Han Jingdong had been wounded in the abdomen and had lost a great deal of blood. By the time Qiu Shi arrived at Wuyou Courtyard, his wounds...
Han Jingdong had been wounded in the abdomen and had lost a great deal of blood. By the time Qiu Shi arrived at Wuyou Courtyard, his wounds had already been bandaged; however, due to the excessive blood loss and the fact that the location of the injury, Han Jingdong had fallen into a coma.
Qiu Shi asked Han Yong, "Have you sent someone to fetch a physician?"
Han Yong nodded. "I already did." Whether the physician would actually come, however, was still uncertain.
Half a shichen1 later, Han Hua, who had gone to fetch the physician, returned. Upon seeing Qiu Shi, he reported, "Old Lady, there are bandits everywhere outside right now. The physician doesn't dare to come."
The physician had initially agreed to come after Han Hua had promised him a hefty sum. However, after stepping out of his house and walking only a few paces, he saw a group of bandits who had just finished a robbery. Although the two of them hid well and were not discovered, the physician still refused to come to the Duke's residence. After all, a physician was only a human, and humans fear death.
Seeing blood on Han Hua's body, Qiu Shi asked anxiously, "What happened to you? Are you injured?" Han Hua was Han Yong's nephew and intensely loyal to the family. Losing one more person would be a severe blow to the Han household.
Han Hua shook his head. "Old Lady, this blood belongs to the bandits, not me. Many residences have been robbed. On my way back, I even saw several houses on fire." Given the chaos in the capital, those people who value money over their lives are surely trying to make a quick fortune amid the disorder.
Qiu Shi murmured 'Amitabha' and said, "Let's wait until daybreak before sending for a physician again." If the physician wouldn't come, they couldn't very well abduct him. In the current situation, if they truly tried to seize a physician by force, those sent out might not make it back alive.
Han Hua, a bold young man, suggested, "Old Lady, I think now is precisely the right time to leave the city." Once order has been restored in the capital, it will be much more difficult to leave.
Han Yong scolded him, "The city gates are already closed. How do you expect them to leave tomorrow?" Without the ability to fly or burrow underground, how could anyone possibly manage to get out of the city?
Feeling that this reasoning was flawed, Han Hua asked, "Bofu2, how do you know the city gates won't open tomorrow?" It was entirely possible that the gates would open tomorrow.
Because Qiu Shi was present, Han Yong did not reprimand Han Hua. Nevertheless, it was precisely this impulsive temperament that made Han Yong unwilling to entrust him with heavy responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Han Jingdong developed a fever due to an infection in his wound. As no physician arrived, Qiu Shi had no choice but to instruct the maids to use folk remedies to reduce his fever. As soon as dawn broke, she sent Han Hua to fetch a physician again.
After taking Han Jingdong's pulse, the physician shook his head and said, "The injury has struck a vital area. Even the immortals would struggle to save him. Prepare for the worst."
Qiu Shi asked, "Is there truly no possible way at all?"
The physician shook his head. "This old man has already done everything within my ability." With injuries this severe, not even Hua Tuo could save him if he were alive.
Qiu Shi sighed and told Han Yong, "Once the city gates open, send someone to inform the Duke and have him return to oversee the Old Duke's funeral arrangements." No matter what, the Old Duke was still his biological father. As his son, Han Jiangming must don mourning clothes and observe filial rites—this was what a child owed their parent.
Jianye was far away in the northwest and could not rush back, but Jianming, who was in Baoding, had to return. Otherwise, people would poke him in the spine3.
Han Yong nodded. "I'll make the arrangements immediately." The Old Duke had indeed chosen his timing well, dying in a way that dragged his entire family down with him. Han Yong only hoped that the rebel forces would attack a little later. That way, they might still have a chance to escape.
Although Han Jingdong's coffin had been prepared long ago, his burial clothes had not, so these now had to be made in haste. In the current circumstances, holding a grand funeral was out of the question; avoiding complete humiliation would already be considered fortunate.
