The disruption of that morning had not only caused her to miss breakfast — Minglan could not bring herself to eat even at midday. Nanny Cui had to press her firmly before she managed half a bowl of rice from Dongzhu mushroom and chicken broth poured over fragrant soft-grain rice — and it tasted like chewing on nothing.
Meanwhile, Shao Shi had learned of the palace summons, and had assumed Minglan would obey and enter the palace. After waiting half a day with no sign of movement, she instead heard that a commotion had erupted at the front hall, the two palace emissaries had departed in a furious huff, and were vowing to bring charges of treason and confiscation — Shao Shi was so shaken it was as though she’d had a fright from three gods at once. Ever since she had been pressed into confronting the Lady last time, she had grown wary of Minglan and therefore sent only the trusted wife of one of her attendants to inquire.
Cuiwei patiently explained for a long while that “it was nothing but a misunderstanding,” only to hear the woman still hemming and hawing about how “to avoid offending the noble persons in the palace, the Second Madam really ought to bear this slight and go in for a visit.” Cuiwei’s expression immediately went cold, and she replied with displeasure: “What should be done and what should not be done — our Madam has her own judgment. The Senior Madam does not know the situation outside, and need only enjoy her peace and quiet.”
Watching that attendant’s wife twist and squirm — afraid to offend Minglan, yet hoping no disaster would fall on herself — Cuiwei was privately contemptuous, privately feeling that Shao Shi was truly a person without spine, principle, or backbone.
After briskly dispatching the woman, Cuiwei turned to go back inside. Crossing the courtyard, she spotted Luzhi standing in the corridor outside the main room, gnashing her teeth over a small red clay brazier, a faint sweet fragrance rising from the glowing charcoal. Cuiwei smiled: “You little minx — what are you roasting there? Lunch was only just finished — aren’t you afraid of indigestion?”
Luzhi fiddled with the charcoal using a small, elegant purple-gold copper fire tongs, and said with fury: “Xiaotao, that wretched thing, has gone off who knows where! She treated a few chestnuts like they were treasures — said these are the last you’ll see this season — and insisted I watch the fire. And she didn’t even look at what kind of day it is, with rain drizzling on and off — what’s going to taste good roasted in this?”
Cuiwei could not help smiling, and asked: “Is Madam still resting?”
Luzhi shook her head: “Nanny Cui told me to stand guard at the door and not let the courtyard get noisy, so Madam could sleep a proper afternoon nap — but I can hear talking inside the whole time.”
Cuiwei nodded, and crept quietly into the inner room. She had just lifted the corner of the curtain when she heard Nanny Cui speaking in a low, steady, gentle voice: “…Nothing is settled yet — Madam should not let her thoughts run away with her; worrying like this will only harm your health…” She waited a moment until no voices came from within, then stepped fully inside, curtseyed, and reported: “The person sent by the Senior Madam has gone back.”
Minglan wore a half-worn pale moon-white cloud-patterned brocade warm robe; her dark hair was loose, spilling over her shoulders. Seeing by Cuiwei’s expression when she mentioned Shao Shi that something was amiss, she asked: “Did the woman say something out of turn?”
Cuiwei said with some heat: “I said everything I could to send her away. What made me angry was that when it came down to it, she didn’t ask a single word about Madam’s wellbeing — she was only worried about trouble falling on herself, and even advised Madam to enter the palace! Hmph! Even a stone, warmed for two years, would have some warmth to it by now!”
On most days Minglan would brush off such remarks without much concern. But today she was full of troubled thoughts, and upon hearing this, she frowned: “Have Liao Yong’s wife station a few more maidservants over at that side to watch the comings and goings — we don’t want any trouble breaking out.” The aggravation of a fence-sitter!
Those words hit squarely on what Cuiwei had wished to hear. She smiled, acknowledged, and left.
Minglan was feeling vexed and unsettled, and was also uneasy about her son, so she called for Nanny Cui to go and keep watch over Tuan Ge’er, while she herself lay flat on the bedding staring up at the canopy, her head full of thoughts she could not suppress. She alternately hoped she was just over-thinking things on a full stomach, while at the same time feeling a persistent sense that she was not wrong. She could only lament the wretched state of communication in this era — what in modern times could be handled with a single mass text message was so insufferably complicated here…
Worn out by her thoughts, she drifted into a vague half-sleep, then fell into a jumble of disjointed dreams. First Man Niang led the Gold Saints charging through the gates, threatening to hand over the seven Dragon Balls — she stared and asked “don’t you want Athena?” Then the Jie-Nu invaded the capital and captured her to perform the Eighteen Laments on the Barbarian Flute on the steppe, only to discover she was completely tone-deaf, whereupon they immediately sent her off to groom horses and wash sheep. Just as she was washing away, a foreign brigade suddenly descended from the sky and slaughtered the entire tribe — all for the sake of the fire-red eyes of the Kulutah horse she had been washing, and her sheep-herding companion, gasping out his last breath, grabbed her shoulder and said with trembling voice: “So it’s true… after all… you really do… bring bloodshed and chaos wherever you go…”
Strange — for someone nearly dead, how were they still shaking her shoulder with such force?
