Chapter 246: Epilogue (6)

Old Madam Zhou lay in state for twenty-one days before being buried in the Zhou family ancestral graveyard.

During that time, when Vice Minister Song came to the Zhou residence to offer condolences, he spoke with Zhou Yuanshen and the Second Master about his daughter.

“...Brother Pei helped me. The bandits of Songyang Prefecture ‘admitted’ that they had killed my daughter and replaced her with someone else,” Vice Minister Song said.

His expression was dim, and he sighed after finishing.

Brother Pei was Pei Yanhe, the Minister of the Dali Temple and his close friend and former classmate. The two had always shared a deep personal friendship. Even after rising in rank, Pei Yanhe had never forgotten to support him.

Not only had Pei Yanhe helped smooth his way through official circles, he had also arranged a marriage for his daughter, hoping to put a complete end to the matter involving Duke Pi.

Although the Fan family came from a military background, their integrity was unexpectedly unyielding. Vice Minister Song found this most gratifying.

His daughter was nearly thirty, yet she had somehow been blessed with such a stroke of good fortune. A great weight had finally lifted from Vice Minister Song’s heart.

Who could have imagined that his daughter would become entangled with a female bandit?

She and Miss Xu had become close friends simply because Miss Xu had once saved her life. And his daughter had even privately pledged herself to the son of a local gentry family.

“...Her parents raised her and made every possible arrangement for her. They were even willing to risk their family’s fortune and their lives to protect her. When they offended Duke Pi for her sake, they were also offending Consort Dou and the Fifth Prince. The lives of the entire Song clan were hanging by a thread.

“She has forgotten all the kindness of those who gave her life and raised her. Yet because someone else saved her once, she was willing to take such a risk for that person, even if it meant placing the entire Song clan in danger once again.”

The more Vice Minister Song spoke, the quieter his voice became.

He was deeply disappointed.

And utterly bewildered.

He prided himself on clearly distinguishing right from wrong and understanding the greater principles. How could his daughter have become so foolish?

If he and his wife had mistreated her in any way, Vice Minister Song could have understood why she had aided evil.

But unfortunately...

“She has been away from home for nine years. A person can become very lonely. Someone took advantage of that loneliness and gained her trust. She may have been wrong, but how could she withstand another person’s deliberate scheming?” the Second Master said from the side.

He continued, “Anyone who means to manipulate you will target your weakest point. Don’t blame the child, and don’t let your heart grow cold toward her.”

Vice Minister Song sighed softly.

The Second Master added, “Taking advantage of the chaos to make it seem as though she was killed by ‘bandits’ and then erasing her existence may not be a bad thing. She can live a more peaceful life from now on.”

“The bandits are all admitting to it now. They only want to stay alive. Before this, they had still hoped to bring her back, which was why they hadn’t said she was ‘dead.’ But now, they have no choice except to let her ‘die,’” Vice Minister Song replied.

Zhou Yuanshen said, “As a father, you have done everything you could, both out of kindness and affection.”

Vice Minister Song’s eyes filled with tears.

He was furious with his daughter, yet he could not stop himself from feeling heartbroken.

“I’ve been unable to get away all these years. The government office keeps me busy from dawn to dusk, and I never once went to see her. If only I had gone even once, perhaps I would have recognized at first glance that the woman who returned to the capital was an impostor. Then none of this would have happened,” Vice Minister Song said.

If he had exposed the impostor, he could have brought his daughter home. Perhaps she really could have married Fan Xiao.

The Fan family was an excellent choice, and a marriage alliance with them would have given the Song family a powerful connection. Even if his daughter was angry and refused to speak to him, knowing that she was living well would have allowed Vice Minister Song to rest easy for the remainder of his life.

But it was too late.

For the rest of his life, whenever he thought of this youngest daughter, there would be a thorn in his heart. It would prick him whenever he was happy, or in the stillness of the night when he was alone with his thoughts.

Zhou Yuanshen, however, said, “It’s fortunate that you didn’t recognize her. The moment you exposed her, they would have wiped out your entire family. They came with a purpose—how could they have spared the lives of your family members? Vice Minister Song, you have saved your entire family once again.”

Vice Minister Song’s expression changed.

He had never considered that possibility. A sudden chill ran through him, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

“They didn’t kill your daughter only because she was foolish and believed she had no value to them. They thought it made no difference whether she lived or died.

“Look at it this way: you blame her for being foolish, but perhaps it was precisely because of that foolishness that she survived. When someone with a plan schemes against someone who is unprepared, there is no way to guard against everything.”

Vice Minister Song suddenly saw the truth of the matter.

Only at that moment did he truly understand what had happened.

His anger, resentment, unwillingness, and regret all turned into relief.

After he left, the Second Master let out a quiet sigh.

“We finally managed to calm him down. ‘Long-held guilt turns into hatred.’ We can’t allow him to keep feeling that he owes your maternal uncle,” the Second Master said.

Guilt was a dangerous emotion. Like a great favor, it was extremely delicate and could not be allowed to remain in a person’s heart for too long.

