The Luminous Nunnery occupied a modest space. The front courtyard housed the Bodhisattva shrine, while the rear and left side courtyards accommodated the resident nuns. The right side courtyard was reserved for pilgrims. Shen Shaoguang occupied two main rooms, leaving three main rooms and six side rooms available, which Jingqing had already arranged to be cleaned.
Since the nunnery was located within the city, pilgrims rarely stayed overnight due to the convenience of travel. As a result, this courtyard often remained vacant. This was also why, when Shen Shaoguang initially requested lodging, the shrewd guest-prefect Jing Ci did not outright refuse but instead brought her before the Abbot.
Watching Jing Ci boss around the lay nuns to clean and prepare the rooms meticulously, even personally picking peonies from the courtyard to arrange in vases, Shen Shaoguang couldn’t help but smile at the nun’s obvious pride in offering "the treatment befitting a noble lady." The young nun’s naive earnestness was rather endearing...
When Lady Pang, the second daughter of the Duke of Lu’s household, arrived, Shen Shaoguang was in the courtyard busy preparing pickled fish with fermented glutinous rice.
A couple of days prior, she had bought a large quantity of small crucian carp at a bargain price. After making soup with some, she still had plenty left. The fish were too bony for other dishes and wouldn’t keep well, so she cleaned and sun-dried them.
Now that they were mostly dried, she layered them in a clay jar—alternating fish, fermented glutinous rice, and salt, repeating the layers. She imagined that in a few months, when the weather turned cooler, the fish would be tender and flavorful, infused with the aroma of the fermented rice—perfect to pair with congee.
Footsteps and voices sounded at the gate. Shen Shaoguang, her hands sticky with fermented rice, looked up and met the gaze of a peach-blossom face adorned with full makeup. The woman’s eyebrows were thick and long, nearly meeting at the center of her forehead—a style known as "connected eyebrows," currently popular in the palace. Despite having endured this bizarre trend for some time, Shen Shaoguang still found it jarring. The young lady’s striking beauty was somewhat wasted on such a look.
Jingqing introduced them, "This is Young Lady Shen, who is here to worship the Buddha. This is Lady Pang of the Duke of Lu’s household." Kindly, she framed Shen Shaoguang’s "rental stay" as "devotional practice," turning a financial matter into one of faith.
Jingqing was truly a considerate soul. Shen Shaoguang smiled, wiped her hands, and stepped forward to greet the newcomer.
Yet such tactful phrasing couldn’t fool the discerning. Lady Pang shot Shen Shaoguang a sidelong glance and remained silent, while her maid addressed Jingqing, "Surely the reverend nun doesn’t expect my lady to share quarters with this pauper?"
Jingqing pressed her lips together and forced a smile. "Young Lady Shen is of the Shen family from Luoyang."
The maid, who had been looking down her nose, suddenly faltered. She glanced at her mistress, unsure how to respond.
The Duke of Lu’s household had risen to prominence only during the An Lushan Rebellion at the end of the Tianbao era. Even the founding heroes of the dynasty were still regarded as "new money" by the old aristocratic families, let alone a household like the Duke of Lu’s. Moreover, the current Duke of Lu was hardly accomplished, relying entirely on his sister, Consort Shu, to maintain the family’s status. Shallow roots and imperial connections earned them little more than disdain from the established clans.
Though Shen Shaoguang was poor, her distinguished surname made her a "noble" in this era where "family names commanded respect."
With an amused smile, Shen Shaoguang met Lady Pang’s gaze. The latter’s eyes bore into her face before she reluctantly returned the greeting.
Jingqing, sensing the awkwardness, turned to Shen Shaoguang and asked, "What are you preparing, Benefactor Shen?"
Shen Shaoguang replied cheerfully, "Making fermented fish with glutinous rice."Fermented fish was hardly a refined taste, and Pang Erniang's expression grew increasingly displeased. Fearing further conflict, Jingqing quickly nodded at Shen Shaoguang and led the Duke's household, along with Jing Ci, into the main hall.
Shen Shaoguang leisurely sealed the clay jar in the courtyard. She had initially planned to leave it under the shade of a tree but reconsidered—since the courtyard was no longer hers alone, it was best not to invite trouble. She carried it back inside and tucked it under her bed.
