Chapter 92: Hiding a Beauty in a Golden House

The Zhang family residence in Baisha County.

The Zhang family's eldest son-in-law stood in the corner of the wall, his gaze sinister as he watched the talented scholar Wu receiving guests outside the mansion gates.

"Top scholar among the students, what a grand title! In the end, he is nothing but a poor Licentiate, a stray chicken. Yet now he has climbed a high branch and pretends to be a phoenix."

Spitting a mouthful of saliva, Yang Hong entered the room and happened to see his wife playing with the embroidered pouch given by her lover.

Seeing this, Yang Hong grew even more annoyed in his heart and immediately sneered:

"Zhang Yao, you truly did not take that name in vain; since you like brothel girls so much, why not give this vast family fortune to your younger sister and her husband, and henceforth live in the brothel district yourself? Would that not be more comfortable than living at home?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yao frowned, her gaze falling upon her husband: "Yang Hong, why are you being so sour and jealous? It is not as if you have never visited brothels yourself; I do not meddle in your affairs, yet you start meddling in mine!"

"It is not that I wish to meddle, but my esteemed father-in-law has taken a fancy to your new brother-in-law; not only has he divided half the mansion for the two of them to live in, but he has also hired famous tutors to teach him his lessons, making it clear that he intends to groom him as the future master of the Zhang family."

"If this continues, where will there be any status left for you and me in this mansion?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yao was suddenly startled in her heart and said, "You have indeed awakened me; two days ago, I went to the accounting office to withdraw two hundred taels of silver, but the steward gave me only twenty taels, saying that Father had ordered that funds were tight for turnover recently and must first be prioritized for my younger sister and her brother-in-law's expenses."

"My younger sister is his biological daughter, but am I, as the elder sister, not his biological child, that I should suffer such humiliation?"

Yang Hong sighed: "A boy from a paper effigy shop, how is he worthy of our Zhang family? It is a pity that my father-in-law did not listen to my advice back then; now look, this poor boy has truly treated this place as his own home. You have not seen how prominent he is now; it is as if he were the master of the Zhang family."

Zhang Yao had never been on good terms with her younger sister, and upon hearing these words fanning the flames, her heart grew even more filled with jealousy and hatred.

"Do not worry about this matter; regarding a poor scholar, it will be easy for the two of us to drive him away."

"What clever strategy does my wife have?"

Zhang Yao smiled coldly; indeed, a woman with a heart like a snake and scorpion is born with the intent to harm others, and with just a roll of her eyes, she conceived a poisonous scheme.

She signaled for Yang Hong to lean in close, and after the two whispered for a while, Yang Hong could not help but clap his hands and praise its brilliance.

"This plan of yours, my wife, is excellent; if there is anyone to blame, it is only Wu Zhiyuan himself, born to a poor fate yet refusing to accept mediocrity."

When Xu Qing and Hu Baosong arrived in Baisha County, they happened to catch the moment when Wu Zhiyuan and his bride were preparing to bow to their elders.

Wu Yaoxing, a simple country bumpkin, had never seen such splendor!

He could not converse with those nobles, merchants, or local gentry.

Now, seeing familiar faces from the neighborhood approaching, he disregarded the proceedings before him and trotted all the way over to the two of them.

Seeing Hu Baosong looking exceptionally spirited, Wu Yaoxing's heart swelled with joy.

"Brother Hu, you have come at just the right time; we have been neighbors for so many years, not relatives but closer than relatives."

"I do not have many relatives and friends here; now that you, old brother, have come, it is better than anything else."

Hu Baosong had previously declined Wu Yaoxing's invitation on the grounds of poor health.

Today, upon meeting again, both men had fulfilled their sincere intentions.

Xu Qing, looking at Old Hu whose face glowed with health, also broke into a smile.

"Congratulations, Brother Wu; this old man has nothing worthy to give, but I happen to have two Peace Talismans on my person, which I gift to you and the Wu family boy; as long as you father and son wear them close to your bodies, you can pray for safety."

"These talismans?"

Xu Qing watched as Wu Yaoxing left holding the brocade pouch containing the yellow talismans, his heart stirring slightly.

He could clearly sense a peculiar qi condensing and not dispersing on the pouch; it resembled the demonic qi of a Chuma Immortal family, yet possessed a touch more clarity and spirituality than that.