At around noon, the Zhou family of the Marquis of Changping's residence sent over an obituary reporting the passing of Old Lady Zhou. She was seventy-three this year, which counted as a ripe old age in this era. Unfortunately, she did not die peacefully of old age, but passed away after suffering a severe fright.
Old Duke Han Jingdong could lose his life at any moment, and the Duke's residence was already in complete chaos. At a time like this, formal etiquette could no longer be observed, so only the Second Steward was sent over; the others were too busy to spare the time.
Upon returning, the Second Steward reported to Qiu Shi, "Old Lady, the Zhou household has also been robbed. These bandits were extremely vicious—not only did they steal money, but they also killed many people. On top of that, they abducted many young and pretty maidservants. Even Old Lady Zhou's personal attendant was taken."
In fact, more than half of the households in the capital were robbed that night. Those who were fortunate, like the Han family, encountered 'good thieves' who only wanted money and spared lives. Those who were unlucky, like the Zhou family, ran into bandits who wanted money, lives and people as well.
Qiu Shi softly recited 'Amitabha Buddha' once more.
Before the Second Steward had finished speaking, he heard her recite Amitabha, which made him hesitate briefly. Still, he continued nonetheless: "Old Lady, the Third Old Lord's household was also robbed. And more than three hundred bandits broke into Jing Wangfu4 last night. They completely stripped the estate bare." Not to mention the lavish dowry that stretched for miles when Yuchen got married, her reputation alone was enough to make many people willing to take the risk.
Startled, Qiu Shi hurriedly asked, "Are Wangfei5and Lord Shizi6 all right?" Although she detested Han Jingyan, Yuchen had always borne goodwill towards the Duke's household.
The Second Steward shook his head. "There's been no word of Wangfei5 or the Lord Shizi6 being injured." At times like this, no news was good news.
Qiu Shi finally felt relieved and said, "That's good, then."
After returning to her room, Qiu Shi said to Mama Li, "Luckily, my saozi7 and the others all went to Fujian." After Old Master Qiu passed away, the entire second branch of the Qiu family returned to their hometown in Fujian to observe the mourning period. Even after the mourning period ended, they never returned to the capital. Not coming back turned out to be a blessing—they avoided this disaster entirely.
Mama Li was equally emotional and exclaimed, "Isn't that the truth!" In fact, she herself thought returning to Fujian wouldn't be bad at all—her own relatives were all there. However, such matters were not for her to decide: since Han Jianming had chosen to go to the northwest, they naturally had to follow.
Upon hearing that the wangfu4 had been thoroughly looted and that many people had died, Yuchen broke out in a cold sweat. "Thank goodness Wangye had made arrangements." Had they waited until nightfall to escape, they would have fallen straight into the hands of the bandits.
The place that Jing Wang had arranged was a very ordinary, single-courtyard residence. It had five rooms and a small yard. Of course, that was only what appeared on the surface. Unbeknownst to outsiders, two interconnected underground chambers had been dug beneath the yard. One was used as living quarters, while the other was stocked with grain and supplies. In regular times, they could live above ground, but if anything unusual happened, Yuchen could take the children and the maidservants to the cellar to hide.
Momo Gui was also so frightened that her legs nearly gave way. "Exactly—fortunately, we got out." If they hadn't, who knows what state they'd be in now?
Wang Fan, the youngest son of the Chief Steward, arrived with a message. "Wangfei5, a message came this morning from Jinyu Alley saying that Old Lord Han was badly frightened last night and has fallen ill."
At this moment, it was impossible for Yuchen to visit Han Jingyan in person. She said, "Have the Chief Steward send some medicinal supplies over." Given that she herself was struggling to stay safe, there was little more she could do beyond that.
Wang Fan nodded.
After a moment's thought, Yuchen asked, "What's the situation outside now?" Without someone taking charge of the overall situation, the capital would remain chaotic for some time.
