“How dare you! This insolence!”
“This subject would never dare.” Qin Yining looked down.
Weichi Yan felt his eyes burn as he stared hotly at the figure in his arms. Her delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils with every breath he took. He tightened his arms, unsure if he wanted to crush her to death in his embrace or snap her slender waist in half!
Undeterred, Qin Yining continued, “Your Majesty, how is the situation outside? You must think of stabilizing the nation after taking your throne.”
The coolly delivered line was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Weichi Yan suddenly broke down.
“What kind of emperor am I?! Held hostage by the people’s will, threatened by my subjects, and I can’t even get the girl I love! What point is there to being an emperor like this?!” Frustrated tears burst forth and he forcefully thrust Qin Yining aside. He yanked his hair and screamed with anguish, “I don't want to be emperor! I don’t want to be!”
The girl stumbled from the motion and tripped over the foot of the bed, crashing into the dresser behind her. The white porcelain spittoon, patterns traced in gold on it, shattered when it hit the floor. Qin Yining’s hand happened to land on some of the pieces, prompting a frown of pain.
She sighed, looking at Weichi Yan with some pity and guilt. But it was either cruelty to this man or unfaithfulness to love.
“Your Majesty, who isn’t bound by fetters in this world? How many can truly live carefree lives of freedom? As is life for an ordinary peasant, so is it for the Son of Heaven.
“Everyone has their own place in life, just like the players on stage have their own duties. Even if we’re unwilling, we must follow the script and act out our roles, or the world would fall into chaos and the show unable to go on. Life would grind to a halt then. Your Majesty was destined to this life when born into the imperial family.”
Weichi Yan had yanked his hair out wildly and tears yet clung to his cheeks. He suddenly smiled jeeringly after momentary blankness.
“Indeed, everyone has their own place.
“We are the emperor, and you are a subject. If we are to be shackled, so must you.
“Alright then, We will respect the people’s wishes.
“Since you are the holy girl who can protect the nation’s fortunes and will lose this ability once married, We will help you in your mission. You are hereby titled Spiritual Master Xuan Su and bestowed a royal residence to be renamed as Xuan Su Temple. A hundred nuns will be given to you as disciples. You may answer the people’s wishes starting from today and pray for the country’s fortunes!”
Qin Yining blinked, then immediately knelt calmly.
“Xuan Su thanks Your Majesty for the honor.”
“Ha, haha, hahaha!” Weichi Yan roared with mad laughter. “If We can’t have you, no one else will! Little Lu! Escort Master Xuan Su to the residence to begin her practice!”
Outside the main hall, Eunuch Lu had clearly heard the entire dispute, all the while trembling with fear and sweating profusely. When he heard the imperial summons, he wiped off a forehead of sweat and lowered himself humbly, walking in to make a careful bow.
“This servant hears and obeys. Master Xuan Su, this way please.”
Qin Yining curtsied and rose to leave with the eunuch.
As Weichi Yan watched them depart, he couldn’t help but call out, “Have the imperial physicians treat Xuan Su’s hands first. They’re injured.”
Qin Yining’s footsteps paused, her heart quavering. Though she closed her eyes, she didn’t turn back.
Empathy welled up in the eunuch’s heart and he quickly responded, “Yes, this servant will do so immediately.”
How was this decree a sign of imperial disfavor? The emperor obviously loved Miss Qin like no other and had been forced to send her to monastic life because of the circumstances!
His nose twinging, the eunuch almost shed tears. He wiped at his face as he led the girl away from the main hall, deeply frightening Jiao-mama, Xingyu, and Bixue.
As Weichi Yan watched his beloved girl leave, tears welled up yet again. He tilted his head in an effort to put them back, but they still trailed down the corner of his eyes into his sideburns. Ticklish and cold, they were an accurate reflection of his heart towards her.
……
“What?! Granddaughter Yi’s been forced to become a nun?!” The old dowager show to her feet as the teacup in hand fell to the ground.
