Chapter 35: Chapter 34 Trading_1
Wan Fu felt a bit cold.
The incense burner in the elegant room had Mingtan incense lit within, the fragrance rich and refined. Behind the curtain, a voice spoke calmly, yet with a peculiar roughness, brushing over the skin and instantly raising fine goosebumps.
Wan Fu steadied his mind and continued, "The doctor confirmed that the eldest lady was pregnant that day, and both Master Ke and Madam Ke were thrown into a panic."
"That very night, a carriage arrived at the mansion. The visitor met with Master Ke and spoke a few words to him. It wasn’t a long visit, only about the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
The person behind the curtain asked, "Was the visitor from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion?"
"I didn’t enter the room so I don’t know the visitor’s identity," Wan Fu paused, then anxiously added another sentence, fearing the other party’s discontent, "But when the visitor left, Master Ke saw him to the door, so I surmise their status must not have been low."
"The next day, Master Ke argued with the eldest lady again. From outside the door, I heard Master Ke scolding her, accusing her of previously bribing the mansion’s servants to send messages outside. They were arguing fiercely, and I was about to intervene when Master Ke scolded me as well and drove me out. I had no choice but to go find Madam Ke. But who knew..."
A flash of fear passed through Wan Fu’s eyes.
He remembered that day when he had hurriedly led Madam Ke to the yard. Near summer, the courtyard was ablaze with the brilliance of red lotuses, amidst a backdrop of green ripples, someone’s white clothes fluttered and floated, like a stark piece of unadorned white silk, both beautiful and startlingly eerie.
Lu Rou had thrown herself into the pond.
When they pulled her out, she was already breathless. Master Ke sat collapsed on the side, his face pale as paper, muttering something under his breath.
Madam Ke, considering it an ill omen and anxious about gossip, quickly arranged for Lu Rou’s funeral. After that, her name was no longer mentioned in the Ke Mansion.
The person behind the curtain said, "Ke Chengxing killed Lu Rou."
"No, no!" Wan Fu shouted in panic, "Master Ke was very fond of the eldest lady!"
The other party let out a sarcastic laugh and reminded, "But after Lu Rou’s death, the Ke Family immediately established ties with the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion."
Wan Fu found himself speechless.
This was the truth.
Not long after Lu Rou’s death, it was the Grand Preceptor’s wife’s birthday. For some unknown reason, that year, the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion exclusively selected the Ke Family’s porcelain cups, saucers, bowls, and dishes. Ke Family porcelain wasn’t unique in Shengjing, and there was no reason for it to catch the eye of the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
Overnight, the Ke Family was treated like honored guests by trading houses, their shop business soared even higher than when the old master was alive.
All of these changes happened after Lu Rou’s death...
Wan Fu had never wanted to think about this, not because he couldn’t, but because he dared not.
If Lu Rou truly was killed by Ke Chengxing...
The person behind the curtain asked again: "What about Lu Rou’s brother?"
Already in a state of turmoil, Wan Fu was startled by the question. The other party even knew about Lu Qian?
Instinctively feeling uneasy, he didn’t want to continue, but he saw the shadow behind the curtain shake and heard a rustling sound.
"Mr. Wan, the debt note is right here. Our deal still has half an incense stick’s time left."
Wan Fu instinctively looked towards the front of the incense burner, where the Mingtan incense had burned halfway, with half remaining. The incense was supposed to calm the senses, yet it only made him more panicky.
But Wan Quan was still in the other’s hands...
With a determined heart, Wan Fu clenched his teeth and said, "I’m not very clear about the matters regarding Second Young Master Lu of the Lu Family. But not long after the eldest lady was buried, Second Young Master Lu found his way to the Ke Mansion. I heard he had a dispute with Master Ke and the lady, and after that, they parted on bad terms."
"... And then, I heard that Second Young Master Lu got into trouble, and Lord Fan, the Examiner Official at the Trial Court, sentenced him to death. Later on, his news became scarce."
The person behind the curtain fell silent.
Wan Fu looked towards the curtain, his tone full of pleading: "Miss, this is all I know. I beg you to spare Quan’er!"
He got up and walked to the curtain. He didn’t dare to rashly lift the bamboo curtain to see the person’s face but just "thud thud" knocked his head on the ground towards the shadow several times.
The other party sighed, "The words Mr. Wan said, though not fully certain, do carry some weight. Given this, I shall return the debt note to you."
Only a "hiss" was heard as the bamboo curtain was lifted to one side, and a snow-white hand reached out from within. Before Wan Fu could get a clear view, two pieces of paper fluttered down from behind the curtain to land at his feet.
Wan Fu picked them up and saw, to his surprise, they were the debt acknowledgements for three thousand taels, written by Wan Quan, torn in half.
