THAT EVENING, Jinling welcomed its first snowfall of the winter. Dark roof tiles were cloaked in white, and branches creaked with snow, looking as if they'd been gilded with pear blossoms.
Xie Bingfeng's first wife, Lady Xiao, sat upright in the main hall. Her sharply curved eyes seemed to pierce anyone who met her gaze, her crimson lips a thin line. Her fingernails were polished red as talons that had just clawed out someone's heart. Although her husband had a constant aura of righteousness, Lady Xiao's appearance was harsh and severe—it screeched a warning that she was not to be trifled with.
Xie Jinglan arrived after dinner to pay his respects, accompanied by Xiahou Lian. Lady Xiao was no ordinary foe, and sure enough, she detained them as soon as they arrived. In a high-pitched, warbling voice almost like an opera singer's, she said, "Well done, Xie Jinglan. I underestimated you. I never imagined you could familiarize yourself with all those precepts even in the squalid Qiuwu Courtyard. With proper guidance, you might even become one of the Three Ducal Ministers10 someday!"
"You flatter me, Lady," Xie Jinglan sneered. "The future is uncertain. Who knows what may happen?"
Though his words were humble, there was no humility in his voice. Instead, it sounded like he was all but gnashing his teeth, promising to one day make her kneel in apology.
Lady Xiao's eyes were full of contempt. "And here I thought you had some real talent. You're just a baby who can't even disguise his true thoughts. Did you think a little cleverness would be enough to lift you above your station? What use is all that knowledge if I keep it locked inside you, never to see the light of day?"
Xie Jinglan's headstrong expression faltered.
"At first, I wanted to play the role of a loving mother, especially considering how much sway that geezer Dai has. He's tricky to deal with. But the moment I see you, it reminds me of that seductress." Her gaze on Xie Jinglan was bone-chilling. "You look too much like her."
Xie Jinglan couldn't hold back his anger. "Plenty of men have multiple wives and concubines. You're much too jealous, Lady."
"Jealous?" Lady Xiao's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I come from a prestigious family in Jiangzuo. We have produced generations of officials for the court; my father was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. If not for me, your good-for-nothing father would never have risen to a sixth-rank position! You men are all the same—full of sweet words but worthless. I believed your father's empty promises and married into the Xie family, only for him to fall into bed with your mother while I was pregnant!"
"That's my father's fault. Why take it out on me?"
Lady Xiao looked down and picked at her nails, her smile tinged with derision. "What else can I do? I can't do anything to Xie Bingfeng; our fates are intertwined. But a little brat like yourself? I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
The mockery in her expression deepened, though it wasn't clear whether she was aiming it at Xie Jinglan or herself.
"You..."
"I was kind before. I fed and raised you, a weed no one wanted, too weak to cause any fuss. Never did I imagine that you'd dare covet what belongs to my son. You didn't just steal his books; you caused a scene at Wangqing Pavilion and stole his rightful spot as disciple. You've dug your own grave. Don't blame me."
Xiahou Lian spoke up, fearless fool that he was. "Lady, do you truly not see what your son is like? If Xie Jinglan hadn't joined in to answer Dai-xiangsheng's question that day, I doubt any of the Xie family's sons would've met Dai-xiansheng's standards."
Lady Xiao narrowed her eyes at Xiahou Lian. "Where did this mongrel come from? How dare you speak so insolently to my face?! Maids, give him twenty lashes with the rod!"
Two matrons stepped forward and grabbed Xiahou Lian, forcing him onto a long bench. Xiahou Lian kicked and thrashed like a fish facing death defiantly on a chopping block. The matrons' hands were like iron clamps pinning his shoulders down, and soon his legs were restrained as well. The feisty fish was transformed into a carcass ready to be sliced and filleted at their mercy.
The first lash landed. Xiahou Lian's thighs screamed with agony; he felt as if he were being torn apart.
Horrified, Xie Jinglan threw himself over Xiahou Lian's body. "Stop! Stop! He can't take any more! Lady, I'll learn whatever rules you want! Just stop!"
The hags didn't dare risk hitting Xie Jinglan; they stepped back. Xiahou Lian collapsed against the bench, exhausted, buttocks still burning with pain.
Since direct confrontation clearly didn't work, Xiahou Lian tried a different approach. Raising his head, he said, "Lady, Jinglan-shaoye may not be your blood, but if he makes it to the top one day, he will bring honor not just to himself but to the entire Xie family! After all, you're his legal mother. If he fails, the failure is his alone, but if he succeeds, you're sure to share in his glory!"
Lady Xiao remained unmoved, her cold smile unchanging. "You have quite the sharp tongue for one so young! Remember this: If the Xie family prospers, it will be due to my sons, Jingtao and Jingtan. A bastard like Xie Jinglan will never have a turn!"
