Wei Qingyan remained seated cross-legged in Lady Guan’s room, her hands forming the Dhyana Mudra.
Whoosh—a fierce gust of wind swept into the room, rustling the curtains and drapes.
A faint wisp of Black Qi drifted with the wind to her front. Wei Qingyan opened her eyes and raised a hand. The Black Qi coiled around her pale, cold fingertips, eventually coalescing into a scene.
Wei Qingyan closed her eyes, and the scene began to move.
A man held a woman’s hand. “Jinzhi, the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen. Having come this far, I have no path of retreat.”
“I can continue to wait for you,” the woman said, lifting her tear-streaked face to gaze longingly at the man.
The man’s face was filled with remorse. “The Xie family possesses both strategy and wealth, both of which can aid me. Their condition is that I marry the Xie Family Daughter. Before my great undertaking is accomplished, taking a concubine would alienate them.
You are no longer young, and no one knows when this great undertaking will succeed. How could I bear to let you waste away year after year without certainty? Du Changyuan is a man of deep loyalty and righteousness. He would be a good husband.
Jinzhi, I need military commanders. Du Changyuan is highly accomplished in warfare and strategy. You are the only one I can trust. Rest assured, in the future, I will not treat you unfairly.”
The woman lowered her gaze as if pondering, then asked once more, “Is Brother Shi truly unable to marry me?”
The man turned his face away.
The woman closed her eyes, exhaling a long breath. “Very well, I will marry. I hope Brother Shi will not forget today’s promise in the future…”
Jinzhi was Lady Guan’s maiden name.
And the man—Wei Qingyan recognized him all too well—was the Late Emperor in his youth.
This wisp of Black Qi was the Obsessive Attachment that Lady Guan could not let go of from the depths of her heart before her death.
What Lady Guan had said was true. The Late Emperor had betrayed her.
Unable to seek revenge against the Late Emperor, she redirected her resentment toward the deceased Du Changyuan, extending her hatred to everyone in the Du family.
Wei Qingyan was momentarily stunned.
A Late Emperor who used women and schemed against his followers gave her a sense of illusion—had the imperial favor the Wei family once received also been less harmonious between ruler and subject than it appeared on the surface?
“She’s dead,” Du Xueyi’s voice sounded beside her. “The current story outside is that her greed for wealth led her to harm Lady Fang. Heaven could not bear to watch, driving her mad and bringing retribution upon her.
The servants involved have been dealt with—those deserving execution were executed, the others sold off. Lady Fang’s reputation will not be tarnished, and those old matters will not spread.
The officials have just been here, but since she died from her own fall in front of everyone, they won’t interfere further.”
In noble households, dark and sordid secrets were common. Even if Lady Guan had confessed to harming Lady Fang before her death, with the culprit dead and the Du family not reporting the case, few would question it.
They would simply assume the Marquis Anyuan’s household preferred to keep its shame private.
Wei Qingyan watched as Lady Guan’s wisp of Black Qi was slowly devoured by Lady Fang in the air, eventually vanishing from the world.
Regarding the Du family’s affairs, she had done all she could. As for what followed, even if Du Xueyi did not inform her, she trusted he could handle it well.
“Xueyi, copy some sutras for Lady Fang.”
As husband and wife, see her off.
The two went to Du Xueyi’s study.
Just as he picked up the brush, Du Xueyi stood up and murmured, “I’ll go fetch Xiaoxiao…”
The General had said she would send Lady Fang away at midnight tonight.
When Lady Fang died, Xiaoxiao had not been by her side. This time, he needed to bring his daughter to see her off one last time.
With Lady Guan dead, the servants in the household were uneasy and fearful, inevitably gossiping. Xiaoxiao was highly sensitive; she would be afraid alone in Fengxiao Yuan.
Wei Qingyan had originally planned to take Lady Fang to see Xiaoxiao one more time. That Du Xueyi could keep Xiaoxiao in his heart was a good thing.
She looked toward the doorway, where the previously dense Black Qi had faded considerably once more.
