Chapter Twenty: Those Who Die, Die; Those Who Leave, Leave
Until evening, Qin Song finally regained consciousness.
Just as Qin Song, somewhat recovered, entered the main hall and saw Madam Wu sitting inside, before he could speak, the captain of the Qin household guards, Hu Shangdong, arrived.
“Madam, Young Master!”
“Someone has delivered a letter, specifically addressed to the Young Master!”
“To me?”
Qin Song, puzzled, took the letter from him.
Upon opening it, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted into his nose—clearly, a woman had written it.
“Where is the messenger?”
Seeing the contents of the letter, Qin Song’s face turned pale with shock as he asked Hu Shangdong.
“He left just a moment ago!”
No sooner had Hu Shangdong finished speaking, Qin Song dashed out without hesitation.
“Old Hu, follow quickly!”
Madam Wu, alarmed by Qin Song’s sudden rush, hurriedly instructed Hu Shangdong to follow.
Outside the Qin estate, Qin Song spotted a small child hopping away in the distance.
“Child!”
Anxious, Qin Song caught up and grabbed him. “Who gave you this letter?”
Startled, the child trembled under Qin Song’s fierce gaze and stammered, “Sister Xiangyun!”
“Where is she now?”
“Can you take me to find her?”
“Uncle, it hurts...”
But Qin Song’s demeanor was so intimidating that the child almost burst into tears.
“Young Master!”
At that moment, Hu Shangdong arrived hastily with guards.
Regaining composure, Qin Song released the child and swallowed hard. He then noticed the half-eaten candied hawthorn stick in the child’s hand.
“Child, if you lead me to Sister Xiangyun’s house, I’ll buy you a whole room full of candied hawthorns!”
“Really?”
The words worked as expected.
“Of course!”
Seeing the child’s skeptical face, Qin Song searched his pockets but found no silver.
“Young Master, here!”
Hu Shangdong promptly handed over a piece of broken silver.
“Alright, I’ll take you to Sister Xiangyun!”
Qin Song lifted the child, and under his guidance, they headed towards Xiangyun’s residence.
Shortly after, they arrived at a quiet dwelling surrounded by budding jasmine flowers.
“Sister Xiangyun, someone’s here to see you!”
The child tried to rush inside but was held back by Qin Song.
“Uncle Hu, take the child to buy candied hawthorns!”
With a heavy tone, Qin Song said without looking back.
“Understood!”
Hu Shangdong took the silver from Qin Song and sent a guard to accompany the child to buy the treats.
After sending the child away, Qin Song stepped heavily through the small garden gate and into the courtyard.
Reaching the door, he hesitated several times before summoning the courage to push it open.
Though prepared, the sight inside still made him stagger back a few steps. Only with Hu Shangdong’s support did he avoid falling.
“Young Master!”
Qin Song threw back his head and laughed bitterly, his face twisted in agony as he howled to the heavens, “Heaven above, damn it all!”
...
Night fell, and the house where Xiangyun once lived was surrounded by people. Officials held torches, keeping the curious townsfolk at bay.
Soon, two bodies draped in white cloth were carried out.
Xiangyun was dead, along with Xiaoyu.
Having left a letter for Qin Song, the two drank poison and departed this world peacefully.
By the time Qin Song arrived, it was already too late.
He sat quietly at the gate of the small courtyard, silent.
“Young Master Qin...”
Li Wusi, a local constable, approached, his face heavy with sorrow. He wanted to speak but found no words.
Not long ago, the Yuezhou prefecture had issued a statement claiming that the two women who died in the Jade Pavilion had been abducted by thieves and that the Cao family’s young master was uninvolved.
Yet, at the Jade Pavilion’s entrance, Xiangyun and Xiaoyu had openly accused the Cao young master in front of the entire city!
However, in court, both women recanted their statements, clearing the Cao young master’s name.
Without a shadow of doubt, Li Wusi believed this was orchestrated behind the scenes.
Now, Xiangyun and Xiaoyu’s suicides were the strongest evidence of the truth.
“Li Wusi!”
After a long silence, Qin Song’s hoarse voice broke through. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Young Master Qin, please command.”
“Find several craftsmen and prepare exquisite coffins for Sister Xiangyun, Sister Xiaoyu, and the two other women from the brothel.”
“Find a place with good feng shui and bury them there.”
“Also...”
Turning to look at the jasmine flowers filling the courtyard, Qin Song continued, “Send a few men to transplant all these flowers over to their graves.”
“When it’s done, inform me of their resting place.”