— Minglan was shaken awake, her eyes blurry, and Luzhi’s enlarged face appeared before her, saying urgently: “Madam! Madam! Wake up — Steward Hao’s people who were sent out have come back, and you said to wake you the moment anyone returned…”
Minglan jolted fully awake, gathered her wits, and quickly called for Luzhi to help her up and dressed.
Outside the rain had stopped. The sky was a muddy yellow, streaked with lingering traces of misty grey-blue on one side, and at the far horizon a few smudges of muted amber-orange, which cast the courtyard’s leaves in a tinge of world-weariness. By the pond a few late chrysanthemums, planted in autumn, swayed gently in the breeze — just as poems described it: at dusk, moonlight shadow falls on remaining chrysanthemums; in the evening wind, pale ripples cross the pale-green water.
Minglan leaned on Cuiwei and walked steadily out. The cool evening air greatly refreshed her spirits. The side hall was not far — just a few steps — and she found Steward Hao waiting with a bow in the corridor, several manservants drenched in sweat standing behind him. As soon as she was seated, Minglan pressed him for details of how things stood.
Steward Hao had dispatched more than ten manservants in all. They had been returning in batches. Minglan knew the matter was of great consequence — if afterwards nothing had come of it, she would be open to accusations of instigating resistance to an imperial decree. So she had not sent any written note or identifying token; she only told each manservant to convey a single sentence: “Should anyone come from the palace to summon you with an edict, please be cautious — our Madam thinks something is not right.”
The manservants knelt in salutation, and Minglan told them to stand and report.
The first to return were those who had gone to the Zhong household and the Duan household — not because these two families were nearby, but because by the time the messengers had hurried there, Madam Duan and Madam Zhong had already entered the palace, together with their mothers-in-law and children. The servants had been told their mistresses were already gone, and immediately sprinted back.
— Minglan’s heart sank sharply. Even these two families were included — had she actually been right in her guess?
Next was the Geng household. Because the Geng residence was some distance away, the manservant sent on horseback had arrived just barely a step ahead of the ceremonial procession conveying the edict. Gasping for breath, he had managed to deliver the Madam’s message before the summoning party arrived. Madam Geng could not read, but she was quick-witted — she neither dared fully believe Minglan’s words nor dared wholly disregard them. Afraid that defying the edict would implicate her husband, she had gritted her teeth, sent her children out through the back gate with the excuse that they had “gone to visit relatives in the provinces,” then followed the palace attendants into the palace herself.
— Minglan shook her head and sighed, but could find no fault with the woman’s choice.
At the end, the manservant also said: “Madam Geng asks Madam, in the name of their friendship, to testify on her behalf should anything happen to her — and if she doesn’t make it back, to tell General Geng that she would have him take as a second wife the second daughter of her maternal family’s fourth uncle’s household, and no fox-spirit vixens from elsewhere are permitted.”
Minglan: …
By contrast, the news from the Zhang and Shen households was considerably more heartening.
During the ‘Shenchen Revolt,’ the Marchioness Zhang had been among the unfortunate noblewomen held captive in the palace as hostages. Once bitten twice shy — now that the capital’s situation had taken an unusual turn, how could she have no wariness at all? The moment she heard about the edict, the Marchioness Zhang had been immediately suspicious. Rather than interrogating the two emissaries directly, she simply leveraged her own prestigious status and kept them occupied with a sustained stream of roundabout conversation.
Having grown up attending the imperial palace since childhood as casually as visiting a relative’s home, she knew the palace’s rules and protocols far more thoroughly than Minglan ever could. It took only a few exchanges before the two edict-bearers showed their flaws. The Marchioness Zhang had commanded the Duke of England’s household for decades and brooked no insubordination. She immediately acted — and had the false edict-bearers and their entire party seized right there and then.
By the time the manservant arrived, the Marchioness Zhang was already in the process of arranging to hand “the criminals who had issued a false edict” over to the proper authorities for judgment. After asking the manservant to pass her thanks to Minglan, she also sent along four skilled and capable archers.
“The Marchioness Zhang only said ‘in preparation for the unexpected,’ and refused to say anything further beyond that,” the manservant said, puzzled, privately wondering if they were about to go to war.
Minglan felt increasingly uneasy. The Marchioness Zhang had probably also detected something — but without evidence, she would not say anything rash. She continued: “And the Shen household?”
Another manservant stepped forward to report: “The Marchioness Zhang had already sent word to the National Uncle’s residence. The National Uncle’s wife had originally planned to take the children and go to stay at her maternal family, but — as I heard from the attendant at the Madam Shen’s side — Concubine Zou and the eldest young master and young misses refused to go, which meant Madam Shen had no choice but to stay behind as well. When I arrived, Madam Shen had already pleaded illness and turned away the edict-bearers who came to summon her, and was in the process of closing all the gates and going on alert inside the household.”
Minglan nodded, then turned: “Steward Hao — is this all who have come back?”
