Chapter 83 Reunion (Part Two) Tears welling in their eyes as they gaze at each other...
Li Yunru disliked Jiankang.
That place gave her too many bad memories.
She almost lost her life there.
But it is, after all, a place where noble families gather, a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, and it has nurtured a gentleman like Yan Ning, making it truly a good place.
It's been three years, and she wants to come back and visit.
After agreeing on the itinerary, the group packed up and set off.
They were currently in Qingyang County, which was under the jurisdiction of Jiankang. It was not far away, and the journey took only two days to reach the capital.
None of them were visiting Jiankang for the first time, but they were still amazed by its prosperity and thriving commerce. There were countless young men from prominent families, coming and going in a flamboyant manner, and everywhere one could see carts overflowing with fruit, creating a lively and bustling scene.
This magnificent scene was completely different from what they had seen along their journey as merchants.
Some people are displaced and starving, where even a warm coat and a grain of rice are luxuries. Others, however, treat these things as playthings and discard them at will. It is truly a case of "the rich feasting while the poor freeze to death on the streets."
The gathering place of all the nobles and officials in the land is naturally different from that of other places.
With a large caravan, and inns being crowded and inconvenient, Du San Niang chose to rent a courtyard as their lodging. After all, they had originally planned to stay in Jiankang for a while anyway, and now they were just bringing forward their plans a little.
She had done business in Jiankang in her earlier years and had some connections with the real estate agents. So it wasn't a problem. Before entering Jiankang, she sent someone to handle this matter. The agent was efficient and found several suitable residences for them in less than half a day. After comparing several options, they chose a two-courtyard house in the suburbs. Firstly, the rent here was 20% cheaper than other places. Secondly, it was close to the places they wanted to visit and enjoy themselves. More importantly, it wasn't too far from the main city, only a few kilometers away. It truly had all the advantages.
To understand why such a prime location would be so cheap, we need to go back to an incident that happened two years ago.
Yan Jun, the eldest son of the Yan family, was a dissolute and philanderer. He had a virtuous wife and beautiful concubines at home, and countless maids, but he still loved to hunt for women. A few years ago, he kept a beautiful young woman in a small courtyard in this area.
This wouldn't normally be considered a big deal, but who would have thought that the young woman was actually a concubine who had run away from another noble family? And even more coincidentally, the young man from that family was Chen Er, the younger brother of his wife, Chen Shi.
It must be said that Chen Er was incorrigible. He had been castrated by Lady Liyang with a hairpin, but he was still very scheming. After recovering, he began to look for and keep beautiful maids. That young lady was his favorite, and he even made her his concubine.
Just as the man was getting carried away with the young woman, she ran away and got involved with Yan Dalang. The old and new grudges couldn't be contained even by marriage. The two had a huge fight, and in the end, the beautiful young woman was the one who suffered. She was killed in that small courtyard. It is said that her death was particularly gruesome, and her cries and wails could often be heard in the vicinity.
So what was once a treasure land became an ominous place, and the people living nearby moved away one after another. No one dared to come back, and the house prices naturally dropped again and again, which allowed them to get a bargain.
As the caravan passed by the small courtyard, they found the gate tightly shut and several sickles and talismans placed at the entrance. Even without ghosts, these strange and supernatural items made them feel uneasy, creating a ghostly atmosphere.
The agent, worried that the room he had worked so hard to book might be reneged on, quickly explained, "Don't worry, everyone, it's absolutely safe, there won't be any problems."
Some people questioned, "How can you guarantee that?"
The agent looked around and, seeing that no one was around, leaned closer to them and said, "I'll tell you something, but you mustn't tell anyone else."
How could someone who is used to traveling all over the country be afraid of these things? It was just out of curiosity. But seeing him say that, they became even more interested and agreed.
The broker said, "What you see here is just the surface. The real secret lies in the inner courtyard. To ward off disaster, the young masters of both families invited a master to perform a ritual. There is a soul-binding well inside, with nine dragon soul-locking nails nailed on top, which has already suppressed the evil spirits below. Moreover, just in case, the interior of the house has been treated with Bagua mirrors and willow branches. It's guaranteed to be safe and sound. Even if you come out of the well, you won't be able to fly out of this courtyard even a little bit."
Everyone who heard this felt a chill run down their spine.
"Those two, Yan Dalang and Chen Erlang, are really ruthless," someone exclaimed.
The agent smiled bitterly, "Hey, what can we do when we're powerless? That girl is just unlucky."
She lost her life, and after a period of quarreling with Yan, Chen Er felt that he shouldn't have hurt the relationship between the two families for a girl, and now they are happily together again.
Last year, in particular, he committed a crime in the capital and was impeached and lost his official position. It was only because his younger brother Yan An, one of the three provincial governors and the current head of the Yan family, protected him that he was safe and returned to Jiankang. From then on, the two became even closer and often met at brothels to patronize prostitutes. They were having a great time, and who would remember this young lady at all!
Even though they had witnessed many evil deeds along the way, upon hearing this, the crowd couldn't help but sigh and grumble about how these aristocratic families were hypocritical. Li Yunru listened in silence.
Compared to what they "heard," she had truly experienced the shamelessness of these two.
This story only made them feel that the aristocratic families were cold-hearted, and they felt sorry for the innocent girl. However, it did not deter them from renting the place. After finalizing the agreement, they signed the contract and moved in that same day. They then began preparing for a trip to Taoyuan.
This was the first time they hadn't had to worry about capital or any other messy things. It was just a pure spring outing, a chance to connect people for business. Even though most of the caravan members were in their twenties or thirties, settled down with families and careers, and long past the age of childlike innocence, they were still looking forward to this trip, eager to try it out, and full of energy.
