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Chun Xi’s Death
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
A while later, Shen Lan Chi left the courtyard and returned to her parents’ side.
Shen Ting Yuan still hasn’t returned, and it was unknown where he was. The rest of the Shen family, however, were all in this patch of maple forest.
The monks of Sandalwood Temple had set up a rosewood low table in the forest, also placing an ink stone, blue ink, paperweight, writing brush, and such objects. A few scholars who were traveling together just happened to stroll to this place. Seeing the two masters of the An Duke Manor present, they had the intention to show off their skills, so took turns composing poems. Shen first master was currently leaning over, watching those scholars compose poems. Xiao-shi was to the side chatteringly saying something to Shen first madam.
Shen first madam’s eyes were sharp, immediately noticing something wrong on Shen Lan Chi’s face, asking in suspicion, “Lan’er, what’s wrong with your mouth?”
Shen Lan Chi used her thumb to rub the corner of her mouth and said, “Ate a bit too quickly and bit myself.”
“How can you be this careless?” Shen first madam used the handkerchief to press against the corner of her mouth.
Once Shen first madam spoke, Xiao-shi’s incessant chatter just got interrupted. Xiao-shi had an unhappy look on her face, complaining, “Sister-in-law, Yu Zhu still hasn’t finished speaking. Where were we just now? ……If Ting Kang’s official post becomes bigger, then he and Ting Yuan will be able to mutually support one another. All one family, so what’s not good about it?”
Talking back and forth, it was still about the Examiner of the Grand Palace Grandee[1] position for Shen Ting Kang.
The second branch had their eyes on this lucrative position for a long time already, but Shen first master was still unwilling to go handle this matter. Now that the second branch has produced a crown princess, Xiao-shi was very pleased, feeling that the second branch was a head taller than the first branch, so confidently mentioned this matter again with the first branch.
Shen second master although was also a high official, this official post was nevertheless also arranged by Shen first master, so how can his position in officialdom compare with Shen first master’s?
“Younger sister-in-law, this matter, you need to discuss with our master.” Shen first madam was folding the handkerchief, not even lifting her head, “I’m just a mere woman, what can I help you with?”
“Elder brother cherishes sister-in-law the most. As long as sister-in-law is willing to speak, then there’s nothing that can’t be done. In the future, when Tong Ying becomes the crown princess, if sister-in-law has something that needs to be done, just say the word and Yu Zhu will also do as told.” Xiao-shi completely didn’t detect Shen first madam’s annoyance, endlessly rambling on her own, even saying something even more absurd, “Oh right, those relatives of mine from my maiden family also want to hold a little post in officialdom. This matter isn’t troublesome at all. Elder brother can handle with a flick of his finger……”
Shen first madam’s expression darkened.
This Xiao-shi really didn’t have the least bit of self-awareness, to actually propose such an outrageous matter!
Before the Xiao family became prosperous, their hometown was in Huaixi. Now that the Xiao family was well-off, becoming a first class new noble in the capital, a bunch of relatives from their hometown would come to the door to leech off of them. The great majority of the times, the Xiao family don’t even want to deal with them, just occasionally supporting them financially. But now, those poor relatives from Huaixi have grown in appetite, actually setting their eyes on Xiao Yu Zhu who had married into the An Duke Manor and became the second branch’s matriarch, even hoping that they can climb onto the An Duke Manor, this big tree, so as to relax in their shade.
Shen first madam looked down on Xiao-shi’s narrow mindset, but didn’t show it in the slightest on the surface, just sincerely saying, “This matter, you also need to discuss with our master. I, a mere woman, truly am unable to say anything.”
The words in Xiao-shi’s throat got blocked.
She did look for Shen first master before, but Shen first master was even harder to deal with than Shen first madam. Regardless of the matter, Shen first master would just say, “If you directly ask his Highness the Crown Prince, then it’ll be much quicker.”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
What a good ‘directly ask his Highness the Crown Prince’! It was easy to say, but when actually doing, how can one really throw out their face?
This marriage had just been bestowed. If the second branch were to start ordering around the crown prince, wanting this and that, how will the crown prince view them? In the future, when Tong Ying marry over, how will she be able to lift her head? Tong Ying marrying in after the side consort was already embarrassing enough. She can’t lose the crown prince’s favor as well.
