Nightfall

“He has been sending taels of silver to men in the City of Wei and knows how to take care of Sangsang. I think that he will always respect you and Jun Mo, and will always maintain the sense of belonging to the Academy.”

The Headmaster of the Academy looked back at Ning Que who was unconscious, and said smilingly, “Of course these are trivial matters, but I think they may affect the boy’s choices in the future.”

The Eldest Brother frowned when hearing Sangsang’s name, but he didn’t make any comment about it. Instead, he suddenly said, “Emerge unstained from the filth. I’ve always remembered the sentence in your article ‘On the Love of Lotus’.”

The Headmaster of the Academy stopped, then turned to look at his beloved first apprentice, and said slowly, “That article is actually telling your story.”

The Eldest Brother lowered his head and said, “I’m embarrassed by the undeserved praise.”

The Headmaster of the Academy replied, “There is no perfect man in the world. With respect to morality, you’re better than me, better than your Youngest Uncle and better than anyone I have met over these years. But you’re not considerate enough and didn’t act as well as Jun Mo, on regards to the thing that happened a few days ago.”

The Eldest Brother listened respectfully to the criticisms from his teacher, and said, “I’m afraid that the Buddhism Sect’s disciples have already found out that there is something fishy about the big black umbrella carried by our Youngest Brother, we should be more prudent.”

The Headmaster of the Academy looked at him in silence, then he suddenly flicked his sleeves. Dead leaves disorderly flew on the street and soared straight up into the deep night sky, as if to leave some traces behind the stars.

“They haven’t even found the Underworld, how could they find Yama?”

“Moreover, if they can’t find Yama himself, how could they find the child of Yama?”

“Even I cannot help liking her, let alone your Youngest Brother, the loony.”

The Headmaster of the Academy looked at Ning Que who was still unconscious and smiled.

Then he said calmly, “I’ve said before that nobody can judge unknown and non-confirmable matters in advance, nor cut off the development of any possibility just to eradicate a probable bad outcome, for life itself is a collection of numerous possibilities.”

The Eldest Brother recalled his argument with his Youngest Brother at the Academy’s back of the mountain and the words he used at that time; he suddenly realized that he had forgotten the lessons taught by his teacher. His sweat gushed forth in floods and soaked through the old jacket on his body; it was unclear whether this was caused by his tiredness from carrying Ning Que on his back, or because of the astonishment felt in his heart.

“Teacher, I was wrong.”

The Headmaster of the Academy smiled and turned his body forward while the Eldest Brother carried Ning Que on his back and followed his teacher. It was the deep in the night at the end of winter; a teacher was heading forward on the street of Chang’an with his two beloved disciples, but it was unknown where they were heading.

…

…

When night fell in Chang’an, the majority of lights were out. Besides the lights on the walls of the imperial palace, only the boisterous casinos and brothels in the Western City had the lights still on, while the Southern City, filled with ministers and wealthy businessmen, was heavily guarded and was usually already shrouded in darkness at that time. However, there was one mansion that still had lights on tonight.

Inside the mansion of the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library, Mrs. Zeng was continuously wiping away her tears in a round chair of the study. There was a clear expression of anxiety and pity on her delicate face.

The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing stared at her and sighed, “Now that our daughter is finally back, why are you still so upset? It’s natural that she has a sense of alienation now, and I believe that one day she will call you mother, so don’t be so hasty.”

Mrs. Zeng raised her head and replied to her husband sentimentally, “Of course I understand, and I won’t force our daughter to act the way I expect today. I am just heartbroken as her mother, at the thought of her sufferings over the years, I especially can’t resist shedding tears when I see her scrawny appearance.”

The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing was astonished and asked, “What happened to her?”

“The small building in Jingmin Garden is provided with four close maidservants and four supporting maidservants for our daughter. But when I went there, I discovered that the eight girls had been driven out of the building by our daughter. I asked her why, and our daughter told me that she is used to serving someone all these years, and is not used to being waited on.”

Tears escaped from Mrs. Zeng’s eyes when she looked at the Grand Secretary and said, “Do you know what I was feeling as her mother when I heard her words? And don’t try to hide anything from me, I know the reason why you hesitated yesterday. You are just worried that Her Majesty intends to draw the Academy over her side and is not willing to see our daughter severing her relationship with her damned master.”

The report from his chamberlain had left Zeng Jing a better impression on Sangsang. His daughter whom he hadn’t seen for years was actually a calm, sweet and well-cultured girl despite the fact that she didn’t talk too much and didn’t seem pleasing. He nodded his head and smoothed his beard, then recalled the prescription of Her Majesty, and said after a moment of silence, “After all she is our daughter, I won’t allow her to leave us once again no matter what is on Her Majesty’s mind. Don’t worry.”

There was suddenly an abrupt and hurried clopping of horse hooves on the street outside the Secretary’s Mansion. The Academy was far away from the front door; however, the clopping was so loud, clear and even heart-stirring in the still of the night.

The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing frowned and stood up to look outside the study.

With hurried steps, the steward of the Secretary’s Mansion brought a eunuch into the study.

Looking at the eunuch, Zeng Jing frowned a bit more, then he waved his hand to dismiss all the servants, poured a cup of tea and delivered it to the eunuch. He opened his mouth but did not talk.

All were silent inside the study.