Pinching the finger she had pricked earlier with her left hand, she squeezed out a drop of blood, mixing it into the ink. Dipping the brush into the ink, she focused her mind and silently transcribed the scripture.
Du Xueyi arrived quickly, holding Xiaoxiao in his arms.
Though not affectionate, she did not resist.
As they approached, the Black Qi that had been lingering at the doorway swiftly drifted away. Once they settled at the desk, it returned to hover at the entrance.
Guiyuan was harmful to the living, especially to children.
Lady Fang was afraid of harming her daughter.
Wei Qingyan took advantage of dipping her brush to add another drop of blood into the inkstone.
Her blood contained the Light of Merit. With this merit blessing, Lady Fang could be reborn into a good family in her next life.
“Xiaoxiao, shall Father teach you how to write?” Du Xueyi coaxed gently.
Perhaps this was what Lady Fang had hoped for.
Xiaoxiao looked at Wei Qingyan and, seeing her nod, nodded as well.
Mother said Father was a good man, a great hero who protected the country, and also a hero to her and Mother.
Mother died, and bad people bullied her. She was not afraid because she knew her Father would return home and drive away the bad people.
But Father did not protect her. She suffered even more beatings, and the bad people said Father no longer wanted her.
A Lu said Father had not abandoned her; he had been deceived.
Aunt said Father had not been a good father before, but Xiaoxiao could observe his behavior and decide whether to give him another chance to be a good father.
Mother was a good person, and Aunt was a good person. She was willing to believe them…
Du Xueyi sat the child on his lap, holding her hand as ink stained the paper. He said, “Rest assured, I was not a good father before, but from now on, I will be a good Father.
I will protect my daughter as she grows up, find her a good husband in the future, and ensure she lives a healthy and peaceful life.
I was not a worthy husband. Marrying me brought you hardship. If in the next life you do not despise me and are still willing to marry me, I will make it up to you…”
The child was still young, and Du Xueyi feared hurting her wrist, so he only had her copy a few lines symbolically before seating her on his other leg and continuing to silently transcribe the scripture.
Xiaoxiao did not understand what he and Wei Qingyan were doing, but she understood most of what he said.
Pursing her lips, she cautiously asked, “Will you protect me like Mother and Aunt did from now on?”
Du Xueyi did not expect Xiaoxiao to speak to him on her own initiative. Hurriedly, he replied, “Yes, Father will. Father will protect Xiaoxiao and never let bad people bully Xiaoxiao again.”
The small child pondered and nodded, her face showing a maturity beyond her years. She reached out and touched Du Xueyi’s face.
“Mother said, ‘To know one’s faults and correct them is a great virtue.’ If Father changes, he will still be Xiaoxiao’s great hero, and Xiaoxiao will love Father just as before.”
Du Xueyi’s eyes grew moist. He understood that Lady Fang must have often painted a positive image of him as a father in the child’s heart. Thinking of his indifference toward the child over the past six months, his guilt deepened.
He affectionately stroked the child’s head, vowing in his heart never to disappoint Lady Fang or the child again.
The Black Qi at the doorway visibly faded further.
Xiaoxiao suddenly seemed to sense something and looked outside, murmuring, “Mother, Mother…”
Tears fell, staining the rice paper, indistinguishable whether they belonged to Du Xueyi or Xiaoxiao.
When the stack of scriptures grew, Wei Qingyan felt a sense of relief. The Black Qi at the doorway completely dissipated.
She set down the brush and softly said, “Her Karmic Cause and Effect is settled.”
The resentment had been resolved!
Du Xueyi also put down his brush, holding the child sleeping in his arms even tighter.
Wei Qingyan stood up. “A Lu will handle matters outside. Take Xiaoxiao and get some proper rest.”
Tomorrow, the Guan family was sure to come knocking—he still had plenty to do.
Seeing her walk out, Du Xueyi asked, “Is there anything else I should do?”
“Do as you promised her earlier. I have something to attend to outside and will return shortly.”
She intended to investigate the private room at Yu Yan Lou once more.
During the day, Shi Yu had left too quickly—so quickly that she felt compelled to take another look. What secret was hidden inside that made Shi Yu so concerned?