A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 79.1

When Li Yuqing woke up by the river, she was lying on a patch of grassy ground where green and yellow met. The fire pit beside her was burning dry firewood, and stones were stacked around the pit to form a wall that shielded the sparks.

A person was adding another log to the bonfire pit, drying the bottom half of their wet trousers.

“You’re awake.”

It wasn’t until the person turned around that Li Yuqing clearly saw her face. She was beautiful, but a moment later, her features became hard to recall. Li Yuqing felt an itch on her face. When she scratched it, she found some crushed herbs on her fingertips.

The woman sat with her back to Li Yuqing, facing the bonfire.

“I won’t ask why you tried to take your own life, but if it’s just a small matter of appearance, I can heal the wounds on your face.”

Li Yuqing felt immediately that this person must understand medicine, yet she didn’t seem like a benevolent healer. Although she spoke words of concern, her tone was very detached. Li Yuqing even had a strong feeling that if she chose to jump into the river again, this person would neither stop her nor save her a second time.

Not far from the bank was a huge reef.

Li Yuqing supposed she must have been swept here by the rapid current, and this woman, who happened to be nearby, waded a few steps into the water to pull her out.

She wanted to get up and thank her, but as she sat up, she noticed that her torn clothes had been taken off and placed to one side, replaced by a grey-white cloth robe. An outer cloak was also spread underneath her.

An empty satchel was placed by the woman’s feet next to the bonfire pit.

It seemed she had piled all the spare clothing from the satchel onto Li Yuqing.

When Li Yuqing finally spoke, she realized her voice was hoarse. “Thank you for saving my life.” She touched her face, which was numb and senseless from being soaked in cold water for a long time. “Can you truly heal my face, Miss?”

She seemed to hear the woman give a slight laugh.

“My surname is Ye, and I am temporarily residing in Jinshu Alley.”

She gave her address, then left a small medicine bottle and instructed: “Take it every half-hour; it can temporarily preserve your life. Saving you was a doctor’s instinct, so there is no need to thank me. I also won’t concern myself with your life path from now on. We part here.”

A carriage was parked not far away, and the coachman was grooming the horse’s mane. The woman walked over, and the coachman addressed her as “Eldest Miss.”

The coachman’s trousers were also wet halfway up.

Li Yuqing couldn’t remember her appearance, even though she had just seen her face a moment ago. However, the most striking thing about this person was not her looks, but that she seemed like an outsider who lived in seclusion in the mountains and was untouched by worldly affairs.

It felt like she had been given charity.

Li Yuqing felt a flush of irritation on her cheeks.

This woman’s act of saving a person was like seeing a dog beaten black and blue by the roadside; she casually sprinkled some medicine, threw a bone to fill its stomach, and then left with a flick of her sleeves. There was a sense of indifference, a “just don’t die in front of me” attitude.

Yet, to call her cold, she had still left medicine and clothes.

As she said, it was purely out of a doctor’s fundamental principle.

The wind was strong by the riverbank, and as her robes fluttered, Li Yuqing saw that the woman’s body had a defect.

It seemed to be an injury to her lower back or abdomen.

Li Yuqing looked around. The far bank of the river seemed to be a dock, where many boats were moored, and many others were pushing off.

Li Yuqing dared not walk toward crowded places.

She was the daughter of a criminal official, forfeited to the low-status class. The government had a record, and many people must be desperately searching for her right now. If they failed to find her, many others would be implicated.

Death would have been a final release, but since she didn’t die, she had no choice but to return.

Return to Yifeng Pavilion, the gilded cage that imprisoned her.

Walking alone for not much distance, she collapsed again by the roadside. In her unconscious state, she seemed to dream of someone’s carriage passing by, bumping along, and taking her to a deep mansion.

She woke up several days later, around dusk.

The first thing she saw was a corner of a deep purple brocade long dress, its hem embroidered with gold-threaded peonies.

Her heart jolted.

Sure enough, the elderly woman sitting by the couch wore a deep purple silk sash around her waist, and her silver hair was coiled up with a jewel-green hairpin.

This was the East Manor.

“Old Princess Consort.”

Li Yuqing hastily got up from the couch and bowed.

“Yu’er,” the Old Princess Consort’s face streamed with tears, and she tightly embraced the person kneeling on the ground, “My good child, you have suffered.”

Perhaps out of excessive pity for the girl’s plight, the Old Princess Consort held her very tightly.

Li Yuqing, however, did not feel the embrace was tight. With this hug, the sorrow in her heart could no longer be contained, and she cried out loud on the Old Princess Consort’s shoulder.

