Chapter 32 Mo Yuan
Ming Huashang was whispering to Xie Jichuan when she suddenly felt everyone was looking at them. She stopped awkwardly and then realized that she was so focused on talking to Xie Jichuan that their heads were almost touching.
Ming Huashang quickly stepped back and walked to Ming Huazhang obediently: "Brother."
She didn't know what role Ming Huazhang had assigned to her yet, so she didn't dare to call him anything, but it was always right to call him brother. Ming Huazhang glanced at her gently, his eyes like the first clear day after snow, bright but without any warmth, and said, "Follow me closely."
The housekeeper watched from the side and said with a smile: "Mr. Cui and your sister are really close brothers and sisters. The Cui family is indeed a noble family. Not only are the Mr. and Mrs. both outstanding in appearance, but they also have such a good relationship."
Xie Jichuan smiled and said, "Hello, housekeeper. I heard on the way that the shopkeeper Wei has adopted three apprentices, regardless of gender, and treats them all as his own children, teaching them everything he knows. The shopkeeper Wei is kind-hearted, no wonder he has been able to make such a big business."
"No, no." The housekeeper smiled and declined, but the smile seemed a little forced. At this time, a hoarse laugh came from the Wei residence: "You have so many distinguished guests. I am sorry for not welcoming you. I am sorry."
Ming Huazhang and the other five turned around when they heard the voice. The man walking in front was wearing a long robe. He had a fair complexion, bright eyes, and a beard that did not hide his handsome appearance. It was obvious that he was also a handsome man when he was young. He was about forty years old, but he was not fat at all. He walked with a rhythm and his figure could be described as elegant.
This should be the head of the Wei family - Wei Yanqing. Ming Huashang was a little surprised. She thought he was a decrepit old man from his voice, but she didn't expect that Wei Yanqing himself was so handsome.
How come he has such a hoarse voice when he has such a good-looking face?
There was a young man following behind Wei Yanqing. The man looked to be in his twenties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had a dignified appearance and a very likable and decent look. Unfortunately, he was in a bad mental state and looked dazed, which ruined his handsomeness.
Wei Yanqing greeted Ming Huazhang, who returned the greeting. After everyone had settled down, Wei Yanqing pointed at the young man behind him and said, "This is my eldest disciple, Wei Moyuan. I am an inferior disciple and have made Master Cui laugh at me."
After saying this, Wei Yanqing looked at Wei Moyuan, and said with a hint of pressure in his tone: "Moyuan, why don't you come and greet the distinguished guest."
Nowadays, the aristocratic families are declining, and the scholar class represented by the imperial examination has risen. The aristocratic families have long lost their voice in the court. However, the influence of the more than one hundred years of family rule cannot be erased in a short time.
Wei Yanqing had become accustomed to seeing the powerful and wealthy over the years, and many of them had purchased puppets from his family, including prime ministers and high-ranking officials. However, it turned out that Cui from Boling had also heard of his family and even wanted to come and place an order.
This was a great honor for Wei Yanqing. He was determined to make this deal a success, but Wei Moyuan seemed absent-minded, which simply made Wei Yanqing furious.
Wei Moyuan suddenly heard the master's voice, and his body shuddered. He quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "Master, please forgive me. I remembered that the puppet had not been painted yet, and I was distracted."
Wei Yanqing glanced at him, turned around with a smile on his face, and bowed to Ming Huazhang, saying, "I am an unsophisticated disciple of mine. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Master Cui. I wonder what kind of puppet you want. As long as my Wei family can achieve that, I will do my best and will never let you down."
Ming Huazhang said, "Grandmother is dying. I came to Luoyang on my uncle's orders to prepare things for her after her death. Money is secondary to things for her. The most important thing is to make sure they are safe. I heard on the way that your puppets have caused trouble?"
Wei Yanqing's smile became stiff, and he said, "How could that be? I dare not say anything else, but when it comes to funeral puppets, we are second to none in Luoyang City. Those words are just rumors, they can't be taken seriously."
"Really?" Ming Huazhang still looked arrogant and indifferent, and asked, "But I heard that your puppets can devour their owners and even cause deaths?"