Steward Hao’s face was troubled. He cupped his hands and said: “Yes, Madam, that is all.” He paused, then added: “I had intended to send people out to gather more information. But at midday today, there was an armed fight at Chongyang Gate. Lord Liu has already issued an order for the capital to go under curfew.”
Minglan’s heart gave a sudden lurch. Seeing this, Steward Hao quickly continued: “Madam need not worry — I took it upon myself to send someone to look in on the family at the maternal household. Young Master Sheng says everything is well at home, and mentioned that if convenient, his father-in-law might come to call on the Madam when he finishes work — though… it seems the Honourable Master cannot come now. I had also intended to go to the Marquis Zhongqin’s household to pass word to the eldest young miss, but on going out we ran straight into the curfew and couldn’t proceed.”
The officials were fine — but the wives and families of military men…? And yet how different this was from what had happened last time.
Minglan’s brows knotted into a tight tangle. She could not puzzle it out no matter how she tried, and could only instruct Steward Hao to redouble the guard on all the gates — absolute vigilance, no negligence permitted. Steward Hao knew the situation was grave and the defence of the household was of the utmost importance, and acknowledged repeatedly before going to attend to his duties.
She was just about to return to Jiaxi Residence when a commotion erupted from outside — accompanied by a young girl’s startled cry. Before Minglan could even speak, a round, chubby, clumsy young girl came tumbling and rolling in and threw herself prostrate before her.
Minglan could not help smiling: “Silly girl — where have you been all afternoon? You wore Luzhi out watching your brazier all day. Mind she doesn’t twist your ears off when you get back!”
Xiaotao lifted her head, flustered: “Madam, something terrible has happened! Second Elder Brother Shi just came back from outside — he said… said…”
“Said what?” Minglan’s expression grew serious.
Xiaotao said urgently: “Liu — Liu — Lord Liu, he — he… was stabbed…”
“What…?!” Minglan’s chest lurched violently.
“But the knife didn’t hit.” Xiaotao swallowed, and added the rest.
Minglan nearly screamed: “Say it all in one breath!”
Nearly frightened her to death! “What on earth happened? Where did you hear this?”
Xiaotao quickly drew a huge breath and launched in: “So at midday today Stone Small Brother told me to come to the outer courtyard to eat squab and I said it was a pity there was no sweet and sour mulberry sauce to go with it and he said he knew a shop that sold good dried southern and northern fruits and I said it looks like there’s a curfew outside and he said it’s fine he once carried his little niece and ran through the streets in the middle of the Jianghuai military uprising—”
Staring at the beet-red round face of this hapless girl straining to get it all out in one breath, Minglan closed her eyes and sighed: “Breathe first, then speak properly.”
Xiaotao drew in great heaving gulps of air and continued, half-dead: “So Stone Small Brother changed into a manservant’s short outfit and went out. I waited and waited before he came back. He said when he got there, that shop was already closed — but he remembered there was another shop nearby that also sold decent preserved fruit, it’s just that the owner liked to cheat on the weight…”
“Forget the fruit!” Minglan felt her blood pressure shooting steadily upward. “Just tell me the important part!”
Xiaotao was most aggrieved — a proper story requires its proper beginning, after all. “Stone Ge’er had just stepped out of a side alley when he heard someone shouting in the street ‘There’s an assassin!’ Stone Ge’er immediately ran toward the street, and who should he run into head-on but Little Chen from Lord Liu’s personal guard. Little Chen said that at midday there had been trouble at Chongyang Gate. Lord Liu was searching everywhere for General Zheng Jun and could not find him, and was personally heading to the Five-District Constabulary to demand an accounting. Who could have known that as he was riding around a corner up ahead, masked attackers suddenly appeared on the rooftop and all four sides trying to assassinate him. Lord Liu was injured, but fortunately his life was saved.”
Minglan let out a long, long breath, then said with sharp urgency: “You fool! With things this chaotic outside, you dared to let Stone Small Brother go out — if anything had happened to him, how would I face his elder brother and sister-in-law? Where is he? Get him over here immediately — the wretched little creature — just wait until I deal with him!”
Xiaotao stammered: “He he he… suffered some cuts and bruises — right now Master Tujia Second Brother is tending to his wounds.”
Minglan’s voice shot up suddenly: “Didn’t you say he wasn’t caught in the assassination attempt?!”
Xiaotao ducked her head with a guilty conscience: “The owner of that shop saw that Stone Ge’er was dressed in shabby old clothes and tried to pass off stale goods as fresh, and Stone Ge’er tasted the difference, and when he reasoned with the owner and asked for his money back or a replacement, that owner suddenly turned hostile and called out several attendants with clubs and staves to intimidate him. Stone Ge’er was indignant, so he got into a fight with them…”
Minglan had not a drop of anger left. She sighed: “Very well, very well. And did he actually manage to buy back any of that fruit?”
Xiaotao raised her head proudly: “Stone Ge’er knocked them all flat, and the owner gave him several jin of the finest top-quality preserved fruit for free!” Seeing all the girls behind Minglan trying to smother their laughter, she added with slight embarrassment: “I’ll share it around among the sisters later.”
