Chapter 6: Qinglian
The ceremony was drawing to a close, and the millions of candles in the shrine were about to burn out. The musicians put away their instruments and, led by Xue Xiyang, left one after another.
The King of Kucha led the royal family to pay their respects to Qiandeng and urged her to mourn.
After all, he was old and had worked tirelessly for Kucha over the years. It was already past midnight and he was showing signs of fatigue.
Members of the royal family and important figures in the court also expressed their condolences to Qian Deng. The Northern King standing behind the monarch was her second uncle. After offering his condolences, he whispered, "The princess said my niece mentioned yesterday that she had something to ask me?"
Qian Deng nodded, but she naturally couldn't discuss the letter urging her to marry at this time and place. Furthermore, the letter was very likely a forgery, so she said, "It's just a small matter, just to confirm with Uncle Wang. I'll visit Uncle Wang another day and ask for more details."
After the Northern King inquired where she was staying in the palace, he said, "Okay, that place is quite quiet. I remember the palace garden pavilion is nearby. I'll meet you there at noon tomorrow. But my niece, you'll be tired from praying here all night."
"As a son, I dare not talk about hard work." Qiandeng saluted him solemnly and silently sent everyone out of the hall.
It was already dawn, and the people on the streets had gradually dispersed. The shrine was completely silent. Only the pair of enormous, century-old sea-jar lanterns still burned dimly, illuminating the tablets and portraits of past lords, as well as the thousand lanterns that stood alone in vigil for their ancestors.
In this strange homeland, she would recite scriptures and pray all night for the heroic spirits of her ancestors who had returned to their hometown.
In the empty and lonely hall, the surrounding firelight was dim and silent.
The only person who stayed with Qiandeng was Daimao. However, Daimao could not speak Kucha language, and could not read the scriptures written in Tocharian. He could only help Qiandeng sort out the scriptures and wait for her to recite.
Looking back at the darkness around him and listening to the faint sound of the wind, Daimao felt a little uneasy: "County Lady, are we really going to spend the night here? I'm unfamiliar with this place, and I'm a little scared..."
"What are you afraid of? This is the shrine of my homeland. There are guards outside, and the heroic spirits of my ancestors are inside. They will surely protect us."
Seeing her so calm and composed, Daimao also calmed down and sat quietly beside her to serve her. Not long after, he fell asleep in the empty hall on a quiet night.
Qian Deng thought that she was tired from the bumpy journey and had to take care of his daily life, and she must be too exhausted, so he supported her shoulders and helped her find a position to lean against a pillar so that she could sleep a little more comfortably.
She was the only one left kneeling in the shrine, gazing up at the names of her ancestors engraved on the tablets, chanting those compassionate scriptures that she herself did not yet understand to the ancestors of Kucha thousands of times, praying that in another world and another time and space, her loved ones would have a peaceful, beautiful and harmonious life.
The stars were moving, and the dim light from outside the hall slanted in. Before we knew it, it was dawn.
The dawn light illuminated the old paintings in the hall, and also illuminated her slightly tired eyes.
Daimao woke up from his sleep, rubbed his stiff waist, vaguely remembered what happened last night, and hurriedly got up and walked to Qiandeng's side.
After kneeling for half the night, Qiandeng felt his knees ache. He heard footsteps outside the hall and looked up to see Cui Fufeng coming in.
"County Lady, you must be tired after working all night. It's time to go back and rest."
His eyes were filled with his usual gentle concern as he helped her put away the Buddhist scriptures on the table.
Qiandeng closed the scroll in his hand and looked up at him: "What time is it now?"
"According to the Central Plains' reckoning, it's almost noon." He was clearly fluent in Tocharian as he placed the Buddhist scriptures one by one back into their corresponding niches. "I remember the Northern King and the County Lady agreed to meet at noon. It's getting late now."
Qiandeng nodded and quickly stood up: "I have to go back early and wash up."
"Since you are new here, I'm afraid you are not familiar with the palace. I asked two ladies-in-waiting to come with you. They will lead you back to the palace."
Cui Fufeng's arrangements are always so appropriate and make people feel like spring breeze.
Qiandeng nodded and smiled at him, then stood up and hurried out of the mourning hall with Daimao.
