Tong Qisheng exclaimed from behind, "He even called her 'Madam' and 'Young Master'! Zhenshu, you've read too many storybooks. You've been fooled like this by a notorious bandit."
Fujisaki angrily retorted, "You pedantic scholar, what nonsense are you spouting? My young master is..."
Zhenshu was afraid that if he said anything more, Tong Qisheng would gossip about him, and she was also afraid that Tengsheng would reveal Du Yu's whereabouts and Tong Qisheng would report him to the authorities, who would then pursue him. So she pulled Tengsheng hard and said, "Listen to me, go quickly, get out of here quickly."
She had only taken a few steps, tugging at Tengsheng's clothes, when she suddenly heard a thud behind her. Turning around, she saw Tengsheng lying on the ground. Tong Qisheng was still holding a rock, about to smash it down on Tengsheng's head. Zhenshu rushed over to block him, and the rock struck her wrist instead. Enraged, Zhenshu slapped Tong Qisheng and yelled, "He's just a kid, he mistook someone for someone else at night, and you actually attacked him?"
Tong Qisheng jumped up and said, "He calls you mistress, so you and that man are really a couple. You even lied to me with nonsense, and you don't dare to share a room with me. You are the real..."
He pointed at Zhenshu, too angry to speak.
Zhenshu knelt on the ground to help Tengsheng up, but when she touched his head, it was ice-cold and covered in blood. She was both frightened and furious, and showed Tong Qisheng her hand, saying, "You actually killed him!"
Tong Qisheng was also startled. He threw a stone to test Teng Sheng's breathing and said, "He's still breathing. It would be bad if someone saw him. You go quickly, I'll carry him to the county town to find a doctor."
Chapter 33 Tiger Skin
Zhen Shu couldn't stay any longer. Seeing Tong Qisheng carrying Teng Sheng on his back and running towards Qiao Sheng, she also staggered home.
As soon as she entered the door, she saw her father, Song Anrong, standing with his hands behind his back on the steps. He waved to her and said, "Come here."
After Zhenshu followed her father into the room and sat down, Song Anrong asked, "Have you sorted everything out?"
Zhenshu nodded slightly. Song Anrong continued, "I thought it might be inappropriate for you young ladies to discuss matters in front of adults, which is why I didn't ask your Uncle Zhao to come along. Did he give you any trouble?"
He suddenly noticed faint bloodstains on Zhenshu's sleeve, grabbed it, and asked, "He actually hit you?"
Zhenshu quickly waved her hand and said, "No, I'm fine. I just got scratched by the locust tree."
Before Song Anrong could ask any more questions, Zhenshu suddenly covered her face and cried, "Father, I have embarrassed you."
His grown daughter had been lost in the mountains for days, and now her reputation was being ruined by gossip. One can only imagine the pain Song Anrong felt. After pondering for a while, he said, "I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer."
Zhenshu stopped sobbing and said, "Where else can we go? This is our home."
Song Anrong had grown up in the capital since childhood, so he naturally only considered this place a temporary residence. Zhenshu, on the other hand, had been born and raised here, and Caijia Temple was her hometown in her heart.
Song Anrong said, "I thought about it for half a day after I came back today, and I also discussed it with your Uncle Zhao. Now you are the subject of much gossip here, and I can't silence the gossip on my own. I also really can't bear to see others insult my daughter anymore. So, I want to sell this family business and move to another place to live."
Caijiasi is a large village, and Song Anrong owns nearly half of its land. Because it is close to Huixian County and consists mostly of paddy fields and flat land, it is quite valuable.
Zhenshu asked, "Where else can we go?"
Song Anrong said, “Your Uncle Zhao used to be an apprentice in a mounting shop in the capital. Later, he came to our family, and he still has the skills. Now that your aunt has passed away, this place is a place of sorrow for him, and he doesn’t want to stay any longer. He said that he has the skills, and we should contribute some money to buy a shop in the capital. We can open a mounting shop there to make a living. Although we will have to work hard, we should do something in our lives. I have no skills and nothing to do all these years. I have worked hard for many years to have a son, but now it’s all just a mirage. I have also delayed the important matters of several daughters’ marriages, and I feel very ashamed. Although the capital is not what you like, Caijia Temple is already in this state. What else can we do but go?”
