Chapter Seventeen

The two no longer argued about who had lost their temper first; Xie Linxu had to enter the palace for the morning court session.

Today’s weather was strange indeed. It had been clear and bright in the morning, a perfectly sunny day, but just as the early court ended, a cluster of dark clouds gathered overhead, and rain seemed imminent.

As soon as the chief minister dismissed court, he immediately summoned Xie Linxu. Before Xie Linxu could take more than a few steps, the minister was already leading him toward the duty room at the Wen Yuan Pavilion.

Glancing at the sky, he remarked, “This damned weather is truly strange. It was fine when we left, but now it’s dark again. The sudden warmth and chill make it hard to keep well—truly, the saying holds.”

Xie Linxu raised his eyes to the sky, his brow furrowed slightly, lost in thought.

After spending the entire morning busy at Wen Yuan Pavilion, he returned to the Hanlin Academy. Eventually, the rain began—a steady drizzle that lasted the whole day, growing heavier without any sign of letting up.

Xie Linxu returned to the Xie residence earlier than usual today but was told by the gatekeeper that Song Xingyue had not yet come back from outside.

Shou Yuan noticed the unrest in his master’s expression and said, “If you’re worried about the lady, young master, perhaps you should go fetch her from the mountain.”

Xie Linxu said nothing, and Shou Yuan sighed repeatedly, “With this heavy rain, the mountain paths must be slippery and the earth loose. If she hasn’t returned by nightfall, who knows what might happen…”

Xie Linxu shot a glance at Shou Yuan. The latter fell silent, not pressing the unlucky talk further. Without waiting for a rebuke, he said to the coachman, “Let’s go to Bao’en Temple. The young master is going to fetch the young lady home!”

Hearing this, the coachman lashed the reins and hurried toward Bao’en Temple.

*

Bao’en Temple sat halfway up the western outskirts of the capital.

Song Xingyue had arrived there after about half an hour by carriage that morning.

When her grandmother was still alive, she occasionally took her and Xie Mingmiao here, so she was now quite familiar with the place.

Knowing she had no money on her, Jing Xi had sent a sack of incense money to Qinghe Courtyard some days ago, which was then delivered here.

Since it was an offering to the Buddha, they would not be stingy.

Song Xingyue donated at the temple gate and went inside.

The bluish-gray tiles exuded an ancient charm, and the upturned eaves of the temple appeared especially solemn under the sunlight.

She walked toward the main hall.

Inside, incense smoke curled in the air, and the statue of Maitreya Buddha stood enshrined. The golden figure gazed down at all beings, somewhat ethereal amid the misty smoke. Song Xingyue lit three incense sticks from the eternal flame and knelt in earnest prayer.

This time, she prayed for Xie Lin’s success in the autumn imperial examinations.

She also prayed that Xie Linxu would stop quarrelling with her every day, that he would not be so quick to anger.

Lastly, she wished they could have a child soon...

She had already made too many wishes—three was enough. To wish for more would be greedy, so she stopped herself in time.

After the incense offering, she sought out a venerable master for greetings. This master was a close acquaintance of Lady Song, so it was proper to pay respects on this visit. Meanwhile, rain had started outside, and unable to leave for the time being, she decided to stay until it stopped. After meeting the master, she joined the monks in chanting sutras.

Though learning to read and write was important, when the autumn exams approached, it was common for people to flock to temples to pray.

*

Perhaps it was the morning's clear weather that had misled them, but many had come to offer incense today.

Because of the sudden rain, quite a few were trapped inside the main hall, sheltering.

Song Xingyue even ran into the Li family...

Li Huaqin had come with her mother and younger brother to Bao’en Temple to offer incense today as well.

Though the capital was neither too big nor too small, on special days, one often ran into both those one expected and those one did not.

Xie Linxu and Li Huaqin were fairly well acquainted, but Song Xingyue and Li Huaqin were not. The two barely exchanged a nod upon encountering each other in the temple and said nothing further.

