Chapter 59: Coffins to Calm the Dead
Steward Gu laughed and said, "Master Xie, you are truly a powerful figure. I used to only know that the Xuanjingsi was an office established by the imperial court to help the people solve their problems. Today, I find out that the Xuanjingsi is actually a useless institution. We've been here all day and haven't solved the problem. We've already asked for help from others and offered them gifts, which is already very polite and thoughtful. But you're still refusing to leave. What's the reason?"
"What did you say?" Xie Shouzheng was annoyed.
Da Mi and the other guards present also surrounded the butler and wanted to teach him a lesson.
At this time, the man brought by the housekeeper had finished surveying the surrounding situation. "I've heard of Xuan Jing Si's name for a long time. I thought he was such a powerful figure, but now it seems he's just so-so. He can't even handle such a small matter!"
Xie Shouzheng shouted, "Who the hell are you? How dare you question us?"
The man said, "My name is Li Tiansheng, nice to meet you, Master Xie. I heard that Master Xie has been here all day and hasn't been able to resolve Miss Gu's obsession. So, why don't I give it a try?"
He walked to the coffin, muttered something, and then said in a low voice: "Miss Gu, please go!"
"Bang!" The coffin lid was slammed shut.
The bearers hired by the Gu family came up immediately to carry the coffin.
Strangely enough, the coffin that was originally impossible to lift was lifted up easily after Li Tiansheng recited a few words.
Even Xie Shouzheng found it incredible: "How could he suddenly be willing to leave when his obsession hasn't been resolved yet?"
Steward Gu sneered, "It seems the Xuanjing Division is just so-so. Sir Xie, we have a funeral ceremony coming up. Are you guys from the Xuanjing Division going to go too?"
Lin Qingyue said, "Since the Gu family can handle it themselves, there's no need for us to get involved."
After saying that, she took the lead and walked away. Halfway through, she even bent down to pick up the bag of silver and said to the housekeeper with a smile, "Thank you very much."
Butler Gu sneered: What Xuanjingsi is this? It’s just a bunch of rabble who have never seen money!
"Butler Gu, huh?" Lin Qingyue paused, then suddenly smiled. "I see your forehead is black, a sign of grave misfortune. I'm afraid you won't live long."
After saying this, Lin Qingyue left with the people from Xuanjingsi.
Housekeeper Gu was extremely angry: "Who are you calling a bad omen? Whose life is coming to an end? You are cursing me! We will report this to my wife and make sure your Xuanjing Division is in big trouble! Humph, there are actually women in the Xuanjing Division. They are truly a mob!"
After cursing twice, Butler Gu turned around and asked Li Tiansheng, "Can we just bury him right away? You won't get halfway through and then refuse to leave, will you?"
"No," Li Tiansheng said firmly, "I have already pinned her soul down, so she won't dare cause any trouble. When we bury her, I will use silver nails to nail her limbs, and her soul will be trapped in the coffin forever!"
On the way back, Da Mi and his brothers were all indignant:
"The Gu family is really going too far. Thank you, sir, for keeping us busy all day. And then he hired someone else to replace us. This is simply an insult!"
"A mere housekeeper is so arrogant. I wonder who gave him the courage!"
"They say we're a mob. I think they're the ones with bad family traditions, that's why they have these ignorant and wicked slaves!"
This was the first time Xie Shouzheng had encountered such a thing, and he was inevitably annoyed: "Deputy Envoy Lin, why did you pick up that bag of silver? What do you want their dirty money for? You think you are so arrogant just because you have a few dirty coins. How despicable!"
Lin Qingyue said, "Brothers have been busy all day, so what's wrong with taking some money? Besides, it's their own money, so why not refuse it?"
Xie Shouzheng said awkwardly, "But our Xuanjing Division is paid by the emperor, and there are regulations that prohibit us from casually accepting bribes, otherwise it will be considered corruption!"
"So I didn't plan to keep it for myself." Lin Qingyue said, and threw the money directly to Xie Shouzheng.