Minglan tilted her head back and sighed to the heavens — while the capital was in turmoil, brigands and rebels running rampant outside, countless powerful households trembling with fear, this spectacular pair had gotten into a brawl over the quality of a snack. What iron-clad, brass-wrapped nerves!
Noticing that Cuiwei beside her was already on the verge of internal injury from suppressed laughter, and the several small maidservants stationed behind were all twisting their faces and pursing their mouths, Minglan waved a weary hand: “Never mind. After you’ve helped me back to my room, change your clothes and go look in on Stone Small Brother. If his elder brother and sister-in-law ever hear about this, I wonder if they’ll still want you for a sister-in-law…”
The silly girl actually knew how to blush. She twisted bashfully over to Minglan’s side, and she and Cuiwei each took one arm to support Minglan as they walked slowly outside. One moment Cuiwei was teasing Xiaotao without pause; Minglan listened from the side in amusement, and the oppressive weight on her heart eased somewhat.
Suddenly a small maidservant cried out in alarm: “Look! Something is on fire over there!”
Everyone turned at once, following the direction of the girl’s arm — at a distance, high, dense columns of smoke were rising, rolling flames visible from far away.
The sky at the edge of night looked like pale cloth smeared with coal ash — black where it was dark, lighter where it was less so — with the last lingering glow of the setting sun behind it, while in the distance the flames blazed in a sight that stopped the heart.
“Madam — that direction — isn’t that…?” Cuiwei said in uncertain alarm.
Minglan nodded in silence: “Flames that high — it must be a structure at an elevation — it should be the imperial palace.”
— So it has begun at last.
All around, the air was perfectly still. The girls looked at one another, their eyes full of nothing but fear.
Minglan gazed steadily toward the distance. Half her face had sunk into the dim, ambiguous dusk; the other half was lit and shifting in the reflection of the soaring flames. And yet she had never been so clear and certain in her mind.
Earlier when Nanny Cui had urged her to rest, she had said: “Madam is thinking too much. During the last ‘Shenchen Revolt,’ which noblewomen were summoned into the palace as hostages? We are not imperial relatives — what use would they have for you?”
At the time she had not understood either. Now she understood everything.
Times had changed. When the Fourth Prince staged his revolt back then, the late Emperor was still alive and held all political and military power within the imperial throne — what the Fourth Prince lacked was legitimate claim and recognition from the imperial clan and the great noble families. That was why he had lured all the imperial relatives and noble family women of the capital into the palace as hostages, needing to force the Cabinet ministers and great scholars to write the imperial decree. But now… the Ruiw Wang, the Rui Wang!
Minglan had once seen that boy of about ten from a distance — beautifully complexioned, clever and studious, gentle and courteous, with a fine reputation among the scholarly world. Compared to the iron-fisted and forceful reigning Emperor, he won far more admiration and praise from the great noble families, and both the Shengde Consort Dowager and the Empress were particularly fond of him. So this child was the instrument they intended to use!
The Rui Wang had been formally decreed by the late Emperor to be adopted into the line of the Fourth Prince. Moreover, the Prince had been established as Crown Prince by the late Emperor, and held precedence in line of succession over the current Emperor. The Emperor had held the throne for only a few years and his power was not yet fully consolidated. If the Emperor were to unfortunately “die suddenly in the palace,” and if several of the imperial princes were to simultaneously “meet with misfortune” or disappear, all the better — if not, then it would come down to who had the stronger backbone.
The situation in the capital was unclear; most of the military forces were in the west on campaign.
Setting aside the Zhang-Gu army whose fate — alive or dead — was unknown: Elder Marshal Bo was gravely injured and bedridden. General Fu might not be able to prevail over the wily and experienced Elder General Gan. Moreover, the Shengde Consort Dowager’s maternal clan had been entrenched in the northwest for years, their roots deep and their networks formidable — their power was far from ordinary. And as for Shen Congxing’s army — real command of the forces was now in the hands of Duan Chengqian and others like him.
If the palace coup succeeded, they would first have the Rui Wang enthroned and declared Emperor, then use the families and children of these generals as leverage to suppress any large army that returned to the capital to restore order. By then the deed would be done — cooked rice could not be turned back to raw grain. Whether they recognised it or not, they would have to.
Truly a masterful plan!
“Madam! Madam!”
The usually composed Steward Hao came running in a panic, dropping to his knees on the stone paving: “It’s all chaos outside! The Five-District Constabulary has turned rebel — not only are they ignoring Lord Liu’s orders, they have sealed the city gates entirely, refusing to allow anyone in or out, and have even entered into open combat with Lord Liu’s garrison troops!”
He wiped away cold sweat and cast a cautious glance at Minglan. “And… and… there’s more. They say General Zheng has also defected. The manservant who came to report said he saw the Edict Guards advancing on the palace…”
All the girls around cried out in alarm, accompanied by the soft sound of weeping.
