Chapter 783: Feng Shi, You [Thank You! Bow Again! 36k Words Owed!]

Winter had arrived for many days,

on the streets of Bianjing,

the morning wind blew against Xu Zaijing’s face, bringing a sharp chill.

He looked up,

the moon risen in the late night still hung in the sky, beside it bright stars gleamed.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo—”

from some household along the road, a rooster crowed at dawn.

The smoke from early fires for cooking drifted from chimneys into the air, carried by the wind to reach the riders on horseback.

The little black mare snorted.

“Clip-clop.”

“Woof woof woof—”

the hoofbeats of Xu Zaijing’s party roused the dogs in the courtyards beside the street.

As if passing word, dogs farther off barked in reply.

Xu Zaijing exhaled sharply, his warm breath forming visible clouds before him.

After crossing the great bridge over the city’s canal, lanterns glowed at the patrol posts; patrolmen hearing the hoofbeats hurried out to bow respectfully, saying, “Greetings, Young Master. You haven’t taken this route in a long while.”

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded; Qingyun tossed a string of copper coins to the patrolman and said, “It’s cold—have some hot soup to warm your bones.”

“Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Brother Yin!”

Qingyun bowed with a smile and continued walking beside Xu Zaijing.

They walked for a long while through the dark morning,

and by the time Xu Zaijing’s party entered the Sheng household, a night watchman’s voice rang out from afar: “It’s the fifth watch!” as he turned into Jiying Alley.

Xu Zaijing had already taken the maidservants to the academy,

Meanwhile, Qingyun, left outside the Sheng household’s outer courtyard, helped the Xu family’s coachman and the Sheng household’s young servants remove the saddles and bridles from the horses and led them to the stable.

Seeing the Sheng household’s young servant struggling to carry a bucket of warm water toward them, Qingyun smiled and said, “Let me take that!”

The young servant had just begun to protest when Qingyun effortlessly took the bucket from his hands.

After finishing the tasks,

the Sheng household’s young servant smiled and said, “Brother Qingyun, come inside and warm up.”

Qingyun didn’t answer at first; he glanced around the stable, saw nothing left to do, then nodded with a smile: “Let’s go.”

As they spoke, the group entered the gatehouse beside the Sheng household’s main gate.

Pulling back the curtain and stepping inside, Qingyun exclaimed, “Wow, you’ve lit the stoves already—so warm!”

“Greetings, Young Brother Yin,” said the gatehouse overseer, lifting the kettle from the stove to brew tea for Qingyun. “Our master is kind—he knew winter nights are hard to bear, so he ordered the stoves lit.”

Several of the Sheng household’s young servants

rushed to take Qingyun’s cloak and hang it aside; others brought over stools; still others moved to the table and placed a dish of dried chestnuts and jujubes before them.

“Brother Qingyun, try our newly bought dried jujubes.”

“Good!”

Qingyun smiled and turned to the gatehouse overseer who handed him tea: “Thank you, Elder Brother.”

“Young Master, you’re too kind.”

Qingyun took the hot tea and set it on the side table, then grabbed two chestnuts from the dish and said to the young servant bringing the stool: “No need to sit yet—we’re expecting more guests.”

No sooner had he spoken,

than the sound of carriage and horses reached the gatehouse.

The men inside stepped outside and saw the carriages of the Xu, Gu, and Qi families entering the courtyard together.

“Whoa!”

The drivers of the three carriages called out, and as the three young masters stepped down hurriedly from their carriages using the mounting stools, Qingyun and the others bowed respectfully and greeted them.

Gu Tingye and the others merely nodded, then hurried off with their personal guards toward the academy courtyard.

As they left, Zhi Que, who usually never looked back, glanced over his shoulder several times.

By the time their figures vanished beyond the academy gate, the night watchman’s voice rang out from outside the main gate: “Fifth watch, second quarter.”

Qingyun and the others naturally moved to assist again.

During this time, the Sheng household’s young servants kept glancing at a somewhat unfamiliar young man.

After the carriages and horses were settled,

the drivers from the three families prepared to rest in the rooms behind the gatehouse.

Qingyun quickened his steps and caught the Qi Duke family’s driver by the arm, nodding toward a young man standing before the horse trough: “Brother Wang Six, who is that fellow who came with Second Master Gu?”

The thick-bearded Qi family driver glanced over and said, “Oh, that young fellow?”

Qingyun nodded with a smile.

Wang Hu shook his head: “Don’t know.”

Qingyun sighed: “Brother Wang Six, you—”

Wang Hu laughed: “Young Master, I just met him this morning—how could I know his background?”

“Alright then.” Qingyun patted Wang Hu’s shoulder in resignation and walked toward the sturdy young man.

The young man, standing awkwardly beside the trough and stirring horse feed with his hands, turned at the sound of footsteps.

Seeing Qingyun was taller than him, the young man grinned sheepishly.

