Mortal Realm Sells House to Offset Debt 5
Xue Linchuan entered the room, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "I apologize for coming so late at night, Miss Xie."
"Are the officials of the Great Zhou so polite?" Xie Guijin thought to herself. She turned and waved for Xue Linchuan to take a seat. Taking the opportunity of ordering her maid to serve tea, she glanced around and saw that everyone present had a look of surprise on their faces. She couldn't help but feel strange about Xue Linchuan's behavior.
She gracefully sat down at the lower seat, quickly composed herself, and asked, "Lord Xue, you are too kind. Did you rush here because you need us to provide clues for my father's case?"
Xue Linchuan slightly raised his eyes, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Xie Guijin understood and waved for the servants to leave.
Butler Hao and Ling Ge hesitated for a moment, their actions slowing down.
Upon seeing this, Xue Linchuan said, "It's fine for the two of you to stay, lest some people gossip and harm Miss Xie's reputation."
Upon hearing this, Xie Guijin felt even more bewildered.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was founded by an empress and lasted for three generations.
Women, like men, could study, practice martial arts, and go out to make a living. Although the social atmosphere was not as open as in modern times, there were no restrictions on gender separation.
Moreover, even if the area is cleared out, the doors and windows will not be closed. The servants can see what is happening inside, but they just can't hear it. Why would Xue Linchuan have such concerns?
Xie Guijin thought about it briefly and then put it out of her mind. It was irrelevant to her mission and not worth wasting her energy on.
"What exactly does Lord Xue want to ask?" Xie Guijin urged.
"To be honest, I have carefully interrogated Second Master Xie and those who came to your residence to collect debts the other day. The debt collectors were indeed instigated by Second Master Xie, but they did not know the truth about Master Xie's case. As for Second Master Xie, he also did not know the inside story, but he said that in a dream, a god told him that Master Xie had indeed committed murder and was no longer worthy of owning the Xie family's ancestral property. The god was angry and ordered Second Master Xie to seize the Xie family's property."
At this point, Xue Linchuan looked up and saw that Xie Guijin and the other two looked as if they had been struck by lightning and couldn't believe their eyes. He continued, "I know this matter is too unbelievable. At first, I thought Second Master Xie was trying to exonerate himself. But after questioning him repeatedly, Second Master Xie should not be lying. I really don't know if this is Second Master Xie's daytime thoughts and nighttime dreams, or if there really is a deity who can appear in dreams and actually cares about the inheritance of the Xie family's property? After all, Second Master Xie comes from the Xie family lineage, so I would like to ask Miss Xie if she has any clues? Or does the Xie family have any offerings?"
"Really?" Xie Guijin asked the system in her mind, her face expressionless.
The system replied matter-of-factly, "The original owner's memories have all been transferred. Please explore them on your own."
Xie Guijin frowned, rummaging through the original owner's memories again and again, but there was nothing relevant. She thought to herself, "Although this place is an illusion, it is still based on reality. Xue Linchuan is a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, so he must be well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. How could he not know that Confucius did not associate with strange phenomena, supernatural forces, or ghosts? Besides, he is a brilliant judge and not one to make empty promises. It seems that Master Xie's case is most likely related to ghosts and gods. But why would Xue Linchuan believe Uncle Xie's testimony alone?"
Thinking of this, Xie Guijin's eyes lit up and he asked, "Lord Xue, is there any other evidence?"
“Miss Xie is truly perceptive,” Xue Linchuan sighed inwardly, and said cautiously, “I’m just afraid that saying this would frighten Miss Xie.”
"Please speak frankly, Lord Xue," Xie Guijin said solemnly.
Xue Linchuan carefully revealed the parts that could be disclosed: "The body of the maid in Master Xie's case decomposed as soon as it was brought back to the yamen. The coroner could only conclude that she had been dead for several days, but the maid was clearly alive at the banquet that day, as many people present can attest. I deduce that either someone disguised themselves as the maid, or there was indeed an evil spirit at work."
“Although there is talk of disguise, the corpse only decomposed after entering the government office, which is not something that can be done by human hands. Besides, the summer heat has not yet passed. If the body had really died long ago and had not been buried or burned, how could there not be a smell? If the host family couldn’t smell it, wouldn’t the other guests also be able to smell it?” Xie Guijin said decisively.
Upon hearing this, Butler Hao hurriedly said, "That must be the work of an evil spirit. My master has been wronged. Please, sir, release him immediately!"
"Uncle, don't worry. Lord Xue said that the possibility of human intervention cannot be ruled out. Besides, the theory of evil spirits is hard to convince people. Now that I want to donate money to the court, everyone knows it. What if someone says that the court is letting Father off the hook because of this?" Xie Guijin first comforted Steward Hao.
Then he said to Xue Linchuan, "Lord Xue, please don't be offended. We had no intention of interfering with the judiciary; we were just confused because we were concerned."
"It's alright. Butler Hao and Master Xie have a deep bond, so how could I blame them?"
Xue Linchuan exchanged a few polite words with Xie Guijin and then took his leave.
As soon as the man left, Butler Hao pulled Xie Guijin aside and whispered, "I've noticed that Lord Xue treats you differently than you would a young lady. You mustn't be fooled by him. Master would never want to see you do anything bad in order to save him."
"Does Uncle think that Lord Xue is lusting after me because of my looks? Is he trying to use Father's case to force me to submit to him?"
Butler Hao lowered his head, looking rather uneasy.
This is still ancient times, and Xie Guijin is an unmarried young lady from a wealthy family. Her words are so blunt that Butler Hao is a little overwhelmed.
