Chapter Text
(Plum Flower Month, 20, Year of the Rabbit)
Ouyang Zizhen,
I have just returned from Caiyi where I visited the Wens’ clinic to get a better understanding of the Chief Cultivator’s project and how it all works in practice. I brought a very small entourage with me: just a couple of our healers who are also interested in the project.
Hanguang-jun welcomed us himself. I can never read his expression, but he seemed in a more forthcoming mood than when he was last in Lanling helping oversee the treasure room. He briefly explained his role in the project, which is primarily as a financial sponsor, before turning things over to Wen-guniang. She went into more detail about the daily operations of the clinic. Then she and the medics went to go see some patients, the Ghost General went to the market, and I was left with Lan Sizhui as my guide.
This was the first time I’d seen him since he was at Lanling and I learned about his history. I thought it might be terribly awkward, but it was fine. Lan Sizhui is very polite and a little reserved, but not unfriendly. After we spent the morning in the clinic helping out, he showed me his pet rabbits.
Then Hanguang-jun and Lan Jingyi joined us for lunch at the noodle shop across the courtyard from the clinic. It’s not the kind of place sect leaders and the Chief Cultivator generally meet, being noisy and crowded and inexpensive. We did get a few strange looks, but I think Hanguang-jun must dine there somewhat regularly. The noodles were very good even if they were cheap. This style has thin noodles in a clear soup, and I had mine topped with shrimp and greens. The broth is really excellent and makes the whole dish. Over lunch we talked more about the clinic and a few of Hanguang-jun’s other projects. I expressed my approval for his picking you to lead the Qishan expedition, and we discussed some of the finer points of the proposed resolution on the treatment of prisoners.
After lunch, we went back to the clinic. There were fewer patients in the afternoon, so Wen-guniang showed us her work room. She is so meticulously organized! The work room is a place where you can really see how valuable financial sponsorship is for a project like this. Medicines are expensive.
Then Wen-guniang asked Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui to show me around Caiyi. I’m pretty sure she just thought we should socialise, but it was very pleasant. Lan Sizhui took us down to the wharfs and we bought red date paste cakes to eat as we watched people load and unload the boats.
I stayed the night in Caiyi and went home the next morning. It was a very good visit and I have a lot of ideas now for projects in Lanling! I hope your expedition is going well and that my cousins aren’t too much trouble.
Jin Ling
(Plum Flower Month, 29, Year of the Rabbit)
Zizhen,
I hope your expedition is going well! It must be very glamorous and exciting to be in charge of the whole expedition yourself! I’m sure it is keeping you very busy, but do write when you can.
I have an update to my last letter. Remember how I said I was going to check Hanguang-jun’s night hunt reports for mention of Guo Zhaomin? Well, I went and looked, and it turned out to be very helpful. Hunguang-jun night hunted with her several times and complimented her! She must be extraordinary; mostly, if he mentions any other cultivators in his reports, he damns them with faint praise. However, the important thing is that he saw her two years ago in Qiutouxiang, where he said she had bought a farmstead. That’s just west of Qishan, so perhaps you can make a detour and visit her?
We are enjoying summer’s bounty here on the mountain. Since we are so high it doesn’t get terribly hot. Lan Xin has been especially enjoying the lychee fruits, and the kitchens have been cooking a lot of things with eggplants and these little dumplings with wings that they call finches! I hope you’re trying lots of new foods up north!
Jingyi
(Pomegranate Month, 2, Year of the Rabbit)
Honorable Ouyang Zizhen,
I hear that you are sending regular reports so I assume the expedition is going well.
I know that Lan Jingyi wrote to you and told you that I was going to be staying on past my trial period at the Caiyi clinic. After how tense Hanguang-jun was about me coming here in the first place I thought it would be a big deal, but he just asked me if I liked it at the clinic and if I was learning, and when I said yes to both, he just nodded and said, “Then return,” and that was that.
He seems to have gotten used to the idea of me being away from the Cloud Recesses. Besides, he comes to town often on business, and he generally stops by the clinic so we can eat together, and he tells me bits of news from home. Of course, the official reason for his visits is to oversee the clinic.
It's funny, but the more I live here the more Lan-like I feel. I came here to get away from that and explore my Wen heritage, but my Lan upbringing still matters. Wen-shu teases me sometimes for not talking much, and I still get up early to meditate, but I feel less torn about it now. There's good things and bad things about being a Lan and about being a Wen, but I don't have to choose. In fact, I can't choose, because I am both. I'm glad for my work here, though. It gives me the space to just be and figure out what it all means.
Wen-laoshi is a good teacher. She is stern, but she explains things well and allows me to help quite a bit. I am mostly still learning to diagnose patients, but I’m also helping to make medicines, and I’m even sometimes allowed to suggest treatments. She tells me, “A doctor’s duty is to heal,” and I can tell she takes that calling seriously. I’m glad she lived and that I get to learn this from her.
