Chapter 33: Mr. Chu
The sound of a motorcycle bell gradually drew closer.
After asking around, Shen Tang jogged back, feigning mystery: "Why didn't Yuan Liang ask me? Aren't you curious about that person's news?"
Qi Shan remained calm and said something that made people want to punch her: "You Li is not someone who can keep her mouth shut."
Shen Tang: "..."
I often think about jumping up and performing brain surgery on Qishan.
"It's truly remarkable that someone with such a big mouth can live this long and still be alive," Shen Tang teased. Qi Shan didn't even flinch, so she had to say, "According to the butcher at the butcher shop, that old gentleman is a 'celebrity' in the area, and his family name is 'Chu'."
Qi Shan asked, "Which character is it?"
There are quite a few surnames that sound the same.
Shen Tang had specifically inquired with the butcher and others, and replied, "It should be the 'Chu' in 'take clothes and hats and put them on,' where 'Chu' means to put clothes on."
Upon hearing that it was Chu, Qi Shan frowned almost imperceptibly, but Shen Tang, who was two steps behind him, did not notice.
"The surname Chu is rare in both Xin and Geng states."
Shen Tang asked, "Which country does it see most often?"
Qi Shan shook his head, avoiding the question, and changed the subject, asking, "Besides the surname, did you find out anything else?"
Shen Tang said, "The butcher also said that this Mr. Chu was a slave who was sent to the market to be sold cheaply five years ago. At that time, more than thirty slaves were sent. I also heard that there were originally more than two hundred slaves, who were to be sold elsewhere, but a plague broke out on the way, and only this few died. So they could only be sold to Xiaocheng, which was nearby. Because of the plague, the price of slaves was very cheap..."
Qi Shan asked, "Five years ago? Are you sure it's this time?"
Shen Tang carefully recalled the butcher's words: "The butcher didn't remember very clearly either, it might have been five years and a few months... Old Master Chu was bought by Yuehua Tower as an add-on, and he's been there ever since. I even made a special trip to inquire about what Yuehua Tower was..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qi Shan said, "It's the Elephant Maiden's Abode."
Shen Tang paused, looking at Qi Shan's retreating figure with a strange expression, and muttered to herself, "How do you know so much?"
What kind of place is the Elephant Maiden's Pavilion?
A place where both men and women can go and have fun.
Qi Shan did not answer directly, but turned her head and said in a tone of instructing a child, "You Li is not old enough to understand these things."
Shen Tang: "..."
She mentally gave him the middle finger.
Your sister is eight hundred years old, thank you!
Qi Shan: "What is this gentleman doing at Yuehua Tower?"
Shen Tang looked puzzled and said, "He must be doing odd jobs in the kitchen. Old Master Chu is too old and weak to do heavy work. At most, he can help with washing dishes, serving food, and other chores. What else can he do at his age?"
Qi Shan: "..."
He bet three coins; Young Master Shen must have misunderstood.
in addition--
Qi Shan said calmly, "This person is rather strange and full of contradictions. You could tell from our previous game of chess that his skill in literary arts is not low, at least not below mine. Xiaocheng is truly a place where hidden talents reside; it's quite interesting."
Shen Tang asked in surprise, "Not below you?"
"Perhaps, it's even above that."
Shen Tang was puzzled: "With such talent, even if he had fallen to the point of being bought back by the Elephant Maid Pavilion, he wouldn't have to do so many chores in the kitchen, would he? If he wanted to live a better life, it shouldn't be difficult for him, but his clothes don't seem to suggest it."
Even slaves are slaves with a skill.
Qi Shan lowered her eyes and let out a cold laugh.
"Who knows what he was thinking? But speaking of the surname 'Chu' reminds me of an old case."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang's gossip spirit was awakened, and she immediately perked up—according to the usual pattern, the so-called "old case" was most likely related to Mr. Chu.
Even if he wasn't directly involved, he was still a relative of one of the parties involved.
This is all a trick!
"What old case?"
Qi Shan smiled and said, "Among the hundreds of countries in the world, there are intermarriages, and relatives are everywhere. A few years ago, the Xin Kingdom was powerful, and the surrounding small countries followed its lead, even offering their princesses to the Xin Kingdom's inner palace. One of the princesses who became a concubine was surnamed 'Chu'."
