Mo Sang – CH 085

Chapter 85. People Are Different

The gates of the Marquis of Yongping’s residence had not been opened since the Emperor publicly reprimanded Marquis Shen He during the morning court session and dismissed him from his post as Minister of Rites that same day.

Afterwards, the eldest son of the Shen family, Shen Mingshu, was also beaten with a cane at the entrance of the Chuifu Palace and ordered to return home to study.

The gates were then kept even tighter.

The ostensible reason for Shen Mingshu’s beating was that the Second Prince’s recent essays on policy had been poorly written, and Shen Mingshu, as his study companion, had not done a good job, angering the Emperor and resulting in the caning.

Because of this, the Second Prince felt extremely guilty. The day after Shen Mingshu’s beating, the Second Prince, accompanied by several trusted eunuchs, quietly left and entered the Marquis of Yongping’s residence through a side gate to visit him.

Lord Shen He, accompanied by several men, escorted the Second Prince to the entrance of Tianbo Gate. Only after watching the Second Prince’s carriage leisurely enter the gate did he breathe a sigh of relief, cover his face with his veil, and walk back to his residence.

Shen Mingshu, sprawled on the bench, sat up as his father, Lord Shen, entered.

“Do not move. Second Prince has entered Tianbo Gate; do not worry.” Lord Shen gestured for Shen Mingshu to stay still, then went over and examined the bruises that covered Shen Mingshu’s buttocks and thighs.

“Physician Lu just came by, changed the dressing, and said it’s better than yesterday.” Shen Mingshu quickly reassured his father with a smile.

“How could you get better so quickly? Sigh.” Lord Shen sighed, sat down next to Shen Mingshu, and sighed again. “The Second Prince treats you with such affection; this beating is nothing.”

“Yes, Father, this whole thing was definitely Gu Xi’s scheme; he framed us!” Shen Mingshu angrily pounded the bench. “Nanny Hong, who served my aunt, was her dowry maid and has served her for decades. How could she possibly be a spy for Southern Liang?

This is slander!”

Lord Shen frowned deeply, remaining silent.

“Father, that Wen Cheng, he looks like a frail scholar, but he’s cruel and ruthless inside. You’ve said that too.

Back then, I was with Second Prince. He and that Wen Shunzhi were watching the execution. He was standing close by, and when the knife went down, blood splattered onto his face. He wiped the blood with his handkerchief; he was so cold-blooded, it was inhuman!

Second Prince was so frightened that he could not stand up and even fell ill afterward.

Who would not be afraid of murder?

With such a ruthless scoundrel, if Nanny Hong falls into his hands, what will he say to the women of the inner quarters?

Father!”

“Sigh, you child, you are too impulsive. Knowing these things, you must keep them to yourself for now.

Right now, he’s prepared all the witnesses and evidence perfectly. This trap is firmly set for your aunt and us. For now, we can only endure it.

Just now, you were going to tell Second Prince that I stopped you not because I did not believe you, but because it was not the right time.

Remember, when you speak to Second Prince, you must speak as if you were speaking to the Emperor. You cannot just say whatever comes to mind; too much talk becomes useless. You must choose the right moment, and every word you utter must carry weight.

Think carefully about what your father is telling you, understand it clearly, and remember it well.” Lord Shen patted his son and sighed.

They had been taken advantage of, caught off guard, and were now in a deep loss. Any further anxiety or anger would be futile.

“This is revenge!” Shen Mingshu could not swallow his anger any longer.

“I know. Ah, it’s good that you understand this.” Lord Shen stroked his son’s back and sighed.

“Father, I always feel that the female thief he’s keeping is of unknown origin; I do not know what she is!

Look at her; since she arrived in Jianle City over a year ago, how much trouble has she caused? Not a single good thing!

That tabloid, it’s utterly disgraceful! That morning paper…

Father!” Shen Mingshu suddenly sat up. “Do you think that morning paper might be something she uses to send messages to Southern Liang? Did she dig up confidential court documents and use the newspaper to send them out?”

Lord Shen frowned, pondered for a moment, and slowly nodded.

That was very possible!

“This matter must be discussed with Second Prince, no, with the Emperor!” Shen Mingshu was so anxious that he tried to sit up.

“Lie down! To speak such things to the Second Prince or the Emperor right now, even if it’s selfless, is still selfish!

What did I just tell you? You need to hold your temper. When speaking to the Second Prince and the Emperor, you need to choose the right moment!” Lord Shen pressed his son down, his face stern as he reprimanded him.

“This is a matter of national importance!” Shen Mingshu exclaimed anxiously.

“I know! Lie down!” Lord Shen gently patted his son. “Do not worry; I will have people keep a close eye on them. Also, tell your sister to go to the palace later and remind the Worthy Consort. That’s enough for now.

You just focus on recovering. Even the most urgent matters cannot be rushed.”

“Alright.” Shen Mingshu barely suppressed his impatience. “Father, we need to send more men. She’s bringing more and more people from Southern Liang. We need to hurry; we cannot let her harm us!”

“Do not worry, Father knows. Father will arrange this personally.”