Zeng Jing assumed, wrongly, that Her Majesty wanted to inquire about Sangsang’s return from the Old Brush Pen Shop, and had made a thorough mental preparation. However, before he had the chance to speak, the eunuch said to him smilingly, “Lord Zeng, it’s the decree of His Majesty.”

Zeng Jing realized that the visitor was Eunuch Lin, then he fell into confusion. It was rare to see an abrupt decree like this during the night since the Tianqi era, when the Tang Empire was prosperous, the government officials were honest and upright, and the people were at peace. Even if something had happened at the border, his Majesty wouldn’t send a eunuch to summon him to the palace. And the eunuch, out of his expectation, was His Majesty’s favorite chief eunuch who had the highest rank.

Eunuch Lin didn’t leave too much time for Zeng Jing to think about the whole thing, and then said gently, “His Majesty is delighted by the reunion of your family. I suppose there would be a decree tomorrow, so I have come tonight to express my congratulations.”

It was not necessary for him to come at night, Zeng Jing knew there must be another story behind this decree.

As expected, Eunuch Lin continued, “There is one thing, Sangsang is still the handmaiden of Ning Que on the household register. To prevent the disapproval among the people, His Majesty suggests you send her back to the Old Brush Pen Shop tonight.”

Zeng Jing was angered by this, thinking it was unreasonable for His Majesty to give a decree like this to separate a girl from her parents. Then he said in a low voice, “I need to see His Majesty at the palace.”

It seemed that Eunuch Lin had already guessed that Secretary Zeng would act like this and showed very little surprise. He stepped forward and whispered in Secretary Zeng’s ear, “It is the wish of the Headmaster of the Academy.”

Zeng Jing was dumbstruck and asked with great care, “The Headmaster of the Academy… has returned?”

Eunuch Lin sighed, “That’s right, the Headmaster had not delivered any messages to the palace for years. You surely know the power of his words. Even if he tells His Majesty to tear down the Daming Palace, His Majesty would follow his instruction, as our Majesty considers himself as a lifetime disciple of the Headmaster and has never disobeyed his orders.”

Zeng Jing hesitated.

At that time, Mrs. Zeng suddenly burst out with a trembling voice, “I’ve lost her for more than ten years, if my daughter is not willing to leave, nobody can take her away from me.”

Mrs. Zeng was not from an upper class family and had no relation with the large households in Qinghe County. She was just a common civilian girl before she married to Zeng Jing. And in the Tang Empire, it was those common civilians who had the simplest, most determined feelings and view of merits.

Power and strength would lose their charm before people with such feelings and views. No matter if it was the Headmaster of the Academy or His Majesty, they would both have to step aside for now.

Eunuch Lin was panic-stricken for a while and developed a wistful respect for the Secretary’s wife, and replied gently, “Madam, you’re mistaken about the decree. Of course, it’s up to Miss Sangsang herself. His Majesty is just suggesting that you two shouldn’t stop her. If I may be allowed to speak to Miss Sangsang in person?”

Secretary Zeng and Mrs. Zeng exchanged a look with each other; they both knew they shouldn’t act too unyieldingly now that it was His Majesty’s will. So they sent a servant to Jingmin Garden to check whether Sangsang was asleep.

Sangsang didn’t sleep well as she wasn’t at the Old Brush Pen Shop. She stared at the complicated and beautiful patterns on the drapery for a whole night yesterday, while tonight she was stupefied, sitting beside the window.

She came to the study.

Eunuch Lin said only one sentence, “Ning Que is badly injured.”

Sangsang fell into silence for a while, then she turned around and walked out of the study as if she had heard nothing.

Soon after, she came back holding her traveling bag.

She bowed to Secretary Zeng and Mrs. Zeng, and then said in a low voice, “I shall go see him and I will come back tomorrow.”

Then she thought for a while, and added, “I will come back once he is fine.”

…

…

The bamboo forest inside the Reception Yard was like a black green sea, and dense water grass in the Ink Lake swayed during the deep autumn’s night wind. The disciples of the Black Ink Garden had no idea what Senior Brother Ning Que and the Hill Master had talked about, or what had happened during the day, and were asleep in their rooms.

Mo Shanshan had not yet gone to bed. She was looking at the calligraphy pieces before her under the candlelight. These pieces were written by Ning Que during the day; although the ink on them was already dry, it remained fresh as if it were still carrying the smell at that time.

Zhuo Zhihua walked in with a flimsy garment covering her shoulders. She looked at Mo Shanshan and asked worriedly, “What on earth has happened? Why should we leave Chang’an in advance?”

Mo Shanshan smiled with her eyes fixed on the calligraphy below the candlelight. Her red lips tightly shut were like the red lines on the willow, which represented marriage in the Great River Kingdom.

“It is said that Ning Que had been injured before coming here today.”

Mo Shanshan frowned, and asked briefly, “Who was his opponent?”

“The Daoshi Monk from the Yuelun Kingdom. He challenged Ning Que on the street side and had his head cut off by Ning Que.”

Zhuo Zhihua said after a while of hesitation, “I’ve heard that the Daoshi Monk has chanted scriptures and paid respect to Buddha in the Xuankong Temple for years. His cultivation state was high, so I suppose Ning Que must be badly injured.”

Mo Shanshan stood up, then she sat down again after a silence.

“You were already injured when you were writing calligraphy, why didn’t you tell me?”

The candlewick, which had not been trimmed for a long time, was curled a little and shone dimly. The light was primrose yellow on the white skirt of the young girl, but yet failed to conceal the paleness on her face.