It is said that in Jinling, there was a child named Chen Wanquan who lost both parents by the age of five or six. His elder brother and sister-in-law sold him into servitude to the wealthy Lin family, where he worked in an antique shop. Over time, he developed a keen eye for appraising antiques and paintings. However, as he owned nothing of value, no respectable family was willing to arrange a marriage for him. Yet, having some discernment, he in turn looked down upon ordinary girls. By the age of thirty, his employer promoted him to third manager of the shop. A year later, the Lin family granted him a favor by giving him a third-rank maidservant named Xue Shi and ordering them to marry.
Xue Shi had previously worked in the second household of the Lin family, specializing in needlework. Because she was quite attractive and harbored a competitive spirit, she was resented by the senior maids, who kept her underfoot, assigning her only menial tasks like watering plants and sweeping. At twenty, she was hastily married off to someone. Xue Shi, however, accepted her fate with equanimity. Once wedded to Chen Wanquan, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to managing their household. Though not wealthy, they lived comfortably without want. A year later, Xue Shi became pregnant and had a dream in which thousands upon thousands of orchids burst into bloom, their golden light dazzling her eyes. Upon waking, she sought out the fortune-teller Ma Xiangu to interpret the dream. The Xiangu declared that she would give birth to a noble and beautiful daughter, and that the couple would one day benefit greatly from this child. Overjoyed, Xue Shi gave her a generous tip.
When Chen Wanquan heard that Xue Shi had given Ma Xiangu over a dozen coins, he winced in pain and sneered, "What noble and beautiful daughter? We are both slaves of the Lin family, and this child will be a household slave, toiling like an ox or horse for others her entire life. How noble can she be? Fool, fool, you’ve been swindled."
Xue Shi retorted, "How do you know my child is destined to be a slave forever? Must you always speak such discouraging words? If she becomes a noble son or daughter who rises to greatness, wouldn’t you, as her father, also bask in the glory?"
Chen Wanquan replied, "Yes, yes, I’ll just wait for you to give birth to this noble daughter. The nobler the better—so noble she becomes an official’s Taitai, riding in grand carriages like the mistresses of the Lin family, adorned in gold and silver, feasting on delicacies, with eight maids attending her every outing. Only then will our Chen ancestors’ graves emit auspicious smoke!" With that, he flung aside the curtain and stormed out.
Xue Shi, however, firmly believed in the fortune-teller’s words. In her spare time, she sewed clothes for the child and took great care of her health. Several months later, she indeed gave birth to a daughter. Remembering her dream, she named the child Xianglan. Chen Wanquan had hoped for a son and was initially disappointed, but as he saw how delicate and lovely little Xianglan was, his heart gradually warmed to her.
Yet the child was frail and sickly from birth. Before she had even reached her first month, she fell ill. Just as she began to recover, she caught a cold, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea until she lay listless and weak. Anxious, Xue Shi hurried back to Ma Xiangu for another divination. The Xiangu had Xue Shi shake some copper coins and, after examining the hexagram, said, "You must travel southeast for good fortune, where a noble person will come to your aid."
Wiping her tears, Xue Shi set out southeastward. Before long, she came upon the Still Moon Temple. Kneeling before the Bodhisattva, she kowtowed, made vows, and wept for half an hour. Suddenly, a kindly old nun approached and asked why she was crying. Xue Shi explained her plight. The nun pondered for a moment, inquired about Xianglan’s symptoms, then took brush and paper and wrote a prescription, instructing Xue Shi to brew it at home. Overjoyed as if she had found a treasure, Xue Shi rushed to the pharmacy to fill the prescription. After administering the medicine, Xianglan awoke not long after drinking the decoction. Xue Shi tentatively fed her a little milk, which Xianglan drank a few sips of before sinking back into a deep sleep.From then on, Xianglan grew healthier with each passing day, filling Xue Shi with boundless joy. She prepared offerings of fruits, cakes, lamp oil, and incense money, then carried Xianglan to Still Moon Temple to thank their benefactor. It was then that she learned the elderly nun was the temple's Great Virtue Dharma Master, Dingyi Shitai. After observing Xianglan for a moment and inquiring about her birth details, Dingyi Shitai patted the child's head and said, "This child shares a karmic bond with me. Why not make her my nominal disciple? The Buddha's protection will see her grow up safe and sound." Xue Shi naturally agreed without hesitation.
From the time she could remember, Xianglan had been reciting scriptures and practicing alongside the nuns at Still Moon Temple. Dingyi Shitai adored her simple and endearing nature, giving her the Dharma name "Chan Jing." She taught Xianglan to read scriptures and personally expounded Buddhist teachings to her. Beyond religious texts, she also instructed her in the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as poetry and literature. Bright and diligent, Xianglan showed remarkable perseverance, which greatly pleased Dingyi Shitai. The abbess herself was originally the daughter of an official family. Her father's upright character had offended powerful court ministers, leading to their family's ruin. To escape persecution, she had taken monastic vows. After the wrongful case was overturned, Dingyi Shitai found the secular world's endless troubles no match for the tranquility of monastic life. She refused her family's pleas to return to lay life, instead devoting herself to the Bodhi path—helping others and relieving suffering without accepting payment. She often distributed porridge and medicine, traveling extensively and gaining vast experience. When Xianglan pestered her with tricky questions, Dingyi Shitai never grew impatient, answering patiently and teaching meticulously. Within a few years, Xianglan had mastered literature and history, excelling in both writing and composition, developing considerable depth of thought. She particularly excelled at painting, often earning praise from others.
