Looking at the Sword by Lamplight (Part 3)
The garrison commander's wife's maiden name was Li Yan.
When she was ten, she bought Li Minghe, three years her senior, from a young widow selling daughters for her husband's funeral on the street. The Li family was a merchant family, and their status in Lanzhou was neither high nor low, but her parents were open-minded and didn't restrict her from doing anything. When she was fifteen, her eldest sister took over the family business, generously sharing her share of the money. She, her best friend, and two of her personal maids built a magnificent boat and left their hometown, determined to ride the wind and waves.
She had spent most of her life wandering the seas—more than twenty years before, when she thought she would be free to roam the seas forever. Unexpectedly, she hadn't returned home for years. When she landed at the dock, no one appreciated the rare treasures she brought from overseas, nor was anyone happy about her achievements. Her parents had passed away two years earlier, and the imperial court had abolished the system of female officials. This practice, followed by Lanzhou, brought the oppression of women to an unprecedented level. Her sister, who had married into a family, was forced to divorce and remarry, and the family property was confiscated by the clan.
Even she was detained at home. After finally running to the provincial capital to beat the drum to protest her grievances, she was beaten with thirty sticks and thrown back home. The next day, she was sent to her husband's family. For many years afterward, she read the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" that she had never read in her youth.
But she never gave up.
The former Dayu could not accommodate her wild heart, and she would leave even if it meant abandoning her own flesh and blood; now the Western Territory is a dead end, and she will not linger there.
Li Yan found half of a jade pendant carved by her best friend on the dressing table. There was a seagull on it.
Fifteen-year-old Li Yan longed for a ship that could withstand the wind and waves, and so did forty-five-year-old Li Yan. She looked in the mirror at her no longer youthful face, yet she knew her spirit remained. The same was true of Li Minghe, who had once accompanied her but then chose to leave. There was no need to dwell on those past events; she knew her own choice.
So, Li Yan took off her headdress and asked, "Are you feeling better?"
This was Li Minghe's excuse to prevent Li Yan from summoning her to serve him personally. They were the most familiar with each other. Three years ago, she had been wandering around Huangque Island like a headless fly, and had thrown herself into Li Yan's carriage. Suddenly seeing an old friend, her mistress took her back to her house without asking any questions or investigating anything.
Li Minghe knew full well that the young lady would have doubts about her, but for three years, she hadn't asked a single question.
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of Liu Lang, whom she had met last night.
Li Minghe once asked Liu Lang if he wanted to meet his mother. Liu Lang then asked back, "When your mother saw you, did she ask about me?"
She didn't want to tell the truth and hurt Liu Lang's feelings, but when she met his clear and calm eyes, she couldn't find the words to comfort him. She finally realized that Liu Lang was very much like his mother, not just in those beautiful almond-shaped eyes. He was precociously intelligent and insightful. Even though he had been displaced as a child, he never got into trouble because of his "young age" or "carelessness."
It seemed that from the moment he left home he understood that he no longer had parents.
So while Li Minghe was still trying to maintain Li Yan's image and racking his brains to find an excuse for his young lady's difficulties, Liu Lang, like a bystander, had thought everything through. He had told himself last night, "Grandma, it's impossible for Mother to be completely unaware of what we did on Huangque Island. The fact that she didn't mention it and didn't expel you from the house means she no longer has a positive view of the Jingxi King's faction, but the situation in the Western Territory isn't irreversible."
"After all, we in the city can only see the big moves of King Jingxi and the provincial government. For more secret information, we have to rely on the people around King Jingxi. Mother won't put you in danger. If she intends to get closer to the court, she will definitely ask you about me. Just tell her..."
The moonlight on the west bank of the Huai River was dim, and Liu Lang's eyes were dark and unclear. Finally, he smiled as usual, "Just tell her that her son has been thinking about her for a long time and is willing to serve her."
Li Minghe looked at the lady in the mirror with a meaningful look and for a moment forgot how to respond.
