Chapter 118. Ningxiang

NingXiang

凝香 - the name of Ruochan's brothel. 凝(níng) means to congeal or to solidify, while 香(xiāng) means fragrant; sweet-smelling; aromatic; scented
The words became increasingly unpleasant to hear. I felt a sense of foreboding and handed Ah Mi over to the wet nurse, grabbing my sword.
"Furen..." Ah Yuan grabbed my hand, her voice trembling. "You mustn't…"
A chill ran through my body. There was only a thin wooden door between here and outside. If I were to go out, those in the hidden chamber would be exposed to the mob. Fear and helplessness surged over me like a torrent, burning my eyes and heart like fire…
However, just then, a loud shout echoed, as if someone had barged in. Following that, the harsh clash of weapons resounded, "clang clang." After a few cries of distress, the commotion abruptly ceased, and silence immediately returned to the surroundings.
A strange feeling gripped my heart. I pulled away from Ah Yuan's hand and immediately pushed open the door before me.
A sudden burst of light blinded me, leaving me utterly stupefied by the scene before me.
A fierce wind blew in through the wide-opened window, causing the curtains to fall to the ground. The gauzy canopy inside the room billowed and swayed. On the floor, three burly men lay sprawled, blood pooling around them, while several soldiers were tidying up.
Ruochan cried softly, held tightly in the embrace of Gongyang Gui.
Beside Gongyang Gui, a man held a stained blade in his hand. He wore a pale blue silk robe, adorned his hair with a jade hairpin, and stood tall, exuding a handsome and refined aura.
When he turned his face, our eyes met. I looked at him, my mind feeling as if it had been instantly emptied.
It was Pei Qian.
The window was closed, and the room fell silent, leaving only the occasional sobbing of Ruochan.
Several dozen soldiers stood guard both inside and outside the courtyard, the corpses having already been removed. The silk blankets stained with blood had also been cleaned and taken away. It seemed as though nothing had ever happened in the room.
Gongyang Gui held Ruochan in his arms, consoling her softly. I walked over to Ruochan, feeling a deep sense of guilt. I whispered, "Ruochan, are you... are you unharmed?"
Seeing her clothes intact and no signs of injury, I finally felt a sense of relief and gently squeezed her hand.
"Thanks to Jiangjun's timely arrival, otherwise, our lives would have been in grave danger!" Zhou Shi thanked Gongyang Gui.
Gongyang Gui modestly smiled and said, "One has caused Furens to be frightened, Mou is truly ashamed."
Everyone sighed in relief. The events just now had left us shaken. Ah Yuan, Zhou Shi, Mao Shi, and the wet nurse had all emerged from the hidden chamber. When they saw the corpses, their faces turned pale. Only Ah Mi, who didn't understand anything, cried in discontent when Ah Yuan covered her eyes to shield her from the sight of the bodies.
I cradled Ah Mi and tried to soothe her to sleep. She had been awakened several times tonight and was starting to get a bit irritable. She would furrow her brow at the slightest disturbance.
"Are these soldiers from the Xiliu Camp?" I asked Gongyang Gui. "Gongzi has been in the camp all along?"
Gongyang Gui shook his head. "I went to Chang'an and only returned in the past two days. Tonight's events were all thanks to Jiyuan. If he hadn't assisted Cheng Jiangjun (Cheng Mao) with his plans, we wouldn't have been able to deal with Wei Kang so swiftly. The Xiliu Camp arrived at the Imperial Palace and Chengxiang's residence before the troops from Liangzhou, but by the time they searched, Furens had already disappeared."
I exchanged glances with Zhou Shi, Mao Shi, and the others. In my heart, I recalled the soldiers we had seen when we fled. The night was too dark, and I had briefly entertained the hope that they might have been there to protect us. But considering the gravity of the situation and the lives at stake, I chose to flee immediately.
With these thoughts in mind, I couldn't help but glance towards the courtyard where Pei Qian was engaged in conversation with several soldiers.
Seemingly sensing my gaze, he turned his head towards me.
I felt a bit awkward in this encounter and was about to avert my gaze, but Pei Qian walked towards us.
"The vicinity has been cleared," Pei Qian informed Gongyang Gui. "It was just a small band of marauders, nothing serious."
Gongyang Gui nodded, a hint of mockery in his tone. "The military discipline is lax, and arrogance precedes victory. Wei Kang actually thought he could secure Yongdu with such men."
Pei Qian calmly stated, "It's not surprising. He managed to gather a force of sixty thousand, and from the start, he promised them a share of the spoils."
I looked at them, and my inner doubts grew stronger.
