The rain grew heavier, pouring down in torrents and flooding the crisscrossing streets and alleys. The night was very quiet, with only the pitter-patter of rain.
A carriage entered an alley, and another door quietly opened.
The monk chanting sutras in the main hall heard the sound of the door opening. He put down his scripture, lit three incense sticks, and offered them to the golden Buddha statue. Then he rose and had servants prepare tea.
“You said you’d arrive at the second watch. You’re quite punctual,” the monk said calmly. “It’s raining heavily outside. Seems summer has arrived.”
The warm glow of the eaves lanterns illuminated a tall figure stepping out of the shadows. Luo Shen Yuan silently observed the chessboard on the small table. The candlelight cast shadows that deepened his profile. He asked softly, “Are we solving chess puzzles again today?”
The monk shook his head, “Before leaving, Master said your skill in chess has become too profound for me to match. This is an endgame I played with a patron surnamed Cheng. See how you would interpret his moves.”
Luo Shen Yuan sat down and took the black pieces the monk had played. He pondered for a moment, rubbing a piece between his fingers. After a glance at the whole board, he made his move.
Seeing Luo Shen Yuan’s play, the monk smiled and clasped his hands, “Amitabha. This Patron Cheng could indeed match your skill.”
Luo Shen Yuan said indifferently, “Second Young Master Cheng passed the provincial exams at a young age. He’s exceptionally intelligent.”
“If not for your unexpected injury three years ago, you too would be renowned like him,” said the monk.
Luo Shen Yuan merely smiled, saying nothing.
The monk lowered his voice, his expression becoming somewhat melancholy, “Master left me a question to ask you every time we meet. But I feel it’s no longer necessary. Your answer likely won’t change. If so, you need not fulfill Master’s last wish anymore. You don’t have to come in the future.”
Luo Shen Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Brother Dao Yan, you needn’t blame yourself. I know my nature… it cannot be changed.” His eyes were cold as he paused before continuing, “I am indeed cruel and violent. No amount of sutras you teach me will help.”
The monk sighed, “Over the years, you’ve only shown a different attitude towards your legitimate younger sister at home. Even when she seriously injured you, you did nothing.”
Hearing the monk mention Yining, Luo Shen Yuan thought of her small figure, hunched over a desk practicing calligraphy with a pitiful expression.
When he left, he had left her a calligraphy copybook, telling her to practice diligently. He wondered how her writing was coming along.
Having been away for several days, he found he truly missed that little child. She often followed behind him, taking small steps to keep up, carefully trying to please him while afraid of being too obvious lest he notice.
In truth, Luo Shen Yuan had known about these little tricks from the beginning, but he had never said anything.
“She’s… still too young,” Luo Shen Yuan said, his tone softening slightly. “Though mischievous, she is endearing.”
Outside the corridor, the rain continued to pour. A curtain of rain separated the pitch-black night from under the eaves, making the room feel especially quiet. A servant brought ginger soup. Dao Yan took it and passed it to Luo Shen Yuan, saying, “Drink this and then go. Don’t come again in the future. I won’t be here either.”
Luo Shen Yuan took the soup, looking at the pale yellow ginger strips at the bottom of the bowl before drinking it all in one go.
“Dao Yan, farewell then.” He put on his cloak, gave the monk one last look, and then walked into the rainy night without hesitation. The heavy rain soon swallowed up his tall, blurry figure.
Dao Yan closed his eyes and sighed, “Master, I don’t know if what you did was right or wrong.”
The sound of the wooden fish drum continued to echo in the room. One beat, two beats.
In the Luo household, torrential rain poured outside. Concubine Qiao lay on her pillow wrapped in clothes, unable to sleep.
Young Xuan, frightened and having cried all day, had been put to bed early by the old woman servant.
Luo Chengzhang had just been to see her, reproaching her: “You’ve done poorly in raising the child, allowing one so young to lie. I truly misjudged you before! He nearly wronged his legitimate elder sister. Today, Yining was the one who suffered.”
Concubine Qiao, rarely scolded so harshly, trembled all over and said weakly, “My lord, the child is still young. How can I control what he says? Such a small child can hardly distinguish right from wrong. I’ve never taught him to lie!”
Thinking of how Yining had avoided his embrace, Luo Chengzhang felt another wave of distress. He continued, “Regardless, Mother has said that when Xuan is a bit older, you won’t be allowed to raise him anymore. In the future, someone suitable will be chosen to educate him.”
