Chapter 88: Hearing the Truth in the Morning, I Can Die in the Evening
After the summer rain, the sky clears, and it's so hot it feels as if there had never been any rain.
From sunrise, the rising steam carries a hint of warmth, making it stuffy and humid.
It's a bit unpleasant.
However, as the old saying goes, a calm mind brings coolness.
The three men inside the pavilion—Chen Yi, Zhang Guogong, and Sun Fu—were all considered to be of calm and composed character.
On the other hand, Xiaodie was busy running around, her two buns of hair sometimes facing Chen Yi, sometimes with her back to him, and there was already some sweat on her forehead.
It wasn't until noon, when the sun was at its strongest, that Zhang Guogong and Sun Fu became somewhat sleepy and prepared to go back for a short rest.
Before leaving.
Duke Zhang, perhaps still unwilling to give up, pointed at Chen Yi while tidying up the chessboard:
"I'm planning to have a grand birthday banquet this time, even bigger than your grandfather's. You mustn't forget what you promised me."
Chen Yi nodded with a smile, "I'm just afraid that the Duke won't think much of me."
When Duke Zhang saw that he had agreed, his old face broke into a broad smile.
"The lyrics are just icing on the cake. I have fought on the battlefield for decades, and there are plenty of people who flatter me."
"What I value most about you is your calligraphy."
Duke Zhang paused here, gestured to Sun Fu beside him with his lips, and winked, saying:
"You haven't seen how obsessed Old Sun has been these past few days. He's been holding that calligraphy copybook of yours all day long, looking at it over and over again."
"I don't know what he's thinking. He's copied it a few times, but his writing is still not as good as my eldest grandson's."
Sun Fu glared at him angrily and retorted, "What do you know about calligraphy, you old brute?"
"Qingzhou's writing is a new style of characters, and every stroke shows skill. If you don't study it carefully, it's hard to understand its true meaning."
"Not to mention an old man like myself, even other famous calligraphers here would start from scratch like children."
Sun Fu was not exaggerating at all; he was genuinely delighted with that calligraphy copybook.
Not to mention him, any scholar who has studied calligraphy would be delighted to see such a perfect new style of characters, and would want to devote himself to studying it all day long.
Chen Yi felt somewhat embarrassed to be praised to his face.
Others may not know, but he knows his own affairs well. His calligraphy, like his previous poems, is something he accomplished by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Fortunately, he has a thick skin, and things made by him can always be recognized.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Sun Fu muttered a few words to himself, and had no choice but to shamelessly say:
"Qingzhou, I will be setting off for Jinling in a few days. At that time, would you be willing to part with a few of my calligraphy works?"
Before Chen Yi could respond, Duke Zhang glared at him: "How many? Do you think they're cabbages in your garden?"
"Qingzhou, listen to me, don't give him a single one."
But as soon as he finished speaking, Duke Zhang paused again, looked at Sun Fu suspiciously, and asked, "What are you going to Jinling for?"
Sun Fu ignored him and just stared longingly at Chen Yi.
Chen Yi had no choice but to agree, given the way he was being looked at by such a refined elder.
Sun Fu left satisfied, but Duke Zhang, no longer caring about causing trouble, followed behind him, asking why he went to Jinling, and saying that Jiangnan Prefecture was too noisy and it would be better to go to Guangyue Prefecture, etc.
After listening to a few words, Chen Yi understood that Mr. Sun had made up his mind.
Even if Xiao Wuge hasn't formally become an apprentice yet, he still has no choice but to go to Jinling.
"Knowledgeable people are indeed different. Is this what it means to 'hear the Way in the morning and die content in the evening'?"
Chen Yi couldn't understand Old Master Sun's thoughts, and at the moment he had no mind to think about the strangeness of Xiao Wuge.
The theft of the Xiao family's medicinal herbs was merely the eve of the storm; he was certain that the mastermind behind it all had other plans.
He pondered for a moment.
Chen Yi then instructed Xiao Die to prepare lunch, specifically telling her to have the kitchen prepare a braised fish.
Although Xiaodie didn't understand the reasoning, she carefully wrote it down and left Chunhe Garden under the scorching sun.
Not long after, Xiao Wuge trotted in, grinning and calling out to his brother-in-law.
Seeing that he was not affected, Chen Yi roughly guessed the Xiao family's response, so he gestured for him to sit down and have some water, and not to speak yet.
Xiao Wuge obediently finished drinking the water and then recounted everything that had happened in the quiet house.
They even imitated the old man's expression and tone perfectly.
"My second grandfather was very angry. He said that the bandits in the martial arts world dared to bully the Xiao family. I felt that his face was very frightening."
"But in the end, it was grandfather who made the arrangements, the criminal court, the prefectural government office, and my second uncle's place..."
Chen Yi listened carefully, and as his guesses were confirmed one by one, he gained a deeper understanding of the Xiao family's current situation.
The old man must have known something, so he didn't react much, let alone panic, and simply made arrangements as usual.
The Punishment Hall, which is under the control of Second Master Xiao Wang, must have some hidden power.
The so-called investigation likely involves more than just the relationships that are publicly known.
There's also the Third Master, Xiao Shen, who usually keeps a low profile.
If you send him to the prefectural government office at this time, he'll probably be a difficult person to deal with.
After all, since the Xiao family's medicinal herbs were stolen in Shuzhou, the primary responsibility for holding the prefectural government accountable lies with the prefectural government.
Even the Provincial Judicial Commissioner and the City Guard had to be relegated to the back of the list.
