Jinyi Spring

Chapter 198 Arrangement

Kong Xiyan knew that her mother had really done those things, and cried, "I want to see my maternal grandmother. She raised me, and she can't abandon me."

Madam Ming said with a stern face, "The old lady was furious when she heard what your mother did, and she refuses to see anyone."

Granny Li sneered, "Miss Kong, I advise you to be obedient and stop causing trouble. If you behave, you'll be given the respect due to you. If you don't behave, hmph... do you still think you're a cousin of the Ming family?"

Kong Xiyan's face contorted with rage as she shrieked, "You dog slave..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was forcibly dragged away by two old women standing nearby.

Duke Mingguo and Ming Shanyue went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to handle this matter and did not return to the prefecture until early Hai hour.

In the capital, Prefect Li was away on official business. After hearing the stories of Duke Ming and Ming Shanyue, and the reports from the yamen runners, Vice Prefect Hu learned that Madam Xia had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, so he decided not to pursue the matter further.

According to the "Da Yan Law," a person's death ends their crimes. Although Xia committed two serious crimes—namely, disobeying orders and submitting anonymous letters to accuse others—since she had already hanged herself, she would not be punished further. However, the charges still needed to be established to set the record straight.

The court pronounced its verdict: Xia Achan's two crimes were true, and she should have received one hundred strokes of the cane, three years of penal servitude, and exile for three thousand li. However, considering her death, the sentences were waived. Half of her land and property were confiscated, and the other half was given to the Kong family to atone for the false accusation.

Her daughter, Kong Xiyan, was young and ignorant, and did not participate in her mother's evil deeds, so she will not be prosecuted and will be handed over to the magistrate for appropriate resettlement.

As for the Ming family, although Xia had lived in the Ming family for more than 20 years, she was not a blood relative of the Ming family. The Ming family was completely unaware of the Kong family's affairs, and Xia's actions were all personal and had nothing to do with the Ming family.

The old lady simply nodded faintly. Now that the man was dead and his crime was proven, she felt relieved.

The next day, Xia's coffin was carried to the mortuary outside the city. After three days of mourning, she was hastily buried. Only Kong Xiyan and a few servants burned some paper money for her.

The ashes swirled in the wind and scattered all over the ground, just like her mother's life, broken into pieces.

Kong Xiyan was taken directly to a nunnery on the outskirts of Dingzhou Prefecture by the nanny to become a nun. As long as she lived, the Ming government would give the nunnery one hundred taels of silver every year for incense money, as a final act of kindness.

Kong Xiyan didn't want to go, so she cried and struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free from the nanny's grasp with her little strength.

“My mother is dead! What did she do wrong? What does it have to do with me? I want to see my grandmother…”

The old woman looked at her coldly, a sneer on her lips. "Your mother's surname is Xia, not Ming. What kind of granddaughter are you to the old lady? The old lady is so angry about Xia that she can't even get out of bed and has no desire to see you. I advise you to behave yourself. If you continue to be ungrateful, don't blame us..."

Kong Xiyan's crying stopped abruptly.

She stared blankly at the old women, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head.

Yes, her mother was a criminal, her father was a criminal official, and she was no longer the granddaughter of the Ming Dynasty official.

Forget about being Princess Zhao, or Empress; she can't even be an ordinary girl anymore.

At this moment, her heart was filled with resentment towards her mother. Why did she do that terrible thing? If the Kong family hadn't fallen, she would still be a young lady of the Kong family, enjoying endless wealth and luxury...

She was completely exhausted and was shoved into the carriage. The curtain was drawn, blocking out the light.

The carriage rumbled out of the capital, heading towards Dingzhou. Kong Xiyan huddled in a corner, hugging her knees, silently shedding tears.

She didn't know what awaited her ahead, only that she would never be able to come back in this lifetime.

Upon hearing about Xia's fate, Chen Qingrui remained silent for a moment, then clasped her hands together in prayer.

"She's dead, and everything has returned to dust."

The voice was very soft, like a breeze, without hatred or pleasure, only a calm that comes after weathering many storms.

Feng Chuchen held her mother's hand and said gently, "Mother's good days have only just begun."

Chen Qingrui paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes filled with tears and amusement.

"Yes, it's only just begun."

Knowing that her son and daughter were doing well made her happier than anything else. Wherever her son arranged for her to go in the future, it would be better than staying in the palace or the nunnery.

She planted flowers and grass, waiting for her son to give her more grandchildren, and for her daughter to get married and have more grandchildren. Then, she waited for that person to die so she could come to the capital to see her descendants.

If fate doesn't allow her to outlive that person, then it's destiny...

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qin Wang and his wife went to Zixia Nunnery to perform rituals for their birth mother, the nun Qingxin. During the day, incense smoke filled the air, and monks and nuns chanted sutras, everything proceeding as planned. After dark, the nunnery fell silent, but a side door quietly opened, and an ordinary mule cart silently glided out.

