Chapter 109 Exit: Leaving the painting garden, never to return.

Chapter 109: Leaving the Manor: Walking Out of the Garden of Paintings, Never to Return.

Tian Qin had been unjustly taken advantage of for years, kicked out when the master grew tired, and falsely accused of arson at parting. The Xie couple pretended to be upright but were black-hearted.

Faced with vicious slander, Tian Qin no longer clung to her innocence as she had in her past life, nor remained unyielding. Instead, she chose to humble herself, humbling herself before Xie Tanwei and swallowing her pride to apologize, ultimately saving Zhaolu’s life.

Though this cost her dignity, she gained tangible benefits: money, Zhaolu’s life, and Xie Tanwei’s forbearance.

Zhaolu was released, and with her came Nanny Chen, Wan Cui, and Zhaolu’s three slave contracts. This meant the Xie family had settled with her—from now on, they went their separate ways, with no further ties.

The road ahead was theirs to walk.

Tian Qin hugged Zhaolu tightly, tears streaming down her face, while Wan Cui sobbed beside them. Nanny Chen wrapped her arms around the three and comforted, “It’s good to have you back safe. No more tears.”

The First-Class Maid from Qiutang Residence swaggered over with attendants, conveying the Lord and Lady’s orders.

“Since Miss Tian has recovered from her illness, pack your belongings and leave quickly. The Lord has gone out and does not wish to see you when he returns.”

The First-Class Maid spoke arrogantly, as if the Lady were merciful for not throwing them into prison. If they lingered, they might face the magistrate’s judgment.

“No need for you to kick us out. We’ll leave on our own.”

Wan Cui spat.

When the young lady was favored, these people crept around like mice before a cat, fawning endlessly. Now that she had fallen, they reveled in her misfortune. Their petty triumph was utterly disgusting.

The Garden of Paintings had become the Lady’s domain. The First-Class Maid ordered maids to enter Tian Qin’s bedroom and keep an eye on the luggage, forbidding Tian Qin and her party from sneaking away any valuables.

“The Lady orders that since you were driven from Master Yu’s mansion long ago for eloping, the Xie family took you in out of kindness, yet you repaid kindness with enmity. However, the Lady is merciful and will not pursue it further. You arrived with nothing; you leave with nothing. All gifts from the Lord, including clothing, jewelry, and other treasures, must be left behind.”

All of Tian Qin’s possessions were bestowed by the Xie family. Xian Qiu intended to strip her bare.

“You’re lying! The Lord clearly allowed us to take our gifts. Is the Lady so two-faced as to push us to the edge? Besides, the jewelry and clothes our young lady wears are custom-made—some are partly worn already. How can you take them back?”

Nanny Chen, sturdy and strong, stood before Tian Qin, arguing forcefully.

A large portion of the clothing, jewelry, and vessels was tailor-made for Tian Qin, engraved with the character “Tian.” Over the years, the Lord’s gifts had flowed without cease, and they were worth a fortune. They needed money outside; without it, they couldn’t get by.

The First-Class Maid sneered: “Just because you’ve worn jewelry often doesn’t make it yours. It’s like another’s husband—no matter how long you keep him, he’s still another’s. Keeping the Garden of Paintings as it is prevents you from stripping it bare. This order comes not only from the Lady but also from the Lord.”

At the mention of the Lord, Nanny Chen’s heart sank. All hope extinguished, she fell silent, for even the Lord had grown so heartless.

Indeed, the one who had driven Tian Qin out was the Lord himself. Without his consent, how would the Lady dare touch the Garden of Paintings? The Lord was the cruelest of all.

The First-Class Maid said, “You have no mercy, but our Lady cannot lack righteousness. For the sake of your past sisterly bond, the Lady will not destroy you completely. She will grant you some travel expenses. Take them and leave quickly.”

She presented a tray with one hundred silver taels—not much, not little—enough for an ordinary person like Bo Ge for two or three years. But this compensation was grossly disproportionate to the grievances Tian Qin had suffered over the years, a pittance.

