Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

She was able to remain calm in the face of danger, and in fact brimmed with self-assurance. Her unruffled manner and nonchalance was infectious. If he were to ask himself, Weichi Yan knew that he wouldn’t be able to be this unconcerned if he suddenly learned one day that someone wanted to grind him up as a medicine ingredient.

  Veneration grew, the precursor to a tide of uncontrollable emotion. He blurted out something that’d been circling his mind for a very long time.

  “Miss Qin, have you and the Faithful Prince of the First Rank really made promises to each other? Do I have absolutely no chance at all?”

  Qin Yining’s charming face and ears suddenly went scarlet. “Your Highness, this matter is decided by each of our parents. It’d never fall to me to make promises in private. Please don’t speak like this anymore.”

  Weichi Yan felt that the sunset-graced cheeks of the girl in front of him was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Every part he set eyes on was most exquisitely pleasing. She was just standing in front of him with a lowered head, but it made him feel like he was in a beautiful landscape painting. He could hear birdsong and smell the fragrance of flowers. It swelled his heart with such emotion that he could barely contain himself.

  “Alright, I understand.” He smiled genteelly. Her words meant that he only needed to convince Qin Huaiyuan. Although his royal father was a bit of a family embarrassment, he could at least guarantee the quality of his own character. “You must have matters to attend to. I’ll be on my way as well, lest I arouse suspicions by staying here for too long.”

  “Yes, many thanks to Your Highness today.” Qin Yining curtsied again.

  The crown prince waved a hand and took another long look at her before reluctantly flinging on a pale-blue, opulent cloak. The steward was already waiting at the door as the crown prince headed out, and he respectfully saw the visitor out. Steward Zhong even put on the regretful expression of an unsuccessful business meeting, so as to prevent any suspicion from arising.

  Qin Yining sat at the table, sinking into deep thought as she meditated on the dark-green tea leaves within her cup. The steward frantically came back in after a while.

  “What should we do about this, miss? What should we do? Ai! That trampress isn’t human! How can such a vicious woman exist in this world? She wants to use human flesh to improve her looks, and the emperor actually agreed to it! What do we do, miss?? We need to tell the marquis so he can think of a plan!”

  The study wasn’t large, so he’d naturally heard all of the conversation between Qin Yining and the crown prince. However, the girl shook her head.

  “If we tell my father, he’d only tell me to run away or sacrifice me, based on his position and perspective. And the Qins are a large clan, would father sacrifice the entire family for me alone? I should take any action by myself, just to be safe.”

  “But what can we do?” The steward’s hair was about to go spontaneously white in his anxiety.

  Qin Yining paced slowly as she thought aloud. “The two nations have a truce at the moment and peace has descended beneath the heavens. There is no Great Zhou army on our doorsteps, so the emperor will be hard pressed to find a suitable excuse to have me surrendered to the empress. It’s not like the emperor can give an imperial decree that says, ‘Give your daughter up so my empress can eat her. If not, you’re a traitor!’.”

  “With the emperor’s style, he may very well do something like this.” Steward Zhong sighed with a frown.

  The girl shook her head rapidly in response. “He’d be throwing away all dignity if he really did that. He can lose face to save his life when the war raged, but keeping face is once again a great consideration if the emperor wants to rule firmly in times of peace. Therefore, he won’t give an imperial decree to seize me, but dump some sort of crime on me so that my death is justified.”

  “Crime? Your father is the official of great merit who hosted a successful peace negotiation, and so did you put forth great effort on that behalf, miss. Your entire family is loyal. It’d be very difficult for the emperor to pin any sort of crime on you.”

  Qin Yining suddenly stopped and tightly clenched the back of the round chair. Actually, there really was an excuse the emperor could use. Azure Justice!

  Her maternal grandmother was the leader of the rebel alliance, and the culprit behind an assassination attempt! What if the emperor seized upon her identity as the granddaughter of the leader of Azure Justice?

