Chapter 48: Picking Mulberries (Part 5)
Three days after the incident at the entertainment district, Cai Chun Xu personally invited Ni Su to a banquet at the Grand Commandant’s residence.
Except for Miao Jing Zhen, the Grand Commandant’s eldest son, who was on duty at the palace, the whole family was present.
Grand Commandant Miao was unusually quiet during the banquet. Only after it ended did he find an excuse to speak with Ni Su privately in the pavilion. Having shaved his beard, he looked more energetic than before. “A-Cai and my wife don’t know about this, so I didn’t toast you at the banquet,” he said, pouring her a cup of hot tea.
“There’s no need for such formality, Grand Commandant. I was released early from the Yin Ye Si thanks to Second Young Master and Sister Cai. And I imposed on your hospitality for many days. I don’t know how to repay you,” Ni Su said with a smile.
“Your family has shown kindness to A-Cai’s family, and she’s now part of our family. It’s all the same,” Grand Commandant Miao said, sitting down, his hands on his knees. “On the Lantern Festival, Miss Ni, were you at the entertainment district?”
“Yes, I’ve been in Yun Jing for a while and haven’t seen much of the city. I heard the entertainment district was lively, so I went to take a look,” Ni Su replied.
Grand Commandant Miao nodded. “Yun Jing has much more to offer than just the entertainment district. But how much longer do you intend to stay here?”
Although it wasn’t snowing tonight, the night air was cold. Ni Su held the warm teacup. “I plan to stay indefinitely.”
“I thought you wouldn’t want to stay here any longer,” Grand Commandant Miao said with a smile.
“I don’t, but I can’t abandon someone who helped me,” Ni Su said, blowing on her tea and taking a sip.
“Who are you referring to?”
Ni Su knew he was thinking of the figure he had glimpsed at the entertainment district. She shook her head. “Someone who helped me on my journey to Yun Jing.” She lowered her eyes, a faint white shadow flickering on the ground beside her.
“It’s good that you’re staying. If you feel lonely, you can always visit A-Cai at the residence,” Grand Commandant Miao said, then, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, “But I must ask, who was the young master with you at the entertainment district that day?”
He had been thinking about that figure for three days, the familiarity nagging at him.
“I don’t actually know him,” Ni Su said.
“You don’t know him?” Grand Commandant Miao frowned.
“I saw you at the entertainment district and was about to approach you when he stopped me. He warned me that you were in danger and told me to hide you.”
“There were so many people there. How did he know we knew each other? He must have been looking for me,” Grand Commandant Miao said, puzzled.
“I was also wondering about that, Grand Commandant. Was he an acquaintance of yours? My case is well-known in Yun Jing, and I’m close to your family. Did he perhaps know me beforehand?”
Ni Su’s counter-question made Grand Commandant Miao pause. He frowned, thinking, then rubbed his face in frustration. “Damn it…” He stopped mid-sentence, meeting Ni Su’s gaze, and chuckled awkwardly. “Forgive my language, Miss Ni. I’m a rough man, used to speaking coarsely…”
Ni Su, suppressing a smile, shook her head.
“Do you know who was waiting for me in that private room?” he asked.
“I left the entertainment district after you and Chief Censor Jiang escaped,” Ni Su said, feigning ignorance.
“It was a barbarian,” Grand Commandant Miao’s expression turned serious. “If I had gone there, my entire family would be in the Yin Ye Si’s prison now.”
“Although I don’t know who that young master is, he and you helped me greatly. I suspect that if he wasn’t involved beforehand, he must be a military officer who has seen battle,” Grand Commandant Miao said, instinctively reaching for his beard, then touching his smooth chin. “How else would he know so much about barbarians?”
A military officer.
Ni Su was stunned.
She remembered Xu Zi Ling’s hands holding a brush, turning pages, wielding a sword. But she often forgot that beneath his gentle, scholarly demeanor was a hidden strength, sharp as a blade.
Just like Grand Commandant Miao had said, he knew so much about barbarians.
Their customs, their mannerisms, their vast grasslands, their precious livestock… as if he had been there himself.
“Perhaps,” she finally said softly.
If the barbarian had survived, he would have implicated Grand Commandant Miao. Fortunately, the young man had killed all eight of them, leaving no witnesses for the Yin Ye Si to interrogate.
Grand Commandant Miao had invited Ni Su, using Cai Chun Xu as an excuse, hoping to learn the young man’s identity. But the conversation had only deepened his confusion.
As the night deepened, Grand Commandant Miao excused Ni Su and asked Cai Chun Xu to escort her home. He sat alone in the pavilion for a while.
Miao Jing Zhen, his eldest son, returned from the palace, his armor still cold. Seeing his father drinking alone in the pavilion, he approached and realized it wasn’t wine, but tea.
“…Father, what did Miss Ni say?” he asked, unbuckling his sword and sitting down opposite his father.
“She said she didn’t know him,” Grand Commandant Miao said, spitting out some tea leaves. “If she was lying, why would she lie to me?”