Therefore, when Xiao Shen went to the prefectural government office to express the Xiao family's attitude, he had to play the bad cop and slam the table to put some pressure on them.
As for the old master's final question to Xiao Wuge, it was just a minor test.
The old man is still clear-headed; the impact of this matter may be less than expected.
"However, I hope it's a big fish. If it's just a small fry in front of the stage, it's a bit presumptuous of me."
Even though the Xiao family is now weak, the connections they have built up over the years are still there. With some use of their relationships, both overt and covert, there are probably not many forces in the Great Wei Dynasty that can stand against them.
We've had lunch.
Shen Huatang summoned Chen Yi to come over for a meeting.
Chen Yi responded and then asked Xiao Die to take Xiao Wuge to take a nap, while he went to Jiaxing Garden alone with Shen Huatang.
The two walked one after the other, in a quiet atmosphere.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yi turned his head and asked, "Did that 'Knife Maniac' really say he was going to challenge the lady to a duel?"
Shen Huatang was surprised that he would speak up. After a slight pause, she nodded, "He did mention it."
Chen Yi continued, "Your Madam's martial arts skills must be better than his, right?"
Shen Huatang said confidently, "Second Miss can kill him!"
Chen Yi nodded knowingly and said with a smile, "If there's a chance in the future, Miss Hua Tang, you might as well tell me more about the affairs of the martial arts world."
Having been here for so long, he knew a little about Shen Huatang's identity.
Although she appeared to be Xiao Wan'er's personal maid, Xiao Wan'er actually treated her with respect, more like sisters than mistress and servant.
Therefore, it was reasonable for him to say a few polite words.
Shen Huatang glanced at him, gave a perfunctory reply, and then followed behind in silence.
Chen Yi understood this, smiled, and said nothing more.
Upon arriving at Jiaxingyuan, he went directly to the living room of the wooden building.
At this moment, the other four managers of the pharmacy were all present.
Xiao Wan'er sat in the head seat, her complexion was better than before, but it was still clear that she was in a bad mood.
Chen Yi found a seat, looked around, greeted the shopkeepers, and then fell silent.
Seeing this, Xiao Wan'er took out a few pages of paper and said, "I have gathered everyone here today because there are two things I need to tell you."
"Firstly, the medicinal herbs transported from Beizhou were robbed last night..."
Xiao Wan'er thought for a long time that even if the old master and the people from the second and third branches of the family didn't come to question her, she would still have to find a way to survive.
The loss of medicinal herbs and the empty warehouse had a significant impact on the pharmacy in a short period of time.
All she could do was take out some money and buy some expensive medicinal herbs to get through the crisis.
"Go back and check your inventory. Report back every two weeks, and I will have someone prepare the goods according to the lists provided by the managers."
"Everything else remains the same."
The four managers, Liu, Li, Ma, and Sun, looked at each other and then solemnly agreed.
After they left, Chen Yi also planned to return directly to Chunhe Garden.
Xiao Wan'er stopped him and said, "I want to write a letter to my second sister. If you are also planning to do so, you can write a letter and send it to her as well."
She wanted to write a letter to Xiao Jinghong about what had happened in the manor these past few days, and also remind her to be careful of the "Knife Maniac" duel.
The reason for asking Chen Yi was that they hoped the couple could stay in touch.
She knew her second sister's personality very well; it would be very difficult for her to do something like writing a letter.
Chen Yi nodded after a slight hesitation, and then made no rush to leave.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Does elder sister know why that group of people robbed that batch of medicinal herbs?"
Xiao Wan'er lowered her eyes and said, "I don't know either."
“That batch of medicinal herbs was not particularly special; they were all commonly used in pharmacies. Apart from the fact that they were transported from Beizhou, I can’t think of any reason why people in the martial arts world would deliberately plunder them.”
As she spoke, she looked at Shen Huatang: "Did that swordsman give a reason?"
Shen Huatang shook her head, but said seriously, "'Knife Madman' is a person who acts uprightly and does not seem to be a demon or heretic."
"There's something fishy about this whole thing; maybe he was acting on someone's orders."
Thinking of what the old man had said, Xiao Wan'er felt a strange sensation in her heart.
She couldn't help but look at Chen Yi, and seeing that he was just smiling, she hesitated and asked, "Have you... noticed something?"
Chen Yi paused, thinking to himself that she was quick-witted and understood immediately.
But he wouldn't admit it, even if he thought about it. "I just took over the pharmacy and haven't found anything yet."
Xiao Wan'er smiled bitterly to herself, realizing she had been grasping at straws in her desperation.
My brother-in-law may have some talent, but having only been involved in business for a few days, it's unlikely he knows anything.
"Don't forget the letter you wrote to your second sister."
Chen Yi responded and got up to return to Chunhe Garden, going straight to the study to take out paper and pen.
"A letter to the lady..."
This is much more difficult than investigating the "missing medicinal herbs".
After a moment of deep thought.
Chen Yi recalled Xiao Jinghong's reaction when he saw the poem that night, and an idea came to him.
I picked up my pen and wrote "Thoughts on a Summer Night":
"You ask when I will return, but there is no set date; the autumn rain in Bashan swells the pond at night."
"When will we cut the candle in the west window together and talk about the night rain in Bashan?"
After finishing writing, Chen Yi looked at the ethereal sheen on the cloud-pine paper and couldn't help but smile:
"That's a bit of self-righteous talk. Who would shamelessly ask the lady why they've returned?"
"It's as if he's intentionally reminding her when she'll be back."
I wonder what Xiao Jinghong's reaction will be after reading it.
That should be quite interesting.
(End of this chapter)
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