Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

  It was a wedding between Qin Huaiyuan’s niece from his male relations to the son of the Earl of Jianan. Both houses were wealthy aristocrats, and the marquis a very low profile character. His peers ordinarily couldn’t find any opportunity to curry favor, so everyone who was someone made use of this chance to show their face.

  The Qins saw such a heretofore unknown amount of hustle and bustle that the old dowager couldn’t stop smiling for days. Née Sun, the second and third madame were busy with attending to the guests as well, smiling so much that their facial muscles almost spasmed.

  The third elder master was concubine born and a commoner to boot, so he was immensely gratified to see such a grand to-do with his daughter’s wedding. He felt a great deal of appreciation towards his senior brother and went off merrily to mix and mingle when the wedding carriage left the Anping Manor doors that evening. The third madame however, stayed beneath the covered hallway, wiping tears away.

  Eighth miss Qin Baoning, ninth master Qin Xuan, and tenth master Qin Rong clustered around their official mother in comfort when they noted her distress. Née Sun and the second madame also joined to comfort the third madame.

  When everything was finally taken care of, née Sun held Qin Yining’s hand with great emotion. “My darling Yi is growing up as well. It’s your coming-of-age ceremony next month. It’s only been the blink of an eye, but you’re already a lady and can marry, which means there will be less time for you to spend by my side.”

  Having added to the third miss’ festivities today, née Sun was reminded of when she came of age, the fall of her family, and how her mother and sisters-in-law were far removed from her now. Tears spun in her eyes when she thought of how Qin Yining would also leave her one day, like a sparrow that’d grown up.

  The girl clasped née Sun’s hand and soothed, “Don’t worry mother, although I haven’t spent much time by your side, the days are long ahead of us.”

  “Ah yes, the days are indeed long.” Née Sun patted Qin Yining’s hand comfortingly.

  After her edge had been dulled, Née Sun was now able to see many things clearly and was markedly different from her previous stubborn, hot-tempered self.

  Qin Yining was introduced to her new third cousin-in-law on the day the new couple were to visit the wife’s family. She and the second master of the Jianan Manor made their acquaintances, the latter giving a red envelope to the Qin fourth miss. She was finally at ease when she noted the faint smile always playing around the third miss’ face. Qin Jianing was newly attired in the outfit of a married woman.

  For families like theirs, marriages always had to do with politics and profits. Her third sister seemed happy enough. With the wedding over, the manor returned to normalcy.

  Summer was almost over, and the large transactions that Qin Yining had Steward Zhong conduct were starting to bear fruit.

  “Miss, your idea was wonderful. Quite a few people have used their houses as collateral for loans in which we collect three percent interest. With the Institute’s reputation, we’ve actually taken business away from many of the loan sharks out there. I never thought before that making loans would be a way to earn money!”

  “Don’t you joke, Steward Zhong. I haven’t seen much of the world and have only a few ideas to earn money fast. If it wasn’t for your stellar abilities, what use would a mere idea be?” Qin Yining held back her pale-blue, wide chiffon sleeve with one hand and picked up the teapot, pouring the jade-colored tea into a cup embossed inside with carp frolicking amongst lotuses. She handed the cup over to the steward, startling the man with the show of attention.

  Steward Zhong stammered out his thanks to Qin Yining’s slight smile. The fourth miss picked up a fan painted with a cat chasing after butterflies. Some wisps of hair mischievously stuck to her cheeks, which drew her absentminded attention as she swept them behind an ear.

  “Our Institute of Luminous Charm bears the imperial mark, after all. The emperor and empress have absolutely no rhyme or reason to their actions, and I’ve been able to find out that the emperor definitely desires to make the Institute his own. It was one of the reasons why he so easily destroyed the Duke of Ding’s household. But he can’t do anything now due to considerations of face, my father’s status, and those previous rumors. However, I don’t think he’ll give up on this, so we should hurry and make money while we can, while the winds are calm.”