“One day, I will come with Cao Ruixuan’s head to pay my respects.”
“Young Master!”
Qin Song’s final words startled Li Wusi.
Meeting Qin Song’s icy gaze, Li Wusi hurriedly replied, “I will ensure they are properly buried.”
“Uncle Hu, silver!”
In his rush, Qin Song had left without taking any money and had to ask Hu Shangdong, who promptly handed over a silver note worth fifty taels.
“Young Master Qin, this is far too much!”
Li Wusi, whose monthly salary was only a few taels, instinctively refused.
“Take it. Do this right, then share the rest with the brothers.”
After some hesitation, Li Wusi accepted the note. “Young Master, I will carry out your orders.”
Satisfied with the promise, Qin Song stood and looked at the two bodies lying on the ground in the distance. Yet, he lacked the courage to approach.
His heart heavy with grief and burning with rage, he finished the arrangements and prepared to leave.
“Young Master Qin!”
Among the gathered crowd, a young man called out.
“Why did Sister Xiangyun take her own life?”
“And what is the meaning of the prefecture’s announcement?”
News of the day’s events had spread throughout the city, but the outcome shocked everyone.
Facing the stares of the townsfolk, Qin Song glanced back at the small courtyard and bitterly said, “Because of this world.”
With those five words, he left.
Though Qin Song departed, the crowd lingered.
“Corrupt officials! They must have colluded to force Sister Xiangyun to change her testimony and let that Cao bastard escape justice!”
“Sister Xiangyun felt ashamed before us and couldn’t bear the humiliation—so she poisoned herself!”
“Yes, it must be so!”
“Corrupt officials!”
“And the Jade Pavilion’s madam—I saw her strut out today, arrogant as can be!”
“Yes, that old hag!”
“Yes, go find that old witch!”
The crowd’s anger quickly flared.
Most of the townsfolk were Xiangyun’s neighbors.
Though a courtesan, Xiangyun’s kind nature had earned her the love of the community.
Following her and Xiaoyu’s suicides, a grassroots movement of retribution quietly began.
The next morning, as the Yuezhou governor Lin You stepped outside, he was bombarded with rotten eggs and vegetables.
That night, the entire prefectural office was doused with filth.
Upon hearing the news, Jiangnan prefect Li Wei rushed over, only to be pelted with eggs and vegetables en route.
Furious and covered in filth, Li Wei arrested several rioters, intending to make an example of them.
But his actions only fueled greater public outrage.
Suddenly, every official in Yuezhou became a target of the people’s wrath.
The next day, Li Wei and Lin You, unable to withstand the pressure, released all the detained townsfolk, and the unrest slowly subsided.
Meanwhile, the day after Xiangyun and Xiaoyu’s suicides, the Jade Pavilion’s madam, Madam Liu, vanished without a trace. Despite days of searching, the prefectural office found no sign of her.
Only after Xiangyun and Xiaoyu were properly buried did Madam Liu’s severed head appear at their graves.
Of course, these events unfolded later—Qin Song himself never anticipated the matter escalating so far.
When he learned of everything, he merely sneered and said it was well deserved.
After resting overnight at the Qin estate, Qin Song planned to visit Yuezhou harbor to reward the navy, but then learned Yang Xiu had arrived.
“Brother Qin, I’m leaving!”
Yang Xiu, meeting Qin Song, spoke with a seriousness that contrasted sharply with his usual carefree demeanor.
“Leaving?”
“Where to?”
Qin Song’s heart sank, sensing something ominous.
“To the northwest border army. I depart today!”
“Lord Di was right. When one errs, one must pay the price.”
“But once you possess enough power, even the gravest mistakes will be forgiven.”
Yesterday, among the three, Yang Xiu was the only one punished—just a symbolic flogging—but it taught him much.
Upon returning home with his father, Yang Xun, before a word was spoken, Yang Xiu declared, “Father, I want to enlist. I’m going to the northwest border army!”
The northwest of the Great Xia was a vast expanse of desert and Gobi.
There, at the intersection of Great Xia, Northern Qi, and Western Liang, war had never ceased.
“Very well!”
Unexpectedly, Yang Xun consented immediately.
“You...”
Qin Song was stunned by Yang Xiu’s decision to join the border forces.
“Brother Qin, no more drinking and visiting brothels with me!”
“But when you see me again, I might be a great general!”
Qin Song said nothing, only embraced Yang Xiu firmly.
“Good brother, take care.”
After his father arranged everything, Yang Xiu, bearing a new identity and enough provisions, left Yuezhou on horseback, bound for the Great Xia northwest frontier.