Xiao-shi had wasted her breath for nothing, not achieving any of her goals, so could only angrily leave. Recalling the promises she made in front of her relatives, she felt increasingly embarrassed. And because she was unhappy, when going back with the people of the second branch, she was even unwilling to travel together with the first branch, like trying to avoid the plague as she rushed to leave ahead of them.
Shen first madam was actually happy to be rid of them, ordering the servants to arrange the carriage and return to the An Duke Manor.
Once Xiao-shi was gone, her mood instead improved, calling Shen Lan Chi to get on the carriage while smilingly saying, “This year’s maple leaves were prettier than last year’s. It’s a shame your grandfather is still unwilling to come out. Don’t know whether or not the fish in Bishui Lake have taken your grandfather’s bait?”
Shen Lan Chi was also a bit tired. After getting on the carriage, she was already half-asleep and half-awake, feeling groggy.
The carriage had traveled halfway when the body of the carriage suddenly jolted, startling the people inside, all staggering for a while. Shen Lan Chi also got startled awake. After a good while, the coachman finally stuck his body in, saying with difficulty, “Madam, there’s a woman blocking our path, saying that she wants justice for her daughter.”
Shen first madam frowned, lifting the carriage curtain and looking outward, only to see a woman in a blue cloth jacket and dress currently lying on the ground in a shameless manner, completely disregarding the dirt and mud all over the ground, loudly and hysterically bawling, shouting something like ‘my pitiful Chun Xi’, ‘mother is sorry to you’, and so on, her dried-up hair in a complete mess.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Lan Chi curiously asked.
“Ignore it, just go around them.” Shen first madam gave the coachman this order and placed down the curtains, saying, “In a month, one can run into four to five people trying to extort money. If not getting their leg ran over, then it was just crushing their hand. Who knows when they had lain on the road?”
The coachman complied and pulled the reins again.
Shen Lan Chi lifted the soft curtain outside the carriage window, seeing that woman chasing over in tears, just feeling that the name ‘Chun Xi’ was somewhat familiar. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember where she’d heard this name before.
After Shen Lan Chi returned to the An Duke Manor, while taking out her hairpins, about to go to bed, she finally remembered in shock where she’d heard this name before.
This Chun Xi was the servant girl by the second branch young master Shen Ting Zhu’s side. When entering the An Duke Manor, she’d signed a living contract[2]. Originally, after five years, she can leave the manor, but Chun Xi wasn’t able to go back——-She got fatally whipped by Shen Ting Zhu, and before winter even arrived, she just passed away.
Xiao-shi naturally had this matter tightly concealed, even secretly burying Chun Xi, believing that everything was handled perfectly. Who knew that this matter still got exposed in the end, raising an enormous uproar in the capital.
At the time, Ruan Ying had just gotten promoted up by his Majesty, precisely the time when the new official in charge was hot-headed and eager. Therefore, he used this matter to test the blade, having the An Duke Manor’s second branch investigated inside and out, discovering that Shen Ting Zhu had even beaten to death three other servant girls before. Once this matter got out, the usually tough old An Duke Shen Rui fainted in anger, and from thereon, became bedridden, unable to get up again. The An Duke Manor also got pushed to the tip of the storm.
Recalling the various situations in the past life, Shen Lan Chi couldn’t help but feel alarmed.
The second branch getting cursed at by the entire capital was deserved, but the people of the first branch nevertheless got implicated because of this matter.
In this life, she absolutely didn’t want to see the first branch get innocently dragged down by the second branch again.
Chun Xi’s death was just like a knife hidden under the pillow, able to give the Shen family a heavy blow at any time. If able to resolve sooner, then one should resolve as quickly as possible. Previously, she got held up by the marriage arrangement with Lu Zhao Ye, unable to divide her attention. Now that her hands were free, she should do something.
Relying on her past life’s memory, Shen Lan Chi vaguely recalled that Chun Xi’s family lived by that bluestone curb in the south district. With no time to lose, she immediately sent the servants out to search for Chun Xi’s mother house by house.
Just, the servants were gone for more than two hours, yet came back with nothing.
“What’s the point of raising you all!” Shen Lan Chi really was anxious, “Can’t even find a single woman?”
“That bluestone curb is really big, and miss doesn’t remember which house, so how to find?” The retainer had a distressed look.