As evening approached and the rain showed no sign of stopping, Song Xingyue, fearing she would be too late returning, decided not to linger.

She asked a monk for an umbrella and planned to return home with Danping.

But just as she stepped into the rain with the umbrella, someone suddenly bumped into her from behind.

Caught off guard, Song Xingyue stumbled down the stone steps, falling hard onto the ground before her.

The fall was harsh. She pitched forward abruptly, the cold, hard bluestone scraping her knees and palms painfully.

Danping was frightened, crying out, “Miss!”

She hurried to help her up.

Song Xingyue was covered in dirt and grime, making her appearance unbearable to look at.

Danping, furious, turned to glare at the culprit—a young master from the Li family, no more than ten years old, standing with hands on hips, looking down at them arrogantly.

Li Huaqin tugged his arm and frowned, scolding, “Can’t you walk properly? Why did you bump into someone?”

The boy retorted, “I was walking just fine. She blocked the way herself. Why blame me? What’s it to me? Sister, why don’t you tell her she has no eyes?”

At that age, he was clueless about consequences. He had heard of Song Xingyue and knew she was responsible for ruining his sister’s marriage prospects. He hated her and disliked her, so he had done it on purpose. But what could be done?

He was a child.

Children were not held accountable for their actions.

Besides, she owed the Li family anyway.

Li Huaqin said, “Such rude words! How has your tutor taught you? Apologize to her.”

The boy looked at Song Xingyue, noticing her clothes stained with mud and water, and arrogantly declared, “I won’t. Why should I apologize?”

Li Huaqin’s frown deepened. Just then, Lady Li spoke coldly, casting a disdainful glance at Song Xingyue, barely concealing her contempt, then withdrew her gaze with a final semblance of decorum.

She said, “It was just an accident, nothing to apologize for. That’s enough. It’s getting dark; let’s go home.”

Ignoring Li Huaqin’s attempts to say more, Lady Li linked arms with her daughter and tugged her away forcefully.

Li Huaqin said no more and, passing Song Xingyue quietly murmured, “Sorry,” before hastily following her family away.

*

Her palms and knees ached from the scrapes, and it took Song Xingyue a long moment to regain her composure. Looking down, she saw her clothes were filthy beyond repair.

Mud and rain had soiled her once pristine garments.

She looked up and seemed to notice the nearby onlookers whispering and pointing. Turning her head, she saw Li Huaqin and her family had already left.

Danping held the umbrella over her, her eyes red with anger as she muttered, “How can there be such people? They come from respected families but have no manners!”

Now in this state, how was she to go down the mountain?

Song Xingyue looked at her scraped palm and said, “Let’s ask the monks for a room to clean up before we leave.”

Hearing this, Danping calmed down and went to request an empty room from the monks.

Alone inside the room, the sky darkened further as the sun set and the rain continued. A monk brought her a candle and a basin of water to wash her hands.

Once alone, she closed the door, took off her dirtied outer garment, and noticed, for the first time, that the fabric over her knee was completely torn.

Song Xingyue couldn’t help but feel angry.

She was furious—had it not been for the crowd watching, she would have pushed that brat back.

After venting her anger at the boy, she felt a pang of sorrow for her ruined clothes.

They had been a birthday gift from Song Mingmiao, painstakingly saved for and sent to her. Now they were in shreds.

She was both angry and upset but could do nothing but sigh deeply and set the garment aside.

Rolling up her trouser leg, she saw blood at her scraped knee.

She took a handkerchief to clean the wound, frowning ever more deeply as she worked.

A perfectly fine birthday, yet she came out to offer incense only to end up like this.

She wondered if Xie Linxu had returned home yet. When he found she wasn’t there, would he worry?

While lost in thought, a noise came from the window.

If it were Danping returning, she would have knocked. What was that sound at the window?

Someone opened it and climbed inside.

Song Xingyue dared not think further, holding her breath as she turned to watch...