Chapter 296: Extra: Joy Record Eight

Extra: Joy Record Eight

Their identities exposed at the county yamen, Pei Yaoguang no longer bothered to hide anything afterward. Leaving the dungeon of Liucheng County's yamen, he and Shui Yun headed straight for Zhao Family Village.

Today the sky had been overcast since morning, so shortly after the two got into the carriage and had not traveled far, it began to rain.

It was spring, and the spring chill was still sharp. With the rain, a chill was immediately felt. But Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun were wholly preoccupied with Zhao Kui's matter and did not pay it much heed. Once they arrived at Zhao Family Village, the two got off the carriage and walked straight into Zhao Kui's courtyard.

Zhao Kui's family was not as well-off as Wang Er's, but it was not bad either. The courtyard was not large, but fairly clean. In the corner of the courtyard stood an old locust tree that had already sprouted green buds.

The two did not open umbrellas and walked directly under the old locust tree. Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun searched carefully on the left and right respectively. Suddenly, Shui Yun's eyes lit up, and she whispered to Pei Yaoguang on the other side,

"Over here!"

Hearing her voice, Pei Yaoguang hurried over in large strides. Following Shui Yun's gaze, he saw that, sure enough, the ground in the corner where the old locust tree met the wall was slightly different in color from its surroundings, as if someone had turned the soil. But the traces were already very faint; without careful observation, they would be impossible to detect.

Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun exchanged a glance. Then Shui Yun habitually stepped forward, but at that moment Pei Yaoguang grabbed her by the hand.

"Step aside. This young master is a man—how can I let a woman do this kind of work?"

Pei Yaoguang was as brash and blustering as ever. With that said, regardless of what Shui Yun wanted to say, he walked straight over.

Not knowing what Zhao Kui had actually buried, he dared not use tools to dig carelessly. Pei Yaoguang could only squat down, first poke at it with a wooden stick from nearby, and then directly dig with his hands!

The sky kept raining. The pitter-patter was not heavy, but over time it soaked through Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun's clothes. Yet Pei Yaoguang was completely oblivious, focused on clearing away the soil in the corner. After digging for the time it takes to burn one incense stick, he finally discovered that something was indeed buried in the earth.

Pei Yaoguang's eyes lit up at once, and he sped up his movements to dig the object out. By then Shui Yun had also walked over, only to find that what had been dug out was actually a paper bundle.

……

Perhaps because some time had passed, the outer layer of the paper bundle was somewhat damaged. Pei Yaoguang frowned, then directly unwrapped the paper bundle. But as the layers of paper were peeled away one by one, they finally discovered that what was placed inside the paper bundle was actually a stone!

The stone was not large, about the size of a quail egg, with distinct edges and corners, and a pitch-black color…

At once, both Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun were stunned.

"Zhao Kui buried… a stone?!"

Shui Yun was greatly puzzled and looked up at Pei Yaoguang, only to find that he was staring unblinkingly at the stone. Then after a moment, he gave a sudden start.

"This isn't a stone—it's iron ore!"

Pei Yaoguang came from a merchant family with countless wealth. He seemed arrogant and brash, but the reason he could enter officialdom was that he had passed the imperial examinations fair and square! In those years, he was even personally selected as the third-place finisher in the palace examination by the late Emperor. His learning was no empty boast.

It was just that anyone who had met Pei Yaoguang would first notice his overwhelming arrogance, and as a result, overlook the fact that he was actually a man of talent. So at this moment, Shui Yun could not tell what that stone was, but the widely read Pei Yaoguang spotted the clue.

And now, upon hearing that the object was actually iron ore, Shui Yun's face instantly stiffened.

"Iron ore?! How would Zhao Kui have this?"

Iron ore, like copper ore and salt, was specifically managed by the imperial court, and private extraction by commoners was strictly forbidden. Moreover, unlike the salt that common people consumed, copper ore was used for minting copper coins, while the greatest use of iron ore was for making weapons!

