Chapter 114 Lord Bai, you've worked hard
After watching the ghost play, Ah Chan and Chen Hui ate wontons at a nearby stall.
The owner's skills are average, but he makes a good profit by serving large quantities, attracting many people to watch the ghost show.
After finishing their wontons, they went to a nearby stall and bought candied fruit and sesame candy. Next to it was a mask stall. Achan had a piece of sesame candy in her mouth and looked curiously at the ghost masks hanging on the mask stall.
Most of the people who buy ghost masks are families with young children. The shop owner said that if a child cries at night, hanging the mask at the head of the bed will scare away unclean things, and it is very effective.
Achan thought these masks were very special. After hesitating for a while, she picked out the largest one, which looked like a shield in her hand.
The ghost mask was priced at a full 100 coins. The shopkeeper never expected her to take a liking to this mask that he had never been able to sell. He happily took the mask off and handed it to her, and even gave her a small mask the size of his palm as a bonus.
When they returned to the post station with their masks, they bumped into a group of Jiaozhou officials who were taking their leave.
The prefect walking in front didn't have much of an official air about him. He looked closely at the mask and asked with a smile, "Miss, did you go to see a ghost play?"
Achan replied, "Yes, I just finished watching it and came back. It was very exciting."
"Indeed, the plays from other places are nowhere near as good as the ghost plays from Jiaozhou." The prefect said with a proud look, clearly a serious fan of ghost plays. When praising ghost plays, he didn't forget to put down the other competitors.
At this moment, Bai Xiuming walked over.
When the prefect saw him, his expression turned solemn: "This humble official will take his men and leave now. Please wait, Lord Bai."
Bai Xiuming nodded slightly: "Please take care, Lord Liu."
Achan stepped aside and let the local officials leave the post station first before carrying her mask and going inside.
After taking a couple of steps, she retreated to Bai Xiuming's side and smiled ingratiatingly: "Bai Xiuming, where is my room?"
Bai Xiuming glanced at her and said, "You disappeared as soon as you got off the ship. I thought you weren't planning to come back."
"How could that be? I was thinking of you the whole time I was out having fun. This is a gift for you." He said, stuffing the huge mask he was holding into Bai Xiuming's hands.
"A gift?" Bai Xiuming looked down at the gift that had been forced upon him, not quite understanding its purpose.
Achan explained earnestly, "This is a ghost mask, a specialty of Jiaozhou. Hanging it by the bedside can ward off evil spirits. The bigger the mask, the better the effect. Of course, I wanted to buy the best one for you."
After saying that, his face was full of "Why don't you come and praise me?" expressions.
Standing not far away, Chen Hui silently looked away, thinking that the mask seller hadn't said the second half of his sentence. If he had half of A Chan's eloquence, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sell the masks.
Bai Xiuming turned the mask over and looked at it himself. The mask was made in a ferocious manner, and its effectiveness in warding off evil spirits was still unknown, but if it were hung above the bed, it would easily scare a couple of people to death in the middle of the night.
However, he still accepted this "generous gift." Holding the mask in one hand, he said to Achan, "Let's go, I'll take you to your room."
Achan immediately followed, thinking to herself that this person was becoming easier and easier to coax.
There were so many people coming this time that even though the prefect of Jiaozhou had emptied all the houses around the post station for the Mingjing Division, there were still not enough rooms.
Tonight, Ah Chan will be staying in the same room as Chen Hui.
Achan had no objection to this. Although the room was a bit simple, it was very clean, and the bedding was all brand new.
After escorting the person back to their room, Bai Xiuming was about to leave when A Chan suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
He turned around: "What is it now?"
What time do we leave tomorrow?
"At the beginning of the Si hour".
"I'll be back on time." She decided to get up early tomorrow and go out for a stroll again.
"Want to go play some more?"
“How can this be considered playing? What I’m doing is…” Ah Chan thought for a moment and finally came up with a fitting word, “understanding the people’s sentiments.”
Bai Xiuming asked with a half-smile, "So what aspects of the people's lives have you observed?"
"The sesame candy from Baofeng County is delicious." She said, opening the oil paper package on the table, picking up a piece of sesame candy and holding it to his mouth, looking at it longingly.
Bai Xiuming glanced at the sesame candy, then opened his mouth and bit into it.
When Bai Xiuming came out of Achan's room, the Mingjing Guards who had not yet returned to their rooms saw that their master was holding a strange shield in one hand and had a piece of candy in his mouth, looking very approachable.
