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“It’s a good thing that you’re going to the capital,” Old Master Tang said with a kind smile as he sat on a recliner under the grape trellis in the courtyard. “It’s just that Zi’an isn’t lucky. I did think that if we had this marriage, you might have become a member of our family and inherited the Tang family’s mantle. But everyone has their own destiny. There’s no cause and effect, so don’t feel guilty.”
Tang Zian, dressed in white, stood quietly behind his grandfather with his head bowed, not saying a word, his face still bearing purplish-blue scars.
Qin Sang felt a little reluctant and could only laugh, "Master, someone as unruly as me, how dare you ask me to be your granddaughter-in-law? Aren't you afraid I'll ruin your family fortune?"
She looked at Tang Zian: "Brother Zian is kind, calm and intelligent. If you find him a quiet, capable, gentle and serene woman, your Renxintang will surely be passed down for generations and be remembered for eternity!"
Old Master Tang pointed at her and laughed. After laughing, he looked at Tang Zi'an, who understood and turned around to take out a small mahogany box and handed it to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang recognized what it was and hurriedly said, "Master, this is something you've used for decades, I can't accept it."
"I've used it for decades, and I'm thinking of getting a new one," the old man said nonchalantly. "Take this set of silver needles with you. Although there are many good doctors in the capital, you'll have your own skills so you won't be bullied." Then, as if remembering something, he laughed, "I didn't want to teach you back then, but you're such a pretty girl, yet you're so shameless, always hanging around my shop. I thought you had your eye on my son. Now it seems you were just doing this for today. Hehe, you... you're going back to fight for the family fortune!"
Qin Sang chuckled: "Who told you I was going back to fight for the family fortune?"
Old Master Tang raised his chin slightly, a hint of arrogance in his expression: "Can't I guess that? You've been disliked by your family since childhood and were banished to this remote and impoverished place. When you return, there will surely be no shortage of struggles. The capital city is like a vast ocean, with hidden secrets within. Consider this set of silver needles a gift from me, and also a weapon for your self-defense. Perhaps it will be of great use in the future. Don't hesitate any longer, take it."
Although Old Master Tang misunderstood that he was going back to fight within the family, it was pretty much the same thing. In any case, it was a dangerous place, and he didn't know what he would encounter. Well, that was fine.
She carefully accepted the box, even more solemnly than when she received the Imperial Seal of the State.
As Tang Zi'an saw him off at the Tang residence, carrying a lantern, his thin clothes fluttering in the night breeze.
He only spoke in a hoarse voice when he had seen them off as far as he could: "Can't you stay?"
Qin Sang had already prepared her answer, and smiled calmly: "All good things must come to an end. Tang Zi'an, thank you for your care and understanding over the years."
Tang Zian lowered his head and remained silent.
"I told you before," Qin Sang said with a faint smile, her voice soft, "I would leave, but you never believed me. Do you believe me now? The fourth young lady of the Zhang family is about your age, gentle, virtuous, and well-educated. She is interested in you, so don't miss this opportunity. We'll meet again someday if there's a chance."
“There’s no chance anymore,” Tang Zian said softly, his eyes lowered. “Once you leave, you won’t come back.”
"..."
Qin Sang was also a little sad; she couldn't deny it.
The bonds between people are so complicated; even parting isn't always easy.
She smiled, turned around, and left.
Just as they were about to reach the street corner, Tang Zi'an suddenly called out from behind, "Sang Sang, there's a chance! We'll have a chance to meet again!"
Qin Sang paused for a moment, but did not turn around. She finally turned the corner with a sigh.
Before she could even ponder Tang Zian's words, a person suddenly appeared before her and knelt down in front of her with a thud.
Qin Sang immediately took two steps back, but was blocked by Qin Baoyun, who had been escorting her all the way.
After a moment, upon recognizing the person, Qin Sang patted Qin Baoyun and stepped out from behind him, staring at Su Qingyan who was kneeling before her: "What are you doing?"
"Take me with you, I'll be your maid. I don't want to stay here anymore. I won't marry that old codger. Take me with you." Su Qingyan's eyes reddened as she bowed to Qin Sang, her expression resolute yet sorrowful.
Qin Sang exclaimed in surprise, "Do you know where I'm going? You're going to be my maid? Do you know that maids are all slaves or people of low social status? Are you going to sell yourself?"
Su Qingyan bowed again, pleading, "Please, I'd rather be a maid than marry that old madman. If I marry him, I'll die. He's already tortured five wives to death..."
Qin Sang pursed her lips and walked around her, and Su Qingyan followed on his knees.
Qin Sang had no choice but to turn around, her eyes filled with a mixture of sympathy, doubt, and suspicion.
Qin Baoyun whispered, "Miss..."
Su Qingyan cried, “If you want to go back to the capital, I can help you no matter what you want to do. In such a big city as the capital, you will have to find a reliable person. Why not take me in? You still have something on me, don’t you? I promise I will not make the same mistakes again. If you take me in, I will follow your lead and obey your orders.”
It must be said that Su Qingyan's words were very true; Qin Sang's sudden return to the capital was indeed due to a shortage of personnel.
But this woman had murderous intent; she was no pushover. She had too many ulterior motives. If I kept her by my side, it would be like raising a tiger to cause trouble...
Qin Baoyun looked at Qin Sang with concern and shook her head.
Qin Sang could see the despair in the woman's eyes, and her desperate determination... No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps, perhaps Qin Sang was her only lifeline. Perhaps, if she got her wish, she would truly do things for him wholeheartedly, just as she said...