“Cry, my child,” the Old Princess Consort stroked her back and instructed a steward-like person, “Go and order the head of Yifeng Pavilion to issue a document saying that the East Manor has an upcoming happy occasion and is borrowing the courtesan madam to stay here for a few days. Yu’er, just stay in the East Manor. I’d like to see who dares to come to the East Manor and speak a word against you.”

Li Yuqing sobbed, saying, “Old Princess Consort, Yu’er is of humble status and dares not stay long to defile this noble place. The East Manor still has unmarried sisters; their reputation must not be damaged because of me alone.”

The Old Princess Consort helped her up, and the grandmother and granddaughter sat opposite each other by the couch. “You used to come to the East Manor often when you were little. Why are you acting so distant now? Your sisters are accomplished figures, they have also attended the Imperial Academy, and have read the works of the Sages. If they can’t even understand this basic principle, if they judge people by dividing them into high and low status, then they are not worthy of being daughters of the East Manor.” The Old Princess Consort suddenly raised her voice towards the door, “The Sages’ teachings would have been wasted on them.”

This shout brought out several young girls with double-bun hairstyles, who ran in chattering, calling out “Grandmother” one after another. The Old Princess Consort covered her ears, “Grandmother heard you, heard you.”

One of the eldest girls curtsied slightly to Li Yuqing, greeting her, “Miss Qin.” After the greeting, she said, “Grandmother, the Emperor has ordered that we are not allowed to go to the Imperial Academy anymore. Lingjiu Academy has also dismissed its students, and even Headmaster Gu has been imprisoned. Will we still be able to study in the future?”

Li Yuqing’s face changed drastically. “Ah Xie is imprisoned? Old Princess Consort…” She knew clearly that Gu Xie was not imprisoned because of Lingjiu Academy. “Is it because of Teacher Qi Xiu?”

The Old Princess Consort nodded, patted her hand, and comforted her. “Princess Chang’an Jiangning returned to the palace this morning. Headmaster Gu is highly valued by the Princess, and the Princess will surely ensure her and Lingjiu Academy’s safety.”

But the Imperial Academy… that was hard to say.

What no one expected was that after Xie Wenjun detained the students of the Imperial Academy and confronted the faction of officials in the court who opposed the women’s school for several months, the matter still had no definite conclusion.

Even Chen Liangyu, the Grand General of Auxiliary State in the distant Northern Territory, was summoned back to the palace and received a decree of reprimand. Although the stated reason was “failing to maintain self-discipline and keeping male consorts,” everyone knew the fundamental reason was her staunch support and execution of Xie Wenjun’s initiative to establish female education.

The turning point appeared in the late autumn of that year, shortly after Chen Liangyu was summoned back to the palace.

After Lin Yin returned to Yongdu with Chen Liangyu, she went home alone to visit her relatives. The residents of Bo Gongzhai had all been moved to the foot of the mountain by the government, and their lives were stable, but she wanted to go back to the stockade and take one last look.

Upon arriving, she noticed many people pushing carts in and out of a cave entrance.

She did not remember a cave being there.

Ore. It was likely iron ore.

Since joining the military, she had been highly sensitive to matters like weapon smelting. A medium-sized iron mine could yield enough iron to supply a full army. She immediately went down the mountain and returned to Yongdu to inform Chen Liangyu of the matter.

Before the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the Jinshui Bridge was already filled with court officials, waiting for the eunuchs to light the way. When Zhao Xingli’s sedan chair arrived, Chen Liangyu happened to walk by and noticed two large mud stains on his sedan chair.

Someone actually threw mud at him!

Chen Liangyu struggled to suppress her laughter, working her facial muscles for a long time to keep her smile down. “Censor Zhao, did you offend someone again?”

Given her usual conduct, Zhao Xingli naturally didn’t have a pleasant expression for her, but since Chen Liangyu’s rank was higher than his, he couldn’t forgo propriety. Zhao Xingli still offered a salute with a cold face.

He ignored Chen Liangyu, but having been impeached by him several times, Chen Liangyu would not miss an opportunity to tease him.

Chen Liangyu expressed sincere agony and said with a genuine expression, “Such a huge matter! Hurry up and present a memorial to the Emperor, don’t delay it.”

Zhao Xingli flicked his sleeve and walked away in indignation.

In the court, the civil officials were all eager, high-spirited, and fully prepared for another exhilarating war of words. But Chen Liangyu, on the court session that morning, acted uncharacteristically. She voluntarily requested the Emperor to dispatch inspecting censors to investigate the use of funds in various regions, and she offered to start the investigation from the three prefectures of the Northern Territory herself.