Chapter 56 Mother-of-Pearl Incense (19) The Rat and Rabbit clash.
Logically speaking, Jiu Li received a few compliments from Guan Youjun at the pawnshop, but inexplicably felt that Guan's kindness and affection seemed to have ulterior motives, so she was not very pleased. Fearing that she would be too polite with Guan, she walked to Yu Qi's seat, pouted at him, and whispered, "Let's go."
Yu Qi immediately stood up, bowed, and took his leave. Jiu Li thought You Jun would insist on keeping him, but to her surprise, she did not. She also got up, exchanged pleasantries with them, and left the pawnshop.
Although it was still early morning, the heat was intense, with blazing suns and scorching sun. As soon as Jiuli stepped outside, she felt extremely hot. She then remembered that it was as if a vat of ice had been placed in the hall just now. Whether it was due to the shopkeeper's thoughtfulness or Youjun's meticulousness, in any case, she had unknowingly accepted the kindness of the Guan family.
Perhaps this is what makes Youjun so formidable. In the business world, reciprocity is paramount. If someone receives a favor from her, they have no choice but to repay her in some other way. As a businessperson, would you really do a losing business? Jiuli pondered this, secretly pulling Yuqi towards the other end of the street. They had only taken a few steps when they heard Youjun's melodious voice calling from behind.
The three turned around, and Youjun walked over gracefully, pointing to the carriage by the street. "Why don't you have my carriage take you there? It's so hot, it's fine for the two of you men, but how can Yu'er stand it?"
Yu Qi didn't speak, only looked at Jiu Li. Jiu Li was originally afraid of the heat, but at this moment she declined without hesitation, "No need, Aunt Guan. I already feel bad for troubling you for so long this morning."
Youjun didn't insist, and smiled knowingly, "Alright then, see you another day."
As she spoke, she turned around and walked towards the carriage with her mother. Jiuli looked back every few steps and saw her helping her mother board the carriage. Her movements were graceful and elegant, and she moved with proper manners.
Even Du Zhong gradually changed his opinion of her, saying, "Aunt Guan is truly an easy person to get along with."
Jiuli was secretly angry when she heard this, but Yu Qi walked in the middle and chuckled, "Have you forgotten about Guan Zhan's death so quickly?"
Hearing these words from him, her anger vanished instantly, and she stared wide-eyed at Du Zhong, nodding repeatedly.
Du Zhong immediately thought of this, then hesitated, "So, is Aunt Guan good or bad? If she's bad, then she—"
Yu Qi tied her hands behind her back and said coldly, "She was originally a businesswoman. A businesswoman's goodness or badness is measured by profit. More profit is good, less profit is bad."
Jiuli couldn't help but probe him, "Judging from your tone, it seems you don't think she's being kind to us out of genuine concern?"
Guan Youjun was like a flower in the mist, and Yu Qi couldn't quite understand her either. In any case, he never thought like Jiu Li did, believing that Guan Youjun's thoughtfulness towards him stemmed from romantic feelings. He wasn't that presumptuous.
However, he was willing to let Jiuli think this way initially because he hoped that Jiuli could be misled and correct the wrong course. But now, hearing Jiuli indirectly asking about his attitude towards Guan Youjun, he felt a kind of despicable pleasure, as if he were playing a guessing game with her. So he said nothing, only smiled and shook his head.
Jiuli didn't understand what he meant by shaking his head, and pouted, muttering, "What exactly are you thinking?"
Yu Qi clearly heard it but ignored it. She got anxious and shook his arm, asking again.
"Hmm?" He pretended to come back to his senses and brushed her hand away. "I was wondering why Liang Zuyue's box ended up in the hands of a yamen runner. Could it be related to the government?"
Seeing that his answer was irrelevant, Jiuli snorted, rolled her eyes, and lowered her hand. "It's definitely related. At the very least, Lord Wang can't escape responsibility."
How can you be so certain?
Upon hearing this, Du Zhong also recalled what Liang Zuyue had said that day. He quickly said, "I know! When we were tied up by Liang Zuyue that day, he mentioned Lord Wang. It seemed that he had a grudge against Lord Wang, and his tone was full of resentment."
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the yamen (government office). She was sweating profusely from the heat. Jiu Li originally wanted to go inside and rest for a while, but Yu Qi did not go in. Instead, he asked the yamen runner at the gate to call Zhang Da out. She had no choice but to step back out and follow him to stand in the shadows next to the stone lion on the right and wait.
