Chapter 14:
A Sleepless Night
XIE JINGTAO?
Xiahou Lian was somewhat puzzled. How could Xie Jinglan tell? He picked up the handkerchief, and its strong fragrance hit him. The scent was familiar, as if he’d smelled it somewhere before. Suddenly, it dawned on him.
“That’s right,” he said quickly. “If the lord summons the eldest young master, the truth will become clear.”
Lady Xiao’s expression darkened. “What more is there to say?” she demanded. “Someone take away this brat who corrupted the third young master. Dai-xiansheng can take Xiahou Lian back when he returns. From now on, he’s forbidden to set foot in the Xie residence!”
Xie Bingfeng stopped Lady Xiao, turning to Xie Jinglan. “What does this have to do with Tao-er? Xie Jinglan, explain yourself plainly!”
Xie Jinglan sneered and drawled, “It’s Dage who adores Lady Liu. His love for her extends to her belongings. He carries that handkerchief around with him all day, so it reeks of his own powder. Can’t you smell it, Father?”
Xie Bingfeng quickly picked up the handkerchief, sniffing it carefully. The fragrance was indeed familiar. He knew he recognized the scent, but he’d assumed it was Lady Liu’s fragrance, so he hadn’t thought much of it.
Lady Xiao forced a smile. “Fine. I’ll have Tao-er fetched right away. Matron Liu, hurry up.”
“Wait—don’t move,” said Xie Bingfeng, then called to his own servant, “Laiwang, go and invite the eldest young master to join us.”
Xie Jingtao swaggered in shortly thereafter, sat down on the side, picked his teeth, and looked at Xie Jinglan and Xiahou Lian with glee.
“Mother, I was just studying,” he said smugly. “Why did you call me here? And San-di, why are you covered in tea? You’re a sorry sight… It certainly makes my heart ache.”
But the truth became clear the moment he arrived. Even from five steps away, his powder’s overwhelming odor was strong enough to kill a mosquito.
Ugly people tended to be the most ostentatious. Xie Jingtao, self-conscious about his appearance, tried to compensate in other ways. The sight of him made Xie Bingfeng’s stomach churn. He wanted to throw a teacup at him as well, and since he’d already tossed his at Xie Jinglan, he grabbed Lady Xiao’s instead and hurled it at Xie Jingtao.
Xie Jingtao was so frightened, he fell to his knees beside Xie Jinglan, shuddering. “Father, please calm down,” he stammered. “I know I’ve done wrong.”
“And what exactly have you done wrong?!”
“I…I…” Xie Jingtao instinctively glanced at Lady Xiao, who shot him a fierce glare back. “I don’t know...”
“Then what are you admitting to?!” Even Xie Bingfeng’s beard trembled with his rage. He grabbed a feather duster and struck Xie Jingtao.
Xie Jingtao rose and ran around the room, screeching, “Father! Stop hitting me! The servants are watching!”
“Oh, so you’re still capable of shame?! I’ll beat you to death, you disobedient son!”
“Mother! Save me!”
Xie Bingfeng was ultimately an old man, and after chasing Xie Jingtao around for a while, he was too exhausted to keep running and had to lean on the table, gasping for breath. Xie Jingtao shrank behind Xiahou Lian, who subtly moved closer to Xie Jinglan, exposing the cowardly turtle behind him.
Xie Bingfeng pointed at the handkerchief. “You ungrateful son! Is this handkerchief yours?!”
“If I say it isn’t, you won’t believe me.”
“You…you…! Out of my sight! Go kneel in the ancestral hall!”
“Fine, I’ll go right away. Please don’t be angry.” Standing, Xie Jingtao ordered his servant, “Hey, you! Hurry up and fetch my cot, some snacks, eroti—uh, books, and so on. Bring them to the ancestral hall.”
“Brat!” Xie Bingfeng flew into a thunderous rage but still couldn’t catch his breath and coughed violently.
Xie Jinglan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. “There’s another culprit. Another culprit who should be punished. They’re in the ancestral hall.”
