Chapter 82

Chapter 82

A great fire broke out in Duke Xianxian's residence, and then it seemed the entire capital was enveloped in the silence that followed the smoke.

The initial snowfall was light, tiny flakes drifting down from the sky, melting into steam and disappearing before even touching the flames.

Half the city's Jinwu Guards were dispatched to fight the fire, but they still couldn’t save the residence.

The hundred-year-old ancestral home was reduced to ruins and rubble overnight.

The fire burned all night, and the next day someone came to Prince Ningxuan's mansion.

Yong Tang was woken up early in the morning, and after washing up, he stepped into the main hall, then walked out of the mansion with Wang Xiuyu, standing at the entrance waiting, with Su Huaijing standing beside him, looking down at the ground.

The snowflakes hadn't even covered the ground, as if the pure white snowfall was just a requiem to bid farewell to Duke Xianxian's residence.

Rong Mingyu and Rong Mingli both took leave and did not attend the court. Yong Tang waited at the mansion gate for a long while, the winter sun slowly moving overhead, until finally, several carriages and a long, almost endless procession arrived at the street corner.

Duke Xianxian's residence was located right opposite Princess Duan Yi's mansion. The fierce fire burned all night, inevitably producing smoke and spreading flames.

The Princess, over sixty years old, worried her children greatly. Rong Mingyu and Rong Mingli spent almost the entire night awake, ordering servants to prepare a courtyard reserved for her in the Wang mansion, and left at dawn to escort her home.

Yong Tang observed the grand and noble procession, then looked back at the respectful descendants waiting at the entrance of Prince Ningxuan's mansion, wondering if their filial piety was genuine or mere pretense.

Was it because she was their grandmother, naturally inspiring deep affection, or because as long as Princess Duan Yi lived, the people of Prince Ningxuan's mansion maintained a superficial but almost negligible blood relation with the royal family?

He couldn't tell, but the faces of everyone around him showed nothing but respect.

Even the Emperor and Empress respected her; they couldn't afford to treat her poorly.

When the procession stopped in front of the mansion, the old nanny recited prayers, and the ceremonial team performed loudly, continuing for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, before finally welcoming Princess Duan Yi into the mansion.

Wang Xiuyu and the second lady stepped forward with the grandchildren at the side. The two bowed deeply, while the other grandchildren, led by Yong Tang, knelt to greet her.

Yong Tang thought this was the first time in his life he had knelt.

He didn’t feel any aversion; in his previous two lifetimes, he had seen Emperor Renshou several times, needing to kneel on major occasions. So he knelt naturally, his gaze drifting to a crack in the stone floor in front of him, unaware of the displeased look that crossed Su Huaijing's face as he knelt beside him.

Princess Duan Yi was helped down from the carriage by the old nanny, spoke a few words with her daughters-in-law at the entrance. Rong Mingyu approached, bowing and ensuring his voice reached her clearly, respectfully saying, "Please enter the mansion, Mother."

As he spoke, he reached out, intending to help Princess Duan Yi inside.

The Princess stood firm, sweeping her gaze around and calling out, "Tangtang, Huaijing, stand up."

Yong Tang, startled, looked up in confusion at the Princess, seeing her gentle demeanor, still exuding the simplicity and calmness cultivated by sandalwood and scriptures. The fire from the previous day seemed to have no effect on her.

Seeing Yong Tang not moving, Duan Yi said again, "Help me inside."

Rong Yuan couldn't contain his surprise and jealousy, glaring at Yong Tang; whereas Rong Zheng, though a bit bewildered and disappointed, was still happy for his brother.

Yong Tang didn’t quite understand Princess Duan Yi's sudden kindness and care. He hesitated only for a moment before responding respectfully, "Yes."

He then stood up.

Su Huaijing had been kneeling rigidly, but as soon as Yong Tang slightly bent to stand up, he immediately got up, impatiently, and helped Yong Tang to his feet, then bent to brush off the dust from his robe after he was steady.

The entire sequence of actions was done so smoothly and naturally that it was impossible to find any fault or pretense in it. Princess Duan Yi's eyes flickered for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

Rong Mingyu's expression didn't look too pleased, seemingly wanting to blame his daughter-in-law for disrespect. How could she turn her back to an elder to dust off clothes?

But the Princess showed no discomfort. In fact, she interrupted Rong Mingyu again before he could speak, extending her arm and softly calling, "Tangtang."

Yong Tang responded immediately, hastening to support the Princess's arm, slightly bending and lowering his stature to match Duan Yi’s pace as they walked into Prince Ningxuan's mansion, with Su Huaijing maintaining a step's distance behind them.

It was only after the three of them and Rong Mingyu's brothers entered the mansion that the crowd, including Rong Zheng and Rong Yuan, kneeling at the entrance, gradually stood up.

In preparation for Duan Yi's arrival, every nook and cranny of Prince Ningxuan's mansion had been cleaned, seemingly to make the mother feel comfortable.

However, Duan Yi almost didn’t glance sideways as she went straight to her courtyard, inspected the Buddhist hall, then placed a Buddha statue she carried on the altar and knelt to light three incense sticks.

Duan Yi asked Yong Tang, "Have you been copying scriptures these days?"

Since the Princess called him at the mansion gate, Yong Tang had felt somewhat puzzled, unsure whether it was due to waking up too early or not sleeping well, as several of her questions caught him off guard.

In his life, he had only sent Buddhist scriptures to the Princess once, and that was to welcome Su Huaijing into the family.

There were times he copied scriptures afterward, more often before their marriage and during the period leading up to the Flower Folding Festival, but then they became rare.