After a while, Zhang Da came out and looked around for a long time before spotting them behind the huge stone lion. He quickly went around and invited them into the yamen to talk. Yu Qi took the box from Du Zhong and handed it to him. "There's a man named Sun Kuan who used to be a yamen runner. You should know him. This box was pawned into the Guan family pawnshop through him. He probably knows some of the inside story." Zhang Da waved one hand. "I know this Sun Kuan. He quit his job in the yamen two years ago and started a small business. Please come inside and sit down, sir. I'll send someone to bring him in for questioning. It's very hot under this sun."
Yu Qi shook his hand slightly, "This case may be related to your Lord Wang. The yamen has many eyes and ears. Even if you summon Sun Kuan, he probably won't tell the truth. Let's go to his house to ask him."
"Is it related to Lord Wang?" Zhang Da lowered his voice, glanced back at the yamen runner at the door, frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let me go in and ask Sun Kuan where he lives, then we'll go."
The Sun family's house wasn't far, but the sweltering heat and the bustling noise of the streets made everyone restless. Jiu Li, fanning herself with a handkerchief and frowning, felt the street was endless. She repeatedly asked Zhang Da what time it would be when they arrived. Finally, Zhang Da led her into an alley wide enough for carriages and horses. There, she saw tall green locust trees and willows, their dense shade inviting. Jiu Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.
After passing three or four houses, they arrived at the Sun family's house. They knocked on the door and went in. Although the courtyard was not large, there was a crape myrtle tree that was more than half a meter tall against the wall. It was in full bloom and the leaves were lush, with the purple blossoms covering the sun. There was a low table under the tree and four small rattan chairs. Jiuli wanted to sit down as soon as she saw it, but the host had not invited her yet, and she did not want to be presumptuous, so she had to stand and wait for Zhang Da to ask.
Sun's wife said, "His father has gone out and will be back soon. Officer Zhang, please sit down and wait for a while."
This wife was very perceptive. Seeing the four of them walking in the sweltering heat, she knew no one could stomach hot tea, so she went to the kitchen and cut up a watermelon. She noticed they had placed an exquisite box on the small table, stared at it for a while, and said, "Why does this box look so familiar to me?"
Zhang Da handed her the box, saying, "Take a closer look; these are things that came out of your house."
The daughter-in-law looked at it for a while and said, “I remember now. This is an item that his father pawned more than three years ago. I thought this box was very pretty and even wanted to use it to store my jewelry. But his father said it was more worthwhile to exchange it for money. He said the box was worth a few taels of silver. I never thought he would actually get a few taels of silver back.”
Zhang Dayin asked, "Then where did he get this box?"
Before the woman could speak, someone at the door interrupted her, "Oh, it's Officer Zhang! It's been over a year since we last met. What brings you here today?"
It turned out that Sun Kuan had returned. Zhang Da had no personal relationship with him before, and had only bumped into him twice on the street since he resigned from his job. Now, he saw that Sun Kuan was wearing an indigo silk robe, looking completely different from before, with a much more shrewd demeanor. Zhang Da quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Your business is so big, how could I dare to come and bother you so easily? I'm afraid you'll mistake me for someone who came to borrow money, wouldn't that be awkward for both of us?" As he spoke, he introduced Yu Qi and the other two.
Sun Kuan hurriedly bowed to Yu Qi, saying, "So this is the legendary physician, Mr. Yu. I have long admired him and am honored to meet him today."
After sitting down, Zhang Da briefly reminisced about their past relationship, then briefly explained the case of Liang Zuyue and stated his purpose for coming.
Sun Kuan picked up the box on the table, looked at it, and shook his head with a smile. "Did I pawn this? I don't quite remember. As you know, Officer Zhang, my family is large and has many expenses. We used to pawn things to make ends meet. I'm not afraid to admit it, but I even pawned my wife's dowry. I really don't remember such a small thing."
Jiuli interjected, "But your wife didn't say that at first. She has a very deep impression of this box."
"Really?" Sun Kuan smiled and called his wife out. "Do you remember where this thing came from?"
Seeing his expression, his wife changed her tune, "Oh, I don't remember."
Jiuli said, "That's not what Madam said just now."
The daughter-in-law laughed and said, "Oh, I was just saying that casually. I don't remember things clearly from three years ago. I probably got it mixed up. I remember something else. Please sit down, I'll go cook for you."