"Just some minor arts of observing qi and reading physiognomy, nothing significant."

Not far away, the wedding ceremony was proceeding amidst great festivity; Hu Baosong, gazing at the aura surrounding Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Yaoxing, said, "Nations have rise and fall, affairs have success and failure, and people have misfortune and fortune. The father and son of the Wu family carry a strange qi; this qi is an ominous one, and I fear disaster will befall them within days."

"It is rare for this old man to be treated as a friend or relative, so I took the opportunity to gift them two spiritual talismans."

"Are these spiritual talismans truly so effective? Old Hu, why not take out another one so that I may broaden my horizons."

"Stop trying to scheme against me; these spiritual talismans hold no great mystery, and at the very least, they will not help you much; if you truly encounter ghosts or supernatural powers, they may not even be able to ensure a person's complete safety."

"However, I am not worried." Hu Baosong said with a chuckle: "If such matters truly arise, I imagine you would not sit idly by and watch."

"..."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Old Hu, have you forgotten that the day after tomorrow is the day we depart for the Hu Yang Ancient Tomb? Who knows how long that journey will take; if they truly encounter trouble, even if I wished to intervene, I would be powerless to reach them."

"That is true." Hu Baosong stroked his beard and smiled: "But it does not matter; with the protection of my spiritual talismans, I imagine they will be kept safe."

"Did you not just say your spiritual talismans are ineffective?"

"They are ineffective for you; for ordinary people, they are extremely potent!"

"Look at the way you speak; am I not just an ordinary person? Old Hu, are you really not considering drawing two for me? I happen to have cinnabar and talisman paper on my person."

"What kind of cinnabar and talisman paper does one bring to a banquet?"

"Old Hu, now you are speaking incorrectly; I run a funeral shop and often perform rituals for people; is it not reasonable for me to carry some cinnabar and talisman paper with me at all times?"

Hu Baosong glanced askance at Xu Qing and said in displeasure: "In that case, you might as well bring a coffin along too; if you happen to stumble upon business on the road, you could arrange the funeral affairs right then and there..."

Xu Qing chuckled and did not respond.

Because he truly did carry coffins on his person, and not just one.

To split the story in two: while Xu Qing was taking Old Hu to mooch a seat at the magistrate's family wedding banquet in Baisha County...

Over at Linhe Ward, outside the Coroner's Shop, which usually had cold business, a guest suddenly arrived.

Wang Lingyuan, leading several constables, walked into the shop.

However, he discovered that apart from a black cat, there was no other soul inside the shop.

He tried calling out inwardly several times, but no one answered.

After exiting the shop, Wang Lingyuan happened to see the proprietress of the Incense Shop cracking melon seeds at her doorway.

Those melon seeds and wedding candies had been delivered to her by Wu Yaoxing just yesterday.

A full basket of wedding gifts had delighted her immensely.

"Has the Shopkeeper seen Shopkeeper Xu of the Coroner's Shop?"

Upon seeing the constables, Cheng Caiyun hurriedly stood up to greet them.

"Shopkeeper Xu has likely gone to Baisha County to attend the banquet; today is the day the paper effigy shop's Wu family boy marries into the family, and the Miss is the magistrate's daughter."

"I received an invitation too, but someone has to mind the shop; otherwise, I certainly would have gone to share in the joy."

Cheng Caiyun spoke thus, yet her reason was not being unable to spare time, but unwillingness to part with the gift money.

As long as she did not attend the banquet, she need only bring a basket of eggs to the paper-effigy shop, and that would count as giving a gift.

But if one went to the Magistrate's residence, without one or two taels of silver, one would be too ashamed to even enter!

"This fellow went to Baisha County yet did not close the shop; could he not fear thieves breaking in?"

The government office runner beside them, responsible for transporting corpses, laughed: "Brother Wang speaks strangely; what thief would be idle enough to steal from a funeral shop?"

Just as the group was speaking, a young woman dressed in red, exceedingly beautiful in appearance, suddenly walked out from the coroner's shop across the street.

At this, not only did the two government office runners fall silent, but even Wang Lingyuan and Cheng Caiyun stood stunned for quite a while.

"Shopkeeper, who is this woman? Why did she emerge from my junior brother's shop?"

Cheng Caiyun also stammered, unable to give any explanation.

