"I am only an old woman, so old I have hardly any teeth left. Chancellor, look."
At Menzang E'pang's residence, Granny Weiming ran her almost purple tongue over her teeth, showing them to him.
She had only one tooth left.
One lonely survivor.
She said, "I cannot even eat meat anymore, and my eyes are nearly blind. How could someone like me see what the future holds?
Someone who does not even know how much longer she has to live can only muddle through. Every morning we open our eyes, we give thanks to the deities for blessing us with another day of life."
Menzang E'pang said nothing. Holding the bowl in both hands, he respectfully offered her the beef soup and said softly, "Then please bestow a proper blessing on my nephew!"
Granny Weiming politely declined again. With an air of "trepidation," she said, "His Majesty is an eagle in the heavens, a manifestation of the deities. How could someone like him need my blessing?
I am only an old woman who knows nothing."
Menzang E'pang's expression shifted uncertainly. No one else was there. He simply looked at Granny Weiming and, in the end, said nothing.
"Let us eat first."
He said, "With the new emperor's accession, a general amnesty has been declared. I have some gifts for you, Granny."
This time, Granny Weiming did not refuse his gifts.
She thanked Menzang E'pang. He packed chests with gold, silver, jewels, tea, blue salt, medicinal herbs, and spices, and sent them to her residence. Granny Weiming never lacked wealth, but strangely, she had neither married nor had descendants.
More importantly, she never accumulated wealth. However much she received, it all disappeared. No one had ever seen her spend lavishly or hoard money.
She was an extremely mysterious person.
Menzang E'pang