Chapter 47: Green Pearl

A strong scent of blood jolted Liu Xian awake instantly. He looked at the scene before him in utter shock and disbelief: Just because of a cup of wine, a vibrant life had vanished just like that? The maid was still so young, barely in her early twenties judging by her appearance. At the age of a blooming flower, how could she have been destroyed so cruelly?

He watched the guards pick up Ah Qing's body as though lifting a bird with broken wings, dragging her out of the room. Her bare feet left two startling bloodstains on the floor, seemingly her final traces in this world. A rich, heavy scent of blood permeated the room, impossible to mask even with the strongest incense.

Liu Xian glanced at the people around him and found that everyone's expression was one of matter-of-fact indifference.

Not only the guard who killed her, but the bystanders as well wore cold, indifferent expressions, as if their companion had merely squashed a rat. Shi Chong was drinking wine, his expression gentle. To him, the scene that had just transpired was merely a side dish to accompany his liquor, and a sweet smile even played at the corners of his mouth. Meanwhile, most of the maids before him were trembling, yet their eyes were filled entirely with the relief of having escaped disaster. Even Shi Chao watched with utter detachment, as though this were some trivial, commonplace matter.

A chill rose from the depths of Liu Xian's bones. He could not understand why the people before him remained unmoved. The moment Ah Qing was killed, many faces had flashed through his mind: his mother, Xiao Mei, Zhu Fu, Ah Chun, Lai Fu... They appeared alternately in Ah Qing's unseeing pupils and her faint breath, and upon her snowy skin, her icy hands and feet, and the pool of blood beneath her...

These visions lingered before his eyes, plunging him into a momentary state of hallucination, but eventually, these stray thoughts were washed away, leaving Liu Xian with only a condensed, profound sorrow: He had not even had the chance to ask whether this girl Ah Qing was by any chance Xiao Mei's elder sister...

Shi Chong singled out another maid before him and smiled, "Ah Lan, go tidy up for our young nephew and urge him to take another cup."

Ah Lan acknowledged the command, hurried over to Liu Xian's side, and cleared the bloodstains from his table. With the practiced ease of one accustomed to such sights, she finished wiping the table, then leaned in close to wipe the blood from Liu Xian's face, causing a suffocating sensation to rise in his chest. Afterward, she picked up the wine cup, intending to pour out the blood-stained liquor. Liu Xian stopped her, saying, "The blood of that girl Ah Qing is in here. Do not pour it out; I have failed her." With that, he took the goblet, tilted his head, and drained it completely.

The taste of blood mixed with the warm wine was not only harsh on the throat but also sour and bitter. As Liu Xian swallowed it, he felt as though a wronged soul had seeped into his spirit along with the bitterness. He was not drunk; rather, he felt even more lucid. He turned to face Shi Chong and asked bluntly:

"Is this how my respected uncle urges people to drink, by killing them?"

Liu Xian made no effort to conceal the displeasure in his words, yet Shi Chong remained entirely unruffled. He raised his cup and smiled:

"Why should my young nephew be angered? According to the Taishi Code, for an inferior to defy a superior is an act of treason; as the master of this house, killing her was fully in accordance with the law. Yet my nephew is so indignant—could it be that you have taken a fancy to her?" Shi Chong shrugged off the responsibility with ease and teased, "What a pity. Had my nephew spoken up a moment earlier, I would have given her to you. Would that not have been acceptable?"

Shi Chong was talking absolute nonsense. For the past half year, Liu Xian had been studying the legal codes under Li Mi; whether it was the *Shu Code* or the *Taishi Code*, he had committed them thoroughly to memory. According to the *Taishi Code*, usurping the status of superiors was designated as wicked rebellion, and unauthorized execution was considered banditry. Ah Qing had committed no fault whatsoever, whereas Shi Chong's actions constituted the deeds of a bandit!

What Shi Chong relied upon was the "Eight Deliberations" system established since the Cao Wei dynasty—namely, deliberations regarding imperial relatives, old acquaintances of the emperor, men of great virtue, men of exceptional talent, those with immense merits, high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above, diligent laborers, and descendants of former dynasties. As long as the offender did not commit the heinous crime of treason, minor legal infractions in daily life could be exempted through purchase, demotion, or even left unpunished.