The biggest event of the last month was that Jin-zongzhu came to visit our clinic. He is really interested in the project: in the logistical aspects of course, but also in the day to day stuff and what I am learning. It was nice to see him. I do enjoy his company, despite his brattyness. I like that he cares about things so fiercely.
The other major piece of news is that Wei-shu is here. I’m not sure how long he is staying with us, but Wen-laoshi cleared out part of the workroom for him and told him he could stay as long as he wanted. It’s nice to see Wen-laoshi and Wei-shu together. She is the most practical person I have ever met, and well you know how Wei-shu is -- not very practical at all until something goes wrong, and then terrifyingly effective. Yet they have strong affection for each other. I hope he stays for a long time.
Lan Sizhui
(Pomegranate Month, 6, Year of the Rabbit)
Jin Rulan,
I enjoyed seeing you when you visited the clinic in Caiyi very much! Sizhui and I are looking forward to hearing about any project you might be inspired to start! Now that you’ve made an official visit to the clinic, several other sect leaders are inquiring about doing the same.
I was able to spend yesterday in Caiyi celebrating Duanwu! Normally, I’d spend the day in the Cloud Recesses with ceremonial duties. However, Hanguang-jun has been building relationships with the local magistrates and he thought it would be wise to send a representative to celebrate in town. I think he was rather relieved that I asked to go -- he probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all, but I had tremendous fun.
I stayed overnight with Sizhui in order to be ready bright and early. I was disappointed to find that Wei-qianbei wasn’t staying at the clinic! I wanted to see him! He left a stack of notes in the workroom, so hopefully he means to come back soon.
In the morning we hung bunches of calamus and wormwood on all the doors and windows of the clinic to help ward off evil. The smell was very strong! As soon as we were done with that, Wen-qianbei whisked us off to the medical market. It was exciting shopping with her -- she drives a hard bargain, but she also stopped to explain her purchases and what to look for in each medicine to us.
Sizhui and I had to leave before Wen-qianbei was finished so that we could ride out on the local magistrates barge to watch the boat races. The local officials were very polite to us, and they had piles of zongzi with all kinds of fillings. Sizhui likes the red bean paste ones best, but I like the egg yolk ones.
The barge took us to Biling Lake where all the races were held. They were so fun to watch! The dragon heads on the boats are so colorful and noble looking. Our host had sponsored a team, so of course we were rooting for them to take home the banner, but in the end it went to the local blacksmiths’ association.
After the boat races, we went back to town and enjoyed the festival. I ate even more zongzi and sesame balls and eel skewers! There were tons of street performers. I really enjoyed the whole thing. Sizhui got tired after a bit and went home, but I stayed out late to watch everything!
I hope things are going well at Carp Tower. I heard you were thinking of cataloging the library -- perhaps I could put my treasure room cataloging skills to use and come help you.
Lan Jingyi
(Pomegranate Month, 14, Year of the Rabbit)
Lan Jingyi,
It’s good to hear from you. Things at Carp Tower are calmer with several of my cousins traveling with Ouyang Zizhen, but there is still a lot of teaching and organizing to do. I have decided that we need to pay more attention to incoming requests for cultivation aid, so I have given Jin Ting the task of reading petitions. We review them once a week and send out small groups to deal with problems that need attention. This has been helping to keep my cousins out of trouble, and lets them show off a bit. When things are more settled here, I’ll be able to go on some hunts myself.
In the meantime, I have been spending my spare time cataloging and reorganizing the library. I enjoyed that aspect of dealing with the treasure room. It's nice to have a quiet task where things stay where you put them. If you find time to visit, I would appreciate your help. There are several minor mysteries you could help solve!
I was able to watch the boat races here in Lanling! They take place along the river, and the whole city comes out to watch. Our sect has its own decorated barge. It is exciting to watch! This year the team sponsored by the weavers’ association won. I will see if the sect’s budget will allow us to sponsor a team for next year.
My visit to the Wens’ clinic in Caiyi was very informative. I understand the logistics of projects like that a lot better now, and I have arranged a meeting with the local magistrate to discuss what kind of project would be best for our sect to sponsor. It might be another clinic but I also have thought about starting a school. Hanguang-jun says its best to stay on good terms with the magistrates and that they often are quite knowledgeable about the community, so I am going to wait to meet with them.
Jin Rulan
(Pomegranate Month, 16, Year of the Rabbit)
Honorable Jin Rulan
I have been very busy since you visited the clinic. We are seeing more patients suffering from the heat or bad water. Wei-shu has been staying with us and using Wen-loashi’s workroom for some of his ideas. Sometimes he lets me help him. Currently, he is working on a talisman to make bad water safe to drink. He sometimes disappears for a few days at time, but he always leaves his part of the work room a mess so that we know that he’s coming back.
