Chapter 20: Xiuyan Visits Miaoyu

Purple Ling Isle.

Located in the southwest of the Prospect Garden, it is a waterfront pavilion not far from the Bamboo Lodge. Yingchun and Xing Xiuyan, the niece of Lady Xing, reside there.

At twilight, Yingchun returned to Purple Ling Isle after visiting the Matriarch. As she arrived, she saw Xiuyan stepping out of her room, followed by a maid carrying a lantern, clearly intending to go out for the evening.

"Where are you going, sister?" Yingchun asked.

"Second Sister."

Xiuyan stopped and replied with a smile, "I fear things will grow chaotic outside tomorrow. My heart feels uneasy, so I thought I would go to Green Lattice Nunnery to have a word with Miaoyu."

Yingchun remained silent for a long moment. Seeing this, Xiuyan guessed the reason and asked, "Did you hear something while at the Matriarch's?"

Yingchun sighed softly. "I only heard that the imperial court has ceased peace talks. The Emperor has decreed that we must fight the rebel army. There is nothing we can do now but wait."

Xing Xiuyan had always known this second daughter of the Jia family to be gentle and kind, rarely showing her emotions. To see sorrow etched between her brows was a rare sight indeed.

Xiuju, the maid following Yingchun, chimed in, "It must be that the rebels are asking for too much, demanding all the riches in the city, which is why the court cursed them and abandoned the idea of a truce! I hear those rebels are all low-born peasants, penniless bachelors from the countryside who can’t afford wives—they snatch any woman they see..."

"Xiuju." Yingchun took her hand, forbidding her to speak further.

Siqi, another maid, rolled her eyes at Xiuju and said with a scoff, "Stop your cursing. Everyone else respectfully calls the man outside the city the Prince of Qian, yet you keep calling them a rebel army. If they enter the city and hear you cursing them, let's see how the Prince of Qian's men deal with you!"

Xiuju wanted to retort, but she was truly frightened by the rebels outside the city and shut her mouth in frustration.

Xiuyan smiled and said, "Second Sister, I shall head off now. I will come to speak with you again when I return."

Yingchun nodded, bade her farewell, and entered the house.

Once seated, Xiuju poured her tea. Upon touching the teapot, she found it cold, without a hint of warmth. She flew into a rage and shouted toward the outside, "I had no idea we had so many 'ladies' and 'mistresses' in this room—too delicate to touch anything, even more precious than the young mistress herself! They don't even know to change the tea when it’s gone cold. One day, when I report this to Lady Xing, I’ll have you all sent out to be young mistresses elsewhere, so you don't have to suffer in this room!"

The maids and nannies outside heard this but pretended to be deaf and dumb, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Yingchun rose to pour the tea herself, saying, "With the country in such turmoil, people’s minds are elsewhere, worrying about one thing or another. It doesn't matter if I drink a little cold water; don't blame them."

These words made Xiuju stamp her feet in agitation. Siqi added, "My lady, your good nature only makes these women more arrogant. It is bad enough that they are lazy in their service, but I fear the servants will soon override their masters; they are becoming increasingly unruly."

As she spoke, she grabbed the teapot and marched outside, shouting, "Come here and change the tea for my lady! You all know she returns from the Matriarch's at this hour every day, yet you disregard it. One day, I shall forget my duties too, take this teapot to Lady Xing, and tell her that this is the cold water my lady is forced to drink every day!"

Hearing her shouting, the nannies finally grew fearful. They came out with forced smiles and took the teapot from her hands to fetch fresh water.

Only then did Siqi’s anger subside. She turned and went back inside, seeing that her mistress, Yingchun, was already sitting by the window with a book of scriptures, reading silently and asking nothing of what had just transpired.

Siqi could only sigh and went to sit with Xiuju, whispering amongst themselves.

...

At dusk, Xing Xiuyan walked to the entrance of Green Lattice Nunnery. Outside, she saw a few young nuns and Taoist novices playing and laughing amidst the red plum blossoms, completely unaware of the threat of war outside.

Seeing this, Xiuyan realized the red plum blossoms had already bloomed. Last year, when the Prospect Garden was first completed, everyone had gathered to admire them together; this year, there was no such spirit.