Based on these eight criteria, Shi Chong qualified for at least five: deliberations regarding old acquaintances, men of virtue, exceptional talent, immense merits, and high rank. As long as he did not cross the literati, no one would pursue him even if his actions caused rivers of blood to flow.

Liu Xian now felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. A remark his father once made suddenly echoed in his ears: *"The descendants of Liu Bei mingle with the descendants of Jia Chong, Shi Bao, and Wang Shen, yet they have no shame before others!"* He had not fully understood it in the past, but now it sounded like a thunderous awakening.

He decided to cut the banquet short and leave quickly, but before doing so, there was one thing he had to do.

Liu Xian said to Shi Chong, "Please forgive my uncle's amusement, but this junior indeed has an unfilial request, and I hope my uncle will grant it."

"What is it? Speak freely, my worthy nephew."

"I truly wish to ask my uncle for a person."

"A person?"

"May I ask if there is a maid named He Qing in my uncle's household? I wish to take her away, and whatever the cost, this junior is willing to pay."

As soon as these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall took a strange turn. Everyone exchanged glances; though they remained silent, the teasing and amusement in their eyes were unmistakable: Liu Xian had made an impossible demand.

Liu Xian's heart sank, and he thought to himself: Could it be that He Qing was already dead? Or was that Ah Qing from moments ago truly Xiao Mei's elder sister?

Yet Shi Chong's expression did not match that of the others. He did not seem to be joking as he asked with solemnity, "Where did my nephew hear this name?"

Liu Xian replied, "I was entrusted by this girl's younger sister to see how her elder sister is faring."

"Oh? A younger sister?" Shi Chong glanced toward the inner screen, then turned back to ask, "What relation does this younger He girl bear to you? Could she be your concubine?"

Liu Xian shook his head and said, "There is no such relation. She is an ordinary farm girl, and we are merely ordinary friends."

"Ha? Hahahaha!" Hearing this as if it were the most absurd joke imaginable, Shi Chong shook with laughter and burst into wild mirth. "How amusing, how amusing!" he said. "As the son of a duke, my nephew makes friends with an ordinary farm girl? Are you not afraid of staining her purity? Hahahaha."

Faced with such interrogation, the people in the hall began to whisper among themselves, and even Shi Chao wore a strange expression. Liu Xian, however, remained completely calm. With a smile, he said, "I am a descendant of the First Emperor, Liu Xuande, and I care nothing for distinctions of high and low. I am also a disciple of Lord Xiao Ruan, and I care even less for idle gossip. As long as my conduct is upright and blameless, a friend is a friend—what is there to deny?"

He turned back to Shi Chong and asked, "I beg my uncle to tell me: Is Miss He residing in your noble estate? Whether commoner or noble, ape or bird, beast or any creature under heaven, who is without the feelings of the five human relationships? Yearning for one's kin is an innate virtue. If Miss He is indeed in your noble estate, as long as my uncle is willing to grant this, whatever commands you may have in the future, Liu Xian will gladly offer his life and exert himself to the utmost."

These words were spoken with a resounding, uncompromised integrity that caused the surrounding breaths to hitch.

The smile on Shi Chong's face subsided. Seeing how sincere and steadfast Liu Xian was, pressing him further would反而 cause him to lose the demeanor of a refined scholar. Thus, he said gravely, "Any other request from my nephew would be easy to discuss, but this one I must refuse."

"Why?"

"Though the Jingu Garden holds many treasures, there is only one I cannot part with. Even if you were to trade the imperial throne for her, I would not yield her." With that, Shi Chong turned toward the screen and said, "Lvzhu, come out and greet Young Master Liu as well."

"Understood." The woman behind the screen gave a slight nod and sighed, "I never expected to see the young master here again."

With that, Lvzhu stepped slowly out from behind the screen.