The first time he disappeared was right before Duanwu. I think that he just wanted to avoid the crowds. The second time he did it was right after Hanguang-jun took all four of us out to dinner and the two of them walked down by the canals afterwards. Hanguang-jun was so disappointed when he wasn’t there for early morning noodles the next day.
Since your visit, the other sect leaders have decided that visiting our clinic is a way to get in Hanguang-jun’s good graces, although the only one who has actually visited so far has been Jiang-zongzhu, and I don’t think he actually cares at all what Hanguang-jun thinks of him. He never has in the past. Maybe he just wanted to visit Wei-shu? Except he seemed surprised to see him here.
The plan for the day was similar to your visit. Well, Wen-shu decided that he would go out of town and gather some herbs that day. Jiang-zongzhu makes him nervous. We started the morning with Wen-laoshi giving an overview of clinic operations, but when we went to show our visitors the workroom Wei-shu was there, and they both looked at each other like startled rabbits. Then they just kind of glared at each other for a bit and acted like nothing had happened, which, for the two of them, counts as getting along better.
After the tour, I was tasked with showing two young Jiang disciples some of our medical texts, so we went out into the courtyard to sit with Ghost and Cloud while we studied. I thought that might help everyone relax a bit, but after we had been out there a while we heard yelling from inside so we put down our texts and went to see what was going on. By the time we got there the yelling had stopped, and Jiang-zongzhu and Wen-laoshi were standing in the workroom glaring at each other. Wei-shu was standing behind Wen-laoshi with his most stubborn face.
Wen-laoshi saw us standing in the doorway, and she looked back at Jiang-zongzhu, then at me and said “The past is in the past.’’ After that she made Wei-shu help the three of us juniors carry supplies around until lunch time.
We had lunch in the same noodle shop that we took you to. Wen-laoshi, and Wei-shu both joined us and acted like nothing had happened. Afterwards, I took the other juniors to the wharf. I guess the fact that Wei-shu and Sect Leader Jiang can eat lunch together means they are getting along better. I thought you would like an update. I know you write letters to Wei-qianbei, but I’m not sure what he tells you. You should come visit us all again some time with a bit less formality.
Lan Sizhui
(Pomegranate Month, 23, Year of the Rabbit)
Jingyi,
Oh, solver of mysteries, I have followed your clue! Our expedition has been going exceedingly well. None of the problems we’ve had to solve have been very difficult, but several of them could have become very dangerous if they hadn't been dealt with. There was a particularly nasty case with the ghost of a murdered woman, but we were able to find her murderer, bring him to justice, and give her some kind of peace.
At first, the group was fractious, but after working together for a while they all at least grudgingly respect each other. I think some of them might even like each other. At the moment, I have split the expedition into three smaller groups, with myself, Erjie, and Sanjie each in charge of one. This way we can cover more ground, since the problems we are finding don’t require the whole group. We’re to meet back up tomorrow and then we’ll head home.
I took my group west to Qiutouxiang, I told them I wanted to visit Guo-qianbei but not why. Her farmstead is simple but well cared for, and she and her wife are warm and welcoming. The chickens act like the young disciples at Balling, always getting terribly excited when they see one of their masters. After dinner I offered to help muck out the cow barn with her so we could talk without the others. I know we’ve never said that we are keeping this inkstone business between ourselves, but it didn’t seem right to talk about it in front of the rest of the group.
Guo-qianbei told me that she had the inkstone until about two years ago. She said it was a lovely carving and she was fond of it, but she needed help on a night hunt from two Jin cultivators who demanded payment, so she gave it to them. I was offended on her behalf, the nerve of them demanding payment for what should be their duty! However Guo-qianbei just kind of shrugged it off. Anyways it seems that the next place to look is back at Carp Tower. Won’t Jin Ling be annoyed if it turns out it was under his nose the whole time?
I’ll try to stop by Caiyi on my way back to Bailing!
Zizhen
(Pomegranate Month, 29, Year of the Rabbit)
Zizhen,
We found it! Sizhui is always telling me to start at the beginning, so I will, but I wanted to start with the fact that we found the inkstone!
My trip to Caiyi was quick and uneventful. I traveled by sword and stopped for the night in the usual inn. Jin Ling seemed pleased to see me and greeted me at the steps, but he kept the formalities to a minimum. Sometimes all that ceremony and bowing wears on one. Jin Ling is looking very well. I think having his cousins away agrees with him--though, to my suprise, the ones still at Carp Tower seem to have shaped up a bit.
