Chapter 49: Unfamiliar Ground

“Miss, Miss.”
The sound of Li Qingtian’s voice reached her ears, and Su Tang opened her eyes.
Through her hazy vision, she could see that dawn had already crept into the sky outside.
Oh no—
She had actually forgotten to practice her martial arts early this morning.
Wait, how did Sister Li get in? Where was her little husband?
Su Tang turned her head, only to find the bed beside her already empty of her little husband’s figure.
Li Qingtian said, “A quarter of an hour ago, the father and son left. I thought you had woken up, Miss, but it seems…”
Su Tang pressed her hand to her forehead. “Perhaps it’s because I went to bed late yesterday…”
But she had always gone to bed this late before, and still managed to wake up at dawn, hadn’t she?
“Miss, are you still going to practice today?” Li Qingtian asked.
“Yes.”
…
In a blink, the sun had fully risen.
The front of “Delicious Eats” was still bustling with voices.
To the side, a line of bold characters on a bright red slip of paper caught the eye.
—If you wish to purchase a queue token, you may visit Yu’s Bamboo Weaving for your choice.
“Yu’s Bamboo Weaving? Where is that?” a diner asked.
“By the wutong tree, just ask and you’ll find it,” Li Qingtian replied.
Some diners acknowledged her, and another nodded at Su Tang with admiration. “Miss, you have a kind heart. I’d had my eye on some of those bamboo tokens, but now that you’ve spoken for them, just watch.”
“We’re all craftsmen here, just lending each other a hand,” Su Tang said.
The diner watched as Li Qingtian’s hands danced, sending ribbons of dragon beard noodles cascading like a waterfall, and nodded in awe. “It really is a craft~”
Su Tang, too, was dazzled by the sight.
Though she’d pulled noodles herself the first time, it wasn’t until Sister Li took over that she realized what true skill looked like~
The diners inside the stall watched as the dragon beard noodles slipped into the boiling pot, some continuing to eat, others chatting quietly.

“Did you hear what happened last night? Haunted.”
“Impossible.”
“I can vouch for it. My house is nearby, and I heard the wind raging there at midnight. I didn’t even dare go out. This morning, I saw them packing up and moving things.”
“Which household?”
“The Fang family, the second to last house at the end of Pinghe Lane.”
“……”
The Fang family?
Su Tang’s heart skipped a beat, and she asked, “Is there a student from the Academy in their household?”
“That’s right,” said a diner.
Such a coincidence?
********
The Academy.
Master Fang sat upright beside the study curtain, gazing at the young man before him with a look of satisfaction. “Yesterday, you too agreed with my notion of a light punishment for a great warning. I had thought you, like your father, were a man of upright virtue; who would have guessed you’d seize the opportunity in another’s crisis.”
The young man’s expression darkened slightly, but his face retained the mild composure Su Tang was used to. “You once said, Master, that all things have their source, causes follow order. I am new to the Academy—how could I have any street vendetta requiring an assassin? Even if it was for your sake, Master, I believed it unlikely. So I wanted to see if there was someone behind it all. Sure enough, that classmate Huang couldn’t hold back. And since the one behind the scenes has now shown his face, and the silver for the job has already been paid to the school, why not simply send him home early and spare us the trouble?”
Master Fang asked, “And what will you do next?”
“Naturally, I shall cross a few swords with classmate Huang,” Jingyuan replied.
Master Fang said, “The Huang family of Jiangyin—an ancestor once offered sweet potatoes, producing a thousand catties per mu, and rendered great service to the Emperor Wen and the six great families. They were ennobled for three generations, the title ending with his father. Though they managed for three generations, the family is declining. The eldest son carries on the family business, the youngest idles away his days, and the illegitimate son is bent on study. But as a concubine’s child, with no famous scholar to guide him, he came here to seek me as his master, and I told him from the start I would not take him.”
“I understand, Master,” Jingyuan said.
“What is it that you understand?” Master Fang pressed.
“Family background is indispensable, as is a master,” Jingyuan replied.
Master Fang looked at him, then suddenly laughed. “Good, very good! Just for what you’ve said today, you already surpass your father.”
“Your father and I were classmates in the same imperial examination, and both served as officials. The court always compares me to your father. My Fang family once held the post of Grand Libationer; at its height, half the court were my family’s students. Though now we’re down on our luck, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and I too made my name young. Your father came from poverty, honest and upright, stubborn to a fault—if I put it kindly, he brooked no sand in the eye; if not, he was a fool. Whenever we disagreed, we would argue, sometimes for days, and others thought we were at odds, so rumors spread that I made things difficult for your father.”
“I was a fifth-rank official after three years; your father was still a seventh. If not for His Majesty’s wise intervention, your father might still be languishing in the Hanlin Academy. Yet within five years, he caught up to me in rank, even wielded real power. Later, when His Majesty sent him as Imperial Censor to Jiangnan, I told him to be more tactful as an outsider. He always agreed, but in truth ignored my advice. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up…”
Master Fang was still smiling, but his eyes were already misted with tears.
Beside him, Jingyuan wiped away his own tears, his eyes reddened, voice rough. “But Master, you left the court before my father.”

Master Fang nodded. “Indeed. Looking back, I see I too was not made for office.”
“But if not for you, Master, I would still be like a frightened dog, unable to get through a single day,” Jingyuan replied, bowing his head.
Though the young man’s posture was respectful, the slight trembling of his body betrayed how deeply he was suffering.
He had only heard the story, but this boy had nearly witnessed with his own eyes his entire family slaughtered by bandits.
Master Fang looked down at Jingyuan’s bowed head, almost reaching out, but finally only asked, “Do you know why I stayed here?”
“I do not,” Jingyuan replied.
“This was where the Empress, after the disaster, found refuge. It’s said the Empress herself led troops for days, and the Emperor, longing for her, came to meet her here after her great victory. But the six great families learned of it and struck. When the Emperor was in peril, the Empress led her elite soldiers to rout them utterly. Because of this, the Emperor resolved to eliminate the six families, and so they were destroyed and reborn. That’s why this place is your birthplace, too.”
“A year ago, when I first saw you, I thought your father had sent you to me. But who could have imagined there would be such a charge—to protect you. That’s just like your father; after he died, all he wanted was for you to be safe. But how can you spend your life in peace with such a blood feud hanging over you? Yet you are a filial son.”
“A year ago, I said if you entered my tutelage, you must set foot on the path to the court, go against your father’s wishes, and seek justice for your family. When you became my disciple, I warned you: the road ahead is full of thorns. If you are as upright as your father, or as unrestrained as I, it will never be possible! But today, I believe you can do it!”
Master Fang gazed at Jingyuan, as if seeing in him the spirited youth he himself once was. “Lu Yan, Lu Jingyuan, from this day forth, do whatever you wish. Whatever you strive for, your master will be here for you.” The ringing of his words echoed in the room long after.
Lu Jingyuan rose, determination flashing in his eyes, his jaw set like a drawn bow, and bowed deeply in respect.
“Yes, your student thanks you, Master.”
…
The bell of the Academy sounded.
The students left their seats, loosening their limbs, when suddenly they saw Jingyuan approaching from afar.
Off to see the Master for private lessons again—
The students’ expressions were mixed.
Lu Jingyuan paid them no heed, taking his seat as usual.
On the other side, Huang Wenzhao raised an eyebrow slightly.
Just now, when Jingyuan returned to his seat, it seemed he’d glanced at him.
At that moment, a sudden “boom” erupted outside.
A clap of thunder split the clear sky.