Nirvana In Fire

The day after the Emperor’s birthday, the Inner Court Division issued a formal decree, ordering Prince Ji, Yan Que and Ye Shizhen to be the presiding officials to reinvestigate the Chiyan rebellion case. Regarding this case, that had once greatly shaken the entire Da Liang, there were many who were sympathetic and harboured doubts back then, but due to the threat of power and intense pressure, they were suppressed for all these thirteen years. In the wake of Xia Jiang’s confession and in-depth review of the case, the details of the massacre at Meiling were revealed bit by bit. The grief and indignation of all levels of society and all the common folk grew and intensified to a boiling point.

Nie Feng, Nie Duo and Wei Zheng were taken away by Xiao Jingyan to provide their witness testimonies and to reinstate their identities. Finding the most opportune moment and natural way for them to reappear wasn’t a simple matter. As was habitual for him, Mei Changsu naturally wanted to put his mind to planning this, but this time, Lin Chen and Xiao Jingyan happened to share the same mind on this. One issued an order as his doctor, while the other interfered as a friend, so the matter was ultimately drawn out in full detail by the strategists amidst the Crown Prince’s trusted aides, not allowing Mei Changsu to intervene, merely keeping him updated daily on its progress. As far as possible, they sheltered him from the disturbances that were raging through the outside world in order for him to wait for the final outcome with a calm mind.

By the middle of the 9th month, the reinvestigation process was concluded, but because this case had far reaching implications, it wasn’t just a matter of amending the judgment, so it dragged on for more than half a month as the details of the amendment, as well as those of compensation for survivors and financial support for their families, and other such matters were worked out.

On the 4th day of the 10th month, the Crown Prince led the three presiding officials to the palace to meet the Emperor, remaining there from early morning till nightfall. Two days later, the Inner Court Division issued three imperial decrees. The first, exonerating Prince Qi, Lin Xie and thirty-two other implicated civil and military officials from the criminal charge of plotting a great rebellion, declaring the facts of this injustice far and wide. The second, to order that the remains of Consort Chen, Prince Qi and all his direct line of descent be moved to the imperial tomb, and to rebuild the ancestral hall of the Lin clan in order to reinstate the ritual sacrifice to the departed for both families; to restore all survivors to their original positions and reward them; to order the Ministry of Rites to discuss a manifold, generous compensation to support the families of the deceased who had suffered injustice. A grand ceremony was scheduled on the 20th day of the 10th month, when a spiritual altar would be set up in the temple of the imperial household, and the Emperor would lead hundreds of officials to personally offer sacrifice to appease the souls of the deceased. The third, the leading conspirators, Xia Jiang, Xie Yu and their accomplices were convicted of the capital crime of rebellion, and were sentenced to death by a thousand cuts. Since Xie Yu was dead and it was not possible to execute him, after some consideration, all nine of his clan branches were implicated and wiped out except for Grand Princess Liyang and her three children who earned merit by reporting it first.

These three orders more or less confirmed the reversal of the case verdict, and the next step was to plan and implement it across the various ministries, departments and local administrations. On the 20th day of the 10th month, the sacrificial ceremony was held as scheduled. As a show of respect, both the Emperor and the Crown Prince wore plain caps made of cloth, personally lit the incense before the spiritual tablets and burnt written prayers, offering them to the heavens. The sky was overcast that day, and the atmosphere was solemn. After the Liang Emperor added his joss stick and candle, he wept before everyone to show repentance for his own guilt. Although Xiao Jingyan never expected the Emperor to pull this off, he wasn’t surprised. He merely said something polite to console him, but did not participate in the tearful performance his father put up in order to arouse sympathy. And it was obviously all hot air. Days after the sacrificial ceremony, he never made any further mention of repenting his guilt.

During this period, Mei Changsu suffered another attack of the chills, his condition this time was much better compared to when he had suffered similar symptoms before. Because it was obviously effective, Physician Yan began to follow Lin Chen’s treatment directive. Everyone was delighted and grateful, making the Great Master Lin very pleased with himself for a good long while.

Xiao Jingyan had by now basically taken over the work of managing the affairs of the state and was increasingly busy. But when he had some free time, he would simply get on his horse to visit his good friend in the Su Residence. After the ancestral hall of the Lin Clan was rebuilt, he secretly made special arrangements for Mei Changsu, as a son of the clan, to hold a formal sacrificial ceremony for them for the first time. Except for that day, the small wooden tablet that said “Lin Shu’s Place” would forever remain in the cool and secluded depths of the ancestral hall, occupying the spot where others expect it to be, and Xiao Jingyan would always feel a heart wrenching pain everytime he looked at it.

