The Sixth Year of Shenchu
The tree that stands out in the forest
“Take off your clothes, sister will apply the medicine for you.”
Ah Xun mixed Su Fang, Angelica sinensis, Panax Notoginseng, Safflower, and other traditional Chinese medicines to make a medicinal paste. She spread it on a plaster, slightly heated it over an oil lamp, and prepared to apply it to her hand for a warm compress.
Ah Xun asked Alai to take off her clothes, but she instead clutched her collar tighter.
“What are you shy about with me?” Ah Xun found it amusing. “When you were little and your mother was sick, I even helped you bathe. Now that you’ve grown up, you start being so particular with me. Hurry up, or the ointment will cool down and we’ll have to reheat it.”
Alai had just started her menstrual cycle in the past few days, and the two small mounds on her chest were slowly rising, making her body changes awkward for her. Such an embarrassing matter could not be known to Ah Xun.
“Give it to me, I’ll do it myself.” Alai reached out her hand for the plaster.
Ah Xun didn’t pull it away from her, she just looked at her with a knowing smile, as if she had already seen through her thoughts.
Taking the plaster and turning her back, Alai awkwardly and stubbornly bent her arm, trying to reach the injured spot on her back through her clothes.
Ah Xun held a pile of bamboo slips and a small amount of silk cloth, sat at the desk, brightened the oil lamp, opened them one by one, and buried herself in the ancient texts.
The warm plaster covered the injured spot, quickly making her tense body relax considerably. The blocked blood started to flow smoothly again through Alai’s body. Alai moved her arms and legs, seeing her sister propping her head up with one hand while flipping through the bamboo slips and silk cloth with the other, seemingly trying to find the answer she wanted from the vast sea of books, but to no avail. The more she flipped, the more frustrated she became, and her eyes, dried and uncomfortable from the lamp’s heat, started to water.
“Sister has been busy all day; you should rest early,” Alai advised her, seeing her reddened eyes.
Ah Xun shook her head. “Now that bandits are rampant, Qixian is in trouble. Although Sun Mingyi transferred two thousand armored soldiers from the neighboring county to support us, even with Qixian’s original three thousand soldiers and our Xie family’s private troops, we have less than seven thousand men in total. The bandits are too numerous and have already scattered within the city. Firstly, it’s difficult to search and kill them, and secondly, if a direct conflict breaks out, the common people will suffer. Our Da Yu is already troubled by wars, with able-bodied men fighting on the northern front for years, suffering countless casualties. The national treasury is empty, and grain is hard to collect. On top of that, we encounter a year of great famine with bandits running wild. Why is our Da Yu’s fate so miserable? Sigh… I must quickly think of some ways to relieve father’s worries. These classics are collected by father with much effort and money from various places, so there must be some methods in the ancient texts. Otherwise, they are just a pile of junk. Unfortunately, after searching for half a day, all I found were obscure and difficult sentences. Why couldn’t the ancients speak clearly?”
Alai stood beside her, unsure whether to laugh. Since childhood, she had seen the mistress chasing Ah Xun to make her read more books, but she never listened and only liked playing with swords and spears. No matter how many teachers were hired to teach her, they were all driven away. Ah Xun herself said she wasn’t cut out for studying. But as she grew older, Master Xie often took her out on business, and her broadened horizons made her realize that classical studies were fundamental to establishing oneself. She wanted to read more books but would feel sleepy whenever she picked up a scroll, hating the ancients for their awkward and obscure language that made no sense.
Ah Xun asked, “Alai, how long have I been teaching you martial arts?”
“Answering sister, it’s been over three years.”
“And reading and writing?”
“Two years.”
“Although you can’t recognize many characters, you aren’t completely illiterate. Help me flip through these scrolls and see if there are any ancient methods we can use to deal with the current situation.”
“Yes.”
Alai took the heavy bamboo slips, sat on the ground, and opened them one by one under the light, occasionally glancing at the troubled Ah Xun. She pondered whether she should pretend to have just thought of a solution after burning a stick of incense. No, she should actually find a corresponding classic to speak of, lest her sister suspects she had already thought of a solution. Mother said to keep a low profile; she feared a beating and didn’t dare to disobey.
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After searching for the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, Alai finally found a record related to managing refugees in the annals of Emperor Guangwu of the previous dynasty.
“Sister, look, we can use this method. We can disperse the Jixi people into various counties in Suichuan, integrate them into the major clans, and then uniformly incorporate them into the army, providing them with food and pay. Once their bellies are full, they won’t cause trouble anymore, right?”
