Chapter 2: Saving Money to Go to the Infamous Traitor in the History of Longdao...
"well……"
The broom swept across the bluestone bricks, leaving a long sigh.
Early in the morning, under the dense shade of an old soapberry tree.
With each sweep of the broom across the ground, Yu Nie let out a sigh, his face as distressed as that of a farmer whose harvest had failed due to a severe drought.
Last night, she tried to "compete" with Ah Hui for the laundry but failed, so she had no choice but to obediently accept her fate and go to her evening class.
He chanted the scriptures until his saliva was dry, and only crawled into bed at three-quarters past midnight. Then, at dawn, he got up again to sweep the courtyard.
I'm so sleepy right now, my eyelids are drooping.
If you don't get enough sleep, your spirit will naturally be low.
She had lost ninety-five percent of her usual energy, looking like a wilted eggplant, her head almost drooping to the ground.
He wandered aimlessly, waving his arms here and there, until he reached the steps of the pharmacy in the front yard.
Upon noticing the black leather boots by the door, Yu Nie stopped what she was doing, lazily resting her chin on the broom head.
I stood there staring at the tightly closed door for a long time.
TV dramas often say that you shouldn't pick up men on the street, because doing so could lead to a broken relationship or even bring disaster to your entire family.
These life-saving proverbs have been kept in mind ever since she transmigrated to this era.
No matter how much you try to guard against it, you can't defy fate.
Having such a vicious and dangerous individual lying in your own home is like having a knife to your throat.
Anyone would be afraid of that, but she values her life very much.
With a creak, Ah Hui opened the door and came out of the house.
After finishing her treatment in the early morning, Cui Miaochang was worried that the person lying on the bed might develop a fever during the night, so she instructed Langxi and Ahui to take turns watching over her and to notify her immediately if anything happened.
"Junior Brother." Yu Nie beckoned to A Hui, his expression mysterious. "Come, come..."
Ah Hui descended the steps, walked up to her, and gestured: "What's the matter, Junior Sister, that you're in such a hurry so early in the morning?"
Yu Nie peered through the crack in the open door, lowered her voice, and leaned closer to him, giving him a meaningful look: "How is the one inside?"
Upon hearing her ask this, Ah Hui understood: "The bleeding from the wound on her waist and abdomen has stopped, and she doesn't have a fever. She's still unconscious."
Good people go unpunished, while evildoers live on for millennia. Yu Nie thought to himself.
He didn't die even after all that. How come this treacherous official's life is as unbreakable as that of a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise?
It is said that Heaven's will is clear and just; where can one reason with that?
Unable to discern her thoughts, Ah Hui gestured again: "Junior Sister, why do you ask this?"
"Oh, I was just being curious." The secret hidden in my heart is unspeakable.
If she were to directly state that the person lying inside was a notorious traitor in history, with a heart as venomous as a snake, killing people like cutting grass, and that the royal family was nothing more than an object to be played with by others, then he should not be allowed to live. The right thing to do would be to quickly throw him back into the wilderness to be killed by nature.
But with such alarmist pronouncements, she doesn't even need to use her brain; everyone knows no one will believe her.
In a small place like Huaiyuan County, ordinary people only knew who the county magistrate was, and at most, the prefectural governor. When they reached the state level, they didn't even know the name of the governor.
What she knew was too fantastical for those around her.
If she were to tell the whole story, everyone else would surely think she was just spouting nonsense, like a cryptic tale posted by the King of Hell.
Why not secretly make some medicine and poison him? That would be a good deed for the people. Yu Nie couldn't help but think to himself.
However, she dismissed the thought as soon as it came to her mind.
Killing a high-ranking official would result in collective punishment; this single severe law was enough to make her quickly get on with her business.
While fighting crime and maintaining order, it's also important to protect those around you.
She wouldn't recklessly throw her life away.
I can't kill him, and no one will believe me if I tell them.
After a brief struggle of conflicting thoughts in her mind, she could only console herself.
Anyway, this evil spirit will also be pierced by ten thousand arrows, his body will be dismembered and his bones will be ground to dust, leaving no trace even in his tomb.
I'll just have to bear with it for now.
That's enough...
Yu Nie stretched and yawned repeatedly: "Junior Brother, I need to go clean the scripture pavilion, otherwise when Uncle Master finishes his meditation and sees me wandering around here, he'll scold me again."
Ah Hui tugged at her sleeve, indicating that she wanted to help her clean.
Yu Nie had the desire but not the courage, and considering that he and Lang Xi hadn't slept well all night, he didn't agree.