She subconsciously reached for Li Yan's fallen red hairpin, and only after meeting his gaze once again did she stammer a nod, "Much better." She was deeply hesitant. As she had said when she left Prince Liang's mansion, she had come to Huangque Island solely to find Liu Lang's mother. She had meticulously carried out the lurking and passing on messages only at Liu Lang's insistence.
Li Minghe felt that she was not smart, but perhaps it was due to her miserable life experience - she was sent to her maternal grandparents' home by her parents since she was born. Several uncles blamed each other, and her grandmother took out her coffin money to raise her. After her father died, her mother came to make a scene and angered her grandmother to death. She then took her back and sold her.
She grew up being abandoned and looked down upon, and is very sensitive to the changes around her.
After the young lady's divorce, she had stayed at the Rong Mansion to take care of Liu Lang. She had a hunch that something was wrong, so she immediately took Liu Lang and the token to the capital. Not long after she took Liu Lang away, the Rong Mansion was indeed imprisoned on a trumped-up charge, and all its property was confiscated into the private treasury of the prefect of Lanzhou.
At that moment, her own sensitivity, coupled with the tacit understanding she had shared with Li Yan for years, informed her that Huangque Island was about to undergo a major transformation. But no matter how precocious Liu Lang might be, he was still just a child in her eyes. If her premonition was correct, her first thought would be to send a message to Prince Liang's residence, requesting His Highness to send Liu Lang away.
Li Yan didn't give her too much time to think, and her next sentence was: "That's good. In that case, please go there for me. Liu Lang and I have been separated for many years. Even if I missed him in the past, I couldn't go to see him for reasons. Now at least I have some useful people and money, so I won't be easily constrained by others." She was too impatient to even lay the groundwork, and didn't even mention that she had known that Liu Lang was in the city.
She smiled at Li Minghe through the bronze mirror, and the words she spoke did not sound like she was talking to a child she had not seen for many years, but rather like she was negotiating with a strong enemy she had never met. However, because Li Minghe was here, they tacitly weakened the indifference and sharpness in their words.
Li Minghe's heart sank slowly, and the choice that once lay before her appeared again.
When the young lady divorced, she had said she and Liu Lang were not destined to be mother and son. So, even though she had carried Liu Lang for ten months, she felt far less affection for him than Li Minghe, and her departure was even more decisive. Perhaps Li Minghe, mindful of the master-servant relationship, wanted to fulfill the responsibilities she was unwilling to fulfill for Li Yan; or perhaps she truly had developed an inseparable bond with Liu Lang, she chose not to leave him.
Now, Liu Lang has grown up. He has things he wants to do and ambitions that are difficult to tell others, but he has been persisting with perseverance and intelligence beyond his peers; what Li Yan wants has never changed.
The mother and son will have a brief intersection at this time, and given the current situation, they may be able to cooperate.
In short, Li Minghe will not be in trouble in the short term.
But Li Minghe knew that if God was a little crueler, they would definitely confront each other or even fight each other one day.
She was so frightened by her own thoughts that her hands and feet became stiff, and she avoided Li Yan's gaze woodenly.
She thought, let it be. She didn't want to get involved in anything, she wanted to find a way to get Liu Lang to leave.
Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Li Yan gathered her long hair and gently tapped the jade pendant twice with her well-maintained long nails. Li Minghe shuddered, almost unable to control her heartbeat. She looked up in panic and found that her mistress was still calmly waiting for her reply.
Li Yan said, "Minghe, Liu Lang should be sixteen this year, right?"
Li Minghe was panicking and felt sorry for Liu Lang: "Liu Lang's birthday was the seventh day of last month. He is already sixteen."
Li Yan stood up, clutching the jade pendant. Her dark hair now draped over her shoulders, and the pearls and jade that adorned her appearance had been stripped away, giving her a fierce, desperate air. "Sixteen years old... Minghe, do you remember what I was doing when I was sixteen? Back then, there were only four of us at sea, but no storm could overturn our boat, right?"