Zhenshu hesitated and said, "I'm afraid that we outsiders will come to the capital and not be able to find a place to stay, and we will lose our money. What should we do?"
Song Anrong said, "How do you know it's not reliable if we haven't done it yet? Besides, your mother has been wanting to return to the capital all these years. This time, it's good to fulfill her wish and make her happy. I have no children, so what if my family business is ruined? As long as you can find a good home, that's all that matters."
Zhen Shu said, "Selling the fields, the land, and this house is not something that can be done quickly."
Song Anrong said, "Cai Genfa's four sons are all in their prime. Some are engaged in business, while others are farming. They have accumulated a considerable amount of money. Since his sons are about to divide the family property, he wants to provide them with some land so that they won't have a small share. He is currently inquiring about land everywhere. Our land is good land, and this house is ready for immediate occupancy. Why wouldn't he want it?"
Zhen Shu thought to herself that this was the only way, and the father and daughter parted ways and went to rest.
After Du Yu parted ways with Teng Sheng, he swindled all the silver notes from Nie Gan and Fu Quan, the two attendants sent by King Ping. The three of them only had ten taels of silver left, which was barely enough to make ends meet.
He was full of hope and planned to return to Huixian after this mission to marry Zhenshu and live a good life in the future. In order to have more travel expenses to feed Zhenshu's materialistic and silk-loving mother, he dared not sell the tiger skin. He was determined to use the tiger skin that had helped him find his beautiful wife to help him establish a new family business.
Therefore, they dared not stay at inns or eat at night. When they encountered a village at night, they would sleep in the haystacks of people's fields. If they could not find a village, they could also go into a cave. In this way, they crossed the Qinling Mountains, which cut across the Central Plains and the west, and traveled along the Qin and Shu regions, heading straight for Ganzhou.
Qinzhou has been a gathering place for the wealthy since ancient times, and it is a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. Du Yu had been reluctant to sell the tiger skin, even if it meant staying in a thatched hut all the way. Now that he had arrived in Qinzhou, Nie Gan had fallen ill due to exhaustion from the journey. Fearing that Nie Gan might die on the way and it would be his fault, Du Yu reluctantly took out the tiger skin and hung it on the street to sell.
His father, Duke Du Wu, was a military governor and naturally loved hunting and shooting. Du Yu had followed Du Wu hunting since childhood and had become very skilled at skinning animals. So, except for one cut at the throat, the tiger skin was completely intact. If a wealthy family bought such a fine tiger skin and had it repaired by a skilled craftsman and reinforced with straw, it would look just like a real tiger and would be a very awe-inspiring item to ward off evil spirits.
Du Yu instructed Fu Quan to hawk his wares at the bustling city gate of Qinzhou, while he himself, wearing a straw hat, squatted behind them waiting for prices. Naturally, many people came to negotiate, each offering fifty or even a hundred dollars. Having narrowly escaped death at the hands of the tiger, Du Yu refused to sell at a low price.
There lived a wealthy man named Zhang in the city. Today, he was to welcome a distinguished guest. Because the guest was of high status, Zhang did not even dare to ride in a sedan chair. Instead, he got up early and stood respectfully at the city gate to greet him. Zhang saw that Fu Quan had laid out a tiger skin. It was a rough, dried tiger skin, but the fur was bright and the skin was intact. Moreover, it did not appear to be damaged at all from a distance. Zhang was tempted to come and take a closer look, but fearing that the distinguished guest would arrive soon, he told his steward, "Wait here. I'll go and take a look."
The steward said, "Master, this servant doesn't know what kind of carriage Godfather is riding in, or what it looks like. What if we miss it?"
Master Zhang said, "You're such a blockhead. Of course, you can recognize my godfather's carriage at a glance."
After saying this, he walked over, pointed at the tiger skin, and asked, "Brave warrior, could you let me take a closer look at this tiger skin?"
Seeing that Master Zhang was followed by a group of people standing respectfully, Fu Quan knew that he must be someone who could afford to pay a high price. He grabbed the tiger's head with one hand and held it under the neck with the other, saying, "Master, please take a closer look."
Just then, a carriage entered from outside the city. This carriage was wide and brightly painted, and its wheels were seven or eight inches wider than those of ordinary carriages. Upon seeing it, the steward immediately clapped his hands and said, "This really is our godfather."