In contrast to the mixed emotions of the Eastern Palace’s Crown Prince, Lin Chen, who had never recognized Lin Shu, felt only unadulterated joy. After all, Mei Changsu had finally achieved his heart’s greatest desire, and as far as his physician was concerned, this was an opportunity to be seized.

“Changsu, how is it that the closer we get to this final juncture, the more peaceful you appear?” asked Lin Chen happily after his routine examination of Mei Changsu’s pulse. “I had originally thought that that day in Jin Hall would be a big moment for you and didn’t expect you to look so good when you came back, just that your face was a little pale, you were a little short of breath, your pulse a little erratic and you were shaking a little.”

“This is called “looking so good”?!” Li Gang who was standing by in attendance couldn’t help but want to spit at him.

“The extent of it had improved,” said Lin Chen, paying him no attention, “A little bit of recuperation, and he was out of the woods. You must understand that what I feared most was that you would actually release that breath you had been holding and expire in that crowd of people. That’s what I would call “not being able to do anything about it”.”

Mei Changsu withdrew his wrist, tucked them back in his sleeves, and laughed as he said, “Perhaps it is as Jingyan had said. We had prepared well ahead. The greater our preparation, the more certain we were of the outcome and the less anxious I felt within. The gradual progress I had made over these past thirteen years, bit by bit, has allowed me to relax a little, to the point that when the day finally arrived, it was just a matter of witnessing the fulfillment of my most cherished desire with my own eyes. Since the result is now within my grasp, what could possibly stir me up emotionally?”

“That’s a lie,” snorted Lin Chen. “I praise you and you play along, thinking I really don’t know what’s going on? You’ve managed to hold yourself together, not because you weren’t stirred up emotionally, but because you haven’t completely let go of that breath you have been holding. I know how you think. You don’t have any confidence in your body. You’re afraid, afraid that just as everyone is finally happy, you are suddenly unable to hold on, that overnight, the happy occasion suddenly becomes a funeral, causing your friends to go from extreme happiness to extreme sorrow and suffer great pain, am I right? You feel that it would be better to put off dying for a few months rather than dying just after the case was overturned, so that the impact on everyone would be a little less, am I right?”

“Young Master Lin,” Li Gang’s expression changed. “Why do you speak so crudely? What dying and living. Why would our Chief not be able to hold on?”

“You’ve got it,” Lin Chen waved his hands and cast a glance at him, “All of you, don’t just look at who he is and tread so carefully around him, avoiding the topic like it’s taboo. Not speaking the truth and hiding your worry, it might be good for some patients, but for him….all of you should just take a break. What can you hide from this dear little delicate crystal? You’re only deceiving yourselves and others, weighing down everyone’s hearts, doing nobody any good!”

“But….but….” The usually eloquent Li Gang was unexpectedly at a loss for words after being thus admonished. Although he didn’t quite agree with Lin Chen, he could only stare at him speechlessly.

Mei Changsu cradled a cup of hot tea in his hands, speechless for a time before slowly saying, “What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is that you have to do only one thing now. Relax. Have faith in me,” Lin Chen smiled widely and moved to stand in front of him. “Stop setting limits for yourself, stop wondering if you can last for another five months, or another ten months. As long as you do your best, I will also do my best, alright?”

Mei Changsu looked silently back at him. It was one of those rare moments when Lin Chen was serious, without a hint of a smile on his face. Sometimes, communication between two intelligent people didn’t always require words. After a brief period of peaceful silence, Mei Changsu lowered his head with a low “Ng”.

“As for your plans to leave the capital, I have no objection,” said Lin Chen with a laugh. “Beautiful mountains and clear waters are suitable for recuperation. The capital is too messy and complicated, and it’s not easy to find peace. Let’s go back to Lang Ya Mountain. The best scenery in the world still belongs to my Lang Ya Mountain.”

“Yes we can,” said Mei Changsu with a small smile. “The clear and refreshing autumn weather will be good for excursions. But we should inform Jingyan before we leave. If we suddenly disappeared, his imagination would run wild.”

“Chief, will you bring us along with you?” asked Li Gang hurriedly.

“Why would I bring you all along?” Mei Changsu raised his eyebrows. “Although you all don’t have family to worry about and don’t want to resume your previous identities to receive your reward from the court, you don’t have to keep following me around right? The Jiangzuo Alliance still has a lot of matters that need attention. Don’t tell me you’re intending to leave them to me? I’ll be bringing only Fei Liu along. The rest of you should go back to Langzhou.”

Li Gang immediately responded anxiously, “Chief, Fei Liu is just a child. He won’t know how to take care of you!”

“Isn’t there still Lin Chen?”

“Please, Chief, Young Master Lin….if you don’t have to take care of him that’s already considered good….”

“Hey,” responded Lin Chen with displeasure, “What do you mean by that?”