Minglan said quietly: “No wonder they dared to stir up trouble — they came fully prepared.”
Steward Hao said urgently: “Madam, shall we take shelter somewhere — we will protect Madam and get you out of the estate.”
Minglan gave a cold laugh: “Shelter? Where would we go?”
She lightly smoothed the hair the evening breeze had lifted, and said with composure: “Even if we left the estate, with the city gates sealed, where could we possibly hide? If it is good fortune, it is good fortune — if it is disaster, there is no escaping it. The Emperor is wise and astute; he will surely quell this revolt in one decisive blow.”
Outside was utter chaos — going out there was not necessarily safe. She could only hope that Gu Tingye had chosen his employer with better judgment than he chose his women. Otherwise, when the nest was overturned, was there such a thing as an unbroken egg?
Minglan paid no attention to the various expressions around her, turned, and continued walking back to Jiaxi Residence. Nanny Cui had laid out dinner in the side room and was waiting there holding Tuan Ge’er. On the small octagonal table with its painted lotus-flower lacquer top sat a steamed egg custard filled with minced meat, shrimp, and diced water chestnut; a dish of salt-braised osmanthus duck garnished with thin crimson radish flowers; a sauce-red dish of scallion-braised beef tenderloin; and a bowl of emerald-green mushroom-braised greens.
Minglan had grown composed again — she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, while playing with her son as she did so. Little Tuange had not had a proper play with his mother in a long while, and laughed and wriggled with delight, nearly rolling off the table edge, while the wet nurse with considerable effort managed to feed him a bowl of egg-and-milk custard. Nanny Cui served dishes and stole glances at Minglan, opening and closing her mouth several times, wanting to ask but not daring.
After eating her fill, Minglan rinsed her mouth and wiped her hands, and said: “Keep careful watch on the Senior Madam’s courtyard. The two young misses are not to run about — they are to stay together in one place. Move Ruomei and her baby over to the Senior Madam’s courtyard as well.”
Keeping them away from herself — perhaps they would be safer that way.
“As for Tuan Ge’er…”
Minglan leaned close to Nanny Cui’s ear and murmured a few words. Nanny Cui’s face cleared: “Madam, I understand.”
Once all the arrangements on every side were settled, the hour for lighting the lamps had arrived. Minglan sat upright at the writing desk in the main room, doors wide open, quietly reading a book. She had reached the “Record of the Peach Blossom Spring,” and had just turned to the lines “fragrant grasses, bright and beautiful, falling petals in abundance,” when Liao Yong’s wife came running in from outside, her face white as a ghost. Without even observing the proper forms, she dropped to her knees as she rushed forward and gasped out: “Outside… there are soldiers surrounding our Marquis household…”
Minglan slowly set down her book. “What have the people outside said?”
Liao Yong’s wife swallowed: “They say… they say that the Madam has defied the imperial decree, and they are here to arrest the Madam and bring charges against her! Master Tujia Elder Brother is blocking the front gate and refuses to open it.”
“As I expected,” Minglan said with a slight smile. “I need to go to the front.”
A soft sedan chair was already waiting outside. Minglan rocked gently with the steps of the carriers. The capital in early spring was unexpectedly cold — as though winter had returned in a single instant. The cold north wind moved swiftly through the tree branches, like a venomous snake lurking in ambush, hissing softly.
Minglan looked up at the sky. The night was black as ink, the moon faint and the stars sparse — endless and boundless darkness covered the heavens. All around her were maidservants and female attendants, yet the silence was such that a falling pin could be heard. Silence and darkness were equally terrifying, she thought.
— But within my heart, there is brightness, clear as a moon shining overhead.
Like the beginning of every life; like every bud moved by the urge to bloom; all things are empty in their nature, neither destroyed nor created.
They arrived at the front hall of the outer courtyard. The courtyard was packed with sturdy guards, every one of them holding a torch, the black night lit as bright as day. The large crimson-lacquered gate, as tall as a man stands high, was being pounded with thunderous banging. Outside a cacophony of chaotic shouting —
“Gu nee Sheng — surrender at once!”
“Gu clan rebel — open the gate immediately!”
“We carry orders to arrest the rebel — those who open the gate will be pardoned and rewarded with rank and position!”…
Tujia Elder Brother stood at the front, arms spread to hold open a straight passage through the crowd. Minglan, supported by Xiaotao, walked forward through it. At the side gate there was a small palm-sized peephole window. Minglan pressed close and looked carefully. Outside a great mob had gathered — only the few at the front wore the uniforms of the Five-District Constabulary. Behind them, dozens of others were dressed in all manner of clothes, their faces bearing a criminal, ruthless look, cursing and swearing from their mouths.
Minglan turned away from the gate and took up her position on the high steps of the main hall, then announced in a loud, clear voice: “I ask that everyone listen to what I have to say!”
Inside and outside there was a din of noise. Tujia Long filled his lungs and bellowed: “Everyone out there — our Madam has come out! All of you hold your tongue and listen!”
The shout of a martial practitioner was something else entirely. Minglan’s eardrums rang with the reverberations, and outside the noise did indeed subside.