Master Zhang stretched out his hand and said, "Brave man, I'll offer a thousand taels for your tiger skin, how about it?"
Fu Quan glanced at Du Yu and saw him staring intently at a carriage approaching from the city gate, subtly pulling his straw hat down. Zhang Yuan's asking price was the highest; if not now, when?
Fu Quan then kicked Du Yu and said, "Young Master Du, are you selling or not?"
Du Yu's face was completely covered by his bamboo hat, and he remained motionless like an old monk in meditation. Master Zhang also noticed the carriage approaching from outside the city and was about to go to greet it when he saw the prefect of Qinzhou and the garrison commander, also in plain clothes, already extending their hands in a respectful bow. At this moment, he disregarded the tiger skin and also bowed from afar, calling out, "Godfather, I am Zhang Sheng, here to greet you."
There was no sound from inside the carriage. A middle-aged man with an ugly face and unsightly appearance stood beside the carriage, holding a sword and blocking the crowd, saying: "Your Excellency is on a secret mission. Please return to your offices. Do not disturb us without a summons."
His voice, to put it nicely, is like a duck's quack; it's incredibly unpleasant, and in the sweltering summer heat, it gives anyone goosebumps.
The prefect and the garrison commander looked at each other, then quickly bowed and said, "We understand, we understand."
"Zhang Sheng, stay!" A voice suddenly came from inside the curtain, though softer, it was still sharp.
Zhang Sheng was overjoyed, as if a monk had heard the Buddha's teachings or a merchant had seen gold fall from the sky. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Your son is here. How have you been, godfather?"
The carriage curtain was slightly lifted, and two very long fingers, which shone with a jade-like luster in the sunlight, were extended from inside. They pointed to the brightly colored tiger skin that Fu Quan had collected in the distance and said, "Go and deliver that thing to the Xiankelai Inn for me."
Zhang Sheng repeatedly bowed and said, "Good, good."
Seeing that the driver was about to leave, he quickly took two steps forward and said to the man beside the carriage, "Eunuch Mei, my humble abode prepared and cleaned a fine courtyard a month ago to welcome my godfather. I would also like to ask Eunuch Mei to say a few kind words to my godfather and invite him to stay at my humble abode for one night."
The eunuch Mei glanced coldly at Zhang Sheng and said in his grating voice, "We have our own place to go. If you come to deliver tiger skin, you must state who it is, otherwise the people below will not let you into the inn."
The carriage set off, and the journey was indeed quiet, with heavy guards on both sides. It took about three to five hundred people for the procession to finish. Zhang Sheng called to the official, "Go back to the mansion quickly and get the silver notes."
He then asked Fu Quan, "Two thousand taels, let's make a deal, shall we?"
Du Yu gently tugged at Fu Quan's clothes from behind. Fu Quan naturally understood and waved his hand, saying, "At least five thousand taels. I won't sell it for less."
Zhang Gui knew that the tiger-slaying hero was going to ruthlessly exploit him today, but a thousand pieces of gold couldn't buy Yu Yichen's favor. If he could please him, Yu Yichen could easily leak some information from the capital and take care of him in various matters. His income would be ten or a hundred times more than that. So he called the steward and said, "Go to the accounting office and get five thousand taels."
Fu Quan received the silver notes and handed over the tiger skin. Turning around, he saw Du Yu still wearing the bamboo hat and laughed, "Young Master Du, we're rich now."
Du Yu turned around, took a few steps, and carried Nie Gan, who was leaning against the wall, saying, "The important thing now is to find him a doctor to prescribe some medicine. You go to his bank to exchange the money, and you take all of mine. We can use the rest for our expenses along the way."
Seeing the money exchange right across the street, Fu Quan took the silver notes and went to exchange them for silver. Du Yu, carrying Nie Gan, looked around and gritted his teeth, saying, "I almost lost my life killing a tiger, and Yu Yichen took the tiger skin. That eunuch saved my life."
Now that they had silver, they decided to stay at the best inn. Du Yu helped Nie Gan, while Fu Quan swaggered ahead. The three of them found a doctor, got the medicine, and headed towards Xiankelai Inn. At this time, the gate of Xiankelai Inn was heavily guarded. As soon as Fu Quan stepped onto the steps, a guard pointed his spear and said, "This place is under guard. No one is allowed to enter."
