Chapter 150 May they have a safe journey.
After seeing off the Lü family, Achan closed the door, took the brocade box, and returned to the backyard.
She went to Chen Hui's room first. Chen Hui was still asleep, but in the past few days, A Chan noticed that her hair and nails had grown longer.
This means that her advancement is nearing its end and she will soon wake up.
After carefully observing Hui Niang's condition, A Chan took out the land deed from the brocade box and placed it on the table by the window.
For ordinary people, money is enough to solve most problems. Boss Lü, putting himself in others' shoes, probably wanted to give Hui Niang this land deed as a form of security.
If they had known each other during Hui Niang's lifetime, they would surely have become very good friends.
Unfortunately, this relationship was far too short.
After putting the land deed away, Achan carried the brocade box back to her room. As soon as she closed the door, she couldn't wait to take out the Yushan furnace inside.
Most of the stones from Yushan are white or translucent white, and the incense burner in her hand is that color. However, when you turn it around, you can see that the translucent burner, which is covered with wisps of cotton-like fibers, also has a patch of green, like rolling mountains.
The white cotton fluff looked more like clouds drifting across the sky.
I thought the value of this incense burner lay in its materials, but I never imagined that the person who made it had also incorporated a scene into the design.
Achan liked it more and more as she looked at it, and almost couldn't put it down.
She set the lid aside and carefully wiped the inside of the incense burner with a clean cloth. When she wiped the inside, she suddenly felt an uneven spot, which seemed to be a mark.
Achan looked inside from several different angles, but she still couldn't make out what kind of pattern it was.
Sometimes, being too curious isn't a good thing.
To study the patterns inside, Achan didn't even eat dinner. It wasn't until it was dark that she had to shift her attention away from the Yushan Furnace.
Without Hui Niang around, would she eat steamed buns or sugar cakes?
Achan was caught in a dilemma, and then she smelled roast chicken. It couldn't be her imagination!
Achan rushed to the door and quickly opened it. The person standing outside hadn't even had time to put their raised hand on the door.
Seeing Bai Xiuming carrying an oil paper package in one hand and a food box in the other, A Chan buried her face in his chest, her voice sweet enough to melt honey: "Bai Xiuming, I missed you so much~"
Bai Xiuming opened his arms slightly, letting her hug his waist, her little head rubbing against his chest.
"Are you thinking about me, or the roast chicken in my hand?"
Achan was very honest: "I want both."
"Haven't eaten?"
"I just got an incense burner and have been playing with it so much that I forgot to eat." After rubbing against him enough, Ah Chan finally looked up and gave him a sweet smile. "And then you came. We really are on the same wavelength."
Bai Xiuming chuckled: "You have a sweet tongue. Did you know that the Mingjing Division guards went to investigate the Lü family?"
Achan blinked blankly: "Why investigate the Lü family?"
Seeing that she really didn't know, Bai Xiuming took her into the room. While she lit the candles, he took out the food from the food box and arranged it one by one. He also opened the oil paper package, which contained a whole roasted chicken.
Achan wanted to press him further about his investigation at the Lü family, but Bai Xiuming pressed her down into a chair and handed her chopsticks: "Eat first."
"All right."
She picked up her chopsticks and ate a couple of bites of food, then stared longingly at the roast chicken, glancing at it a few times before looking at Bai Xiuming sitting to the side.
Bai Xiuming tapped his finger twice on the table, and the roast chicken seemed to be cut open by an invisible knife, not only being divided into bite-sized pieces, but even the bones were removed.
After he divided the chicken, Achan picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and immediately showed a satisfied expression.
"This roast chicken is delicious! Where did you buy it?"
"It was made by the chef of the Prince Ming's residence. If you like it, come to my residence another day and have him make it for you."
"Isn't he the cook from the Prince Ming's residence?"
"The cook is mine now, wanna come?"
"OK."
Hearing her answer, Bai Xiuming smiled as he watched her eat with her head down.
Having eaten until she was about 70% full, Achan put down her chopsticks and continued the previous topic: "You still haven't told me what you're investigating at the Lü family."
What do you think?
This was obviously not a question to be answered. Achan looked puzzled and said, "Boss Lü? Didn't you see her ghost? She shouldn't have the ability to do anything."
Compared to her previous attempts to conceal her feelings, this time she was completely open and honest.
"She did not, but her ex-husband, Minister Liu of the Court of State Ceremonial, turned white-haired overnight because of her death. His Majesty heard some rumors and sent me to investigate."
Achan's focus wasn't on what she had discovered, but on Liu Xiangze.
"His hair turned white overnight; was his life force drained?"
She had barely finished speaking when she realized why the emperor had ordered Bai Xiu to investigate.
After all, Liu Xiangze's symptoms do seem rather abnormal.
"So, why did he become like that?" Achan's eyes were full of curiosity.
She was certain that the problem wasn't with Boss Lü; she had great confidence in her skills.
Besides, when Liu Xiangze came to her to inquire about Boss Lü's whereabouts that day, everything was clearly normal.
"The imperial physician said it was caused by excessive grief."
Achan's mouth opened slightly: "Overwhelmed with grief?"
She didn't quite understand the situation and thought it was just an exaggerated description in a storybook.
"Is Lord Liu really that devoted to Boss Lü? I never noticed before."
"Perhaps even he didn't expect it." Bai Xiuming had investigated the Liu family. Liu Xiangze was an extremely rare person among the court officials, whose private life was even cleaner than his face.
Given his current status, the Lü family has no way of interfering in his personal life. But the fact that he chose to adopt rather than take a concubine at least proves his feelings for his wife.
Lord Liu may never have deeply considered what this choice meant, but his subconscious kept him loyal to his wife.
Unfortunately, loyalty alone is not enough in relationships.
