Jinyi Spring

During her time at Zixia Nunnery, besides copying scriptures and worshipping Buddha, Xia's favorite thing to do was take walks.

Every evening at dusk, she would slowly walk along that cobblestone path to the vicinity of the Zen temple. Then she would stop, and gaze quietly at it through the mottled brick wall—

It was as if his gaze could penetrate the walls and see the desolate and lonely figure inside.

Separated by a wall, two worlds.

After she had seen enough, she turned around and left, satisfied.

Coincidentally, she often ran into Ci'an, who was by Qingxin's side, when she went for walks.

Like Jing'an, Ci'an was originally Xiao Wan's maid. One's maiden name was Qingguo, and the other's was Hongguo. When Xiao Wan got married, they followed her into the palace. Later, when Xiao Wan became a nun, they followed her into the nunnery.

Even after shaving her head and taking a Buddhist name, Cixi still couldn't shake her talkative and enthusiastic nature.

Every time Xia met her, he would always pull her aside for a chat and listen to her tell him about Qingxin's recent situation.

Of course, she wouldn't say anything she shouldn't; she only said things like, "Master Fa is not in good health and doesn't eat much."

Even so, Xia listened with great interest, and then gave a few words of advice with concern, such as "take care of your health."

That night, the lamplight cast a dim, yellow glow.

Once there was no one else in the room, Xia Shi, with trembling hands, took out a purse from her bosom.

This afternoon, while she was praying to Buddha in the main hall, she saw that Madam Xue had also come. Madam Xue only nodded to her from a distance, while a maidservant slipped a purse into her hand as she passed by.

She waited until this moment before opening it.

Inside the purse lay a gorgeous earring and a neatly folded piece of paper.

Xia recognized the earring at a glance: it was made of red gold and inlaid with kingfisher feathers, with a phoenix holding a pearl in its beak. It was one of the pair that the Imperial Concubine had worn for many years. It was a gift from the Empress Dowager when she was conferred the title of Imperial Concubine, and it was recorded in the Palace Treasury. It was extremely difficult for outsiders to imitate.

She unfolded the note again, on which were written eight small characters: "A woman of noble character and gentle heart, suitable for both home and family."

She recognized the handwriting; it was the Imperial Concubine's own.

Xia's heart skipped a beat, and a wave of ecstasy washed over her, making her body tremble slightly.

The earrings were likely an engagement gift from the Imperial Concubine. The words on the note were praise for Yan'er, saying she was a suitable match for Prince Zhao.

Having shown her both sincerity, Yan'er's position as a concubine is now secure.

Therefore, she also needs to show corresponding sincerity.

She recalled her conversation with Madam Xue. Now that the Ming and Xue families were at odds, what the Xue family wanted most was nothing more than the Ming family's weaknesses and secrets.

However, the Ming family raised her and provided her with a stable life. How could she betray the Ming family for her own selfish desires?

On second thought, even if Old Madam Ming received the Emperor's favor, she would only be a princess. If she truly offended the Xue family, what would happen if the Prince of Zhao ascended the throne and sought revenge against them?
As for Yan'er, she is destined to be an empress.

With this support, even if Your Excellency encounters trouble in the future, Yan'er can plead for them on behalf of the Prince of Zhao.

So it seems that by helping the Xue family, I am actually paving a way out for the Ming family.

Xia slowly closed her five fingers and tightly clenched the earring in her palm.

Yes, she did this for the good of the Ming family, to repay a debt of gratitude...

Having figured out the connection, she hid the things and went to the west room.

Kong Xiyan was copying Buddhist scriptures under the lamp.

She pouted and frowned, looking irritable and restless.

Seeing her mother arrive, Kong Xiyan put down her pen, stood up, tugged at her mother's sleeve, and pouted, saying coquettishly, "What nonsense is this? Isn't copying these past few days enough?"

Xia frowned and poked her forehead, scolding her in a low voice, "You're about to get engaged, and you're still so outspoken. How can I feel at ease sending you to a place like that?"

"I'll only say a few words to Mother... Okay, okay, I'll listen to Mother and keep quiet."

She suddenly realized the deeper meaning in her mother's words, and her eyes lit up, making her face even more charming and lovely.

"Mother, do you mean that thing... is done?"

Xia pulled her to sit down, looking at her daughter's beautiful and delicate appearance with great satisfaction. Such a talent was in no way inferior to Xiao Wan in his youth, and she was a perfect match for a member of the imperial family.

She leaned closer and began to give her detailed instructions, word by word.

On the afternoon of August 28th, Xia took Kong Xiyan back to Mingfu by carriage.

The mother and daughter did not linger and went straight to Fu Rong Tang, only to find that the courtyard had changed.

