Chapter 63
Li Chenghuan and several others disguised themselves and were invited to Xu's house.
Fang Wenjue lowered his voice and asked Bai Zhang in amazement, "How did you get Xu Ping to agree?"
Bai Zhang chuckled and said, "I sent a letter to Xu Ping, saying that it was from my father-in-law's nephew, who was doing business in Beijing and passing through Hangzhou Prefecture. He heard about the flood in the south of the Yangtze River and wanted to do his best to help. There was no reason for Xu Ping to disagree."
Fang Wenjue glanced at him and said, "You kid, you are hitting me in my name."
Bai Zhang said: "My father-in-law has a great reputation, so he can be of some use."
Fang Wenjue said to Li Chengqian again: "I don't know if they will be discovered. If there is any danger, I will be the first to rescue them!"
Wang Hui said: "As the ancients said, if you want to be loyal to your emperor, why should you be afraid? I will serve the emperor until my death..."
Wang Hui couldn't stop talking about profound principles, and Fang Wenjue and Bai Zhang's faces turned green.
Lord Wang is good at everything, especially water management, but his habit of showing off his knowledge is really unbearable.
Wang Hui looked at the Xu Mansion in front of him with excitement: "I am familiar with Mr. Yongjie's collection of essays. His widely circulated book "Female Virtue" is even more popular among the daughters in my family. I am determined to emulate Mr. Yongjie..."
Fang Wen felt his teeth ache. Although he admired Master Xu, he didn't have to be like this. Bai Zhang even took a deep breath.
Li Chengqian interrupted him again: "Okay, when you get to Xu's house, be careful."
Xu Ping came out to greet him in person: "I am sorry for not welcoming you so far! I am sorry for not welcoming you so far!"
Bai Zhang bowed slightly and said, "Master Xu, you are too polite. We are already bothering you by coming here. Thank you for your help, Master Xu."
Xu Ping saw that the five people in this group all had extraordinary demeanor. The two elders seemed to have often dealt with officials, and the young man was very smooth. There was also a man who spoke very little and was obviously a martial artist. But none of them were as unfathomable as the one in the middle.
That man looked young, and had an extraordinary bearing. These people seemed older than him, but they all seemed to be respectful to him.
I guess this person is the real master of the house.
What a pity! If my younger sister were free, she would really like to get married.
When they arrived at Xu's house, Xu Ping personally arranged a courtyard for Li Chenghuan and his friends to stay in: "This courtyard is spacious and well-equipped. You can all stay here."
Li Chengqian said, "Thank you, Master Xu."
Xu Ping laughed and said, "You're welcome. If my father knew that you are willing to help with the flood, he would be very grateful. Why don't I take you to meet my father?"
Wang Hui immediately said, "That's great. I have admired Mr. Xu for a long time and I really want to meet him."
Xu Ping led a few people to Xu Yongjie's yard.
The Xu Mansion occupies a very large area, with carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers. Xu Yongjie's courtyard is deep in the Xu Mansion, and nearby is the mansion garden, with a very beautiful view.
As soon as Li Chenghuan stepped into Xu Yongjie's room, he smelled a strong smell of medicine.
This medicine has a strong smell, mixed with the taste of many tonics.
It seems that Xu Yongjie's health is not very good.
Who knew that Xu Yongjie didn't really want to see them.
Xu Ping went in first to report, but faint sounds of arguing were heard from inside the house.
"At this time... unrelated people are causing trouble, take them all away!"
"father!"
“Take it away!”
Soon, Xu Ping came out with an apologetic look on his face and said to them apologetically, "I'm really sorry, my father has not been in good health recently, I'm afraid he can't see guests."
Li Chengqian smiled and said, "No problem."
That night, they stayed at the Xu Mansion. The huge Xu Mansion looked magnificent and splendid during the day, but at night, it was eerily quiet. Especially their courtyard was only separated from the courtyard of the Xu family's young ladies by a wall. I don't know if it was because the three young ladies were married and the youngest, the fourth young lady, was gone, but the women's courtyard felt as quiet as a tomb.
Li Chenghuan was wandering at the gate of the courtyard when he saw three or four servants carrying a mahogany box tied with red satin and walking into the women's courtyard.
He raised his hand to grab one of them and asked, "What are you lifting?"
The servant was stopped and questioned, and seemed to be startled. A trace of fear appeared on his already tense face: "Nothing, just some useless things, I will move them to the women's quarters first."
Li Chenghuan's eyes lingered on the bright red silk on the wooden box: "This looks like something that is only used at a wedding. Is there something going on?"
