Chapter 75: Liang Ye Takes Revenge with a Broadsword
When Shanhe and Liangye were traveling back to the capital in Magistrate Zhang's carriage, they encountered Shi Yuanji and Cheng Min, who had come to their rescue. Upon arriving at Cangfeng Courtyard, Shi Maotong, Madam Zhou, and Shi Mingrui were anxiously waiting in the main hall. The Meng family, the Marquis of Wenyang, also sent someone to inquire. Hearing that Liangye had returned wounded, Madam Shi, along with Meng Chijin and Meng Chiying, soon arrived in carriages to personally offer their condolences.
Because Liang Ye's injuries were severe, Shi Maotong sent his own letter to the palace to request a royal physician. As a result, by noon, not only the emperor but also most of the court knew that Liang Ye, the third-ranked scholar, had been attacked and seriously injured at Wuyou Garden, nearly dying in the capital region. The next morning at court, the emperor was furious and ordered the closure of Wuyou Garden and Wuji Field, instructing the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to jointly investigate Wuji Field, and specially dispatching five officials from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate to handle the case. Ouyang Wensheng, the Grand Secretary, who had failed in his duty to educate his son, went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to plead guilty. The emperor did not punish Ouyang Wensheng, but instead comforted him for a long time. However, just as he turned his back, Ouyang Tongyang was arrested by the Court of Judicial Review.
The nobles of Kyoto were gripped by fear, for the Wuji Market had far-reaching connections, with most of the city's powerful figures having some form of influence. Even the Crown Prince's household was affected; two of his retainers were found to be involved with the Wuji Market and were both imprisoned in the Dali Temple. People slowly realized that the Emperor's actions were not merely to seek justice for Liang Ye, but rather that he had long been watching the Wuji Market and was now seizing the opportunity to strike.
Outside, a commotion raged and shook the heavens, but inside Cangfeng Courtyard, all was peaceful. Qingyue was able to walk again, Granny Wei had been released from confinement, and even He Niang was much more subdued, focusing solely on her duties. Because of Liang Ye and Shan He's injuries, the squabbles among the servants were as insignificant as a feather, and everyone was devoted to the wounded Liang Ye and Shan He. The coming and going of guests, the daily changes of dressings and preparation of medicine... just these things kept them busy enough.
Shanhe and Chengmin's injuries were less severe; they were able to get out of bed after ten days. Liang Ye's injuries were more serious, and the imperial physician advised him to rest quietly for at least two months, without being disturbed. That evening, after bathing, Shanhe went straight to the room where Qingyue and Miao'er were staying. The three of them lay on the large communal bed, had just blew out the lamp, and were about to have a private conversation when Caixiang, standing in the porch, gently knocked on the door: "My lady, are you asleep?"
Shanhe propped himself up and said, "I wasn't asleep. Is there something you need?"
Cai Xiang hesitated and said, "The old man wants you to come over."
Shanhe frowned. It had already been agreed during the day that both Liang Ye and Shanhe needed rest, and from today onwards, Caixiang, Caiping, and Qingyue would take turns keeping watch in Liang Ye's room. So, Shanhe hesitated and asked, "Aren't you on watch tonight?"
Cai Xiang replied, "Master said... he can't sleep soundly without his wife." Cai Xiang repeated Liang Ye's words, her face slowly turning red with embarrassment. "Master said that as soon as he closes his eyes, he thinks of the thrilling events of last night, his hands tremble, his heart pounds, and he feels uneasy all over. He's afraid he can only sleep peacefully if his wife is by his side."
Liang Ye didn't erase the fact that Shanhe had saved him. Within a day, both the Shi and Meng families knew that Shanhe was his savior. In front of Shi Maotong, Mrs. Zhou, and Mrs. Shi, he recounted in detail how Shanhe had cleverly hidden him in the lotus pond, how she had dragged the cart, and how she had dealt with the old man. It was Xue Shanhe who had saved him, a clean and innocent rescue, without having given herself to anyone or done anything to betray Liang Ye; on the contrary, he had been a burden to Shanhe. Shi Maotong praised Shanhe for her courage and resourcefulness. Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Shi's expressions were somewhat stiff, but in the end, they still rewarded Shanhe with many gifts.
Upon hearing Cai Xiang's words, Shan He knew he couldn't avoid it, so he got up and followed her to the main house.
Liang Ye leaned back, holding a book and reading. Hearing the noise in the porch, he immediately looked over and his eyes were glued to Shan He. He watched her enter with her head down, watched her approach, watched her sit on the edge of the bed, and watched her frown and scold him, "I was already asleep. You still woke me up and made me come to keep you company."