The sun was rising outside, and sure enough, two experienced palace maids were waiting for her.
After last night's grand celebration, the streets seemed deserted today. Only the guards waiting at the door bowed their heads to greet her. They had been on duty all night, and their eyes were filled with fatigue.
Following the palace maid back to her residence, Qiandeng hurriedly washed and dressed, changed out of the clothes she wore for the wake, put on a simple and plain set of clothes, and took Daimao with her to the place the Northern King had mentioned.
Following the palace maid's instructions, they walked along the diamond-shaped corridor, and there was indeed lush greenery ahead.
Although Kucha is an oasis, its water resources are not as abundant as those in the Tang Dynasty. The royal palace garden is not large, and most of the plants planted are drought-resistant grapes, pomegranates, etc.
In the dense area of grape branches, I saw a green pavilion by the water. Its shape was similar to that of the Tang Dynasty, with a stone wall and three sides open to the water. The stone pillars and arches had some exotic style, and the vines hanging over it made it look even more secluded.
As they approached the pavilion, Daimao caught sight of a corner of his robe peeking through the gap between the vines and the stone pillars, and hurriedly said to Qiandeng, "It seems the Northern Prince is already waiting for the County Lady as promised."
Qiandeng nodded and walked towards the pavilion with her.
Outside was the scorching sun of Kucha's midsummer. Suddenly, I looked into the dark pavilion. My eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness and it seemed all dark inside.
Daimao pushed aside the scattered grape leaves and asked, "Your Highness the Northern King?"
The person inside was clearly sitting against the pillar, but he didn't answer.
Qiandeng looked inside through Daimao's shoulder.
Her eyes had slowly adapted to the darkness, and the shadows gradually faded away. She saw at a glance that the owner of the gorgeous robe was none other than her second uncle, the King of Kucha North, whom she had met last night.
However, he did not stand up, nor did he sit down to wait for her. Instead, he half-leaned against the pillar in a strange posture, his eyes half-open and half-closed, and a green glass lotus on his chest emitted a faint glow in the dark pavilion.
Daimao was a little surprised and subconsciously wanted to go in: "Is that lotus one of the three sacred artifacts that protected the country last night..."
Qian Deng had already grabbed her, and when he loosened his grip, the vines fell, and he quickly took two steps back: "Don't go!"
Hawksbill Turtle let out an "Ah" and then realized something was wrong.
Even in the dark, the bluish-gray color of the Northern King's face could be seen at a glance.
Her face changed drastically and she opened her mouth to ask something when she heard footsteps from behind.
It was the movement of the patrol team, they were passing by here, and the guards came over to pay their respects when they saw Qian Deng.
The leading guard looked at the pavilion where the grapevines were still swaying and asked, "Does the county lady notice anything wrong here?"
"I was just about to ask someone to check. Could you please come in and take a look?" Qian Deng pointed into the pavilion and said, "I have an appointment with the Northern King. We originally agreed to discuss matters here at noon. But when I came here, I noticed that he seemed to be acting strangely. Could you please go in and see if you can wake him up?"
The captain of the guards readily agreed and led his men to push aside the grape vines. However, upon seeing the strange posture of the Northern King, he was immediately shocked and quickly pulled apart the grapes to let in the light.
The sunlight shone on the green lotus in the Northern King's arms, and the colorful light flowed and became brighter. It was obviously the glazed lotus, one of the three sacred artifacts that had just been summoned last night.
Only then did everyone see clearly that the lotus was not placed on his chest, but the sharp and hard glass lotus stem had penetrated directly into his heart.
This was a huge shock, and the guards immediately rushed forward to check on the King of the North.
The captain of the guards took the lead and quickly stepped forward, raising his hand to check the Northern King's breath.
Unexpectedly, the Northern King's posture of leaning against the pillar was already strange and twisted. When touched, he and the lotus fell heavily to the ground.
He fell to the ground, and the glass in his arms shattered. With a crisp sound, the blue lotus blooming in his heart shattered on the stone floor. Half of the fragments fell on the bluestone ground, and the other half splashed into the water, making it impossible to recover.
Although the lotus stem inserted into his heart was not completely broken, the blocked wound was loosened and a large amount of blood gushed out, instantly soaking his upper body, dyeing the glass fragments on the ground bright red, and slowly dyeing the pool water below red.