A swaggering, pompous male voice was heard from outside: “Marchioness Gu listen well — last time you and yours refused to obey the summons and enter the palace, and have angered the Emperor and the Consort Dowager. We are here to arrest you! Surrender without a fight, and we will spare every life in your household!”
Minglan’s willow brows shot up. She said with crisp dismissal: “Keep dreaming — I’m not going anywhere!” Her high-pitched female voice rang out with particular clarity in the black night. The guards in the courtyard could not suppress a burst of low laughter.
The man outside roared: “You vile woman — how dare you?!”
“I dare, and here’s why — because you have the face of a rat, the eyes of a thief, and the look of a man who’s never won a single gamble!” Minglan kept her voice deliberately light and sweet.
All around, a great burst of laughter rang out, even from outside the gate.
The man outside exploded in fury, and his foul-mouthed tirade had just barely pressed down the surrounding noise when Minglan cut in without warning: “I know perfectly well what sort of creatures you are! Stop pretending to be human. Have the nerve to stage a revolt and still dare to come out here and show your faces!”
The four words “stage a revolt” carried a strong force of intimidation. Outside gradually fell quiet once more, in sparse patches.
Minglan raised her voice, and said coldly: “Treacherous rebels — it is every person’s right to put them down. This principle everyone understands. And yet there are still those blind enough to think their luck is running good, presenting their necks to the knife’s edge, determined to stake everything on one throw! Remember how many years ago in the ‘Shenchen Revolt’ — how many noble lords and powerful officials aided the rebel prince? And yet — what became of it all? In just seven days, the late Emperor crushed the revolt entirely. You would do well to weigh your own worth — how do you compare to that rebel prince? I wonder if you’ll even last seven hours!”
She gave a cold laugh and said in a loud voice: “Enough words. If you have the nerve, then break in — stop your coaxing and deceiving here. I give you all a word of advice: while you haven’t yet fully shown your colours, it’s best you slip away now — there are plenty of ways to get rich honestly. Don’t wade into this filthy water. Rebellion and revolt is not like robbing a wealthy household — you don’t just lose your head and call it settled. Think about your wives and children!”
Outside fell abruptly silent as though not a soul were present. After a long pause, the swaggering voice cried out again: “Don’t be taken in by this woman’s tricks — the Marquis household is overflowing with gold and jewels — tonight is your night to get rich!”
Tujia Long bellowed in reply: “Our Marquis has the names on a register — if we fail to protect the Madam, we will face severe punishment when he returns! The Madam has promised: one arm is worth one tael of silver, one leg fifty taels, and if a life is lost, the household will provide for the family! Come on, men — get through this, and everyone will be rewarded handsomely, eating and drinking well for the rest of your days!”
With these two cries, the battle of that night formally commenced.
The sixteen panels of the crimson latticed screens of the main hall were thrown fully open. Luzhi brought in a large, tall chair and set it in the very center of the hall. Minglan sat upright in it, watching the fierce combat before her — overseeing the battle from the rear.
By official regulations, apart from the imperial palace, the gates and walls of a Marquis household in the capital were only marginally inferior to a Prince’s estate, far taller and thicker than any ordinary residence. Once the crossbars were set across the great crimson-lacquered gates, nothing short of a heavy battering ram could break them. The frantic hammering outside produced not so much as a tremor. Knives and spears hacked and stabbed at the gates to no effect.
The attackers had clearly not anticipated that Minglan would be so unyielding. They had assumed a household of women could be frightened into submission with a little bluster. Now, with no effective battering equipment at hand, they had no choice but to instruct their men to go and chop down sturdy trees for a ramming log, while also ordering their subordinates to climb over the wall by standing on each other’s shoulders.
But Tujia Long had long since prepared a supply of sharpened wooden poles, each over two metres long, held in pairs of two men each. Whenever a head appeared above the wall top, down came a savage thrust and stab. Screams rang out, followed by several heavy thuds — several of the attackers had poles driven through their jaws or chests and toppled back down. There were also bold and fierce attackers who brandished large knives as they climbed — but the poles had been coated with tar pitch, and ordinary blades could not cut through them. For those who were nimble enough to dodge the thrusting poles, two archers standing by inside took them down with a few quick shots.
Outside the attackers began to shoot arrows in return, covering their comrades climbing the wall. Arrowheads flew thick as rain; in a short while, several of the sturdy men holding the poles had been hit. Minglan quickly ordered the wounded to be carried into the hall.
As the guards turned back and caught sight of their mistress sitting behind them in the hall, calm and composed with her great swollen belly, not one of them dared to slacken. Each thought: “Even this woman of frail constitution has such courage — how could we men do any less?”
Tujia Long swung his demon-headed blade furiously, and sent men scrambling up the wall-ladders placed against the walls, scooping up pre-prepared packets of lime, and dodging through the rain of arrows to hurl them out in rapid flings. Lime scattered and drifted down. From outside came a chorus of pained howls, mixed with screaming curses —
“Close your eyes — they’re throwing lime inside!”
