Minglan let out a breath of relief: “As long as everyone is unharmed…”
“Madam…” Stone Small Brother said urgently. “When Master Tujia Elder Brother and I got to the Senior Madam’s courtyard, inside the room there was only Qiu Yiniang, Mei Yiniang and her child, and a few nannies.”
“What? What does that mean?” Minglan was dumbfounded.
“Master Tujia Elder Brother asked the same thing,” Stone Small Brother said with difficulty. “One of the nannies said privately that the Senior Madam had found out that Nanny Cui was hiding Tuan Ge’er somewhere else and thought it would be safer, so she got the information about the location out of Bi Si, and took the two young misses to hide there as well…”
Minglan bit her lower lip hard — she had thought of everything, and this was where her planning had failed! Well done, Bi Si! Well done, Shao Shi!
“Master Tujia Elder Brother sent me to ask you, Madam — where exactly is Tuan Ge’er? We can’t let the attackers stumble onto him by blind luck — oh dear…” Stone Small Brother had just thought of how poor a metaphor that was and quickly shut his mouth.
Minglan said urgently: “They’re in one of the side rooms of the Kouxiang Courtyard! Hurry — go find Master Tujia Elder Brother!” She stamped her foot over and over in distress. A hiding place was only as good as the number of people who knew about it — what had happened here?!
After watching Stone Small Brother depart, Minglan headed hurriedly in that direction. Xiaotao, firmly remembering Nanny Cui’s instructions, held tight to Minglan’s arm — and from behind, female attendants kept urging her not to walk too fast.
The group shuffled along for nearly a quarter of an hour before the destination came into sight. To Minglan it felt like two full hours. She grabbed a small maidservant running about wildly with no particular destination and asked: “Is everything all right over at the Kouxiang Courtyard?”
This small maidservant had just come running from that direction. Suddenly confronted with her mistress, she stuttered: “Everything’s fine — oh… no, Nanny Lu said Rong Young Miss has gone over to the Senior Madam’s courtyard, so we needn’t keep watch anymore…”
Minglan felt a slight easing of worry, and was just about to tell her to go and take shelter at Shao Shi’s courtyard, when the small maidservant suddenly added: “But — but… just now I saw Yiniang Ren leading two dark figures toward the Kouxiang Courtyard… that’s so odd — wasn’t there no one there?”
“Yiniang Ren?!” Luzhi shouted at the top of her voice, and seized the small maidservant’s wrist in an iron grip. “She’s the one who used to be at the Senior Madam’s side…?” Yiniang Ren had originally been Shao Shi’s personal maidservant. She had been given to Gu Tingyu as his chamber companion, and before Gu Tingyu died had been elevated to the rank of concubine.
The small maidservant, hurting from the grip, hastily nodded.
Minglan was struck by terror so profound she could not speak. She could only force out three words: “Go there — quickly!” No one dared to dawdle any further, and they moved with urgent speed.
The moment they stepped into the Kouxiang Courtyard, the thick, heavy smell of blood met them. In the dim lantern light, the ground below was drenched in bloodstains. Two female attendants lay crumpled in the doorway — the very sturdy women who had been assigned to guard Nanny Cui. They were dead.
Minglan felt the world tilt and spin, and nearly collapsed. Fortunately at this moment Tujia Long and the others arrived. He clasped his fists: “Madam — two of them have been dealt with, and one inside traitor has been caught.”
The guards behind him hurled two bodies in black garments heavily to the ground, then shoved forward a woman whose clothing was in disorder — it was Ren Shi, who was often seen at Shao Shi’s side. Minglan’s fury was past words. She landed two sharp slaps across the woman’s face on the spot. She was about to ask Tujia Long whether her son had been found in the rooms, when from the western side room a shriek from women and children rose — and then Stone Small Brother’s shout: “Attacker — you dare—!”