The puppets go to the underworld to serve their masters. If they turn around and bite their masters, that would be a big problem. Wei Yanqing couldn't help but look up at Ming Huazhang, but saw that the young man still had a cold expression and said, "The Cui family doesn't care about fame, but the word filial piety cannot be neglected. If it's inconvenient for you, Manager Wei, to say it, then forget it."
After Ming Huazhang finished speaking, he turned around and left, as if they were not the ones who came to the Wei family to buy puppets, but the Wei family was begging them to sell the puppets. Ming Huachang silently took a breath. He left just like that? Was Ming Huazhang being too arrogant?
Ming Huashang grumbled in her heart, but she did not hesitate in her actions and followed Ming Huazhang closely. Jiang Ling was a little hesitant, but Xie Jichuan gave him a look and forcibly pulled him away.
They walked down the stairs, and after a few steps, they heard Wei Yanqing's voice behind them: "Mr. Cui, please stay. Alas, it's all because of my lax management of the family. I originally thought that this was a family disgrace that should not be told to outsiders. If Mr. Cui cares, I will tell you the whole story."
Jiang Ling stared at Ming Huazhang with eyes wide open, and looked at him in surprise, wondering if Wei Yanqing had some masochistic fetish. Ming Huazhang was already so high-handed, and Wei Yanqing was still trying to please him?
Jiang Ling couldn't understand.
Ming Huazhang was not surprised by this. He glanced at Jiang Ling secretly, warning him to keep his expression in check. Then he turned around calmly and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Oh, what do you mean?"
Wei Yanqing sighed and said, "The rumor of the puppet devouring its master should have come from my second disciple, Wei Baixuan. In fact, it was not the puppet that devoured its master, but... it was this child who got angry with me and locked herself in the puppet workshop without eating or drinking. I thought she was making puppets, so I ignored her. Who knew that after several days, I realized something was wrong, and when I asked someone to force the door open, I found that she had committed suicide."
Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows slightly: "Suicide?"
"That's right." Wei Yanqing sighed, "When she died, she was surrounded by puppets, and it looked like the puppets had killed her. That's when the rumor of the puppets devouring their masters spread. Suicide is not a glorious thing, and the Wei family is in this kind of business. I was afraid that the customers would think too much after hearing it, so I had someone suppress the news and only told the outside world that the second child was missing. After a while, when the rumors have died down, I will give her a proper burial."
Ming Huashang found that the surname Cui was really useful. I'm afraid that even if the court officials came to ask these questions, Wei Yanqing might not be willing to tell them, right?
Of course, Ming Huazhang also contributed to this. He had a cool and handsome appearance, a dignified and noble demeanor, and standing here he was exactly what people imagined a noble young man to be. No one would doubt whether he was a member of the Cui family. Especially since he looked like a flower in the sky, unreachable, the more he ignored people, the more people wanted to please him.
This kind of contradictory psychology is probably the nature of human beings.
Ming Huashang silently sighed that Ming Huazhang would find a breakthrough point. At the same time, he hugged Ming Huazhang's arm in fear and said in panic: "What, there are dead people here? Brother, this place is so scary, let's go quickly."
Ren Yao and Jiang Ling were listening carefully when Ming Huashang suddenly howled, startling them. Jiang Ling looked in shock as Ming Huashang buried himself in Ming Huazhang's body, sobbing non-stop, his pupils dilated uncontrollably.
He just couldn't get around Jiang Anhou, so he had to find another place to kill time. But does joining Xuanxiaowei really require this?
Ming Huazhang was relatively calm. He held Ming Huachang's shoulders in a soothing manner, half-hugging his frightened sister, and said, "My sister is timid and very afraid of dead people. Excuse me, is your disciple's body still in the Wei residence?"
Jiang Ling only then understood Ming Huashang's intention. He thought that it was fortunate that Ming Huazhang reacted quickly and took over Ming Huashang's act, otherwise, with Ming Huashang's abrupt and exaggerated acting skills, they would definitely be exposed.
An indescribable expression flashed across Wei Yanqing's face, and he said, "My dear, don't worry, we have taken good care of the bodies of our two disciples and will not disturb you."
Ren Yao expressed doubt: "Really?"