"Miss Xing is here!"

Seeing her, the young nuns and novices ran over to greet her. Xiuyan saw that they were no more than eleven or twelve years old, specially purchased from Jiangnan when the family temple was built. They were all bright-eyed and, living with Miaoyu in this quiet sanctuary, spent their days eating vegetarian food and chanting.

Compared to the chaos outside, Green Lattice Nunnery was indeed a place of refuge.

Usually, they had their morning and evening lessons, but today, they had been given a reprieve.

"I am here to speak with your master. No need to announce me; go on and play."

Xiuyan said, walking up the steps and entering the nunnery.

When she reached the East Meditation Hall, she found it empty. A nanny told her that Miaoyu was not chanting in the hall tonight, but had been in the back courtyard all afternoon.

Miaoyu was in charge of the nunnery; when she slacked off, the nuns, novices, and nannies all followed suit, abandoning their prayers.

The Prince of Qian’s army outside the city had finally touched this quiet sanctuary.

With this thought, Xiuyan entered the back courtyard. In the west side room, she saw the young maid who usually served Miaoyu. The girl, wearing a monk’s cap that tucked away her long hair, was sitting idly on the veranda. She stood up hurriedly upon seeing Xiuyan.

"Is Miaoyu inside?"

Xiuyan asked. When the girl confirmed, she walked to the door and knocked gently.

A voice came from within: "Leave the evening meal outside. You may go."

Xiuyan smiled. "Someone is here."

"Is that you, Baoyu? Tell him I will not see him! Tell him to go back—he is not to come to the nunnery at night!"

"It is merely a wanderer from the world of dust, coming to see a solitary soul," Xiuyan replied with a smile.

The room fell silent for a moment before the woman’s cold voice replied, "So it is you. Since you are a person of the world, why trouble me in my seclusion?"

Xing Xiuyan pushed open the door and entered. On a meditation mat sat a stunning woman in simple robes, her figure graceful. She was bowing her head, transcribing Buddhist scriptures. She wore no makeup, her ink-black hair cascading down her back, just covering her slender, willow-like waist. As she knelt on the mat, her full hips pressed against her legs, molding her robes into soft, rounded curves.

Miaoyu was a nun who had taken her vows without shaving her head. Usually, she wore loose monastic robes, and only in the inner chambers could one catch a glimpse of her beautiful, womanly form.

Xiuyan smiled. "You are transcribing scriptures again."

Miaoyu continued writing, stroke by stroke, and replied with a cold sneer, "I have renounced the world to practice; what else should I do but transcribe scriptures? It is a pity you studied with me, yet you do not even understand this."

Xiuyan said, "I may not understand the ways of a nun, but I understand you. You only hide away to transcribe scriptures when you are troubled. Today you are hiding here alone, which shows your heart is unsettled."

Miaoyu finally stopped her brush and looked at her. "Did you come all this way just to pick at my flaws?"

Xing Xiuyan had known her for ten years. Her family had rented a house owned by the temple, making them neighbors. When Xiuyan was young, it was Miaoyu who taught her to read and write; they were both teacher and friend.

It was precisely because Xiuyan understood her nature that she had come at twilight to have a word with her.

There was no need for a specific topic; simply by speaking, Miaoyu’s mood would improve. Despite her cold exterior and eccentric personality, she remained the same.

After chatting for a while, Xiuyan sipped her tea and sighed softly, "My family came to the capital to rely on my aunt, hoping to live a peaceful life in this garden. Who would have thought that the scourge of war would follow us all the way to the capital? Now I, too, am anxious, not knowing what tomorrow will bring."

Miaoyu said calmly, "What can one do? If the rebels enter the city, I shall cut my hair. Surely they will not trouble a nun? If the capital is no longer safe, I shall return to Suzhou."

Xiuyan looked at Miaoyu’s waterfall of hair and found herself envious. She reached out as if to touch it, but Miaoyu pushed her hand away.

"If you were to come to the nunnery and practice with devotion, you too could have hair like mine."

Miaoyu finally smiled.

Xiuyan smiled as well, and after sitting for a while longer, she took her leave.