Qingyun nodded with a smile, picked up a small sack of beans from beside the little black mare’s trough, and said, “Add some roasted beans.”

“Pff!” The little black mare snorted at Qingyun.

Qingyun chuckled, stroking the mare’s head: “Not giving you all of it—why the rush?”

Then he glanced at the young man: “Go ahead, take some.”

The young man stared at the little black mare with clear admiration, dipped both hands into the sack, scooped out a handful of beans, and poured them into Gu Tingye’s horse’s trough.

Watching his own horse munch contentedly, the young man turned to Qingyun and said, “Brother, your horse is so smart! Wow—it’s still an intact stallion?!”

Qingyun set down the sack and nodded with a smile: “Yes! His parents were both exceptional! Brother, is this your first time at the Sheng household?”

The sturdy young man nodded, glancing toward the academy: “Zhi Que was supposed to introduce me, but the Master was late this morning—we didn’t get the chance.”

Qingyun blinked and smiled: “Master Zhuang’s rules are strict—being late means either copying texts as punishment, or worse, being suspended for days.”

“Oh! That explains it!” the sturdy young man said.

Qingyun clapped his hands: “Listening to you, you seem quite familiar with Zhi Que—is he your brother?”

The sturdy young man grinned sheepishly: “Zhi Que is my younger brother.”

Qingyun was surprised: “Oh!! So you’re the big brother Zhi Que always talks about—the one with the great strength? Your name is… Shitou?”

“Hehe.” The sturdy young man scratched his head. “He actually mentioned me to you?”

Qingyun nodded vigorously: “When we both accompanied our masters to drink and play polo, he’d often tell me about his big brother who had incredible strength.”

Shitou waved his hand: “No, no—I’m not that strong.”

He glanced again at the little black mare and hesitated: “I’ve heard Zhi Que mention you a few times—could you be Brother Qingyun, who serves Fifth Master Xu?”

“Exactly!” Qingyun stepped forward, slinging an arm around Shitou’s shoulder, and smiled: “Since you’re Zhi Que’s real brother, come on—we’ll sit over there.”

“I’m just a servant,” Shitou hesitated.

Qingyun kept his arm around Shitou’s shoulder: “Come!”

Feeling the strength in Qingyun’s grip, Shitou laughed: “Brother Qingyun, you’ve got quite the strength yourself!”

“Bah, I’m nothing,” Qingyun said, then his eyes lit up as he whispered, “Shitou, what’s Zhi Que’s real name at home?”

Shitou smiled: “My eldest brother is Shishan, I’m Shitou, and my younger brother is Shizi.”

“Pfft!” Qingyun couldn’t help laughing. “That explains it! When I asked Zhi Que his original name, he always refused to say it—I never guessed it was Shizi!”

Shitou nodded: “He said the Master looked it up in books and gave him this new name—so many strokes! Nothing like Shizi, simple and easy.”

“Hahaha!” Qingyun slapped Shitou’s shoulder. “Good!”

They exchanged ages and confirmed Qingyun was the elder, Shitou the younger.

As they neared the Sheng household gatehouse, Shitou looked at Qingyun and asked, “Brother Qingyun, why are you always squeezing my arm?”

Qingyun smiled: “To be honest, Shitou, you’ve got a strong build and powerful shoulders—I suspect you’ve trained in martial arts?”

“Hehe, I learned a few moves from my eldest brother.”

Qingyun nodded: “Hmm! Some of my lord’s personal guards who earned merit in the northwest aren’t as built as you!”

Shitou stared at Qingyun in surprise: “Back on the canal, I heard many merchants say that lately, several young lords in northern Zhou have made their names known.”

“Oh? Who?” Qingyun asked curiously.

“One commander surnamed Di—he fought on foot and drove the Bai Gao bandits into full retreat; another surnamed Lu—his silver spear made the Bai Gao cavalry scream for their mothers; and under the British Duke’s heir, there’s a man surnamed Huang—”

As he spoke, Qingyun pulled back the curtain and led Shitou into the gatehouse.

After introductions, Shitou felt no more awkward around the Sheng household’s young servants.

After a few more words about northern military officers, one of the Sheng household’s young servants asked: “Brother Shitou, which of them do you admire most?”

“Without question—the General Huang who stormed the Bai Gao fortress alone!” Shitou declared.

Qingyun watched Shitou’s admiring expression and said: “Shitou, do you know how this General Huang is connected to your master?”

“Huh? General Huang knows my master…?” Shitou slapped his thigh in realization. “Zhi Que said our Marquis has deep roots in the military—of course the Master knows General Huang!”

Seeing Qingyun and the Sheng household’s young servants smiling, Shitou frowned: “Brother Qingyun, what’s going on?”

Qingyun said: “Shitou, General Huang is your master’s brother-in-law.”

“Brother-in-law?!” Shi Tou exclaimed in surprise.

Qing Yun explained a few words, and immediately saw Shi Tou’s eyes light up: “Whoa, so I might actually get to meet this person someday!”

