The Heart Given to Brighten the Moon - Chapter 20

In ancient times, people rose to dance at the first crow of the rooster, and emperors and generals followed the “sleep at the hour of the Ox and hold court at the hour of the Rabbit” routine. Though the Qingmo Academy did not involve itself in state affairs, nor was it a residence for Taoist cultivators on a celestial mountain, it still maintained the diligent spirit of literary scholars who studied by the cold window. The gates opened at the Hour of the Dragon [approx. 7 AM] to sweep the courtyards and tend to the inner halls, followed by a silent communal meal in the main hall.

All except Shen Danxin, who never showed her face before the Hour of the Snake [approx. 9 AM], and today, she remained unseen even as the sun reached its zenith. The young attendants specifically saved a large bowl of porridge for her, fearing she might grow so famished she’d resort to cannibalism. Some kind-hearted souls approached Master Cai to ask if they should check on Master Shen at her door. Master Cai merely drank his porridge, seemingly deaf to their words.

In truth, there was no other reason than that Shen Danxin had overslept. She had tossed and turned last night, haunted by the old man’s words. When she finally did drift off, she was plagued by endless nightmares. Fortunately, she woke before noon. Pushing the window open, she saw a sky obscured by dark, mournful clouds. Shen Danxin slapped some water on her face, bolted out the door, caught a passing attendant to ask the time, and then ran out as if her life depended on it. The attendant stood in a daze for a long while; he had never seen Master Shen run so fast, faster even than the “Sweat-Blood” stallions sent as tribute from the Western Regions.

To say she was “disheveled” would be a compliment. The young eunuch at the Jitian Palace was a different person today, so Shen Danxin had to announce her name once more. The eunuch offered a gentle smile: “Master Shen, you’ve come at a truly bad time. Her Majesty is not in the palace.”

Shen Danxin adjusted her crooked hair-bun and asked blankly, “Where did she go?”

“This lowly one does not know.”

Shen Danxin tugged at her collar, which had skewed to one side. “When will she return?”

The eunuch smiled apologetically. “This lowly one does not know that either.”

Shen Danxin, fancying herself a person of proper standing, folded her hands behind her back, furrowed her brow, and said unceremoniously, “Fetch someone who does know.”

The eunuch maintained his humble, fawning smile. “Eunuch Chang and Sister Hong Luan have both accompanied her.”

Shen Danxin fell silent. The two faced off for a long moment before the eunuch lowered his eyes. Shen Danxin let out a huff through her nose, turned around, and sat right down on the stone steps beneath the gate. She said stubbornly, “Then I shall wait right here. You needn’t mind me.”

The eunuch pondered for a moment, walked to her side, and offered some reasonable advice: “Master Shen, in my view, you’d be better off heading back for now. Once Her Majesty returns, I shall personally go to the Qingmo Academy to inform you. How about it?”

“No!” Shen Danxin turned her head away, wearing a defiant look that practically begged for trouble.

The eunuch was clearly a man of great patience; still wearing a smile, he said, “Then pray, wait.”

“Hey!” Shen Danxin suddenly turned back to call the eunuch who was walking inside. The young man was still a bit naïve; thinking she had changed her mind, he hurried back with delight.

“Please, speak.”

“I rushed over here first thing in the morning and haven’t had a chance to eat, only to be met with a closed door. You should at least let me fill my belly, shouldn’t you?”

The eunuch’s smile froze on his face. However, this person had entered the Empress’s Cottage of Leisure yesterday, so he could not be neglected. The eunuch forced his stiff mouth into a smile and said, “There are some leftover scallion oil pancakes in the kitchen. If Master does not mind…”

“I don’t mind, I don’t mind,” Shen Danxin waved her hand impatiently. “Hurry and fetch them.”

“I trouble Master to wait a moment.” The eunuch flew off. If he stayed another minute, who knew what other tricks Shen Danxin might come up with?

Shen Danxin’s ancestral home was in the Jiangnan region, and her grandmother was a master chef who prepared incredible feasts for the holidays. Having a refined palate, Shen Danxin clicked her tongue in disapproval at the golden, greasy pancake in her hand. The young eunuch stood to the side, staring into the distance and clutching the food box, pretending not to hear her.

“Hey, let me tell you, this cook’s skill is lacking. See, the edges of the pancake are fried to a crisp, but the inside is still a doughy mess not crunchy at all. It was definitely fried once over a high heat!” Shen Danxin continued to nag with her mouth full of grease. “One bite and, look! The oil just oozes out! No, no, little eunuch, how can one eat this first thing in the morning? Is there anything else?”