Thinking of this, Shui Yun's heart tightened. What Shui Yun thought of, Pei Yaoguang naturally thought of as well. But then, Pei Yaoguang pocketed the object in his hand, squatted back down, filled in the spot they had just dug open, and stamped it down with his foot.

"We shouldn't stay here long. Let's go back first and talk!"

"Mm."

……

Nodding in agreement, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun then got directly onto the carriage and hurried toward the county town. On the carriage, the two did not sit idle either. Pei Yaoguang took out the iron ore he had stowed in his robe earlier and examined it closely.

"It should be no mistake—this is iron ore. It seems the reason Zhao Kui never let anyone know about his work outside all these years must be because of this!"

"So does that mean the culprit behind the scenes used Half-Moon Sorrow to control them, and then made them work for him?"

"That's still hard to say for now."

Pei Yaoguang was cautious by nature. At this moment, Shui Yun also lowered her eyes in thought, then glanced at the small piece of iron ore, and turned to look at Pei Yaoguang.

"However, even knowing now that this matter is of great significance, we still have no leads. After all, if the culprit behind the scenes is privately mining iron ore, it would naturally be well hidden. And looking across Dongling, where would we even go to find it? As for the hairpin found earlier at Wang Er's house, it can only indicate that the location should be in the south, but exactly where…"

Speaking of this, Shui Yun's expression grew increasingly grave. After all, from Zhao Kui they had only found a piece of iron ore, but with the world being so vast, how could they possibly find the place where iron ore was being privately mined?!

Shui Yun was deep in thought, and at this moment, hearing her words, Pei Yaoguang uncharacteristically said nothing. Sitting in the carriage, his body swaying gently with the bumps of the carriage, his eyes remained fixed on that piece of iron ore.

For a moment, the carriage fell silent, with only the pitter-patter of the rain outside to be heard. After pondering for a moment, Shui Yun could not think of anything either, and could not help but look up. Catching an incidental glimpse of the waste paper that had earlier wrapped the iron ore, Shui Yun casually picked it up.

Apart from the outermost few sheets being somewhat damaged, the ones inside were still intact. But on the several crumpled sheets of paper, not a single word was written. Shui Yun frowned involuntarily. Noticing her actions, Pei Yaoguang glanced at her, but then his eyes flashed, and he snatched those sheets of paper from Shui Yun's hands.

"Let me see."

Pei Yaoguang's expression was unexpectedly serious. Holding the sheets of paper, he felt and rubbed them, then even had Shui Yun lift the carriage curtain to examine them in the outside light. After a moment, he finally raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"This young master knows where those bastards are!"

Though Pei Yaoguang had come up through the imperial examinations, his mouth was always vicious. After so many days together, Shui Yun naturally already knew his temperament and was not surprised, but could not help asking in return,

"What do you mean? Is there something peculiar about this paper?"

Shui Yun could read, but she was not skilled in the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and naturally could not spot the clue. But Pei Yaoguang was different, so upon hearing Shui Yun ask this, his smugness immediately surged.

"Hmph~! So this you don't understand?! I'll tell you plainly—there's a hidden mystery here… This paper is the finest bamboo-pulp paper, produced abundantly in the south, and the best among it is Huizhou paper."

"Are you saying this paper is Huizhou paper?"

"Exactly!"

Smugly raising his eyebrows, Pei Yaoguang then collected his expression and said in a low voice,

"There's no doubt this paper is Huizhou paper. Now found together with iron ore, it's likely a clue left by Zhao Kui. Furthermore, as far as this young master knows, Huizhou itself has no iron ore, but Chuanzhou, which borders Huizhou, does. And Huizhou, like Chuanzhou, is also surrounded by mountains on all sides. So with that, doesn't everything become clear?"

……

Pei Yaoguang's inference perhaps lacked conclusive evidence, but it was highly logical. So afterward, the two discussed it further and decided to set out immediately for Huizhou, while simultaneously sending someone back to the capital to report to the Emperor.

