Chapter 367: Times Have Changed

No lawsuit, no lawsuit......

Really, I can't help it!

Bai Fugui nearly burst into tears, recounting the past month in detail, especially what he had seen and heard in Yongzhou Zhoufu.

He indeed hadn't added embellishments, but he truly couldn't withstand Du Shanü's 'penniless embarrassment'; his actions were thus especially improper, and he directly had the person 'invited' out of the government office.

Thus, there became all the more to talk about.

The moon bright, stars sparse; crows fly south.

The dim oil lamp burned steadily; in the study only Bai Fugui's incessant plaintive voice could be heard, along with the occasional crackle of the lamp.

Thus line: Bai Liren sat behind the documents, steadily dipping his brush and laying down strokes; from time to time he lifted his eyes from the towering files to glance at the old servant's face that 'thundered without rain'.

He understood the old servant's temperament well, so he didn't press further about the grievances the servant had suffered along the way; he simply took a packet of silver from the cabinet beneath the documents and handed it over, then casually asked:

"Oh? The person now in charge of Yongzhou is actually a woman?"

Seeing the silver, Bai Fugui's brows relaxed and eyes smiled; he stepped forward a few paces, carefully shielding the silver in his bosom, and hastily replied:

"Exactly. My lord had originally intended to recommend him for a spring audience, but it has already been used by her; she is addressed as 'Lord' and her demeanor is most respectful."

"That day I happened to see him first, then stepped forward to chat; I never expected he would directly bring me into the government office, which is how all those later events came about......"

"Those later events are just what he just said."

"Yongzhou has been rude; I suppose my lord will no longer consider Yongzhou in the future......"

"Poor Yongzhou, daring to offend my lord—hasn't he heard that Yama is easy to see but minor demons are hard to deal with?"

Bai Fugui felt the heavy sack of silver in his bosom and let out a deep sigh in his heart.

The night watch dragged on, lamp flowers sputtered softly, and the room was filled with a clear, tranquil light.

Thus line: Bai Liren still showed no expression; after asking that question, he seemed indifferent, as if lost in thought, yet continued to write whatever he was writing.

Today he had taken off the daytime bound silk robe and wore only a set of plain fine hemp nightclothes.

The fabric was soft and light, its hue like frost and snow; the collar hung loose, revealing a slender collarbone; the sleeves were wide and flowing, covering most of the back of his hands, leaving only a sliver of white at the fingertips—no trace of middle-aged weariness, instead adding a touch of carefree, unrestrained elegance.

His usual neatly bound long hair tonight fell completely loose, black strands like flowing clouds cascading over his shoulders and down his back, a few wisps brushing his cheeks, trembling lightly with the subtle motion of his pen.

Years had not etched withered traces upon him; instead they washed away the youthful roughness, making his bearing ever clearer and his grace more refined—truly the rare 【natural elegance】.

Today Thus line: Bai Liren seemed to have endless duties, one hand lightly pressing the paper, the other holding a plain brush; his wrist bones were clear, fine, and upright, his strokes unhurried, the ink slowly spreading on the plain paper.

Bai Fugui didn't know why his lord was so busy today, why he gave no reply, or what he was writing; but after a few close looks he still saw that, beneath the lamp, the man's temples bore a faint trace of two or three strands of extremely pale frost.

At the corners of his eyes lingered an indelible trace of fatigue.

Back then he was like a jade tree in the wind, dignified and magnificent, able to make a renowned courtesan instead urge people to invite him into the pavilion for tea......

After all, he's just grown old.

The silver is still heavy, the body still aches.

However, Bai Fugui's earlier joy at receiving the reward gradually sank again.

Silver is good, silver is good; everyone under heaven knows silver is good.

But how can silver buy back one's youth?

He could still rely on his lord's patronage to marry a virtuous wife, raise children over the years, enjoy family bliss, yet his lord after all these years remains alone!

Bai Fugui dared not dwell on the past; he merely prepared to keep his lord company longer tonight.

However, what Bai Fugui didn't expect was that, not long after the night grew quiet, footsteps sounded outside; then the Bai family's chief steward, Bai Fuyu, anxiously shoved the door open and rushed straight into the study.

The chief steward was named Bai Fuyu, a person taken in by the lord after he made his fortune; he was roughly the same age as Bai Fugui, and their ordinary relations were decent, but he had never before acted so improperly.

Bai Fugui could tell that the lord was somewhat different from usual today, fearing the steward might provoke his anger, he was about to speak up when the steward blurted out:

"My lord! My lord! A great joy!"

"The person you've been inquiring about these years has been located!"

Just those words were like thunder clearing the sky.

Not only Bai Fugui, but even Thus line: Bai Liren, who had been writing fervently behind the documents, stopped short, jerked his head up, and looked toward Bai Fuyu.