Fu Quan said, "That's strange. The inn is open, and I have plenty of money, so why can't I stay here?"
Although Du Yu did not see the carriage, he knew from the guards that they were from the Eastern Palace. He stepped forward and pulled Fu Quan, saying, "We can find another place."
The three men, including Nie Gan, were so weak they could barely stand. Du Yu let go and Nie Gan fell forward. The guard, thinking Nie Gan was trying to force his way in, raised his spear to stab him. Du Yu, naturally, couldn't let him pierce Nie Gan's body. He bent over and kicked the guard's spear into the roof beam, where it was firmly embedded.
Chapter 34, Father-in-law
The eunuch Mei, who was originally inside the inn, suddenly rushed out and brandished his sword to stab Du Yu. Du Yu was a fugitive who was going to do some shady things, so he didn't dare to get entangled with them. However, he was forced into the inn by a group of guards.
He didn't dare take off his straw hat, and stretched out his hand, saying, "Officials, it's all a misunderstanding. I didn't mean to offend you."
The eunuch Mei, wielding a long sword, suddenly leaped into the air, aiming the sword at Fu Quan's neck. Du Yu, however, couldn't let him succeed. He rushed into the group of guards, felling one and kicking away his spear to stop the eunuch Mei.
When Eunuch Mei tried to seize the spear, he naturally sheathed his sword. Du Yu only felt relieved after landing, when suddenly a cold wind blew behind him, and someone from behind struck his straw hat with a hidden weapon. He cursed, "Who ambushed me?"
Turning around, he saw a young man standing on the stairs. He was dressed in a dark gray round-necked Song brocade robe, with fair skin, delicate features, and an androgynous appearance. His eyes were filled with malice as he looked down at Du Yu coldly.
With nowhere to hide, Du Yu resorted to his usual shameless act, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Oh dear, I didn't know it was Eunuch Yu here. You've gotten younger and younger in the past two years."
Yu Yichen reached out and took the ring handed to him by Eunuch Mei, then walked down the steps with a slight smile on his lips, saying, "Does Duke Du know that the young master is strolling around here?"
When he spoke, it was no longer the shrill, harsh voice of a duck; instead, it was the voice of an ordinary man—deep, clear, and full of energy.
Du Yu chuckled cheekily, "Of course my father doesn't know."
Yu Yichen put his hands behind his back, circled around Du Yu, and seeing that he was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in filth, he reached out his hand and said, "I don't like living with others, so please find another place to stay, young master."
The two men standing in the lobby of the inn were a normal man, strong and muscular, exuding masculinity, and a castrated man, slender, fair-skinned, with red lips and an exceptionally beautiful face. They stood facing each other, while a group of guards with knives and spears stood outside the door.
Yu Yichen is different from ordinary people. No matter how hot the weather is, his whole body is cold. When he passes by others, they can feel his bone-chilling coldness.
He had served as a eunuch in the Eastern Palace for many years, and Crown Prince Li Xuzhe always took him with him to court. He always spoke in two tones; normally, his voice was deep and resonant, no different from that of an ordinary man, but sometimes he would switch to the eunuch's distinctive voice. Du Yu was the eunuch of Prince Ping, Li Xucheng, and they often met in the palace. He knew that Yu Yichen was ruthless, cunning, and had a keen eye for detail. Whenever he and Li Xucheng secretly hid some erotic pictures in their pockets to exchange ideas, he could always get Yu Yichen to report them to Consort Rong, and he always caught them red-handed. Consort Rong, out of consideration for Du Yu's position as the Protector General, naturally couldn't punish Du Yu, but Li Xucheng always ended up in trouble.
Du Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Yu Yichen speak in a normal, masculine tone. He knew that Yu Yichen's voice would change if he harbored malicious intentions. Since Yu Yichen was still speaking to him in a normal tone, it proved that he did not harbor any ill intentions towards him.
Yu Yichen stopped a foot away from Du Yu. Du Yu felt a chill run down his spine as the cold air enveloped him. He thought to himself, "This eunuch is on the emperor's orders to find the treasure map. I'm going to watch the excitement and cause some trouble on the surface. I can't let him see what I'm thinking."