The Northern King of Kucha died suddenly in the palace, and died in such a strange way under the holy weapon that protected the country. Everyone was dumbfounded, and the inside and outside of the pavilion fell into deathly silence.
In the end, it was Qian Deng who spoke first: "I'm new here, and I don't know where to go if something happens in the palace?"
The captain of the guards woke up as if from a dream, and quickly ordered someone to inform the king. He then walked to the corpse of the Northern King and tried to get someone to help him lift him up.
Qian Deng wanted to suggest not moving the body, but instead suggested leaving it as it was. However, when he thought about how the body had just fallen and the murder weapon had shattered, there was no point in moving it, so he kept quiet.
The body of the Northern King was placed on a stone bench in the pavilion, covered with a cloak to temporarily conceal his wounds and appearance.
When the King of Kucha hurriedly arrived, the first thing he saw was the broken pieces of glass and bloodstains on the floor of the pavilion.
He was so grief-stricken that he didn't even remember to avoid all these things. He quickly stepped on the debris and blood to come to the corpse, and with trembling hands he lifted the cloak and took a look. His face suddenly turned pale and he could hardly stand.
"After years of fighting, my third brother and I are the only ones left among the brothers... He always returns safely from the battlefield, and this time is no exception. How could... How could something happen to him in the palace?!"
The King of Kucha was heartbroken and grabbed the King of the North's clothes, as if trying to pull him up again.
The guards saw that there were still fragments of glass on the deceased's clothes and were afraid that his hands would be cut, so they hurriedly helped him to sit down nearby and asked him to mourn.
The King of Kucha slumped down in the pavilion, tears streaming down his face. "Someone actually... actually broke into the palace and killed someone! Order a thorough search of the palace. The murderer must be apprehended!"
The guards were just bowing their heads to listen to orders when they heard hurried footsteps beside them. It was the Second Princess who had rushed over after hearing the news. When she saw her husband's face revealed under the lifted cloak, she was stunned, then staggered into the pavilion, knelt in the pool of broken glass and blood, stroked the body and cried out in grief.
Everyone felt sad when they heard her desperate cry.
The maid beside her helped her up, comforting her with tears in her eyes, and helped her pick off the large and small splinters on her knees. However, she seemed not to feel any pain. She raised her eyes and fixed them on Qiandeng. She seemed to remember that the Northern King had asked her to meet here last night. She rushed over and grabbed her clothes and asked, "County Princess, your Second Uncle met with you here last night. Did you...did you see him? What happened to him? Who killed him?"
Qian Deng shook his head and replied, "I arrived too late. I saw Uncle Wang in a strange posture outside the pavilion, holding a glass lotus in his arms. I felt that something might be wrong, so I immediately left with the maid and asked the guards to go inside to check."
The captain of the guards nodded quickly and said, "Yes, we were on patrol and saw the Princess of Datang County leaving the pavilion. Apart from her and her maid, there was no one else around at the time."
The Second Princess stared at her intently. "You...you had an appointment with Uncle Wang here, but when you realized he seemed a little strange, you didn't approach him?"
“Yes, I have never set foot in the pavilion.”
"But the guards clearly said you left the pavilion! You had an appointment with your third uncle, and since he's in trouble, as his niece, why didn't you go in to offer your condolences and concern, but instead left and let others in to investigate?"
Qian Deng had experienced many ups and downs in life and had seen many strange death scenes. Therefore, when he saw the appearance of Second Uncle Wang, he knew that something had happened to him. He should protect the scene and himself and should not get involved, so he subconsciously stopped.
But the Second Princess was now in deep sorrow, desperate to find an outlet. Her desperate and mournful questions condemned her for being too rational and cold, and for missing such a great opportunity: "If you had come in at that time, would your Second Uncle still be alive? Would you have been able to find the murderer?"
Qian Deng could only avoid her razor-sharp gaze and replied, "But when I came over, Second Uncle Wang had already been killed, and his face had changed. I didn't notice any movement or abnormality at the scene, nor did I find any trace of the murderer."
One of the guards nearby grumbled, "This is strange! We patrolled the area but didn't see anyone. Only the Princess of Datang County and her maid were in the garden."
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