I shook my head. "The evidence against Wen Qi is still circumstantial. Giving Wen Jiang the wrong food could be explained as a simple mistake by someone who had only recently returned to the capital. Her painting and zither playing could also be dismissed as mere oversights. None of it constitutes legal proof. Zhang Zhuyi is even more elusive; she hasn't left a single opening. She entered the Xixi Pavilion as a decoy to draw the attention of my brothers, my sister, and me, allowing Wen Qi to act as the true operative in the shadows."
Thinking of this brought back memories of my time with Wen Qi at the Xixi Pavilion, and everything became clear. "So, her approaching me, her affectionate embraces, her constant offerings of food—it was all to harm me... Perhaps during one of those hugs, she had a contact poison hidden in her hand..." Fortunately, my years of martial arts training had given me the instinct to dodge; otherwise, I might have died in that secluded corner of the East Garden without anyone ever finding me.
Even Wei Qingming’s expression darkened. "To think such a thing happened," she said in a low, cold voice. "In that case, when Xia Ji spoke of a 'favor that shouldn't have been done,' he likely wasn't referring to you rescuing Zhang Zhuyi, but rather..."
"But rather my arrival in the capital six years ago, when I impersonated Wen Qi..." I pressed my palms to my forehead, feeling weak from the onslaught of these terrifying realizations. "Aside from the original Wen Qi, who was likely eliminated by the possessor, the person who knows Wen Qi best is me, for I possess all her memories." Xia Ji’s first attempt to kill me had been hurried, occurring over a month after I saved Zhang Zhuyi. However, it was shortly after I reunited with 'Wen Qi' that the real danger began. If the motive was the former, he would have had more time to plan; it was far more likely related to the latter.
"Zhang Zhuyi was not idle either." Wei Qingming pulled me into her arms, offering comfort with gentle strokes before pulling out another painting. "Using the Nine Heavens Ringing Jade to suppress the Demon Zither was a grand distraction—a way to repair the plank road in the light of day. Helping Xia Ji escape, however, was the secret crossing of Chencang."
She pointed to a corner of the West Courtyard in the painting. "Xia Ji invaded from the north, using illusions to confuse the guards and break the formation by force. His escape, however, was strange. Generally, the formation keys for different gates in a grand estate are not interchangeable. Even if he took the north gate key from a guard, it would be useless in the west. Yet, he didn't need to break the formation; he passed through the wall's array and leaped over with ease. According to Yan Mingqiu’s description, before he jumped the west wall, he took an unnecessary detour to the south before fleeing northwest. The path of that detour..."
I understood immediately. My fingertip brushed hers where she pressed against the corner of the painting depicting the Xixi Pavilion itself. "I suspect that is where Zhang Zhuyi resides!"
"Precisely." Wei Qingming smiled. "She has a flaw. If I were to order the recovery of the jade passes used to enter the Matchmaker’s Banquet, she certainly wouldn't be able to produce hers. Unless Xia Ji was truly so meticulous that he remembered to return it to the Zhang Manor after using it."
"One lurking in the Zhang family, one in the Wen family..." I frowned and sighed. "The politics of an entire nation are nothing more than playthings in their hands."
"However, no matter how brilliant they are, their status as women prevents them from truly manipulating the situation through the two Prime Ministers," Wei Qingming said. "Therefore, there must be a Wu Ziming to coordinate with Zhang Zhuyi, and a similar figure must be planted within the Wen Manor. If I were the architect of this scheme, the optimal candidate would naturally be the Fourth Master, Wen Xuan."
"Of course, of course..." I said. "How could the Fourth Master fail to notice something was wrong with his daughter? They must have simply decided to finish the job and possess him as well!"
"Even among the arts of the Underworld, soul-snatching is an absolute forbidden technique with extremely rigorous requirements. It is difficult to ensure that the host soul and the physical body are always a perfect match," Wei Qingming noted. "I have already dispatched people to investigate. We only need to wait for confirmation."
After discussing these serious matters for so long, Wei Qingming saw me sitting with my head bowed in deep thought, my brows furrowed. She smiled and rubbed the center of my forehead, saying softly, "Tomorrow is finally free of business. Shall we go out and enjoy ourselves?"
"Alright." I smiled back. "The beast fights at the Thorn Pit are finally opening tomorrow. Is Master Wei afraid of the crowds, or do you dare to join the excitement?"
She chuckled. "Actually, I’ve already made arrangements to enter through a side entrance. However, the atmosphere of the New Year requires a bit of jostling. You decide, Ah Zhi."
I knew she only said this because our last trip to the Deer Cry Garden had been rushed, and we had spent a lot of time just getting inside. She was always excessively detailed when it came to things involving me, and she had clearly prepared for this long ago. How could I ignore such thoughtfulness? I hugged her arm and laughed. "I have an idea. We’ll squeeze through the crowd to get in, but use our connections to get out. Wouldn't that be best?"
She was thoroughly amused by my cleverness, laughing for a good while before kissing my cheek as she usually did. "Truly, truly a brilliant mind."