Née Sun widened her eyes in disbelief. “How could this have happened?!”
Qin Huaiyuan’s face was dark and he said not a word.
The second master’s head drooped with his response. “The emperor wanted to make niece Yi the empress, but with those rumors outside, he couldn’t go against the people’s will. Being unable to get his beloved girl and not wanting others to have her either, he made niece Yi ‘Spiritual Master Xuan Su’ and renamed a royal residence as Xuan Su Temple. Along with a hundred nuns, he ordered her to practice with uncut hair and pray for the nation’s fortunes.”
* * *
Chapter 240: Fatherly Love
Chapter 240: Fatherly Love
The second master’s words plunged the entire family into silence.
It took a long while for née Sun to recover from the sheer shock and progress to panic. “How can this be? How can the emperor be so cruel? Daughter Yi is a young girl and though he can’t marry her because of the people’s will, he can’t ruin the rest of her life like this!”
Color had likewise drained from the old dowager’s face. After that enormous disaster and the thinning of family descendants, she valued the remaining ones even more so. Qin Yining was her beloved firstborn’s only official daughter, and she’d looked to the girl to bring the Qins to new heights after entering the palace. Why had something like this happened instead??
“Those Great Zhou thieves are simply too despicable! What did they do this for?? Harming others without benefitting themselves and making it so that my granddaughter Yi can’t be the empress! Heavens, why is my life so hard? Why is it so hard??” The old dowager wailed and beat her chest.
Second Madame also wiped away tears. “Great Zhou is ignoble and the people fools to believe those rumors. Our poor niece to be caught up in all this! She’s just come of age, will she have to be a nun for the rest of her life?”
Née Sun frantically grabbed Qin Huaiyuan’s hand. “My lord, think of something! What will our daughter do? Our poor daughter!”
Everyone looked expectantly at the marquis. His position as the head of the household had been even more solidified after a few upheavals and the family trusted him even more.
Qin Huaiyuan frowned solemnly. “There’s no need to panic just yet. The emperor may have decreed daughter Yi to enter monastic life without having to cut off her hair, but she’s not in the official records. She also lives in a royal residence that’s only temporarily received a new name. Daughter Yi’s identity is just a layman Taoist.”
This analysis calmed the family down and made minds function again.
Every school of thought and temple had their own legacies. Those subscribing to any particular school were divided into monastic Taoists and laymen Taoists.
Monastic Taoists needed to live at the religious institution, abstain from meat and wine, and refrain from marrying. This was the path that Priestess Liu walked.
Laymen Taoists enjoyed much more freedom. They could live in the nunnery or monastery, or live elsewhere. They could enjoy meat and wine, and marry if they wished. Those that followed this path placed a high importance on the son taking over the family business and the family legacy.
Qin Huaiyuan’s cool-headed analysis thoroughly restored rationality to everyone.
“It looks like the emperor still has his sights set on niece Yi.” The third elder master, having been quiet all this time, frowned. “If he truly didn’t want her to marry, he could’ve forced her to be a monastic Taoist. But he’s only decreed her to be a layman, leaving him some roo
m to maneuver with.”
“Precisely.” The old dowager relaxed, her sadness turning to joy. “So this means that the emperor had the royal residence change its name to Xuan Su Temple to make things convenient for him? So he still favors my granddaughter, but is only forced to do all this because of the will of the people?”
However, the marquis wasn’t as delighted as the old dowager. “This isn’t anything good. What does daughter Yi become if the emperor really does get his way? She’d be a layman Taoist on the surface and the emperor’s mistress in private? My daughter will not suffer this kind of treatment!”
Née Sun gnashed her teeth, her eyes bloodshot. “Doesn’t the emperor fear that his subjects will lose all faith and confidence in him if he does this? This is a clear sign that his lecherous hopes haven’t died yet!”
“Watch your words, eldest daughter-in-law!” The old dowager rebuked née Sun harshly. “The emperor isn’t one to be discussed about like this!”