“This…..” Shen Lan Chi hesitated.
In the past life, she once went with her mother to Chun Xi’s home. She remembered what the door of Chun Xi’s house looked like, also remembering that there was a square hole on the door. But, she really couldn’t remember which alley Chun Xi’s house was in, and what Chun Xi’s mother’s surname was. Only when she sees that door will she be able to remember.
Pausing for a moment, she said, “This miss will personally go!”
The An Duke Manor had already shut the gates, so going out through here was impossible. Thus, this noble young lady renowned throughout the capital could only roll up her sleeves, stepping on the retainer’s shoulders as she climbed over the wall to go out.
Fortunately, she climbs the wall a lot normally, so this bit of matter, for her, was as easy as flipping her palm.
When she landed on the ground, she nearly bumped right into the arms of a man on the road.
Turns out, it was Lu Qi Yang returning late.
Lu Qi Yang was also sneaking around, planning on climbing over the wall on the Zhennan Wang Manor’s side to sneak back in. The two of them, one had climbed out from the inside, while the other one planned on climbing back in from the street, and thus, they ran into each other at the foot of the wall.
“What are you doing in the middle of the night?” Lu Qi Yang had one foot on a verdant pot of tree at the foot of the wall, asking in suspicion, “Who are you going to meet in secret?”
“What secret meeting? I have something important to do!” Shen Lan Chi ignored him, her hands on her waist as she quietly called out towards the top of the wall, “You all, quickly get down here!”
The retainers anxiously climbed over the wall using a human ladder, urging with their mouth, “Second miss, even if you let us go to the bluestone curb to look for the person, we won’t be able to find them in this bit of time. How about wait until tomorrow morning and call over a few more brothers to go search together…..”
“You’re looking for someone?” Lu Qi Yang interrupted, “Who?”
“Looking for a woman that lives in the south district.” Shen Lan Chi hurriedly said, “If this gets delayed for another two days, perhaps something serious will happen.”
“Then….then, I’ll go with you.” Lu Qi Yang hesitantly glanced at his own manor’s wall and said, “In any case, going back home at this time, I’ll still get beaten……”
The inside of the Zhennan Wang Manor was brightly lit. Don’t know whether wangye was wielding the wolf fang club or the heavenly staff today?
• • •
Before the imperial city[3] of the Chu capital was the Road of the Heavenly Son paved with blue bricks, imposingly leading straight to the marketplace. Exiting the Vermillion Bird Gate and the Heavenly Rites Gate, there’s three decorated archways manifesting the achievements and virtues of the imperial family, with ceramic glazed winged-corners[4], auspicious cranes and flying immortals, extremely majestic. Just, once it entered the night, no matter how imposing and majestic, no one was able to see it.
Upon the memorial arch hung a horizontal inscription board written with the words ‘benevolence saves the world’. On the slightly lower beam below the horizontal inscription board tied a strip of coarse white silk, endlessly swaying.
Hong Yue Niang tremblingly stood on the tip of her toes, stepping on an upside-down wicker basket on the ground in order to have her head directly shoved between the white silk. When she raised her head, she saw that horizontal inscription board hidden in the dark of the night, wondering in her heart exactly what was written on there.
She didn’t recognize a single word, but she heard her husband say, inside the court hall of the just and incorruptible magistrates will all hang the words ‘the clear mirror hanging high[5]‘, don’t know what it means. Perhaps, written on this horizontal inscription board was also the clear mirror hanging high.
She was still wearing that blue cloth jacket and dress from the daytime when blocking the Shen family’s horse carriage, but on her chest, she’d sewn on a large white cloth. On there was the letter of grievance that she’d asked the scholar across the street to write for her. When haggling the price with that scholar, she’d exhausted her means, finally using a twisted copper hairpin left behind by her old mother to pay for it.
Recalling how Chun Xi had died that mysteriously, she didn’t know how much blood and tears she’d shed. Hong Yue Niang even specially let that scholar use cinnabar ink to write. That scholar, on normal days, just looked down on her, this kind of rough-looking woman. Today, he further sneered, “Do you know how much a stick of this cinnabar ink cost?”
Hong Yue Niang didn’t know how much cinnabar ink cost; by her guess, perhaps she will have to serve her employer for an entire year in order to be able to afford this cinnabar ink. She only knew that her Chun Xi had died unjustly.
