Chapter 8: The Old Madam Arrives

Niechen jolted awake, only to find herself in another room. Her guard immediately went up—could the First Madam have discovered her? Looking closely, although the room's arrangement was simple, it was quite complete. A bed, a cabinet, a table with a few chairs, and a dressing table by the window; it was the simplest of domestic furnishings. A blue canopy hung over the bed, a color rarely used by ordinary families.

Scanning her surroundings, Niechen breathed a sigh of relief; this must be a Taoist temple. In the current Great Zhou Dynasty, Buddhism had not yet spread extensively, with only a few scattered temples. Because the ruling class, while venerating Confucianism, also harbored a great desire for immortality, countless people practiced Taoism in hopes of becoming immortals or ingratiating themselves with the powerful. Consequently, Taoist temples bloomed everywhere. The real Murong Niechen, though young, had accompanied the female members of the Murong household to several temples to pray for blessings. If it were the First Madam, she would have either killed her on the spot or found ways to torture her; she certainly wouldn't have sent her to a Taoist temple.

Staring up at the deep blue canopy, tears mixed with sweat flowed from the corners of Niechen's eyes, soaking into her buckwheat husk pillow and forming patches of varying depths.

Recalling the dream from just now, it was filled with nothing but pain and resentment. The dream lacked all logic; one moment it was the tender intimacy with that person from her past life, but then that handsome, gallant face suddenly transformed into the woman who had caused her death, wearing a sinister smirk with unspeakable irony and disgust in her eyes as she pushed her into the sea. She had reached out, screaming for help, only to see that person and the woman who killed her embracing with deep affection. Just when she thought she was doomed to die, a pair of hands caught her—it was her father in this life, in this world. Thinking she was saved, this father suddenly hoisted her up and slammed her onto the ground, shattering her into pieces.

Niechen felt an infinite hatred and resentment that threatened to suffocate her. The person closest to her at her bedside in her past life, and the father who loved her most in this life—both actually wanted her dead. How ironic, how hateful! The heavens were truly merciless to her.

The hatred from her past life was too vast to count, but in this life, Murong Zhi, I will make you regret everything! Wang Xiuzhen, I will make your life a living hell!

Niechen closed her eyes, only slowly opening them once her emotions had settled. After lying on the bed for a while, a woman about fifty years old entered through the door. She was dressed as a Taoist nun in a deep blue robe, her white hair tied up with a wooden hairpin. On a tray in her hands was a bowl of steaming, thick, dark medicine and several letters.

"The young lady is awake." The nun set down the tray, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, giving her an air of immortal grace.

Niechen propped herself up with her hands, but the sensation of aching muscles made her very heart tremble.

The nun smiled and reached out to help Niechen up, then took a thin quilt to place behind her back. Immediately after, she used her fingers to press several of Niechen's acupoints, and Niechen instantly felt a wave of relief.

"How should I address you, Immortal Lady? And where is this..." Niechen stared straight into the nun's eyes, her gaze filled with three parts suspicion and seven parts scrutiny.

The nun noticed but did not care, smiling as she said, "This is the backyard of Jingyue Temple. This humble one's dharma name is Hui Yin, and I am the temple master here. The young lady's injuries are severe; this humble one happens to have studied a bit of medical arts. Mr. Hu entrusted me to take good care of you. Do not worry any further, young lady; you must focus on resting quietly."

Niechen took the medicine bowl from Temple Master Hui Yin and drank it in one gulp. It was so bitter her tongue went numb, but how could such bitterness compare to the bitterness in her heart, or the pain in her body? "I am grateful for the care of the Temple Master and Mr. Hu."

Temple Master Hui Yin smiled without responding, instead handing three letters to Niechen. "Mr. Hu and the others have returned to the capital. Each of the three has left a letter for you."

Niechen did not expect Temple Master Hui Yin to explain Mr. Hu's identity or his relationship to her, so she was not particularly disappointed, merely accepting them calmly.