Hearing his words, it seemed he wouldn't meddle in her affairs, and she finally felt relieved. She praised him, saying, "You are truly magnanimous, Eunuch Yu. I'll be going now."
Yu Yichen remained standing in the main hall with his hands behind his back, watching Du Yu, Fu Quan, Nie Gan, and the others leave. Du Yu even bowed to him from afar to say goodbye, a slight sneer playing on his lips. He turned and strode up the steps, asking Eunuch Mei, who was accompanying him, "Mei Xun, why do you think Du Yu came to Qinzhou?"
Mei Xun followed Yu Yichen to the door of the room. Seeing Yu Yichen enter the guest room, he stood at the door and bowed, saying, "Prince Ping sent him a letter earlier, so he should have been heading to Liangzhou. But why he detoured through Qinzhou, I don't know."
Yu Yichen washed his hands in the copper basin brought by the eunuch, took a handkerchief and wiped his soft, slender hands clean. He then threw the handkerchief into the basin, stretched out his arms, and asked the eunuch to drape a cloak over his body. He then sat cross-legged on a small couch and said, "The two people he brought with him have accents from Liangzhou."
Mei Xun asked, "Could they be subordinates of Prince Ping?"
Yu Yichen took the wine cup handed to him by the eunuch and held it in his hand. He lowered his eyes and searched for a trace of fragrance in the cup before saying, "He is also going to the Great Xia River, which is a good thing for us."
Mei Xun didn't quite understand Yu Yichen's meaning and remained standing at the door, not daring to leave. Yu Yichen held the wine cup for a long time, took a small sip, and handed the cup to the eunuch serving beside him. He then reached out and tuned the strings of the zither in front of him. After a long while, he waved his slender, fair hand and said, "Go down."
She returned to Caijia Temple. The next morning, upon hearing that the house was to be sold and the family returned, Su was so happy she almost fainted. Her bound feet were so busy that she didn't even want to touch the ground. Unlike Zhenshu, she didn't worry about the future. She believed that once Song Anrong went to the capital, he would find a way to earn money for her, and she would have a life like Shen's, with servants at her beck and call.
Zhenshu was worried about the expenses of her family of several people, and she also didn't know if Tong Qisheng had cured Tengsheng's head yesterday. She was worried all day long, but the house was in chaos and no one paid attention to her.
A few days later, Cai's mother-in-law arrived in a large group with her daughters-in-law. After inspecting the house and yard, she complained that the wallpaper was too tacky, the foundation of the yard wall was too thin and unstable, and that a large locust tree in the backyard had too many flies and insects that obscured the tranquility of the main house. She then left with a frown.
But the matter was finally settled, and the Cai family got a huge advantage, receiving a total of 50,000 taels of silver, including the land and house.
Su had already finished packing and showed no attachment to the home she had lived in for over a decade. On the contrary, Zhenshu and Zhenyuan lingered under the big locust tree, reluctant to get into the car.
Amidst the warm farewells of the entire village of Caijiasi and the curiosity surrounding the second daughter, who had allegedly consorted with a notorious bandit, inside the curtained carriage, the Song family bid farewell to Caijiasi. They arrived empty, but left fully loaded; from that moment on, Caijiasi became a thing of the past.
Not long after leaving Caijia Temple, Zhenshu, unable to bear the stuffy heat in the carriage, jumped off and walked along the road. She noticed Song Anrong constantly touching his waist while riding his horse, knowing he was carefully guarding the money, which was as valuable as his lifeblood, fearing it might be lost or robbed. Cai Genfa's family hadn't saved much money; they had both silver and banknotes, and the banknotes were all small denominations, so Song Anrong was now carrying a bulging bag.
Zhenshu then stepped forward and looked up, saying, "Although this amount of silver is small, it represents our family's life savings. It's not safe for Father to take it to the capital like this. Why don't we exchange it for a whole banknote in Huixian County and have him deposit it in a money exchange in the capital? We can then withdraw it when we arrive in the capital, what do you think?"
Nowadays, with the exchange of silver notes, both parties verify each other's documents. The person depositing the notes affixes their personal seal and official seal to both copies, one original and one duplicate. If anyone is unsure, they can add a personal seal. When the notes are redeemed in the capital, all the seals must match for the notes to be released. This way, even if someone steals the notes, without Song Anrong's seals, they cannot retrieve the silver.