Looking at the people who were jumping around like monkeys, excited and unable to stop, Du Sanniang patted Li Yunru on the shoulder and said, "Perhaps you are right. Although beatings and punishments can suppress them, it is only temporary. They cannot make them truly obey me and work for me. I was indeed too arbitrary before."
She rose from humble beginnings, enduring hardship and humiliation, climbing step by step to her current position. She witnessed more injustice and the power of force, and naturally believed in that philosophy. However, this led to several disputes and conflicts in her caravan, causing many to leave, while many others came...
Li Yunru nodded and smiled, "There is no right or wrong in this. It's just that different positions and circumstances lead to different perspectives. In fact, we are all the same. In this life, we do everything just to earn a living. Precisely because of our humble status, we should unite and help each other so that we can work together and make this force work for our own benefit."
Du Sanniang didn't respond to her words, but just looked at her with her arms crossed.
"What's wrong?" Li Yunru asked.
Du Sanniang said, "Ruilin, tell me honestly, what is your true identity?"
"Could she be a young lady from some prestigious family who secretly ran away? Or... like that unfortunate female ghost next door..."
"What are you thinking about!"
Li Yunru nudged her shoulder and laughed, "I think you've been listening to too much opera lately, and your head is full of stories."
Du Sanniang shook her head, "Well, you're different from us anyway."
Even if they dressed the same and ate the same food, their manner of speaking and their way of thinking were things that merchants like them could never think of.
"Many times, I thought you were a wise and insightful official in the court, speaking with great wisdom and thinking deeply. While others think about the present and what they need to eat, you can always think of many other people..."
She learned all of this from her parents back then. Even though she was a mischievous and unambitious person, so many years of exposure to their influence would inevitably have instilled some of it into her mind.
Over the years of doing business with them, she has traveled to many places, experienced many things, and met many people, which has given her a deeper understanding of her parents' choices.
Having witnessed too much human suffering, I always thought that I was still in a position to make decisions, so I took risks time and time again. In the end, I walked on a knife's edge and fell. Although I died, I had no regrets, only regret that I could not do more.
Li Yunru laughed and joked, "If I were you, I would appoint you as a national merchant and have you travel all kinds of trade routes to bring back all the good things from abroad and make us rich!"
"Hahahaha." Du Sanniang laughed wildly, "Then you can give me a shortcut, and tell those powerful families and government offices not to confiscate my things for any reason. If they violate this rule, they should be fined three times, no, ten times, that's too little, twenty times or a hundred times."
The two chatted and laughed until the moon began to set in the west, at which point they parted ways.
...
Yan Ning, after descending from the eastern cliff of Xiangshan and returning to the inn, saw the place again with his own eyes and paid his respects to the empty grave. His heart felt as if it had been emptied out, and he had little energy. He sat listlessly in his room, simply drinking while gazing at the rising moon.
Yan Sheng went with him, but after descending the mountain, they went to the Yan family instead.
In recent years, the Yan family has been in turmoil. First, Yan Ning, the eldest son of the Yan family, ran away. Then, Yan Dalang made a big mistake in the capital and was dismissed from his post, becoming an idle person. Yan Erlang, on the other hand, was successful and rose to the position of one of the Three Dukes, but he was also constantly controversial.
The fact that a man favored his concubine over his wife shattered the once close relationship between the Yan and Huan families. The successive blows were too much for the Yan family lord to bear, and in a fit of anger, he fell ill and could only spend his days in bed.
There were other members in the direct line of the Yan family, but Yan Er, relying on his position as one of the Three Dukes, unilaterally declared himself the successor to the family position without the consent of the family elders, and even invited his mother, who had no official status, into the Yan family ancestral hall.
This was a humiliation for the elders of the Yan family. How could someone of such a background accept their offerings and worship? Only then did they realize that Yan Er, who was usually filial and obedient, was just a facade. He was ambitious and used underhanded and vile methods. But it was too late for them to regret it.
Those who voiced their opposition mostly died suddenly and without cause.
After Yan Ning left, Cui was in a daze and went to the Buddhist hall. Two years ago, when Lord Yan asked Yan Sheng to arrange a marriage, Cui came out and sent her daughter away. Since then, she has never left the Yan family's house.
The Yan family may appear prosperous on the surface, but in reality, it is an empty shell with no leader or person in charge.
So when Yan Sheng returned, he was filled with sorrow. Seeing his brother drinking, he went over and drank with him.
It only stopped when he lost consciousness.
The next day, Lu Wulang invited the two of them to go on an outing, but they were both still not fully awake, so they were delayed for a day.
They finally set off on the third day.
While the flowers of April have faded in the human world, the peach orchard is now a beautiful sight of spring. Many people from the city come with friends and family to enjoy this spring scenery, where joyful songs and poems can be heard constantly.
"Changjun, among us, you are the most talented. Why don't you compose a poem to outshine them?" Lu Wu joked, trying to liven up the atmosphere.
"The song and its lyrics are merely expressions of my current mood, not something to compete for victory. If they are too utilitarian, they lose their meaning."
"Look at you, you can't even speak properly." Lu Wu's wife patted him, apologized to the person, and invited the brother and sister to sit down in the quiet courtyard they had prepared beforehand, saying, "Let's go over there, drink slowly, recite poetry slowly, and talk slowly."
The group continued forward, but soon their steps were stopped by the sound of playful, silvery bells.
“This…” Lu Wulang stared at the person not far away, his eyes wide open.
Yan Ning is even more so.
Li Yunru noticed a series of gazes directed at her, which felt intensely burning. She looked up and met their eyes.
Just then, Du Sanniang peeled a piece of purple grape and fed it to her.
"Here, Ruilin, have some."
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