Nanny Chen wanted to beg for more, but Tian Qin stopped her, shaking her head. Xian Qiu had deliberately driven her to desperation. At this point, more words would only bring further humiliation.

The First-Class Maid said slyly, “Miss Tian, don’t think it’s too little. By our family’s standards, we could give you more. But the Lord has also promised you a good marriage, hasn’t he? The Lady has to save up for your dowry, so the silver that goes directly into your pocket is less.”

The youngest son of the merchant Zhang family had been intellectually disabled since childhood, with the intellect of a six-year-old, but hale and handsome. Xian Qiu’s “good marriage” for Tian Qin was none other than this man. If Tian Qin agreed, the Lord and Lady would send her off with a lavish dowry.

“Our young lady will not agree!” Before the fuming Nanny Chen could speak, Zhaolu and Wan Cui flanked Tian Qin protectively. “Our young lady will not marry a fool!”

It was too much. If the Lady forced the young lady into the fool’s bridal sedan, they would die on the spot to prove their resolve.

Tian Qin finally understood what Xie Tanwei meant yesterday when he said, “As for the marriage, she wanted to arrange it, but I stopped it.” Xian Qiu, to eliminate any future trouble, intended to sell her to a matchmaker for a fool’s wife.

She still had to thank him for not pushing things to the extreme.

The First-Class Maid rolled her eyes. The Lady had indeed planned to marry Tian Qin off, but the Lord had blocked it. After all, she had been the Lord’s woman; he wouldn’t gift her to a subhuman. Yu Tianqin had, in the end, stolen the Lord’s heart, and even at the final moment, he sheltered her.

In the end, Tian Qin left the Xie residence with only two sets of undergarments, a red cord for her hair, and the three slaves’ contracts.

The Garden of Paintings, where she had lived for years, seemed to have a spirit. It stood silently in the shadow of the morning sun, veiled by bamboo groves, weathered by storms. Every brick and stone seemed to weep for her in its own way, the wind sobbing, as if it too wanted to leave with them.

This years-long, airtight imprisonment ended abruptly, half-heartedly, all within just one morning.

Tian Qin woke from a nightmare. The ending was warm and gentle, the weather fine. The inescapable prison behind her dissolved and vanished into smoke, finally turning to ash.

She was reborn.

The ups and downs of the world were like a dream.

The bamboo mat was cool as water, the east wind biting. The April weather changed violently; in a moment, rain fell in scattered drops. Thanks to this sudden rain, Tian Qin managed to take one more thing from the Xie family—a bamboo-handled umbrella with a jade handle, custom-made by Xie Tanwei that year to match one of her green pleated skirts. Through gaps in the dark clouds, threads of sunlight leaked, making the umbrella’s edge especially vivid.

“It’s good to take it, but keep quiet,” Nanny Chen sighed. “That umbrella alone could sell for at least fifty taels.”

The total compensation they had received was only one hundred taels. From now on, they had to live by their own means and be frugal.

Suddenly, the umbrella in Tian Qin’s hand seemed priceless. She regretted not having secretly brought out the jade pendants Xie Tanwei had given her—they would surely fetch a fortune. Back then, she had treated money like dirt; now, independent, she yearned for it hungrily.

The mistress and maids walked out of the Garden of Paintings.

Never to return.

Tian Qin hesitated slightly, searching for Xie Tanwei’s figure. It wasn’t that she found it hard to part with him, but the Love Gu still weighed on her heart, unresolved. A clean break required severing the Love Gu’s thread. It wouldn’t be fitting to leave with its tail still attached.

“When will the Lord return?”

Exiting the inner screen gate, she happened upon Zhao Ning.

Zhao Ning guessed Tian Qin wanted to beg the Lord for mercy. Coldly and mercilessly, he said, “Miss Tian, don’t wait. The Lord does not wish to see you again. This time, what’s done is done.”