Concubine Qiao dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, crying even more pitifully, “My lord, surely you don’t mean to have the Madam raise Xuan! I carried him for ten months and gave birth to him. He has never been apart from me! When he was two and had a high fever, I watched over him all night, feeding him medicine spoonful by spoonful, pulling him back from the brink of death. If you take him away, how am I to live? When I followed you back from Yangzhou years ago, I only wanted to bear children for you and spend my days by your side. Now this… what am I to do?”
“Xuan may be young, but Yilien is already older,” Luo Chengzhang said sternly. “That tourmaline bracelet was part of Elder Sister-in-law’s dowry and very precious. Fortunately, she didn’t pursue the matter. But how could Yilien carelessly give it to Xuan to play with?”
Hearing this, Concubine Qiao felt deeply wronged and continued, “If the Fourth Miss or Seventh Miss had seen it, they would naturally have recognized it as tourmaline. But how could Yilien have seen such fine things before? She must have thought it was just an ordinary jade piece. Yilien is born of a concubine and unworthy of the treatment given to legitimate daughters. I understand this. But though she’s a young lady of the Luo family all the same, Yilien’s horizons are narrower than her sisters’. In the past, when the young ladies of the household wanted something, Seventh Miss was always taken care of first. Yilien has never complained…”
Luo Chengzhang recalled that Old Madam Luo had indeed acted this way in the past, giving the best things to Yining first, with the other granddaughters receiving less. He also remembered that Luo Yilien had been frail since childhood and was always well-behaved and respectful before Old Madam Luo and himself. His anger subsided a little.
“I know how all the girls are. I don’t lack affection for Yilien. To tell the truth, I’ve watched Yilien grow up and love her more. But Yining is legitimately born and has been motherless since she was young. It’s natural for Old Madam to dote on her more…”
Luo Chengzhang’s tone changed, becoming resolute again, “But Xuan’s behavior truly shocked me. If something like this happens again in the future, I won’t be lenient.”
Concubine Qiao kept her head bowed, silently weeping and biting her red lips. After she had cried for a while, Luo Chengzhang softened his tone, comforting her with a few words before calling for a servant to take him to Lin Hairu’s quarters.
After Luo Chengzhang left, Luo Yilien was summoned to Concubine Qiao by a maid. Seeing her mother staring blankly at the heavy rain, she said worriedly, “Mother, please don’t be upset. It’s all your daughter’s fault.”
Concubine Qiao looked at the heavy rain beyond the window lattice and sighed, “Yilien, do you know what your mother is worried about?”
Yilien lowered her voice, “Aren’t you worried about… Father? Father is just like this. He may neglect you for a couple of days when he remembers, but soon he’ll feel you’re better and come back.”
Concubine Qiao shook her head and laughed coldly, “You think I don’t know? How long can he get along with Lin Shi? In a few days, he won’t be able to stand her anymore. What I fear is that Old Madam will let Lin Shi raise Xuan. Your brother is still young. If Lin Shi raises him, he’ll surely become less close to us in the future. Without your brother as our support, our position will eventually become unstable.”
“But didn’t you say that since the Madam is illiterate, Father won’t let her raise my brother?”
Concubine Qiao sighed slowly, stroking her daughter’s frail shoulders, “How can you guess Old Madam’s thoughts? I only hope she soon…” Concubine Qiao coughed once, not continuing. “I won’t speak plainly. Old Madam is very alert, wholeheartedly planning for her legitimate granddaughter. How could she care about a child born of a concubine like you?”
Luo Yilien also felt somewhat aggrieved, “Grandmother has always been biased. In what way is Luo Yining better than me?”
“Mother feels for you too,” Concubine Qiao’s tone turned icy. “Yiyu and Yixiu would recognize that bracelet as fine tourmaline at a glance. You’ve never had such nice things, no wonder you couldn’t tell! When I mentioned this, your father couldn’t say anything more. Just wait. In the future, Mother will make sure you have things a thousand, ten thousand times better. You just focus on being better than Yining in front of your father. He’ll naturally favor you.”
Luo Yilien nodded and sat down to massage her mother’s shoulders.
Concubine Qiao closed her eyes and said, “For a child born of a concubine, if you don’t fight for yourself, no one will bring these things to you. Remember this, my dear. Your brother is still young, but when he grows up, we’ll have support that no one can take away. Even with Old Madam backing her, how many years can Luo Yining rely on that? Her married elder sister is an outsider now and can’t interfere in Luo’s family affairs. She has no brothers, so she won’t last long.”
After hearing this, Luo Yilien obediently replied, “I understand, Mother. I will take good care of my brother.”
Only then did Concubine Qiao relax a little.
Fortunately, she had a son. This was something no one could take away. Lin Hairu could only watch helplessly. Who told her to have such an unproductive womb?