Ah Xun frowned and took the bamboo slip from her hand. “Where? Let me see.”
“Uh… it’s this sentence.”
After reading it, Ah Xun looked at Alai in surprise.
“Emperor Guangwu incorporated refugees in the third year of Jixi. It’s just one sentence. How did you extrapolate so much from it?”
Alai was indeed caught red-handed by her.
In fact, the term “incorporate” already encompassed a lot of information. According to her mother, the solutions to the problem of refugees throughout history have generally followed the same pattern: disperse, register, incorporate, feed them, and then send them to the front lines. This not only eliminates the threat but also strengthens the army, killing two birds with one stone.
Unexpectedly, her sister didn’t understand this, and the counter-question left Alai momentarily stunned. She then said, “Sister, have you forgotten? Last year, the teacher Master Xie hired for you told us the story of Emperor Wen personally pacifying the east. The story mentioned the method of incorporation. At that time, you dragged me to listen for three months, but unfortunately, I was too dull and forgot after listening. It was only upon seeing the annals of Emperor Guangwu that I remembered this method.”
“Really?” Ah Xun did vaguely recall the story of “Emperor Wen pacifying the east,” but she had no recollection of the incorporation method. She glanced slightly at Alai, somewhat surprised by her good memory. However, the method was indeed good, so she said to Alai, “Alright then, tomorrow I will mention it to Father. It might be useful.”
Alai accompanied Ah Xun in reviewing the scrolls until the middle of the night before returning to her room.
When she opened the door, the creaking sound echoed in the empty room. She didn’t light a lamp, fearing it might disturb her mother’s sleep, and carefully tiptoed onto the bed. When she reached out, she found the bed was cold.
Mother wasn’t there?
Alai got out of bed, lit the lamp, and looked around the room, but indeed, she didn’t see her mother.
Didn’t she come back earlier? Where could she have gone this late?
Thinking of Fourth Aunt’s tragic death today, Alai anxiously headed outside to look for Xiaoshi, and happened to bump into her as she was entering the room.
“Mother? Where did you go?”
Xiaoshi looked weary, with her eyes downcast, and even her voice was soft. She patted Alai on the back of her head and said, “It’s nothing. The room was too stuffy, so I went out for a walk to get some air. Go to sleep.”
With the wind so cold outside, getting some air could hardly be the reason; it was more likely to suffocate from the cold.
Mother was obviously lying, but Alai didn’t expose her. Instead, she helped the utterly exhausted woman to bed to rest.
While helping her mother remove her shoes, her mother’s hand gently caressed her head again. Alai, squatting by the bed, looked up and smiled at her obediently.
In the flickering candlelight, there were some scars on the back of her mother’s hand that had darkened over the years, and calluses in her palm that wouldn’t go away no matter what. These hands were entirely different from others. When Alai was little, she had once asked how these scars came about, but her mother only gave vague answers.
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Mother was unwilling to talk about it, so Alai never asked again. Being an obedient and sensible daughter was more important than anything else.
As usual, after massaging her mother’s legs and knees, she fell asleep leaning against her mother’s arm.
The night grew deeper and the dew heavier, and cold wind seeped into their shabby house from all sides. The room where the servants lived was near the main road outside the mansion, and from time to time, they could hear the cries from outside. Those were refugees causing trouble.
But as long as she was beside her mother, she felt incredibly safe.
“What? You suggested to Ah Xun to incorporate the refugees?”
Last night they fell asleep together, and early this morning, they started talking about yesterday’s events. Xiaoshi was contemplating the strategies the Xie family might adopt next, and Alai inadvertently let it slip, revealing the matter. As expected, she got a thorough scolding from Xiaoshi.
“Alai, what have I repeatedly told you? Repeat it to me!”
Alai lowered her head, “Mother said, unless absolutely necessary, do not expose our martial arts skills and classical learning.”
“Then what did you do?”
“But it has already reached a crucial point. The refugees have surrounded the city, and Fourth Aunt has suffered a great calamity. Since I was young, Mother taught me that one should repay kindness, even if it’s just as a blade of grass, and return it as a loyal dog or horse. Everyone in the Xie household treats me as a servant, except for Sister who acknowledges me, teaches me to read, write, and practice martial arts to strengthen my body. Apart from Mother, Sister is the best to me; how could I stand by and watch her fall into danger without doing anything?”