After all, if someone was truly privately mining iron ore, it was by no means an ordinary matter. So neither Pei Yaoguang nor Shui Yun could suppress something this major; it had to be reported.

Having made up their minds and finished their discussion, they arrived back in town just in time. When they got off the carriage, the rain was still falling, and the moment they walked through the door, they saw Xu Shi call out in a loud voice,

"Oh my~! How did you go out, young master? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you all day… But how could you go out without an umbrella? Look, you're soaked! Ai, when you're away from home, what would we do if you got sick?"

Because they had been in a rush to handle their business earlier, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun had genuinely forgotten about this. Now, hearing Xu Shi's clamoring, they looked down and, sure enough, both of them were soaked.

But at this moment, two people had walked through the door, yet Xu Shi's words were clearly directed only at Pei Yaoguang. Obviously, her words were meant for Shui Yun to hear, insinuating that Shui Yun did not know how to take care of her husband and had let him get rained on.

Xu Shi's logic was quite laughable, leaving Shui Yun unsure of what to say to her. But while Shui Yun stayed silent, Pei Yaoguang could not tolerate her. Hearing Xu Shi carrying on over there and even saying things to sow discord, anger immediately flared in his heart.

"Shut up! This young master's affairs are none of your business, woman! Have someone bring hot water, quick! Any more nonsense and I'll tear down your inn!"

Madam Xu had never been in Pei Yaoguang's good graces to begin with. These past few days, for the sake of the bigger picture, he had already endured to the absolute limit. And being roared at like that by Pei Yaoguang, Madam Xu—who had been about to step forward and curry favor—couldn't help but tremble all over. Seeing the imposing aura radiating from Pei Yaoguang's entire body, her heart quailed, and she no longer dared to show off as she usually did, so she could only have the waiter hurry and prepare things.

Madam Xu was someone who could read a room. Though wanton by nature, after years of running an inn, what kind of people hadn't she seen?! It was just that earlier, she had been so busy admiring Pei Yaoguang's good looks and generous spending that she had momentarily lost her head. Now, frightened like this, her usual shrewdness instantly returned to her mind. Once her thoughts cleared, she immediately saw that Pei Yaoguang was absolutely not just talking big to scare her—he truly had the ability to deal with her!

This time Madam Xu was finally obedient. After all, no matter how fine a tiger may be, it still eats people. So the smooth and worldly Madam Xu naturally dared not show off in front of Pei Yaoguang anymore.

……

Having sent Madam Xu off, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun returned to the room. Before long, the waiter knocked, having prepared the bathtub and hot water.

Presumably because Madam Xu had been frightened by Pei Yaoguang, she didn't come this time. Pei Yaoguang saw that the waiter was quick and efficient, so he tipped him. The waiter beamed with delight, thanking him repeatedly, then withdrew respectfully.

After the waiter left, only the two of them remained in the room. At this point, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun were still wearing wet clothes, yet there was only one bathtub… The room fell silent at once. Then the two of them simultaneously looked at the steaming bathtub, and exchanged a glance!

Neither spoke, but for some unknown reason, an indescribable something suddenly permeated the air…

But a moment later, Shui Yun shifted her gaze slightly, looking elsewhere. Seeing Shui Yun look away, Pei Yaoguang also couldn't help but clear his throat almost inaudibly, then turned his head and said,

"Uh… you wash first!"

Saying that, Pei Yaoguang stood up from the chair. But at this moment, Shui Yun had also recovered. She glanced at Pei Yaoguang, who had his back to her, then went over and moved the screen from the corner to block off the bathtub, saying in a low voice,

"You wash first. I know martial arts, I'll be fine."

Shui Yun spoke crisply. As soon as she finished, she walked straight to the bed, took the bundle from the corner, and pulled out a change of clothes for Pei Yaoguang, turning and stuffing them into his arms in one motion. At this moment, looking at the clothes in his hands, Pei Yaoguang glanced again at Shui Yun, who had turned away and was busy doing something or other, then gave a somewhat awkward response:

"Uh… mm, then this young master will wash first!"