  Steward Zhong easily followed Qin Yining’s line of thought. He nodded. “I understand your meaning, miss. Don’t worry, I’ll smooth over what we’re earning so no one will discover it on our books. We’re making a lot of money from short term, large sum loans, so we’d actually attract hate from others if we spread news of this around. This was something to stay a secret anyhow.”

  “That’s good.” Qin Yining smiled slightly and waved the fan absentmindedly, her eyes looking out past the half-opened window to the little girls under the covered hallway across the way. Their hair was hanging loose and they were playing jacks. The girls’ innocent and delighted laughter was infectious, deepening the smile on the fourth miss’ face.

  “My foster mother played this with me when I was young. She collected some apricot pits and sewed a small bean bag. We’d pick up one pit the first time, two the second, three the third… when our hands were full, we’d throw all the pits into the air and catch them on the backs on our hands. My hand was small then and couldn’t hold the same amount as my foster mother. I promised myself that I would win when I grew up, but who would’ve thought that she’d pass on before I could grow up?”

  Steward Zhong sighed. “Your foster mother must’ve been one exceedingly gentle and kind woman.”

  “Yes, yes she was. But good people always have a hard life in times like these. We live in troubled times and so many have no homes to live in. But when the Great Zhou army threatens our city walls, the capital still makes merry and leads an opulent life.”

  “It’s the trash emperor setting the tone at the top. He doesn’t know how to do much, but is highly skilled at harming loyal subjects. He’s blind to the suffering of the people, but keeps a sharp eye on which subject is stealing his thunder. With such an emperor, corrupt officials feel at ease with what they’re doing.”

  Qin Yining shook her head. “Everything looks peaceful now, but the successful negotiations safeguarded the wealth and riches of only a portion. The people still suffer.”

  Steward Zhong sighed again when he heard this. He’d seen much of the world and experienced plenty. Although he hadn’t led as tough a life as Qin Yining, he’d seen the ghost towns and malnourished corpses lining ditches after many years of war. There’d also been little rain since summer started, so signs of drought were appearing in many places. The people’s lives would become even more difficult then.

  “It’s a pity that my abilities are limited.” Qin Yining shook her head. “I don’t have the strength to extend virtue into the world. Sometimes I want to beg the heavens to open its eyes and just take the trash emperor and trampress away from us.”

  “Ai! Isn’t that so! As opposed to hoping for the trash emperor to come to his senses, it’d be faster to have him enter the cycle of reincarnation! That’s probably what the people think as well, but we can’t say this outside. We need to be careful above all else. There’s been three teachers arrested already, under charges that their teachings harbor thoughts of rebellion.”

  * * *

  Chapter 178: War!

  Chapter 178: War!

  “He did it, but won’t allow others to talk about it. The emperor wishes everyone to be idiots.” Qin Yining shook her head with a sigh. “I’m talking about this today because I’m in the mood to say all this. Let’s take advantage of smoother times now to make some money, so that we have enough capital to do whatever we need to in the future.”

  “Don’t worry miss, I may not have any other talents, but I’ve brains enough for this.”

  The Qin fourth miss rose with a nod. “I have full faith in your abilities.
It’s early yet, so I’ll go for a ride outside the city.”

  “I’ll see you out.”

  “That’s alright.” Qin Yining took her leave of the Zhong house after a round of pleasantries and put on a hat offered by Jiyun that had a white chiffon veil around the brim.

  Bingtang was already waiting at the door, mounted on the chestnut horse that Huzi had given her. Whitecloud was tethered next to it and arched his neck with a loud sneeze when he saw the fourth miss.

  Qin Yining giggled softly and untied Whitecloud’s reins, softly caressing his silky-smooth, silvery-white mane. “Got tired of waiting?”

  Whitecloud nuzzled her cheek fondly.

  “Miss, you’re gentler to a horse than our prince.” Jiyun smiled as she walked over with her own spritely horse. “The prince will definitely be jealous if he saw this. Smile some more when you see him next!”