But née Sun wouldn’t back down. “My own daughter is being forced to be a mistress. Can I not be outraged about this?”
“Oh you silly!” The old dowager took née Sun’s hand and patted it. “Think about it, that’s the emperor! Him being forced to give this imperial order is a grave injustice for granddaughter Yi. He’ll feel guilty towards our family and will want to make up for it! Our family has suffered so many disasters and Meng’er’s weathered great rises and falls. He finally has a chance to turn things around and come out on top of everything! This is a wonderful thing!”
The second madame lowered her eyes, remaining noncommittal. Her thoughts were similar to the old dowager’s, but to put it bluntly, they were tacitly agreeing to a Qin daughter becoming a royal mistress in order to gain favor with the emperor and seek guilt-laden reparations. Parents would be ashamed of making such demands from their daughters, not to mention mere relations. Likely only the old dowager could put things this way.
The third elder master had never been the old dowager’s favorite and was already grieving over the loss of his wife and child. Choice criticism of the Weichi clan had brewed within him for a while, and he immediately retorted with dissatisfaction when he heard the old dowager’s words.
“Mother, your words are inappropriate. Our niece Yi is an official Qin daughter and big brother’s only child. How can we let her be so debased as to be the emperor’s mistress? Besides, brother’s swam the seas of court for many years. He’s already attained his positions — does he need to sell his daughter to maintain them?”
The second elder master nodded as well. He would never agree to something like this for even a concubine-born daughter of his.
Ashen-faced with anger, the matriarch debated furiously, “As a Qin daughter, the family feeds her and clothes her, and has suffered disaster because of her. Now that she can do something for the family, shouldn’t she do so?”
Those assembled looked at the old dowager, then at Qin Huaiyuan and née Sun.
Née Sun was one step away from erupting in fury when her husband stopped her with an upraised hand. His expression was dark as he addressed the family matriarch.
“I finally understand mother’s words. Are you blaming my daughter, mother? You should know that in these troubled times and with my positions, meeting with assassination and overt attacks from our nation’s enemies was going to happen sooner or later. Daughter Yi was just the scapegoat for all of this. It was Great Zhou today, and it might be the Tatars tomorrow. Perhaps Goryeo and Yamato will also join in [1] Are we going to blame whoever the assassins call out each time they come?”
“Meng’er, you…”
“At the end of the day, it’s I who’ve dragged the entire family down. We could share in the fortunes together, but resentment grows when we share troubles.”
“Don’t say that, big brother!” The third elder master hastily objected. “This matter isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s the Great Zhou emperor’s, if we must blame someone for it!”
The old dowager flushed hotly, she’d never thought her son would say any of this!
“I’ll think of a way to handle Daughter Yi’s matter. If mother still wants to have my daughter ignobly serve the emperor like this, then you must still be blaming me for bringing disaster down on everyone’s heads. If that’s the case, then I no longer dare drag the family down with me. I can only move out with my wife and daughter.”
The household doesn’t split up while the parents are still alive. This was why a completely fed-up Qin Huaiyuan had only said that he would move out, and hadn’t taken it a step further and said to split the family properties up as well.
What he was proposing wasn’t an affront to manners or filial piety, but really it was no different to actually splitting the family in two.
“Big brother!” The second and third elder master both panicked.
The second madame and Qin-mama were also quite taken aback. They hadn’t thought that Qin Huaiyuan would say such things for Qin Yining.
The old dowager was both irate and furious. She slammed her hand on the table. “Fine, fine! You’re throwing all caution to the winds for your daughter! I wash my hands of this matter. I don’t care about what happens to any of you!”
Though it was a tatrum, it also represented an easing of attitude.
This step back eased Qin Huaiyuan’s expression. “Don’t worry, mother. I won’t have my daughter serve any man in such a demeaning fashion, nor will I let her suffer any disgrace.” He turned to née Sun. “Tell those who serve our daughter at the Venerable Study Hall to pack her necessities and items. They will accompany me to the royal residence in a moment.”