Li Minghe even stopped breathing at this moment.
Of course she remembered.
A hero never boasts of his past achievements. How could such "formidable deeds" be fully expressed in a few words? Putting aside the overwhelming natural disaster, how many pirates had the four women encountered in Dayu, sailing an empty ship? After leaving Dayu, every island they landed on spoke a different language, and uncivilized barbarians sought them as prey.
Li Minghe trembled his lips: "Miss, Liu Lang is your child."
Li Yan held the jade pendant in one hand and patted Li Minghe's shoulder. "So, what did Liu Lang say?" She understood Li Minghe. He was loyal and would not act on his own. Now that he was back with her, why would he hide anything from her? It seemed that besides her son, whom she had not seen for many years, there would be no other person.
Li Minghe had no choice but to repeat Liu Lang's words: "Liu Lang, I miss you very much. I will lend a hand to you, young lady."
—
Meng Shizhuang found that something was wrong with Liu Lang.
For several days, he'd seen Liu Lang lying against the old willow tree, one hand folded behind his head, lost in thought. The child wasn't a talkative person in private, perhaps feigning innocence to keep up appearances with the neighbors, and saying everything he could, but he didn't feel this kind of exhaustion. He pondered for a moment, rolled up the book Liu Lang had left on the stone table, and tapped the willow trunk.
Liu Lang came back to his senses and immediately jumped down: "Brother, you called me?"
Meng Shizhuang's words lingered on her lips. "Don't just stand there. There's a lantern festival in the city tonight. You should go and take a look."
Liu Lang had just had a secret, loveless rendezvous with his biological mother, and he didn't have the strength to move. But he didn't want Meng Shizhuang to worry, so he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll pick out the most beautiful one for you, brother." It just so happened that during his conversation with Madam Li today, he had learned something, so he sent it to the East Coast to let His Highness know.
Meng Shizhuang immediately saw that he had other intentions in mind, so she said, "We let you out to go see the lanterns. Why are you worrying about worldly affairs, kid? Without you, they have other people to use. Worry less, the sky won't fall."
Liu Lang knew that he cared about him, and he was very frank: "But I just want to worry."
"Brother, after Zuo Dan's Eighteen Continents are brought under the imperial court, I will still follow you. Are you willing to go to the capital? I want to study and take the imperial examinations. If I can become an official, I want to be a good official who will leave a name in history and benefit the world."
Meng Shizhuang looked at him quietly.
Perhaps it was age, or perhaps it was the lack of attachments around him, but he could sense that the fire that had always burned in his heart during his youth had nearly died down. His energy wasn't what it once was, his temper was fading, and he was no longer cynical, his tendency to retaliate with sarcasm. He listened to Liu Lang's boastful aspirations and simply asked, "Didn't you take Mr. Liu's class?"
"Remember what he said? Those who leave their names in history are both praised and criticized. There's no such thing as a 'good official' in this world."
Liu Lang's day-long dejection disappeared at this moment, and the youthful vigor and vitality of the young man were undoubtedly revealed.
"I know. I want to try to be the first one."
Meng Shizhuang felt his spirit receding like the tide. He had never felt so exhausted before. However, he didn't want to spoil Liu Lang's fun, so he patted him on the head and said, "Okay, if the western border is opened, I will take you to the capital. Then you don't have to work for the Liang Palace anymore. I can support you."
He brushed his robe and said, "Remember to bring enough money."
Then he went back to his room without looking back.
Liu Lang put aside his smile and looked at his back with sorrow. Before leaving, he still followed the old custom and lit a stick of incense at the old house.
He carried three incense sticks, certain Meng Shizhuang had already rested in the next room, but his voice remained low, "Uncle Ju, if you are still in heaven, please help my brother cheer up." Why could a person lose both his body and his spirit so quickly? It was as if the hero who had descended from the sky to save him from the disaster at Xiliu Sea had withered prematurely at the age when he should have been flourishing.