“Shameless creatures — resorting to such dirty tactics!”…
Tujia Elder Brother could not help muttering to himself with a groan: “If any of the men from those years on the road find out — I really won’t be able to show my face anymore… what are you staring at, you brat — keep throwing!”
For the next half-hour or so, inside and outside gradually quieted. Then suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps, as though a great many more attackers had arrived. Tujia Long cocked his head to listen, and his face changed drastically. He called out in a hoarse roar: “Brothers, careful — the vermin are coming again!”
And indeed, within moments the attackers had wrapped strips of thin cloth over their eyes and came howling back to scale the wall. This time the attacking numbers were far greater — heads crowded thick along the wall top — there was no time to shoot arrows or thrust poles.
The oil cauldrons already set up in the courtyard were now sending up sinister wisps of blue-grey smoke. Tujia Long roared orders for buckets of boiling oil to be passed up the ladders. Then with a searing hiss, the oil was tipped and poured down the wall. From outside came an instant eruption of howling and wailing that was almost inhuman, accompanied by the horrific stench of scorched flesh. In the depths of the night, it was utterly terrifying.
Luzhi’s face was a dead white, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably together. She stared fixedly at the pools of blood spreading across the ground. Xiaotao was considerably more composed, and in spare moments even helped move the moaning wounded.
It was the height of spring season. The servants pouring the oil wore padded jackets and leather gloves and were perfectly protected, but the attackers outside were all dressed in thin spring clothing. Those struck directly had half their lives destroyed in an instant; even those merely splattered with a few drops at the periphery were jumping and screaming in agony.
Scalding oil had far wider area of effect than anything else; the attackers suffered catastrophic casualties this round, and outside fell momentarily silent.
Tujia Long wiped great streams of sweat from his face and rushed into the hall, clasping his fists: “Madam, we should have some peace for a while.”
The joints of the fingers gripping the armrest had gone slightly white. “They will not give up easily.”
“Madam may rest easy — the brothers at the back gate have more men watching things, and there’s no shortage of hot oil, and plenty of sharpened stakes!”
Minglan gave a rigid nod, reached up to wipe the cold sweat from her brow, and laid a hand on her belly. She could feel it pounding rapidly — the child had probably sensed this fear too. Minglan felt a surge of tenderness, and held back tears as she gently stroked the child.
Barely half an hour of calm had passed when a household servant, covered in blood from head to toe, came running from the distance and called out: “Master Tujia Elder Brother — those attackers have gone to the back gate! Master Tujia Second Brother says to send more help—!”
Tujia Long turned to look at Minglan, his eyes questioning. Minglan laughed openly: “What does a woman know about attack and defence? As for the household’s people and equipment — everything is at Master Tujia’s disposal!”
Tujia Long inwardly cried out “exactly right!,” gave a respectful bow with cupped fists, and immediately picked out a squad of sturdy men and sprinted to the back to give assistance, while he and the remaining men stayed on guard at the front gate. The attackers had to go around an entire street to reach the back gate, while inside the courtyard it was a straight run — as long as they held on for a spell, the men could cycle through in good order.
In fact the back gate was even easier to defend, because the alley it fronted was so narrow that only four or five men could walk abreast. Even bringing up a great wooden battering log was difficult. The attackers could not spread out properly — crammed five to a space, whether pouring boiling oil or scattering lime, the effect was far greater.
About the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense had passed when the sound of yelling and climbing returned at the front wall — the attackers at the front had not entirely withdrawn, intending to lure the tiger from the mountain. Once the fighting erupted at the back, the front might relax its guard.
But Tujia Long had long since anticipated this tactic. He had positioned several manservants along the wall to keep unblinking watch. The moment so much as half a head appeared anywhere, a pole came thrusting in at once — the opponent didn’t even have time to let out a muffled grunt before toppling from the wall.
Seeing the state of things, Minglan could not help but praise: “Master Tujia truly lives up to his reputation! No wonder the Marquis speaks of him with such admiration.”
Tujia Long turned back and flashed a grin, with an air of great gallantry: “These are just lowly tricks — nothing worth showing off. Madam has never seen the Marquis’s heroic bearing on the battlefield — now that is truly unstoppable, a match for ten thousand men!”
Minglan was about to offer a further word of praise when a sky-high pillar of fire suddenly blazed up to one side. Everyone in the front courtyard turned at once — the old Gu family residence to the east had become a sea of flames. Agonised screams reached them from afar. Unlike the shocked fear of those around her, Minglan and Tujia Long were perfectly calm.
Tujia Long stared at the eastern fire, his jaw working with fury: “These rotten sons — just as I thought, they planned to slip in from that side! What a shame for that old compound — how many years it’s stood there!”
Minglan’s face was expressionless and her voice remained cool: “No need to mourn it. All the valuables were moved out long since, and the ancestral shrine is in a corner away from the fire — it won’t spread there. In the end, lives matter more than buildings. Houses can always be built again.”