Hong Yue Niang has had a hard life all her life. She’d reached an older age before finally marrying an old wine seller whose previous wife had passed away. However, her stomach wasn’t good enough, only able to give birth to a daughter. Because of this, she didn’t get bullied any less by her husband’s family. But, so what? Chun Xi was her life, her precious daughter that she’d carefully raised.
For Chun Xi to be able to sign a living contract with the An Duke Manor, how great of a luck was that!? The An Duke Manor’s monthly salary was even more than what she and her husband could earn in a month combined. After five or three years, the madam of the An Duke Manor, in a display of kindness, will just let Chun Xi return home. If lucky, perhaps, she can even marry a steward or servant boy.
But, who could’ve guessed that Chun Xi would never be able to return?
Chun Xi was unable to leave the An Duke Manor, so she would occasionally ask a servant girl she was close with to deliver a verbal message to Hong Yue Niang and give a bit of silver fragments. But, that servant girl called Qiu Yue already hasn’t come in several months. After asking around, Hong Yue Niang learned that Qiu Yue got sold to the countryside by the second branch’s madam.
When she made her way to the countryside, that Qiu Yue stammered and stuttered, vowing on her life that Chun Xi was already gone, the body buried in the firewood courtyard in the back of the An Duke Manor.
Hong Yue Niang was still unwilling to believe, feeling that this Qiu Yue was saying nonsense. No matter how powerful the An Duke Manor was, how can they just randomly kill someone? The emperor breaking the law is the same offense as the commoners, never mind that the Shen family weren’t the emperor!
But, another month went by, and Chun Xi still didn’t have any news. Hong Yue Niang went to look for that Qiu Yue again, only to learn that even Qiu Yue had died from illness.
Hong Yue Niang thought of many ways, wanting her husband to go to the An Duke Manor to ask for the person. Her husband went to the An Duke Manor, but didn’t bring the person back, instead holding ten taels of silver in his hand, no longer making a sound.
Gazing at that ten taels of shiny silver, Hong Yue Niang knew, Chun Xi certainly must have gotten murdered by the An Duke Manor.
She begged the magistrate office, but that Shen family could cover the sky with one hand in the capital. The magistrate office also didn’t dare to act rashly. Even the most renowned Sir Ruan didn’t dare to take her case. Those that were familiar with her all urged her to forget it, saying, “For a case, what’s important is the evidence, seeing the person if alive, seeing the corpse if dead. But, Chun Xi is inside the An Duke Manor, and the Shen family has overwhelming power, who would dare to go in to search? Older sister, why don’t you listen to me, let’s just forget it!”
Hong Yue Niang couldn’t bear to give up, unable to bear Chun Xi dying that wrongly.
Sure enough, she still needed to do as that noble person said………
If the heaven and earth won’t respond, then she can only hang herself to death on this memorial arch. When dawn breaks the next morning, this blood letter on her chest should be able to alert his Majesty inside the imperial city, right?
Under the skies, only that kind-hearted noble personage was willing to help her obtain justice.
If not for that noble personage, she wouldn’t have known that the Vermillion Bird Gate didn’t have anyone guarding at the chou hour[6].
Hong Yue Niang wiped the corner of her eyes. On the back of her rough hands were scalding tears.
Afterwards, she tightened the white silk and was just about to kick away the wicker basket under her feet……….
“Wait—–”
Right at this time, a sharp voice sounded by her side.
Hong Yue Niang blanked and opened her eyes, seeing a few people running over from the side, all dressed as patrol guards. Although covered in clanking armor, the person in the lead was clearly a girl.
That girl dressed in men’s clothes was holding a lantern, heavily panting. Perhaps because she was too tired from running, she actually started dry vomiting, and as she vomited, she said, “Wait up! Ugh…….I, I’m from the Shen family! What grievances did your daughter suffer? You can just tell me!”
[1] See chapter 17 footnote.
[2] Servitude in ancient times divide into two types of contract. The living contract (活契) is pretty much just a temp work contract, where the person is free to leave after the contract ends. The dead contract (死契) is essentially a slave contract where a person agrees to permanently sell themselves into slavery.
[3] Refers to the entire area that contains the imperial palace.
[4] See below
[5] Meaning perspicacious and impartial in judgement
[6] 1-3 am
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