Yu Qi immediately stood up. "Thank you for inviting us to stay, but we have other things to do, so we won't bother you any longer."
As the four took their leave, Jiuli asked Yuqi with resentment, "Why did Uncle leave so suddenly? I think they clearly remembered the origin of the box, but they just wouldn't tell us."
Yu Qi said, "Since they refuse to say, we won't get any results by asking again. Sun Kuan is obviously wary of the origin of this box and is afraid of offending people. I think this matter is indeed closely related to Lord Wang."
Zhang Da frowned and nodded. "What you say makes sense, sir. Back when Sun Kuan was still working in the yamen, he was very eloquent, and Lord Wang always valued him highly, sending him to handle many private matters. Lord Wang has certainly abused his power for personal gain, so if he really did oppress Liang Zuyue for personal reasons and thus incurred Liang Zuyue's wrath, that wouldn't surprise me. What surprises me is why, if that's the case, Liang Zuyue didn't seize the opportunity to tell the truth. After all, he did kill someone, and there's no denying it. He was going to die anyway, so what was there to fear from Lord Wang?"
Yu Qi turned to look at him and smiled slightly. "Lord Zhang is a head constable of the yamen. How can you speak ill of the county magistrate to his face? Aren't you afraid that if this gets back to Lord Wang, he'll make things difficult for you later?"
Zhang Da was taken aback, then quickly laughed, "What are you afraid of? You're not outsiders, are you going to run to Lord Wang and complain about me?"
Yu Qi smiled and walked out of the alley. He saw a rather luxurious restaurant across the street and pointed at it, saying, "We haven't had lunch yet. I think it's better if Constable Zhang treats us. Anyway, Constable Zhang can find someone to pay for today's meal."
Zhang Da felt guilty upon hearing this. Had he seen through him?
Just before heading to the Sun family's residence, he went into the yamen and inquired about the Sun family's address from other yamen runners. Xu Bai overheard this and asked him a couple of questions. He then reported back to Xu Bai that the case was roughly related to Lord Wang. Xu Bai had previously argued that the case could be solved without a confession, but after hearing his words, he smiled and changed his mind, saying that the case must be thoroughly investigated, and that both evidence and confession were indispensable.
Zhang Da had recently heard that King Zhao had returned to Nanjing because someone in the court had impeached Lord Wang. Xu Bai had always been at odds with Lord Wang, so it seemed that he wanted to seize this opportunity.
Zhang Dayin said, "Why don't you come with us, sir, to ask Sun Kuan?"
Xu Bai smiled and waved his hand, "Since Mr. Yu is here, I don't need to go."
Zhang Da knew that he had always been somewhat wary of Yu Qi. At first, he thought it was because he would become the son-in-law of the Yu family in the future, and it was understandable to be wary of elders. But later he gradually realized that it was not the case. It seemed that he had other concerns about Yu Qi.
Hey, anyway, this is all between them. He's just a rough guy, he can't understand their ways, he'll just do as they say. So he smiled and agreed to Yu Qi's request, and led the way into the restaurant. As soon as he sat down, he generously ordered the staff to bring out some good wine and food.
Du Zhong leaned in and asked, "Hey, Brother Zhang, you've struck it rich?"
Zhang Da glanced at Yu Qi sheepishly, then waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it, just eat and drink your fill, you don't need to pay any bills!"
Yu Qi remained silent, only smiling with his head down. It was truly an unexpected stroke of luck; the case, after all the investigation, had ended up being investigated on behalf of Xu Bai. Or perhaps it should be said that it was being investigated on behalf of Prince Zhao, who was behind him. Wang Shanfeng had always relied on the two Chens, and Prince Zhao was clearly irreconcilable with them.
The shopkeeper first served several bowls of chilled plum juice to cool them down and whet their appetites. Jiuli immediately picked up a bowl and drank half of it. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "If Sun Kuan won't talk, we'll have to get Liang Zuyue to open up."
Zhang Da sighed and added, "That's even more difficult. Liang Zuyue's mouth is like it's sewn shut; you can't pry it open even with a fire poker."
Seeing the relaxed smile on Jiu Li's face, Yu Qi laughed and said, "Looks like you've come up with a plan?"
Jiuli turned her eyes to his face, fanning herself with her hand, looking smug. "I won't tell you."