Temple Master Hui Yin continued to smile, gave a few instructions regarding things to watch out for, and then left the room.

Niechen weighed the three letters and picked up the thickest one, which was from Mr. Hu. Inside were two books. Niechen flipped through them casually; they were two medical herb classics. One was the *Shennong Ben Cao Jing*, which every medical student had to memorize, and the other was a beautifully written, unfinished manuscript that recorded various poisons and toxic herbs. It detailed the production processes of poisons, the symptoms of the poisoned, the characteristics and habitats of toxic plants, and was incredibly exhaustive. Niechen's heart jolted, her thoughts racing, because she was all too familiar with these notes—they belonged to the mother who had taught her to read, write, play chess, and play the zither day and night for the past two years.

Suppressing her surging emotions, Niechen opened the second letter, which was from Young Master Jin. There were only a few words on the paper, roughly saying that if she were willing, he would take her to live with him in the capital. A half-piece of jade fell out of the envelope; the jade was crystal clear without a single impurity, a fine piece of Lantian mutton-fat white jade. A nine-tailed phoenix was carved upon it, its wings spread as if about to take flight. The cross-section was a wavy arc, showing no sense of being a broken fragment, yet one could tell at a glance that there should be another half to match it. It was evident that even as a half-piece, it was worth a fortune. "Young Master Jin calls Mother 'Auntie Su'... what is the meaning of this jade?" Niechen couldn't help but wonder.

The third letter was from Master Liu. Inside was a stack of banknotes. Niechen counted them; there were approximately one thousand taels.

Touching the handwriting on the letters, Niechen felt an inexplicable sense of peace. They were strangers she had met for the first time, so why did she trust them, and why hadn't she even felt a shred of suspicion? Perhaps it was because of her mother, Niechen comforted herself.

Mr. Hu and her mother were fellow disciples; Young Master Jin called her mother Auntie Su; only this Master Liu seemed to have no connection to her mother, and she hadn't even seen him in person. Why would someone she hadn't even met give her banknotes, which were exactly what she lacked most right now? Having left the Murong household, she and Lianqiao had nothing. Although Fourth Concubine had sent clothes, the money she sent was quite limited.

From morning until afternoon, Niechen remained immersed in a series of mysteries. The more she thought, the more confused she became; the more she thought, the more angry; and the more she thought, the more helpless. It wasn't until the arrival of the Old Madam that Niechen's obsessive circling was interrupted.

The Old Madam arrived looking travel-worn, having come directly to Jingyue Temple without returning to the Murong household first. Her face could not hide her exhaustion as she sat by the bed, offering gentle and soft words of comfort. The Old Madam's head maid, Chenxiang, and her confidante, Mama Lin, stood by the bed, occasionally offering words of agreement. Behind them were Lianqiao and Temple Master Hui Yin; Lianqiao was quietly wiping away tears, while Temple Master Hui Yin stood silently, possessing little presence.

Niechen watched the Old Madam in silence, her eyes turning slightly red. She hadn't expected that even in this situation, the Old Madam would still believe in her mother and come to take her back to the manor.

Niechen searched her mind for everything she knew about the Old Madam.

Murong Lin, the legal wife of Murong Kang. Murong Kang was originally the Prefect of a lower commandery in Ningzhou, and Lady Lin had always assisted him by his side; the two could be described as a deeply devoted couple. However, fate is unpredictable; Murong Kang passed away from consumption during the prime of his life. Murong Kang had no brothers, so Lady Lin had to take on the responsibility of managing the household and raising the children. It could be said that Murchen Zhi was raised by Lady Lin, so Murong Zhi had always respected this mother.