The crabapple tree in front of the window on the east side of the house is gone, replaced by a magnolia tree, and several pots of rare orchids and clivias are placed next to it.

Yu Er's wife was sitting on a small stool tending to him.

Upon seeing them arrive, You Er's wife stood up, bowed slightly, and then sat down to continue her work.

The two men didn't even glance at her before hurrying up the steps.

In the east room, the old lady leaned against the couch, closing her eyes to rest, while her maid, Amber, knelt beside her, gently massaging her legs.

Hearing footsteps, the old lady slowly opened her eyes.

Madam Xia quickly stepped forward and exclaimed, "Oh dear, Mother, you've lost so much weight! This illness... isn't it still not fully recovered?"

Xia sat down on the edge of the couch, carefully examining the old lady's face. Her eyes reddened. "It's so heartbreaking to see her like this."

After so many days, the old lady has been able to calmly face this "adopted daughter".

She straightened up, patted the back of her hand, and said, "It's alright. After taking the herbal medicine for a few days, I'm much better. Alas, when people get old, they get used to enjoying life. If they have a slight headache or fever, they lose their energy and eat less."

Madam Xia held the old lady's hand earnestly, "How can I be at ease with you like this, Mother? I will move to the west room right away and personally take care of your medicine and daily life."

The old lady waved her hand, "No need, there are enough servants in the mansion to serve you."

“How can that be?” Xia said firmly. “It is precisely at times like these that a daughter should show her filial piety. Please let me stay by your side to take care of you.”

Kong Xiyan also stepped forward and said obediently, "Granddaughter also wants to show filial piety to her grandmother."

The old lady looked up at Kong Xiyan and smiled, "You've become even more beautiful in just a few months."

She sighed softly, "Now, what I care about most is Mingfeng's marriage and your future. I always want to find a good wife for Mingfeng and a good family for Yan'er."

Kong Xiyan's cheeks flushed, and she scolded playfully, "Grandmother..."

Xia Shi chimed in at the opportune moment, "Yan'er, you've met your maternal grandmother now, go back to your room."

"Mother—" Kong Xiyan twisted her body, unwilling.

The old lady smiled kindly, "Good child, listen to your mother and go back first. Your grandmother is doing this for your own good. Look, you've indeed become much more composed these past few months. Stay in your room and do some embroidery, read more books, and temper your temperament to be more calm. "That way, your mother and I can feel at ease letting you marry into a prestigious family." She paused slightly, as if with a deeper meaning, "Your grandfather and I don't know how many more years we can hold on, and we're always afraid you'll suffer later."

Madam Xia quickly said, "Mother, please don't say that. You and Father are blessed with good fortune and will surely live to be a hundred years old."

She glanced at the small window again and asked, puzzled, "Mother always loved that old crabapple tree in front of the window. She said it bloomed so profusely, its pink blossoms as lovely as a young lady. Why was it suddenly moved?"

The old lady frowned. "I heard that the color of the crabapple blossoms is too flamboyant, and that it might clash with our age. I haven't been feeling well these days, and I was wondering if it was because of that flower, so I had it moved."

"The eldest son's wife knew that the old woman loved flowers, so she had someone move a magnolia tree over. When it blooms, it's not as delicate, but it's still quite elegant."

Xia understood, "Sister-in-law has thought things through thoroughly."

The old lady said, "I know you are filial. You've worked hard these past few days, go back and rest, and come over for dinner tonight."

"Mother, I'll stay with you."

The old lady waved her hand impatiently, "Come keep me company after you've rested."

Looking at the two figures in the background, a fierce glint flashed in the old woman's eyes. In the blink of an eye, her gentle weariness returned, and she closed her eyes again.

"Go, have Pearl take a pound of bird's nest from my private treasury and send it to Achan."

Agate stood up. "Yes."

On the way, Xia said to Kong Xi, "Go back and copy the Medicine Buddha Sutra twenty more times."

Kong Xiyan grew anxious, "I copied so much at the temple, why do I need to copy more at home?"

“The old lady hasn’t fully recovered yet, and you still have to copy. Also, stay in the yard obediently, write more, and temper your temper.”

Xia was furious. In this family, there was only Yan'er, a young lady... She wondered whether the old lady's words were intentional or unintentional.

No matter what, Yan'er has to be kept in line.

She had just returned to her room when Agate from Fu Rong Tang arrived.

She presented a pound of bird's nest, saying, "The old lady sent it to say that my aunt has worked hard these past ten days."

Xia smiled and stood up to accept the gift, then invited her to sit down and asked, "Didn't Doctor Feng come to treat the old lady? Why..."