That night, the sound of the clapper at midnight jolted Liang Zuyue awake. He struggled to roll over, touching his forehead. The wound from hitting his head against the wall the night before, though bandaged, still throbbed faintly. For the past two days, he had been in a daze even when awake, so the impact must have been quite severe, yet thankfully it hadn't been fatal. He looked at the few broken tiles on the ceiling and gave a bitter, helpless laugh.
These cells currently hold only him as the convict. His laughter echoes, making the surroundings seem empty and desolate. It's so dark that the cell bars are not visible. Only a few beams of cold moonlight seep through the broken tile holes. Gradually, it seems that petals are falling from the moonlight, their color a strange red.
He propped himself up, walked into the moonlight, and reached out to catch a petal. He rubbed it between his fingers, and the petal instantly turned into a drop of cold blood in his palm. While he was still looking down at it closely, another petal fell on his shoulder, also turning into blood and seeping into his clothes, stinging his skin like an ice needle.
He suddenly tilted his head back, and one drop, two drops, three drops—drip-drip-drip-drip—his face fell. At the same time, he seemed to hear a woman singing a slow Yangzhou folk song in a mournful voice.
He sang two lines and then suddenly stopped. Immediately afterwards, he heard a "hee" behind him. The woman was laughing!
He whirled around and was met with a woman's blood-soaked face, a sight that sent chills down his spine. The face, so close, seemed to grin at him, its teeth stained with blood—a mixture of black and blue-white—and softly uttered "Yuelang" before vanishing.
He suddenly snapped back to reality and looked around frantically. "Who is it?!"
The corner was dark and deserted for a long time. Just when he thought he was seeing things, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder from behind. The hand was as cold as ice and as thin as bone. He quickly turned around, but there was no one behind him.
He stood there for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and rushed to grab the railing, shouting into the corridor, "Jailer! Jailer!"
Aside from a faint echo, no one answered. A moment later, a woman's figure flashed down the long corridor and vanished in the blink of an eye. At that moment, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if a cold, eerie wind was blowing. He glanced sideways behind him, and it seemed the woman who had flashed down the corridor was standing right behind him!
"Yuelang, why don't you dare look at me?"
The voice was sharp and cold, slow and even. He closed his eyes tightly, afraid to see her blood-stained, pale face. "Cuiying, Cuiying, it's all my fault, it's all my fault."
She gave a cold laugh from behind, "It was Wang Shanfeng who harmed me, what does it have to do with you?"
“It was me, it was me! I shouldn’t have let you see Wang Shanfeng, but I had no choice,” he began to sob, his shoulders hunched. “I had no choice, Cuiying. I didn’t know that box would be taboo. Wang Shanfeng certainly wouldn’t forgive me easily. But you’re different, Cuiying. Wang Shanfeng has feelings for you. I thought he wouldn’t make things difficult for you. I thought as long as you said a few kind words to him, it would be fine. I never imagined he would use it to coerce you into giving yourself to him. Cuiying, it was my weakness. It was my incompetence. It was me who ruined you—”
He gripped the railing with both hands, crying as he slid down to the ground, his tall figure gradually shrinking into a shadow in the pale moonlight.
A lantern slowly swam towards them, illuminating the shadowy figure and Yu Qi's half-smiling face. "The more ferocious a person is, the more cowardly they often are."
When Liang Zuyue looked up, his face was already covered in blood and tears. He saw three people standing outside the railing and quickly turned his head to look behind him.
The "female ghost" was wiping her face with a handkerchief. After cleaning it, she lifted her long hair and smiled sarcastically at him. "People say you are deeply devoted to your deceased wife, but if she were to actually appear before you, you wouldn't even dare to look at her." Jiuli threw the handkerchief on the ground, walked to the hard brick bed, and sat down. "How exactly did Cuiying die?"
Liang Zuyue slumped to the ground, his eyes gradually becoming unfocused, staring blankly into space.
How exactly did Cuiying die? He had avoided this question for three years, always unwilling to think about it in detail, fearing that if he kept blaming others, the responsibility would eventually fall on his own shoulders. He always told himself that Wang Shanfeng had killed Cuiying, deceiving himself for three or four years, gradually making himself confused.