Xie Shouzheng immediately started yelling as if he was holding a hot potato: "Hey, Deputy Envoy Lin, this is wrong. You want me to make a mistake!"
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I just handed over the bribes given to me by others. This way, the money can be put into the public account. Once it's in the public account, I can use it to reward my brothers. Isn't that only natural?"
The other guards also started to make a noise:
"Yes, brothers haven't had dinner yet!"
"I've been busy all day and only had a flatbread for lunch. I'm so hungry now."
"I'm hungry too, let's go eat!"
Xie Shouzheng was still in a dilemma: "It's still not suitable, this..."
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. We can write a memorial to explain it later. How can His Majesty care about such a small amount of money? Let's go to Tianxiang Tower! Call the other brothers in the department!" Lin Qingyue was not as pedantic as Xie Shouzheng, so she went to Tianxiang Tower first.
During the time she stayed in Xuanjingsi, Lin Qingyue also saw the situation here clearly.
Although it was called a government office, in reality, most of the people in the office were treated like ordinary yamen runners. Among the Manchus, only Xie Shouzheng had a formal official position and could receive a meager salary.
He also used his salary to cover the food and drink expenses he needed when he went out.
Simple meals are fine, but once you encounter a difficult task, everyone, from the chief officer to the yamen runners, has to fight for their lives!
Those things are fine, but the most unbearable thing is those wealthy and powerful people who claim to be noble. When they are needed, they greet you with a smile. When they are not needed, they can even insult the housekeeper with words.
Xie Shouzheng said that when the prince was in power, he could still support them and sometimes opened a private treasury to subsidize them.
After the Crown Prince's accident, the Xuanjing Division also went from bad to worse. Although the Emperor still needed them, he was in a high position and didn't care about the trivial matters of his subordinates.
Seeing everyone feasting without any proper manners at Tianxianglou, Xie Shouzheng couldn't help but sigh, "I've wronged you, brothers."
Da Mi gnawed on a large pork elbow, his mouth dripping with oil as he said, "Don't say that, sir. Actually, we brothers are very content to have a peaceful life. But if we can have such a feast often in the future, we brothers won't mind!"
Xie Shouzheng laughed and scolded: "You're dreaming!"
He turned around, poured Lin Qingyue some wine, and asked, "By the way, Deputy Envoy Lin, what did you mean by those last words you said to the Gu family steward? Did he really meet with a bloody disaster?"
Lin Qingyue took a sip of wine and smiled slightly: "That's right."
…
The night was as dark as ink, solitary crows were croaking, and the oily green phosphorescent lights on the mass grave looked like homeless wandering souls.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" That was the muffled sound of the soul-calming nail embedding into the bone.
"Gu Nianxue, the yellow earth in front of the tombstone weighs down your bones, and the square inch of the coffin holds your soul!"
"Bang!" The soul-soothing nail nailed her hands to death.
"Gu Nianxue, our relationship in this life is over, and we are cut off from future affairs. Please do not disturb strangers!"
"Bang!" The soul-soothing nails nailed her feet to death.
The woman, who had died long ago, was shedding tears and blood from all her orifices.
But this still didn't win any sympathy.
"Close the coffin and bury!"
The coffin lid was closed again and dropped into the pit that had been dug in advance.
The yellow earth fell, burying the woman's life and the secret she carried.
"My dear Miss, please stay in your coffin. Don't blame us for being cruel. Blame your own bad luck. Who told you to return to the Gu family and see things you shouldn't have seen?"
"The soil that had just been buried was shaking, as if something inside was desperately trying to push upwards.
But soon, the tombstone fell, like the final nail that soothed the soul, making the pile of earth quiet in an instant.
There is a simple line of words engraved on the tombstone: "Tomb of the Unknown".
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Butler Gu took his men away, and the heavy stone in his heart was finally put down.
The night was as dark as the unresolved resentment, and even the moonlight could not shine into this dark place.
At some point, a figure stood in front of the tombstone, his voice filled with suppressed hatred: "The Gu family is so cruel! They didn't even give you a name!"
The wind brought a whimpering sound, it was the dead soul in the coffin crying.
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