By now it was just past the first night watch, the Hour of the Tiger barely begun. Nanny Ge led a group of female attendants bringing food and light refreshments. Minglan ate half a bowl of rice porridge in haste, set down the bowl, and then noticed that a fire had also sprung up in the small wooded hills to the west.
Minglan’s hand stilled. Luzhi gazed toward the fire from a distance and said regretfully: “What a pity for the cranes and deer on that hill, and the little cage of rabbits the two young misses just raised.”
Not long after, reports came in from the east and west sides in succession: the attackers had been driven back in both places. In the east, five or six of them appeared to have been burned to death. In the west, because it was forest, there was less clear visibility, but four or five was a conservative estimate.
Minglan gently pressed a hand to her chest, silently calling herself fortunate.
The Ningyuan Marquis household, centred on Chengyuan, was, viewed from above, a massive square estate with a gate at the front and rear, and to the east and west — the old Gu family residence and a small wooded hill respectively. To guard against attackers slipping in from either side, Minglan had steeled herself and arranged for combustible fuel to be set out: in spring the forest was thick and dense, and the old Gu residence’s beams and timbers were abundant — burning through the night presented no difficulty. A wide firebreak was then cleared between the fire zones and Chengyuan itself, connected by a guide fuse — the moment anyone intruded, the fire would be lit immediately.
Watching the forest and the old compound both become seas of flame, it would be dishonest to say there was no regret. Minglan could only hope it would truly hold back the attackers.
At this moment, Tujia Long walked over with heavy steps, and said quietly at Minglan’s side: “Madam, something is not right.”
With his experience, he knew that in every turmoil there were always opportunists who seized the chaos to loot and plunder. And so he had originally believed that with the defensive arrangements he had made, ordinary bands of thieves and criminals would pose no great problem. But who could have anticipated that after half a night of fighting, with the brothers on both sides stretched to the limit and barely managing to hold on, it was all they could do to defend against the attackers.
“The attackers have sustained no fewer than ten casualties at this point, and yet they are still this tenacious…” He had been fighting them long enough to have a rough sense of their numbers — after the first two fierce exchanges, many of the hired ruffians had fled, leaving perhaps only fifty or sixty core fighters, who had by now taken more than half their casualties — yet still they would not retreat. That was decidedly strange.
But Minglan’s thoughts had gone a step further.
In this current turmoil, there were essentially two kinds of people who would come attacking the Marquis household: one kind were the bandits and thieves taking advantage of the chaos — the main threat Tujia Elder Brother had prepared for. The other kind were the rebel traitors behind the coup.
The former sought wealth. The capital had plenty of wealthy and powerful households — they could rob any of them. Why fixate so single-mindedly on gnawing at this hard bone that was the Gu household?
The latter sought leverage — to seize Minglan as a hostage. But if the whole Gu household were killed to the last person, what was left to use as leverage? Gu Tingye would fight to avenge them at the cost of his own life. Yet the attackers outside had a vicious and ruthless air about them — they appeared to have come to kill.
“What you mean is…”
Minglan’s expression was grave. She had just opened her mouth when a familiar screaming cry came from outside. Little Cuiwei-sleeve came tumbling in with her hair wild and loose, wailing: “Madam, something terrible has happened! There are attackers inside!”
Minglan felt as though struck by lightning, and cried out involuntarily: “How is that possible?!”
Cuiwei-sleeve wept as she cried: “They came through the wooded hill over there — a few attackers came through a small passage running through the fire! Stone Small Brother is leading men to hold them back right now — Madam, please send more people quickly!”
Minglan swayed, steadied herself with force.
Tujia Long said in a firm voice: “Madam, don’t panic — I will lead people there immediately!” He then grabbed a large man beside him: “Brother, keep watch here!” The man acknowledged, and Tujia Long immediately led a squad of guards charging inside.
Luzhi bit hard on her lip. Xiaotao gripped Minglan tight, repeating in a low voice over and over: “Madam, don’t be afraid — almost no one knows where Tuan Ge’er and Nanny Cui are hiding! The estate has so many rooms — searching through them one by one would take forever.”
Minglan steadied herself slightly. But mother and child shared one heart — she was consumed with anxious worry and absolutely had to go and see the situation herself. Luzhi had no choice but to go and call the sedan chair. In the dark, the carriers dared not walk fast, and Minglan was nearly in tears with urgency. They finally arrived.
The inner courtyard was in complete disarray — maidservants and female attendants were either crying and screaming for help or scrambling to find somewhere to hide. Minglan dared not sit in the chair. She took Luzhi’s arm and walked forward on foot. Xiaotao, with her sharp eyes, grabbed hold of a figure dashing past — “Stone Ge’er!”
It was indeed the slow-witted Stone Small Brother. Covered in blood, he was overjoyed to see Minglan and the others: “Madam, I was just coming to find you! Those seven or eight attackers are running around like headless flies, bursting into rooms all over the place. Two of them had just felt their way to the entrance of the Senior Madam’s courtyard and were already killed by the guards stationed outside. Right now Master Tujia Elder Brother is chasing down attackers all through the estate!”