“You’re quite the debater. Since you remember to repay kindness, you should also understand the principle of loyalty to family. I remind you every day to stay alert, not just for idle chatter. Alai, you are smart, but sometimes you lack depth in your vision. It’s commendable to want to repay Ah Xun’s kindness, but Ah Xun is not foolish. If you want to help her, just give a small hint or two, and she will understand. Speaking too freely might hurt her pride and raise suspicions.”
“Mother is right. I will be more careful in the future.”
“Sigh… Don’t blame Mother for being nagging. Even if Ah Xun treats you as a sister, you cannot truly regard her as one. We are just servants of the Xie household, and we should not and cannot have any ambitions. Remember, ‘a tall tree attracts the wind.’ Mother taught you knowledge and martial arts only as a precaution for unforeseen days, not to make you stand out. Mother’s greatest wish is for you to live well and safely. Do you understand?”
Alai nodded in confusion, “Alai understands, but Mother, what will happen one day? What if something happens?”
Xiaoshi looked at her daughter, whose face resembled her own, and as if making a promise, said, “As long as Mother is here, there will be no ‘what if.'”
Over on Mistress Yao’s side, it took some effort to calm Xie Taihang’s anger. Knowing that he would be staying in another courtyard tonight, she didn’t linger and took people to the ancestral hall to see her son. Although Xie Taihang didn’t blame her openly for the matter with Fourth Aunt, he was surely displeased in his heart. However, considering her family background in Nanya Yao and the fact that she bore him a son and a daughter, he couldn’t act out against her and had to vent his anger on their son. Though Chengyi’s actions were thoughtless, they inadvertently removed a long-standing thorn in her heart.
Xie Taihang’s displeasure brought her a slight sense of satisfaction, and she couldn’t help but smile as she walked.
The deep affection she once shared with Xie Taihang had now been reduced to mere interests. She once had grand aspirations, but now, in this back courtyard, she had spent half of her life’s energy dealing with several concubines.
Fortunately, she still had her son.
Even if he wasn’t capable, as long as she, the mistress of the Xie family, remained standing, Chengyi’s position as the heir of the Xie family would be as stable as Mount Tai.
Xie Suishan, who was kneeling alone in the cold ancestral hall, saw his mother coming and hurriedly kneeled over to her, calling out with great grievance, “Mother!”
Mistress Yao had not rested well the entire day, running around the house, and the cold wind had given her a headache: “Your father only punished you to kneel in the ancestral hall; it’s already the lightest punishment.”
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“This time it was my recklessness, and I accept the punishment. But mother, it was clearly that despicable slave Alai who abandoned Fourth Aunt and escaped, causing her to die at the hands of the refugees. Yet father put the blame on me and didn’t punish the despicable slave mother and daughter at all! And Ah Xun, she is my full sister, but she spends all day with that despicable slave and even whipped me today! She has no respect for her brother! Look, this whip mark still hasn’t faded.”
Mistress Yao frowned slightly: “Your father told you not to interfere with Alai and her mother. Just stay here and reflect without causing more trouble. I will talk to Ah Xun. If you want her to respect you, you should first establish your authority as her elder brother.”
Xie Suishan saw that his mother was indifferent to Alai and her mother, and anxiously said, “Mother, for all these years, father has ignored Alai and her mother and even allowed the servants to bully them at will. But today, not only did he stop me from killing them, he didn’t even punish them. Isn’t this suspicious? Back then, father was drunk and made a mistake, but seeing Alai’s appearance, one can imagine the beauty of Xiaoshi in her youth. Who’s to say Xiaoshi won’t become another Fourth Aunt? Mother, you need to plan early! You cannot let this mother and daughter live in this world!”
Mistress Yao had hoped that this incident would help Xie Suishan mature a bit, but she didn’t expect him to be so short-sighted, still fixated on the inner house disputes. She angrily scolded:
“You often complain that your father values Ah Xun more, but look at yourself! A man should be well-read and have high ambitions! What about you? Do you have anything else on your mind? Your father has been too lenient in punishing you!”
Xie Suishan hadn’t expected to say the wrong thing again and hurriedly apologized, though he was resentful in his heart.
He was the legitimate son of the Xie family; why did nothing he did ever please his parents? Ah Xun was just a daughter, whose greatest use was to marry into the Xun family to solidify the Xie family’s power. What he said just now was all for his mother’s sake, yet he was met with a scolding.
Really, she was getting old and muddle-headed.
LP: Boy, stop blaming others for your incompetence and stupidity!