Zhao Ning was Xie Tanwei’s confidant, understanding him best. If he said it was irrevocable, then Tian Qin had already been sentenced to death in Xie Tanwei’s eyes.

Tian Qin found it hard to speak, “But… that thing…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the shameful words “Love Gu.”

Keeping the Love Gu was a major trouble; it had to be removed.

But Zhao Ning didn’t know what she was talking about, nor did he have time to delve into it.

“The Lord has given you all he can. He stopped an undesirable marriage for you. As for the rest, the Lord gave no instructions, and you should not presume.”

Tian Qin’s eyelid twitched. How was removing the Love Gu a presumption? She tried to argue further, but Zhao Ning had already left, and the First-Class Maid was incessantly urging her to leave the mansion, not to cling shamelessly.

“Forget it, miss,” Nanny Chen whispered to Tian Qin, as Tian Qin had earlier advised her. “That thing dies once its master is gone; it won’t affect our future life. Whether it’s removed isn’t a matter of form, but of the heart. As long as you treat it as nonexistent, it will be.”

Tian Qin could only think that way. She froze for a moment, then took a deep breath and let it go on her own.

The sea was vast, the sky open. From now on, she was free in the wilderness.

Zhaolu and Wan Cui also linked arms with Tian Qin, encouraging her: “We have hands and feet—we can read, we can embroider, we can clean. We will certainly support our young lady.”

Tian Qin smiled faintly.

The dark clouds passed; in one corner of the sky, the sun would surely shine brightly.

Everyone's fine, no one got hurt, and they all made it out safely.

…

Nanny Chen married a man when she was young, and that man was quite wealthy. Later, he fell for a young singing girl and abandoned her. Nanny Chen then became a nanny in the Yu family, caring for the siblings Tian Qin and Yan Geer, while also raising her only son, Bo Ge.

Bo Ge is illiterate and doesn’t have a proper name. He makes a living selling steamed buns, so everyone simply calls him Bo Ge. The profit from selling buns is meager. Moreover, in the early years, Nanny Chen had to repay debts for her husband, so the mother and son never managed to buy their own house. The thatched cottage Bo Ge lives in is rented, and he has to pay the landlord a total of fifteen taels of silver per year—not a single copper coin less.

Tian Qin was suddenly thrown out, wandering the streets, homeless. Nanny Chen had arranged for Bo Ge to pick her up in an oxcart, but yesterday Bo Ge had his leg run over by a high-ranking official’s speeding carriage. Two baskets of buns were knocked to the ground and snatched by beggars, so today he can’t come for Tian Qin.

Nanny Chen said, “Miss, don’t overthink it. He isn’t unwelcoming. He’s been counting the days for you to come.”

Tian Qin shook her head. Since she was no longer a pampered young lady, she wasn't going to act spoiled. “How is Bo Ge’s leg?”

“It must be broken,” Nanny Chen said sympathetically. “It keeps bleeding.”

“Why hasn’t he seen a doctor?”

“Selling buns doesn't bring in much money. He couldn't bring himself to spend it.”

Tian Qin felt for her bundle. Her own money would suffice to treat Bo Ge’s leg. “There’s money here.”

Nanny Chen hurriedly stopped Tian Qin, saying, “Absolutely not. This hundred taels is yours, miss. You need it to establish yourself. You must not spend it recklessly.”

Tian Qin’s clothes were made of Su satin, which was worth quite a bit, and the bamboo-handled umbrella she had brought from the Painting Garden was a rare and exquisite item. Pawning these things would be more than enough to pay for Bo Ge's treatment. She wasn't about to let him become a cripple.

“Let’s go. First, let’s go see Bo Ge.”

Nanny Chen was deeply moved. The young lady was beautiful and kind-hearted—why was her fate so bitter? If in the end she could end up with Bo Ge, it would be a blessing from Heaven, truly the mercy of Buddha.

Zhaolu and Wan Cui followed closely behind. Seeing Bo Ge in trouble, they offered to chip in from their own monthly wages.

The group slowly walked away, disappearing into the humble alley.