"Oh, and then what?"
Qi Shan continued telling Shen Tang the story: "This princess surnamed Chu from another country had just entered the inner palace of Xin Kingdom when she was favored by the king and became incredibly popular. Even Zheng Qiao, who was already enjoying great favor, had to avoid her. It is said that this favored concubine was well-read, kind and benevolent, and soon became pregnant, showing great potential to become the empress. However, she miscarried in the fifth month of pregnancy and died suddenly and mysteriously."
Shen Tang listened attentively to every word, afraid of missing anything important.
"I bet there's more to this than meets the eye."
Qi Shan nodded and said, "Of course it's not that simple. There are all sorts of rumors circulating. Some say that the concubine and the guard had an affair and were discovered by the king. Others say that the child in the concubine's womb is actually Zheng Qiao's. And shortly after that, Zheng Qiao returned to his country, and the Xin Kingdom sent troops to destroy the concubine's former kingdom. It is said that when the kingdom was destroyed, the king of Xin secretly ordered a massacre of the city and severely punished the princes and nobles of that small country... Judging from the king of Xin's attitude, I guess there's some truth to those rumors. Of course, it's also possible that Zheng Qiao tricked her, plotting to frame the concubine in order to return to his country smoothly."
Shen Tang: "..."
Is this what they call "fortune's wheel turns"?
The State of Xin has also committed acts of annihilation and massacre, tormenting the royal family and showing no dignity to prisoners of war. Now it's Zheng Qiao's turn to destroy the State of Xin. Not only does he copy Xin's past outrageous actions, but he also comes up with a new trick, forcing the royal princess of Xin to surrender naked.
This is what they call "the student surpassing the teacher".
Shen Tang guessed, "Does Yuan Liang mean that this Mr. Chu might be a member of the royal family of that small country?"
"It's hard to say. It's possible, it's possible." The most common surname in the small country that was destroyed was "Chu," which is too broad a range to determine the exact identity, but it definitely had a grudge against the Xin country.
Qi Shan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, temporarily suppressing the complex emotions churning in her chest: "Let's not talk about these things for now, Young Master Shen. Let's go to our lodgings and settle down first, and we can deal with the rest later."
I'll be spending the next period of time in Xiaocheng.
Shen Tang shrugged indifferently: "I'll do whatever Yuan Liang says."
Being unfamiliar with the area, we can only rely on this "guide NPC".
Qi Shan led Shen Tang to a secluded little house.
Although the house was small, it was fully equipped and reflected the owners' meticulous attention to detail. The owners were an elderly farming couple, who appeared to be around fifty years old. As soon as they appeared, the old woman greeted them with a smile and led Chen Tang to her room.
The room was near the courtyard; opening the wooden door revealed the central courtyard, and Qi Shan lived next door. After the elderly couple left, she asked, "Does Yuan Liang know these two?"
The elderly couple interacted with Qi Shan with a familiarity that suggested they were old acquaintances.
Qi Shan said, "We've known each other for five or six years now..."
Shen Tang raised an eyebrow.
I don't know if she's just being paranoid, but she's inexplicably fixated on "five or six years".
Some book reviews mentioned gender discrimination in "The Spirit of Literature and the Courage of Martial Arts," which made some readers uncomfortable. I'd like to address those comments here.
The concept of "literary talent and martial prowess" is an old trope that was popular a few years ago.
Male-oriented fiction often features characters who lack certain abilities, but in this story, this ability is used to increase plot conflict. The novel is set in a fictional ancient world where women's status is inevitably limited, and the "literary talent and martial prowess" trope is an adaptation of the imperial examinations and martial arts examinations, drawing on some historical prototypes.
There's no need to rush the current situation.
In my opinion, discrimination is not the key issue; the key issue is overturning this discrimination as the plot unfolds.
PS: There will be quite a few key female characters in this article (specifically those who are active in their careers). The main theme of this article, to put it bluntly, is "It's better to build a career than to deal with people".
(End of this chapter)
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