Chapter 11: Follow the Rules
Page 1 of 3
Su Yunqing stepped forward, inclined her head, and curtsied to Captain Wu Renpin with a faint smile. “Thank you, Captain Wu, for all your help these past few days...”
“Oh, no, no—there’s no need for such ceremony.”
Though Wu Renpin answered her, his eyes remained fixed on Qin Yueniang’s back before the grave. Clad in plain mourning white, she looked slender and painfully fragile. A northern wind swept past, sending her mourning coiffure and long hair fluttering together in the air. He could scarcely resist rushing over, carrying her home, and cherishing her as she deserved...
“Captain Wu.”
“Ah!”
Su Yunqing took a step forward and positioned herself directly before him, blocking his view. Then she pressed him back several paces, making certain Qin Yueniang could not overhear their conversation.
“Are you truly sincere toward my mother?”
Wu Renpin immediately raised a hand toward the heavens and swore, “There is no heart in this world more sincere than mine. If your mother marries me, I swear I will treat her well for the rest of her life. Should I ever break this oath, may Heaven strike me dead.”
“If that is so, then please return home for now.”
Wu Renpin stared at her in confusion. “I came especially to take you and your mother home. The mountain road is difficult to travel, and your mother is so frail. I saw her stumble several times on the way up, and I was frantic with worry...”
Su Yunqing sighed. “Well, from what I see, your sincerity may not be quite as genuine as you claim.”
Wu Renpin grew anxious. “How can you say that?”
“Think about it. All this time, you have been helping our family under the name of being an old friend of my father’s. Everyone praises you as a loyal and honorable man, and your reputation in Zejiang County has been rising by the day. But what sort of loyal and honorable man would covet his old friend’s widow? And with such indecent haste?”
“I only want your mother to settle down as soon as possible and suffer a little less. As for reputation, I do not care about that.”
“Captain Wu, you really are being foolish. You may not care about your reputation, but my mother does care about her dignity. If people accuse her of clinging to you at a time like this, the people of the entire city could drown her in their spit.”
Wu Renpin looked somewhat embarrassed. “You are right. I have not thought this through carefully enough.”
Su Yunqing pursed her lips. “That is why I say your heart may not be as sincere as you think.”
“Then tell me—what should I do?”
Su Yunqing crooked a finger. Wu Renpin lowered his head and tilted his ear toward her.
She whispered beside his ear, “If you truly wish to marry my mother, then you must follow the proper rites. The three formal documents and six wedding ceremonies—nothing may be omitted.”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Wu Renpin quickly raised his head. “Naturally.”
Su Yunqing nodded. Understanding, Wu Renpin leaned closer once more.
“I have not finished. My grandfather and elder brother have only just passed away. So if you truly mean what you say, please wait patiently a little longer. Let the forty-nine days of mourning pass first. What do you say?”
Wu Renpin glanced at Qin Yueniang in the distance and forced down the restless longing surging through his heart. As though he had made some great decision, he clenched his teeth and nodded. “Very well.”
Seeing that he had agreed, Su Yunqing curved her lips into a faint smile. “In that case, Captain Wu, please return for now. And remember what I have told you today: during this period, you must not come to our home to see my mother.”
Wu Renpin calculated silently. He had waited more than twenty years—what were a few more days? Once he brought her home, would he not be free to do as he pleased?
Seeing that he remained silent, Su Yunqing continued, “We are grateful that Captain Wu has not looked down on us. The Su family has no other support left, and my mother is a sensible woman. She knows what choice is best for the two of us.”
Wu Renpin believed this without question. He knew that, apart from a few neighbors without any official standing, he was the one who had done the most to help them these past days.
Many people who had once been close to the Su family had been eliminated one after another by Consort Zhang’s faction. Those who remained either kept their heads down to protect themselves or had defected to Consort Zhang’s side. Wu Renpin, however, was a hereditary official and had no hope of promotion. Under the protection of the founding emperor, no one could do much to him.
“Captain Wu, thank you for the sedan chair. You should return first. I am afraid that if unkind rumors about my mother spread through the streets, they will only trouble her.”