Liu Xian felt as though a bright beam of light had pierced through the entrance, like a snow lotus suddenly bursting into bloom. An exquisitely beautiful woman dressed in a plum-blossom patterned pleated immortal skirt suddenly appeared before his eyes. Keeping her head lowered slightly, she could not conceal her peerless grace as she greeted Liu Xian:

"This lowly concubine, Lvzhu of the Jingu Garden, formerly known as He Qing, pays her respects to the young master."

Liu Xian was nearly fifteen years old. Although his circle of acquaintances was not vast, residing in the capital next door to the bustling Tongtuo Street, where beauties gathered like clouds, he had naturally seen many fair women. Yet not one could compare to the woman before him; the difference between them was as vast as clouds and mud.

This Miss Lvzhu appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years of age. With bright eyes, white teeth, vermillion lips, and a jade-like complexion, her waterfall-like dark hair was bound into an endearing concentric knot, adorned with silver hairpins upon her pristine face. Her beauty seemed otherworldly. But what caught Liu Xian's attention even more was that her brows and eyes no longer held the spring-like passion and vitality of a young girl; instead, they carried a poignant air of vulnerability. The sorrow in her eyes was like endless, shimmering ripples, and her delicate frame swayed like tender willows in the wind. The jade flute she held in her hand lent her an inexpressible, romantic charm.

Liu Xian was momentarily stunned, then felt a sense of surreal disbelief. Looking up and down at Lvzhu, he could not find a trace of Xiao Mei in her appearance and could not help asking, "Is the young lady truly Xiao Mei's elder sister?"

Guessing Liu Xian's confusion, Lvzhu offered a soft explanation, "This concubine was sold by my father to the Shi household at the age of twelve. Time flies, and six years have already passed. Over these years, living in luxury and diligently practicing my deportment, I naturally no longer possess the demeanor of those bygone days."

While the logic held true, as Liu Xian looked at Lvzhu—arrayed in splendid garments and speaking with serene gentleness—he still found it hard to shake off an unearthly sensation. Perhaps even the daughters of distinguished aristocratic families lacked such a captivating and intimidating aura.

Still, he quickly adjusted his demeanor and replied with solemn sincerity, "Pardon me; this junior judged a person by her background."

"Why should the young master apologize? It is this concubine who has acted discourteously."

With that, she sat sideways beside Shi Chong, waiting like a doll carved of jade for her master's instructions.

Shi Chong casually lifted a lock of Lvzhu's hair in front of the company and smiled at Liu Xian, "My nephew, I have shown you my treasure. How would you rate her?"

Liu Xian answered sincerely, "A beauty of a nation, capable of overthrowing states and cities."

Shi Chong was extremely satisfied with this reply, sighing, "Precisely so. Sometimes treasures are easy to come by, but a true beauty is hard to find. Youthful faces easily fade, and beauty easily withers. Now that I possess such a treasure as Lvzhu, even if I were to lose this Jingu Garden, what would there be to regret? Therefore, I will never hand her over to you."

From the very first moment he saw Lvzhu's face, Liu Xian knew such a thing was impossible. Yet hearing Shi Chong treat a human being like a mere object still made him grind his teeth in frustration. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, he asked, "What about allowing Miss Lvzhu to return home to visit her family?"

Shi Chong let out a scoff and handed the choice over to Lvzhu, asking, "Lvzhu, what do you think?"

Lvzhu replied calmly, "When my father sold me to this place at the age of twelve, my heart turned to ashes. I have long considered myself an orphan without father, mother, home, or kin."

Hearing this, Liu Xian fell silent. He truly did not know what kind of feeling that was, but thinking of the fallen emperor's disputes with him and the atrocities committed against his mother, he felt a vague sense of shared empathy.

Yet Liu Xian was still unwilling to give up. He could not believe that, plunged into a bloody hell where a maid was treated as a plaything and could be slaughtered on a whim, she would feel no yearning for familial affection. Thus, he pressed on, "Yet when I came today, Xiao Mei wept for a spell; she misses you dearly."