“Danqiu wants to increase the tribute. You just submitted a memorial refusing to pay and advocating for war. It’s not surprising that someone would use Uncle’s case to set a trap for you,” Miao Jing Zhen said, his face grim. “And they used a barbarian to implicate you. This is a deliberate insult.”
“Please think carefully before acting, Father. Don’t lose your composure just because of Uncle’s name.”
“It’s because the letter mentioned Yongzhou. You know your uncle died there. But I was seriously injured and not at the border then…” Grand Commandant Miao’s usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by a somber expression. “Jing Zhen, your uncle was only in his twenties when he died. He wasn’t even married. I have you and your brother, and two daughters-in-law, but his body was torn apart by barbarian blades. All I can give him is a symbolic tomb.”
“You lost your composure just because the letter claimed there were other circumstances surrounding Uncle’s death?” Miao Jing Zhen asked.
“Father, the military reports are still there. The officials who returned from Yongzhou are still alive, including Chief Censor Jiang. Everyone knows that the Danqiu general, Meng Tuo, used the Xu family from Qingya Prefecture as hostages, forcing the traitor Xu He Xue to lead thirty thousand Jing An Army soldiers to defect. And then Meng Tuo betrayed him, slaughtering them all at Mu Shen Mountain. If it weren’t for Uncle defending Yongzhou City with his life, we might not have held onto that strategic location until reinforcements arrived.”
At the mention of Xu He Xue’s name, Grand Commandant Miao’s face darkened. He crushed the teacup in his hand.
“If I had known he was such a coward, I would have sent him back to Yun Jing! Why did he have to… betray the Great Qi?!” he said hoarsely.
If he had stayed in Yun Jing, he could have remained a scholar.
Better to be in the court than on the battlefield.
At least he wouldn’t have been lost in the bloodshed, his promising future destroyed.
The sky was dark, a few stars twinkling.
Ni Su had visited the Grand Commandant’s residence before nightfall, so the lantern she carried hadn’t been lit by her. As she walked through the bustling streets and into a quiet alley, a faint mist tugged at her sleeve.
She crouched down, took out the flint and steel, opened the lantern, blew out the candle, and relit it. The flickering flame illuminated a child standing at a nearby doorway, watching her curiously.
The child grinned and threw a snowball at her.
But the snowball dissolved into snowflakes before reaching her, scattered by the cold mist. The child’s eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards, falling into his courtyard and crying loudly.
Ni Su couldn’t help but laugh.
“Xu Zi Ling, you’re becoming quite scary,” she said.
The mist swirled around her sleeve, forming a tall figure. He had been with her all along.
He didn’t speak, his eyes watching her silently.
Ni Su stood up, holding the lantern. “Let’s go home.”
The word “home” seemed to bring him a sense of comfort. Whenever she said it, she saw a flicker of warmth in his usually cold eyes. He always seemed more at ease then.
She enjoyed speaking to him like this.
Making a ghost who had been dead for so long happy wasn’t easy, but she wanted to try.
As they passed the house where the child was still crying, telling his mother about the “ghost,” Ni Su chuckled.
“Are you still in pain?” Xu He Xue asked, slightly uncomfortable.
Ni Su’s wounds hadn’t fully healed, and she had aggravated her injury at the entertainment district. “It’s not too bad. I’m applying medicine every day. Don’t worry, I’m a physician. I know what I’m doing,” she said, shaking her head.
“Mmm,” he replied.
“Did you hear my conversation with Grand Commandant Miao?”
“Yes.”
“Did I say anything wrong?”
“No, you handled it well,” Xu He Xue said, then, remembering her words, “I won’t abandon someone who helped me,” he added, “Ni Su, although I don’t remember much of my past, I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman like you.”
Ni Su paused and looked up at him. “What… what kind of woman am I?”
“You’re courageous and determined, not afraid of hardship or public opinion,” Xu He Xue stopped walking and met her gaze. “You’re an admirable woman.”
She didn’t shun him because he was a ghost, willing to stay in Yun Jing to help him fulfill his wish.
That’s why he admired her.
Ni Su was speechless. The lantern light illuminated the shimmering dust around him, making him seem ethereal, like a dream.
Her face felt warm. She looked away, mumbling, “I’m not as good as you say…”
“I’m not lying,” he said.
Ni Su, embarrassed, urged him forward.
Silence fell between them. Ni Su glanced at him, then scooped up a handful of snow from a branch. “Xu Zi Ling,” she said.
He turned around and she threw the snow at his sleeve.
The fine snowflakes clung to the fabric.
He looked at her, puzzled.
“Why didn’t you throw snow at me?” she asked, gathering more snow, a playful glint in her eyes.
Xu He Xue scooped up some snow and gently tossed it at her feet.
Ni Su looked at the small snowball and teased, “Do you need to eat candles to have enough strength to hit me?”
He didn’t reply.
Leave a Reply