Chapter 58: White Bone Hairpin 13 Wei Wulang
As several people were analyzing the case, the dilapidated wooden stairs of the inn began to shake and make noises. Someone quickly ran upstairs in two steps. Yu Chang, who was guarding outside the door, pushed it open and Chi Xiao, who looked exhausted, strode in.
Chi Xiao's hair was a little disheveled, and half a leaf was hanging from the back of his head. The corners of his clothes were damp, as if soaked in the morning mist, and they drooped slightly, their swing not as graceful as usual.
Xun Shu had been curious yesterday about where Chi Xiao had been sent. Seeing him appear before him, he looked him over and couldn't help but ask, "You spent the night in the woods?"
Compared to the respectful and nervous demeanor of the two men from the Dali Temple, Chi Xiao was clearly much more relaxed. He scratched his tousled hair and said with a chuckle, "You're quite clever, young lady. Yesterday, my husband asked me to keep an eye on the Divine Palace for any suspicious individuals. I watched all night, and I actually managed to spot a few people acting suspiciously."
Li Xuanhe glanced at him, and Chi Xiao straightened his expression, no longer keeping the mystery. "Last night, after midnight, four thin men carrying two boxes entered the shrine. They didn't reappear until half an hour later. After leaving the shrine, they returned to the village and wandered around for a long time, at one point splitting up. I followed one of them to the Wei residence on the west side of the village and waited for a moment in the woods outside the gate. The other three appeared and entered the house. Fearing that a hasty approach might alert the enemy, I didn't follow them and turned back to the shrine." Chi Xiao's face turned completely serious, his smile gone. "I walked around the shrine hall but didn't see the two boxes. Then I went to the secret passage you visited during the day. In the corridor leading to the large cave, I found gunpowder buried in the mountain wall, covered with rubble. The gunpowder was scattered in several places, with fuses left exposed. If ignited, it would instantly collapse the cave, completely sealing it off."
Li Xuanhe pondered, "What a coincidence! I've only been in the village for two or three days, and yet I've seen gunpowder one after another."
"I also think this is quite coincidental. Besides, there's another coincidence," Chi Xiao continued. "The Wei residence these men carrying gunpowder returned to is the largest fireworks dealer in several nearby states. The Wei family is wealthy and powerful, and now only Wu Lang, the eldest son of the family, remains living in the village house. And this Wu Lang happens to be the young master Wei whose body was discovered yesterday morning."
It was actually him?! Xun Shu narrowed his eyes and recalled what happened yesterday, frowning and saying, "I heard from the villagers yesterday that this Young Master Wei has many wives and concubines?"
"Yes, it's rumored that Wei Wulang is extremely lustful. He would flirt with any young lady he saw. He didn't marry a wife, but he kept eighteen beautiful concubines. These concubines are all girls from Anning Village. Most of them lost their virginity after being abducted by Wei Wulang, and had no choice but to move into the Wei mansion. After entering the Wei mansion, these girls lived in seclusion and rarely walked around the village, so the villagers didn't know how they were doing now. But in my opinion, the Wei family is very wealthy. Although they are concubines, they are still half-masters, and they shouldn't treat them harshly." Chi Xiao snorted coldly, his face showing contempt. "Yesterday I thought that the young master of the Wei family was a good man, but now it seems that he is a damned lecher! If this happened in the capital, I would take him to see the officials!"
Li Xuanhe shook his head: "This matter may not be that simple. Don't jump to conclusions now."
Chi Xiao frowned and bowed, "My lord, you are right. I was reckless."
Xun Shu seemed to have suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "Could Shou Wenxue be hiding among these eighteen beautiful concubines?"
Chi Xiao didn't know about Shou Wenxue's situation. After Ge Qi gave him a brief explanation, Chi Xiao quickly waved his hand and said, "Wei Wulang just came of age three years ago, and he took his first concubine shortly thereafter. If Shou Wenxue is hiding among them, where else could she have been hiding before that?"
That's a problem. Xun Shu felt a little regretful and said no more.
After they finished talking about what they had found out last night, Li Xuanhe looked at Xun Shu beside him and saw that the porridge in her bowl was almost gone and the plate in front of her was half empty. She was supporting her head and absentmindedly fiddling with a bean on the table.
The beans were the red beans in the porridge just now. Xun Shu accidentally dropped them on the table while drinking the porridge, and now they became a toy in her hands.
The dark medicine on the corner of the table was no longer hot, but warm to the touch, ready to be taken. Li Xuanhe brought the medicine bowl to Xun Shu and said softly, "You can drink the medicine now. After you finish the medicine..."
Xun Shu threw away the red beans, grabbed the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then wiped the medicine stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He asked in confusion: "How about drinking the medicine? Why don't you finish talking?"
Li Xuanhe: ...
He bought some candied peaches yesterday, originally thinking that she would find the medicine too bitter and he could coax her into drinking it. However, he didn't expect that Xun Shu, who was always slow and leisurely, didn't even give him the chance to say this, which made him feel a little awkward with his hand hanging in the air and not yet retracted.
Li Xuanhe's mouth twitched: "My elder sister, who is about the same age as me, is most afraid of taking medicine. I thought Ah Shu was the same."
"I'm already old enough, why should I be afraid of taking medicine?" Xun Shu put the empty medicine bowl on the table. "Besides, only by taking medicine can the disease be cured quickly. You can't be unaware of this, right?"
Li Xuanhe choked and nearly passed out. Chi Xiao, Ge Qi, and the others beside him also wanted to laugh but didn't dare, their expressions rather strange.
Xun Shu's attention was still on what Li Xuanhe had just said, and he blurted out, "Third brother, what exactly did you want to say just now?"