Several people couldn't help but take a few more glances, but Bai Xiuming swept them away with a cold look, and they immediately scattered.
That night, Achan slept soundly. After getting off the boat, she finally no longer had that swaying, unsteady feeling.
She woke up before dawn. After washing up with Chen Hui, they left the post station.
Yesterday, while eating wontons, she heard someone say that Sun Ji Lamb Soup in Baofeng County was extremely delicious, and that it was located on the street next to where they performed ghost operas. She was planning to try it.
She arrived rather late. Sun's Lamb Soup Restaurant was packed with people. Seeing that they were two unfamiliar customers, the proprietress led them to a corner seat. The person sitting at the same table with them was also a woman.
The woman was thin, with her hair simply tied up in a bun and no makeup. Her complexion was not good, and her face was pale.
Soon, the proprietress brought over two bowls of mutton soup, one of which contained only mutton blood.
Achan saw that the woman across from her was eating a nice flatbread, so she said she wanted the same flatbread. However, the proprietress looked embarrassed and said that the shop only had steamed flatbread and did not sell flatbread.
Hearing Ah Chan and the proprietress's conversation, the woman looked up at them and suddenly said, "If you don't mind, I'll give you a piece of flatbread."
The woman's voice had an ethereal quality; such a unique voice was hard to forget once heard.
“You are from the Yu family,” Achan said with certainty.
The woman twitched her lips slightly, her expression a little stiff: "Does the young lady recognize me?"
“I just heard your performance yesterday. Your voice is beautiful, and your ghost plays are great,” Achan praised sincerely. “But I don’t need the flatbread. I can have steamed buns.”
"Judging from the girl's accent, she doesn't seem to be from Jiaozhou?" Yu Dajia asked.
Achan explained, "We are from the capital and were planning to return to Beijing. Last night, we passed through Baofeng County and happened to see a ghost play."
“That’s quite a coincidence. I was originally from the capital. With such a connection, I’ll consider this flatbread a gift from you to my acquaintance. Please don’t find it offensive.”
After saying that, Yu Dajia pushed over the oil paper package containing two flatbreads that were still on the table.
Seeing that she had already said that, Achan did not refuse anymore. It seemed that this Ms. Yu was not just being polite.
After a brief exchange, neither of them spoke again. Achan sat down and drank a few sips of soup. The mutton soup was indeed extremely delicious, and it was a perfect match with the crispy and fragrant flatbread.
Achan ate half a pancake, then looked up at Yu Dajia. She was also eating a pancake, but instead of opening her mouth to bite it, she broke it into small pieces with her hands.
Her demeanor was naturally elegant, making her stand out from everyone else in the room, yet it didn't seem deliberate.
Ji Chan had learned this way of eating. In some situations, it was customary for many young ladies to behave this way; otherwise, they would be secretly ridiculed for their poor upbringing.
Thinking back to the rumors she had heard last night, Achan couldn't help but feel a little curious about the background of the man in front of her, Master Yu.
"I heard that after Yu Dajia finishes this performance, she and her troupe will go to the capital to celebrate the Emperor's birthday?" Achan took the initiative to start the conversation.
The news has spread among the people, so it's probably not something that can't be said.
Upon hearing Achan's words, Yu Dajia calmly replied, "It's all thanks to your kind words. It's not for the Emperor's birthday celebration. The opera troupe was invited to the capital by Prince Ying'an."
When the prince passed through Jiaozhou, he developed a fondness for ghost operas. After returning to the capital, he couldn't stop thinking about them and wanted us to perform a few shows there. Also, because His Majesty's birthday was approaching, he recommended our troupe; we were merely given a chance.
After saying that, she looked up at Achan and asked, "Miss, you seem to be no ordinary person. Do you know the Prince of Ying'an?"
Achan didn't deny what the other person said, but simply nodded: "I've heard some, but not many."
This prince was always very low-key. The only thing that people could remember about him was that he was very afraid of his wife. He had no concubines in his household and only had one son and one daughter.
Her son wasn't very capable, but her daughter married well. I heard that she found her husband through a lucky draw after passing the imperial examinations, and now he's the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Achan brought her attention back and smiled, "With everyone's abilities, we will surely succeed quickly."
"Thank you for your kind words, young lady. If there is an opportunity, I will invite you to see a play when we arrive in the capital."
"If Master Yu comes to the capital, I will definitely go to support him."
After everyone finished their mutton soup, Yu said goodbye to Achan and got up to leave.
Achan watched her leave before turning her gaze away.