Liang Ye didn't speak, but just smiled at her, his bright, starry eyes and gentle smile full of tenderness.
He patted the inside of the bed: "Then you can sleep here, I won't bother you."
Shanhe sighed, walked past him, climbed to the inside of the bed, turned over and lay down with her back to him.
Liang Ye watched Shanhe's retreating figure for a while, his heart filled with a sense of fulfillment. He turned back with a smile and continued reading, but after only a few lines, he couldn't help but speak again, "Shanshan..."
Shanhe was already a little sleepy, and lazily replied, "Hmm?"
Let us be together for all eternity.
Shanhe opened her eyes, but didn't say anything.
Liang Ye simply closed the book: "I have already instructed Cheng An to continue looking for a residence. We will move after the New Year."
Shanhe yawned and said slowly, "That's a matter for later. We'll talk about it later."
"It will be soon, in about three or four months."
Shanhe carefully tidied up her words: "Last night you were telling me to leave..."
"That's when I thought I was going to die."
Shanhe hid her true feelings in a joke: "So, you survived, but you won't let me go?"
“That’s natural.” Liang Ye raised an eyebrow.
Shanhe turned around and looked at him with a smile: "Then why don't I leave? I'm your savior now."
"You can't escape." Liang Ye turned his head and smiled back at her. "Shanshan, are you thinking of leaving me?"
His gaze suddenly turned scrutinizing as he traced every inch of Shanhe's face: "Yes, Qingyue's injuries have almost healed, and you can take her away now. So, do you want to leave me?"
Shanhe felt a chill run down her spine from his sudden fierce gaze. She bit her lip and smiled faintly: "What heartless words! If I wanted to leave, why didn't I leave last night? If I wanted to leave, wouldn't it have been cleaner to just leave you by the roadside to fend for yourself?"
Liang Ye continued to scrutinize her coldly, but after a while, he chuckled and his gaze immediately softened with tenderness.
Words can lie, but choices made in life-or-death moments cannot. The injuries Shanhe sustained while saving him cannot be hidden.
Liang Ye said, "Shanshan, go to sleep. Sleep facing me, so I can see you as soon as I wake up."
Shanhe had no choice but to turn over, lying on her side facing Liang Ye. Closing her eyes, Shanhe heard him blow out the lamp, place the lamp holder back on the low table by the bed, and then place the books there as well. He then propped himself up on his arm and lay down. He held Shanhe's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined stubbornly. In the darkness, Shanhe could feel him watching her, his gaze lingering and tender, but she dared not open her eyes.
When Shanhe was awakened by the nightmare, her hand was still being tightly held by Liang Ye.
She was drenched in cold sweat; her silk trousers and nightgown were soaked through. The room was pitch black. The softly hanging bed curtains, the gauze curtains hanging from the carved floor-length screen, and the swaying shadows of trees floating on the window paper all flickered in the darkness, eerily resembling the resentful and vicious eyes of the old man from Jingji County, strangely embedded in his scalded old face. Shanhe clutched her chest; the old man's piercing wails from her dream still echoed in her ears, gripping every nerve in her body.
"Shanshan..." Liang Ye was also woken up by her. He rubbed his eyes and asked her in a muffled voice, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright, I'm fine..." Shanhe forced a smile. "I must be thirsty." She got out of bed, walked to the table to pour tea, and when she looked up, she saw a person standing in the corner, staring at her intently. Shanhe screamed in fright, only to find that it was the wooden stand that held the copper basin.
Liang Ye raised his voice and asked her, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright, I'm fine..." Shanhe sipped her tea to moisten her mouth and walked back. "It was just a basin shelf, I thought it was a person standing there."
Liang Ye's voice turned cold: "Who do you think you are?"
Shanhe lay back down: "It was... that old man from last night..."
Liang Ye didn't say anything, but squeezed her hand tighter again: "Then go to sleep."
For half a month, Shanhe was awakened by nightmares every night, always around four in the morning. Everyone in Cangfeng Courtyard was asleep, but Shanhe was drenched in sweat from fright. Liang Ye was also awakened by her screams in her dreams, but there was nothing he could do but quietly stay with her, patting her hand and comforting her by saying it was all a dream and that the old man couldn't find his way here. Shanhe wanted to sleep with Qingyue and Miao'er, saying that the three of them together would bring good luck, but he refused. Every night, he held Shanhe's hand as they slept, and each time they woke up, their palms were sweaty.