His heart filled with joy, he eagerly tore the debt acknowledgements into even smaller pieces and stuffed the scraps into his sleeve. Then he pleaded, "Miss, about Quan’er..."
The silhouette behind the curtain picked up a cup of tea, drank a sip unhurriedly, and then said, "Mr. Wan, as I just said, if you spoke well, I would tear up the acknowledgement of debt. But I never said that if you spoke well, I would release the person."
Wan Fu’s face changed color, "With no debt owed, how can Kuaihuo Tower justify not releasing him? Even by gambling house rules, once the debt is cleared, surely you cannot continue to detain the person indefinitely?"
The person behind the curtain chuckled lightly and said, "Mr. Wan, there’s no need to be angry. Putting other matters aside, do you truly think that having your son return home now is a good thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"It seems Mr. Wan has forgotten. Although the three-thousand-tael debt agreement is null and void, the fact that your son indeed embezzled Master Ke’s private funds is true. For the Wan family’s financial state, amassing two thousand taels seems somewhat difficult. A servant who steals from his master, once discovered, would get off lightly with just a beating to death. Or perhaps," she said with a laugh, "Mr. Wan and Master Ke have a deep master-servant relationship. Mr. Wan surely believes that even if Master Ke discovers his silver is gone, he would not blame your son, and would let him off with his life?"
A fine sweat immediately broke out on the palms of Wan Fu’s hands.
Would Ke Chengxing let Wan Quan off with his life?
No, perhaps he would have in the past. But now that Lady Qin was in charge, Ke Chengxing was very tight on funds. The two thousand taels of silver that he had covertly saved without Lady Qin’s knowledge—if discovered by Ke Chengxing, not to mention Wan Quan, even he himself would not get away unscathed.
The person behind the curtain continued, "Perhaps, Mr. Wan thinks that revealing your meeting with me today to Master Ke might prompt him to empathize with your predicament, and you both could stand united against others, lightly glossing over your son’s mistake."
Wan Fu’s heart skipped a beat; he had indeed thought of this. If the other party was targeting the Ke Family and setting traps for Wan Quan, informing Ke Chengxing might give them a chance of survival.
He looked towards the silhouette behind the curtain, feeling a sense of alarm in his heart. How could this person... gauge his thoughts so accurately?
The other party smiled faintly, "Mr. Wan is truly loyal. Perhaps it is precisely because of this loyalty that Master Ke values you so highly. However, the reason you’ve remained by his side even after the death of the Lu’s, is because you have never asked excessively about the Lu’s affairs, and you have kept a tight seal on your lips—not even uttering a word to your wife and children."
"Today, Mr. Wan tells me about this matter; perhaps Master Ke will think that if you have told me, couldn’t you have told others? Maybe your eldest and your son have also heard of this."
"Even if that’s not true, it doesn’t matter. As long as Master Ke believes it to be so, that will suffice."
She said, "The maids who once served the Lu’s at the Ke Family, Mr. Wan, have you not already seen their fate with your own eyes?"
Her words sent chills down Wan Fu’s spine, scattering his soul in terror.
If Ke Chengxing became suspicious that Wan Quan knew about this matter, no matter what, Wan Quan wouldn’t escape death.
From the beginning, this person had been set on getting their way with him.
Wan Fu collapsed onto the ground.
In all endeavors, one acts for personal gain. The other party knew the Ke Family’s affairs like the back of their hand and was relentlessly pressing forward, clearly wanting to use him to deal with the entire Ke Family. It had been since the Ke Family climbed up the ranks through the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion that their ceramic kiln business had flourished, drawing envy from many competitors. It was possible they had offended someone.
The other party wanted to use the death of the Lu’s to deal with the Ke Family, and as a mere servant, he could only be manipulated by others. Perhaps even the woman behind the bamboo curtain today was just a pawn, with the real mastermind still hidden in the shadows.
Wan Fu’s face turned ashen, and he asked in a daze, "Miss, what do you want to do?"
"I would like to ask Mr. Wan to work for me."
"If Mr. Wan agrees, I will ensure that your son is well cared for until this matter is completely settled."
"If you don’t agree, it’s no problem. I will send your son home tonight and inform the Ke Mansion of your son using the private funds to gamble, and while doing so, mention the Lu’s in front of your son."
Wan Fu abruptly looked up.
The person behind the curtain spoke calmly, "Mr. Wan, rest assured, I won’t harm your son, nor will I press you. You can go back and think it over carefully. Once you’ve decided, send a letter to Kuaihuo Tower."
She stood up, and her shadow cast a vague dark trace behind the pale green bamboo curtain.
"But I am not a patient person, I can’t wait too long."
"So," she spoke indifferently, "give me your answer by tomorrow’s You Hour."