Chapter 4: Defying Fate
The three masters were all waiting for her in the quiet room.
A lone lamp cast its glow on the wooden window. The night in Old Mausoleum Swamp was filled with the howling of mountain winds, like the wails of ghosts.
Master Jing Shan sat cross-legged on a cushion. Her mind was still, her eyes were still. Her pitch-black eyes, long unable to see, exuded an undeniable authority.
“Thirteen, kneel!”
Xue Sui knelt down properly, “Master, Second Master, Third Master…”
She was the thirteenth disciple, and the youngest, of the Corpse Guarding Three Elders of Old Mausoleum Swamp.
The youngest disciple was always the most doted upon.
Seeing her lower her head in admission of fault, the Third Master sighed with heartache, “Thirteen, was it you who secretly plotted and arranged for the Xue family’s eldest lady to seek you out and bring you back to the capital?”
Xue Sui’s head drooped slightly, and she nodded.
The Second Master asked, “Have you thought it through?”
“This disciple has thought for ten years.”
Xue Sui bowed again, kowtowing once to each of her three masters. She raised her eyes, “Ten years ago, they often said that the daughter of a dancer was destined for a lowly life, to endure a thousand hardships and suffer ten thousand torments. Even if poisoned, beaten, and enslaved by nobles, it should be considered a heavenly blessing… They also said that my seven killings were too strong, that I was a born wicked seed, destined to endure all humiliation. This disciple has endured for ten years, all for the sake of today… to defy fate! I beg my three masters to grant my wish.”
After a moment, Jing Shan finally spoke again, “Back then, I swore on my master’s deathbed that the Corpse Keepers of Old Mausoleum Swamp would, for generations, remain detached from the troubles of the martial world and uninvolved in court disputes, only protecting this peace…”
“This disciple understands.” Xue Sui lowered her head, took out the “Imperial Envoy” token from her embrace, caressed it reluctantly for a moment, then held it high above her head with both hands and kowtowed heavily.
“This disciple is seeking personal revenge and should no longer hold the Imperial Envoy’s decree. This journey is long and arduous, and this disciple bears the consequences of life and death. My grievances have nothing to do with Old Mausoleum Swamp!”
Her forehead struck the cold bluestone, making a faint muffled sound, as if striking one’s heart.
“This disciple is unfilial. I implore my three esteemed masters to take care of yourselves and enjoy peace and health every year. When this disciple’s great revenge is achieved, I will repay your kindness.”
Jing Shan remained silent, his blind eyes seeming to hold a vast sea of clouds.
The other two masters occasionally glanced at her from the corners of their eyes, silently, without words.
They seemed to see the scene from years ago: a frail little girl, thin as a sprout, covered in dirt, in ragged clothes, holding a rusty dagger, walking barefoot with blistered feet, and then kneeling heavily on the ground.
“This disciple wishes to join your sect, to follow Master from now on, to listen to your teachings, to study the ten arts, to uphold the spirit of chivalry, and to help those suffering in the world. If I break this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me.”
–
Xue Sui was confined by the Master.
Ten days later, at dawn, the Fourth Miss Xue Yueying of the Xue Mansion personally led people to the outskirts of Old Mausoleum Swamp.
Having been lectured by Granny Fang, she did not dare to enter the Mausoleum Land. She only paid silver to hire a “guide” to deliver a message.
When Xiao Zhao received the news and arrived, Xue Sui was sitting cross-legged, holding a goat hair brush in the quiet room, copying something.
Xiao Zhao was a little excited, “Miss, are we really going to the capital?”
Xue Sui glanced at the yellow paper she was copying.
Several names were written on it.
There were Ping Le, Xie Weilan, Yao Wei, Lu Xi, Guo Zhaohuai, as well as Gu Jie, Fu Shi, Xue Yueying, and others…
One name was circled in ink: “Xue Qingzhi.”
That was her father.
Xue Sui pulled out the yellow paper with the names and threw it into the fire basin. After it had burned to ashes, she smiled and said:
“Let’s go. There are so many delicious things in the capital. Sesame cakes, osmanthus candied lotus root, eight-treasure congee, braised dried meat. Fabrics, rouge, porcelain, spices are all exquisite. Inns and teahouses, entertainment and acrobatics, singing and dancing, a feast for the eyes… If we don’t go, how will we know what they taste like?”
Xiao Zhao shivered.
She had just glimpsed that what her mistress was writing was not the scriptures the Master had assigned for copying, but names longer than those in the picture album. A chill ran down her spine.
They were endless.
There was no end to them.
–
Xue Yueying sat in the carriage. On the small sandalwood table in front of her were pastries and hot tea. She wore a snow-satin jacket and skirt in lotus root pink, adorned with rich peonies and lotuses, her makeup elegant.
She was very beautiful. Anyone who saw her for the first time would be captivated by her beauty.
Accompanying her was the Fifth Son of the Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion, Gu Jie.
The two were talking head-to-head about the wedding arrangements for next month.
“Fourth Miss, the person… has been brought out.”
Xue Yueying slowly turned her head and saw Xue Sui standing gracefully under the ginkgo tree in the cold wind. Yellow leaves covered the ground, and she smiled faintly.
Ten years of time had been brutally cut off, and it was difficult for the person before her to align with her memory.
Undeniably, the lowly daughter of a dancer had grown into a radiant, moving, and dignified woman, making her unrecognizable.
“Sixth Sister, is that you?”
Xue Sui smiled and walked closer, “Fourth Miss Xue, I hope you have been well.”