Wei Yanqing repeatedly assured them that since they came as guests, their insistence on seeing Wei Baixuan's body was futile. Ren Yao was helpless and could only put the topic of the body aside for the time being.
Ming Huashang buried her face in Ming Huazhang's chest for a dramatic performance, and her shoulders trembled in unison. She quietly pulled Ming Huazhang's clothes, signaling Ming Huazhang to go and see the scene of Wei Baixuan's suicide.
If a person commits suicide, it means that her emotions have overwhelmed her rationality, and the scene of her suicide must have left a lot of psychological traces. The scene of Wei Baixuan's death happened to be a puppet workshop, and Ming Huashang felt that there must be a lot of clues in this place.
Ming Huazhang understood Ming Huachang's hint. He held her hand and said something completely different: "Someone just died here. The yin energy is too heavy. Wu Niang, you should leave first."
Ming Huashang was stunned and looked up in disbelief: "Ah?"
Ming Huazhang, however, had already grabbed Ming Huachang's shoulders and pulled her away, and said to Jiang Ling and Ren Yao, "Take Wu Niang outside for a walk, don't scare her."
The housekeeper knew that such aristocratic families were very particular, and that washing hands required five or six steps. How could a lady from such aristocratic family get close to a dead person? The housekeeper immediately replied, "My lord, you are right. Your wife is a distinguished guest. How can you let a distinguished guest wait outside? Why don't you go to our garden to relax?"
Wei Yanqing also said, "Yes, I didn't think it through and almost bumped into Madam Cui. Madam Cui is well-informed and I'm afraid she won't like my humble home, but I just renovated the house and it's acceptable. If you don't mind, why don't you go to the garden to relax?"
Ming Huashang was about to say something, but Ming Huazhang stopped her and said, "Then Lao Wei will be the shopkeeper."
Wei Yanqing was overjoyed. He turned around and winked at his eldest disciple, saying, "Mo Yuan, why don't you take Madam Cui to the garden? Cheer up. If you neglect Madam, I will punish you."
Wei Moyuan had been following behind Wei Yanqing all the way, as silent as a shadow. Upon hearing this, he forced a smile and bowed to Ming Huashang and the other two: "Madam Cui, please."
Ming Huashang was extremely reluctant, but no matter whether it was her real identity or a fake one, she could not persuade Ming Huazhang, so she could only follow Wei Moyuan to the garden.
After Ming Huachang, Jiangling, and Ren Yao had gone far away, Ming Huazhang said to Wei Yanqing, "Since the rumor is a misunderstanding, I am relieved. I want to go and see the puppets. Can the shopkeeper lead the way?"
Wei Yanqing was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Of course, my lord, please come this way."
Wei Yanqing led the way. Xie Jichuan quietly walked up to Ming Huazhang and teased him, "How dare you let her out of your sight?"
"I was worried." Ming Huazhang still had that cold and aloof look on his face. His lips moved so slightly that it was hard to tell he was talking. "So I sent those two away."
We won’t comment on Jiang Ling and Ren Yao’s brainpower for now, but if any danger were to occur, they would be able to prevent it and would be suitable for them to stay by Ming Huashang’s side and act as shields.
Xie Jichuan laughed very softly and said in an inaudible voice, "Her talent is unique. Han Jie probably took her in because of this. If she can really draw a portrait of the murderer, wouldn't you delay the case by sending her away like this?"
"No need." Ming Huazhang said, "We can still solve the case without the portrait. But she must leave Xuan Xiaowei. Excessive involvement in the case will only do her harm."
Xie Jichuan shrugged and said, "It's up to you. It's not my job to get promoted anyway."
On the other side, Wei Moyuan took Ming Huashang to visit the garden. Ming Huashang was silent, and Wei Moyuan was also silent.
It was obvious that Wei Yanqing had made a lot of money in recent years, and his house was very grand, but there were few people in Wei's family, and most of the yard was idle, with overgrown grass and trees blocking out the sun. Walking in the quiet corridor, it felt a bit eerie.
Ming Huashang quietly looked at Wei Moyuan. He seemed to be in a bad mood and was completely immersed in his own thoughts along the way.
The apprentice taught by Shopkeeper Wei, who is such a shrewd person, would not be so ignorant of how to entertain guests, unless something huge happened to Wei Moyuan, causing him to be unable to notice any external stimuli.
