The Red Mansion

Chapter 169 Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin

Today, the cold wind is getting stronger in Suzhou.

Inside the residence of Shi Xiao, the guerrilla commander of the city garrison, a gloomy atmosphere prevailed.

In fact, ever since Shi Xiao was taken down by Jiang Nian, the Shi family has been living in gloom, worried about their property being confiscated.

Inside the Shi family's inner residence, there is a study with a plaque above the door bearing the three characters "Tingqin Zhai" (Listening to the Qin Studio). The calligraphy is slender and elegant, and was written by Shi Shao, the owner of the study.

Shi Xiao was a strong and robust military general, while his eldest son, Shi Shao, was a refined scholar.

Shi Shao is eighteen years old this year, two years older than Jiang Nian, and has already obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). He is accomplished in his studies, but he loves the guqin (a seven-stringed zither) even more and is known as a "guqin fanatic".

Inside Tingqin Studio, the furnishings are elegant. On the left is a bookcase and a bookshelf filled with various books; on the right is a zither shelf with several guqin (ancient Chinese stringed instruments) lying horizontally.

Outside the window, the wind howled among the withered branches in the courtyard.

Inside the window, a burner of sandalwood incense burned, its wisps of smoke curling and swirling in the air.

Shi Shao was sitting alone in front of the zither table, with an ancient zither lying in front of him. The body of the zither was as black as ink, with a faint purple luster. It was the famous zither known as "Nine Heavens Jade Pendant"!
This zither was made by Lei Wei in the Tang Dynasty. The back of the zither is engraved with the four seal characters "九霄环佩" and above the pool is inscribed the eight characters "超迹苍霄，逍遥太极" in running script.

Shi Shao encountered the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin by chance, and his father, Shi Xiao, purchased it at a high price as a gift for him after passing the imperial examination.

At this moment, Shi Shao lightly stroked the strings of the zither, playing the piece "Phoenix Seeking Its Mate".

The first notes of the piano, like a gentle spring breeze, transported him back to that afternoon of the past—

That day, Jingqing wore a light pink dress, a begonia flower tucked into her hair, and sat opposite him, playing a zither. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on her delicate profile. He played the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Zither, their music harmonizing perfectly. When the music reached a moving point, Jingqing suddenly looked up, and when their eyes met, her eyes seemed to sparkle like stars, and her ears turned a deep red with shyness…

He and Jing Qing were in love with each other and each other's sweethearts. Their fathers also intended to arrange a marriage between their families.

If nothing unexpected happens, he and Jing Qing will become a couple.

Unfortunately, the accident still happened. Jing Qing's father, Jing Yunduan, was clearly an upright, honest, and benevolent prefect, but unexpectedly, his family was raided and his property confiscated.

That day, he knelt before his father, Shi Xiao, begging him to save the Jing family, even if he couldn't save Jing Qing. But Shi Xiao only sighed, "My son, how can a mere guerrilla commander like me influence matters of state and the Emperor's decree?"

He watched helplessly as his beloved was reduced to a slave. Later, he even sent someone to Jiangning to inquire and learned that Jing Qing had been sold into a brothel as a courtesan by the Tang family, the military governor of Jiangning. His heart was torn apart.

As the melody of "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate" faded, the lingering notes still resonating in his fingers, Shi Shao stared blankly at the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Zither on the table, as if his soul had left his body. The day the Jing family was raided flashed before his eyes—Jing Qing, dressed in a plain white silk dress, her black hair slightly disheveled, was being escorted out of the gate by fierce-looking officials. As she stumbled, she noticed his gaze, and threw a jade hairpin from her hair to the ground. With a crisp "clang," it broke in two, like a farewell unspoken.

"Sister Qing..." Shi Shao let out a few sobs, and a tear fell "plop" onto the surface of the zither, sounding like the jade hairpin shattering on the day the Jing family was raided.