Lvzhu was slightly moved, but this trace of sorrow flashed by like shadows over fleeting light, quickly concealed once more. "Then I must trouble the young master to tell her that I am doing very well here."

"Are you truly doing well?"

"Here I am clad in silk and satin and dining on the finest foods. What more could I ask for?"

Lvzhu continued, "The young master does not understand the sufferings of the common people. For an ordinary mortal, being able to eat and dress warmly every day, without the worry and toil of the morrow, is more than enough."

This was the truth, and Liu Xian had no counter-argument. The deepest lesson he had learned over the past year was that certain hardships are beyond imagination; only those who have experienced them can comprehend such torture. Through this process, he had thoroughly understood why people could sacrifice their lives for righteousness: because some lives are worse than death. Rather than endure a prolonged, agonizing existence, it is better to live brilliantly for a short time and die in a blaze of glory.

It was precisely because Shi Chong saw through this reality that he could toy so casually with mortal lives within the Jingu Garden.

Liu Xian closed his eyes slightly. Despite repeatedly reining in his emotions, he felt an escalating anger at having come to this place.

This anger suddenly made him understand Li Mi's painstaking intentions: Only by truly experiencing the sufferings of life could one feel genuine heartache for the injustices of the world, truly believe in the way of the gentleman, and possess an unyielding spirit and a heart that loves the people.

He suddenly made up his mind to gradually distance himself from the people before him.

The banquet proceeded as usual, lasting deep into the night. When Liu Xian emerged, the starry sky was blinking down at him, making him feel as though he truly were intoxicated. Shi Chao offered to let Liu Xian stay the night, but Liu Xian politely declined, stating that his teacher was ill and that a disciple ought to remain close by to tend to him.

True to his word, Shi Chong had his servants lead out Qianlixue for Liu Xian. It was indeed a fine steed, its coat pure white without a single stray hair, and its limbs robust and strong like iron. Liu Xian liked it greatly, yet he still refused, saying, "I currently hold no official post, and my household lacks sufficient grain and beans to feed it. Even with a thousand-li horse, I would have no use for it. It is better to let my uncle continue training it; at least it will not starve."

Thus, Liu Xian walked to the stables, fetched his own horse, and prepared to return by the path he had come. Servants and maids of the Jingu Garden bustled back and forth along the walkways, casting glances and whispering softly as they watched him, leaving Liu Xian somewhat amused and exasperated.

Lost in thought as he turned an empty corner, a maid suddenly collided with him and took the opportunity to press an object into his hand. Startled, Liu Xian looked at the maid; she was a complete stranger, and having hurried away in haste, her intentions were unknown. The object in his palm felt like a rolled-up piece of silk. Fearing discovery, he quickly clenched it tightly in his fist.

After exiting the Jingu Garden and riding for some five or six miles, seeing no one about, Liu Xian finally opened the piece of silk, which was damp with the sweat of his palm. Bringing a torch closer, he saw several lines of delicate, graceful small characters written upon it, which formed a *jueju* poem when read:

*"The dodder follows the autumn wind,*
*Its roots and stems are never severed.*
*If even heartless plants part not,*
*How can sentient beings bear to separate?"*

Beneath the poem was signed the two characters "Lvzhu," followed by a line of text: "For the young master's noble virtue, Lvzhu is deeply moved."

Wrapped within the silk was also a silver hairpin, exactly matching the style Lvzhu wore in her hair.

So this piece of silk had been sent through an intermediary by Miss Lvzhu. Liu Xian was both surprised and consoled. He understood now that Miss Lvzhu was certainly not a heartless person; the words she spoke in the hall had likely been meant only to appease Shi Chong. Judging by the meaning of her poem, she hoped he might offer some assistance to her family when possible.

Yet thinking of Ah Qing who had died before his eyes, as well as Lvzhu's cold expression, a lingering shadow cast itself over Liu Xian's heart once more. He looked back toward the distant Jingu Garden. In the dark of night, the lamps of the estate twinkled like stars in the sky, yet as Liu Xian strained his ears, he distinctly heard the patter of a fine drizzle—it sounded like the weeping of wandering souls in the wind.