It wasn't that he couldn't remember, but there were other, more meaningful things to do besides copying scriptures.

During the months he lived in the Suzhou garden, Yong Tang had almost forgotten about this practice.

Hearing this, Yong Tang shook his head and honestly said: "I am not as wise, Grandmother. Copying scriptures was only to ease my mind, not out of firm belief like yours. These days, I haven’t been reciting scriptures much."

Others, knowing the Princess's devotion to Buddhism, would eagerly say and do things to please her. Yong Tang used to do the same, but now he realized that being honest with her was the best approach, though he wasn’t sure if she would take offense.

Surprisingly, the Princess did not blame him; instead, she nodded: "Good."

Yong Tang: "?"

He was puzzled and asked, "What is Grandmother approving of?"

"Praising your honesty and clarity," Duan Yi said frankly. "Do you remember what I told you at the beginning of the year when you visited my mansion?"

Yong Tang: "Grandmother's teachings are numerous, and I remember them well. One of them was, 'Do good deeds without asking about the future.'"

"Have you done it?" Duan Yi asked.

Yong Tang paused, glanced instinctively at Su Huaijing, then nodded: "I am trying."

Duan Yi smiled, toying with a string of prayer beads in her hand: "The Princess's mansion needs repairs due to the fire and might take some time. I may stay in the Wang mansion until after the New Year. During this time, you can come to me directly with any matters."

'You' in plural, not singular.

Yong Tang pondered, furrowing his brows slightly.

The Princess waved her hand, dismissing them, and turned to kneel on a cushion, apparently about to start chanting scriptures.

Yong Tang bowed to her retreating figure and was about to leave, but Su Huaijing stood still and asked softly, "I am curious about something, may I seek guidance from Your Highness?"

The Princess's figure was slightly stooped, showing the marks of time despite her effort to stand straight.

Her fingers, playing with the prayer beads, paused slightly: "Speak."

Su Huaijing gazed at her back and asked, "How was the fire last night?"

Princess Duan Yi, with her back to them, slightly raised her head, gazing directly at the golden statue of Buddha.

Outside the courtyard, servants and maids continually moved luggage back and forth. After the snow, sparrows hopped from the treetops to the ground, then flew up to the eaves.

Duan Yi was silent for a while, so long that Yong Tang almost thought she wouldn’t answer, then she softly chuckled, "Very well."

Her aged voice fell in the serene and solemn Buddhist hall, as the Buddha’s eyes looked down with compassion upon his devotees.

Duan Yi said, "I haven’t seen such a big fire in many years. It almost burned everything to ashes."

Completely and utterly, engulfing everything. She knelt in the Buddhist hall, chanting sutras all night, hearing the ceaseless footsteps and splashing of water outside the courtyard walls, feeling as if a stone that had weighed on her heart for years suddenly fell.

In the faint dawn light, Duan Yi stepped out of the Buddhist hall, treading on the lingering moonlight, step by step leaving the mansion that had confined her for a lifetime, looking across the street at the building opposite.

The stone lion was still in ruins, missing half of its head, one eye gone, and the front paw that should be holding a ball was long lost. It was hit again by the passing carriages of the Jinwu Guards, dropping the last stone bead from its mouth onto the ground, rolling across the street until it stopped at the Princess's feet.

She bent down to pick up the bead, and as she raised her eyes, it felt as if she had lived a lifetime.

It all began with a distant encounter at a palace banquet, chatting across trees, you praising my extraordinary talents, and I respecting your devotion to family and country.

Thus, we became acquainted and then friends.

In the beginning, there was no talk of marriage; you saw me as a confidante, and I saw you as a friend. Within the four walls of the palace, beneath the grandeur of the imperial city, finding a confidante was already a fortune of three lifetimes.

Perhaps it was the Emperor who noticed their mutual understanding and, with a clap and a smile, proposed marriage, asking the valiant Grand General who had fought wars for him, "My loyal subject, would it please you to have my daughter as your daughter-in-law?"

For a princess to marry into the capital was an honor beyond imagination, especially for a princess with an unconventional title and status.

Thus, everything followed logically. The daughter’s heart stirred, starting to dream of love and romance beyond the strategies of governing and the dust of the frontier.

Unfortunately, things changed abruptly. The Emperor passed away, and the affairs of the heart couldn't outweigh the stability of the state. The step she was about to take was withdrawn.

Since then, they returned to being confidants: he as the general guarding the frontiers and she as the influential female chancellor.

The Wei residence was devoid of men for years. Aside from the respect of the Emperor, it was the Princess's mansion across the street that became the mainstay for the women of her house.

Duan Yi herself could hardly remember.

Initially, she was a confidant of General Wei, then a close friend to Lady Wei, and finally treated Wei Zhun as her own grandson.

Her relationship with Duke Xianxian's residence had long since shed the naive sentiments of youth, replaced by years of mutual support, dependence, and trust like family.

For the many years Duke Xianxian's residence lay deserted, she was in the resplendent Princess's mansion across the street, facing the compassionate Buddha, fasting and chanting.

Holding the rolling bead from the stone lion in her hand, Duan Yi stood up, a murky tear uncontrollably falling to the ground, joining the collapsed, charred houses.

Beyond the faint morning light were her two high-ranking, devoted sons, coming to take her away from this dusty, imprisoning mansion.

Duan Yi withdrew from her memories, looking at the ancient Buddha, softly saying, "It burned well, very cleanly."

The shadows of the many past years were all burned away.

She couldn't help but wonder, where would the next great fire ignite?

Would she be able to see it?

There should always be retribution in this world.