Having served many years, Bai Fugui immediately realized why tonight was so unusual——

"Investigating the young master's affairs'—these years it has never ceased."

The lord has been burning the midnight oil tonight, indifferent to Yongzhou's rudeness; there can only be one explanation.

That is, the lord feels there is something more important than Yongzhou!

How could something he has long kept in mind not be important!

Bai Fugui's heart gave a great start; he instantly pricked up his ears to listen closely.

Bai Fuyu, over fifty and usually of a 'broad-minded, stout' build, had been panting heavily from his run, yet he was still wiping his sweat and reported:

"I've asked clearly, everything is clear!"

"A few days ago, the scout we sent out happened to meet in Maoming City an old man who had once served in that... that brothel in Jinling; logically he should now be in Jinling, but the scout found it odd and struck up a conversation."

"Unexpectedly, he said that back then a child had returned and redeemed the entire brothel's staff......"

These words were halting and unclear.

However, Bai Fugui, as a longtime follower, naturally understood the weight and context.

The lord had spent years in the examinations without taking office; he himself could barely make a living, so naturally he could never fulfill the promise he once made to that famed courtesan.

The lord passed the provincial exam thirty‑four years ago; he met that courtesan twenty‑five years ago, yet only fifteen years ago did he manage to secure a minor post through the civil‑service board.

Once he became an official, the lord tried every means to scrape together silver to redeem that courtesan, but it was all like grasping at the moon in water.

That courtesan had long since burned out her oil and wick; the year before the lord took office, she was hastily buried in a straw mat in the Mass Grave.

They had inquired up and down the brothel back then, hearing that the courtesan had left behind a son, and had once wanted to look for him.

However, the old midwife with dim eyes could give no details, merely repeating over and over:

"I too would like that silver, but the child was born with blood still not wiped from his body; the head courtesan urged me to send the child away quickly, and after ten‑odd years I have reached this age, truly I no longer remember what the child looked like......"

The midwife grandma couldn't remember what the child looked like; she could only vaguely recall that the child had been sent to some orphanage.

However, when they caught up to the orphanage, they found the orphanage's adoption records clearly wrong—unclear whether the orphanage was muddled, secretly selling the children in private, or the recorder at the time had been drunk while logging, and over the years several volumes of the records have been covered up and altered.

Over these years, in searching for the child, they could only hope the child hadn't been sold privately and was still recorded in that orphanage's ledger.

Thus they still went through the children one by one, checking those whose ages matched.

As a result, they were now told that their search at the orphanage had turned up nothing, while the brothel actually still had clues?!

Bai Fugui was shocked, suppressing his violently trembling heart as he listened closely.

Bai Fuyu drew a breath, then spoke:

"...... that old woman said, saying that about three or four years after we went to inquire about that top courtesan, another half-grown youth came to the brothel; though his clothes were unremarkable, his looks were truly astonishing, extremely like that former top courtesan."

"He somehow came up with silver and generously bought freedom for everyone in the brothel......."

That year's top courtesan was only a year away from waiting for the accomplished Thus line: Bai Liren.

Yet the accomplished Thus line: Bai Liren was off by several years from that later youth, so they missed each other.

Who could have imagined?

They had been searching the orphanage's registers, but the youth actually went straight back to that brothel where it all began!

And precisely because the youth redeemed everyone in the brothel and sent them home, their agents happened to meet, while searching for relatives in Maoming City, that old woman who had once been seen in the brothel, and thus learned the new news—

By the time Bai Fuyu finished speaking, he was utterly exhausted, yet he still gestured desperately in the air:

"That grandma said, the youth who later returned.... has a mole on each of his brow, cheek, and nose bridge."

"This child does not resemble his father, the old master, but is extremely like his mother; that grandma has seen many beauties in her life, yet when mentioning this child she cannot stop praising, saying that if he were a woman, no one under heaven could surpass him......"

"Ay! My older brother, I know you're excited to have found the young master, but why did you just plop down on the ground?!"

Those last words were not a report to the old master, but were addressed to Bai Fugui.

Bai Fugui had listened intently throughout, quite excited, but when he heard the last sentence, the heavy packet of silver in his arms suddenly fell to the ground, and he himself collapsed sitting, unable to rise for a long time.

Bai Fuyu thought this older brother was excited from finding the young master and wanted to help him up, so as not to lose decorum in front of the old master.

However, however.

Bai Fugui's mind was no longer concerned with losing decorum, but only with a single thought—

He grabbed Bai Fuyu, who was trying to help him up, with such force that he almost dragged him to the ground.

He couldn't care about that, just desperately tapping his face back and forth, asking incoherently:

"Brow, cheek, nose bridge...... are the moles in those spots? Are the moles in those spots?"