However, regarding the great matter of marriage, at that time, Wang Xiuzhen's father was the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, and her elder sister was a concubine in the palace. As the second legitimate daughter, the suitors for Wang Xiuzhen had nearly worn down the threshold of the Wang family's gates, yet Wang Xiuzhen ignored her family's opposition and insisted on marrying the lowly sixth-rank city-guarding general, Murong Zhi. Lady Lin originally did not wish to marry up, but since the two refused to marry anyone else—one insisting on marrying her, the other insisting on taking her—she eventually compromised. After Wang Xiuzhen entered the household, Lady Lin even handed over the management of the household to her, moving herself to the ancestral home in the countryside, only returning during festivals to reunite with her son and daughter-in-law.

Because of this, Murong Zhi was exceptionally filial to his mother, and even the habitually assertive Wang Xiuzhen was always submissive and dared not overstep in front of Lady Lin. Thus, Lady Lin could be said to have the final word in the Murong family. Now that the Old Madam had rushed here to take Niechen back, it was expected that even if Murong Zhi was displeased or the First Madam was dissatisfied, they would not dare to say anything openly.

Niechen lowered her head, her loose hair veiling her eyes. While thinking about the Old Madam, she also thought about how to refuse her. She absolutely could not go back like this!

The Old Madam merely thought Niechen was young and acting this way because she had suffered grievances, making her feel even more pity: "Good child, I will have Chenxiang pack your things; we shall return today."

Hearing the Old Madam's words, Chenxiang made a move to pack Niechen's belongings. Niechen suddenly looked up, her eyes shimmering with moisture, yet they were startlingly bright: "Grandmother, I cannot go back."

Everyone in the room was startled, except for Temple Master Hui Yin, who smiled and quietly exited the room.

Lianqiao could not contain herself and stepped forward, saying, "Miss, you are heavily injured. If we return to the manor, there will be good doctors, good medicine, and people to serve you. Let us go back."

Niechen shook her head, her small face set sternly. Though she was clearly a five-year-old child, she was as serious as an adult. "Lianqiao, we cannot go back like this." Turning to the Old Madam, she said, "It is an honor that Grandmother came personally to fetch me; it is almost too much for Niechen to bear. Niechen truly should go back with Grandmother. However, it is a fact that Mother left home, and there are so many witnesses saying that Niechen is not Father's bloodline. Grandmother believes Mother, but Father does not. I also believe Mother, which means someone must be spreading rumors. A bird leaves its tracks; things done will always leave clues. Grandmother, if your granddaughter is to go back, she must go back with dignity and honor, so that she cannot be criticized. I ask Grandmother to grant this." After speaking, she forced her body up and kowtowed to the Old Madam on the bed, already drenched in sweat.

Though Niechen did not say it explicitly, the Old Madam knew exactly what she meant the moment she spoke. Unless it could be proven that everything was a conspiracy and that she, Murong Niechen, was still the legitimate eldest daughter of the Great Army General's household, this granddaughter would rather not return to the Murong manor.

The Old Madam smiled bitterly in her heart: "Is this unyielding temperament inherited from her father, or her mother?" Thinking this, the words she spoke were: "You are just a little girl. In this Taoist temple, you have no kin or relations. How can you investigate?"

Niechen deliberated for a moment and said tentatively, "Grandmother is Niechen's kin, and Baicao Hall is Niechen's home. Furthermore, in this world, money can make even ghosts push a millstone."

Upon hearing this, the Old Madam narrowed her eyes at Niechen. Niechen felt a surge of panic; such words coming from a five-year-old girl were truly unpleasant to hear, especially since she was being accused of being the illegitimate child of her mother and a doctor from Baicao Hall. In such a state of isolation, if she were to make the Old Madam unhappy, the consequences...

Unexpectedly, the Old Madam actually laughed. "Good child, Grandmother believes you, and naturally, I will help you." Having said that, she turned to instruct her head maid, "Chenxiang, have Lvmei and Zhulan stay to take care of the Fifth Young Lady. Everything must follow the Fifth Young Lady's instructions." This was effectively agreeing to let Niechen stay.

***

A message to the readers

Please support, recommend, collect, and leave comments! Don't be too shy, everyone!