Li Gang ignored him and knelt before Mei Changsu with a plop, saying insistently, “Chief, no matter what, you must bring along either Zhen Ping or myself. If you leave with just a child and someone with no scruples, we will never agree!”

Lin Chen grabbed hold of a folding fan and rapped Li Gang on his head, scolding him, “What are you thinking? He’s the Chief. You have to go if he tells you to return to handle Jiangzuo Alliance matters. Who dares to disobey? If you’re still thinking of going out to roam with him, it’s wishful thinking. It’s not going to happen. Go back to Langzhou and pledge your life to the alliance! If there’s anyone who should follow along, it should be Gong Yu. She’s the only one who can afford to!”

Before Li Gang could react, Mei Changsu immediately sat up and said, “Lin Chen, what did you say…..”

“It’s the best of both worlds!” Lin Chen said excitedly, “They say I have no scruples and will never agree to let you leave unaccompanied. So we can’t let them down, right? But Li Gang and Zhen Ping will be kept very busy. As you said, Jiangzuo Alliance still has a lot of matters that need attention! So, of course, Gong Yu is the most suitable choice. Li Gang, go and inform Gong Yu and ask her to make preparations.”

Li Gang responded swiftly this time, and he disappeared after sounding his assent. Mei Changsu glared sternly at Lin Chen, saying, “Stop making trouble. If you really want to bring someone, there are many to choose from. Do you know how inconvenient it would be to have a girl along?”

“Girls are more attentive. Anyway, Li Gang has already informed her. If you refuse to bring her now, she would be deeply hurt,” said Lin Chen, his face beaming. “Alright, you just pretend you’re bringing along a servant girl. You were born the son of a noble, so don’t tell me you’ve never had servant girls around you.”

Mei Changsu didn’t put up any further resistance for the moment. Li Gang had already left so there didn’t seem to be a way out of this. If he continued to insist on not bringing Gong Yu along, she would very likely still follow along secretly, which would make it even more awkward. It was better to remain calm so that everyone got along well as usual.

When he saw him conceding, Lin Chen’s elation grew. “Let me tell you, I’ve planned it all out. First, we will go to Fuxian Lake in Huozhou to taste Xianlu tea. After two days, we will go to Grand Master Qin’s place for vegetarian food and practise cultivation there for half a month, then follow the river to Xiaoling Gorge whose mountain top shines with Buddha’s light, which we will definitely see if we keep watch for it for ten days. Then, we will continue on to Fengqi Ravine to see the monkeys. We haven’t seen Wei Ming, Zhu Sha and Qing Lin in a long time, so we shall call on them along the way. Didn’t you enjoy eating Ding Zhen’s grandmother’s drunken peanuts? Let’s get two jars before we head back to Lang Ya Mountain…..”

“Alright, alright,” Mei Changsu lifted both his hands in surrender. “Lin Chen, based on your itinerary, wouldn’t it be more than half a year before we arrive on Lang Ya Mountain?”

“What’s wrong if we take more than half a year?” Lin Chen looked intensely at him, “Why are you counting time? Is there any benefit from doing so? Have faith in me. We’ll just follow this route. Whether or not we can finally return to Lang Ya Mountain, that’s not something we need to think about, right?”

Mei Changsu returned his gaze, and warmth filled his heart. He understood Lin Chen’s intentions, and because of this, there was no need for any pleasantries.

“Alright. Then I shall leave it all to the Mongolian doctor. In two days’ time, I’ll inform Jingyan, then we shall set off together.”

Lin Chen laughed heartily and leapt up, patting Mei Changsu’s shoulders a few times before dashing out happily to the courtyard, shouting loudly, “Xiao Fei Liu, quickly come here. You’re heading out with Lin Chen gege!”

Fei Liu, who was perched by a nest counting the chicks within immediately jumped up in fright and fell down with a plop. Lin Chen laughed at him. Aunt Ji laughed, too, and Li Gang, Zhen Ping and Gong Yu who had rushed forward also laughed along. Hearing this, even Mei Changsu couldn’t help shaking his head and laughing on the other side of the window.

The people of Su Residence were cheerful and lighthearted today. Some had rid themselves of heavy burdens, some were hopeful, but everyone wanted to laugh happily, hoping that this moment would last forever.

But in that moment, neither Mei Changsu with all his well-laid plans, nor Lin Chen with his clear view of the world could have foreseen that in two days’ time, several urgent reports would arrive post haste in the capital, like the crash of thunderbolts in Da Liang’s skies.

Afterthought:

I must confess – I almost didn’t want to translate that final paragraph. I wish I could have just left it at “hoping that this moment would last forever” and add on “and so it did”. But this wouldn’t be the story we love if it ended that way, so I very reluctantly translated that last paragraph.

We all know what will happen next. I’m not sure yet I have the stomach for it, but I will translate that last and final chapter. I promise.