“All right, all right. I am leaving now. You—you must take good care of your mother.”
Wu Renpin cast Qin Yueniang one last distant glance, then strode into the winding mountain path, his heart filled with boundless dreams of the future.
Su Yunqing did not turn around to help Qin Yueniang until his figure had vanished from sight.
When Qin Yueniang rose and looked back, Wu Renpin was nowhere to be seen. Only then did some color return to her face, though she still found it difficult to believe that a man like Wu Renpin could be dismissed so easily.
She asked, “Qing’er, what did you do to send him away?”
Supporting her as they walked toward the sedan, Su Yunqing replied, “You need not concern yourself with that. Just remember this: go with Uncle to Chongluan and live there in peace. Once you arrive, no one will trouble you again.”
Qin Yueniang did not doubt her. If she wished to escape that demon, this was the only way. But...
“But, Qing’er, what will become of you after I go to your uncle’s home? You still have not answered me.”
“I will stay here and wait for the Cheng family’s boat. Aunt Hao and the others will look after me, so what is there for you to worry about?” She leaned close and lowered her voice. “You have seen how Captain Wu conducts himself. Who knows—perhaps one day he will bring men to seize you. When that happens, how am I supposed to answer to Father and my brothers?”
Seeing the doubt still written across Qin Yueniang’s face, she added, “Do not worry. I am considered one of the Cheng family now. No one would dare do anything to me. Think about it: if the Cheng family’s wedding party came and discovered that anything had happened to me, they would never let the matter rest. So go in peace, all right?”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Qin Yueniang was about to say something more, but Su Yunqing pushed her straight into the sedan.
As luck would have it, just as their sedan reached the ground, Uncle Qin Fei’s carriage, with her cousin Qin Yuanshi inside, came rolling toward them.
Qin Yueniang stepped out of the sedan and took money from her sleeve to give the bearers. Since Wu Renpin had already paid them, they were about to refuse, but Su Yunqing hurried forward and cut them off.
“You have worked hard, gentlemen. Take this and buy yourselves some refreshments.”
Well, a gift was a gift. The bearers accepted the money, tucked it into their belts, and left in perfect satisfaction.
By then, her uncle’s carriage had stopped outside the gate. Brother and sister met, and the usual exchange of greetings followed.
Su Yunqing urged them to leave quickly, but Qin Yueniang hesitated.
Qin Fei could bear it no longer. He turned to Qin Yueniang and said, “Just listen to the girl. She speaks sensibly. She takes after your grandfather—clever and decisive.”
Qin Yueniang had to admit it was true. Was the girl not indeed the one who most resembled her grandfather?
Qin Fei continued, “The roads were far from peaceful on our way here. There are refugees everywhere, and the whole region is in disorder. The court is at war, the front lines are short of supplies, and taxes will probably be raised again. The common people are suffering terribly. It is impossible to say when an uprising might break out. The sooner you get home, the safer you will be.”
“That is precisely why I am even less willing to leave Qing’er here alone,” Qin Yueniang replied.
Qin Fei rolled his eyes. “Your disposition is as weak as your body. If you stay here, what help can you possibly give her? She will have to take care of you every moment of every day. Would that not simply hold her back?”
Qin Yueniang had no answer to her brother’s words.
Qin Fei took another sip of tea. “Besides, the master of the Cheng family was your husband’s closest friend. In those days, they were as close as brothers. If you entrust Qing’er to them, you can rest easy.”
The remaining half of the house had been repaired by the neighbors. It could at least keep out the wind and rain. Though the interior of the Su residence had been burned to ashes, the courtyard walls remained intact. Qin Yueniang stepped outside and looked around, doing her utmost to convince herself that she could leave without worry.
At dawn the following day, amid Qin Yueniang’s ceaseless tears, Su Yunqing bade her mother and uncle a reluctant farewell and watched their carriage disappear into the distance.
Once she returned to the house, she immediately began preparing what she needed. She took out a length of rope she had secretly kept when the coffin was carried up the mountain, the maidservant’s clothing from the Wu household, more than a dozen grains of incense powder wrapped in a handkerchief, and a dagger...
Page 3 of 3