Wang Lingyuan thought to himself: Could it be that my junior brother has found a lover?

Returning to the shopfront with the government office runners, Wang Lingyuan spoke first: "I am the fellow disciple and senior brother of Shopkeeper Xu; may I ask, Miss, who you are, and why you emerged from my junior brother's shop?"

The woman in red lightly parted her lips, her voice remarkably clear and spirited.

"I am Shopkeeper Xu's younger sister; he has gone out on business, so the storefront is temporarily left in my care."

Xuan Yu, possessing the female corpse, dared not speak recklessly; she only kept a stern expression, resembling a pure-hearted, desire-free Taoist nun untouched by worldly dust.

"Junior Brother Xu's younger sister?" Wang Lingyuan asked in surprise: "I have never heard of this; Junior Brother never mentioned it; could you be born of the same parents?"

Xuan Yu nodded.

Wang Lingyuan grew even more puzzled; looking at their appearances, they did not seem like family at all!

"May I ask for your name, Miss?"

Xuan Yu fell silent for a moment; she had not yet given the female corpse a Taoist name, but Xu Qing had once given the female corpse a name.

"Mm, I am called Sun Erzhuang; you may just call me Erniang."

"Xu... Sun? Siblings?"

Wang Lingyuan suddenly understood.

Most likely, the sibling relationship was false, while hiding a beauty in a golden house was the truth.

Xuan Yu immediately felt she had misspoken; she had nearly forgotten that among human siblings, most share the same surname.

I should have said Xu Erniang instead.

Fortunately, Senior Brother Wang seemed not to notice anything amiss; instead, his smile grew even more enthusiastic.

"Sister-in-law... oh, it is Erniang." Wang Lingyuan cleared his throat lightly and continued: "These are two corpses sent by the government office; Erniang, do not be afraid; let us properly lay them to rest; you need not lift a finger yourself..."

After handing over the corpses, as Wang Lingyuan left the shopfront, he could not help but shake his head with a smile.

This junior brother of his had finally wised up!

Cheng Caiyun had been standing outside on tiptoe, stretching her neck to peer inside; upon seeing Wang Lingyuan lead the government office runners out of the shop, she could not resist asking:

"Honorable officers, this young wife is..."

Wang Lingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Her name is Sun Erzhuang; she is acquainted with my junior brother, not a stranger; you need not overthink it."

"Understood, understood; certainly will not overthink it."

What exactly have you understood?

Wang Lingyuan was about to leave when Cheng Caiyun spoke up to stop him.

"Officer, you are Shopkeeper Xu's senior brother, and I am also a neighbor of Licentiate Xu; two days ago, my home suffered a robbery; I wonder if you honorable officers could seek justice for me."

"Oh?" Wang Lingyuan turned to look at Cheng Caiyun, whose face was full of grievance, and asked: "Tell me, what items were lost? What did the robbers do to you?"

"Those robbers were utterly detestable; they did not steal anything else, but stole exactly fifty pairs of eggs laid by the hens I raise in my courtyard; that is a quantity that takes half a month to accumulate."

"..."

Wang Lingyuan looked at the government office runner beside him.

The two government office runners looked at each other.

Although trivial matters like this were not uncommon in the government office, few people actually reported them to the authorities.

"We have noted this matter; Shopkeeper, please remain vigilant in your daily life; if you have any clues regarding the thieves, inform the government office, and we will certainly come to arrest them."

The government office runners, accustomed to such matters, naturally spoke these polite platitudes with ease.

At the Zhang family's wedding banquet.

Wu Yaoxing and his nephew Wu Wencai were both thoroughly drunk.

Hu Baosong had also consumed much wine, yet upon leaving the banquet, the old man abruptly changed from his previously drunken demeanor.

He straightened his spine, his eyes bright and spirited.

"Young Xu, you are truly cunning; even while drinking, you use deceptive tricks to fool others."

Xu Qing likewise dropped his drunken act; after stumbling out of the banquet grounds, he immediately returned to normal.

"You, Elder, possess great skill and have methods to dissolve wine and eliminate accumulation; my skills are slight, I do not know such things, and can only use some presentable petty tricks to avoid the wine."

"You are not a bald-headed monk; so what if you drink a few cups?"