He staggered to his feet, walked to the pink wall, and gazed intently at a self-painted portrait of a beautiful woman on it—in the painting, Jing Qing, with lowered eyes and a casual hand, was playing the zither, her robes fluttering as if in the wind. In the corner of the painting was a line of small regular script, the ink faded: "A clear melody harmonizes with you, a courtyard full of fragrant blossoms shares with Jing Qing!"

However, at this moment, Shi Shao murmured, "If I had known it would be so heart-wrenching, I would have preferred never to have met you!"

He then thought that his father, Shi Xiao, had also suffered misfortune, and the Shi family would most likely follow in the footsteps of the Jing family and have their property confiscated. His beloved Nine Heavens Jade Pendant was likely to be put into the government treasury.

The wind howled mournfully outside the window, as if mocking his helplessness.

Thinking of this, Shi Shao suddenly rushed back to the zither table and hugged the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Zither to his chest. The zither wood was cold and hard, yet it exuded a trace of warmth.

Suddenly, I recalled the line from the Book of Songs, "With zither and lute in hand, all is peaceful and serene." But now, though the zither remains, my beloved is long gone, and my family is about to be torn apart. In this vast world, where is there any peace and serene?
With trembling hands, Shi Shao put down the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin and plucked the strings again. This time, he played a piece he had once composed for Jing Qing. It had no name, but he poured all his longing, resentment, and helplessness into it.

The music of the zither was like weeping and lamenting, intertwining with the sound of the wind outside the window, sobbing and wailing like a lonely soul crying in the night, its hatred unfillable.

Just then, Shi Shao heard screams coming from outside the window.

Immediately afterward, a maid rushed into Tingqin Studio and said to Shi Shao, "Master, something terrible has happened! The soldiers have come to ransack the house..."

Despite being mentally prepared for this, Shi Shao was still taken aback upon hearing it.

After a moment of stunned silence, Shi Shao began to strum the strings with fierce determination. This time, he played "Guangling San," and the sounds of war and battle erupted from his fingers, as if he wanted to sever the vicissitudes of this world.

At this moment, Jiang Nian, accompanied by Situ Jing, led more than a hundred soldiers to the Shi residence to ransack it.

Amidst the chaos, Jiang Nian, escorted by some soldiers, entered the inner courtyard. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a zither drifting in. The music initially sounded like the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, then like the mournful cry of a cuckoo, seemingly suppressing the clamor of the ransacking.

Jiang Nian was drawn in and followed the sound of the zither to Tingqin Zhai, where she saw a scholar in white sitting upright, playing the zither at the table, his thin face as pale as paper.

The officers and soldiers were about to step forward to arrest him, but Jiang Nian waved them off and stood quietly at the door listening.

The music grew increasingly intense, as if it were telling the story of the pain of a family being torn apart and people being killed.

After the last note faded away, Shi Shao slowly raised his head and gave a bitter smile to the young official in guard's robes standing at the door.

Jiang Nian asked, "Who are you?"

Shi Shao did not get up, but remained seated and said calmly, "Shi Shao."

Jiang Nian asked again, "Are you Shi Xiao's eldest son?"

Shi Shao nodded silently, then asked in return, "And who are you?"

Jiang Nian also frankly said, "I am Jiang Nian, a bodyguard of the emperor, and also an imperial envoy."

Shi Shao said, "So you are Imperial Envoy Jiang."

Jiang Nian stepped forward, her gaze drawn to the ancient zither on the table. The zither was as black as ink, yet it gleamed with a purple glow, which startled her.

"Is this He Qin?" Jiang Nian couldn't help but ask.

Shi Shao gently stroked the body of the zither: "This is the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant."

"But was it made by Lei Wei of the Tang Dynasty?" Jiang Nian asked, her eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

Shi Shao was slightly surprised: "You actually recognize this zither, sir?"

"Is it genuine?" Jiang Nian asked again. Shi Shao, the qin enthusiast, actually began to explain to Jiang Nian: "This qin is indeed a genuine Lei Wei piece; the back of the qin has the inscription 'Nine Heavens Jade Pendant' in seal script..."

The Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin was very famous in Jiang Nian's previous life, and even Jiang Nian, who did not pay attention to the guqin, knew about it.

I never expected to see this priceless treasure here today.

The Jiuxiao Huanpei Qin is a Tang Dynasty Lei Qin. In Jiang Nian's previous life, because Emperor Yongzheng disliked the guqin, there is no record of the Jiuxiao Huanpei Qin in the Yongzheng court archives. However, Emperor Qianlong loved the guqin, and the court collected several Jiuxiao Huanpei Qins during his reign.

The Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin owned by Shi Shao was undamaged by war, not overused, and has been repaired; it is playable and produces a clear, resonant tone that meets the aesthetic demands of modern literati. In Daqing today, there are already well-established traditional guqin repair techniques, such as lacquer touch-ups, repairing the bridge, and replacing strings…

Jiang Nianke had long wanted to give his wife Yuanchun a fine guqin, but he had never been able to find one. This time, by sheer coincidence, he encountered the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin.

Although Jiang Nian never embezzled during the confiscation of property, and he didn't intend to embezzle during the crackdown on the Luo Sect and the confiscation of various properties, he still decided to take the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant for himself. He could simply ask Emperor Taishun for it.

Jiang Nianming ordered his soldiers to capture Shi Xiao, then walked to the zither table, bent down and tried plucking the strings. Sure enough, the tone was ancient, clear, and extraordinary.

Jiang Nian then ordered the soldiers to carefully wrap up the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant.

Shi Shao's gaze remained fixed on the zither, as if filled with reluctance, and he sighed inwardly, "This Nine Heavens Jade Pendant will eventually be confiscated!"

Jiang Nian carefully examined the room. Besides the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin, there were several other guqin displayed on the guqin shelf. One was banana leaf style, with a faint amber hue on its body; another was string-bead style, with exquisite intertwined branch patterns carved on its tail; and yet another was Zhongni style, with fine cracks already appearing on its surface... Although none of them were ordinary, they were far less rare than the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin.

Just as I was about to turn around, I suddenly noticed a painting hanging on the wall. In the painting, a beautiful young woman was playing the zither with her head lowered and her hands casually gesturing. In the corner of the painting, there was a line of small regular script that read, "A clear melody harmonizes with you, and the courtyard is filled with fragrant blossoms under the clear sky."

"Jing Qing?"

Jiang Nian was taken aback, then turned to Shi Shao and asked, "Do you know the daughter of Jing Yunduan, the former prefect of Suzhou?"

Shi Shao's body trembled slightly, and a thin mist welled up in his eyes: "She is... mine... We once loved each other. Unfortunately, her family suffered a disaster, and now my family has also suffered a disaster..." Before he could finish speaking, his throat tightened.

Jiang Nian stared at the woman in the painting. Although it was just an ink outline, she could still see that she looked somewhat similar to Jing Qing.

Fortunately, he knew that Jing Qing was indeed a virgin when she became his concubine. A young lady from an official family like Jing Qing, even if she and Shi Shao were mutually in love, would not easily do anything improper before marriage.

Jiang Nian sighed inwardly, "This young master Shi doesn't know that Jing Qing is already my concubine. And now, even his treasured Nine Heavens Jade Pendant Qin is going to belong to me."

He didn't intend to tell Shi Shao that Jing Qing was his concubine. After all, he had no grudge against Shi Shao, and Shi Shao was already miserable enough. Why would he kick him when he was down?

In this matter, neither Jiang Nian nor Shi Shao can be blamed; it's just bad luck!

For people, luck is very important. Some people are born into wealth and privilege, starting at a point in life that others can't reach even after a lifetime of struggle; some earn in a month what others can't earn in a lifetime; and some, no matter how hard they try, can't succeed...