Tujia Long and his men immediately raised their torches and rushed over. In the dark row of side rooms, one window flickered to life with lamplight. Minglan, supported by Xiaotao, hurried over — inside, a candle burned on the table. Shao Shi was holding Xian Jie’er tightly, huddled in a corner. Nanny Cui appeared to have been knocked unconscious and had slumped against the bedhead. Stone Small Brother, clutching a freely bleeding arm, came out from the inner room: “Madam, in there…”
Minglan shoved Xiaotao aside, heedless of everything, and charged in. She pulled down the half-loosened curtain — on the floor lay a body in black — and Tujia Long and two guards stood at the doorway with swords in hand, smiling sidelong with approval.
Minglan followed their gaze —
Rong Jie’er was half-sitting on the edge of the bed, holding in her arms a round, tearful, howling Tuan Ge’er.
The girl’s face still bore the tracks of tears, her hair in wild disarray, a lock of hair ripped from her temple — blood spreading in a thin stain near the hairline. Her right hand gripped a golden hairpin; her left hand was drenched in blood, the white of bone visible — she was ashen-faced, but her eyes burned with a blazing, roaring fire. Around her mouth there was a ring of blood. The muscles of her jaw were slightly bunched.
Tujia Long smiled inwardly. Taking in the whole picture, he had already guessed the general shape of things. Seeing that all was in order here, he thought of the situation outside, and leaving two guards and Stone Small Brother behind, he went out himself to continue hunting down the attackers and defending the estate.
Minglan, cradling her belly, walked slowly over and drew Rong Jie’er gently into her arms, saying softly: “Good child — what happened? Tell me.”
Rong Jie’er lifted her head with a blank stare, opened her mouth, and could not say a single word.
Xian Jie’er had heard from outside. She wrenched herself free from Shao Shi’s grip and rushed into the inner room, then began speaking rapidly and fluently. A short while later, Stone Small Brother came in with his arm clumsily bandaged, and filled in many additional details with animated chatter.
As the two of them recounted the story, the gaze of her step-mother looking at her grew ever warmer and more full of admiration — yet she herself was filled with nothing but bewilderment.
— Those brief moments just now had felt like a dream.
All the women had been hiding in the pitch-dark room. The attacker had kicked open one door after another with his torch, his brutal and vicious cursing growing closer and closer. Everyone was trembling with fear. By the time the attacker was nearly at this room, even Nanny Cui was at a loss for what to do.
It was then that she didn’t know where the courage came from in herself — she had scooped up Tuan Ge’er and carried him into the inner room, stuffed her little brother under the bed, moved a stool over to the doorway, pulled out a golden hairpin and held it in her fist, and stood on the stool.
The attacker kicked the door wide open. The Elder Aunt shrieked with particular sharpness, like a hen being strangled by the throat. Xian Jie’er only wept quietly. Then she heard a muffled thud — Nanny Cui went silent.
Listening to the attacker’s footsteps moving toward the inner room, the head of the hairpin nearly sank into the flesh of her palm. She clenched her teeth shut and did not make a sound. The moment the attacker stepped through the doorway, she launched herself forward in a leaping lunge.
Caught off guard, he was knocked straight to the ground by the collision. She held on tight to his back and stabbed again and again with all her force. Some strikes hit the shoulder and neck; some found the back. The attacker cried out in pain, dropped his long sword, and pulled a dagger from his boot. She snatched for the blade without thinking — the sharp edge cut into the flesh of her palm, and the pain shot straight to her heart.
She had never known she could be so unyielding. She did not utter a single cry. She was furious, and fury ignited something fierce and savage from deep in her bones. She sank her teeth into the attacker’s head and face. The attacker was in agony, and with his free hand grabbed hold of her hair — but in a fit of sheer stubborn wilfulness, she let her scalp and palm be torn and bleeding, gritted her teeth down, and refused to let go. Her hand with the hairpin kept stabbing with force.
In the end, the attacker ripped off a lock of her hair and a piece of her scalp. She had bitten off half his ear. As the attacker finally flung her from his back and she saw she was about to be stabbed through — Stone Small Brother arrived.
Tuan Ge’er crawled out from under the bed and looked around in every direction, unsteady on his feet. Then he opened his arms, eyes brimming with tears, and came toward her. Rong Jie’er could hold back no longer — she threw herself forward and clutched her little brother’s round, chubby body tight. The two siblings burst out in loud tears together.