The servant's face turned pale immediately: "You are joking, it is getting late, young master should go to bed early."
Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and said, "It's getting late, so hurry up and go in and set it off. It will be a bit creepy if you do it too late."
The servant shuddered at what he was thinking of and hurried in.
-
The next day, Lin Nanjie was awakened by the sound of the door opening. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Lao Jiang walking in.
Lin Nanjie sat up from the bed in silence. Lao Jiang had already set the table for the dishes. Lin Nanjie got out of bed, washed up briefly, and then picked up the chopsticks.
Lao Jiang had a complicated look on his face: "Eat more."
Lin Nanjie swallowed the food in his mouth: "I have been here for several days, but you still haven't mentioned your fourth daughter. I am going to marry her, and I want to take good care of her in the underworld. Just tell me about it."
Lao Jiang sat down, looking somewhat silent and nostalgic: "The fourth young lady is the youngest child in the family. My wife died when she gave birth to her. She has no mother to love her, so I usually take extra care of her."
"Since she was young, the fourth young lady has been weak and has been raised in a secluded house, never going out. She is very smart, and the eldest young master secretly taught her to read and write without the knowledge of the old man, and she always learned quickly."
"When she was thirteen, the master arranged a marriage for her, and since then the fourth young lady has been waiting to be married. She is very skillful, and she embroidered all these wedding dresses and quilts stitch by stitch herself."
Lin Nanjie looked at the big red wedding quilt on the bed, and an indescribable sadness surged in his heart.
Such a clever, intelligent and studious girl was doomed to die in this deep courtyard.
Lao Jiang looked a little dazed: "Sometimes I always feel like the young lady is still here."
Lin Nanjie: "It seems that you miss the young lady very much."
Old Jiang nodded silently: "I have watched the young lady grow up since she was a child. Whenever she was sick, I would go to the doctor. She is like my own daughter."
Lin Nanqi added: "In this case, you should know that all parents in the world have the same heart. You brought me to the Xu residence, and my father is seriously ill at home, waiting for me to bring money back to save his life. Can you please let me go?"
Lao Jiang didn't answer.
Lin Nanjie sighed: "Since I can't leave, I just want to ask you a favor."
Lao Jiang said: "Tell me, if I can, I will definitely fulfill your last wish."
Lin Nanqi took out the banknotes and a letter from his pocket: "Please send the banknotes and this letter to my hometown, Qianzhou. I am unable to fulfill my filial duty to my father, and I hope to cure his illness."
Lao Jiang didn't say anything, he just accepted the things, which was his agreement.
Lin Nanjie finished his last meal, tidied his appearance, and said calmly: "I'm ready."
Lao Jiang took out a red curtain and said, "Put this on too."
Lin Nanjie took the screen and asked curiously, "What is this for?"
Lao Jiang didn't answer.
Lin Nanqi suddenly understood and bitterly: "It seems that your old man also knows that what he did is against the will of heaven and earth. He is afraid that I will remember his appearance and turn into a fierce ghost after death and come back to seek revenge on him."
Lao Jiang suddenly sighed: "You are a very smart person."
Lin Nanjie put on the muli and said, "Okay, you can go now."
Lao Jiang suddenly took out something from his pocket and said, "Eat this."
Lin Nanjie took it and saw that it was actually a pill. He frowned subconsciously: "I already agreed, do you still want to feed me medicine?"
Lao Jiang said, "Master doesn't want a quarrel at that time, this is a medicine that temporarily silences people."
Lin Nanqi tilted his head back and swallowed it.
I have already arranged a ghost marriage, so are you still afraid of the medicine that will temporarily make me lose my voice?
The wedding hall where the ceremony was held was decorated with bright red satin and the floor was covered with bright red carpet. Wedding candles were burning high, leaving red candle tears all over the floor.
Fang Wenjue, Wang Hui, and Bai Zhang looked at each other in bewilderment. Didn't the little girl of the Xu family just pass away? Why was there a ceremony now, and at night? They were not people who had never seen the world, so they roughly guessed what this was for.
Arranging a ghost marriage is simply ridiculous.
If it was an ignorant family, it would be fine, but why would the prestigious Xu family also arrange ghost marriages?
The three people quickly looked at Li Chenghuan and saw that there was no emotion on his face, as if he knew what was going to happen beforehand and was just watching the situation.
He is truly worthy of being the emperor. His fearless demeanor in the face of danger is truly admirable.