"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Uncle. I will be careful, I definitely won't..." Xie Guijin suddenly blurted out, "Willing yourself to be despicable, don't worry."
Upon hearing this, Butler Hao shuddered and frowned, saying, "Miss, please don't say that. Lord Xue, cough, Lord Xue may not really mean it that way. Perhaps I am overthinking it. In any case, Miss, just keep it in mind."
Xie Guijin watched Butler Hao's hurried departure and thought that Butler Hao was overthinking things.
In her eyes, Xue Linchuan's gaze was clear, open, and without any selfish desires.
Xie Guijin felt that Xue Linchuan didn't have any other thoughts about her. He was probably just paying extra attention because the case was too strange and Xue Linchuan was an upright official.
But she didn't intend to argue with Butler Hao about these things; why waste words on pointless matters?
That night, perhaps influenced by Steward Hao, Xie Guijin dreamed of Xue Linchuan, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, yet unable to find him.
Waking up, Xie Guijin shook her head to clear her mind of distractions; she knew she would be busy today.
Due to the large number of participants in the auction, Xie Guijin specifically applied to the government for the square in front of the City God Temple outside the city to be used as the auction venue.
The venue needs to be set up today, and Xie Guijin decided to oversee it personally.
Steward Hao was sent to the front of the Jingzhao Yin's residence to watch the queue register and receive auction numbers.
When Xie Guijin arrived at the City God Temple, the workers were unloading the various materials they needed.
The foreman helped Xie Guijin down from the carriage with a bright smile and said repeatedly, "Miss Xie, why did you come in person? The sun will be high in the sky soon. If you need anything, just tell me, and I will take care of it properly. There's no need for you to come all the way here yourself."
Xie Guijin smiled and said, "Of course I trust you to handle things, but I was just idling around anyway, so I came to take a look."
As the group walked, every worker they passed treated them with utmost respect.
Xie Guijin spared no expense and paid high wages, so the workers were naturally happy to see her. However, things are different in ancient and modern times. The workers only dared to respect her and dared not make any unrestrained jokes.
The foreman bowed and explained the layout to Xie Guijin.
This was, in fact, the largest auction in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It's a large-scale venue, and the layout is basically the same, with more seats added.
After listening to everyone, Xie Guijin said only, "There are too few seats for the distinguished guests. There are sixteen seats on each side."
The foreman accepted the order and got to work.
Lingge leaned close to Xie Guijin's ear and whispered, "Miss, isn't this too much? Are there any important people registering today?"
"Better safe than sorry," Xie Guijin replied casually, and then thought of taking her maids and servants with her to help.
However, times have changed, and everyone stopped Xie Guijin.
Seeing that the workers looked tense and helpless because she had to work, Xie Guijin sighed and stopped insisting. She listened to the old women's advice and went to the City God Temple to worship and rest.
Xie Guijin, being a modern person, had no interest in worshipping gods and couldn't stand being followed by a group of people, so he ordered everyone to disperse, taking only Lingge with him for company.
Because they were in a temple, the master and servant chatted quietly and casually.
As the two stepped into the main hall, Xie Guijin inadvertently caught a glimpse of Madam Xie in the side hall on the right. She was kneeling on a prayer mat, holding a petition in her hands, and praying devoutly in the Department of Sin.
Xie Guijin reached out and pulled Lingge away, leading her to hide behind the flowers and trees. They watched until they saw Madam Xie the Second burn the petition, kowtow, get up, and leave the main hall.
The master and servant then emerged from behind the flowers and trees.
Xie Guijin instructed Lingge, "Go and find out about it later, but don't let anyone else know."
“Yes,” Lingge replied without hesitation; she was a servant born into the Xie family.
Although Master Xie and his wife separated from the Xie family, the servants were not dismissed; they were simply taken away from their indentures.
Among Madam Xie's confidants were former servants from the Xie household.
The servants were intermarried and their relationships were complicated, so it wasn't difficult for Lingge to find out what Madam Xie had done today.
This incident did not dampen Xie Guijin's interest in strolling around. She took Lingge for a long time before returning to the guest hall courtyard that the temple's guest monk had arranged for her.
The servant who had been waiting in the courtyard rushed forward to greet Xie Guijin, saying hurriedly, "Miss, the steward sent me to inform you that several members of the imperial family have come to collect numbers today. What should we do?"
Xie Guijin stopped in her tracks, her voice tense as she asked, "Which ones are you?"
"The granddaughter of Prince Xiaoyao, Princess Lantai; the youngest son of Duke Chenghuai; the granddaughter of Princess Zhenxia..." The servant rattled off six or seven names in one breath.
Upon hearing the list, Xie Guijin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's alright, they're just some idle members of the imperial clan, just joining in the fun. Go tell Steward Hao not to worry."
After dismissing the servant, Xie Guijin thought to herself, "Fortunately, we only set three days for the number to be drawn. If this continues, it will be troublesome if it involves the princess and prince, since there is indeed a succession to the throne."
Xie Guijin only wanted to complete the task of selling houses and had no desire to get involved in the struggle for the throne.
Xie Guijin was actually overthinking it. The reason why the unambitious sons of noble families and idle members of the imperial clan without real power participated was because they could easily advance and retreat. To outsiders, they could say that they participated out of curiosity, and the donations to the court were an extra reason.
However, if princesses and princes who intend to vie for the throne participate, it would be seen as seeking fame, so it would be better to do more practical things.
Xie Guijin was unaware of this. As a modern person, she lacked the political acumen to contend for the throne. At this moment, she was concerned about how to arrange the venue outside when the imperial family was involved.
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