In mid-October, the autumn wind was bleak, but the maple leaves in the Waiqin Garden in Kyoto were as red as fire. Shi Mingrui, Meng Chiying, and others invited Shanhe to go and admire the maple leaves. Shanhe didn't want to go, but that day Liang Ye surprisingly persuaded her, "Since that day, you haven't really gone out for a stroll. It's good that they're with you, so you can relax a bit. When I'm fully recovered, I should go out with you too."
Moreover, Shi Mingrui invited her three times, and Shanhe really couldn't refuse, so she changed her clothes and went to Qinyuan with Shi Mingrui.
As soon as Shanhe left, the four servants, Ercheng and Erhuai, quietly slipped in. Liang Ye pointed at Chengmin: "You don't need to go today. Go and supervise the construction of the new mansion. After the Lantern Festival at the beginning of the year, we will all move there. From now until next year's Lantern Festival, you only need to take care of this matter. You don't need to ask about anything else."
Cheng Min nodded in agreement.
Liang Ye then pointed at Huai Song, thought for a moment, and called out Cheng An's name instead: "As we agreed yesterday, go to the storeroom and get fifty taels of silver and a gift, and go invite the master over."
Cheng An nodded in agreement.
Liang Ye then pointed to Huai Song and Huai Feng: "Only the two of you will accompany us today."
The two men bowed their heads in response.
It was nearly November, and the capital was already cold. Liang Ye's wounds had not yet fully healed, so Cheng Min found a cloak for him to wear, with a fine, dense collar of snow-white rabbit fur. When the wind blew, the rabbit fur gently caressed Liang Ye's cheeks. Huai Feng went to fetch a carriage, while Huai Song packed their travel gear. The two helped Liang Ye into the carriage, and once seated on the deck, they whipped the horse and headed out of the city.
When they arrived at the county seat, it was not yet noon. Magistrate Zhang greeted Liang Ye, congratulating him on his recent promotion to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and inviting him to a banquet at his home. Liang Ye presented his gifts but said, "Today I have to see an old friend, but I'm afraid I won't have time. When I'm fully recovered, I will definitely bring my family to your residence and we'll drink until we're completely drunk!" Seeing that he couldn't persuade him to stay, Magistrate Zhang had no choice but to let Liang Ye go.
Liang Ye and the others then drove towards Wuyou Garden. By the time they arrived at the old man's house, half an hour had passed.
The old man was lying on the earthen bed at home.
Huaisong and Huaifeng dragged him out and threw him onto the yellow earth in the courtyard. The old man knelt at Liang Ye's feet, and when he saw it was Liang Ye, he began to curse incessantly, but tears welled up in his eyes, as he also felt wronged.
Liang Ye sat in a yellow pearwood armchair, his hands resting on the armrests, quietly observing the old man. A chilly autumn wind made the rabbit fur collar around his neck rustle. He half-closed his eyes, looking at the old man's horribly scalded face and his brand-new clothes—Shanhe, haunted by nightmares and unable to eat or sleep for days, felt she had committed an unforgivable sin. Three days ago, she had taken twenty taels of silver and instructed Qingyue to buy two sets of warm clothes and medicine for burns and cuts, which she then entrusted to someone to deliver to the old man.
Liang Ye gave a cold laugh and glanced at Huai Song.
Huai Song then took out a flask of wine and a knife from the carriage.
The blade was sharp and gleaming; after spitting out a mouthful of wine, its cold light was clearly visible.
Seeing that things were not going well, the old man struggled to get up, but was kicked to the ground by Huaisong.
Huai Feng sighed, stepped forward and tied the old man up. Seeing him writhing and struggling on the ground, he couldn't bear it, so he turned away to face the fence, not daring to look any longer.
Liang Ye glanced at Huai Feng without saying a word, then nodded slightly to Huai Song. Upon receiving the order, Huai Song immediately raised his knife high.
Just as he was about to land, he heard Liang Ye say, "Wait."
Huai Song lowered his knife and looked at him in confusion.
Huai Feng thought his master had changed his mind and let out a long sigh of relief.
The old man shuddered, moved to Liang Ye's feet, and then begged for mercy.
Liang Ye kicked him away, pointed to the rake leaning against the corner, and said to Huai Song, "Use that first."
In the cold autumn, the old bramble gate stands, the wind's blade withers and destroys the trees. A blood-red cloud is torn open, and an old crow wanders aimlessly.