Wang Fan shook his head and replied, "I've heard that Elder Grand Chancellor Yu has already awoken and is able to take charge. The situation should be brought under control very soon." Since Grand Chancellor Yu was capable of forcing the Emperor to his death, he would undoubtedly be able to take control of the capital as well.
After hearing this, Yuchen felt even more uneasy. "Wang Fan, don't come here again unless it's something important." She was worried that his frequent visits would expose their whereabouts.
Wang Fan nodded and advised, "Wangfei5, the situation outside is unstable right now. It would be best for you not to show yourself for the time being. Once Wangye returns to the capital, he will come to escort you back to the residence." Wangfei5's reputation was too prominent—who knew if someone with impure desires might set their sights on her? Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter, but at a time like this, caution was best.
Looking at Yuchen's anxious face, Momo Gui tried to comfort her: "Wangfei5, don't worry. Wangye will surely return safely." If Jing Wang were to meet with misfortune, Yuchen would lose her only source of support.
Yuchen gave her a bitter smile. "I also hope Wangye can return safely." However, she had little confidence in her own words. Besides, given the current state of the capital, what difference could Jing Wang's return really make?
Momo Gui spoke softly and gently. "Wangfei5, things will get better." Seeing that Yuchen still looked dispirited, Momo Gui weighed her words and said, "Wangfei5, if Si Gunainai8 were in your position, I think she would certainly be thinking about how to avoid this chaos safely." Momo Gui understood Yuchen's mindset clearly—she had always compared herself to Yuxi. Momo Gui believed that bringing up Yuxi might help Yuchen regain her composure.
Yuchen froze for a moment, then sank into deep thought. After a long while, she said, "I can't go out either. I can only wait here." Even if she used a disguise, she would still be easily discovered, and the consequences of being exposed to the public eye would be unimaginable.
Thinking of this, Yuchen touched her own face and muttered to herself, "In the past, Yuxi said she was very satisfied with her own looks, and I couldn't understand it then. Now I do. In truth, beauty that is too striking isn't a good thing." If she were more ordinary-looking, she wouldn't have to hide away in fear of being seen.
Momo Gui badly wanted to slap her own mouth—why had she gone and mentioned Han Yuxi for no good reason?
That very night, Han Jingdong died despite treatment. Soon after, white mourning banners were hung at the gates of the Duke's residence. So many people had died that day that Han Jingdong's death was like a drop of water falling into a lake—it didn't even raise a ripple.
Han Yong asked with a headache, "Old Lady, the city gates are still closed. What should we do?" With the gates shut, they couldn't send out the news, and the Duke wouldn't be able to return.
Qiu Shi responded, "There's no need to worry. The gates should open tomorrow. So many people have died in the capital, and the weather is hot—if it isn't dealt with quickly, it could easily lead to epidemics and other infectious diseases."
Han Yong thought that Qiu Shi was being overly optimistic. "Old Lady, perhaps the Imperial Court will order all these bodies to be burned!" Once they had been burned, there would be no risk of contagion.
Qiu Shi sighed and said, "Preserve the Old Lord's body with ice. We must wait for the Duke to return before holding the funeral rites." Fortunately, the Duke's residence had an ice cellar with a good supply of ice, which could preserve the body for at least two or three days. Otherwise, this would truly become a headache.
Footnotes Full List
- 时辰 shíchen: 2 hours
- 伯父 bófù: father's elder brother; uncle
- 戳脊梁骨 (chuō jǐ liang gǔ): an idiom meaning to condemn, criticise, or shame someone behind their back, especially for moral failings.
- 王府 wángfǔ: king's residence
- 王妃 wángfēi: king's consort
- 世子shìzǐ: : heir of a noble house
- 嫂子 sǎozi: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law
- 四 sì: fourth, 姑奶奶 gūnǎinai: (respectful form of address for a married woman used by members of her parents' family) married daughter
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