  Qin Yining blushed and pouted back, “Oh you! Did Pang Zhixi send you to me so you can natter about this all day long?”

  Jiyun burst out laughing. “You obviously miss him too, miss. You’re not reprimanding me for nagging you. You haven’t worn any other bracelets or bangles since receiving the strand of red beans. You hug Riceball all day long and even hand wash the square knot around its neck. Isn’t that missing His Highness?”

  “You awful girl. I’m going to send you back home if you keep talking. No more rides for you!” Qin Yining tch’ed with a reddened face.

  Bingtang and Jiyun winked and smirked at each other, giggling happily.

  The Qin fourth miss lightly flipped onto her horse. “Let’s ride for a little longer today before heading back. The old dowager is meting out judgment on one of the kitchen staff for fraud. We’ll just be caught up in an irritating mess if we go back too early.”

  Granny servant Liu, in charge of purchases for the main kitchen, had been found swapping out purchases for subpar foodstuffs. She’d also been stealing rice from the manor to bring home. Jixiang, a maid by the old dowager’s side, had happened catch the granny servant in the act and had informed her mistress.

  The old dowager immediately raised a fuss and grabbed née Sun, the second, and third madame for a thorough accounting of household affairs. Not only did they find clear evidence for the granny servant’s crimes, but they also uncovered a slew of other unsightly small transgressions.

  Qin Yining had watched the madames at work for the last two days and her head pounded at the fallout. She’d finally sought some peace and quiet outside today.

  “But what if the old dowager asks where we went? She’s already forbidden you to go horseback riding because it’s not very becoming of a noble girl.” However, the guard hopped adroitly onto her own horse as she asked this.

  Qin Yining cheerfully lifted the veil on her hat. “We might as well not live if we’re always concerned about what everyone else says. So many have already said bad things about me behind my back, some of it quite ugly indeed. Who cares? I should’ve hung myself long ago if I cared. They can pay attention to me if they want, and not if they don’t. We’ll all live our own lives, with no one sticking their noses in other people’s business.”

  This elicited laughter from Jiyun and the guard steered her horse forward, flanking her mistress along with Bingtang. They picked a quiet road out of the city that saw little traffic.

  It was bright and beautiful outside the city walls, the blue sky a wondrous vivid blue. Deep-green grass stood up proudly from the soil. Although it was hot and muggy, the three were wearing veiled hats that blocked out the sun. The white veils on their hats and chiffon material of their skirts fluttered in the breeze caused from the galloping of their horses. They felt an inexplicable sense of refreshment and lightheartedness.

  Mistress and servants galloped down a shaded path next to the official road for quite a while before taking a break to look for water. There hadn’t been much rain this year, drying out several creeks and exposing cracked creek bottoms to the air. There was only a thin layer of muddy water and blistering hot pebbles left in the creek they were walking along. They followed the rocks for a while before finding an origin source that had water bubbling out of it.

  Qin Yining, Bingtang, and Jiyun filled their canteens first, then let the three horses drink their fill. The three stood beneath the trees and looked out at the nearby road. The golden sunlight was painfully bright.

  Bingtang sighed with worry. “It’ll be bad if the drought continues. The harvest will be affected.”

  “It’s not just the farms, but apparently much of the land outside is dried up. We’ll really have a disaster on our hands if this continues.” Qin Yining took another sip of water and hung her canteen on the saddle.

  Jiyun however, slowly put hers down and flung the veil of her hat backwards. She leapt lightly onto a large tree and shaded her eyes to look in the direction of the official road.

  The Qin fourth miss found this behavior curious. “What is it?”

  Jiyun lifted her left hand slightly to indicate silence. Qin Yining and Bingtang felt that things were amiss and looked in the direction of the guard’s gaze. They seemed to see a vague dust cloud in the far distance.

  “A lot of people! Miss, there’s a lot, a lot of people running this way!”

  Qin Yining’s heart skipped a beat and she asked hurriedly, “Quick, take a close look. Who are they? Is it the army or civilians? Are they on horseback?”