Jiang Nian unintentionally took Jing Qing as a concubine, while Shi Shao, who had once loved Jing Qing, had clearly done nothing wrong. He was a diligent student and a man of great talent, yet he ended up in such a miserable state.

Having learned that Shi Shao and Jing Qing had once been in love, Jiang Nian specially supervised the soldiers as they searched Shi Shao's study. They found several letters that Jing Qing had written to Shi Shao, with clear handwriting. Jiang Nian read them carefully and felt that the words were full of longing. Although there were no intimate words, she could still feel the affection between the two back then.

Jiang Nian decided to cut up the painting of Jing Qing and these letters, and give them to Jing Qing later. She wondered what Jing Qing would think when she saw these things.

……

……

It was already dusk.

The inns at the foot of the mountain near Puji Temple have already lit up.

Ding Wanfang was in Xing Xiuyan's room, waiting with Xing Xiuyan for Jiang Nian to return.

Suddenly, the sound of boots could be heard outside, and someone said through the window, "The master has returned to the inn!"

Xing Xiuyan hurriedly led Ding Wanfang to the upper room where Jiang Nian was staying.

Ding Wanfang's steps were unsteady, like a paper doll.

Jiang Nian was unbuttoning her cloak when she looked up and suddenly saw Ding Wanfang arrive. Her two sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Ding Wanfang knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times. Her fair forehead was covered in dust, and she said in a tearful voice, "I beg Your Excellency to have mercy! Spare my father's life and do not confiscate the Ding family's property! I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life, even as a lowly maid..." Before she could finish speaking, she bowed again.

Seeing Ding Wanfang's current pleading expression, Xing Xiuyan couldn't help but sigh at the vicissitudes of life when she compared it to the day Ding Wanfang came to see Jiang Nian with a cold face.

Jiang Nian stepped aside to avoid Ding Wanfang's kneeling and said calmly, "Please rise, young lady. The imperial decree has been issued, and the governor is personally investigating this case. It is beyond my control. Please return."

Ding Wanfang was about to plead again when she saw Jiang Nian turn around to take off her cloak.

Seeing this, Xing Xiuyan quickly stepped forward to take the cloak and poured Jiang Nian a cup of hot tea.

Knowing there was no hope, Ding Wanfang could only take her leave in tears. Her last glance before leaving was like the shadow of a crane crossing a cold pond; her melancholy gaze swept over Jiang Nian's profile, and Xing Xiuyan saw it clearly.

After Ding Wanfang left, Xing Xiuyan gently helped Jiang Nian wash her face and change her clothes, and then served her dinner.

Xing Xiuyan watched Jiang Nian eat dinner, and noticed that his profile was sharply defined under the candlelight, making him look even more dashing. She couldn't help but stare at him, mesmerized.

It turned out that ever since Xing Xiuyan first met Jiang Nian at Xuanmu Mountain that night, when Jiang Nian bravely severed a bandit's arm to save her, his heroic figure had been deeply etched in her heart. Over the days they spent together, she had witnessed his youthful promise and ability; outwardly imposing, yet so considerate towards her. Unconsciously, her young heart seemed to have already been given to him.

“Miss Xing?” Jiang Nian suddenly looked up. “What’s wrong? Your face is so red.”

Xing Xiuyan then realized that she had been staring at him in a daze, and immediately felt her ears burning with embarrassment.

Jiang Nian chuckled softly, "Are you tired? Go back to your room and rest early."

"No... I'm not tired." Xing Xiuyan's voice was barely audible as she secretly thought, "If I could stay by his side instead of going to the Rongguo Mansion to rely on that aunt of mine who isn't close to me, after I get to the capital, how wonderful that would be..."

The thought startled her, and she quickly turned away under the pretext of refilling her tea, afraid that her secret would be discovered. Little did she know that her flushed ears and trembling fingers had already revealed her girlish feelings.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Nian already guessed what was going on. However, to save face as a young woman, she pretended not to know and instead spoke to Xing Xiuyan about her impending departure from Suzhou…

(End of this chapter)