I slept lazily until broad daylight. By the time I woke, Master Wei had already finished a round of official business and returned to the room. I smelled the cool scent of pine needles and the delicate fragrance of winter plum on her, gathered as she walked through the garden. Before I even opened my eyes, I reached out and hooked my arms around her neck to pull her down. I heard her soft laugh. "My body is cold; I don't want to chill you, Ah Zhi."
"Then come and warm up?" I winked at her, playfully hooking a finger into the collar of her robe.
"If we warm up, we won't be able to leave until the afternoon," she said calmly. "The beast fights you want to see are only held in the morning."
In the end, my skin wasn't as thick as hers. I was the one who started blushing first, causing the hand she held against my cheek to warm up quickly. More importantly, we had agreed to go with Zhu Yixin and the others; if we "warmed up" until the afternoon, she would surely tease me to death.
I was a bit sulky, but my mood improved once Master Wei personally styled my hair and chose my jewelry. We were chatting and laughing over a leisurely breakfast when, halfway through, Zhu Yixin came knocking loudly on the window to urge us out. I shouted for her to come in. she acted all coy and bashful about lifting the curtain, pretending it was improper, until I gave her a good scolding. Only then did she sit at the table, laughing heartily.
"Why did you suddenly want that letter from Qian Sui You?" she asked. Even though she had clearly already eaten, she insisted on snatching the pickled radish shreds from atop my egg custard.
Fearing it would bring up painful memories for Wei Qingming, I gave a brief summary of the situation first. Zhu Yixin was so shocked she forgot to put the radish in her mouth, her chopsticks frozen in mid-air. After a long moment, she said, "It’s actually Ah Qing’s brother!"
"It's not certain yet. In any case, we need Shu Hong’s help to investigate." I quickly shot a look at Zhu Yixin. Yesterday, Master Wei had mentioned that ever since Feng Zhen presided over the national search years ago, she and Grandpa Feng had tried countless methods, both openly and in secret. They had exhausted their wits. I understood her state of mind; if a thousand searches yielded nothing, one's heart would eventually turn to ice. If this closest lead turned out to be a dead end, it would be like slicing open a hard scab that had covered a wound for years.
Zhu Yixin caught my meaning. "If Ah Qing is comfortable with it, leave this to me and Ah Song. You have too much on your plate, and I see your commanders are all busy without a moment's rest. We have the Yin family's help, so there's no need to use the resources of the Court of State Ceremonies."
Wei Qingming, who had been silent, finally smiled faintly. "How could I not be comfortable? There is no rush." Though she said there was no rush, it was clearly a case of "the closer one gets to home, the greater the trepidation."
"It's not about rushing, it's about getting started immediately!" Zhu Yixin said with a grin. "If all goes well, perhaps we’ll find him before the year is out. We can bring him home for a grand reunion—how wonderful would that be!" She clapped her hands and added pointedly, "Even if it wasn't for you, I’d search heaven and earth just for the chance to meet the real Qian Sui You!"
Only then did Master Wei’s smile truly brighten. She bowed slightly and said, "I am in your debt, brother and sister. If travel is required, I will handle the arrangements."
Our outing today could be described as the whole nest moving out. Wei Qingming had come up with a novel idea: a train of four connected fragrant carriages pulled by six horses. Two to four people could share a compartment, racing through the streets like a string of pearls filled with laughter. Zhu Yixin and her partner shared one, while Wei Qingming and I shared another. Lu Lingfeng, Xuesu, and Nie Xiaoyan took the third. Lu Kaifeng was left in the last one, his old face slightly flushed as he was forced to share a compartment with the Great Head of the Nie family. The carriages were open-topped, but with charcoal braziers and hand warmers, no one complained of the cold. Calling out to each other along the way was immensely fun.
We dismounted at Longjin Bridge, south of Daxiangguo Temple. Zhu Yixin cried out in excitement and hiked up her skirts to dive into the crowd, but I mischievously tugged on Wei Qingming’s sleeve. I pulled her toward the main gate of the temple, pointing at the magnificent, solemn buildings and the gold-lettered plaque inscribed by Emperor Taizong. I asked with a giggle, "Will you kneel? Will you fulfill your vow?"
Wei Qingming understood immediately. She laughed. "You mean the vow I made for your safety? Unfortunately, I never pray to the Bodhisattvas. I only believe in the Shura."
The meaning behind her words was cold and hard, yet it possessed her usual dashing charm. The light flowing in her narrowed eyes was warm and ambiguous, spilling directly onto my face. It was more than I could handle; my heart began to race just as it had when we first met, and I didn't dare look at her again.
Instead, she stepped forward and cupped my face, speaking low and slow in my ear. "You are so wonderful, Ah Zhi; how could the gods bear to break you? The Taoist Ancestors and the Buddhas of the Western Heaven are all protecting you for me. If any god or demon dares to be blind to that, I will cast them down from the nine heavens into eternal perdition."
My face flushed crimson. I lowered my head and gave her a playful punch. "Listen to you. Do you really want to be the Protector of Horses in Heaven?"