The eunuch snapped out of it at these words. His face nearly collapsed from the effort of maintaining a smile. He said bitterly, “Master Shen, look, it is nearly noon. Would it not be better to return to the Qingmo Academy for your meal?”

Shen Danxin spared him a sidelong glance and sneered, “Oh? Could me eating a meal actually cause the Jitian Palace to vanish?”

The eunuch was at his wit’s end. Where else could one find someone who sat stubbornly at the palace gate eating and refusing to leave? What would it look like if others saw? Thus, he knelt down on the ground and pleaded, “Master Shen, Great Master Shen, I beg of you. Please, go back.”

Shen Danxin remained unmoved. Out of the blue, she asked, “When exactly is Her Majesty returning?”

The eunuch didn’t dare hide the truth and replied hastily, “Her Majesty went to the greenhouse. She shall return by noon.”

Shen Danxin suddenly raised her hand. The eunuch instinctively flinched, closing his eyes and ducking his head. But Shen Danxin’s hand merely landed gently on his shoulder. She laughed, “If you’d said so earlier, why go through all.”

Suddenly, a drop of water landed on the tip of Shen Danxin’s nose. She looked up, and the eunuch followed her gaze. After staring for a long while, Shen Danxin murmured, “It’s going to rain.”

The eunuch felt a surge of joy. Rain doesn’t allow for guests surely Master Shen will go back now?

“What is your name?” Shen Danxin asked.

“Donglin,” the eunuch replied.

“Let’s go inside to take shelter from the rain.”

“Eh…?” Donglin’s eyes went wide with terror. “Master, you’re not going back? I’ll fetch you a.”

“Her Majesty should be back shortly.” Shen Danxin flashed a “kindly” smile.

Today was originally supposed to be the shift of Chunlai, who had met Shen Danxin yesterday. But Chunlai was Eunuch Chang’s head disciple and had the honor of accompanying the Empress to the greenhouse. As the youngest among the disciples, Donglin had willingly taken the shift, who knew he’d run into such a meddlesome character? Before leaving, his Master had specifically instructed him: if someone came, find a way to drive them away. The person who dared to make the Empress wait hadn’t been born yet!

Donglin looked helplessly at the disciple of Master Cai, who was sitting on the corridor railing with her legs crossed. His heart felt even more desolate than the winter drizzle. He only hoped the rain would never stop, so the Empress wouldn’t return so soon. But just as he was feeling hopeful, Chunlai’s familiar announcement drifted in from outside:

“Her Majesty returns to the palace!”

Donglin jolted in fear, his soul nearly flying out of his head. Before he could react, Shen Danxin had already vanished like a bolt of lightning.

“Painter-attendant Shen Danxin pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand blessings!” Shen Danxin stepped to the door and bent her knees in a kowtow, the movement clean and decisive as if she were a martial arts master. Even the Empress, who was taken aback for a moment, couldn’t help a slight lift of her lips, showing no anger at all.

Donglin, following close behind, tried to mimic her, but nearly slipped and fell, hurriedly banging his head on the floor. “Welcome back to the palace, Your Majesty!”

“Audacious!” Chang Ping lunged forward like a fierce tiger to block the path before the Empress.

Shen Danxin ignored him. She straightened up, tilted her head to look at He, Lian Wanyan with bright, sparkling eyes, and said, “Your Majesty, last night I pondered and struggled to sleep, regretting that I did not understand Your Majesty’s meticulous intentions. I am filled with deep remorse! I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for being so ‘late’ today!”

“Overslept?” the Empress asked with a charming smile.

“Exactly!” Shen Danxin said with a look of righteous composure.

Donglin felt that disaster was imminent and trembled all over; seeing his Master Chang Ping glare at him made him shake even harder. To everyone’s surprise, the Empress actually burst out laughing. As she walked past Shen Danxin, she said:

“Follow me.”

“Coming!” Shen Danxin grabbed her scrolls, even finding the leisure to give the still-trembling Donglin a small kick. She whispered, “Keep up!”

The scenery was as beautiful as ever, and the Cottage of Leisure remained a cottage in a bamboo grove. The sound of rain grew louder. Hong Luan brought in a charcoal brazier and placed it carefully in an open spot in the room. Shen Danxin stole a few glances at her; in any ordinary family, she would be considered a stunning beauty. Her temperament was just a bit cold; she only spared Shen Danxin a single glance from beginning to end.

