star of calamity. It remained to be seen whether Song Chuyi would be fortunate enough this time to escape unscathed. After all, this time it was water bandits, and moreover, their side still had a backup plan. Water bandits killing people and seizing goods was a common occurrence—even the wife of the Zhenjiang Prefecture Magistrate had died at their hands. Even if the Song family wanted to investigate and take revenge, they would be powerless to do so. The court had been suppressing bandits for so many years without much success—how much less could the Song family accomplish? If Song Chuyi and Yu Shi died, they would die for nothing. Speaking of which, if Huangjue Temple hadn’t made everything clear—that these were genuine water bandits, desperate outlaws with no wives or daughters to consider—she truly wouldn’t have chosen to make this move.
Nanny Chen came forward to serve them red dates and bird’s nest soup. Hearing Old Madam Chen’s words, she chimed in with agreement: “What the Old Madam says is correct. The Old Master also said that although the Song family handled things beautifully this time, they left themselves no room for retreat whatsoever.”
It was precisely because they left no room that it was good—only with the Song family making such a commotion would outsiders focus all their attention on them.
Old Madam Chen lost some interest in conversation. After drinking a few mouthfuls of bird’s nest, she set down the glass cup, shifted her body, and asked: “Why hasn’t any news been sent in yet?”
Although she had told Chen Mingyu to maintain her composure, this was after all a major matter. Without receiving definite information, she ultimately couldn’t feel at ease.
As if responding to her words, before her voice had even faded, the woman who had been waiting outside to deliver news came trembling through the door, her hands already frozen bright red as she passed a letter into Old Madam Chen’s hands.
Old Madam Chen couldn’t wait to unfold it and take a look. She smiled: “It’s done.”
Unconcealed delight immediately showed on Chen Mingyu’s face. She nearly knocked over the bowl the maid was holding for her, and even her eyes radiated light: “It’s truly done? Didn’t they say those water bandits were hard to find?”
The water bandits were hard to find, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be found. With the Chen family’s network of connections, if they truly wanted to find a way to make contact with these bandits, how could they possibly have no means? Old Madam Chen handed the letter to Chen Mingyu, gesturing for her to burn it. Her voice carried cold indifference tinged with contempt for human life: “It’s already been arranged. The Cui and Song families are traveling to Jinzhong this time to celebrate a birthday. They’re bringing a full three boats loaded with gifts alone. Those water bandits were probably already planning to target them. Now someone is even paying them money to rob silver—how could they possibly not be tempted?”
Chen Mingyu burned the letter, watching the white paper gradually turn to ashes. She almost couldn’t restrain herself from laughing aloud. Cupping her face, she sat beside Old Madam Chen with joy brimming over, her head resting on Old Madam Chen’s arm as she breathed a sigh of relief: “This time, Song Number Six truly faces certain death.”
She knew the plan that Huangjue Temple had negotiated with her grandmother. Where the water bandits gathered, it was said that high mountains rose on both banks. The bandits’ lairs were in these mountains on both sides. They were all excellent swimmers, and they also set ambushes on the mountains. Once people entered, they would roll huge boulders down from the mountains. Often without even making contact, they would smash the boats flat, and only then would they go clean up the battlefield. Moreover, their location was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Every year, wave after wave of soldiers sent to suppress the bandits died, yet they could do nothing about them whatsoever. The people in nearby villages, having received benefits from them, all served as their informants. This collusion between civilians and bandits made them extraordinarily difficult to deal with.
Under such circumstances, the best outcome for Song Number Six and her party would be to die cleanly in the water. Otherwise, if they fell into the hands of those water bandits, there were even worse fates. Thinking of those people’s methods for dealing with women, Chen Mingyu’s heart actually harbored a faint hope that Song Chuyi wouldn’t die, but would instead fall into the hands of those water bandits.
Seeing that the matter had been fully reported, Old Madam Chen urged Chen Mingyu to return to her room and rest: “Tomorrow don’t you still have to enter the palace to copy scriptures for the Imperial Consort? Children should hear less of such matters, lest they soil their ears.”
Since Chen Mingyu already knew the matter had been properly arranged, she naturally had no further worries. Smiling, she responded with a yes.
After Chen Mingyu left, only then did Old Madam Chen turn back to instruct Nanny Chen: “Go send word to Huangjue Temple. Tell them I’ve already made all the arrangements on this end. They mustn’t let anything go wrong on their side.”
This was a matter of mutual benefit, but both sides had to be involved. She wasn’t a fool—she wouldn’t serve as Huangjue Temple’s weapon. If they were going to do this, they would do it together, and no one should think of withdrawing. Her side was responsible for having the Chen family clan members serving as officials in the local area make contact with the water bandits, while on their side, Huangjue Temple had to make some arrangements and plant some people on the Cui and Song families’ boats, just in case.
Nanny Chen saw how tense and invested Old Madam Chen was about this matter, so naturally she also mustered her energy to handle this task. She urged her own husband to personally make a trip to the foot of Huangjue Temple mountain, and thus the matter was settled.
Upon returning, Old Madam Chen rewarded them with a manor in Jiangnan. She had them pack their things overnight, and from the next day onward, they need not come to the main residence anymore. In her heart, she knew even more clearly that what she was doing couldn’t see the light of day. They left the city that very night, and before daybreak the next day, they departed for Jiangnan.