"Master, the back mountain..."
Dao Wu squatted on the ground with his hands covering his head. After the evening class today, his master insisted on eating braised pork from Dongpo Tower with his life. As such a filial disciple, he naturally refused this unreasonable request righteously, and was therefore punished.
The larks outside chirped incessantly. They usually nested in the parasol trees on the back mountain. Unless disturbed, they wouldn't come to Qing Shan Guan. All the sounds converged in Dao Wu's ears and could be described by four words: chattering骂骂咧咧!
The larks were scolding, and their words were extremely vulgar.
Yunlan Zi, with his sleepy eyes half-open, glanced at Dao Wu. "What? You promised to buy me braised pork from Dongpo Tower?"
Dao Wu understood.
So Dao Wu covered his ears.
If he couldn't hear or see, he wouldn't know anything!
The back mountain? The back mountain was very good!!!
Dao Ji got up and lit the candle, and the room suddenly brightened. He pushed open the window, and the cold, damp air rushed in. It had rained heavily today, and small puddles had formed in the low-lying areas of the courtyard. The rain had stopped, and the moon's reflection was in the water. It was as if each puddle was filled with the moon, one by one, the moon entering the courtyard.
Dao Ji did not have the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery at the moment. He gazed into the distance, towards the graveyard beyond the dense forest.
After the rain stopped today, the servants of the Southern Mansion sent Liu Shi's coffin to the graveyard. However, it had only rested for two hours. Although Liu Shi was full of evil deeds, digging up graves was considered unpropitious. However... Dao Ji sighed. No matter how revered Qing Shan Guan was, it could not contend with the imperial family. As his martial uncle Yun Qing Zi said, their Qing Shan Guan was probably destined for disaster if they remained open.
...
The main roads of the capital were paved with bluestone slabs. Even with the heavy rain, there was no mud. However, outside the capital, most of the ground was muddy. Although the rain had stopped for several hours, the ground was still muddy. The wheels of the carriage rolled over, leaving two long tracks.
Nan Shiying tied Liu Shi's body to the back of the carriage with a rope and dragged it all the way.
"Hoo~"
Xuan Yi reined in the horse. The steed neighed and stopped.
Nan Shiying and Xiao Man jumped off the carriage. Xuan Yi got off and walked to the back of the carriage, untied the rope, and carried Liu Shi's body to Granny Wang's grave.
The sapling she had planted by Granny Wang's grave had grown a few more inches. The sapling swayed in the wind and was not crushed by the heavy rain today.
After kowtowing and offering incense, Xiao Man retreated to the side.
Nan Shiying did not act. Xuan Yi took over and cremated Liu Shi's body in front of Granny Wang's grave.
The color of the soil in front of the grave deepened a few shades.
...
For several days, the capital was plunged into a strange calm.
The people from Da Li huddled in the post station, and the number of people sent to protect them increased day by day. Yesterday, when the imperial physician sent by Ji Hong to be stationed at the post station inspected the food, he found arsenic in it.
This incident was not blown out of proportion. The guards directly took away everyone who had come into contact with the food, and then quietly replaced them with a new batch.
Nan Chaoyin had not left his mansion for several days, seemingly no longer concerned with court affairs. He spent his days grinding ink, practicing calligraphy, and studying painting, living a leisurely life of retirement in advance.
Rumors were rife in the capital, but no alarming or rebellious words spread. It was just that the recent situation made the common people restless. Only Huancai Pavilion and Yipin Ju in the entire capital remained unaffected.
Since Wang Qiancheng stopped going to Huancai Pavilion, Liu Cheng was confined by Liu Wanjun. Liu Cheng never expected that one day Wang Qiancheng would become the reason his grandfather scolded him and the person his grandfather told him to learn from. Was there any justice? Was there any law?
Hearing that Liu Cheng was confined, Wang Qiancheng brought roasted chicken to see him and also brought him a pot of Huadiao wine.
"Brother Liu, I've finally realized it. Life is fleeting. Living aimlessly is also a lifetime, and living a life of grandeur is also a lifetime. You and I, we've visited brothels, played polo, gambled... we've done everything we could without breaking the law, but were you happy?"
Just as Liu Cheng was about to nod, Wang Qiancheng stuffed a cup into his hand and answered for him, "Not happy, right!"
No, I was happy!
Liu Cheng looked at Wang Qiancheng speechlessly. Wang Qiancheng seemed not to notice and continued to talk to himself. "Although every day seems full, in reality, here!" Wang Qiancheng poked his heart forcefully. "It's like a large chunk has been dug out, a void that nothing can fill."
"Before, everyone said I, Wang Qiancheng, was a good-for-nothing, a decadent young master who only knew how to eat, drink, whore, and gamble. Was I? Yes! I just thought, since I'm decadent, I'll be decadent to the end. Since I'm being scolded, even if I hadn't done it before being scolded, I have to make it happen after being scolded."
"People are sometimes like this, right? When the fire in their hearts is extinguished for various reasons, they just completely give up!"
Liu Cheng suddenly raised his head and drank the wine in the cup in one gulp.
Wang Qiancheng drank cup after cup of wine. Seemingly drunk, he didn't pay attention to Liu Cheng's reaction and continued to talk to himself. "Lan'er is a good girl. I... I know I don't deserve her, so I thought, if I could be more ambitious, work harder, would that allow her... allow her not to be ostracized or ridiculed by other women in the future."
"Grandfather said I can do it."
"Grandfather said you can do it too!"
"Brother Liu, I don't want to mess around anymore. I want to fight for a future for Lan'er and for myself."
"What about you!"
"I, I..."
Wang Qiancheng, drunk, lay down on the table and fell asleep. Liu Cheng's eyes turned red as if his throat was choked by alcohol. He suddenly stood up, grabbed Wang Qiancheng's collar, and pulled him up from the chair. His eyes were wide with anger, wishing he could smash the wine bottle directly on Wang Qiancheng's head. He roared, "Are you treating me like an idiot? Do I not know your alcohol tolerance? Playing this trick on me here? You little brat are like singing a ballad in front of the King of Hell, wielding a broadsword in front of Guan Yu! Get lost!"
As Liu Cheng spoke, he flung Wang Qiancheng away.
Just as he was about to fall to the ground, Wang Qiancheng opened his eyes, supported himself with his hand, and stabilized his body. He looked at the floor within his reach, thought for a moment, and felt that it was an insult to continue acting at this moment. So he slowly stood up.
His face was red but his heart was not pounding. He complained, "Brother Liu, look at you, why are you so bad-tempered? I..."
"Get lost!"
"Alright!"
Wang Qiancheng was as obedient as ever and truly rolled away when told to.
"Wait!"
Just as Wang Qiancheng was about to push the door and run, Liu Cheng called him back. Wang Qiancheng turned his head and looked at Liu Cheng, whose face was as dark as ink. His chest heaved, and his hands hanging by his sides were clenched into fists.
For a moment, Wang Qiancheng didn't want to stay any longer.
Seeing his demeanor, Liu Cheng was so angry that he wanted to kill him. He endured it again and again, then squeezed out a few words from his throat: "Tell the old man, I understand!"