Xu Qing put away his smile and said seriously: "Wine and women ruin affairs; I have long quit drinking; moreover, I must rush back overnight to prepare your funeral affairs; naturally, it is best not to touch a drop of wine."

The Zhang family residence was quite large; as it was currently mid-summer, the pavilions and terraces were adorned with flowers and greenery, and even within the pond, brocade carp frolicked among the lotus leaves.

Seeing no one around, Hu Baosong began discussing his posthumous arrangements with Xu Qing.

"Though the silver I have saved is not abundant, it is sufficient to serve as my coffin fund."

"If you lack money, go to my shop; count from left to right on the shelves; inside the fourth and fifth urns for ashes are the assets I have accumulated over these years."

"Regardless of how much is spent afterward, take whatever remains for yourself."

Xu Qing smiled and agreed.

As the saying goes, "Murder and arson bring golden belts"; Xu Qing had killed no few people, and the silver he had scavenged from the Tianxin Sect rebel dens alone amounted to far more than ten thousand taels.

He was not short of money.

Yet, facing the goodwill Hu Baosong displayed, Xu Qing still accepted it with pleasure.

It was like the delicacies an elder could not bear to eat, saving them for their juniors, or banknotes carefully wrapped in a handkerchief; though not much, it was a token of heartfelt intent.

To show impatience, or to refuse, would instead be unseemly.

"Rest assured, since I have accepted your silver, I will certainly hold a grand funeral for you in the future."

Hu Baosong shook his head with a wry smile: "There is no need for such fuss; I am just a rotten old man, what need have I for such pomp? As for musical instruments and funeral paraphernalia, omit them if possible; so long as I can return peacefully to my ancestral mausoleum and be recognized by my ancestors, I shall be content."

"Furthermore, young Master Wu has just married; these are currently days of celebration, so it is better to handle this quietly to avoid disturbing the neighbors."

Xu Qing nodded and said: "In that case, we shall prepare a set of paper offerings according to the standard configuration; as for the funeral banners and canopies..."

"After all, the Huyang clan was once a renowned noble family of antiquity; if one is to return to one's ancestors, one cannot be too perfunctory. Elder Hu lived over two hundred years without illness or calamity, deserving a full lifespan. Having friends and neighbors see him off at his departure constitutes a complete end."

"With both blessings fulfilled, let us take two four-seasons flower umbrellas, one paper horse, a pair of guiding paper cranes, plus one 'Five Fortunes Embracing Longevity' canopy and one 'Crane and Deer Returning Spring' canopy; thus, the family reputation shall not be disgraced."

Hu Baosong fell silent for a moment, then sighed: "Shopkeeper Xu handles matters with propriety and measure; it ought to be so. Pity only that Shopkeeper Xu was born late; had it been earlier, perhaps I would have made an exception, taken you as a disciple, and taught you some skills to establish yourself in the world."

"Old Hu, it is not too late to teach me now; I think your skill in drawing talismans is quite good; if you are willing to teach, I will bow to you as master this very moment."

"This old man is already weary today; if you truly wish to learn, wait until tomorrow. If you can indeed wait until then, it will show that you and I share this fate of master and disciple."

"Not to mention one night, I could wait even a month; I only fear you will leave me hanging."

Hu Baosong chuckled, then boarded the carriage; once the carriage drove away from the Zhang family estate, he curled up on the felt cushions laid out inside the compartment and dozed off.

Xu Qing had obtained the Art of Horse Appraisal from Crown Prince Zhao You; this art, besides enabling one to assess and recognize horses, also allowed one to control and drive them; cultivated to its depths, one could even perceive a horse's spiritual nature and communicate with it.

With such a master of horsemanship as him present, the horse before them seemed to understand human nature, avoiding potholes and gravel all the way, choosing only flat paths to travel, while maintaining an even pace and speed, greatly reducing the degree of bumpiness.

Only thus could the elder inside the carriage sleep soundly.

Consequently, the carriage did not move quickly; after nearly half a day had passed, Xu Qing finally drove from Baisha County to Linhe.

"Whoa—"

Outside the coffin shop on Jingxia Street, Xu Qing lifted the carriage curtain and said cheerfully: "Old Hu, we are home."

"Old Hu?"

"."

Xu Qing's smile froze; gazing at the motionless thin old man inside the carriage, it took him a long while to come to his senses.

Happy New Year, everyone!





(End of Chapter)