Needless to say, Liao Baifan beside him had had this expression on his face ever since he left the capital.
After an unknown amount of time, the ceremonial officer in formal attire suddenly called out, "The auspicious time has arrived!"
When people heard the sound, they felt it was thin and cold, and goosebumps appeared all over their bodies. Then they saw a big red figure appear outside the wedding hall.
They couldn't help but feel their scalps tense, because this was the man who was to be arranged in a ghost marriage for the fourth daughter of the Xu family.
Lin Nanjie, wearing a bright red wedding gown and holding ashes in his hands, was led by Lao Jiang across the threshold. He knew that they had arrived at the place where the ceremony would be held.
He couldn't see the specific scene in the wedding hall through the curtain, he just felt that the man sitting at the head was very old, and there was a strong smell of medicine coming from his body.
Sitting on the left should be the two sons of the Xu family, Xu Ping, the prefect of Hangzhou Prefecture, and the second son Xu Jing.
There were a few people sitting next to him, but Lin Nanjie didn't know who they were.
The whole wedding hall was dim, with only a few red candles burning, not very bright, and a bit eerie. The candlelight was like the eyes of a monster floating in the darkness. When they saw the urn in their hands, the atmosphere became more solemn.
Li Chenghuan watched as the old butler led a man in red inwards. The man had a big red veil on his head and was holding an urn in his hands. His movements were slow but very obedient.
The scene was extremely mysterious, as if the woman was afraid of seeing the man who was to be arranged for a ghost marriage.
Bai Zhang and others also felt a little uncomfortable watching this.
The man in red was brought to Xu Yongjie by the old butler.
"Master, everything is ready, we can start."
The celebrant opened his shrill voice and said, "The auspicious time has come. Let us bow to heaven and earth!"
Lin Nanqie couldn't tell the direction, so Lao Jiang turned him around and forced him to bow down.
The ceremonial officer said loudly again: "Bow to your parents twice!"
Lin Nanjie was turned around again and bowed to Xu Yongjie.
The people watching this scene were really feeling uneasy.
Wang Hui looked at Xu Yongjie and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Xu, isn't this a violation of morality?"
The ceremony was interrupted, and Xu Yongjie was unhappy for a moment. He suppressed his anger, and said with a gloomy expression: "My daughter has been dreaming recently, saying that she is lonely and it is difficult to enter the reincarnation cycle. I was helpless and thought of this method."
Several people looked at each other in bewilderment. It was only natural for an old person to feel sad and worried when seeing his younger brother die. But this scene was really hard to bear.
Wang Hui asked again: "Why do they have to wear masks during this ghost marriage?"
Lao Jiang explained, "This young man had been helped by the old man before. He wanted to repay the old man for helping the young lady with the ghost marriage and fulfill the old man and the young lady's wish. He still had to make a living afterwards, so it was inconvenient for him to be seen by others, so as to avoid difficulties in finding a marriage partner in the future."
Wang Hui nodded: "I see."
Li Chengqian watched from the sidelines, always feeling that things were not that simple.
He looked at the groom frequently, and always felt that the figure looked familiar.
Lin Nanjie's face was covered by the curtain, and he rolled his eyes fiercely: [What a bullshit talk of kissing, you just want to kill me and send me to hell to accompany Fourth Miss Xu. ]
Li Chenghuan's expression changed suddenly and he stood up from his chair instantly.
This voice is clearly Lin Nanjie!
At this time, the master of ceremonies shouted in an unbearable voice: "Husband and wife bow to each other."
Miss Xu's personal maid took the urn, and Lao Jiang held Lin Nanjie down, forcing him to bow his head.
Lin Nanjie felt as if the hands on his body weighed a thousand pounds and he couldn't get away at all. He suddenly regretted taking the dumb medicine. If he had known there were outsiders, he would never miss this good opportunity to ask for help.
At this moment, the force that Lao Jiang was holding on him suddenly disappeared, and before Lin Nanjie could figure out the reason, he was pulled over by a huge force. Then, he smelled a familiar smell.
It smells like a faint scent of ambergris mixed with the scent of paper and ink.
He had only smelled this scent on one person.
The curtain was hidden, and he could only see the tall figure in front of him, with broad shoulders and long legs.
【emperor……?】
Lin Nanqi stared at the figure in front of him in a daze, simply not being able to believe his eyes.
【Is this a dream? 】
[How did I meet the Emperor here? ]
[Shouldn't he be in the capital? ]
When Xu Yongjie saw someone blatantly disrupting the ceremony, he immediately flew into a rage: "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble here!"