……………………

Chuantiao’s injuries healed quickly.

When Chuantiao was able to walk around, he went to the Daxiangguo Temple with Jin Mao and the others.

He wanted to hold a proper Buddhist ceremony to send off Tian Ji and the others and also to let Tian Ji know that he had survived, found the boss, and that the boss knew everything.

On the first day of the ceremony, Li Sangrou went to listen for half a day. After leaving the Daxiangguo Temple, she sat behind the shop, facing the clear moat and the towering imperial city, slowly sipping tea, her eyes blank, not wanting to think about anything.

“Boss, there’s a scholar asking if you are here?” Old Zuo, the shop manager, stood at the courtyard gate and asked cautiously.

Li Sangrou was very unhappy today; everyone in the shop could tell.

“Which scholar?” Li Sangrou turned around and saw Bai-Cheng behind Old Zuo. Li Sangrou stood up and looked at Bai-Cheng, asking, “Where is he?”

“Right outside the shop,” Bai-Cheng quickly smiled and pointed outside.

“Please come in and talk,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

Old Zuo and Bai-Cheng responded together. A moment later, Wen Cheng followed Old Zuo across the courtyard and stood beside the vegetable patch, looking around.

This was his first time visiting this area behind Shunfeng Shop.

“Zhihe said the scenery was excellent, and it truly is,” Wen Cheng said with a smile after looking around.

Li Sangrou kept observing Wen Cheng. “Sit down, sir. You’ve lost a lot of weight; this trip must have been tiring.”

“I was in a bit of a rush,” Wen Cheng said, sitting down on a bamboo chair beside the white wooden table. His gaze shifted from the scenery to the vegetable patch, and he smiled. “The Shizi said the boss’s vegetable patch is excellent; the vegetables are already flowering.”

“When they were young, Da Chang could not bear to eat them, saying they were too small and needed to grow longer, otherwise they’d be too old.” Li Sangrou poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards Wen Cheng.

“How is the boss’s brother doing now?” Wen Cheng sat up straight and took a sip of tea.

Li Sangrou smiled at the uncomfortable Wen Cheng, then smiled again after a moment, saying, “Alright, he’s watching the religious ceremony at Daxiangguo Temple now.”

“This trip was all thanks to the brother of the Boss. Yesterday morning, the master said this brother should be rewarded, but we need to keep the Yangzhou connection in check, so we cannot make a fuss about it.” Wen Chang felt even more uncomfortable under Li Sangrou’s unwavering gaze.

“Thank you.” Li Sangrou looked away. “Master Wen, did you come just to say these few words?”

Wen Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Not entirely,” Wen Cheng paused, then smiled wryly. “Nothing much, just passing by. I remembered Zhihe saying the scenery behind the Boss’s shop is excellent, so I came to take a look.”

“Is your hand better? The Shizi does not seem to know you injured your hand.” Li Sangrou looked at Wen Cheng’s hand holding the cup.

“It’s fine, it’s nothing; no need for the Shizi to know.” Wen Cheng looked down at his once bloodied hand.

“What about Zhihe? Does he know?” Li Sangrou asked slowly.

“He does not need to know.” Wen Cheng looked down at the tea in his cup.

“Sigh, why keep it a secret like this?” Li Sangrou sighed.

“How many people can act as freely as the boss?” Wen Cheng’s smile was bitter.

“Not many people are as free and unrestrained as I am, and not many people are as tightly bound as you.” Li Sangrou took a sip of tea.

“I am not tightly bound!” Wen Cheng’s defense came quickly.

“What do you want to ask? Why not ask it? What do you want to say? Why not say it?” Li Sangrou turned to look at Wen Cheng, smiling.

“I did not…” Wen Cheng instinctively wanted to deny it, but stopped halfway through, paused for a moment, and looked at Li Sangrou. “What was the Boss trying to do with all that fanfare last month?”

“Just wanted to give you a big, lively birthday celebration,” Li Sangrou answered seriously.

“Does the boss not think about others when she acts so recklessly?” Wen Cheng frowned.

“If you always thought of others, how could you be reckless? If you always thought of others, would you not end up like this?” Li Sangrou looked at Wen Cheng with a smile.

“You…” Wen Cheng was speechless, caught off guard by Li Sangrou’s words. After a moment’s thought, he was truly at a loss for words.

“The boss’s words are truly sharp.” Wen Cheng sighed with a bitter smile.

“As the First Prince said, life is mostly unsatisfactory.

Eight or nine out of ten things are unsatisfactory, so the remaining one or two should be lived to the fullest.

I have no roots, no connections, no ties. I repay kindness immediately, and I settle grudges immediately. I do not hold grudges; I only seek to be reckless.” Li Sangrou looked at Wen Cheng, smiling, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

“What about the boss’s brothers? Are you not worried about them?” Wen Cheng asked Li Sangrou after a moment of silence.

“I’ve done right by them; I owe them nothing,” Li Sangrou said gently.

“The Boss is truly…” Wen Cheng started to say, but then suddenly found himself speechless, only letting out a sigh.

