Chapter 188 He'd rather die than be trapped in the wall.
Cui Jin remembered this young man. During the time before the Emperor, the young man was resilient and unyielding, and even Mu You encouraged him. Last night, during the chaotic battle, Ji Fang broke through the encirclement and injured many Eagle Guards. Unexpectedly, he actually escaped to the Inner Palace and was exposed by Lou Cangyu... Cui Jin looked at Lou Cangyu's calm and composed face and sighed inwardly at how much he had changed recently.
"Ji Fang?" Wu Shuang glared at Lou Cangyu. "He's in the inner quarters? How come I didn't know?"
Lou Cangyu raised his eyebrows. "It happened early this morning. He wanted me to take him in for a few days so I could help him escape Rongdu. I could tell from his appearance that something must have happened in Xingguo Ward, so I coaxed him to rest in the woodshed and figure out what had happened before making any plans. Grand Preceptor, you are wise. I have no intention of harboring a serious criminal. I am only keeping Ji Fang here temporarily. If I send him away, it will be difficult to find him again."
"Of course I know," Cui Jin said with a satisfied smile. "You are meticulous and thoughtful. Capturing Ji Fang is another great achievement. I will definitely report to the Emperor. After the Xingguo Ward matter is settled, the Emperor will surely reward you according to your merits."
"Thank you, Imperial Preceptor." Lou Cangyu kowtowed deeply, stood up, and gestured for him to come with him. "Come with me to see Ji Fang."
With a wave of his hand, Cui Jin sent the eagle guards outside the door rushing toward the woodshed. Cui Jin rolled up his sleeves, picked up the teapot, poured himself another cup of tea, and gestured for Lou Cangyu to come closer. Lou Cangyu was flattered, but walked to Cui Jin's side without hesitation. He picked up the teacup Cui Jin had poured for him with both hands and drank it down without hesitation. "I will remember the kindness of the Grand Preceptor and never forget it."
"Great!" Cui Jin clapped his hands in praise, then glanced at Wushuang and said, "Wushuang, you have a keen eye for talent. Lou Cangyu is a man of great ability. It was worth it for you to ask the Second Prince to come to me. You saved Lou Cangyu, and Lou Cangyu helped the court. In a way, we should thank you, Wushuang, for making everyone's lives possible."
A moment later, a commotion arose in the backyard. The sounds of swords clashing rang out sporadically before falling into a chilling silence. Wushuang rushed out of the Jingwu Pavilion and saw the Eagle Guards dragging the struggling Ji Fang away like a defeated rooster, their faces expressionless as they walked out of the neighborhood.
"Lou Cangyu!" Ji Fang's voice was hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been torn. "Lou Cangyu! Why, why!"
Ji Fang searched desperately for Lou Cangyu's figure. In the half-open door, there was only a figure that resembled Lou Cangyu's back. He saw Wushuang push open the door and run out, her sable fur coat slipping to the ground. Wushuang, dressed in green, chased after him for a few steps, but stopped just before catching up with Ji Fang. Her thin body swayed a few times in the biting north wind.
Ji Fang glanced at Wu Shuang's face, tears welling up in his eyes. "Miss Wu Shuang... you really... look like her." Ji Fang uttered these words before fainting. Only the shallow, long trail left by his dragging body remained on the stone path...
"What's wrong?" Outside the inner ward, Wan Qixi rubbed his eyes hard. "Isn't this..." Wan Qixi leaned closer to Ji Fang, lifted his chin with his index finger and looked him over. "He's a junior swordsman from Xingguo Ward. What's wrong? Did he offend someone by coming to the inner ward to cause trouble?"
Wanqi Xi glanced sideways at Cui Jin of the Jingwu Pavilion, then knelt down in the courtyard with a thud, clasped his hands in greeting, and shouted, "Happy New Year! Wanqi Xi pays New Year's greetings to the Grand Preceptor and Miss Wushuang. I wish the Grand Preceptor a prosperous official career and Miss Wushuang great success in her career..."
"Enough." Lou Cangyu walked out coldly. "Can't you see the Imperial Advisor has important business to attend to?"
Wan Qixi groaned as he got up, glaring at Lou Cangyu without flinching. "What? Did this little swordsman offend you to be dragged away? How did he get so badly injured? Is he unconscious or really dead? Lou Cangyu, he's your companion! Don't you even consider that…?"