Even Bai Zhang and others were shocked. Why did the emperor suddenly act impulsively?
Xu Ping also stood up: "Is there any misunderstanding?"
Xu Jing was much more direct: "We treat you as our guests and treat you well. Don't refuse a toast and then drink a penalty!"
Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with hostility, and he said coldly: "You just said that you are willing to arrange a ghost marriage, but I don't think so!"
Xu Yongjie seemed to have heard something funny: "Do you mean that I forced him to do this? What a joke! Would someone like Xu do such a thing?"
Li Chengqian glanced at him extremely coldly, turned around and lifted the red curtain on Lin Nanjie's head, revealing a rosy little face.
A hint of surprise flashed across Li Chenghuan's eyes. He thought Lin Nanjie would look pale and weak, but unexpectedly, he even gained a little weight.
I couldn't help but raise my hand and pinch his cheek.
It feels soft and smooth.
Lin Nanjie lowered her head in shame.
[The severed head meal was so good, and there was no place to move around, so I made up for all the vomit I had on the boat, and even made up for it better.]
After Bo Zhang and the other two saw the man's appearance clearly, they were so shocked that they almost jumped up!
Isn't this the eunuch Lin from before?
I heard that he went home to visit relatives.
How did you become the subject of a ghost marriage?
Fang Wen felt as if he had seen a ghost: "Lin Lin Lin... Nan Li?"
Fang Wenjue was about to call out the three words "Eunuch Lin" when he remembered that they were visiting incognito.
It was forcibly transformed into the three words "Lin Nanlie".
Xu Ping was stunned: "You two actually know each other?"
He frowned subconsciously, noticing the loophole in his father's words. These people came from the capital, so how could they know the groom who worked in Hangzhou?
He couldn't help but look at his father.
Xu Yongjie's wrinkled old face looked at Lin Nanjie with an unusually cold expression: "I want to ask you, you clearly volunteered, right?"
Lin Nanjie said nothing.
Li Chengqian looked at him with some confusion.
Xu Yongjie's eyes flashed with a gleam of pride: "Look, he didn't say anything, which means he agreed. You strangers, why should you meddle in other people's business?"
Fang Wenjue and the others looked at each other.
It's really not meddling in other people's business.
That's their business.
If it was voluntary, he could just be released afterwards, but Lin Nanjie was returning to Qianzhou to visit his relatives, and he showed up in Hangzhou to arrange a ghost marriage for someone. It didn't seem like it was voluntary at all.
If it was not voluntary, then it was most likely a living sacrifice.
During the reign of Emperor Taizu, an order was issued to abolish the practice of burying people alive with the dead, as this was a crime that violated the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty.
As the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, Fang Wenjue could not just stand by and watch.
So Fang Wenjue was also waiting for Lin Nanjie's reaction.
Lin Nanjie blinked and shook his head at Li Chengqian.
[I took a dumb drug and can't speak. ]
Li Chenghuan's face was gloomy. He straightened Lin Nanjie's body and said, "You don't have to say anything. I'll ask the questions, and you just need to nod or shake your head."
Lin Nanjie's eyes lit up slightly, and he looked at Li Chenghuan closely as if he had found a life-saving straw.
At this moment, Lin Nanjie felt like he had seen the savior of his life.
And this savior turned out to be Li Chenghuan.
[Wow, I actually met the dog emperor. I can save my life. 】
Li Chengqian asked, "Are you doing this voluntarily?"
Lin Nanjie shook his head like a rattle.
Li Chengqian asked again: "Was he caught on the road?"
Lin Nan nodded vigorously.
[On the boat, I met the steward Jiang from the Xu residence. I was knocked unconscious by a stick and locked up in the Xu residence. I couldn't leave the house. Every day I could only burn incense for the tablet and ashes of the fourth young lady Xu.]
[How terrible! ]
Li Chengqian was filled with anger, mixed with a lot of heartache, anger, and fear. If he had sent someone to protect Lin Nanjie, or had decided to take Lin Nanjie with him to the south earlier, this would not have happened.
If he had not happened to live in the Xu Mansion and had not witnessed the Xu family's ghost marriage ceremony, would Lin Nanjie have been buried alive?
Li Chengxuan's blood surged up, his eye sockets tightened, his hands clenched into fists, he tried to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, and asked in a tight voice: "You were captured by the Xu family for a ghost marriage, and they drugged you and didn't let you speak. Is that right?"