Ming Huashang remained calm and asked curiously, "Master Wei, what kind of tree is this?"
Wei Moyuan came back to his senses, looked to the side, and said, "Oh, this is a locust tree."
The locust trees are tall and are planted in a row along the wall. It would be spectacular in late summer, but now the trees have no flowers. Only the black branches are twisted and tangled. At first glance, they look like a row of ghost claws, grabbing something from the void with their fangs and claws.
Ming Huashang asked: "Why do you plant so many locust trees?"
Wei Moyuan perked up and said, "My master said that locust trees have many pods and fruits, and more fruits bring more blessings, so I planted a lot of them when I bought this yard."
The homophone of "槐子" (locust) is "怀子", which shows that the shopkeeper Wei was eager to have a child. Unfortunately, the more he hoped, the less he got. Jiang Ling asked: "I don't think the shopkeeper Wei is very old, why has he been praying for a child for so many years without any result?"
Ren Yao bumped into Jiang Ling and glared at him angrily: "Can you speak?"
Wei Moyuan is the eldest disciple. Since Manager Wei has no biological son, the family property will be inherited by him. Isn't Jiang Ling looking for trouble by raising this topic in front of Wei Moyuan?
Wei Moyuan coughed and said, "It's okay. To be honest, Master used to sing puppet shows in his early years, but he ate the wrong things and fell seriously ill, and his voice has been damaged since then. Master couldn't sing anymore and was kicked out of the troupe. He took me everywhere, sleeping in the open, and never took good care of his body. Later, we finally got a foothold in Luoyang, and the puppet business gradually improved, and we finally had some spare money. Master went to see a doctor again, but the doctor said that Master had a root cause of the disease, and it might affect his offspring in the future. Master has sought medical treatment and prayed to Buddha many times in these years, but it was a pity that it was of no use. Gradually, Master lost interest in it, and later he accepted the second and third junior sisters. He focused on teaching the three of us and no longer mentioned the matter of offspring."
Ming, Hua, Shang and the other two were a little surprised. They didn't expect that Wei Yanqing had such a life experience.
There are many schools of puppetry, but they all involve manipulating puppets while singing, which places high demands on the actors.
No wonder Ming Huashang thought Wei Yanqing's walk was very melodious, it turned out that he had practiced it before. After Wei Yanqing's throat was damaged, he could no longer perform puppetry, but he knew a lot about puppets, and finally made a fortune by making puppets for the dead. It was a blessing in disguise.
Ming Huashang asked, "So Manager Wei has such a past. May I ask what kind of opera did Manager Wei practice?"
"Stringing play."
Ming Huashang's eyes showed amazement: "It turned out to be the most difficult silk-pulling play, so amazing! That eldest son is the first disciple of the shopkeeper Wei, is he also a good performer?"
Ming Huashang has a pair of beautiful almond eyes and loves to laugh. When she looks at someone and says "really amazing", almost no man can resist. The same is true for Wei Moyuan. He subconsciously agreed, but when the words came to his lips, he remembered his master's taboo and lowered his eyes and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't know how to perform puppetry."
Ming Huashang was very disappointed: "Really? My family rarely lets me go out, and I have never heard of puppetry."
Ren Yao couldn't bear to see the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl full of expectation but slowly extinguishing, let alone a man. As expected, Wei Moyuan felt sorry and said, "Madam Cui, I'm sorry. But the voice is the knot of Master. He gets angry when he hears about puppet show and doesn't allow us to learn privately. If Madam wants to watch other things, I will definitely not refuse, but puppet show..."
Ming Huashang had not come to listen to the opera, but she quickly said, "No, it's my ignorance that has embarrassed the eldest son. The eldest son is really filial. Although the shopkeeper Wei has no children, you brothers and sisters are much better than the sons of ordinary families. In the future, the shopkeeper Wei will
When the shopkeeper is old, the eldest apprentice is his son, the second apprentice is his daughter-in-law, and the third apprentice is his daughter. I don’t know how blessed he is..."
Ming Huashang said this, and then she made a very artificial sound and covered her mouth. She secretly pulled Ren Yao's clothes, waiting for Ren Yao to play with her. Ren Yao's face turned red, and he really couldn't act, so he could only pinch Jiang Ling hard.