Xie Jinglan's eyes dimmed, and his lips curved into a bitter smile.
"However, Jinglan," said Lady Xiao portentously, "it's true that things are different now. You are Dai-xiansheng's disciple; I can no longer do as I please with you. Still, Dai-xiansheng is one of our era's greatest scholars. If you don't learn the proper etiquette, you'll shame the Xie family, and everyone will say that I failed to teach and discipline you. Today, you'll begin by learning to kneel. The rest we'll cover later."
With a glance from Lady Xiao, the two matrons stepped forward and dragged Xie Jinglan into the snow. One kicked the backs of his knees, forcing him to kneel with a muffled groan.
Xiahou Lian was horrified. "What are you doing?!"
The matrons then grabbed Xiahou Lian and shoved him to his knees beside Xie Jinglan. Xiahou Lian thrashed violently, but the matrons' strength overwhelmed him. Their burning hands pressed down like mountain boulders on his shoulders, immobilizing him.
Xiahou Lian gritted his teeth. This entire household is full of witches!
"When kneeling," one matron rasped, "your back must be straight, your shoulders level. Slouching is forbidden. Keep your hands at your sides and nowhere else." Xiahou Lian had set his weight on his calves, and the matron kicked him face-first into the snow, filling his mouth with slush. "Don't sit like that! Kneel properly!"
Fuck you! Xiahou Lian was ready to explode with fury. He longed to leap up and fight these old hags to the death. He and Xie Jinglan had escaped the rod but not the kneeling. The old witch was determined to make them suffer.
Lady Xiao stood atop the steps, looking down at them as though they were insects, her eyes cold and full of scorn. "After kneeling for two hours, you may leave. But..." she blew on her nails, then continued flippantly, "every mistake the matrons notice in your posture will add another two hours."
With that, Lady Xiao went inside, leaving the matrons to watch Xiahou Lian and Xie Jinglan from the walkway. After only a few minutes, Xiahou Lian's knees were sore and his back ached. Night had fallen, and the cold wind grew fiercer, chilling his face until he lost all feeling.
Xiahou Lian glanced over at Xie Jinglan, who was still as a statue—his gaze lowered, his thoughts a mystery. Xie Jinglan's health was poor to begin with; his face was as pale as paper, his lips bloodless. Xiahou Lian stopped worrying about himself and began worrying about Xie Jinglan. Kneeling for two hours? How could the boy's frail body withstand that?
The two matrons sat by a stove, glaring at them like tigers watching their prey.
Suddenly, Xie Jinglan spoke, his voice weak and lifeless. "I can't win against her. However high I climb, she'll always be able to crush me."
"Stop talking nonsense. That old witch is just trying to scare you. She pisses me off," Xiahou Lian responded. "Hey, Shaoye, could I run and get help? Where does Dai-xiansheng live? Would your father come save you?"
"You won't be able to escape. There are two matrons here, five or six maids inside, and who knows how many servants at the gates and in the backyard. If they team up to grab you, you won't even be able to move," Xie Jinglan said, his eyes dim and lifeless. "I was naive. I thought that becoming Dai Shengyan's pupil would start me down the path to success. I thought if I focused on the imperial exams—entry, provincial, then palace—I could change my fate. But I forgot that I was born into the Xie family, a prestigious clan of literati in a nation that prizes filial piety above all. If the mistress spreads rumors that I'm unfilial, my career will be ruined. She has a thousand—ten thousand—ways to destroy me."
"Don't believe her," Xiahou Lian said, struggling to comfort him. "She's just trying to scare you. Look at her! Does she look like a proper lady of the house? She isn't dignified at all. I don't know what your father saw in her. We sure can't marry anyone like her in the future."
Xie Jinglan weakly shook his head. "She's honest, though. She doesn't bother pretending with me. A stepmother who hid her cruelty beneath her smile while crushing the life out of me would be even worse—I probably wouldn't even have had the chance to speak with her before ending up dead in Qiuwu Courtyard."
It was the first time Xie Jinglan had felt so powerless. He was like a drowning child flailing in the water—unable to stop himself from sinking, however hard he splashed.
Powerlessness surged over him like a tide, slowly engulfing him.
More and more snow fell, blanketing their heads and shoulders. From a distance, the two boys looked as if they'd aged into old men. Xie Jinglan felt icy cold, the chill seeping through his padded clothes and into his bones. Snow clung to his hair, and frost to his eyelashes. His face was so pale that, at a glance, it was impossible to distinguish snow from skin.
His consciousness began to drift, and his vision blurred. Suddenly, someone draped a warm coat over him. A pair of hands slightly warmer than his own brushed the frost from his face, then clasped his hands. He looked up groggily, saying faintly, "Xiahou Lian?"