“Sixth Sister, you have suffered.” Xue Yueying’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she stood up to pull Xue Sui.
Xue Sui took a step back. She missed her grasp and awkwardly bent over, unsure whether to sit or stand.
“Ten years have passed, and Sixth Sister still holds resentment? Alas… you were so young then, just children playing. When children play, they inevitably go too far. Sixth Sister should be more tolerant and magnanimous…”
She opened a hidden compartment in the carriage and took out a box.
“Granny Fang was frightened in Old Mausoleum Swamp and fell ill upon returning to the mansion. Mother was furious and wanted to have you beaten. I pleaded with her and managed to dissuade her. I also specifically asked Young Master Gu to bring a hundred-year-old ginseng. You should offer it to Mother when you return, kowtow, and apologize. Your punishment will then be waived.”
Xue Sui smiled faintly.
She was one year younger than Xue Yueying, and both were born of concubines, yet their fates were worlds apart.
The Fourth Miss was exceptionally beautiful and gentle. Her birth mother died early, but she became Xue Qingzhi’s cherished memory. Thus, she was raised by Madam Fu from a young age, understanding and considerate, like a blooming flower. Among the many young ladies of the Xue Mansion, she was the most like her eldest sister, Xue Yuechen, in character and talent, and was highly favored.
In the past, when Xue Sui was bullied, the Fourth Miss would always step forward to speak on her behalf, and occasionally shed tears of sympathy.
With this unique skill, the more she pleaded, the more cruelly those people bullied.
And Xue Sui, at first, had also considered her a good person and treated her sincerely…
“Thank you, Fourth Miss.” Xue Sui chuckled, her eyes slightly raised.
“Do I need to kneel to receive your kindness?”
Xue Yueying was stunned for a moment, then smiled softly.
“Sixth Sister, what nonsense are you speaking? We are good sisters, family.”
She withdrew her hand from her sleeve, her face full of emotion, “These years, I often dreamed of you. Later, I also sent people to look for you, but those who returned all said you were abducted by kidnappers… Sixth Sister, how much suffering have you endured all these years… Alas, since you are alive, why didn’t you find your way home?”
Home? Xue Sui couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“It seems Fourth Miss has forgotten, I am the one the Xue family did not want.”
Xue Yueying thought of childhood events and raised her sleeve to wipe her eyes, “It’s all in the past. Sisters reunited after a long separation, let’s not mention those sad things. Now, with Eldest Sister’s favor, Sixth Sister has found a good marriage, and your fortunes will turn…”
Xue Sui smiled, “Shall I exchange this excellent marriage with Fourth Miss?”
Xue Yueying bit her lower lip aggrievedly, “Sixth Sister still resents me, for not being able to protect you when I was young?”
Xue Sui pursed her lips, “Fourth Miss is still so kind and magnanimous, so good at speaking.”
Her tone was flat.
Gu Jie, however, heard the sarcasm in her words and his expression changed.
“Xue Liu, what are you still foolishly dreaming about?”
He looked at Xue Sui with disgust, “Ying’er is thinking of you wholeheartedly, yet you refuse to let her off. In the end, you still can’t let go of our engagement. Don’t you think about it? It wasn’t my will back then. If you hadn’t shamelessly begged my mother, how could she have forced me to marry you?”
Gu Jie’s mother and Xue Sui’s mother were both famous courtesans in Liuxiang Pavilion.
However, Gu Jie’s mother was brought into the Marquis’s Mansion by Marquis Jingyuan in a grand sedan chair.
Although Marquis Gu, under family pressure, did not remarry, he also did not take a principal wife. All matters of the inner chambers were handled by her, making her equivalent to a half-mistress.
The Marquis would listen to her words, and Gu Jie had no choice but to listen.
Xue Sui called her “Aunt Chun.” She was a woman who loved to laugh, smelled fragrant, had warm palms, and would stuff her mouth with delicious candied fruits, as if to melt one’s heart.
It was also because of this that when she saw Gu Jie being humiliated because of Aunt Chun’s status, she would desperately rush to his rescue.
Gu Jie was timid and never resisted beatings or scolding.
That day, they were playing with great enthusiasm, riding on Gu Jie’s head, slashing his clothes with a knife, and almost cutting his throat…
It was Xue Sui who rushed over, pushed the knife away, and protected him…
Unexpectedly, the knife cut Princess Ping Le’s peacock feather robe.
From then on, the one being humiliated changed from Gu Jie to her.
Although Gu Jie, who had climbed out of the abyss, refused to look back at her, Aunt Chun became convinced that she was a good match for Gu Jie and insisted on marrying her into the Xue family.
As a result, when Xue Sui “mysteriously disappeared” later, Aunt Chun heard some gossip from the Xue Mansion and learned of her plight. She cried bitterly with heartache and made a stern declaration that she would rather her son remain a bachelor than marry someone else.
It wasn’t until this year, when Aunt Chun fell ill and Xue Yueying became pregnant, that the pressure to marry became unbearable, and the Marquis’s reputation would also be affected. Only then did she soften her heart and agree to Gu Jie and Xue Yueying’s marriage.
Xue Sui looked at the disgusting pair and suddenly laughed.
“It’s been ten years since we last met, is Aunt Chun well?”
Li Zhao: Which reader can tell me why they call me “Thief Li” in the comment section?
Xue Sui（）: You’re bold! You tried to poison me.
Li Zhao: Alright, Xue Ping’an.