“Can we visit without an imperial decree?” The consequences rather worried née Sun.
Qin Huaiyuan responded solemnly, “The emperor said that our daughter is to practice Taoism, but didn’t say that we can’t send her anything.”
“That’s right.” Joy warmed the madame’s heart. “My lord, I would like to go with you.”
“Mm, then let’s go together.”
* * *
ancient China names for Korea and Japan respectively. It’s actually the character ‘wa’ for Japan, but Yamato is also used. I opted for Yamato to make it more apparent at first glance that it’s Japanese.
Chapter 241: The Royal Residence
Chapter 241: The Royal Residence
Qin Huaiyuan and née Sun sped off for Venerable Study Hall after leaving the Garden of Loving Piety.
When the old dowager thought of how furious Qin Huaiyuan had been just now and even said that he would move out for Qin Yining, an inexplicable feeling of being wronged rose up in her. She grabbed the second madame’s hand and sobbed heartily for a while.
Previously, the matriarch had liked the sweet-talking, quick-witted third daughter-in-law the most. Now that that beloved daughter-in-law was gone, good listener second madame became the old dowager’s confidante.
In other words, the matriarch still looked down on née Sun the most.
When the second and third elder master saw that their mother was having a good ole venting session, they looked at each other and left for other shelter.
Within the girls’ residence, née Sun sniffled as she led the maids in packing Qin Yining’s things. She summarized what had happened in between snatches of conversation, pulling Bingtang and Qiulu to the fuming mad camp as well.
Meanwhile, Qin Huaiyuan was giving Jiyun a thorough overview in the courtyard. “Daughter Yi is living in a royal residence. Though she has a hundred nuns as her disciples, they’re all strangers at the end of the day. Also, the emperor’s intentions couldn’t be clearer. Her quarters are away from everyone else, so I’m quite concerned about her safety.”
Jiyun immediately grasped the crux of the issue. “Is milord worried that the emperor will visit at random times?”
Qin Huaiyuan nodded.
It would be difficult to speculate what would happen with the emperor’s visit.
Jiyun flushed beet red wi
th indignation. She really wanted to tell the prince what was going on so that the prince could just go and behead this dog of an emperor!
“And, imperial intentions are even more obvious with daughter Yi in a separate residence.” Qin Huaiyuan continued, “If someone wants to assassinate her, her safety would be at grave risk. I’ll request more guards from the emperor when I can, but I’ll have to rely on you and Sir Mu for her personal safety.”
Started by the polite attention, Jiyun curtsied. “Please don’t be so polite, milord. You flatter me. I’m just carrying out my duties when I protect the miss, plus I’m very happy to do so.”
The guard greatly respected Qin Huaiyuan and whispered further, “Don’t worry about the miss’ safety, milord. Please allow me speak out of turn today so I can give you a full report. The prince was frightened out of his wits after what happened in the manor. He blamed himself terribly and specially sent four Elite Tigers here. The four remained close by when the miss was still living with us.
“The Elite Tigers are the prince’s bodyguards, the best of the Valiant Tigers. Each one of them can face off against ten enemies. They’ll think of a way to disguise themselves and join the staff of the royal residence. As for Sir Mu, he’s from the jianghu and an unfamiliar face. He won’t attract attention if he’s spotted around the miss, which is why he can show himself openly.
“Sir Mu’s martial arts skills are much higher than the Elite Tigers. Let me put it this way, even with how masterful our prince is, he would only barely pull off a draw with Sir Mu — and that’s when the gentleman isn’t really trying. Sir Mu is also an upstanding person, hence why the prince is at ease requesting his help.”
Qin Huaiyuan nodded. Though he’d anticipated all this, it was different hearing it from the guard’s mouth. “So little Prince Pang has already put in great effort. I must thank him for all of this.”
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