"I'll pass on the horses. But if there's a position for raising cats in the Celestial Court..." She smiled, pulling me into her arms. "I would certainly fight for it."
The talk was getting more and more childish. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I poked her cheek. "Let's go. Sister and the others are already out of sight."
The Thorn Pit market had opened early, and it was now past the hour of the Snake. If we dallied any longer, we really would miss the beast fights. This was the most novel performance in ten years, and everyone was interested. Back at the house, my brothers and sisters had teased me: "How can a cat watch a beast fight? It's too bloody!" I had been so annoyed I threw an empty teacup at Zhu Yixin, who was laughing the hardest, though Qiao Songlin blocked it.
Nie Xueqing had stepped in with a seemingly kind attempt to smooth things over, saying solemnly, "The cat we’re raising is no ordinary cat. A Pallas's cat is a fierce beast. I saw one in Hanzhou once; with a single leap and a swipe of its claws, it killed a sand falcon that was circling overhead trying to steal its food. Don't be fooled by the fact that ordinary snow foxes or lynxes are larger; none of them dare to face the sharpness of its teeth and claws!"
Everyone had played along, nodding and praising, "So that's how it is, how impressive." Only I knew the truth. Our lineage of Snow Pallas's Cats was far more beautiful than our mottled, earthy cousins. Our fur was pure white, fine, and soft, and our bodies were slender. Though our ears were set a bit lower than a normal cat's, our faces were the most exquisite. We had always been the most expensive in the world of spirit pets. As for hunting and fighting for food... who would bother fighting when there's someone to feed you? We had been domesticated for over a thousand years; they were actually rare in the wild. The only reason my Master had traveled ten thousand miles to Hanzhou to find my parents was because he was stingy and poor; he loved beautiful spirit pets but couldn't afford the price of a million spirit stones. He had lured me away with a few bags of low-grade cat food from the West Market, and my parents had been so grateful they were moved to tears while eating it...
Wei Qingming had only smiled leisurely. With one hand around my shoulder, she gently rubbed it, while the other caught the teacup Qiao Songlin tossed back. Looking at me, she said, "Ah Zhi took human form after only a few years at her Master's side, not to mention she learned all of Great Head Nie’s skills. She hasn't been just a cat for a long time."
Though her words sounded much more sincere than Nie Xueqing’s, and no one dared to laugh once Master Wei spoke, this woman was the one who loved calling me a cat the most—especially during certain unspeakable moments. I didn't know whether to be grateful or not, so I simply slammed my head against her shoulder, knocking her slightly off balance. But she was too thin; her shoulder bone made my head ache!
Leaving the pious men and women at the temple gate, the two of us walked hand-in-hand, chatting as we squeezed toward the entrance of the Thorn Pit. We had lost the others, but Lu Lingfeng was standing not far from where we dismounted, holding Xuesu’s hand and waiting for us. Since Nie Xiaoyan was with them, she hadn't left either. She had likely witnessed the intimate display between me and her romantic rival just now, for her face was full of awkwardness, looking even more embarrassed than I was.
"Why haven't you gone in?" I asked, surprised.
To my amazement, Xuesu—who hadn't spoken more than fifty words since we met—stepped forward and answered, "Protect you."
My stomach hurt from suppressed laughter. It was rare for her to take the initiative, but now that my partner was back, did I really need her protection? To my surprise, Master Wei gave a slight nod and said calmly, "Stay close." She then put an arm around my waist, pulling me into her embrace as she led the way through the crowd. She truly treated Xuesu like an invisible shadow guard.
"Let her get used to you, and you to her," she explained.
A warm feeling flooded my heart. She might have to leave my side at any moment, so this was entirely for my sake. I looked up from the shelter of her sleeve at the sky. The cold, stagnant, lifeless winter sunlight seemed to be stirred by the boisterous, festive crowd, rippling with a faint, warm clarity. This was the world she wanted to protect for me; this was the space between heaven and earth where our countless beautiful memories took place. Suddenly, I understood the heart with which she performed those not-so-honorable deeds during her brushes with death.
If devout faith is simply a love buried deep within the heart that never wavers, then the deity I believe in is her.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 夺舍 | Soul-snatching / Possession | A forbidden technique where a soul takes over another's body. |
| 棘盆 | Thorn Pit | A historical term for a public arena or performance space, here used for beast fighting. |
| 大相国寺 | Daxiangguo Temple | A famous Buddhist temple in Kaifeng (the capital). |
| 龙津桥 | Longjin Bridge | A famous bridge in the capital. |
| 雪兔狲 | Snow Pallas's Cat | The narrator's original animal form; a rare spirit beast. |
| 弼马温 | Protector of Horses | A reference to Sun Wukong's lowly title in the Celestial Court. |
| 萝卜丝鲊 | Pickled radish shreds | A type of preserved or fermented vegetable dish. |
| 香车 | Fragrant carriage | A luxury carriage, often scented or decorated. |
| 还愿 | Fulfilling a vow | Returning to a temple to thank the gods after a prayer is answered. |