How could Pei Qian be here? Just moments ago, I heard Gongyang Gui mention that Pei Qian was assisting Cheng Mao. How could he end up in the Xiliu Camp in the first place? In a flash of realization, I thought of Wei Tan.
"There's some matter, wonders if Gongzi could tell?" I hurriedly asked Gongyang Gui.
Gongyang Gui looked at me and said, "Furen, please ask."
"My husband and the others," I spoke softly, feeling my heart pounding against my chest, "are they alive?"
There was a sudden hush around us.
Gongyang Gui and Pei Qian exchanged a brief, meaningful glance.
"Indeed," Gongyang Gui smiled.
It felt as though a heavy weight that had been pressing on my chest for a long time was finally lifted. I took a long, relieved breath, closed my eyes, and recited the names of every deity I could think of.
"What about my husband, Wei Gang?" Mao Shi quickly asked.
"And my husband, Wei Ping, is he still alive?" Zhou Shi inquired.
"They are all alive," Gongyang Gui confirmed. "Both Jiangjuns (Wei Gang and Wei Ping), Si Gongzi , and Zixian Jiangjun (Wei Ci) are with Da Sima. They may currently be surrounding Liang Wen at Taiyang."
Zhou Shi and Mao Shi both covered their faces, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
"Heaven has eyes..." Ah Yuan clasped her hands together, looking up and offering a prayer.
I held Ah Mi, unable to resist giving her sleeping cheek a gentle kiss. When I looked up, I inadvertently met Pei Qian's gaze. His eyes were fixed on me, like a still, deep pool.
Just as I was lost in thought, a soldier hurriedly entered, bowing to us and delivering some news about the situation in the city to Pei Qian and Gongyang Gui.
Pei Qian said to Gongyang Gui, "I need to go back."
"I'll go too," Gongyang Gui replied.
Pei Qian glanced at Ruochan, who wore a reluctant expression, and smiled. He said (to Gongyang Gui), "You should stay here. If anything changes, there needs to be someone to stand guard."
There was a hint of hesitation on Gongyang Gui's face. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. If you encounter danger outside, don't try to face it alone. Come back immediately."
Pei Qian chuckled dismissively. "Do you think you're the only one who can be a gallant knight?" With that, he glanced at me, nodded to the others, and walked towards the outside.
"Zhangsao... it's true... it's true!" As the others dispersed, Zhou Shi took my hand, tears streaming down her face as she laughed and cried at the same time.
I smiled at her, but my eyes couldn't help but follow Pei Qian's figure. Just as he was about to disappear from view, I hurriedly caught up with him.
"Ah Qian!" I called out from the doorway.
Pei Qian's figure halted, and after a moment, he turned back around.
There was no firelight in the courtyard, and the light inside the house was also blocked out. Only the bright moon hung overhead.
I approached him, gazing at him. I opened my mouth, but I didn't know where to begin. It had been a year since I last saw him, when I left Jiangdong. His face seemed a bit thinner, a bit darker, but he carried a newfound sense of calmness about him compared to before.
"You… where have you been these days?" I finally managed to ask.
"I've been to quite a few places," Pei Qian replied. "Roaming around."
I could probably have guessed that.
"And now? With time like this, why are you in Yongdu?" I inquired.
"Here to attend to some matters," Pei Qian said, looking at me. The moonlight reflected on his face, pure and serene.
I wanted to ask him about the matters he was attending to, but he didn't seem inclined to elaborate. Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and someone slipped inside.
"Gongzi," he said, "it's time to go."
Pei Qian acknowledged with a nod, then turned back to look at me.
"Ah Jin," he whispered softly, "do you still remember where you wanted to go back then? When your father's old comrade returned from overseas."
I was taken aback.
Back then?
Pei Qian didn't continue, he let out a soft sigh, and smiled, "Go back." With that, he turned and left.
I stood in place, watching as the moonlight gently spilled into the courtyard. After the courtyard gate closed, silence settled in once more.
"I want to visit the immortal mountains." In the height of summer, one afternoon in Chang'an, by the Yan Pond, I held freshly picked lotus flowers in my hands and said that, full of longing.
"Immortal mountains?" Pei Qian sat at the other end of the small boat, his silk robes complementing his youthful and delicate features, like refined jade. He slowly paddled the boat. "Do you know where the immortal mountains are?"
"They're out at sea," I said excitedly. "Yesterday, an old official who used to serve under my father told me. It's thousands of miles from Jiaodong, with silver sands and emerald-green islands."
Pei Qian smiled, seeming a bit skeptical.
"I want to go," I insisted, determined.
"Alright," Pei Qian replied. His demeanor seemed somewhat dismissive, as if he was trying to placate me and avoid further discussion. However, his words were spoken without hesitation…