Achan moved her chair closer to Bai Xiuming: "Do you know how Lord Liu's adopted son is doing? Has Lord Liu taken his anger out on him?"
"So curious?"
“Of course, a story should have a beginning and an end.” Achan nudged his arm. “Tell me quickly.”
Bai Xiuming calmly told A Chan the end of the story: "Lord Liu sent his adopted son back to his original home. That family moved out of the capital overnight and probably won't have a chance to come back."
Achan wasn't entirely satisfied with the story, but she still felt a pang of sadness; everyone in the story was a loser.
"If Lord Liu had believed Boss Lü's words from the beginning and sent the man away earlier, none of this trouble would have happened later."
Liu Xiangze never trusted his wife, and neither did Boss Lü. They each chose what they believed to be the right path, and then went their separate ways.
Ah Chan wondered, since they clearly liked each other, would that liking fade away over time?
"Bai Xiuming," Achan suddenly called his name.
"Um?"
"Even if we break up someday, you still have to like me a lot, otherwise I'll haunt you even as a ghost."
Bai Xiuming chuckled: "So domineering, huh?"
“Yes, that’s how domineering I am.” A-Chan looked completely unreasonable.
Bai Xiuming raised his hand and pinched her cheek: "Okay, I will always like Achan very much."
Achan was finally satisfied. She placed her hands on his thighs and leaned forward to kiss the corner of his lips as a reward.
As soon as Bai Xiuming turned his head, Achan immediately retreated warily, clearly dissatisfied with her previous immersive experience.
Her double standard made Bai Xiuming snort, but he ultimately resisted the urge to capture her.
Perhaps sensing the threatening look in Bai Xiuming's eyes, Achan immediately changed the subject after returning to her chair and proudly showed Bai Xiuming the Yushan Furnace.
"Look, this is a gift from Boss Lü." She handed the Yushan furnace on the table to Bai Xiuming.
Bai Xiuming took the incense burner, lowered his eyes to examine it, and then asked, "Did the Lü family send this today?"
"Yes." After saying that, Achan keenly sensed something was wrong and pressed, "Are you sending people to spy on me, or on the Lü family?"
"The Lü family."
"Is there something wrong with their family?"
"No, it's just a routine procedure, to prevent any problems later." Bai Xiuming said as he opened the furnace lid and looked inside.
Achan also came over and pointed to the inner wall of the incense burner, saying, "There is a mark here, but it's not clear."
Bai Xiuming reached out and touched it, then lifted the incense burner.
Suddenly, a ball of light appeared in the incense burner, reflecting off the inner wall of the burner. The entire burner was glowing, like a small ball of light. As Bai Xiuming slowly rotated, A Chan saw a square, intricate pattern appear on the wall.
"It doesn't look like the seal of a furnace maker?" Achan said uncertainly.
I've heard that skilled furnace makers like to stamp their personal seals on their works, but this one looks more like the mark of a family.
Bai Xiuming narrowed his peach blossom eyes slightly after seeing the pattern, as if he had thought of something.
Achan kept looking at him, and seeing his changing expression, she quickly asked, "Do you know what that pattern is?"
"The mark of a family." The light in the incense burner disappeared, and the incense burner returned to its original appearance.
Bai Xiuming hadn't paid much attention to the incense burner before, but this time he examined it carefully.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "Is this incense burner made of Yushan stone?"
Bai Xiuming didn't know much about incense burners, but he recognized stones.
Achan nodded: "Yes, this Yushan incense burner was acquired by Boss Lü before the New Year. She eventually gave it to me, and the Lü family didn't want it back."
"Very valuable?"
“It’s very valuable,” Achan affirmed.
Bai Xiuming placed the incense burner back on the table. He stared at it for a while before saying, "The mark on this incense burner belongs to the Shang family, an ancient family that controls ghosts."
"What about that family?"
"More than 20 years ago, our entire family was wiped out; they were all dead."
Achan's eyes widened slightly: "Who did this?"
"have no idea."
"What about their family's wealth?"
“Good question.” Bai Xiuming leaned back. “The Shang family was built on the Ghost Gate. After the entire clan was wiped out, the Ghost Gate opened wide, and the place where the Shang family was located was leveled. Everyone thought that everything of the Shang family had been swallowed up by the Ghost Gate. This incense burner is the only thing that has ever been leaked out of their family so far.”
Achan immediately picked up the incense burner and placed it in Bai Xiuming's hands: "Lord Bai, if you get promoted and make a fortune by relying on my incense burner, don't forget my favors."
"No problem." Bai Xiuming accepted the incense burner and then said to Achan, "I'll have people keep watch nearby for the next few days."
Although some time has passed since the incense burner was sold, it is still necessary to be on the safe side.
Achan didn't refuse; she still cherished her life.
Because of this unexpected incident, Bai Xiuming did not linger and quickly left with the Yushan Furnace.
After he left, Achan sat at the table, running her fingers through the burning candlelight without feeling any burning sensation.
After playing like this for a while, the flickering candlelight reflected Ah Chan's face in the dim light.
Many coincidences in this world come so suddenly and unexpectedly.
The surname Shang is not uncommon, but it is not very common either.
Coincidentally, she had an old friend named Shang in the Northern Wilderness.
Counting the days, the first month of the lunar calendar is almost over, and there's only a little over a month left until the third day of the third month.
This day was very special; Achan remembered it clearly—it was the birthday of the father of the Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness.
This year marks the other person's 80th birthday.
In other words, the Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness is going to the capital, and her old friend surnamed Shang should also be going with her.
From the Northern Wilderness to the capital, it was a distance of ten thousand miles. That road was incredibly difficult to travel; Achan remembered it clearly. Along the way, she lost one tail after another until finally, she managed to escape into the capital.
I hope they have a safe journey.
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