  She craned her neck as well, wanting a closer look. But her line of sight was blocked by her lower position. All she could see was the dust cloud growing bigger and bigger.

  “It shouldn’t be the army, not from the way they’re dressed… Miss, we should hide. They’ll be here in a short while.” Jiyun jumped down and pulled Qin Yining behind the tree. Bingtang quickly brought the horses over as well.

  The three girls hid the horses carefully and doubled back, stooping behind the large tree to peek towards the road. When the crowd drew near, they could make out that it was a group of raggedy, tattered civilians!

  There was a good thousand in the group; both male and female, young and old. Everyone had packs on their back and bedraggled hair, dirty clothes and panicked expressions. All were supporting each other in a frantic sprint towards the capital. They were gasped and panted for breath, faces pale from exhaustion. But no one stopped to rest.

  An elderly man fell down because of his slower speed. The crowd behind him accidentally stepped on him a few times before his children could help him back up. Lost children washed away from their parents cried helplessly for their parents. It was an utter scene of chaos that seemed prompted by demons chasing behind the group!

  Qin Yining turned back with the color drained from her face. She also collapsed to a sitting position as her brain buzzed, murmuring, “Is this… has Great Zhou started attacking again? Pang Zhixi… didn’t we have the peace talks? Ah. Right, the Tatar assassination. Not only was that a present to me and my father, but an excuse to restart the war!”

  Bingtang was closest to Qin Yining and heard her mistress’ words clearly. Cold sweat poured down when she heard ‘war’. Although she was a maid now and had been a nun for a little while, she was still a noble daughter at the heart of things.

  She’d never suffered much in her life, a marked difference from Qin Yining, someone who’d been a noble daughter for less than a year. She’d only heard of the horrors of war before and had never seen them with her own eyes. The most accurate impression she’d ever had was when she accompanied Qin Yining to the peace talks at Xihua. That trip had only shown her the magnificence of troops lined up in rank and file.

  She was now faced with the sight of so many charging in a frenetic rush, all of them distraught and terrified. Some deaths even occurred from all the trampling. Loud cries and wails filled her ears. And this is only a quick passing! Just where had all these people come from? It was such a long road, so despairing scenes must’ve happened continuously!

  It was the first time that Bingtang had experienced, up clo
se and personal, the fear of looming disaster.

  “What should we do, miss? If, if the little prince really does come charging through with his army, will they harm you? His men might not know you!” Bingtang’s voice was dry and her brain had ground to a halt. It took her a while to even voice half coherent thoughts as these.

  Her mistress’ face was wan and she gripped Bingtang’s hand with one hand, her own clothes with the other. She slowly relaxed her palm only when her collar was a wrinkled mess. Qin Yining took in a few deep breaths before patting maid’s shoulder comfortingly.

  “Don’t be afraid. They won’t come charging in so quickly. Pang Zhixi’s troops had already withdrawn from the city of Liang after the last battle. Although the emperor gave up some of the larger cities on the border to Great Zhou, it’d still be impossible for the numerous Valiant Tigers to soundlessly, invisibly make it to our capital.”

  “But all these refugees… they’re obviously terrified and fleeing to the capital.” Bingtang wiped off sweat from her forehead with a sleeve.

  “We should go back first and discuss this thoroughly with Steward Zhong. I’ll also ask my father for what news he has. Whatever information they have will be a lot more accurate than the three of us speculating wildly here.”

  Bingtang nodded, yet mist immediately gathered in her big, round eyes and her voice was a little choked up. “But miss, I’m still really scared.”

  “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.” Qin Yining pulled her close with an arm and patted her back. Although the two girls were the same age, Bingtang looked like she was twelve because of her small stature. “I’ll let you all go if something bad really does happen. Just leave the capital and head south along the coast.”

  “What about you then, miss?” Bingtang sniffled loudly.

  Qin Yining only smiled wryly and didn’t respond.

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