Qin Sang's voice was calm and even: "That old landlord is over seventy years old. How can he possibly outmaneuver a young woman like you? As long as you use some tricks, you can inherit his vast fortune after he dies. Enduring a few years of hardship in exchange for a comfortable life in your later years is much better than being my maid."
Su Qingyan raised her head and said, "I don't want to. I don't want to be defiled. If it were you, would you want to be?"
Qin Sang: "How do you know you won't be ruined if you follow me? In a place like Kyoto, I myself am barely making ends meet. If one day I can't even protect you..."
“You’re not that kind of person,” Su Qingyan affirmed. “I believe in you. Even if you encounter danger one day, you won’t use others as human shields. Besides, since I’ve chosen you, I’ll leave it to you to decide what to do with me. Even if you’re forced by circumstances in the future, I will have no complaints.”
Qin Sang smiled and said, "Are you really determined?"
Su Qingyan prostrated himself on the ground and bowed again: "The world is vast, and I want to leave Lixian County, escape my parents' confinement, and see a bigger world. Even if the outcome is the same, it will not be a wasted life."
Qin Sang spun around in place and said, "Su Qingyan, you're good at sweet talk, but I'm not Qin Yue. You're willing to disregard other people's lives for your own sake, how do I know you won't turn on me again in the future because you've set your sights on something else? Or are you planning to use me as a stepping stone to find a good master in the capital?"
Su Qingyan bit her lip and remained silent for a moment, the light in her eyes dimming: "I know you won't believe me anymore."
Qin Sang: "Do you think you deserve to be trusted?"
Su Qingyan didn't answer. She stood up from the ground and walked away dejectedly.
Qin Sang was somewhat surprised and stared at her back for a long time before turning around and walking home along the river with Qin Baoyun.
Qin Baoyun said, "Does the young lady trust her? This journey is dangerous. If she brings any hidden dangers, it could cause great trouble in the future."
Yes, he's a tough guy, but also a pitiful one.
The poor are like insects stuck in the mud, desperately trying to climb out, stepping on other people's heads or corpses to win a chance for survival. Is this right or wrong?
Suddenly I heard someone shout from behind:
"Help! Someone jumped into the river! Is anyone there? Help!
***
Two days later, Qin Sang bid farewell to her father, mother, and grandmother, left a sum of money for her second sister, and set off with Ying'er, Qin Baoyun, and Su Qingyan, following Shen Que's group.
On the day Su Qingyan jumped into the river, Qin Sang waited for a long time but couldn't save her. She hated being threatened the most.
In the end, however, she gave in.
Isn't giving someone a way out, giving them a chance, just her daily routine? In the end, she has the heart of a bodhisattva.
Having died once, Su Qingyan kept a low profile. She treated herself as a real maid and learned how to take care of people from Ying'er.
It wasn't difficult at all. She wasn't some pampered young lady; she did everything herself, from folding blankets to boiling water and combing her hair—all of which were easy for her to do.
Qin Sang said that since they were going to the capital, she could no longer use her old name, so she changed her name to Lingding.
She said, "I've accepted the contract of indenture. If one day you go back on your word and want it back, I won't hold you back. But there's only one condition: if you harm me behind my back, I don't know where I'll sell you to."
In truth, Qin Sang didn't really want her to sell herself; it's just that someone who has made a mistake always needs some leverage over her.
After all, I'm not really going to Kyoto to enjoy myself; if I make a slight mistake, all my efforts will be in vain.
It takes a month for a horse-drawn carriage to travel from Lixian to Kyoto. I traveled this official road seven years ago; it was full of potholes and ruts, and it's even worse now.
"The road is in such bad shape, why don't they fix it?" she complained.
Su Qingyan, now known as the Lonely One, said, "There are too many corrupt officials and parasites. The silver allocated by the court has all been embezzled. This road, which is being repaired and patched up, will only get worse day by day."
Qin Sang: "How do you know there are many corrupt officials?"
Su Qingyan: "The old landlord that my father wanted me to marry had donated money to buy his son an official position, in charge of construction. He and my father had a drink together and he said it."
Qin Sang nodded. By calculation, the Kingdom of Namo has been established for over two hundred and thirty years. Historically speaking, whenever a dynasty lasts for two hundred years, a powerful and wealthy class takes shape. In order to maintain their wealth and status, these powerful and wealthy individuals will use their power to seek benefits for their families. In the end, the result is nothing more than the rich getting richer and the poor starving to death.
Unequal distribution of wealth and public discontent are inevitable paths to a nation's decline.
As if things weren't going to go wrong, on the eighth day of their journey, it rained for several days in a row, making the roads even more muddy and impassable. They had no choice but to rest nearby and stay in the nearest small county town—Rongcheng.
As its name suggests, Rongcheng is covered with banyan trees.
The banyan trees are lush and verdant, giving the entire city a fresh and graceful appearance, comparable to a small town in Jiangnan. However, while Jiangnan has abundant water, this city has few rivers.
The spring rains were relentless, so the group stayed at the largest inn in the city to rest and wait for the rain to stop.
They weren't the only ones stranded there; there were also some traveling merchants. To appease the guests, the innkeeper generously invited a storyteller to tell stories.
They were telling the same old stories, and Qin Sang listened to some of them but got bored, so she went back to her room and leaned out the window to play with the rain.
The drizzling rain made the banyan trees along the street even greener, while the rising mist enveloped the entire ancient city like a fairyland.
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