Chapter 57

Chunxiang’s sister-in-law was a household-born servant of the Hou Fu, yet she married an outsider. When she married, the Hou Fu generously granted her her freedom papers. Because of her, her whole family lived in the back alley of the Hou Fu, for mutual support and to avoid being harassed or beaten by government runners.

No government runners, no matter how powerful, dared to cause trouble on the Hou Fu’s territory.

Chunxiang’s husband was a martial man, employed at a escort agency. He recently took a shipment out of town and has not returned. Their house had the same layout as Chen’s, but with an extra side room and an extra ear room—perfect for renting out to supplement the household income.

In the past, they mostly rented to small and medium merchants from outside the capital. This was the first time they rented to a scholar—quite unusual. Chunxiang’s loud voice dropped eight octaves, even taking on a high-pitched tone—truly strange.

Chen Guanlou sliced three taels of braised meat and delivered it to Chunxiang’s house. Her three children could satisfy their cravings with three taels. He also wanted to take a look at this novelty—gauge the weight of the new scholar. Please don’t let him be someone with a martial vein; it would interfere with his own cultivation.

He knocked and entered Chunxiang’s house.

Chunxiang greeted him warmly, “You came, you came—why bring braised meat? Have you eaten? If not, join us.”

“Already ate. Ate on the way back.”

The two families were close, no need for formalities. Chunxiang didn’t bother with politeness, served tea, and chatted while tending to household chores.

At that moment, the door to the eastern side room opened. The scholar tenant stepped out, dressed neatly, but with dried eye gunk at the corners of his eyes and red veins still visible.

“Mr. Zhao, why are you up so early today? Will you eat outside, or shall I make you breakfast? We still have millet—I can cook some millet porridge.”

“Then please trouble the mistress to cook me a bowl of millet porridge and a basket of buns.” With that, Mr. Zhao handed money to Chunxiang.

Chunxiang instructed her eldest son to go buy buns, specifically telling him to go to Zhang’s. Zhang’s buns used generous ingredients, were large, and offered great value. She quietly added: buy an extra basket for Chen Guanlou. Even the millet porridge was prepared for two portions.

“This gentleman?” Mr. Zhao clearly noticed the unfamiliar Chen Guanlou and asked curiously.

Chen Guanlou smiled and greeted him, “I’m Chen—Chen Guanlou. I live next door.”

“Ah!” Mr. Zhao suddenly understood. “You’re Little Chen, the one who works at the Tianlaomiao.”

“That’s right!”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Mr. Zhao had none of the usual scholar’s disdain for jailers, but he also kept a normal social distance.

“Where are you from, Mr. Zhao?” Chen Guanlou inquired about his household registration.

Mr. Zhao didn’t hide it, nor did he show caution. “My family is from Fuzhou.”

“Fuzhou is a fine place. Are you adjusting to the capital? The food here differs greatly from Fuzhou.”

“It’s fine! Not my first time away—I adapt well.” Mr. Zhao was proud. At his age, twenty-something, he was still in the stage of wanting to show off.

Chen Guanlou saw that the man had no martial vein and had never trained. He relaxed immediately.

“Mr. Zhao, if you ever run into trouble in the capital, don’t hesitate to let me know. For matters on the streets, I can still lend a hand.”

He didn’t overpromise—only said he could help with street affairs. The implication: he couldn’t assist with official matters.

Hearing this, Mr. Zhao immediately warmed to him and offered to treat Chen Guanlou to drinks.

Chen Guanlou accepted, saying they’d drink together another day, and he’d introduce him to the capital’s sights and customs.

Around noon, Chen Guanlou went to visit Master Du.

Master Du’s wife and children all remained in their hometown; only an old servant attended him. Each time Chen Guanlou came, he was delighted—not only because Chen always brought wine and food, but because the old man and the young man truly got along.

Master Du taught at the Hou Fu and often felt lonely. He had no one to talk to. Chen Guanlou’s visits filled that void, making his life richer.

Upon seeing him, Master Du warmly greeted him, ordering the old servant to take the braised beef to the kitchen, slice it, and serve it. He also arranged two additional small dishes—it was a happy day.

“Last time, thanks to your advice,” Master Du volunteered. “A few days ago, I met with the Elder Master.”

Chen Guanlou was curious. “What did the Elder Master say? Did he make any statement?”

Master Du sighed deeply. “When he learned of my situation, he told me to focus on teaching without worrying about the Second Master. He said he trusted my character and scholarship, and if any issues arose at the private school, I could report directly to him.”

“Congratulations, Master Du. From now on, you needn’t fear the Second Master catching your mistakes or losing your position at the Hou Fu’s private school.” Chen Guanlou was genuinely happy for Master Du—and for himself. Master Du’s scholarship was excellent; he didn’t want to replace him yet.

Master Du laughed heartily, pleased with himself, raised his cup, and the old and young man drank together.

As they drank and grew warm with wine, Master Du brought up another matter. “The things you mentioned last time truly startled me. When I met the Elder Master, I followed your advice and dared to mention two points. The Elder Master’s expression darkened, and I didn’t dare say more. But I suspect he heard me.”

After speaking, Master Du glanced around, then lowered his voice sharply. “A few days ago, I heard the Hou Fu hired a new physician to diagnose the Lady’s pulse. Word is, even the prescription was changed.”

Chen Guanlou picked up a slice of braised beef and smiled. “Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are sickly—I always suspected something odd. And so it proves! The Elder Master replaced the physician—what did the Hou Fu’s old matriarch say?”

“I heard the old matriarch accused several maids of misconduct and reprimanded the Second Young Lady, saying she hadn’t learned proper etiquette. Oh, the Second Young Lady is from the First Branch. Though born to a concubine, she was raised since childhood under the Lady’s care, treated as a true daughter.”

Chen Guanlou snorted. “The old matriarch is panicking. People shouldn’t panic—panic leads to mistakes. Here she is, reprimanding maids and the Second Young Lady—actions the Elder Master can’t help but notice. But the old matriarch is still strong and holds the moral high ground of filial piety. The Hou Fu still has a long fight ahead.”

Master Du clicked his tongue. “I thought the same. For a young man, you think so deeply. Where did you learn this?”

“Didn’t you forget? I lived for years with my elder sister in the Su household—I learned to read people’s hearts. Now I work in the Tianlaomiao. That place? Full of demons and monsters. Without a hundred and eight tricks, you’d be sold off before you knew it.”

“How could the Tianlaomiao be so dangerous?” Master Du didn’t understand. To ordinary people, a Tianlaomiao jailer was just a guard—why would he need to play mind games? Mind games were for court officials.