"I saw Yu Dajia's ghost face yesterday, and I thought she really had a blue face and fangs. I don't know how she dressed up, but it was so realistic!" Achan couldn't help but say to Chen Hui.
Chen Hui didn't care about that. In the common people's world, those who can be called masters all have some special skills that they don't want outsiders to know.
She said to Achan, "Her complexion is not right, and she has some yin energy about her."
Achan noticed that her complexion was not good, but she had no clue what was wrong. She only said, "Perhaps she got it on by accident?"
Ordinary people who often walk at night are also prone to being infected by yin energy. Ghost plays, after all, are performed at night, so it is not uncommon for them to occasionally attract wandering spirits. Just get more sun during the day and you'll be fine.
Chen Hui nodded, agreeing with A Chan's statement.
When the two returned to the post station after their meal, the Mingjing Guards were already packing their belongings. Upon seeing Achan and Chen Hui return, someone led them to the carriage at the back of the group.
The carriage was spacious and comfortable, and it seemed to have been equipped with shock absorbers; it was no worse than the carriage we had ridden in on the way here.
At the beginning of the Si hour (9-11 AM), the group finally set off.
The journey lasted a full ten days. When Achan finally saw the city gate of the capital, she felt as if she had been transported to another world.
In the blink of an eye, she has been in the capital for almost a year.
The autumn days in the capital were much colder than in Xiling. The clothes that Achan had prepared were not thick enough, and she felt a bit cold even sitting in the carriage. Fortunately, she would be able to go home soon.
When they reached the city gate, the procession in front of them stopped.
After waiting a short while, the procession still hadn't moved. The clatter of hooves sounded, and Achan lifted the curtain of the carriage window and peeked out, only to see Bai Xiuming riding up to the carriage.
"What's going on up ahead?" Achan asked.
"It's nothing, someone was blocking the way," Bai Xiuming said casually, then added, "I'll have someone take you home directly after we get into the city."
“Okay.” Achan nodded.
The person blocking her way must be of high status, probably related to the King of Xiling. She decided not to get involved in such matters.
However, she immediately turned her eyes and beckoned to Bai Xiuming.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
Bai Xiuming leaned down, leaning half her body forward, and whispered in his ear, "Do you think the Marquis of Jinyang and his wife are in such a hurry to marry their daughter into the Shen family that they must have some shady dealings with the Shen family?"
She was well aware of the relationship between the Shen family and the Marquis of Jinyang's family, and the information that Bai Xiu had personally investigated was unlikely to be wrong.
But things are different now. The Shen family has been convicted, and even Xue Ying has been executed. Why should the Marquis of Jinyang's family be safe and sound?
Bai Xiuming glanced at her: "Is that all you wanted to say?"
Seeing that he was about to get up, Achan quickly grabbed his collar and pulled him back, saying with dissatisfaction, "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"Then you tell me."
"Have you been very busy since you returned to Beijing?"
“There are a lot of things going on, what’s wrong?” he asked.
"Then what should I do if I want to see you?"
"See me." Bai Xiuming stared into her eyes and asked, "Why?"
"Do I need a reason to see you?" she retorted confidently, of course she wanted to see him.
As for why? Ah Chan thought for a moment and finally concluded that it was just a matter of habit. She had been able to see him every day for the past few days, so it was only natural that she wouldn't be used to not seeing him anymore.
She didn't have this problem before she left the capital, it's all Bai Xiuming's fault!
Bai Xiuming was slightly taken aback, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes, and asked her, "Did the guards of the Mingjing Division stop you?"
"I'm not going to the Mingjing Division, and why should I have to come looking for you?"
Bai Xiuming immediately agreed, saying, "How about I invite you to my home another day? I have a pond full of beautiful dragon carp; I'm sure you'll like them."
The name "Dragon Carp" already made Achan like it.
His answer barely satisfied Achan, and she slightly raised her chin: "I'll think about it."
Bai Xiuming's expression softened, and then he heard Achan ask, "What about the Marquis of Jinyang's family?"
After talking for so long, I still haven't forgotten about this.
Bai Xiuming chuckled: "We'll go arrest them in a bit, and we'll definitely investigate thoroughly."
Achan patted his chest casually: "You've worked hard, Lord Bai."
Listening to the two talking in the car, Chen Hui twitched the corners of her lips, thinking that it was fortunate that Bai Xiuming was only a member of the imperial clan and would never have the chance to ascend the throne in this lifetime.
Otherwise, he would definitely be a foolish ruler.
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