“Master, please have some tea.” She was a woman of few words and nimble hands.

Before Shen Danxin could even taste a sip of the “Snow Spring” tea personally blended by the Empress, she first presented the scroll that the Empress had been glancing at several times. The Empress’s expression was identical to those of the Three Masters astonishment followed by a finger pointing at the man in the painting.

“Is this yourself?”

Shen Danxin coughed after being choked by the question and said with a laugh, “Your Majesty has eyes as sharp as a torch; how could you not see the artistic intent behind it?”

He Lian Wanyan spared her a glance, a smile playing on her lips. “No wonder Master Cai broke tradition to take you as his ‘closed-door’ disciple; the rumors in the palace are not entirely false. However, this painting…”

“Is there something wrong?” Shen Danxin felt a sudden pang of worry.

He Lian Wanyan’s fingertips traced the brushstrokes and ink lines on the paper. Her hands were not the pale, delicate hands of someone pampered in the harem; there were slight calluses on the tips of her fingers likely from years of sword practice yet they were inexplicably alluring. Once she had traced the entire work, she said teasingly:

“This brushwork does not seem to be what you are best at.”

Indeed, Shen Danxin was momentarily stunned.

He Lian Wanyan suppressed a sliver of triumph in her heart and continued, “Though I am not an expert in this field, brushwork and swordsmanship share common ground. A swordsman focuses on every move and form having a traceable path; a hair’s breadth of difference makes it hard to defeat an enemy. Master Shen’s brushwork may flow in a single breath, yet it cannot hide minor flaws. Am I right or wrong?”

Shen Danxin silently gathered her thoughts, re-evaluating the woman before her. It seemed that clever tricks and minor schemes would not suffice. This woman was brilliantly perceptive, meticulous, and understood how to synthesize different concepts. If she could not gain her protection, she would be a peerless and formidable opponent in the future!

Thinking this, Shen Danxin gave a tranquil smile. “Your Majesty has profound insight. This lowly one is ashamed.”

“You were already superior to Cai Xun; why were you willing to become his disciple?” He Lian Wanyan pressed further, step by step.

Shen Danxin presented another scroll with both hands, offering a cryptic smile. “Once Your Majesty has seen this work, you shall understand why.”

Shen Danxin slowly unfurled the scroll. When it was halfway open, He Lian Wanyan already recognized it and said in surprise, “Lady Yuan Visiting Her Kin in Minzhou?”

“Exactly,” Shen Danxin said, placing the two paintings one above the other. Pointing at the features of the figures, she continued, “Please look, Your Majesty. Though Master Kanmin was not known for portraits, his unique brushwork made the people in his paintings… come alive.”

“Alive?” The well-traveled Empress took an incredulous step forward to observe closely.

Shen Danxin seized the opening, explaining slowly: “Look at this brow, it seems to hold both joy and sorrow. Look at the corner of this eye, it is as if a tear is about to fall, a cry of joy from a heart overwhelmed. And this downward gaze it perfectly captures the scene described in the painting. Does Your Majesty not feel a sliver of sorrow in your heart while looking at it?”

He Lian Wanyan remained silent, her eyes reflecting a hint of pity. Shen Danxin stopped her words at the perfect moment, letting the Empress linger in the aftertaste of the work. Seeing this, Hong Luan furrowed her brow slightly, sparing a few more glances for the “sorrow-filled” Shen Danxin.

What a silver tongue!

He Lian Wanyan took a sip of tea, lifted her eyes from the painting, and looked at Shen Danxin with a smile. “The paintings stay. When this Empress grows tired of them, you may come to retrieve them.”

And she’s taking them! While Shen Danxin felt a wave of sadness, He Lian Wanyan was in a pleasant mood. She added:

“I hear this ‘Lady Yuan’ painting has been a private treasure of Master Yu Mengren for a long time. He actually gave it to you?”

“I… this lowly one begged for it,” Shen Danxin said, pouting.

He Lian Wanyan wore an “I see” expression and waved her away. Shen Danxin didn’t dare linger and slunk away in retreat.

As night fell, Hong Luan returned and whispered into the Empress’s ear. Word was that Master Shen hadn’t dared return to the Qingmo Academy all afternoon, wandering outside the courtyard until finally climbing over the wall to get in only to suffer a nasty fall.

Her Majesty the Empress was in high spirits and gifted another box of scallion oil pancakes to the Qingmo Academy.