"How can this be? If my martial uncle sees this, I'm afraid he'll punish me by making me sweep for another month." She looked at the sky, which was already showing the first light of dawn. "Besides, my martial uncle should be coming out soon. I'm afraid our little tricks from before won't be able to fool him."
She pulled her sleeves back, picked up the broom, and walked backwards, saying, "Go and relieve your senior sister so you can go back to your room and rest."
With that, she turned around gracefully and strode towards the scripture pavilion on the second floor of the main hall.
Ah Hui smiled and glanced at her retreating figure before heading to the opposite room.
*
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto the bookshelves in the scripture pavilion, and occasionally the calls of birds from the hill behind could be heard from inside.
In the innermost corner of the stacked shelves, Yu Nie was holding a copy of "Fan Zi Ji Ran" and scratching his head in frustration.
Knowing that she was looking for books about saltpeter, Langxi, who was well-read, told her which book contained information about saltpeter.
This book, "Fan Zi Ji Ran," is one of them. She had almost worn out the cover from flipping through it, but she couldn't find a single word about how to extract saltpeter. It only recorded that "saltpeter comes from Longdao."
I thought I could take a shortcut and learn how the ancients refined saltpeter, but it turned out to be a complete waste of time and effort.
Yu Nie closed the book, tilted his head, and stroked his chin, pondering.
She spent nearly two years refining this saltpeter, modifying the formula countless times.
The color did change from brown to gray, but it was still far from being a white crystal, not to mention that it would occasionally explode.
With such instability, if it's mixed with sulfur and charcoal, it might only create a small crater the size of a fist, but it could also turn an area within a three-mile radius upside down.
That really means... her life is over.
If one cannot cultivate oneself properly, then the time is not long before the world descends into chaos.
Although the book does not describe the method for refining saltpeter, since it is available in Longdao, it is not unreasonable to use it directly.
Although the key is to achieve twice the result with half the effort, the Longdao Road is near the capital city of Ling'an, which is more than a thousand miles away from Huaiyuan, a small county town, and a trip there would cost a lot of money.
Even setting aside the money issue for now, the travel permit is also difficult to obtain.
Living in Huaiyuan, no one points it out, but everyone knows that getting through to the government is like having a back door opened.
The county clerk was a notorious skinflint; without any financial incentive, he could drag out even the smallest matter for three to five years.
A fly can't twist a thigh, and an ordinary citizen can't fight off a corrupt official.
This damned world. Someone shook his head and sighed repeatedly, "My life is more bitter than bitter herbs, one hurdle after another."
The more I think about it, the more difficulties I encounter, so I simply stop thinking about it.
Yu Nie stood up abruptly and said to himself, "Whatever, I have to go no matter how difficult it is. If there are problems, I'll face them head-on."
Having set her sights high, she began to consider where to start solving the problem.
Whether it's the travel expenses or the "profits" from bribing the officials, it all comes down to money.
Since it's all about money, let's solve the money problem first.
With enough Mane, everything else will fall into place.
If a problem already has an answer, then things become much easier.
Once the essentials are understood, all difficulties can be resolved.
Every obstacle is difficult, but she's determined to overcome them all.
With a direction in mind, she clapped her hands together and said, "It's settled then. Let's save up and go to Longdao."
"Junior Sister, Junior Sister..." Suddenly, Lang Xi's gentle voice called from downstairs.
Hearing the sound, Yu Nie bent down to pick up the broom from the ground and replied, "Coming, Senior Sister."
Without delay, she turned and walked towards the second-floor railing.
In the center of the courtyard in front of the main hall, Langxi was carrying a carved and intricately decorated lacquered wooden box, the contents of which were unknown.
Upon seeing her emerge, Langxi looked up and said, "Master sent me and the two of us to deliver tea to the Rong family. Come down quickly."
Going to the city was someone's favorite thing, and he instantly beamed with joy, quickly leaning the broom against the corner of the second-floor table: "Okay, Senior Sister, wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Lingbao Temple is located in the mountains on the outskirts of the city, about seven miles away from the city center.
The journey wasn't exactly a long distance, but Cui Miaochang was very strict with them.
Normally, aside from going into the city to perform religious ceremonies, the three younger members of the family are only allowed to enter the city once a month on the first and fifteenth of each month.
The rest of the time, they must stay in the temple to cultivate their mind and body, chant scriptures and meditate, or receive pilgrims from all directions.
Whenever she was given an extra opportunity to go out, Yu Nie's joy seemed to leap off her face.
Without wasting a moment, she swiftly retrieved the seal and sword from the west wing bedroom and put them on neatly.
After getting ready, she hurriedly pulled Langxi out the door, as if afraid that Cui Miaochang would change her mind while entertaining the pilgrims.