“Who?! My second son? He’s as diligent as you! How could he be up to such mischief?! Xie Jingtao, you must’ve led Tan-er astray, you brat!”
Xie Jingtao rolled his eyes. “Why blame me? That kid is Mother’s spy. I’d never take him with me.”
Xie Jinglan raised his face and gave Xie Bingfeng a mocking smile. “It’s quite a coincidence. These past few days, I’ve been studying in Xiuwen Hall, and I accidentally discovered the five volumes of portraits of Wanxiang Tower women that you hid in the library. Truly...” Xie Jinglan’s lips twitched, and he smiled somewhat ferociously. “A feast for the eyes.”
It took the stunned Xie Bingfeng a long time to squeeze out a reply. “Shut...shut up!”
“Who was the woman you mentioned earlier? Lady Liu?” Xie Jinglan continued. “I don’t recall seeing her portrait in any of your volumes. Oh, wait. Now I remember—a page was missing, as if someone had torn it out. Could that have been you, Father? I gather you’re a romantic, to carry Lady Liu’s portrait with you.”
“Shut...shut up!” Xie Bingfeng saw red. With a loud smack, he slapped Xie Jinglan across the face, leaving five scarlet marks on his son’s pale cheek. For a moment, everyone fell silent.
In truth, the portrait volumes in the library hadn’t necessarily belonged to Xie Bingfeng. However, his overreaction encapsulated the old saying “The guilty party protests most.” Everyone understood that.
Lady Xiao pointed at Xie Bingfeng, her face ugly. “You…you never change! I never dreamed that, despite spending all those years away from home, you’d still manage to become the guest of such a despicable place! Or have you been in cahoots with that wench for even longer?”
“This is a misunderstanding,” Xie Bingfeng said, sweating profusely. “This is simply a misunderstanding, Lady. Those books belong to an old friend of mine. He’s stored them here for now, that’s all.”
“The volumes are on the third shelf of the first section and have been disguised to look like the Rites of Zhou,” Xie Jinglan added expressionlessly. “If you don’t believe me, Lady, you can go see for yourself. The title page still bears Father’s seal.”
Lady Xiao paled. She glared at Xie Bingfeng fiercely, then turned and headed for the library.
Xie Jingtao tugged at Xiahou Lian’s sleeve and whispered, “Has your young master lost his mind, daring even to bring up something like this? He really has a death wish.”
“You’re the one who’s lost your mind,” Xiahou Lian muttered.
“I will go to the ancestral hall to proceed with my punishment. I hope you will take care of your health, Father,” Xie Jinglan said. He bowed to the ground once, then left with Xiahou Lian.
Xie Jingtao was stunned for a moment, but then lifted his robes and followed. Only Xie Bingfeng remained standing stiffly in place. Seeing everyone’s bowed heads, he remembered that his shameful secret was now exposed. His face burned with embarrassment, and he could only cover that shame with anger, shouting, “All of you, get out!”
The Xie family’s ancestral hall was very old, its walls mottled gold and green. The smell of decay struck a person the moment they stepped inside, though whether it came from the wood or the presence of spirits was impossible to say. Only a few candles were lit, and they cast a feeble glow onto the small area in front of the altar.
Clutching what appeared to be a memorial, Xie Jingtao found a spot to sit. He glanced at Xie Jinglan with an odd mix of resentment and admiration. The expression twisted and crumpled his face, giving him an unsightly resemblance to a meat bun.
Xie Jinglan found a spot as far away from him as possible, lifted his robes, and knelt. Seeing his actions, Xiahou Lian naturally couldn’t keep sitting; he knelt beside the other boy.
Xie Jingtao opened the memorial and began mumbling to himself. Xiahou Lian was too far away to hear clearly, only catching phrases: “…colluding with rebel forces, plotting rebellion... That is the second crime...”
After a while, Xie Jingtao found himself unable to memorize any more. He turned to look at Xie Jinglan. “Hey, Xie Jinglan—you’re really something.”
Xie Jinglan remained expressionless, showing no intention of responding.