Lin Nanqi inexplicably wanted to cry, and her eyes were a little red. She was captured and could not go out or ask for help. Every day she had to guard Miss Xu's ashes and the room where she lived. If she said she was not afraid, she would be deceiving herself.
The moment Li Chenghuan appeared, he seemed to see a beam of light, piercing through the darkness and shining on him. That feeling was indescribable, but what Lin Nanjie could really feel was:
He was saved.
He has someone to support him!
Lin Nanjie nodded desperately with tears in his eyes.
Li Chengqian was nervous. When he thought that if he was a step late, he might never see Lin Nanjie again, he felt a void in his heart. Perhaps it was God's blessing that allowed him to see Lin Nanjie in time and save this disaster.
Li Chengqian looked at Xu Yongjie and said, "As officials appointed by the imperial court, you know that it is against the law, but you still want to do something that is against the will of heaven and earth. Have you ever thought about the black veil on your head?"
Xu Yongjie sneered: "It's too late for you to know now, this ghost marriage must be arranged!"
"As for the law, I have already explained it to you. I will let him go after the matter is accomplished. It is not your turn to interfere in our family affairs!"
Lin Nanqi shook his head again.
【fart!】
[They are lying. They are planning to bury my ashes with Miss Xu Si’s ashes.]
Li Chenghuan's eyes were extremely cold, and he sneered coldly: "Let him go? I'm afraid we'll be buried together in the coffin!"
Xu Ping was furious: "How can you make such vicious assumptions about my father!"
Li Chenghuan did not give him a chance to explain: "You said he had received your kindness, so he agreed. But he was traveling south from the capital to visit his relatives, and he was just passing through Hangzhou Prefecture. As for wearing masks, I'm afraid you are afraid that he will remember your appearance and take revenge in his dreams!"
"You'd never guess we knew him."
Xu Ping's face turned pale. He looked at Xu Yongjie and Xu Jing, who had no change in their expressions, and said in a hoarse voice, "Dad, second brother, you actually..."
Xu Jing couldn't help but say, "Brother! My little sister's ghost is haunting our home and disturbing our peace. I can't even study well. This ceremony must be completed."
Seeing the faces of the Xu family father and son gradually turn pale, Li Chengqian said angrily: "I was wrong!"
Xu Yongjie's face was grim and his tone was cold: "So what if you know? You guys are meddling in other people's business, and we will all go to hell together!"
Xu Ping panicked: "Dad, think twice! Why do we need to involve so many people in my little sister's affairs? What if the truth is revealed?"
Xu Yongjie's face was unusually gloomy: "What do you know? Only if your little sister's soul can be reincarnated peacefully, you can live a good life!"
Xu Ping was confused: "Dad, what are you talking about?"
Xu Yongjie suddenly shouted, "Come here, take these guys down for me!"
The servants of the Xu Mansion heard the news and quickly surrounded the men, trying to arrest them. All of them obeyed Xu Yongjie's orders, and this fight simply angered the ministers who had been in the officialdom for decades. Even officials appointed by the court could not violate the law and arrest people at will!
Wang Hui struggled desperately, trying to find a reasonable explanation for Xu Yongjie's actions.
He cast a look that repeatedly suggested "turning back is the right path" and said with deep sorrow: "Lord Xu has written many books in his life and is famous all over the world. Why did he do such a foolish thing and ruin his reputation in his later years? Parents love their children, but this groom is also someone else's son. Lord Xu should put himself in his shoes. How could he bury a living person with him? You are confused! There is an old saying that goes, love the old as well as the old of others, love the young as well as the young of others..."
As soon as Wang Hui opened his mouth, he started to behave like an old scholar and kept talking nonstop.
Xu Yongjie finally lost his patience and said, "You pedantic scholar! You are so stupid! Shut up!"
"You're a sour Confucian!"
Wang Hui was stunned and stared at Xu Yongjie blankly.
He was familiar with all of Xu Yongjie's collected works, and regarded his words as a guiding principle. He was looking forward to meeting the old gentleman. In his mind, Xu Yongjie was the role model of all the literati! When he arrived at Xu's house, he couldn't wait to talk about poetry and songs with the old gentleman and look at the temples and rivers and lakes.
Who knew that Mr. Xu would actually scold him...
Sour Confucian?
Lord Xu, whom he had always admired, actually scolded him like this!
But you can scold him anything you want!
How can you call him a sour Confucian!
Lin Nanjie looked at Lord Wang with a bit of sympathy.
[It seems I heard the sound of Lord Wang's filter shattering to the ground.]
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