As time passed, Xue Shi gave birth three more times, but none of the children survived beyond two or three years. Thus, Xianglan remained their only daughter, cherished like a precious jewel. By the time she turned fourteen, Dingyi Shitai selected an auspicious day for her to "leap over the wall" and return to secular life. The bond between Xianglan and Dingyi Shitai was like that of grandmother and granddaughter, making the separation painful. The abbess said, "You are loyal and honest, but your temper is fiery. In the future, you must cultivate your character further. Each person has their own karma—your worldly ties remain unfulfilled, so you cannot stay in the monastic life. If fate allows, return to see me off in my final days." Tearfully, Xianglan replied, "I will visit you often, Master." Dingyi Shitai smiled without another word, simply bowing to send her on her way.
After returning home, Xianglan found herself with little to do. Xue Shi encouraged her to join the neighborhood girls for needlework and play, but after attending twice, Xianglan said, "They're not my kind. There's no fun in forcing it." Instead, she helped Xue Shi with household chores, spending her free time reading, copying scriptures, and doing needlework to supplement the family income.
One day, as Xianglan sat embroidering by the window on the large heated platform, she suddenly heard a commotion in the courtyard. A shrill voice shouted, "Who stole your clothes? How dare you slander me in broad daylight—may your throat rot with sores! Pah!"
"I saw you take my Xianglan's clothes with my own eyes! I washed and hung them in the yard, and after you went into the kitchen, you came out and stuffed them into your clothes before going inside!" The speaker was unmistakably Xue Shi. Peering out the window, Xianglan saw her mother and Lu Ershenzi standing face to face in the courtyard, while a few children peeked in from the gate.
The Lu family were also hereditary servants of the Lin household, sharing the same courtyard with Xianglan's family, though the two households had little interaction. The Lus had a habit of petty theft—helping themselves to the Chen family's belongings, whether large items like clothes, washbasins, and cured meat, or small things like firewood, scallions, and garlic. Nothing was safe from their light fingers."Shut your filthy mouth! Do you think I'd stoop to stealing your rags? Our Concubine in the mansion lives in such wealth and power that even silks and satins are used as toilet paper! You money-grubbing little whore, how dare you try to extort us!" Lu Ershenzi was a master of shrewish cursing, with endless variations at her disposal. Dark and stout, she planted herself in the courtyard with hands on hips, presenting an imposing figure that seemed capable of holding off an army single-handedly, spewing all manner of foul language without restraint.
Xue Shi, who wasn't skilled in such verbal battles, trembled with rage: "You clearly took my clothes—the fine cloth I bought recently, the brand-new seasonal jacket I made, with embroidered patterns on the cuffs. The gods above see all! Aren't you afraid of retribution in the underworld?"
Lu Ershenzi spat right in Xue Shi's face: "If there's any retribution, it should fall on a whore like you! Even back in the mansion, you were seducing men, a lowly sing-song girl wannabe, driven out by the Taitai and mistresses. Shameless and brazen, why don't you just hang yourself in some corner instead of setting traps to slander me? Don't you know your place? Do you think I'm easy to bully? Tomorrow I'll have our Concubine settle this!"
These words left Xue Shi feeling wronged, humiliated, and furious. Pointing at Lu Ershenzi, she stammered, "You... you..." choking on her words. Seeing her mother so insulted, Xianglan was enraged. She threw down her needlework, slipped on her shoes, and rushed out, only to be grabbed by Chen Wanquan: "My dear girl, they're fighting out there—don't go stirring up more trouble!"
Xianglan struggled: "My mother is being bullied and humiliated like this—how can I not go?"
Chen Wanquan glared: "Calm down! The Lu family's daughter is Master's Bedchamber Attendant in the mansion. Once she bears a child and is promoted to Concubine, she'll be half a mistress. We should be groveling, not picking fights! Your mother is just a foolish woman with no sense—she's an idiot, and you want to be one too?" Just then, a cry of pain rang out—Xue Shi had been shoved to the ground by Lu Ershenzi.
Xianglan laughed bitterly in fury: "Your own wife is being called a 'whore' and beaten, and not only do you not stand up for her, you're this useless? If you showed even a fraction of the bluster you use on my mother at home, we wouldn't be suffering this humiliation today!" With that, she shoved Chen Wanquan aside and ran out.
Lu Ershenzi, confident that Chen Wanquan wouldn't dare make trouble, deliberately targeted Xue Shi. She also harbored resentment because Lu Ershu had once praised "how pretty Chen's wife is" and had been caught trying to peek at Xue Shi bathing. The memory still made her teeth ache with hatred. Now she yanked Xue Shi's hair, hurling insults like "slut" and "sing-song girl." The neighbors all knew Lu Ershenzi's notorious temper and didn't dare intervene, only offering weak pleas for peace.
Xianglan saw her mother disheveled, tears streaming down her face as Lu Ershenzi pinned her down and struck her. Her anger flared. Slipping quietly along the wall to the courtyard gate, she grabbed the door bolt and charged, shouting, "You wretched hag, how dare you hit my mother!" She landed a solid blow on Lu Ershenzi's back.
OpenNovel