The three rooms on the west side were still being tidied. For such a roommate, Shen Shaoguang decided to adopt a diplomatic strategy of "reason, advantage, and restraint." Still, she mused, given that this was a young lady from the Duke's household—with family, property, and parents—how long could she possibly stay in a nunnery? They wouldn’t have to endure each other for too long.
Yet, Shen Shaoguang was skeptical about the claim that Pang Erniang had come to Luminous Nunnery for Buddhist devotion. With her temperament, the girl hardly seemed like a devout believer.
But if not for worship, why was she here? Had she taken a fancy to the nunnery’s pastries? Shen Shaoguang scoffed at the thought.
After mentally teasing the young lady with "however," "yet," and "but," Shen Shaoguang finally felt at ease. Silent mockery was, after all, a simple and effective form of therapy.
Soon enough, Shen Shaoguang discovered Pang Erniang’s true purpose for coming to the nunnery.
That evening, Shen Shaoguang returned from buying groceries—vegetables were cheaper at this hour, albeit a bit wilted, but still perfectly edible—when she happened upon Pang Erniang strolling near the nunnery gate with her two maids.
Having vented her irritation earlier, Shen Shaoguang was now magnanimous and greeted Pang Erniang first.
Noticing the rice and vegetables in Shen Shaoguang’s hands, Pang Erniang recalled her maid’s vivid description of this "Shen girl" selling pancakes at the market gate. She sneered, "I never thought I’d be neighbors with a street vendor!"
"..." Shen Shaoguang pressed her lips together, momentarily torn. Should she discipline this ill-mannered brat on behalf of her parents, or simply let her be until she dug herself into a deeper hole?
Considering herself a kind soul, Shen Shaoguang opted for the former. "As a descendant of Pang Tong, the Marquis of Jing in the Three Kingdoms, it’s only natural you’d disdain mingling with humble folk like us. Though, come to think of it, your ancestor Pang Shiyuan must have felt quite aggrieved serving the First Ruler—after all, he made his living weaving straw sandals and mats."
The late Duke of Lu, having risen from the ranks, sought to elevate his family’s prestige by commissioning a genealogy. The scribe, eager to please, traced the Pang lineage all the way back to Pang Tong of the Three Kingdoms. The Duke was delighted and henceforth styled himself as a descendant of the Jingzhou Pangs.
Such fabricated ancestries were common—even the imperial family claimed descent from Laozi—but they were usually mocked for their falsity. Shen Shaoguang, however, took a novel approach: she acknowledged the Pang family’s connection to Pang Tong while elevating herself to the status of Liu Bei, the sandal-selling warlord.
Pang Erniang, not well-read, had only skimmed the history of the Three Kingdoms due to her family’s claimed ancestry. It took her a moment to grasp Shen Shaoguang’s meaning, and when she did, her face flushed with rage. She stamped her foot and sputtered, "You—you—!"Suddenly, a mocking laugh sounded from behind. Shen Shaoguang and Pang Erniang turned to see two young gentlemen. One wore a sapphire-blue round-collar robe—Shen Shaoguang recognized him as the high-ranking official in crimson who had picked a quarrel with her outside the palace gates that day. The one who had laughed was the other, dressed in a scholar's white robe.
Pang Erniang gasped in shock, shooting a glare at the white-robed man before blushing and bowing gracefully to the official. "This humble one greets Lord Lin."
In a flash, Shen Shaoguang realized—this must be her neighbor, the Deputy Chief of the Capital. And as for Pang Erniang's purpose here... Tsk tsk, could it be? Could it really be... Women of the Tang Dynasty were indeed bold and unrestrained! Unable to resist, she watched the live romance show unfold with great interest.
The white-robed scholar smirked teasingly at his companion.
Lin Yan, however, merely responded indifferently to Pang Erniang, "No need for formalities, miss." His gaze flickered briefly over Shen Shaoguang.
She offered them a perfunctory bow in return. Lin Yan gave a slight nod, exchanged a glance with his friend, and strode ahead.
The white-robed scholar met Shen Shaoguang's eyes, and the two grinned simultaneously—kindred spirits in mischief always understood each other effortlessly.
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