Lou Cangyu rebuked Wan Qixi, "I am already a swordsman in the Inner Ward. The Inner Ward serves the court, while Xingguo Ward opposes the court. Naturally, I must be loyal to the court. What old friendship do I have with traitors and villains? Wan Qixi, don't talk nonsense and harm me with your loose tongue."
Wan Qixi slapped his lips. "Xingguofang, how did it become a traitorous scumbag? Lou Cangyu, don't talk nonsense."
“He’s right.” Cui Jin stepped out of Jingwu Pavilion, his single eye gleaming as he looked directly at Wan Qixi. “Xingguo Fang… has followed in the footsteps of Tianhu Fang.”
Wan Qixi was taken aback. "The Pei family? They dare to betray their country?"
Cui Jin gave a half-smile, "Pretty much. You've come at the right time. The Salt and Iron Bureau is short-staffed in the first month of the year. Since you're doing business with the imperial court, it's only right that you contribute. Take your oxcart to Xingguo Ward and haul the remaining goods from the warehouse to the Salt and Iron Bureau. Don't make any mistakes."
"Oh." Wan Qixi readily agreed, but then turned back, "If we're working on the first day of the Lunar New Year, we'll have to pay extra."
Outside the inner ward, Wan Qixi watched Ji Fang being thrown onto the prison cart, his brows furrowed. "Be gentle, he's not dead yet."
"Is there a difference?" Eagle Guard retorted. "We're all going to die anyway. Dying sooner means less suffering. Do you know how many of us he injured last night?"
"Him?" Wan Qixi remembered Ji Fang. This young man was timid and hesitant when meeting the emperor. His swordsmanship... was just so-so. Could he really have injured so many Eagle Guards? Wan Qixi couldn't help but glance again at the unconscious Ji Fang. The young man had delicate features and wasn't particularly robust. With such physique and swordsmanship, it was surprising he hadn't died last night... he was quite a man, wasn't he? Wan Qixi took a deep breath and, following Cui Jin's instructions, headed towards Xingguo Ward.
South Lane, blue-tiled houses, seventeen households facing north.
Feng Shisan was awakened by falling pebbles from the wall. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was dead. The old house was drafty, and the north wind, carrying icy beads, howled into his hands, feet, and neck, making him feel incredibly cold. Feng Shisan moved his limbs to make sure he wasn't in the underworld. He chuckled a few times, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face, freezing into beads that clung to his skin. His hands and feet were numb with cold.
Feng Shisan touched his forehead where he had been hit by a piece of gravel. It had been incredibly hard; a large bump had formed on his forehead. He'd been knocked awake while still dizzy; to be fully conscious, he'd have to be knocked unconscious. Did he even have such hard stones in his own house? Feng Shisan groped around and picked up a piece of gravel. The room was dark and he couldn't see clearly. He wiped the gravel with his clothes. The color and texture… didn't look like lime; it looked more like… silver? Feng Shisan rubbed his hands together, then vigorously rubbed his eyes with his dirty hands. Yes, it was silver.
This doesn't make sense. Feng Shisan looked up, his eyes darting around. Ever since his father went to prison, the government had ransacked their house. His mother had to borrow money from the neighbors to take him back to her parents' home. Money? If they had money, would they still be alive today? Feng Shisan pinched his leg, squeezing too hard and howling in pain. He wasn't dreaming.
Feng Shisan tried to get up, but it was as if someone had acupunctured him; he was in so much pain that he couldn't even stand up. Rongdu South Alley was dilapidated, and there was no one around. He needed to treat his injuries. Even if he could tough it out, it was freezing cold, and he would freeze to death in a few days lying on the ground. Dying here without even being able to be buried would be too frustrating. The more Feng Shisan thought about it, the more unwilling he felt. With a roar, he mustered all his strength and finally... rolled over and lay on the ground.
It's much more comfortable to lie down.
—"Sharpening... a kitchen knife and scissors! Sharpening... a kitchen knife and scissors..."
Feng Shisan pricked up his ears and vaguely heard the shouts of millstone vendors going from street to street. It seemed that there were still some old residents in the South Alley. As long as there were people, that was good. If there were people, he could find himself and there was still hope for survival.