That was why the ancients said that excessive guilt could lead a person to seek death.

Vice Minister Song had come to speak of these matters today because he felt unbearably ashamed. His guilt had become overwhelming. The Second Master and Zhou Yuanshen were both shrewd men, and they had quickly noticed his state of mind.

They had comforted him and told him not to dwell on the matter.

He and his daughter were both victims of this affair—survivors. He did not need to feel indebted to anyone.

Zhou Yuanshen gave a slight nod.

The funeral for Old Madam Zhou came to an end. The weather was fine on the day she was buried. It had been clear for several days, neither damp nor windy, and there was even a hint of warmth in the air.

After the burial, the members of the clan and the servants all departed. Only several members of the Second Branch remained standing before the grave.

“Your Fourth Brother didn’t return to attend the funeral. Will people use that against him in the future?” the Second Madam asked.

Zhou Yuanshen replied, “Loyalty to the country takes precedence over filial piety. He is guarding the border and cannot leave without an imperial edict. No one will be able to attack him over this.”

The Second Madam’s worry was put to rest.

The soil of the new grave was still damp. The outermost layer soon froze into a thin sheet of frost, like the hair of someone who had aged overnight.

Only after Old Madam Zhou was buried did it come time for Huan Qingtang’s funeral.

Huan Qingtang was young and had neither a husband nor a son, so her funeral was extremely simple. Few people came to pay their respects.

Only three relatives from her mother’s family attended.

Among her closest relations—her maternal uncle, aunts, and others—not a single one had even sent a representative.

Her body lay in state for seven days before she was buried. Her new grave was positioned below Old Madam Zhou’s, on lower ground.

After the two funerals were finally concluded, it was the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, with the New Year approaching.

“How shall we spend the New Year this year?” the Second Madam asked Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao replied, “Quietly. We are all in mourning, so we’ll stay behind closed doors and live our own lives. We won’t host any banquets or attend anyone else’s.”

“That sounds good. Perhaps it will be a peaceful, tranquil New Year,” the Second Madam said.

She then added, “If only Yuanjin could return. He’s still accompanying his maternal uncle, and we don’t know when he’ll be able to come back to the capital.”

“Perhaps he’ll return next year,” Cheng Zhao said.

The Second Madam held on to the same hope.

That New Year, the Duke’s residence enjoyed an unusually quiet celebration.

On New Year’s Eve, Cheng Zhao sent someone to summon Xian Si to Chengming Hall.

She said to Xian Si, “Old Madam Zhou has passed away. The Emperor may not continue to keep you in the Duke’s residence. You now have two possible paths ahead of you.”

Either she would enter the palace, or she would be sentenced to death.

Xian Si lowered her head.

“Will you make your decision soon, or will you wait?” Cheng Zhao asked her.

The couple had promised Xian Si that they would help her, and Xian Si had seized the opportunity firmly. She would not abandon everything halfway merely because Old Madam Zhou had died.

If Xian Si wished to fake her death and escape, Zhou Yuanshen could find a way to send her away. If the Emperor grew angry, he would bear the consequences himself.

“Second Concubine, you don’t need to answer me right away. You can wait until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month,” Cheng Zhao said.

Xian Si slowly lifted her eyes.

She was far too soft. Her waist, honed by years of dancing, was supple and seemingly boneless, and there was the same softness in her gaze.

Yet this was the first time Cheng Zhao had seen determination in her eyes.

“Madam, I am willing to wait,” Xian Si said.

She did not want to leave again.

She was simply too beautiful. Without powerful protection, her beauty would invite covetous eyes wherever she went. To travel far from home with such a face was like a child walking through a marketplace while carrying a piece of gold. She would never come to a good end.

Entering the palace was the best path available to her. If that proved impossible, she was willing to grow old and die within the inner residence of the Duke’s household. Even if she had to remain behind closed doors and never venture out, she would still have enough to eat and wear.

She did not want to be seized and sold.

If the Duchess was worried about her, afraid that she might try to seduce the Duke, she could deliberately eat until she was plump over the course of three months.

Xian Si did not say any of this. She merely gazed steadily at Cheng Zhao.

“In that case, wait,” Cheng Zhao said.

Xian Si went back.

She did not have to wait long.

The Emperor soon remembered her. On New Year’s Eve, dancers had performed for the court, but no one could dance as well as Xian Si. At the New Year’s Day court assembly, the Emperor specifically kept Zhou Yuanshen behind and asked about Xian Si.

Zhou Yuanshen said, “...Just say she is a palace maid from Consort Wu’s quarters who has earned His Majesty’s favor. She can be made a Beauty.”

The Emperor considered it. “Make her a Jieyu as well. Promote Consort Wu to Zhaoyi.”

That evening, Xian Si entered the palace.

“I have fulfilled what I promised her. From now on, her fortunes and misfortunes are hers to bear,” Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao could not put her feelings into words.

This was the path Xian Si had chosen, and she was willing to walk it. In a life where she had never been given a choice, she had managed to choose a road for herself. Cheng Zhao thought she was remarkable.