…
Minglan’s eyes were brimming. Gently stroking the girl’s mangled, bloodied wound, she was so full of gratitude she could have prostrated herself on the floor to offer kowtows. She said in a choked voice: “Good child — Tuan Ge’er is blessed beyond measure to have a sister like you!”
Rong Jie’er, held in her step-mother’s embrace, felt a complex flood of emotions rise — something bitter and achingly tender — and broke into fresh tears. Little Tuan Ge’er did not understand, and could not yet form a complete sentence, but tugged at his sister’s clothes and kept calling out with weeping cries: “Sister — Sister!”
Shao Shi stood squirming in the doorway — wanting to come in but not quite daring. Minglan caught sight of this, deliberately chose to ignore her, and looked at Rong Jie’er, wiping tears and smiling: “Rong Jie’er — tell me honestly. Afraid or not?” She pointed to the body on the floor.
Rong Jie’er looked at the body, thought seriously for a moment, then said bashfully: “…Truthfully — not particularly afraid…” She was mainly just very, very angry.
Minglan shook her head, clicked her tongue admiringly, and clapped: “As expected — her grandfather’s granddaughter! Born fierce, brave, and recklessly courageous!”
By now the sky was growing faintly pale in the east. The attackers who had gotten inside the inner courtyard had all been cleared out. Minglan took both children back to Jiaxi Residence, and Cuiwei found Gu Tingye’s wound medicine. Minglan personally cleaned and washed Rong Jie’er’s injury, applying medicine and binding it up.
Xiaotao very deftly siphoned off a half-jar on the side and slipped away to bandage Stone Small Brother’s wounds.
After all — children they were. An entire night without sleep, frightened, injured, wept out — Rong Jie’er was exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep on Minglan’s bed. Beside her was little Tuan Ge’er, sleeping like a hog.
Minglan stood by the bed, candlelight in hand, gazing quietly. The corners of her mouth held a smile. The two siblings even slept with the exact same sprawled-out, starfished posture.
Come to think of it, Rulan also loved to sleep in the shape of a great star — she wondered how her brother-in-law had managed all these years, and whether he was ever woken from sleep by his wife’s leg landing on top of him. Thinking of it, she found herself hoping that this girl might one day, like Rulan, find a fine place to belong — a husband who loved her, and a peaceful life.
Outside the clamour was dying down. Minglan already knew this crisis had passed.
Before long, a report came from the Tujia brothers: that band of attackers had intended one final desperate assault, but suddenly caught sight of soldiers sent by Lord Liu arriving to protect the household, and the attackers instantly scattered like birds and beasts in every direction.
Minglan rubbed at her temples with weary fingers: “Everyone has worked hard. Leave the rest aside for now — first have several physicians come. All throughout the household there are people needing treatment for illness and injury. Afterwards, take stock of damaged and lost items and belongings, distribute rewards for distinguished service — one thing at a time, proceed at a measured pace.” Nanny Cui had come to — it was not clear yet whether the swelling on her head was serious. And Rong Jie’er’s palm would need careful treatment.
Steward Hao could not help saying: “Madam — aren’t you going to ask what the situation is outside?”
Minglan lowered her hand and smiled: “Lord Liu does take our household into consideration — but his loyalty to the Emperor weighs far heavier. If the palace had not been settled, would Lord Liu have had any men to spare to come and rescue us?”
Steward Hao smiled repeatedly, shaking his head in admiration: “Madam’s discernment is truly far beyond what this servant could hope to match.”
“Enough — whatever the state of the world out there, for now I am only going to hold my children and have a proper sleep!” Minglan rubbed at the back of her neck — sore and aching in every direction. “Steward Hao, you should stop pushing yourself too. Once things are roughly in order, go and get some rest as well.”
Just as Steward Hao was about to leave, he stopped and turned back. “Madam, last night…” He hesitated for a moment. “Among the attackers, there was someone who — quite a few people saw — looked rather like… the young master…”
The hand Minglan was rubbing her shoulder with stopped mid-motion. She looked over in startled uncertainty.
— Gu Tingwei?!