Meeting such a little ancestor was also his misfortune. Li Xuanhe pressed his swollen forehead and said with some gritted teeth: "I want to say, you should drink the medicine quickly. After that, we will set off to visit this Fifth Brother of the Wei Family."
-
Xun Shu had just recovered from a serious illness, and Yu Chang had already parked his carriage in front of the inn before the two of them left. After Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe boarded the carriage, Ge Qi jumped onto the shaft and drove with Yu Chang to the Wei residence on the west side of the village.
The village road was narrow, and a single carriage would take up most of it. Fortunately, the village was shrouded in the shadow of a series of accidents, so there were few pedestrians on the road, so they did not affect each other.
Xun Shu lifted the gauze curtain covering the car window and looked out.
The gates of every courtyard in the residential area were closed tightly, and the atmosphere was lifeless. The waiters soliciting customers at the market all had drooping brows, looked listless and dejected.
She sighed, "The people have no idea what's happening, but they can sense the danger lurking around them."
"All living things in the world have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm, and humans are no exception."
Xun Shu closed the curtains and turned to look at Li Xuanhe.
He was leaning against the carriage, eyes closed. Sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, softening his features, casting shadows of his eyelashes and nose on his cheeks, which shifted constantly as the carriage moved forward. The boy's fierceness vanished in that instant, replaced by a gentler, more obedient air.
As if noticing her gaze, Li Xuanhe opened his eyes, his eyes clear and bright.
"Does it look good?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her.
Xun Shu nodded: "Yes, he is very handsome. He is the second most handsome man I have ever seen."
Li Xuanhe hid his bared teeth, looking unhappy: "Who's the best-looking one? Could it be that nerd Fang Yan?"
"Of course not. The most handsome man I've ever seen is a portrait." Xun Shu bit his lip and said vaguely, "But he was dead for many years. If we only count the living, you are the best."
A portrait? But someone from the Sitian Pavilion? Li Xuanhe was naturally curious, but he didn't want to force Xun Shu, so he had to give up.
The carriage drove out of the west entrance of the village, passed through a small bamboo forest, and finally saw the outline of Wei's residence. Xun Shu had originally thought that Xilizheng's residence was one of the most magnificent houses in the village, but now that he had arrived at Wei's residence, he felt that Cai's residence could only barely compare with one of Wei's courtyards.
Chi Xiao stopped the carriage, and Ge Qi got out, explaining his purpose to the guard at the door. The guard went back into the house to pass on the message, and reappeared a moment later, leading the group into the main hall in the front yard for a rest.
After they sat down, a maid came and served them tea. While pouring the tea, Li Xuanhe pretended to ask casually, "Is Brother Wei the only master living in this house?"
The maid smiled faintly and said, "The Fifth Young Master is married. Besides him, there are also his concubines in this house. Naturally, the concubines are also considered the masters of this house."
"What about Brother Wei's brothers, sisters, and parents?"
"Master and Madam settled in the ancestral home in Qinzhou with the eldest and second young masters. The third and fourth young masters have already married. This was the home our ancestors lived in when they fled famine. The Wei family would only occasionally return to visit and stay for a while. Until a few years ago, the fifth young master suddenly decided to move back to Ningyuan Village. Only then did the house undergo some renovations, and gradually the family began to prosper."
Xun Shu couldn't help but blurt out his true feelings: "Does taking a concubine count as a prosperous family?"
"Since they are living people, they are naturally considered to have a large family." A voice came from outside the door, accompanied by a hearty laugh. Wei Wulang walked into the hall, stopped, and scanned the people. He paused for a moment on Li Xuanhe, then landed on Xun Shu. He smiled and said, "It's the Fairy Lady. We meet again. I wonder what brings you here today?"
Wei Wulang was dressed casually today, wearing a loose crimson robe, his hair draped over his shoulders, held loosely in place by a headband. He was thin, with a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, and his smile made him look even more enchanting.
Xun Shu blinked, unsure how to respond, when Li Xuanhe, standing beside him, spoke up. "Brother Wei, you've misunderstood. It's not my sister who's here looking for you, but I. I've heard the Wei family's fireworks are truly exceptional, renowned in the surrounding states. No one in my hometown makes this kind of business, so I'd like to partner with the Wei family and ship their fireworks back home for sale. What do you think, Brother Wei?"
Wei Wulang walked to the front of the hall and sat down, clapping his hands and laughing. "That's good, of course. But most of the family business is run by my brothers, and I don't handle much. I need to send a letter to Qinzhou, and let my father and brothers make the decision."
"That's fine. We can have a brief chat first. If it's suitable, I'll go to Qinzhou and pay you a visit." Li Xuanhe glanced to the side, as if he had just noticed Xun Shu, and frowned slightly: "Fourth sister, why are you still sitting here? Third brother wants to discuss serious matters with Brother Wei. How can a young lady like you listen? Let Yuchang accompany you to walk around the area. Don't go too far."
Just before entering the Wei residence, Li Xuanhe had mentioned this matter, asking Xun Shu to take Yu Chang with him to find an opportunity to investigate the house. Xun Shu understood, and his slow, innocent voice evoked a certain charm. "Third Brother, Brother Wei, this house looks quite impressive. I wonder if I could take a look around? I've never seen a house built into a mountain like this before."
After these words were spoken, Wei Wulang's smile froze a little. He looked at Xun Shu intently, and seeing that her eyes were clear, like the finest glass, he could clearly see what was inside. She didn't seem to have any bad intentions, so he agreed to her request.
"It is an honor for Wei and this house that the Fairy wishes to tour this house. How about this: Fairy, please go with me to the back garden to rest for a while. I will send someone to invite the ladies to accompany you on a detailed tour of this house, okay?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