Agate chuckled, "After hearing that crabapple blossoms clashed with her luck, the old lady stopped taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Feng. She said that Doctor Feng was a young lady and she needed to avoid her for the time being. A crabapple tree in the First Madam's courtyard was also cut down..."

After seeing Agate off, Xia took a walk around the courtyard.

The front yard is serene, with a few tall trees, a few green bamboos, and a slender rockery—all orderly and unassuming scenery.

Then they went around to the backyard.

The two peach trees were lush and green, and every March and April, they bloomed in a spectacular display, their branches covered in delicate pink blossoms, as if the "springtime" that she dared not show to others deep in her heart had also blossomed on the branches...

She wasn't a widow, but because of her divorce and lack of remarriage, she lived a life of quiet solitude, just like a widow.

The courtyard is quiet, mornings and evenings are quiet, even my thirty-three years of age are quiet. Quiet and still, like a pond without ripples, reflecting the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds, yet unable to reflect even a trace of my own color.

The old lady, in her sixties, could still wear red flowers in her hair, and her yard was always full of flowers. She could change them whenever she wanted, living a lively and carefree life.

But even the one touch of "vibrancy" she cherished could not be retained.

That old lady is such a pain!
If that person had married her, her life wouldn't be like this...

Xia took a deep breath and said to the maid Yuxiang, "Go and tell the steward that I need to move these two peach trees out of my backyard as well." She paused, "And move two ironwood trees in as well."

The cycad is wonderful. It doesn't bloom, stays green all year round, neither dies nor thrives, just like its life—peaceful and uneventful.

Yu Xiang asked in confusion, "Doesn't Auntie love those two peach trees the most? She makes two jars of peach blossom honey every year."

Seeing her master's face darken, she quickly said, "This servant will go and do it right away."

Back in her room, Xia sat down at her dressing table, where a delicate face was reflected in the bronze mirror.

When she was young, the Empress Dowager once joked that her looks and appearance were good enough for her to become a concubine in the palace.

In her heart at that time, between the Crown Prince and Ming Changqing, she still preferred the devoted Ming Changqing.

Finally, Xiao Wan married the new emperor, but Ming Changqing trampled her self-esteem into the mud...

Now, she has lost her former radiance. Not only are there wrinkles that can't be hidden, but there are also a few gray hairs in her hair, which the maid has to carefully hide in her hair bun every time she does her hair.

My mother used to say that a woman is like a flower bud at twelve or thirteen, in full bloom at sixteen or seventeen, and in her prime around twenty. After twenty-five, she starts to decline.

But she's already thirty-three this year!

Those should have been the best stages of her blooming season, but she seemed to have withered before she could truly savor them.

She lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the carvings on the dressing case.

The Ming family did indeed give her a dowry of 25,000 taels of silver, which filled her with confidence and made everyone praise the Ming family for their kindness and good treatment of this orphan.

But the "confidence" she wanted was never given to her by the Ming family.

This "confidence" is for show; it can't warm the bed at night, nor can it fill the empty void in one's heart...

The next morning, several old women came to move the tree.

Ignoring the commotion over there, Xia went straight to Furong Hall to pay her respects to the old lady.

When the old lady heard that the two peach trees had been moved, a faint smile appeared in her eyes.

But she scolded him, "This old woman is too old to be associated with those delicate flower buds. As for you, you're so young, what are you doing getting involved?"

Madam Ming laughed from the side, "I forgot to tell my mother-in-law that the crabapple tree in my yard has also been moved, and two pomegranate trees have been planted in its place."

Upon hearing this, the old lady became worried again. "What's the use of planting more pomegranate trees? I wonder when those bastards will be able to marry a wife and have more children."

Xia smiled easily and replied, "Mother, don't be impatient. Good things don't come from being rushed. When the time is right, your daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law will all appear at once."

The old lady laughed out loud with joy.

In the afternoon, You Er's wife, along with several old women, went to Xia's courtyard to transplant cycads. She was the most skilled at tending flowers and plants in the mansion, and since cycads were difficult to transplant, the steward had specifically sent her.

After the transplanting was completed, Yuxiang gave each of the old women two silver coins, saying, "These are a gift from the aunt. Take them to have some wine." Then, smiling, she said to You Er's wife, "The aunt invites you to the main room for a chat. She would like to ask you how to care for the clivia."

Everyone in the manor knew that the old lady had recently taken a liking to clivia plants. She had many pots brought to Furong Hall, where You Er's wife tended to them all day long, and thus received a considerable amount of reward money.

Yu Er's wife smiled knowingly and followed her to the main room.

Xia leaned back on the chaise longue, listening to You Er's wife standing to the side, talking eloquently about the intricacies of watering, sunlight, repotting, and so on.

Yu Xiang was called out midway through, leaving only the two of them in the room. (End of Chapter)