Everyone in the room chuckled and nodded.

Sipping hot tea and chatting, a young servant from the Sheng household asked curiously: “By the way, Brother Qing Yun, we haven’t seen you or Fifth Young Master Xu around our place these past few days—what have you been up to?”

Qing Yun cracked open a chestnut and smiled: “For the past few days, I’ve been helping the Young Master attend weddings—Chai’s Second Son, Li’s Second Son, and Zheijue’s Young Master all got married, so I’ve been busy with them.”

“Oh!” Everyone in the room nodded in understanding.

Then,

the Sheng household’s gatekeeper servant chatted a bit more with Shi Tou.

“So your family makes a living on the Grand Canal? How’s your swimming?” the Sheng servant asked.

Shi Tou took the date Qing Yun handed him: “Heh, not bad—I can hold my breath underwater for half a cup of tea.”

“Wow! That’s impressive!” the Sheng servant praised.

Shi Tou shook his head: “My brother says this isn’t much! Back on the Canal, there was a gang of cunning water bandits—each one was formidable. Among them, six or seven could hold their breath for half a cup of tea.”

“Several families richer than mine have been extorted and robbed by this gang.”

Seeing Shi Tou’s sturdy frame, the gatekeeper’s group all looked astonished.

Further inquiry revealed that the stretch of the Canal where Shi Tou’s family lived was only one or two hundred li from Yangzhou.

“Brother Shi Tou, is that gang of water bandits still active?” the Sheng gatekeeper asked.

Shi Tou shook his head: “Five or six years ago, that gang vanished without a trace!”

“I heard vaguely they angered someone they shouldn’t have—on the Canal, elite fighters from the Hu Yi Water Army, dispatched from the capital, drowned them in the river.”

Listening to Shi Tou’s words, Qing Yun’s expression shifted from surprise to deep thought.

“Shi Tou, what was the leader of that gang called?” Qing Yun asked.

Shi Tou shook his head: “That gang was skilled and meticulous—came and went like shadows. Even my family rarely heard their leader’s name. Some said they came from the sea navy, others claimed they were from the inland river navy—there were many theories.”

Qing Yun asked a few more questions, but his mind remained clouded, then said: “Shi Tou, when I accompanied the Young Master’s Lady to Yangzhou, we dealt with several fierce bandits along the way.”

Shi Tou froze, compared the dates with Qing Yun, then nodded in astonishment: “Brother Qing Yun—that gang vanished right around that time!”

The Sheng servants had heard Qing Yun mention the water bandits during the southern journey to Yangzhou before, so no further description was needed.

Soon,

daylight broke outside, the sun rose, and the charcoal brazier in the gatehouse was extinguished.

After checking and cleaning the stable once more, everyone stood in the sunlight and continued talking.

After afternoon classes,

the sky had grown dim, but Xu Zaijing paid no attention to the Gu household’s driver.

On the way back to the Hou Fu,

after hearing Qing Yun’s account,

Xu Zaijing turned in surprise and said: “The Gu household hired a new driver named Shi Tou? And he’s Zhi Que’s older brother?”

Qing Yun nodded vigorously.

Xu Zaijing said: “I recall you mentioned Zhi Que’s family had some kinship with Lady Bai’s maternal side, correct?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Xu Zaijing nodded thoughtfully: “Then tomorrow, I must meet this boy.”

After all, Shi Tou’s fate had changed significantly.

Evening,

Xi Guozi Alley,

the Kang household,

a maid carried a tray through the corridor, lit by lanterns.

The maid passed through halls and doors to Lady Kang Wang’s courtyard, then handed the bamboo tube from the tray to the maid standing at the entrance.

“Madam, this came through the main gate—it’s a letter from the Wang family.”

The maid stepped into the room and whispered.

“Quick, give it to me,” Lady Kang Wang said with eager anticipation.

She opened the envelope inside the bamboo tube and read it carefully by candlelight.

Skimming through it in a glance, Lady Kang Wang’s smile faded; her chest heaved as she angrily slapped the letter onto the table.

“Feng Shi, you vile woman! You’re a Wang family daughter-in-law! How dare you speak to me like this! Wretch!”

“Now that the Sheng household is rising, you go crawling to kiss their boots! Pah!”

At that moment,

“Young Master has returned.”

A maid announced from outside.

Hearing this, Lady Kang Wang took a deep breath; her fierce expression vanished instantly, replaced by a smile.

Just as she turned to leave, she glanced at the letter and quickly shoved it into her sleeve.

Kang Jin, who had just entered, noticed this and asked curiously: “Mother, what’s that?”

Lady Kang Wang smiled: “Jin Er, nothing—it’s a letter from your maternal grandmother.”

Kang Jin walked to the table, sat down, and idly picked up a candied fruit: “What did Grandmother write about?”

Lady Kang Wang forced a smile: “It’s about your sisters’ marriages.”

(End of Chapter)