But at this moment, he knew he could no longer deceive himself. He gave a blank laugh, then slowly began to speak, "That year, Cuiying and I moved from Yangzhou to Nanjing, thinking that with its prosperity and gathering of famous people, my snail-making skills would not be buried here. So I spent all my savings to open a shop on Pingxi Street, not making large items, but specializing in small and exquisite decorative items—"
Pingxi Street was lined with the residences of many officials and dignitaries from Nanjing. Liang Zuyue and his wife opened their shop there hoping to gain the favor of these high-ranking officials and nobles. As fate would have it, on that very day, Wang Shanfeng returned home in a sedan chair. Lifting the curtain, he saw exquisite cosmetic boxes and other items displayed in the shop. Coincidentally, it was Consort Chen's birthday in a month, and he had a fine piece of Lantian jade to present as a gift. He needed a proper box to store it, so he alighted from his sedan chair and went into the shop.
Seeing that he had some airs of an official, and noticing the county government sign hanging in front of the sedan chair, Liang Zuyue guessed that he was an important official in Jiangning County. Not daring to be negligent, he hurriedly invited him into the inner room to sit down. "I wonder what kind of item you would like to order, sir?"
"Make a box to hold things." Wang Shanfeng had looked at the other items and trusted his craftsmanship quite a bit. He simply and clearly explained the dimensions and added, "This is for holding something important. It's going to be sent to the palace, so it must be exquisite and beautiful. Don't worry about the cost."
Liang Zuyue hurriedly asked, "What kind of tricks does the master want?"
Just then, a beautiful young woman brought over tea and fruit. Wang Shanfeng glanced at her and immediately noticed her. He casually said, "You decide what to do, but there's one thing: it can't be something you can find anywhere else. It has to be something hard to find elsewhere."
Liang Zuyue followed his gaze, stepped aside slightly to block his view, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Don't worry, sir. I'll have you take a look at what I've made first. If you're not satisfied, I'll make something else."
Wang Shanfeng was quite decisive; she left the deposit, set a deadline, and then left.
From that day on, Liang Zuyue put aside everything else and devoted himself to studying how to make this box. Cuiying found it amusing, "You've made countless things like this before, why are you so concerned about this one? Look how worried you are, you're even sweating, go wipe it off."
He took the handkerchief and laughed, "You don't know, I've inquired. The person who came the other day was none other than Magistrate Wang of this county. I heard him say that this thing is to be sent to the palace. Just imagine, if my craftsmanship is sent to the palace and is appreciated by the nobles there, wouldn't I become famous throughout the world?"
Cuiying covered her mouth and smiled.
He turned his head and raised his eyebrows. "What, you don't believe my skills are good enough for the people in the palace?"
She smiled and shook her head, taking the handkerchief from his hand and gently wiping the sweat he hadn't wiped away. "Of course I believe in your skills, but man proposes, God disposes. If God doesn't grant your wish, don't be discouraged. I don't think as far ahead as you do. I just hope that our shop can stay afloat and that we can have enough to eat. That's enough for me."
He laughed and said, "What if we can't even keep the business going? Opening this shop has used up all our savings."
“Not so good. Let’s go back to Yangzhou. Isn’t there a pond in front of our house? I think we can clean it up, plant some lotus flowers, sell the flowers, sell the lotus seeds, and sell fresh lotus roots in the fall. Wouldn’t that be a very profitable business? It’ll just be a bit of hard work.”
He chuckled dismissively, "You just love tending to those flowers and plants."
But he didn't love the desolate countryside; he loved the prosperity of Nanjing even more. As the saying goes, people strive for higher positions, and perhaps this was a good opportunity to rise to the top.
He spent half a month painstakingly crafting an exquisite box from a piece of fine sandalwood, eagerly awaiting Lord Wang's praise and reward. However, the next day, a yamen runner arrived and loudly rebuked him upon entering the inner room: "How dare you, Liang Zuyue! Who ordered you to make such a disrespectful object?!"
He was taken aback. "What utterly disrespectful thing?"
"Do you know who the box you sent to Lord Wang's residence the other day was meant for?"
He shook his head, stunned.
The constable bowed to his shoulder and said, "That was a gift that Lord Wang was going to present to the Imperial Concubine in the palace. You inlaid a picture of Chang'e in the Moon Palace on that box, and Chang'e is holding a rabbit in her arms. The Imperial Concubine was born in the Year of the Rat, and she is afflicted by the rabbit! What is your intention in making this evil object to harm the Imperial Concubine? And who instructed you to do this?!"
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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