Chapter 45: Chapter 44 The Request_1
The reaction of the Lu Family was something Ke Chengxing had not anticipated.
His seemingly frail, deceased wife, in contrast to her usual compliance, hysterically demanded to report the matter to the authorities. The commotion also alerted Madam Ke, consequently bringing her into the loop.
More resolute and ruthless than he, his mother ordered him to confine Lu Rou to her chamber, proclaiming to the outside that Lu Rou had gone mad, her mind unclear, uttering nonsensical ravings. Any servants who gossiped within the courtyard were either sold off or matched off, all driven far away.
Upon seeing this, it was as if Lu Rou had perceived something and therefore secretly bribed a servant to send a message to the Lu Family in Changwu County behind their backs.
That was bad enough, but even worse, she was pregnant.
Calculating the days, it must have been left from that night at the Fengle Building.
After the doctor left, Ke Chengxing stared at the mess before him, unsure of how to proceed.
The bastard child in Lu Rou’s belly was not his. Logically speaking, she should be force-fed a bowl of abortion broth to avoid further trouble. After all, it was out of the question to raise someone else’s son for free.
But Madam Ke interrupted him just as he was ordering someone to prepare the abortion medicine, instead instructing that a message be sent to the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion to request their presence for a discussion.
At that time, Ke Chengxing didn’t understand and asked Madam Ke, "Mother, what is there to discuss? The son of the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion has yet to take a wife; he couldn’t possibly have a child out of wedlock first. Where would this bastard child be raised if not born? Surely not in our Ke Family!"
"Foolish," Madam Ke shook her head, "The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion cherishes its reputation and will certainly not keep this bastard child. I told you not to force the medicine on Lu Rou not for her sake, but for yours."
"For my sake?"
Madam Ke began to explain methodically, "Originally Lu Rou was your woman, yet she was forcibly taken by the Qi Family. They thought to dismiss us with a mere silver note, as if the Ke Family is so easily bullied. I wasn’t present initially, allowing them to leave without trouble. Now that Lu Rou is pregnant, it has become a good thing."
"Since your father passed away, our Ke Family’s business has been in decline. By using Lu Rou, we’ve now formed a connection with the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. With such a connection, how can our business not thrive?"
"You are still too young."
He looked at Madam Ke’s withered face and, in that instant, understood something.
That very night, people from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion arrived.
Still the ever-smiling housekeeper, but this time not bearing mere silver notes.
The old housekeeper said to him with a smile, "After our last parting, my young master has kept Madam’s injury in his constant thoughts. Originally, I should have come to visit sooner, but was preoccupied with the old lady’s birthday celebration and thus delayed."
He tactfully avoided mentioning Lu Rou’s pregnancy, only smiling at Ke Chengxing, "Speaking of which, the old lady’s birthday banquet requires a great deal of tableware. This year, the family that supplies porcelain had gone back to their hometown, and we’re in need of someone... I hear that your family’s porcelain is always of fine quality?"
Ke Chengxing was first stunned, then became excited.
The birthday banquet of the Grand Preceptor’s old lady!
If he could secure a porcelain supply deal for the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, would it not provide a channel for dealings with the Shengjing officials!
Even at the height of his father’s era when the Ke Family business was at its peak, they had no opportunity for such a connection. Supplying goods for the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion was unimaginable!
In an instant, all his anger, frustration, and hatred towards the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion vanished. He saw the old housekeeper before him as if he were the god of wealth, a savior descending from the heavens, more dear than his own kith and kin.
Ke Chengxing forgot the enmity between them, the humiliation they had caused him. In that moment, he forgot everything, only seeing the wealth and business opportunities the Qi Family could bring him. Engaging eagerly in conversation with the other party.
He brought up Lu Rou’s pregnancy, as well as his wife’s grievances and tears, and even the letter secretly sent to the Lu Family in Changwu County.
In the end, he wasn’t sure whether he spoke these words in order to "discuss" matters, or simply to ingratiate himself.
The old housekeeper was very considerate, expressing contrition after hearing of the recent events. He apologized on behalf of his master again, and finally, addressed Ke Chengxing, "By rights, as this issue arose because of my young master, he should be the one to settle it. But Madam belongs to the Ke Family; in the end, this is a family matter for the Ke Family."
