07 The Tolling of Copper Bells (End of the Beginning)

One day, Chu Xuan suddenly asked, “Wen Yan, what would you do if I ever left you?”

Wen Yan paused, her gaze dropping, silent. But just as Chu Xuan, worried, leaned closer, she abruptly looked up and smiled, “Of course, I would live well! In the decades to come, I’ll remember you, remember how you deceived and wronged me.” As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Yan buried herself in Chu Xuan’s arms, her hand reaching for his neck.

Chu Xuan caught her restless hand, pressed a cool kiss upon it, and murmured, “That’s good, that’s good…” Repeating those words, Chu Xuan leaned against Wen Yan and closed his eyes.

A fine spring rain drizzled down, but it felt more like mist, a gauzy veil shrouding the dark blue mountains. Wen Yan said nothing, only slipped her hand free to draw Chu Xuan into her embrace. She rested her head against his neck, holding him quietly until the sky darkened and night descended.

In the days that followed, as she tended to affairs after his passing, Wen Yan appeared calm. She no longer smiled, yet neither did she weep with abandon. When she finally stood at Chu Xuan’s grave beneath her umbrella, she said, “Before I met you, I had my parents’ love and pride, the honor of my family, a carefree life. But after meeting you, I learned I could be more than just the young lady of the Wen family. I, Wen Yan, could have such simple, pure happiness. Even with its sorrows, I cherished it. Chu Xuan, I promised you I would live well, so in the next life, will you be my companion as a humble farmer in the mountains?”

Ming Yue stood a short distance behind Wen Yan. As Wen Yan finished speaking, a red silk ribbon suddenly appeared between the two copper bells in her palm, binding them together. At the same time, the soul lamp in Qin Shi’s hand flared with azure light, sending a white mist curling into the air, blurring their vision.

Almost simultaneously, Ming Yue, Qin Shi, and Wen Yan opened their eyes. Ming Yue handed the copper bells, now tied with the red ribbon, to Wen Yan. “Miss Wen.”

Wen Yan took the bells, shook them gently—their sound clear and sweet. A smile tugged at her lips, but tears rolled down unchecked. The instant her tears touched the bells, a blue flower blossomed instantly at the heart of the soul lamp in Qin Shi’s hand.

A moment before, Wen Yan’s face was clouded with sorrow; the next, she suddenly found calm. She drew a silver ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the table. “Thank you.”

After Wen Yan left, Ming Yue pocketed the silver with one hand and, with the other, took the blue flower Qin Shi handed her, chewing it with a frown. “So bitter.” Only after swallowing it all did the crimson six-pointed star in Ming Yue’s left eye finally fade away.

Five days later, a grand wedding took place in Yinzhou, stirring the whole city. Having suffered through heat and chill in that dream world, Ming Yue was now beset with a runny nose and a sore, dry throat, too weary to care which young master was so open-minded as to disregard Wen Yan’s past. Few knew of Wen Yan and Chu Xuan’s marriage, but many had heard her words during her fifteenth birthday banquet.

Life had to go on, but with only Ming Yue’s skills, it was hard for the two of them to get by. So Ming Yue sent Qin Shi to the marketplace. When she saw women scrambling for the rouge in Qin Shi’s hands, her mood soared. She patted his cheek. “That pretty face is good for something after all! Don’t worry, unless we’re truly starving, I won’t make you sell your looks.”

But Ming Yue never expected that, after only a month of peace, Wang Huan would appear at Lovesickness House. Gone was the dignified composure seen in the illusion; now Wang Huan looked every inch a frantic gambler desperate to recover her losses. She strode toward Ming Yue, hand raised for a slap—only to be stopped by Qin Shi.

Wang Huan’s brows knotted in anger. “Didn’t you say you could make Yan’er forget Chu Xuan? Why is she still like this? If you don’t restore her, this house won’t last another day in Yinzhou!”

“I’m sorry, Madam Wen, I can only make her forget her feelings for Chu Xuan, not fall in love with a stranger,” Ming Yue rolled her eyes and waved Qin Shi to see her out.

“Wait! Why not? If I say you can, then you can! I finally married her into a good family—how can I let her waste away?”

Looking at Wang Huan’s flustered state, Ming Yue suddenly laughed. “Madam Wen, this ‘good family’ you speak of, isn’t it for your own sake? Making someone fall in love isn’t something I can do. As for driving me out, that depends on your resolve. For now, you’d better look after yourself. Oh, and I almost forgot—was it you who caused Chu Xuan’s death? Do you know he has another name? He’s called Luo Yan Ke, a name you must surely recognize. His mother was from your Wen household, wasn’t she?”

Wang Huan’s eyes widened in disbelief. She waved her arms, shouting, “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Fourth Prince died years ago—he couldn’t possibly be Chu Xuan!”

Watching Wang Huan on the verge of hysteria, Ming Yue turned back into the house, delighted.

Before following, Qin Shi said quietly, “Madam, I think most of Miss Wen’s happiness stemmed from her love for Chu Xuan. After forgetting that love, she’ll need time to find something to replace it…”

Not long after, the newlywed Miss Wen passed away, though in every alley the talk was that she had pined away from sorrow. That evening, a distinguished guest arrived in Yinzhou. Though the visitor never appeared in public, the impressive retinue of guards left the citizenry guessing, especially when a mere flash of a token had the city governor kneeling in terror. What puzzled people more was that this guest lingered only a few hours in a small courtyard outside the city, then departed again before dawn.

Ming Yue heard the news as she bit into a piece of fruit. She hadn’t yet swallowed when she exclaimed, “He’s not dead after all! The medicine in the capital really is different. If I get the chance, I must get some. Who knows how much longer Chu Xuan will live? If he dies, Wang Huan is finished.” She burst out laughing, nearly choking on her fruit.

“Your Highness, don’t fret. No one wished for things to end this way for Miss Wen. However much you grieve, you must take care of yourself.”

The old nurse who had always cared for Chu Xuan handed him a cup of hot tea. Luo Yan Ke waved her away. “Just leave it. I want to rest early tonight. You may go.”

The nurse lingered for a moment, worried, then sighed and left. In the bleak night, Luo Yan Ke suddenly began to cough, over and over, unable to stop. When he saw the familiar red stain on his handkerchief, he merely smiled. He tucked it into his sleeve as usual, closed his eyes, and lay back on the bed. In his daze, the clear sound of copper bells rang in his ears.

Later, members of the Wen family from the capital came to Yinzhou. When they departed, the heads of the Wen household were quietly buried, and the entire Wen estate was burned to the ground. This was a great event for Yinzhou, but for Ming Yue and Qin Shi, it meant nothing—they had already left the city due to other unforeseen incidents.