  However, this alarming possibility was quashed as quickly as it appeared. The emperor had given the leader of his most trusted secret service to Qin Huaiyuan. This meant that her father was the greatest weapon the emperor had against the Caos and Elder Statesman Cao. The emperor would never do anything to the Qin clan, because he wanted Qin Huaiyuan to focus his efforts on the statesman. Therefore, she would be the only one affected in this quest to eat her.

  And so, something as major as the Azure Justice wouldn’t be revealed, since it’d impact the very foundation of the Qin clan. Besides, keeping the rebel alliance a secret meant that the emperor had another card to play to keep the Qins under control.

  Qin Yining started pacing in thought again and murmured to herself, “…since this matter won’t be revealed, what will be the excuse?”

  She turned over every possibility and thought for a long while. Inspiration suddenly dawned.

  “Miss, what do you plan to do? Just give the word and I’ll brave even death for whatever you need!” The steward knew that Qin Yining’s gleaming eyes meant that she had an idea.

  She shook her head with a smile. “It’s hardly that serious, but the cost will be a little high for our plan this time. Please prepare bank notes for five thousand silver. The faster the better. In fact, having them now would be best.”

  The steward nodded immediately with no questions asked. “Will do! I’ll go do that now!”

  * * *

  Chapter 170: The Soothsayer (I)

  Chapter 170: The Soothsayer (I)

  Five thousand taels was a large sum. Even someone as highly ranked as Qin Huaiyuan only received a monthly stipend of eighty. Five thousand silver in the hands of an ordinary person would more than feed them for their entire life.

  Who knew how Steward Zhong managed it, but he rushed back in less than an hour and handed over notes from a private bank. They could be redeemed in both Great Yan and Great Zhou. The smallest denomination was worth a hundred taels, the largest a thousand. They made up a thick stack of legal tender.

  Qin Yining put away the notes carefully. “Mark these down on my personal accounts. This is quite a large expenditure, so let’s think of a way to fill in the hole later, after we survive the crisis at hand.”

  “No need to worry, miss. Everything else is a small affair as long as we’re still alive. Besides, the Institute is yours to begin with, so what you say goes.” The steward smiled broadly.

  Qin Yining smiled back and nodded approvingly. The steward was highly competent, but not a miserly sort of character. The Ding Manor had an eye for talent. Although her grandmother’s gift had elicited anger from the Caos over Tang Meng, it was also a tremendous addition of wealth. She’d be an ordinary noble girl otherwise, and could probably only run away if she was facing a trampress who wanted to eat her.

  She sighed and perked back up. “One more thing that I need you to do for me, Grand Steward.”

  The girl murmured a few words by the steward’s ear, causing the man’s face to light up as he applauded.

  “Wonderful, good plan, miss! The emperor won’t be able to find an excuse to do anything to you now no matter what the trampress says!”

  “Precisely my goal. Then I leave this in your hands, Grand Steward. I need to make a trip out of the city to the Celestial Nunnery and set a few things in motion.”

  The steward’s eyes were gleaming with admiration. “Miss, you want to… Good. Good! You are truly unparalleled when it comes to strategy and wits. It is my honor to follow you!”

  “Not at all. It’s
my great fortune that I have people like you by my side.”

  The steward’s face with red from the praise and he humbly raised cupped hands. “I’ll have someone prepare the carriage immediately. You should set out now, miss. We should finish things as fast as possible. Don’t worry, everything you’ve put me in charge of will be done when you return from the nunnery.”

  “Then I thank you for your troubles.” Qin Yining quickly pulled Bingtang and Jiyun into the carriage after thanking the steward. She had the groom whip the horse into greater speed as they made for the nunnery with great haste.

  The Qin fourth miss kept her eyes closed for some rest within the carriage, while Jiyun and Bingtang were both livid after learning that the trampress wanted to eat their miss. Both had extremely murderous expressions on their faces.

  “That bitch Cao Yurou!” Bingtang spat out through grit teeth. “I hope she rots in hell! Curses on eighteen generations of her forefathers! I’m going to make a voodoo doll of her after this and stick her to death!”

  Jiyun took out a whistle from the collar folds of her outfit and blew hard on it. The whistle cut crisply through the air with a shrill note, like a bird’s call.

