Family Memorial

Consort Mei led them weaving through the haphazard clusters of grave steles, finally stopping before a large tomb. "We've arrived. All fifty members of my family, save for my sister, are here." This large tomb holding forty-nine bodies was quite spacious, yet its headstone was modest—merely a two-foot-tall, crude slab bearing just a few words: *Mai Clan Tomb.* Weeds choked the periphery, almost burying the marker. But as the three drew near, they noticed two withered mandarins of uneven size resting before the mound. In one of them were stuck three sticks of incense. A few mandarin peels lay not far off; apparently, another mandarin had been eaten by some animal or passerby. Dong Rui glanced at Consort Mei. Wiping the loose dirt from the stone, she remarked, "Occasionally, someone risks coming to sweep and pay respects." There were still people who remembered Chancellor Mai's goodness. Mai Liansheng had been branded a traitor, so visiting this grave carried a real risk. From her belongings, she brought out the fruit bought in the market town and wildflowers gathered along the roadside, setting them before the stele before offering three sticks of incense as well. Nearby, He Lingchuan found a rectangular slab of stone. He had no idea what monument it had fallen from, but the inscriptions on both sides were completely worn away. Drawing Fusheng, he shaved the stone flat and true, then carved four characters onto its face with the blade's tip: *In Eternal Memory of Lord Mai.* Next, he dug a pit beside the Mai clan stele, drove the long stone deep into the ground until it was three feet down, and packed the earth tight around it. Consort Mei stood by watching. The moment He Lingchuan drew his blade and began carving, understanding dawned on her, and she blinked rapidly. With the new stele in place, He Lingchuan had Lingguang bring out cinnabar red lacquer, mix it with water, and set it before Consort Mei. "You trace it." Her brush soaked in vermilion, Consort Mei raised her hand slowly and traced over the engraved characters. It was merely a few words, but she worked painstakingly slow, putting her entire heart into every stroke. After all these years, she could finally come openly to tend the grave, finally present the news of her vengeance to her parents and kinsfolk! Consort Mei's hand suddenly began to tremble. A drop of moisture rolled down her smooth cheek, followed by another and another, until tears streamed unceasingly. Abruptly dropping the brush, she threw her arms around the headstone and wailed aloud! Crows nearby took fright at her cries, flapping their wings in flurried flight. Even He Lingchuan, tempered over the years into a heart of stone, could hear the searing agony and grief in her lament, like a cuckoo weeping blood. Eight years of drifting through the dust and weathering endless trials. This frail woman's path of revenge had truly been paved with blood and tears every step of the way. The black wolf stayed by her side, ceaselessly licking away the tears on her face. Only after quite a while did Consort Mei slowly quiet down. Taking out a spade, she dug a small hole beside the Mai clan tomb, placed two plain dresses, a wine cup, and a pair of straw sandals inside, then filled the earth back in, mounding it into a small cenotaph. Dong Rui was utterly baffled. "Who is this grave for?" "My foster parents. They lived beside the West Mountain Horse Pasture." At her mention, the two recalled. Over two years ago, the King of Bo had brought Consort Mei back from near the West Mountain Horse Pasture, believing her to be the daughter of an ordinary family. In that case, Consort Mei must have maintained a superficial "family" at the pasture. "Though I was not their flesh and blood, they treated me as their own child. In a fake home, I actually felt the warmth of kin." Recalling the past, Consort Mei's eyes crinkled in a smile. "My foster mother's cooking was delicious, and my foster father hid a small flask of rice wine in the woodshed. Whenever the craving hit, he'd make an excuse to go to the outhouse and sneak a sip or two. Mother and I both knew, but neither of us ever called him out." Pointing to a large stone, she asked He Lingchuan, "Mr. He, could I trouble you to carve a headstone for them as well?" He Lingchuan drew Fusheng. "Of course." On the stone, he carved a line of characters for her: *Tomb of the Husband and Wife Zhao Aqiang and Ru Xiaozhen.* Once the stone was erected, Consort Mei meticulously arranged offerings of fruit before them. Dong Rui asked, "When did they pass away?" "A few days ago." Consort Mei lit three sticks of incense for her foster parents. "When the King of Bo issued the warrant for my arrest, they both hanged themselves, and the palace guards carted away their bodies. "They always knew this day would come and were fully prepared." She knocked her head against the ground in three respectful kowtows. "They harbored a deep feud with Nangong Yan, though Chief Supervisor Nangong never knew it." Even if Nangong Yan had known, he probably would not have cared. After that, she burned spirit money before both graves. The burning lasted for more than a quarter of an hour. Neither He Lingchuan nor Dong Rui hurried her. Having burned the final sheet of spirit money, she wiped the tears from her face and turned to the two men with a smile. "I am finished. My wishes are fulfilled; I can go with you now." A fleck of paper ash still clung to the corner of her lips, but for the first time, her smile was light and innocent. "How many families suffer wrongful devastation only to sink into the abyss forever, never having a chance to avenge their grievances? Compared to them, I have been so fortunate." The heavy burden had lifted from her shoulders; she could now be at peace. "The two of us are heading east. We can't drag a burden along." He Lingchuan pulled out her dagger and tossed it back to her. "We part ways here to pursue our own paths." Catching the dagger, Consort Mei looked at them in complete disbelief. "You... you're not bringing me to justice?" "You are free." Looking at her wide, lovely eyes, He Lingchuan gave an easy, knowing smile. "Isn't that what you fought so hard for?" The victim in this case was already gone, and neither the Mou Emperor nor Lingshan was pursuing the matter further. As the party entrusted with the investigation, he had no compelling reason to press on. As those words were spoken, Consort Mei's eyes and cheeks flushed pink together. She put away the dagger and gave them a smile. "Thank you both." That smile was like a hundred blossoms bursting into bloom, graceful and fragrant in the morning light. Dong Rui could not help asking, "Where will you go? Peng Kingdom hasn't revoked its warrant for you." "I don't know either. I haven't thought that far." Consort Mei looked at He Lingchuan, her misty, watery eyes almost speaking. "When plotting revenge, all I ever thought of was revenge." She was free, but seemingly lost. The sky was vast and the earth broad; where could she go? "A woman like you is bound to find her way." Having said his piece, He Lingchuan urged Dong Rui to mount his horse. "Rivers run long under the vast open sky—until we meet again." Dong Rui, still reluctant to leave, glanced back at Consort Mei. A woman this beautiful was truly a rare sight. Before their horses had galloped two paces, Consort Mei's voice came from behind once more: "Wait!" Dong Rui hastily reined in his steed. He Lingchuan looked back at her. "Anything else you want to confess? Speak." Consort Mei bit her lip and said suddenly, "I apologize. I lied to you before—about the Bright Lantern Cup." His horse snorted. He Lingchuan patted its neck to soothe it. "What about the Bright Lantern Cup?" Sure enough, Consort Mei held another clue. "In truth, everything I know about the Bright Lantern Cup came from a jade slip my father treasured. Back then, he went to great lengths to preserve its usability. Recorded within it was a volume of notes written by someone called 'Perfected Chaoyun.'" He Lingchuan's brow arched slightly, gesturing for her to continue, though inside he was overjoyed. Perfected Chaoyun! When the spider demon sisters had briefed him on the key facts regarding the Bright Lantern Cup, they had mentioned this very person.