Liu Lang was full of things on his mind. He strolled through two streets in a hurry and then went to the most prosperous place in the city to buy lanterns.
The lantern vendor knew him; he had once been a matchmaker for Meng Shizhuang. Seeing him coming, his eyes lit up and he came to meet him. As soon as Liu Lang had chosen a lantern, he offered fifty taels. Still lost in thought, Liu Lang suddenly came to his senses. He lowered his head and carefully considered the lantern he had chosen, wondering: I didn't notice just now, is this lantern inlaid with gold?
He also knew that his brother and he were often considered scapegoats due to their extravagant spending. However, even if those seeking treatment at the clinic had their own ulterior motives, they were at least genuinely ill. Because of Uncle Ju, his brother was always tolerant of the sick. Furthermore, he had already agreed with Sister Song that this would be their reward for their services at Huangque Island.
But they can't just kill anyone they meet.
So Liu Lang put away the purse, still smiling: "I didn't bring enough money, I don't want it."
Seeing that he didn't look unhappy at all, the lantern shop owner pressed his luck and said, "No problem, I can give you credit, young master."
Liu Lang didn't want to continue arguing with others, so he didn't even turn around, stretched out his hands behind him and waved them twice before leaving. The boss got anxious and stepped forward to stop him: "Hey, sir, tell me how much money you have on you now..." The boss was halfway through his words when fireworks exploded in the sky above Huangquezhou, suppressing the surrounding noise.
Amidst the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers, Liu Lang heard two very clear "whoosh" sounds. He looked up and saw that there were indeed two incongruous white pieces mixed in with the brilliant fireworks.
This is a signal to the hidden agents in Huangque Island!
Most of those lurking within Huangque Island were ordinary people, unable to wield weapons, and therefore only capable of carrying messages. This signal informed them that a major move was imminent within the city. Two pieces of the signal represented two incense sticks, and they were instructed to retreat to their base within the city within those two incense sticks. Liu Lang immediately attempted to retrace his steps, but another group of black-armored soldiers rushed into the street, wielding spears to drive the civilians away.
They passed by Liu Lang, who noticed that the numbers on their armor clearly did not match the organization numbering in Huangque Island.
Madam Li's words echoed in her ears: "Your man in the city is in charge of checking the comings and goings of civilians. He's sent quite a few people in. The garrison is now in my hands. I will evacuate the guards in the city, and I'll wait for you to clash with the man on the other side."
Why at this moment?
Liu Lang frowned tightly. He hadn't sent the message yet. What could have happened that would cause such an attack without any warning?
But he didn't have time to think about it. He left behind the crowd of people running in panic in the city and went to the place where he would meet Mrs. Li.
When the news reached the garrison, Li Yan was coaxing the garrison commander to bed. Along with this hastily delivered letter, the city erupted in an untimely uproar. The Lantern Festival was bustling, but it certainly wasn't filled with this kind of panic. Li Minghe had been sent to the other courtyard by Li Yan, accompanied by her eighteen-year-old confidant.
Behind her, she heard her husband's questioning voice and the rustling sound of someone getting dressed.
Li Yan opened his eyes wide and scolded his confidant, whose voice was shaking: "What are you panicking about!"
She slowly pulled a dagger from her sleeve, lowered the wide sleeves of her nightgown, and answered her husband's question loudly without revealing any flaws. Before stepping into the room, she whispered, "Go, start a fire."
This fire burned almost half of Huangque Island.
Frantically trying to control the situation, the prefect toiled until late at night, his face blackened and his face utterly awful. Just as he was about to tearfully apologize at the Jingxi Palace as usual, he turned back to discover that the people he'd been leading in putting out the fire were soldiers from the Western Border of Dayu who had somehow infiltrated. Two knives were held to his neck, and he trembled as he knelt. Looking up, he saw flames rising from another spot.
It was the Jingxi Palace where he was going to ask for forgiveness and make a decision.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
