The imperial examination was scheduled for March 11th, and Jiang Ning planned to return to the Capital City on March 5th.
Everything was arranged; she just needed Lan Xu to agree.
"Mother, come back to the Capital City with me," Jiang Ning had said this countless times.
"Ling'er," Lan Xu smiled helplessly, looking at Jiang Ning with eyes full of love, "Please stop trying to persuade me. Go back by yourself and live a good life with Mr. Liu. I'll pray for your happiness in Qushui City."
Jiang Ning wanted to say more, but Lan Xu held her hand and spoke from the heart: "This time has been the happiest of my entire life. I can die without regrets!"
Jiang Ning closed her mouth, realizing that further words were useless. She would have to take action.
But the person before her was still her mother, and Jiang Ning felt that knocking her unconscious would be somewhat unfilial. After much deliberation, she suddenly remembered she still had a few packets of sleeping powder.
The old doctor had sold her five packets at once. She had used two on Liu Ming'an, leaving three, which was perfect.
On the morning of the 5th, after breakfast, Jiang Ning brought Lan Xu a cup of tea.
They had agreed yesterday not to sell osmanthus cakes today, but to visit the temple and recite some scriptures. Lan Xu had gladly agreed.
"Mother, have some tea. I brought this tea leaves specially from the Capital City," Jiang Ning lied with a straight face.
"Alright."
Lan Xu didn't suspect anything and drank from the cup. Although she found the tea flavorless and quite bitter, she thought it must be because Jiang Ning had brought it, so she dismissed her concerns and slowly finished the entire cup.
Lan Xu told herself that her inability to appreciate the tea's flavor must be because a mountain boar couldn't appreciate fine food. It couldn't be the tea's fault!
Jiang Ning watched Lan Xu drink the water and smiled softly.
She had mixed all three packets of powder into it, so the bitterness should have been obvious, yet Lan Xu didn't suspect a thing.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Lan Xu fell into a deep sleep at the table. Jiang Ning immediately began rummaging through drawers and cabinets, packing their belongings.
They had quite a lot of things between the two of them, but it wouldn't make sense to carry nothing. After some thought, Jiang Ning symbolically hung two bundles on her arm, putting the rest in her spatial storage.
After everything was packed, Jiang Ning bent down to carry Lan Xu on her back, locked the door, and headed towards the dock.
People stared along the way, but Jiang Ning pretended not to notice. Once on the boat, when curious fellow passengers gathered to inquire, Jiang Ning offered the explanation she had prepared in advance.
"My mother suffers from a strange illness. She often falls into a deep sleep for no reason and can't be woken up no matter how we try. I'm taking her to the Capital City this time to seek treatment."
Her words were sincere, and coupled with the fact that Jiang Ning appeared to be a frail young woman shouldering such a responsibility, it truly moved and impressed people.
Lan Xu woke up on the second evening after boarding the ship. The power of three packets of sleeping powder taken together was indeed strong; she had slept for two days and one night straight. When she woke up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar place that was swaying violently, and for a moment, she couldn't understand what was happening.
"Mother, you're awake. Here, have some water," Jiang Ning's voice sounded nearby. Then Lan Xu was helped to sit up, half-leaning against the headboard, with a cup of water brought to her lips.
The water was mixed with spirit spring water, sweet and refreshing. After drinking the whole cup, Lan Xu's foggy mind, dulled by the long sleep, instantly cleared. Then she realized something was amiss.
"Ling'er, where are we?" Lan Xu looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, feeling a bit uneasy.
"We're on a boat. We'll reach Jinzhi City tomorrow, and then take a carriage to the Capital City," Jiang Ning answered with a smile.
"Ling'er!" Lan Xu's emotions suddenly flared up, looking at Jiang Ning with disapproval.
Before she could say anything, Jiang Ning spoke first: "Mother, I'm going to marry Liu Ming'an this year. I hope that when I bow twice to my parents, it will be to you."
Lan Xu's eyes trembled violently, and then she heard Jiang Ning continue: "Isn't it tradition for the mother to comb the bride's hair and give blessings? Mother, you wouldn't want to see me marry with disheveled hair, would you?"
The conflict in Lan Xu's eyes was unmistakable. Every word Jiang Ning spoke struck her heart; how could she remain unmoved?
"But I made a vow... Ling'er, a person who breaks their word is no better than an animal. Moreover, if I go back and happen to encounter someone from the Prime Minister's Mansion, I..."
As Lan Xu spoke, her eyes reddened. Jiang Ning quickly comforted her: "Mother, it's alright, don't think about the past..."
After Lan Xu's emotions had calmed a bit, Jiang Ning made a decision: "The Capital City, as its name suggests, only refers to the four districts and eight streets within the city walls. Mother, why don't you go to the outskirts? To Fuling Temple. You can stay there. This way, you won't be breaking your vow, and you definitely won't run into anyone from the Prime Minister's Mansion."
"But this, this—"
Lan Xu wanted to say that this behavior seemed like self-deception, but Jiang Ning interrupted her: "Fuling Temple has shown great kindness to both of us. After all these years, don't you want to see how those nuns from back then are doing?"
Lan Xu finally compromised.
A day later, the passenger ship docked at Jinzhi City. The two rested in the city for a night, and the next day they boarded a carriage, saying they were going to Fuling Temple.
Fuling Temple was built many years ago by a woman from the capital.
It was said that this woman came from a wealthy family. One day, while fishing near the sea with her husband and son, they were caught in a sudden storm. As their boat capsized, the father and son used all their strength to push her onto a floating piece of wood, but they themselves were swallowed by the raging waves, their bodies never to be found.
In an instant, her once-large family was reduced to her alone. This devastating disaster made her want to end her life, but then she thought about how her husband and son had fought with all their might to save her, and she felt she couldn't die.
In the end, the woman, her heart as cold as ashes, sold all her possessions and built this Fuling Temple on a mountain in the outskirts of the capital.
At this point in her story, Lan Xu paused and pointed to a nearby mountain, telling Jiang Ning, "Ling'er, it's right there."
Fuling Temple was built halfway up the mountain. The nuns there didn't rely on alms for their livelihood. Fields were cultivated at the foot of the mountain, and various fruits and vegetables were grown on the mountainside, all tended to by the nuns. It was more like a self-sufficient utopia.
"Actually, the women here aren't really considered true nuns. Every woman who comes here has her own tale of hardship. They're not wholly devoted to Buddha. Besides chanting sutras and striking wooden fish, they have to do a lot of farm work to support themselves. This place just provides these women with a refuge from the world."
As they walked up the small path towards the mountain, Lan Xu continued to explain to Jiang Ning: "When I came here at sixteen, they didn't ask any questions. They just let me in, and no one ever asked about my past afterwards."
Jiang Ning was surprised. So this Fuling Temple was actually a shelter for women. It embraced everyone's shameful past, using the guise of becoming a nun to provide them with a safe haven.
Women understanding women, women saving women.
In such a feudal and backward era, this powerful and vigorous female force left Jiang Ning in awe.