The coachman's straw hat was pulled low, obscuring most of his face; he was Guo Hei.

Beside him sat General Shan, the most trusted bodyguard of the loyalist king. The sword at his waist was hidden under his thick cloak, and his eyes, sharp as an eagle, vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

Inside the carriage sat Prince Qin and Ming Shanyue, both dressed in plain clothes.

The cool moonlight spilled across the earth, turning the snow a bluish hue. A mule cart crossed a stone bridge, rolled over the frozen dirt road, and disappeared into the forest at the foot of Qingmiao Mountain. The wheels crunched over dry branches, making a soft, rustling sound that was especially clear in the still night.

Qin Wang lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, gazing at the fleeting shadows of trees outside the window. He knew that years ago, his younger sister had been carried in a box by Wang Tu, walking along this very road to life. Now, his mother was also following this road, heading towards a new life.

The mule cart wound its way around the mountain, entered Baima Village, and then entered that inconspicuous little courtyard.

Ming Shanyue got out of the carriage first, then turned around and helped Qin Wang down.

He glanced at Qin Wang, said nothing, and stood guard in the courtyard with Guo Hei.

The moonlight cast long, pale shadows of the two men. They were both guardians and providing the mother and her two children inside with a private space to talk.

Qin Wang stepped into the house and saw his mother tightly holding his younger sister's hand, her eyes filled with tears. Feng Chuchen stood beside her, looking at him earnestly, her gaze filled with unspeakable joy and sorrow.

The tears of the loyal king burst forth the moment he saw them.

He strode forward, knelt down heavily, and embraced his mother tightly.

Feng Chuchen also knelt down and threw herself into her brother's arms. Chen Qingrui stretched out her arms and hugged her two children tightly. The three heads rested together, and they cried loudly.

The cries echoed in the room, drowning out the howling north wind outside the window. In the voices were sixteen years of separation, the joy of reunion, and unspeakable heartache and guilt.

"Heng'er, Chenchen..." Chen Qingrui sobbed uncontrollably, "It's all my fault for being useless, making you suffer. I'm so sorry. Especially Chenchen, she almost lost her life..."

Her voice cracked, and she held her children tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, they would disappear from her sight.

Qin Wang pressed his forehead against his mother's shoulder, tears streaming down his face. "It's my fault. As the eldest son, I couldn't protect my mother above, nor could I save my sister from dire straits below. Your suffering is all because of your son. I owe you all this, and from now on, I will never do it again."

Feng Chuchen didn't cry out loud, but silently shed tears, holding her mother tightly with one hand and her brother holding her other hand tightly.

She was thinking of the "little original owner" who died silently on the hillside, the little girl who had never been held by her mother or called "little sister" by her brother.

She waited for this moment on her behalf.

After crying for a while, their voices gradually subsided, and the three of them squeezed together to sit on the tatami mat.

Chen Qingrui sat in the middle, holding one person in each hand, as if she wanted to squeeze the sixteen years of emptiness into her very bones.

She scrutinized the Prince's face for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Mother knows that Heng'er is capable. Mother cannot stay in the capital forever. Wherever your son sends you, you will go. But..."

She paused, then her voice hardened, "After Mother is gone, Heng'er must take good care of your sister and never let her suffer even the slightest bit again."

Qin Wang did not answer immediately. He slowly sat up straight, his gaze shifting from his mother's face to his sister's, then back to his mother's eyes. The expression in his eyes gradually darkened, like molten iron solidifying, unbreakable.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight: "My sister's matter isn't about 'taking care' of her, it's about protecting her. From now on, if anyone in this world dares to lay a finger on her, I will not forgive them. Whatever my sister wants, I will do everything in my power to give her. Whatever my sister wants to do, I will do everything in my power to protect her."

His gaze then turned to Feng Chuchen, his voice lower but his enunciation more pronounced, "This is not a promise, it is an oath."

Chen Qingrui's eyes reddened again. She smiled and nodded, the tears in her eyes glistening with her smile.

Qin Wang's expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Besides, there's Lord Ming and Princess Changning. They wouldn't allow anyone to wrong my sister."

Feng Chuchen felt a warm glow in her heart and said softly, "Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Eldest Brother."

Qin Wang turned to his mother, his expression becoming serious again. "As for where you are going, Mother, I have already decided—I will go to Xiqing Prefecture for the time being. For safety, I will leave after the New Year."

"That's a crucial town on the westernmost edge of the Great Yan Dynasty, garrisoned by a Ming general. It's a strong and impregnable fortress. If anything were to happen in the future, beyond the Jade Gate lies the Western Regions. Only with Mother there can her son feel at ease." (End of Chapter)