Jiang Ling was caught off guard and blurted out: "Male..."
He wanted to scold the tomboy, "You are crazy," but when he met Ming Huashang and Wei Moyuan's eyes, he changed the subject and said solemnly, "Don't mention the painful things. Didn't the shopkeeper Wei just say that the second apprentice committed suicide, so how can there be any daughter-in-law?"
Ming Huashang heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Jiang Ling had smoothed over his words and didn't reveal the truth. It seemed that the troupe still had to rely on her. Ming Huashang took over the lead role, and her big eyes showed four parts of guilt, three parts of sadness, two parts of pity, and just the right amount of fear: "I'm sorry, I forgot that the second lady had already... Alas, Mr. Wei, I'm so sad."
Wei Moyuan forced a smile, lowered his eyes, and looked away. Jiang Ling said, "Why are you crying? A man should not worry about not finding a wife. Why don't you marry another woman and honor Wei the shopkeeper together in the future?"
"Yes." Ming Huashang looked at Wei Moyuan's expression carefully and said, "Although I don't know why the Second Lady committed suicide, if she really loves you, I think she would want you to be happy. After she is buried, you can marry the woman you like. She will definitely not blame you."
Wei Moyuan pursed his lips, his face showing a complex expression of guilt, relief, and pain. Ming Huashang was about to ask more questions, when suddenly, a miserable and sharp female cry came from the house: "Ah, she's coming, she's coming again!"
When Wei Moyuan heard the voice, he raised his head abruptly, with panic in his eyes for a moment: "Zhu Yan!"
Wei Moyuan ignored his master's instructions and rushed in a direction like crazy. Ren Yao was shocked by his action and instinctively became alert: "What is he doing?"
Ming Huashang looked ahead and said, "Let's go and take a look."
Ming Huashang, Ren Yao, and Jiang Ling chased Wei Moyuan into a courtyard. Compared with other empty courtyards, this small courtyard looked particularly exquisite and beautiful. It was obvious that it was a lady's room, and a very favored lady.
Ming Huashang had already guessed that this might be the residence of Wei Yanqing's third disciple and the most favored junior sister, Wei Zhuyan. Ming Huashang lifted her skirt and stepped through the threshold, and indeed saw a woman standing in the house.
She was wearing a single piece of clothing, with her hair loose, and her delicate and beautiful features could be vaguely seen from under her hair. But she had no sense of beauty at all. She picked up something beside her, without even looking at what it was, and threw it to the ground frantically: "I know it's you! Bai Xuan, you're already dead, why don't you let me go?"
When Wei Moyuan saw this scene, he was shocked and said, "Zhu Yan, there is nothing in the room. Are you hysterical?"
He tried to run to Wei Zhuyan several times, but was stopped by the things she threw around. Wei Zhuyan was very favored and had many ornaments in her house, but now, whether it was the precious Hetian jade or the rare Sogdian gold, they all became her weapons, which she threw at the enemy.
She described herself as crazy, as if there was some terrifying being in front of her. However, what she was smashing like crazy was obviously just a puppet.
The puppet was half the size of a human, with a face as white as paper, but its eyes, blush, and lips were all delicately outlined, its clothes were like those of a living person, and even its fingers were made into five fine pieces. It lay on the ground, allowing Wei Zhuyan to beat and scold it.
Wei Zhuyan was furious, picked up the bronze mirror on the dressing table and threw it down. The bronze mirror was polished very thin and exquisite, but when thrown out, it became a shovel, hitting the puppet's neck just right. The puppet's head was knocked off, bounced twice on the ground, and rolled to Ming Huachang's feet.
Ming Huashang looked down and saw that the puppet head, with facial features that were as close to those of a living person as possible, except for the eyes painted completely black, was hung on the hem of her skirt. The curve of its lips seemed to be raised but not raised, and its expression was very strange, as if it was imitating a living person but not being able to do it right. The pair of unusually large black eyes were motionless, and Ming Huashang even had the illusion that it was looking at her.
At this moment, the eyes seemed to blink, and then two lines of blood and tears flowed out, crookedly streaking across the upturned corners of its lips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