This time, not only Bai Fuyu, but even Thus line: Bai Liren behind the documents sensed something was wrong.

But Bai Fugui couldn't care less about all that; after receiving an affirmative answer, he let out a miserable scream, then rolled and crawled, collapsing face-down before the documents, wailing:

"Old master! Old master! I've seen the young master! I've seen the young master!"

"The young master is here, the young master is here......"

"The young master is beside that Yongzhou lady you just mentioned to me......"

This too is nothing.

This should also be nothing.

After all, even names like those seen in spring with Chen Weifang had become her subjects, but what's utterly wrong is—

The young master, he seems not to be a subject, but rather, but rather……

Bai Fugui pressed his forehead to the ground, smearing all the tears on his face onto the expensive Persian carpet:

"The young master, he seems to have become that woman's...... male favorite."

The two words "male favorite" hit the ground.

Beside him, the helpless Bai Fuyu also went weak in the legs, collapsing straight to the ground with a loud thud.

Inside the study, no one spoke.

After a long while, only sobbing, sniffling, and the nearly extinguished terrified gasps remained.

Bai Fugui's head felt like paste; after crying his head off for a while, he finally realized that his own old master had not uttered a single word so far.

Old master……

Old master, haven't you all these years been wanting to find the young master?

How come now you're so calm?

Could it be, could it just be Lord Ye's love of dragons?

You've longed for that child, yet upon finding him you then discard him like worn-out shoes?

Or perhaps, or perhaps only now do you suspect that child is not your own blood……

No, no, no, impossible.

That famous courtesan had done great favors for the old master back then.

She not only funded the old master's studies, but also personally paid out silver, voluntarily combing his hair and refusing other clients.

They carefully checked, and that child is clearly the old master's flesh and blood.

How could the old master only now think to doubt that child's identity?

That's clearly impossible!

Then, could it be that the old master despises his own child for now being a male favorite?

Bai Fugui couldn't tell, but having accompanied the old master for many years, he knew somewhat of his thoughts and didn't think his own old master was such a cold-blooded, heartless person.

Some things can be seen from the old master's obstinate pursuit of wealth over these years.

Years of poverty killed the once vigorous and ambitious scholar.

That scholar became a high official that ordinary folk could not look up to, yet he remained stuck in the past, believing money could accomplish everything.

If he couldn't achieve it, the only explanation was that the money simply wasn't enough.

Such a person, they say they love silver the most, but when it truly comes to the moment of decision......

"How much silver do we still have at home?"

A remark from above interrupted Bai Fugui's racing thoughts.

Bai Fuyu, standing beside Bai Fugui, knew the question was directed at him; he scrambled over on his hands and knees and replied:

"On the books we still have over ten thousand taels of silver presented as tribute from all sides, the granaries hold thousands of mu of good farmland, there are more than ten manors, and......"

"Sold."

Again, just those two simple words cut off Bai Fuyu's speech.

Thus line: Bai Liren seemed to have little patience tonight, but his tone remained as flat as ever, revealing no emotion.

Bai Fugui heard a faint sound from behind the documents; he rose and, step by step, went around the corner of the table to approach them.

Thus line: Bai Liren's voice still hung above, but it was too far, too far, as if from the clouds.

Bai Fugui vaguely sensed something was wrong; he wanted to lift his head, but felt a warm trickle drop onto the back of his hand.

At first Bai Fugui thought it was his father, who, though keeping a calm façade, was actually weeping from joy.

But when he looked closely, he realized the mark on the back of his hand was not a tear—it was a speck of bright red blood!

"Sir!"

"Sir!"

Bai Fugui startled, about to raise his head, but in his peripheral vision he saw the lamp light sway; the tall, graceful figure that should have stood upright collapsed straight to the ground, and no matter how the two of them called out, they could not save him.

That figure lay face down, his features unseen, but blood poured freely from his chin.

That blood dripped drop by drop, flowing past the corners of his mouth, his jaw, his chest, until it submerged everything......

Yet the source of all that agony, the voice remained calm from start to finish, or rather, only the numbness of a terminal illness:

"Everything's sold."

"All things, everything's sold."

"Then go and buy back my poor, unfortunate child......"

?? Comb: a long-term possessive relationship.

? Chinu was eight when Mei Yun took her away and sent her into the palace; Old Bai only became an official when Chinu was nine, which was indeed unfortunate, and the records were indeed altered—after all, one couldn't just say 'taken away by Mei Yun and sent into the palace' and such.

? As for the plot in this chapter where Chinu redeems a courtesan, it was mentioned in passing in chapter 141; if you're interested, you can go back and look— I won't repeat it here.

? All the plots in this story have been foreshadowed~

? Right, everyone, don't think Old Bai is just normal......