"It wouldn’t be appropriate for the young master to intervene rashly. However, I trust Master Ke should be able to handle it well, after all, in the future, you will still need to manage the porcelain supply for the old lady’s birthday celebration. Such a trifle should surely pose no difficulty."
Implicit in these words was the suggestion that if this matter was not handled well, there would be no discussion of the porcelain business deal.
Ke Chengxing tentatively asked, "Then how should it be settled most appropriately?"
The old housekeeper smiled and said, "Madam is weak and should not be pregnant at this time. Master Ke also said that Madam currently suffers from madness, speaking nonsense everywhere. The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion values propriety and purity; such gossip spreading would be quite improper. The young master might handle it, but if the Grand Preceptor hears of it, he would likely be enraged."
He sighed and said, "This madness, it’s the most difficult to cure. I once knew a lady who had gone mad. She would spout nonsense all day long, her mind unclear, and one day, as she was wandering in the garden, her maid wasn’t paying attention, and she fell into the pond and drowned... It’s truly a pity."
Ke Chengxing did not speak.
The old butler glanced at the timepiece and exclaimed with a smile as he stood up, "After talking for so long, I haven’t noticed how deep into the night it has become. I will return to the mansion first, and later I will report on the matter of the porcelain kiln to the manager. Once I have news, I will come and discuss it with Master Ke."
Taking advantage of the night, he boarded the carriage, his short stature imposing when he looked at people, as if looking down upon them, filling one’s heart with unease.
Ke Chengxing stared blankly at the shrine.
The sound of nighttime rain was cool outside the temple, tapping on the windows intermittently.
Clump after clump, curtain by curtain, it brought a chill that added to the uncertainty, causing disquiet in people.
Only the bluish light of the lamp in the temple remained faint.
The paper horses in the bronze basin were completely burned, and the wisps of misty green smoke coiled within the temple, blurring the tall statue before the shrine, uncertain in shape. Occasionally, the sound of the red fish and turtles flapping in the large water jar startled one with its suddenness.
Ke Chengxing felt inexplicably fearful. Just as he came to his senses and intended to bow a few more times before leaving, suddenly, there was a light noise at the entrance of the great hall.
Thinking it was Wan Fu who had come in, he was about to speak when he turned around, only to feel weak at the knees. Perhaps it was from kneeling on the mat for too long, his legs had gone numb, and he suddenly collapsed.
He wanted to call Wan Fu to help him up, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he realized his tongue was stiff, and he couldn’t speak.
What’s going on?
Why had he suddenly lost the ability to speak or move?
The color drained from Ke Chengxing’s face, and a thought suddenly surged into his heart.
There was a ghost! It was the ghost of the Lu Family who had followed him!
He lay rigidly on the spot, the footsteps behind him growing closer and closer. The steps were light and slow, swaying gently, resembling those of a woman who then stopped behind him.
She has come to claim my life!
Ke Chengxing broke into a sweat.
The footsteps paused, then circled around to his front.
Ke Chengxing saw a black robe, its hem soaked with the chill rainwater, dripping drop by drop under the dim light—an echo of the water stains that had flowed from Lu Rou in his dreams.
He was utterly terrified.
Unable to lift his head, Ke Chengxing just felt a light kick, and his body involuntarily tipped backward, falling in front of the water jar. Struggling to lift his eyes, he saw in the murky light the figure before him.
It was someone clad in a black cloak.
The black cloak was voluminous to the feet, almost entirely enveloping the person within. The figure slowly raised a hand, removing the hood of the cloak to reveal a beautiful, pale face.
It was a young woman with snow-white skin and raven hair, her eyes deep and serene, like a stately and charming magnolia.
Ke Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief; this was not Lu Rou.
But soon, he grew perplexed. Who was this woman, and why was she here in the middle of the night?
Before he could figure it out, the woman suddenly spoke.
She said, "The Buddhist scriptures say, seek wealth and you will find it, seek sons and daughters and you will have them, seek longevity and you will live long. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they do not dare deceive or lie."
The voice was clear and gentle, colder than the night rain outside, ethereal amidst the temple’s smoky haze.
The woman lowered her gaze, her jet-black pupils in the dim light appearing as deep as the abyss, rendering her whole being unbearingly icy and lifeless. She looked down at Ke Chengxing from above with a calmness bordering on the eerie.
She asked, "Master Ke, what is it that you seek?"