……

Pei Yaoguang bathed first. After he went around the screen, a moment later, hearing the splash of water, Shui Yun outside the screen finally let out a quiet breath of relief, then turned and sat down on the bed nearby.

At this moment, only Shui Yun herself knew how nervous she had been just now. So nervous that it felt inexplicable to her. Thinking of this, Shui Yun couldn't help but glance up at the screen, her heart filled with an unspeakable turmoil.

The room remained quiet, with only the patter of rain outside and the occasional sound of water from behind the screen. After sitting on the bed for quite a while, Shui Yun finally came back to her senses, then took the opportunity to change out of her wet clothes and wait quietly…

Whether it was that Pei Yaoguang simply bathed quickly, or for some other reason. Over here, Shui Yun had just changed out of her wet clothes when Pei Yaoguang was already mostly done washing. He gave himself a hasty wipe, then put on the clothes Shui Yun had found for him earlier and came straight out.

Then Pei Yaoguang called out for the waiter, asking for another tub of hot water. Hearing this, the waiter couldn't help but freeze for a moment, but the instant he met Pei Yaoguang's sharp gaze, the waiter shuddered all over, then hurriedly complied.

"Uh… aren't they a married couple? Why wash separately? I remember the proprietress always used to… but then again, who is the proprietress, and who are they? I suppose that's how it is in big households~!"

The waiter mused to himself, then didn't waste any more time and hurried down to prepare.

The waiter was fast—after all, Pei Yaoguang's earlier tip had been exceptionally generous. By the time the hot water was ready again, Pei Yaoguang had already sat down silently to read case files, though water was still dripping from his hair… So, with just one glance at him, Shui Yun couldn't help but frown. She wanted to remind him, but in the end said nothing, simply tossing a cloth towel over to him, then pursed her lips and went around the screen to bathe.

The room fell quiet once more. The surroundings were still the sound of rain outside and the occasional splashing from behind the screen. Only now, the one sitting on the bed was Pei Yaoguang, not Shui Yun.

At this moment, Pei Yaoguang could only stare blankly at the cloth towel that had just been thrown onto his head. After a good while, he snatched it off, then began drying his hair while looking toward the screen not far away…

……

Shui Yun was not one to dawdle like an ordinary woman. She washed briskly, put on her clothes, and came straight out. By now it was already dark outside, and because of the rain, a trace of chill seeped into the room.

By their agreed rotation, tonight was Pei Yaoguang's turn to sleep on the bed. So after bathing, having the waiter take the bathtub away and tidying up, seeing Pei Yaoguang sitting on the bed, Shui Yun didn't say a word—she simply pulled over a few chairs from the room, arranged them together, and lay down on them.

Clearly, Shui Yun was settling in to rest. Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang, who had been sitting on the bed all along, couldn't help but steal a glance at her. Seeing that she was already resting, Pei Yaoguang pursed his lips with a strange expression. He wanted to say something, but in the end said nothing, then got off the bed, blew out the candle, and rested as well.

At the third watch, deep into the night, a light rain still pattered down outside.

It was pitch dark all around, and at this moment, Pei Yaoguang lying on the bed found himself unable to sleep for some reason. Listening to the rain outside, his mind couldn't help but recall the scene from that day when Shui Yun had wiped his face…

Pei Yaoguang was lost in thought, but a moment later, he suddenly gave a start, thinking to himself that he didn't know what evil had possessed him—why would he think about such random things? He couldn't help but frown, then simply rolled over… But just then, the instant Pei Yaoguang turned, a black shadow flashed before his eyes, and the next thing he knew, his mouth was covered in an instant.

At once, Pei Yaoguang lying on the bed gave a violent start, but before he could even gather his wits, a familiar whisper came from beside his ear:

"Shh, don't speak. There's someone outside!"