  Qin Yining opened her eyes and looked curiously at the maid. A gray, downy messenger pigeon landed on the open carriage window before long. Jiyun had already written a note with a thin brush and tied it carefully to the pigeon’s leg. She shook her hand and sent the bird flapping back up into the sky.

  “Are you reporting this to the prince, Jiyun?”

  “Yes, miss. His Highness left orders that I was to tell him anything major that happened. Although the miss is smart and quick-witted, there will be occasions in which you need help. I may have strong martial arts skills, but I’m afraid that they’ll try everything and anything now that they’ve decided to hurt you.” Jiyun responded carefully, seemingly afraid that Qin Yining would be upset about her actions.

  However, the fourth miss nodded understandingly. Pang Xiao’s starting point was out of consideration for her, and Jiyun was his to command. Even though Jiyun was serving at her side at the moment, that was just to execute a mission. The maid’s mission was to keep Qin Yining safe, and not follow her every order.

  She closed her eyes and leaned once more against the carriage walls to rest. The four hour journey passed by in a bleary jostling of wakefulness and drowsiness. It was the hour of the monkey when they arrived at the Celestial Nunnery. [1] The verdant green of the mountain was dappled with bright sunlight, imparting a few more wisps of ethereality to the nunnery.

  Qin Yining had the groom park the carriage with care and started climbing the stairs, tugging Bingtang in her wake. Jiyun had been worried that a noble girl would quickly run out of energy, but her mistress reached the top of the mountain without a change in expression. It was rather Bingtang who huffed and puffed, planting her hands on her waist to pant for air.

  Five young nuns were cleaning the limestone tiles in front of the main door with gourd ladles splashing out water from wooden buckets. They looked over when they noticed their visitors and exclaimed in surprise when they saw Bingtang.

  “Blessings from the almighty gods. Isn’t it senior Jing Zhen?”

  “It’s me.” Bingtang smiled in greeting. “Is our honored master in?”

  “Yes, yes she is.” A young nun looked at Qin Yining and Jiyun, quickly making an inviting gesture. “Please come this way.”

  Compared to the scenes of winter desolation, the nunnery was now covered with the green of new growth. The meditation room had been renovated as well. Everything brimmed with the vitality of burgeoning development.

  Qin Yining’s group made their way to the side yard and waited only a moment before the young nun amiably showed them to Priestess Liu’s quarters. The Qin fourth miss was quite familiar with this residence. It was here that Pang Xiao had taken an arrow in his shoulder in order to save her. The familiar steps and walls evoked images of the prince’s handsome face.

  Priestess Liu was standing beneath the covered hallway, her hands raised upwards in the folded Taoist manner. “Great fortune from the almighty gods. This humble nun has not properly greeted Miss Qin’s wondrous arrival. I hope you do not fault me for it.”

  “How would I ever? Long time no see, but the priestess remains as healthy as ever.” Qin Yining smiled with a half curtsey.

  “All is well, thanks to the miss’ fortunes.” The priestess swept a gaze across the girl’s face. “But Miss Qin looks like she might soon experience a disaster of blood?”

  Bingtang and Jiyun’s expressions changed drastically. The former quickly ran up to pull at the priestess’ hand. “Master, you’re so amazing. Please save the miss!”

  Priestess Liu stroked Bingtang’s head lovingly. “Jing Zhen, you’re as impetuous as ever. Since Miss Qin has come to the nunnery, that means the hands of fate have brought us together.” She stepped to the side. “I have prepared tea. Would you like to try some, Miss Qin?”

  “Many thanks.” The girl turned to her maids. “You two can wait outside.”

  The maids nodded as Priestess Liu also dismissed her people.

  Qin Yining followed her host inside and took a seat at the square table. Priestess Liu picked up a Yixing clay teapot and personally poured her visitor a cup of tea. “Miss Qin must come with a request today. Please, speak.”

  “There’s no need to talk in circles before a wise person.” Qin Yining smiled. “Priestess Liu has a miraculous touch and knows that I’ll likely lose my life this time if I don’t do anything.”

