Chapter 230: Chapter 101: Three Little Pigs_2
This road is impassable.
Du Changqing was still complaining, "That Qi Yutai is merely relying on his father being the Grand Preceptor, acting as if his eyes are about to reach the sky. Who knows how big of a spectacle he’s going to throw at Yuxian Tower for his birthday this year, and who even cares to watch?"
Lu Tong’s eyes flickered, seizing the key point in his words, "Birthday?"
"It’s just the first day of the tenth month, it’s only a few days away." He remembered Qi Yutai’s birthday quite clearly, "That wastrel celebrates his birthday at Yuxian Tower every year, splurging on thousands of taels of silver just for the cups and tea sets."
Yin Zheng couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t he afraid of inviting trouble by flaunting his wealth like this, drawing resentment towards the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion?"
"Qi Yutai’s maternal grandfather’s family were imperial merchants in the early years, said to have amassed wealth, but who knows for sure?" Du Changqing snorted, "Without evidence, no one can carelessly speak on the matter."
By the end of his speech, the sourness in his words was more than apparent.
Lu Tong remained silent.
Du Changqing sighed and spoke earnestly with her, "That’s why Doctor Lu, one should be down-to-earth, and not aim too high from the start. What’s so good about the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion? Besides having more silver, a higher status, and greater power— I think it’s still not as comfortable as our humble medical clinic."
"Don’t you think?"
"Yes."
Du Changqing was taken aback.
"You are quite right."
Lu Tong looked up, her expression somewhat strange, "One should indeed be down-to-earth, instead of aiming too high from the start."
...
Within the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, Grand Preceptor Qi Qing was dining.
The Grand Preceptor Qi was keen on maintaining his health; nearing his seventies, he ate sparingly but exquisitely. He had a fondness for fish and meat, with "Golden Minced Jade Delicacy" being his favorite dish.
The so-called "Golden Minced Jade Delicacy" consisted of a seasoning made from garlic, ginger, salt, white plums, orange peel, cooked chestnut meat, and stalky rice, using fresh and fatty perch, deboned, skinned, and patted dry, sliced into thin pieces, to be relished with a dip of "Golden Minced Jade."
Grand Preceptor Qi ate with quietude, delicately picking up a piece of fish mingled with the sauce, placing it in his mouth to chew thoughtfully while a steward poured him a cup of weak tea, and spoke up, "Master, the young master’s birthday is in just a few days..."
Qi Yutai was still under house arrest and couldn’t go out, but a month had nearly driven him insane. With just a few days until the first of the tenth month, Qi Yutai couldn’t contain himself any longer, looking for an excuse to get out and relieve his frustration, pleading with the steward.
"Continue the house arrest." Qi Qing lifted his sleeve to sip his tea; in his black gauze robe that hung loosely on his frail frame, he sat by the window, pouring and drinking alone, his figure resembling that of an aged taoist with an air of immortal charm.
The steward bowed his head, "Yes." Then he brought up another matter, "By the way, Master, that investigation you ordered into the good wife, there have been developments."
Qi Qing gestured, "Speak."
"The good wife’s husband’s family has the surname Ke and lived in Shengjing, dealing in the business of porcelain kilns. Previously, because of the eldest young master’s connection, all the cups and bowls used by the lady of the house for her birthday came from the Ke family."
"However, the Ke family is no more."
Qi Qing’s chewing halted, "No more?"
"Yes," the steward bowed as he replied, "On the first day of the fourth month this year, the elder master of the Ke family, Ke Chengxing, the husband to the good wife, was found drowned in the release pool of Wan’en Temple. The coroner concluded it was a drowning accident due to drunkenness. Since he was found to have engaged in worshiping the statue of a former dynasty’s god before his death, the matter did not proceed any further."
"After the death of Ke Chengxing, his wife returned to her parental home, his mother passed away from illness, and the Ke family had no more descendants."
Qi Qing set down his bamboo chopsticks, remaining speechless.
The steward said, "Master, something isn’t right here, I fear someone has been manipulating from behind."
Qi Yutai had no intention of causing the good wife’s death; it was a minor matter. But now it seemed that Fan Zhenglian, who had helped deal with the aftermath, experienced trouble; the Ke family experienced trouble; and just before Fan Zhenglian died, he implicated the Qi family in rumors.
The rumors emerged suddenly, spreading everywhere in one night. The Qi family dealt with Fan Zhenglian in prison, and it wasn’t as if no one suspected the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion of silencing him by killing. It was only when Grand Preceptor Qi, dragging his frail body, cried before the court during a session, earnestly appealing that such an act would be no different from trying to hide one’s ears while stealing a bell, and without concrete evidence, that the emperor hesitated to pursue the matter any further.
But this did not mean the issue was put to rest.
Someone was definitely targeting the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion from behind, but who that person was and what power they had behind them remained a mystery with no clues.
After a long pause, Qi Qing suddenly asked, "What was the name of the deceased good wife?"
"Your honour, her surname is Lu. She was a woman married from afar, from Changwu County," the steward replied.
The good wife had been dead for a long time, a mere merchant’s wife of low status, not even deserving to have her name remembered after her death.
Qi Qing said, "Go and check into that good wife’s family." He also instructed, "The members of her family before she left her home, their current situation, and what relatives she still has left in her family."
"Master, are you suspecting..." the steward’s gaze shifted.