A week later, Chen Yuan expulsion from the Chen family was formalized.
Walking into the ancestral hall, he was still Chen Yuan.
Walking out of the ancestral hall, he was just Yuan.
Knowing his personality, it was a huge blow for him- the one who had wanted to be acknowledged as the brightest of the Chen sons. But his face remained expressionless, showing only equanimity.
Lu Yan wondered what had happened to him during the week that left him this calm.
After Lu Yan had passed on the information he had provided, his sentence had come down. He was to be exiled to the frontier, thousands of miles from the capital.
Following his brother out of the ancestral hall, Chen Hai couldn't stop crying.
Yuan was ready to leave on the same day, right after his name was erased from the Chen family archives.
Chen Hai and Lu Yan were the only ones form the Chen family who went to see him off at the city gates.
---
When Lu Yan returned home, Jiang Xin was waiting in her rooms.
Everyone in the Chen family knew that Jiang Xin had wanted to follow Yuan, but he had divorced her.
Jiang Xin had cried bitterly, refusing to leave. Ultimately, her brothers had come to take her back to the Jiang family.
Seeing her here now, Lu Yan felt a frisson of discomfort.
They both sat and Lu Yan's maids poured tea.
It was ironic that Jiang Xin had wanted to follow the nameless Yuan into exile, but Yuan had betrayed the Jiang family to Ji Jing to protect his younger brother.
"My parents wouldn't let me come to see him off," Jiang Xin said, grabbing Lu Yan's hands. "How is he?"
Lu Yan tried to comfort her, "Even though he's not a son of the Chen family anymore, he's still a well-respected scholar. He'll find a way to survive. At the borders, things aren't as rigid as in the capital. Everyone can find a place there."
"You sound like you've been there," Jiang Xin said.
"No," Lu Yan replied calmly, "But my brothers spent many years at the border, and I've heard all kinds of stories from them."
There was a pause, then Jiang Xin asked, "That night when the news was revealed, you were the first person he visited. And he returned with injuries. Do you know what happened?"
Lu Yan shook her head, "Elder brother-in-law wanted me to take good care of Chen Hai. That's all we talked about."
"Lu Yan," Jiang Xin begged, "I've always treated you like my own younger sister. Something has been strange about Yuan recently. If you know anything, please tell me. He's all alone and I need to help him in any way I can."
"Jiang Xin," Lu Yan said, "He's no longer here to protect you. Forget protecting him, will you be able to protect yourself if something goes wrong?"
Jiang Xin began to cry.
Lu Yan felt a sense of exhaustion.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "You know he let you go only because he doesn't want you to suffer with him through exile."
Jiang Xin hid her face in her hands, and sobbed.
"Don't make things harder for him. Just let him go."
Jiang Xin raised her head, almost glaring at Lu Yan through teary eyes, "If it was you and Chen Hai, would you be able to let go so easily?"
Lu Yan had been unwell for days. Her head was aching, and all the muscles in her body seemed to protest against the slightest movement. She was irritable and impatient.
Faced with this question, she said, "Jiang Xin, don't do things that will lead to a loss for everyone."
Jiang Xin stood up. Looking down at Lu Yan contemptuously, "You clearly know something, but you won't tell me. Lu Yan, I came to you in good faith. But you- You're too cold-hearted."
Lu Yan simply looked at her without speaking.
Jiang Xin added, speaking harshly despite her tears, "Someday, you'll suffer the same, no, even worse. At that time, Lu Yan, I'll make sure I come to remind you of these words you said today."
Then she turned around, and swept out of the room.
Lu Yan closed her eyes leaning tiredly against the back of her chair.
---
Later that day, Chen Hai too came to find her.
These days, he rarely went to the painting gatherings he loved so much. Instead, he stayed in his room all day, trying and failing to think of a way out of this mess.
Now his brother was gone, and Chen Hai felt like he had lost a limb. The security of knowing there was someone who loved and protected him had disappeared.
Lu Yan was the only sense of stability left for him now.
The two of them didn't talk much that day.
Lu Yan slept restlessly during the day, waking up at constantly because of nightmares.
Chen Hai remained close to her, absent-mindedly cleaning his brushes, or fiddling with a wood carving.
When dinner was served, Lu Yan could barely eat, and Chen Hai had little appetite.
They went to bed together, in a silence so deep it seemed like they were suffocating under water.
Lu Yan was in pain and couldn't spare the energy to talk. Chen Hai was lost in thoughts and feelings that didn't make sense enough to be put into words.
Slowly, they drifted to sleep.
Somewhere, in the deepest darkest part of the night, Lu Yan was woken by the piercing pain in her abdomen.
Thinking it was more of the same, she turned over and tried to go back to sleep.
But, she felt wetness.
Confused, she checked the wound on her abdomen. But it had scabbed over a long time ago, and wasn't bleeding.
Another cramp rushed through her body, making her cry out in pain.
The cry didn't wake Chen Hai, but alerted one of her maids.
Lu Yan gasped for her to enter.
When the curtains were drawn apart, the lamps were lit, and the sheets taken off, the growing dark stain under Lu Yan became glaringly obvious.
Lu Yan had a horrible premonition, even as she cried and clutched her abdomen.
Chen Hai woke as the maids began running around.
Lu Yan writhed in pain.
Three quarters of an hour later, the doctor finally arrived.
By then it was too late, and there was nothing that could be done.