Xiahou Lian tossed aside all concern over his posture. He pulled Xie Jinglan into a tight embrace, rubbing the other boy's hands and face with all his might.
Since he'd given his coat to Xie Jinglan, cold wind now funneled unimpeded into his collar, chilling him until his nose ran. The boys huddled together, trembling, like birds frozen within a blizzard.
"He's going to die! He's going to die!" Xiahou Lian shouted hoarsely. "Let us go! Hurry up!"
Pity colored one matron's face, and she went inside to ask for instructions. When she returned, she silently sat down beside the stove and turned her face away, unwilling to look at the boys.
"That bitch! That fucking witch. It serves her right that she gave birth to trash like Xie Jingtao." Xiahou Lian held Xie Jinglan tightly. Their foreheads pressed together, their breaths misting between them. "Shaoye! Don't scare me like this!"
Xie Jinglan struggled to open his eyes. He gave Xiahou Lian a weak glance but said nothing.
Xiahou Lian whispered into his ear. "Shaoye, do you have any money? Give me some!"
"You can't bribe them," Xie Jinglan murmured, his voice barely as loud as a mosquito's buzz.
"No—just give me some money. Even a single coin will do," Xiahou Lian said through gritted teeth. "I'll take care of that old hag for you!"
Assassins from Qiye Garden never accepted less than a hundred taels per job, but since Xiahou Lian wasn't yet a full-fledged assassin, he didn't mind giving Xie Jinglan a discount.
"Don't...don't talk nonsense," Xie Jinglan said, unsure whether he'd even spoken aloud. He felt as if he were frozen through—no longer a person but a block of ice. Xiahou Lian's voice seemed to grow distant, until he could barely hear it.
"I'm a thief, remember? But my family doesn't just steal money—we also steal lives. Here, feel my boot," Xiahou Lian said, guiding Xie Jinglan's hand into his boot shaft. Xie Jinglan felt something hard and angular, its surface intricately engraved. He shuddered, instantly roused from his stupor.
With what little strength he had left, Xie Jinglan gripped Xiahou Lian and forced words out through clenched teeth. "If you...if you do anything reckless, I...I..." He trailed off, unable to think of a threat to deter Xiahou Lian. Then he simply bit the other boy's shoulder.
It was a vicious bite; Xiahou Lian gritted his teeth in pain. Xie Jinglan didn't let go until the taste of blood bloomed on his tongue.
Xiahou Lian exploded in rage. "Are you a dog?! If you don't want my help, fine! But you repay my offer by chomping a hole in my shoulder?!"
An icy voice drifted over. "What's this? Fighting between yourselves?" Xiahou Lian looked up to see Lady Xiao watching them coldly. She glanced up at the sky and added, "I'm retiring to bed. I'll let you off for today. You may go."
Xiahou Lian heaved a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Xie Jinglan was on the verge of passing out. Touching his forehead, Xiahou Lian was shocked to find it burning hot despite the freezing temperature.
"Hey!" he cried. "Shaoye!"
Xie Jinglan slid down Xiahou Lian's body and fell to the ground in a heap, mumbling incoherently. He was delirious with fever.
Xiahou Lian had no choice but to trudge arduously toward Qiuwu Courtyard, carrying Xie Jinglan on his back. After kneeling for two hours, his legs were numb and frozen. The first few steps were agonizing—each one sent him tumbling to the ground, and the two sprawled in the snow as Xiahou Lian struggled to rise again.
The road seemed endless, longer than ever before. Xiahou Lian desperately wanted to go find Lianxiang and Aunt Lan to help him, but he was afraid that Xie Jinglan would freeze to death before he returned.
"Don't...don't be reckless," Xie Jinglan muttered, his face tucked into Xiahou Lian's neck. Xiahou Lian could barely make out his words.
By now, Xie Jinglan scarcely felt the cold wind. He only felt his head spinning. Each time he opened his eyes, vertigo overcame him, and with it, the urge to vomit. If I throw up on Xiahou Lian, he thought nonsensically, will that idiot go crazy?
"Relax," said Xiahou Lian. "I won't do anything stupid." He tugged Xie Jinglan upward and continued, "Don't fall asleep, Shaoye. Talk to me. Don't die on me."
A little less groggy, Xie Jinglan closed his eyes. "If I die, you won't lose much," he said. "After all...you're going to leave anyway."
"But I'll be so torn up. I don't have many friends. You're my first real brother," Xiahou Lian said, resting his head gently against Xie Jinglan's. "How about...how about you come with me? I'll take you back to the mountains. We're poor there, but there's plenty of game, so you won't go hungry. My mother won't mind having another son."
Managing to tug his lips upward, Xie Jinglan offered a listless smile. "Are you asking me to elope?"