Two or three crows perched on the branches, cawing sharply at the bloody mess in the courtyard. The snow-white rabbit fur trim around Liang Ye's collar had turned crimson. He took out a handkerchief from his robes, slowly wiped his hands clean, and casually tossed it onto the old man.
After Huai Song and Huai Feng covered the grave with the last handful of soil, the nameless old man who had almost killed Liang Ye and seized Xue Shanhe was completely reduced to a mound of yellow earth.
They drove back to Cangfeng Courtyard, arriving at the best time of afternoon sunlight, but Shanhe had not yet returned. Liang Ye had specifically instructed that after Shi Mingrui finished admiring the red maple leaves, she should take Shanhe to the Secret Pavilion for dinner. He had already arranged for a table to be reserved, so Shanhe wouldn't be back so early.
Cheng An had already invited Master Ma, who was now waiting in the east wing of the reception room, drinking tea. In the courtyard, various ritual implements were neatly arranged. Liang Ye greeted Master Ma with a smile, telling him that his wife had been frightened by evil spirits and had been suffering from nightmares for days, pleading with the old man to exorcise the evil spirits and save him and his wife's lives. Master Ma readily agreed. Huai Song then presented the brocade box with both hands.
Just as he was about to perform the ritual, Huaifeng rushed back and shouted, "Shanhe is back!"
It turned out that Shi Minghua had just started having labor, and Shi Mingrui was hurriedly called by Mrs. Zhou to the Su residence to take care of her sister during childbirth. Shanhe was then sent back ahead of schedule.
Shanhe, Qingyue, and Miao'er got off the carriage and walked side by side through the back gate of the Shi residence and the main gate of Cangfeng Courtyard. They were talking about the red maple scenery of Qinyuan Garden. However, the courtyard was clean, but there were one or two pieces of yellow paper on the ground.
Liang Ye stood at the door of the east wing, as if he had been waiting for her, and asked her with a smile why she had returned so early today.
Shanhe then told him about Shi Minghua's childbirth.
Liang Ye smiled and said, "I have guests here, Shanshan, you should go back and rest first."
Shanhe responded and went back to her room. Qingyue and Miao'er also went back to their rooms to rest.
He Niang was wiping a glass vase when she saw Shan He return, and she quickly bowed respectfully.
Shanhe nodded, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it slowly.
He Niang chatted about everyday things: "My lady, is Qinyuan fun?"
Shanhe hummed in agreement.
He Niang then complained, "Oh, I also want to go out and play."
Because of what happened last time, Shanhe was still a little wary of her and didn't say anything.
He Niang continued, "Today, both Madam and Master went out, so Sister Caixiang, Sister Caiping, and I tidied up the house again. Madam, do you think it's cleaner and tidier than yesterday?"
Shanhe looked around and saw that everything had indeed been renovated. She smiled and said, "When I have time next time, I'll ask the old man to give you a day off."
He Niang laughed, "That's great!" Then she changed the subject, "Oh, I still need to change the quilt cover later. There's always so much to do."
Upon hearing this, Shanhe stood up and said, "Fine, you just clean your vase and change the bed sheet. I'll take care of it."
So Shanhe headed towards the storeroom, but on the way she noticed Huaisong and Huaifeng glancing at her, which aroused her suspicion. Once inside, Shanhe was about to approach the large wardrobe where the bedding and curtains were stored when she noticed a brocade box on a nearby shelf, one she had never seen before. As Shanhe approached, intending to open it, Huaisong rushed to the storeroom door and stood there, urgently saying, "What are you looking for, madam? I'll find it for you."
Shanhe was filled with doubts, but said, "That floral quilt cover is made of brocade."
Huaisong hurried to the wardrobe and opened the door with a clatter: "My wife has been out playing all day, she must be tired. I'll find this for you." As he spoke, he frantically rummaged through the wardrobe.
Shanhe stood behind him and looked: "By the way, where are Caixiang and Caiping? And I don't think I've seen Granny Wei today either."
Huaisong replied, "This afternoon, the manor was settling accounts, and they mixed up the people from our courtyard too. Madam called over Granny Wei and Sister Caixiang. Sister Caiping went over to play as well. Madam, is this the bed you're looking for—"
Huaisong pulled out a floral-patterned quilt cover, but before he could turn around, Shanhe behind him screamed.
She opened the brocade box, and inside lay the bloody head of the old man, his eyes half-closed, glancing at her sideways.
Splash!
The magic bell, money fork, sword, mirror, and other items that Huaisong and Huaifeng had hidden on top of the cabinet rolled to the ground, and Liang Ye's blood-stained cloak also drifted down.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
