Revenge? The Kind That Wipes Out a Family - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I was just a little child, I was sent away from home to a strange place.

Naturally, I cried day and night without end.

Master and my Senior Brothers gathered around me, coaxing me for days, but I simply could not stop crying.

Until my female Senior Brother, He Lian, pulled out a chicken leg.

My sobs halted at once. “Senior sister, why are you allowed to eat chicken legs?”

“Silly girl. Don’t call me senior sister-men and women are both called Senior Brother here,” He Lian said, stuffing the chicken leg into my hand. “And besides, we’re allowed to eat meat.”

In an instant, the women among my Senior Brothers seemed to have found the way to coax me.

“That’s right, that’s right. Being a little Daoist priest is wonderful. You can eat meat, and when you grow up, you can even get married.”

“That’s nothing. The most important thing is, if you don’t want to marry, you don’t have to.”

“There are all sorts of fun things on the mountain. Tomorrow, your Senior Brother will take you to go plum-blossom seeking.”

At the mention of plum blossoms, I started crying again. “My Concubine… my Concubine bumped into someone when she went plum-blossom seeking. That was how the trouble started.”

In an instant, all the Senior Brothers surrounded Senior Brother He Ye, who had said the wrong thing, and gave her a beating.

“Hey! Look at you! You’ve upset her again!”

“We finally managed to coax her into stopping.”

Senior Brother He Ye gritted her teeth. “Jing’er, tell your Senior Brother-what happened to your Concubine?”

With tears brimming in my eyes, I looked at her. “Concubine… Concubine is probably dead…”

Senior Brother He Ye held me straight. “I’ll go rescue your Concubine. But you mustn’t cry anymore.”

I was so shocked I forgot to cry. “Can you?”

My father was so terrifying, First Madam was so fierce, and those other Concubines were so wicked. Could she really rescue my mother?

Senior Brother He Ye sank into thought.

When I saw that, I began crying again. “It really can’t be done.”

Senior Brother He Ye steeled herself. “Promise me you’ll stop crying and be good from now on. I’ll go at once.”

I desperately held back my tears. “Mm!”

Senior Brother He Lian urged her, “Go as fast as you can. Ride my Thousand-Li Steed!”

Amid the urging and scolding of all my Senior Brothers, Senior Brother He Ye hurried away.

Only three days later, Senior Brother He Lian brought me down the mountain to see my Concubine.

Before I even saw her, Senior Brother He Ye said to me with a face full of guilt, “Jing’er, I’m sorry. I went too late.”

I was about to cry from fright again, thinking Concubine had already died.

But Senior Brother He Lian gave Senior Brother He Ye a harsh scolding. “Do you ever think before you speak?”

Sitting on horseback, she pointed toward a crowd not far away for me to see.

“Jing’er, your mother is over there.”

I craned my neck and looked over. They were members of the Jiang family. My Concubine was among them and was just about to board a boat.

“I begged the Marchioness of Loyal Valor. The Marchioness had her brought out and instructed that she be taken home and cared for properly.”

Only later did I learn that Shenqing Monastery had once flourished in great glory, and that all my Senior Brothers were well versed in the arts of divination.

A single word from my Senior Brothers was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

It was just that they rarely descended the mountain, and they rarely told fortunes for others.

Senior Brother He Ye used one divination to exchange for a favor from the Marchioness of Loyal Valor.

The Jiang clan had already sent another woman into the manor to replace her, and my uncle knocked his head bloody kowtowing before he managed to preserve this connection.

My Concubine had caused my father to lose face, so he handed my mother over to the other Concubines, clearly intending for them to torment her slowly to death.

By the time my Concubine was rescued, she had already gone blind.

She could no longer see me…

Senior Brother He Ye said softly to me, “Your mother asked me to bring you a message. She said that once she returns home, everything will be all right, and you don’t need to worry.”

I wanted to call out to her, but Senior Brother He Lian hurriedly covered my mouth.

Senior Brother He Lian said, “The Chancellor’s Manor still does not know this was arranged by your Senior Brother. You mustn’t shout and give it away.”

All my Senior Brothers told me that once I grew up, they would take me to see my mother.

Oh, right-they told me to call her “Mother” from then on, and that I never had to call her “Concubine” again.