After a long silence, Wen Cheng looked at Li Sangrou. “Could the Boss persuade the Princess?”

“Hmm? How?” Li Sangrou smiled at Wen Cheng.

“Persuade her to go out and see the world. Not to mention the world, even in Jianle City alone, there are plenty of good men, plenty who would be a perfect match for her. She’s just trapped here with me.

If she’s willing to go out and see the world, I think she will soon find someone better, someone she likes even more.”

Wen Cheng’s voice was low, but every word was clear and distinct.

“Alright,” Li Sangrou agreed readily. “If Ninghe finds someone better, more suitable, someone she likes more, and she gets married, what about you?”

“I have no plans to get married. It’s not because of Ninghe; even without her, I would not get married.” Wen Cheng’s expression darkened.

Li Sangrou looked at him for a long while before letting out a soft “oh.”

……………………

Jin Mao, Datou, Mazha, and Chuantiao spent the day at Daxiangguo Temple attending a Buddhist ceremony. The next day, they all went about their own business, leaving only Chuantiao at the temple to listen to the sutras and offer incense.

Shunfeng needed to open two more routes, and there was a mountain of work to do at the shop. Their boss had taught them that the affairs of the living were more important than those of the dead.

Chuantiao had not fully recovered, and besides, he had just arrived in Jianle City and was still quite confused about everything. Following their boss’s instructions, Chuantiao was to stay for the ceremony before returning to the shop.

Jin Mao and the others, if they had time after finishing their work, would go to Daxiangguo Temple to offer incense and then return to Chaomi Alley with Chuantiao.

That day, they finished early. Jin Mao, Datou, and Mazha offered incense in the main hall, and then the four of them, along with Chuantiao, squatted side-by-side on the covered walkway next to the main hall, listening to the sounds of bells and chimes and the chanting of sutras, chatting idly. “If only we had all come back then; Boss’s business is so big,” Chuantiao wiped his face.

“You are the only one without a wife. I told you to leave, but you would not.” Datou rolled his eyes at Chuantiao.

“Tian Ji was looking for a wife for me. Everything was settled. She’s pretty, a good seamstress, and has a good temperament.” Chuantiao wiped his face again.

“It’s a good thing we did not get married; otherwise, we would have dragged them down,” Mazha sighed.

“Tian Ji’s wife is pregnant. I wonder how she is.” Chuantiao sighed.

“Boss said he did not drag his family down.” Jin Mao looked at Chuantiao.

“I heard that too. But the head of the family is gone.” Chuantiao sighed.

“They all have money,” Datou said in a low voice.

“Do not think about that. Hei Ma and Manager Wang will be back in a couple of days. The boss said you two are going to Taiyuan with Manager Wang. You two need to practice riding quickly; Manager Wang is a very good rider, so do not fall behind,” Jin Mao said, changing the subject.

“Our boss’s business is going all the way to Taiyuan? Taiyuan is so far away!” Chuantiao exclaimed in amazement.

“Taiyuan is nothing! Brother Chang said that from now on, we will go from the far north to the far south, to the ends of the earth!” Mazha gave a thumbs up.

At the temple gate, the guest monk accompanied a woman in her forties, talking as they went inside.

“…Logically, I should not say this, but I really…sigh, lighting this lamp is useless, a waste of money.

Your brother, firstly, we do not know if he’s alive or dead; secondly, you do not even know his birth date and time.”

“Country folk, who remembers birth dates and times? When my mother gave birth to him, no one was home. When everyone came back, they were too busy looking after the child and the mother to think about the birth dates.” The woman’s thick country accent carried an apology.

Jin Mao listened to the woman’s words, stunned.

The woman walked past Jin Mao as she spoke. Jin Mao instinctively stood up and followed her.

“He does not even have a name,” the monk said helplessly.

“Of course, he has a name. He’s called Mao Er. That’s how we country folk name people. Like me, I’m called Mao Dani. If I had a sister, she would be called Mao Erni. That’s how it is. That’s what a name is.”

“Sister!” Jin Mao suddenly called out, his tone and voice exactly like the woman’s.

The woman quickly turned around, looking at the well-dressed Jin Mao with a hint of fear.

The monk who was in charge of the reception turned around as well. Seeing Jin Mao, he quickly smiled and cupped his hands. “Master Mao, what brings you here…?”

“Our father’s name is Mao Wujin!” Jin Mao did not hear the monk’s words but stared intently at the woman, suddenly calling out in the same accent as her.

“Oh!” The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “Good heavens!”

The woman cried out and lunged at Jin Mao, grabbing his collar and pulling hard. Jin Mao, with his shoulder askew, grabbed his own sleeve, helping the woman pull out half of his shoulder.

“Bodhisattva!” The woman saw two bright red birthmarks, each the size of a fingernail, on Jin Mao’s left shoulder blade. She slapped the birthmarks hard, then grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

“This is my brother! This is my brother!

You said it would not work! How could it not work? Look, look!

Bodhisattva is watching! Bodhisattva has been watching!

This is my brother; this is my brother!”

The woman hugged the Jin Mao and burst into tears.