Feng Shisan braced himself on his elbows and crawled laboriously toward the door, his head smashing open the closed door, letting the biting north wind lash his face.
"Sharpening... knives and scissors! Sharpening..." The stone grinder abruptly stopped shouting. He saw a bloodstained hand reaching out from the abandoned house, clutching... a silver ingot.
The millstone man was attracted by the silver, jumped off the oxcart and cautiously approached. There was no one there when he passed by earlier. Could it be... that he saw a ghost in the first month of the lunar year? Of course, a fool wouldn't pick up silver, even if he saw a ghost. He had to pick up the silver anyway.
Just as the millstone was about to pull out the silver ingot, the bloody hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Don't go."
"Ouch!" the millstone cried out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "No, no, spare me, spare me!"
“Help me…” Feng Shisan grabbed his wrist again. “Help me and the money is yours. If you don’t help me, may you be struck by lightning.”
The stone miller dared not say no. Most importantly, the silver ingot was simply too tempting; he couldn't earn that much even after sharpening a hundred kitchen knives. He would be willing to help him, even call him grandfather or ancestor.
To avoid being struck by lightning, the stone miller helped Feng Shisan. As night fell, he used Feng Shisan's silver ingots to buy medicine and food, and even dragged a quilt from his home. Although it was old and worn, it was enough to keep him warm. The stone miller didn't ask Feng Shisan any questions about his background. How could someone with a clean background obtain such a large silver ingot? Money doesn't need to be questioned about its origins, and neither do people.
When the stone miller left, he said he would come back in three days to see if Feng Shisan needed anything. Feng Shisan shook his head and smiled, telling him he didn't need to come. Three days later, Feng Shisan didn't plan to stay there for that long.
After eating, he regained his strength and slept soundly through the night. Being young and strong, he was able to climb up and lean against the wall when he woke up again. With the back of his head against the uneven brick wall, he felt increasingly uncomfortable. Feng Shisan turned around and started scraping the wall. But instead of scraping, he almost fainted from the shock of seeing so much silver.
Feng Shisan's first thought was: Is this my home? He counted from one to seventeen. He didn't know many words, but he could still count. Seventeen was definitely the right number. Also, although the house was bare, the structure and the atmosphere were definitely his own house. He had even checked it before going to Tangshui City. This was the place.
But my family was already struggling financially, and my father was wronged in every way and our house was ransacked... Where did this silver in the wall come from? Could it be that it was used as a den of thieves to hide stolen goods?
Mother said: "We haven't had a decent meal of meat in the last three to five days, and you still dare to accept bribes? We've never even seen the silver ingots that were confiscated. This injustice is so severe that even the coldest winter wouldn't be an exaggeration."
Feng Shisan firmly believed that his father had been wronged. His father was the righteous guardian of the Vermilion Bird Gate, a man of integrity and uprightness, guarding the gates of the imperial city, the gates of the emperor. How could he possibly accept bribes? Besides, if he had truly taken money, wouldn't he have at least told his mother? Even a simple reminder that there was more inside the walls would have prevented the orphaned mother and son from living in dire straits…
Mother refused to believe her father could do such a thing, and neither did Feng Shisan. As long as he wasn't beaten to death, they would never believe it.
But at this moment, no matter where the silver came from, Feng Shisan thought that there was always a way out. Feng Shisan used his sword to scrape the wall clean. It turned out that someone had dug a large hole in the brick wall and hidden a wooden box inside. Over time, the wall had fallen into disrepair, the wooden box was mottled, and the box had rotted. That's when an ingot fell out and woke Feng Shisan up.
Feng Shisan pulled out the broken box, inside which were more than a dozen silver ingots, roughly estimated to be no less than a hundred taels. There was also an object wrapped in blue floral cloth. When he opened it, he found a pair of pearl earrings, one of which was the size of a fingernail. Feng Shisan was about to touch it, but he withdrew his hand. He had never seen anything good before, but he was not stupid. This pearl was the largest he had ever seen. It had been hidden in the box for many years and its luster had not faded. It must be a rare and precious item. He wondered whose treasure it was. How could he defile it with his blood-stained hands?
Feng Shisan wrapped the earrings back up as they were, then thought for a moment and put them back in the box. He only took two silver ingots and put them in his pocket for later use.
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