Seeing her rushing out of the temple gate as if a man-eating monster was chasing her, Langxi couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "Look at you, why are you still so afraid of your master?"
Hearing this, Yu Nie tilted her head and said, "Haven't you heard, Senior Sister? When a teacher sees a good student, it's like a bee seeing a flower, all smiles." She drew out her words and shook her head. "But when a teacher sees a bad student, it's a completely different story. It's like a crow that can't drink from a bottle. The moment it steps out the door, it's like a downpour. Everyone else is walking around, but you're the only one with a dark cloud hanging over your head. You feel uncomfortable everywhere."
"Your strange words, I wonder where you learned them, you're quite the smooth talker." Having grown accustomed to her saying things they'd never heard before, Langxi didn't think much of it.
"Senior sister is too kind," Yu Nie leaned against her, acting all nonchalant. "My silver tongue is all thanks to your excellent teaching of reading and writing, which is why I am so intelligent."
"You're just so sweet-talking." Langxi looked at her with affection, as if she were looking at her own younger sister.
There were only the two of them and three younger people, Ah Hui, inside the temple.
Yu Nie was just reaching the age of marriage, still very young.
Ah Hui was just before he came of age, seventeen years old.
Langxi was the eldest of the three. She acted like an elder sister and treated the other two like her own siblings, and was very close to them.
The journey was less than seven miles. The two rode together on the temple's red-brown horses, chatting and laughing along the way. In just over a quarter of an hour, they entered the city.
They walked straight east of the city and arrived at the Rong family's residence. Yu Nie and Lang Xi dismounted.
The servant standing at the gate of the house trotted over, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Young Taoist priests, you must be tired from your journey. My master is waiting in the main hall. Please follow me."
Lang Xi respectfully replied, "Thank you for your trouble."
Following the servant's footsteps, Lang Xi entered the gate first.
Yu Nie had one foot still outside the threshold when he suddenly heard a cacophony of rapid hoofbeats behind him.
She looked in the direction of the voice and saw soldiers in iron armor riding tall horses, carrying three red spears, shouting: "Urgent report from the Sixteenth Guard! No one else may pass!"
Pedestrians on the street quickly moved to either side, afraid of being trampled by those strong iron hooves.
Huaiyuan is a military stronghold in the northwest, surrounded by many different tribes, some of whom are eager to make a move.
Such urgent reports are generally used in times of military emergency.
Yu Nie's heart skipped a beat, and she began burning incense and praying to her grandmaster. She silently prayed that a fight wouldn't break out now; she hadn't finished refining the gunpowder yet, and she wanted to save her own life.
"What are you looking at, Junior Sister?" Lang Xi, who had already walked several steps with Si Yang, noticed that the person behind her hadn't followed and turned around to call out, "Hurry up and go, Rong Da Jia is still waiting for you and me."
Without giving her time to think it over, she had no choice but to look away.
"Alright, Senior Sister." Yu Nie hesitated for a moment, then picked up the lacquered wooden box in her hand and hurried after her.
On her way to the main hall, she couldn't help but wonder if she had misremembered when the chaos began.
But the more she thought about it, the more certain she became that she hadn't misremembered.
What's the story behind this urgent report?
With the main hall fast approaching, she had no choice but to suppress her questions.
*
Sending tea doesn't take much effort.
Yu Nie planned to complete the mission, and took the opportunity to wander around the city to see if there were any ways to make money.
But man proposes, God disposes. The two walked to the main hall and handed the tea to Rong Dajia.
During their conversation, Rong Dajia mentioned that his eighty-year-old mother had been having nightmares the night before, dreaming that underworld officials came to arrest her, brandishing chains.
The old lady was so frightened that she insisted the house was haunted by evil spirits and demanded a master come to sprinkle clean water around the house to drive them away.
They arrived at the perfect time, so Rong Dajia invited the two sisters to perform the ritual.
The ritual of sprinkling holy water to ward off evil spirits is not complicated; it just takes some time.
Since the benefactors have asked, they cannot refuse.
It should be noted that Buddhism was highly respected in Beiye, and most merchants, as well as high-ranking gentry and officials, went to Buddhist temples.
Lingbao Temple is a Taoist temple, so its incense offerings are not very popular.
It was truly rare for a wealthy merchant to visit their small temple. Most of the donations for incense at the temple also came from the Rong family.
Even the horse they rode on their way here was a gift from the Rong family to the temple two years ago after the old donkey, which was nearing the end of its life, passed away.
How could the two of them possibly refuse?
Langxi asked Yu Nie for his thoughts, and after discussing it, the two agreed.
The Rong residence occupies a large area and has about ten houses in front and behind.
After a flurry of activity, the sun was almost setting in the west.