Since I was officially there to advise on cataloging the library, we started there. I was trying to be as sneaky as possible, so I went snooping around and found the night hunting reports. They were quite well ordered (with a reference sheet!), so I was able to find the report I was looking for with ease. (I need to make a reference like that for the reports back home -- it would save me a lot of trouble.) The report contained a list of everything that was brought back, neatly indexed. Said list included an inkstone which was listed as being placed in storeroom six.
I told Jin Ling I had found an interesting record and wanted to go look in storeroom six, and would he please come with me, and he was happy to go. I guess whoever took care of the night hunting record and treasures brought back only cared about the parts that the sect leader was going to see because even though the records were so well organized, storeroom six was a disaster.
Then we had to hunt around for a while. I told Jin Ling I was looking for a scroll that should go in the library. But I found the inkstone in the end! It is beautiful. The stone it’s carved from is deep purple, and the lotuses on around the edge are so delicate, and there is even a little boat with people in it!
I waited until Jin Ling was standing up and then presented my find to him. He was so touched, he even cried a little. Then he yelled at me for sneaking around behind his back in his family matters. But he really was happy about it so our good deed is accomplished!
Jingyi
(Lotus Month, 6, Year of the Rabbit)
I know Wen-laoshi gave me this notebook to write down her lessons on medicine, but I just have to write about what happened today somewhere. Everyone I would write a letter to is here, so I’m going to write in this notebook.
I always tell Jingyi to start at the beginning, so that’s what I’m going to do.These last few days have been so lovely. Ouyang Zizhen is returning from his successful expedition to Qishan and has stopped in Caiyi for a few days. His sisters went on ahead. In theory, he is visiting the clinic to report back to his father, but mostly he is just visiting me. We played with the rabbits and went to the wharfs, where I showed him all my favorite food stalls.
Yesterday Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling arrived from Carp Tower. They told me all about how they tracked down Jin Ling’s mother’s inkstone, and it was there in Carp Tower all along. The cultivators who brought it home didn’t recognize it as something of importance. Jin Ling says he is going to write Guo Zhaomin a note thanking her and offering her compensation for the inkstone. But he seemed very pleased to have something that was his mother’s. When you are an orphan, these little scraps of your family matter so much. I still have nothing that belonged to my birth parents, but I’m so lucky to have Wen-laoshi and Wen-shu now.
Hanguang-jun joined us for lunch today. Wei-shu came in halfway through the meal and ate with us too. Wen-laoshi gave me the afternoon off today to spend with my friends. We went to the wharfs again and got treats to eat and watched the boats load and unload. Jin Ling is a lot less stiff than he was, and it's nice to watch everyone getting along.
We came back for dinner, and Wen-shu had made us a feast. Ouyang Zizhen brought back some vinegar from Qishan, and Wen-shu is so pleased with it. All the food was delicious as always, but the best part of dinner was when Hanguang-jun and Wei-shu walked in holding hands! They were both smiling, and Hanguang-jun said, “We have news,” then Wei-shu shouted, “We’re getting married!” After that it was all hugging and congratulations and cheering! Wei-shu was mildly indignant that none of us were surprised. Jingyi and Zizhen clearly think the whole thing is very romantic. Wen-shu looked a bit misty eyed, and Wen-laoshi looked quite pleased even if she rolled her eyes a lot. Even Jin Ling, who pretended not to care, was happy.
When things calmed down a little bit, Hanguang-jun explained that he intends to buy a house in Caiyi. It will be easier for him to conduct Chief Cultivator business from there, and we can all live together.
I’m so happy! Wei-qianbei is going to stay with us now!
(Lotus Month, 18, Year of the Rabbit)
Lan Sizhui
I’m writing this from my desk in Carp Tower using ink ground in my mother’s inkstone. It looks like it belongs on my desk, the purple complementing all the golds of the room. I love having it here. It makes me consider my words more carefully; I want to write only things she would be proud of.
It’s raining here, and the sound of the drops falling on the roof is calming. The lotuses in the pond that my father planted for my mother are blooming, and I like to sit there in the evenings when it's not too wet out.
Everyone here is abuzz with the news of His Excellency's coming marriage. Quite a few of them were surprised! I suppose that will please Wei-shu. Also, my cousins are back from the expedition to Qishan. They have loudly proclaimed their triumphs to everyone who will listen, but I can see that they work together better now.
I am preparing to open a school in Lanling. The finances will be handled similarly to those of your clinic, and students will be able to attend for free. I have hired several teachers to give students a foundation. Also, myself and other Jin disciples will make regular appearances as guest lecturers. I know you are very busy with moving house, helping to plan a wedding, and your own studies, but I hope you will find time to come visit the school once it opens.
These last few months I’ve learned a lot about myself and had to rethink a lot about what I knew about the past. You and Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen have all helped me so much! I’m looking forward to our next adventure.
Jin Ling