  She placed a thick stack of notes on the table, gluing the priestess’ eyes to the dazzling sight.

  “Miss Qin, this…?”

  “Priestess Liu, you are the Soothsayer from now on.” The stack was slowly pushed in front of the priestess.

  * * *

  3pm - 5pm

  Chapter 171: Soothsayer (II)

  Chapter 171: Soothsayer (II)

  Priestess Liu’s heart skipped a beat. Does Qin Yining really not know that I’m the Soothsayer, or is she just pretending? It look the woman a long while before she could retract her gaze from the notes. She coughed lightly and played dumb with a faint smile.

  “Miss Qin loves to jest. The Soothsayer is Buddhist and renowned for her unerring predictions. This humble nun follows Taoism and hasn’t done so for a long period of time. How would I ever be able to shoulder such a reputation?”

  Qin Yining dimpled. “Don’t dissemble, Priestess. You know that I’m asking you to pretend to be the Soothsayer.”

  An eye twitched as a corner of the priestess’ mouth twitched. Paying so much silver for me to play act as myself… This was a very good deal!

  Qin Yining saw the glimmer of success when she noted how the priestess was staring fixedly at the stack of bank notes.

  “The Soothsayer disappeared after analyzing the lives of the Great Zhou emperor, Marquis of Northern Stability, and Faithful Prince of the First Rank. There have no been rumors of her for the past two years. Some say that she’s passed on from this world after revealing the secrets of heaven. Others say that she’s gone to seek higher enlightenment in the deep mountains after completing the mission from the heavens.

  “I think that with the Soothsayer’s talent, she must be amongst us still, observing the matters of the world. I’m not asking you to do anything outrageous in pretending to be the Soothsayer, just to give questioners an unfathomably deep, ambiguous answer if anyone asks you about things. Just keep them guessing.

  “For one, the Soothsayer is a nun. If she wants to conceal her identity, joining a Taoist temple is the most logical and best cover. Secondly, not many have actually seen the Soothsayer in person. There’s no risk that someone will see through our disguise. You’re also the right age and gender. Thirdly, I’m not asking you to take center stage at a grand occasion, just to borrow the Soothsayer’s reputation to make certain words more believable, so that my humble life may be saved.

  “Priestess, you
’re a nun and know that saving a life is an act greater than building a seven floor pagoda dedicated to the gods. My life is in danger as someone wishes to eat me alive. This is the only plan I can think of.” Qin Yining swept the priestess a curtsey at the end of all this.

  What the girl didn’t know was that her listener had started sweating profusely when she mentioned ‘joining a Taoist temple is the most logical and best cover’. She disguised herself as a nun and fled all the way to Great Yan precisely to create a cover for herself!

  She had indeed made predictions for Great Zhou Emperor Li Qitian, Marquis of Northern Stability Ji Zeyu, and Pang Xiao back in the day. One of them was graced with unparalleled fortunes, the reincarnation of the Emperor, also known as the Purple Star. The other two were the Field Marshal and the Army star. Of the three major inauspicious stars, the reincarnation of the Greedy Wolf was with the Tatars.

  But after the Great Zhou nation was founded, the one to take the throne wasn’t the Purple Star! Li Qitian was the reincarnation of the Field Marshal star, and he’d taken the Purple Star’s rightful place!

  The priestess fled in the night when she heard of this development. But who would’ve thought that Qin Yining would arrive on her doorstep with a stack of bank notes, asking her to pretend to be herself? The girl had even highlighted the crux of many issues with just a few words. Was this an eye of wisdom that only those with great fortunes and an unfathomable future had?

  “Great blessings from above! Is Miss Qin using the Soothsayer’s identity to swindle others in the outside world?”

  The Qin fourth miss didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You speak too harshly, Priestess Liu. I’m doing this only to save my own life. What would I be swindling others for?”

  The priestess cast a conflicted glance at the stack of notes and swallowed hard. “Then might this humble nun ask, what rumors are you creating outside? You wouldn’t need to make use of the Soothsayer’s reputation if it was only for a small matter.”