It was lunchtime, but the Rong family couldn't refuse their hospitality and insisted that the two of them stay for a meal.
After much back and forth, they finally gave in and agreed.
The feast at the wealthy family was naturally lavish. Yu Nie hadn't seen meat in a long time, and ate two chicken legs in one go.
Taoism has different schools, and not all Taoist disciples abstain from meat. The Zhengyi School, for example, can eat meat at all times except for the three aversions and the four prohibitions.
Unfortunately, they were short of money, and it had been since she last smelled meat.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, some snacks and tea were served on the table for everyone to enjoy.
On the round pearwood table, Yu Nie looked left and right at the peacock blue glazed porcelain cup in her hand.
Its colors are radiant and crystal clear, making it incredibly beautiful.
Peacock blue pigment, whether artificially prepared or purely natural, was unavailable in Beiye and had to be brought in from Tokharistan by merchants from other regions.
Rare items are naturally expensive. The Rong family became one of the wealthiest families in the state by selling porcelain ewers glazed with peacock blue enamel to princes and nobles.
Yu Nie stared at it for a while, and a thought began to form in his mind.
Rong Dajia's voice rang out incessantly from the table.
He talked about the urgent report that came from the city around noon, and worried that war might break out.
Rong Jialangjun was also worried about this matter. He said he had heard of bloodshed in Lingnan, and that the commander of the Dingbei army had been replaced three months ago; these were not signs of peace.
Upon hearing these things, Madam Rong sighed and said, "The world is becoming increasingly turbulent. A few days ago, a county under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou, which is adjacent to our county, was completely looted by bandits, and people were even killed. The county magistrate had his arm cut off and was hanged at the entrance of the county government office."
Hearing that someone had died next door, and that it was a high-ranking official of the imperial court who had died, Yu Nie snapped out of his reverie, put down his cup, and listened intently.
"They plundered the people and even killed government officials and magistrates; these bandits have committed countless atrocities." In his indignation, Langxi asked sadly, "Have those bandits been caught?"
Madam Rong shook her head: "I don't know, and I haven't heard anyone say that."
Lang Xi frowned, looking as if she wanted to personally catch those scourges.
Yu Nie's face was also filled with worry, fearing that the world was about to descend into chaos.
The group chatted for about half an incense stick's time. As it was getting late, they decided to take their leave.
Judging that the bandits were still on the run, the Rong family was worried about their safety and sent servants to protect them.
Fortunately, the return journey was smooth. As they approached Guanqian, Yu Nie saw people holding lanterns pacing back and forth at the gate, looking quite anxious.
Upon arriving at the temple, they thanked the servants.
After the servants had gone far away, Yu Nie turned around and saw who was at the door. He stretched out his arm and waved twice, smiling as he said, "Uncle-Master."
Cui Miaochang caught sight of the figure and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As they approached, she said with a stern face, "You two are finally back. Otherwise, I would have sent Ah Hui and Aunt Liu to the Rong Mansion to demand your return."
Regarding the ritual, Rong Dajia sent his steward to the temple during the day to inform them that the two women would be delayed for some time.
Cui Miaochang originally thought they would return before dinner, but she didn't expect that sprinkling clean water would take until this hour.
It was already dark.
Fearing that her master would misunderstand, Langxi recounted how the Rong family had been hospitable and had invited them to stay for dinner.
Cui Miaochang didn't suspect anything from Lang Xi's words and didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she glanced at the smiling Yu Nie and said, "You had a good time today."
Sensing the hidden meaning in her uncle's words, Yu Nie quickly took out two taels of silver from the lotus leaf pouch at her waist and handed it over obsequiously.
"Uncle, what are you saying? This disciple is not going to play. This disciple and my sister want to share the burden of Uncle and earn money." She said with a smile, "Two taels of silver is enough for us to spend for many days."
Cui Miaochang glanced at the two pieces of silver in her palm, picked them up and examined them, glancing at them out of the corner of her eye: "It's truly rare that you would still think of sharing the burdens of your martial uncle."
“This is not a matter of course.” She obediently took the paper lantern from Cui Miaochang’s hand, not forgetting to add a sentence that made her rash, “If you tire out your master, I will feel sorry for you.”
She knows exactly how to play the fool, feigning weakness when necessary and speaking kindly when appropriate.
"Thanks to the Three Pure Ones, our Rong girl has learned to care for people now." Cui Miaochang looked very pleased, but her tone was clearly not what she meant: "This is truly like apricot blossoms blooming in the dead of winter, a miracle that has never been heard of before."
Yu Nie chuckled, about to speak.
Suddenly, with a "whoosh" sound, an iron arrow flew out of the darkness and attacked.
A note from the author:
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