When I translated this chapter, I noticed how some are referring Mei Qian Deng as she instead of he so I tried to go some chapters in advance and guess what, someone already knew the Crown Prince is an idiot who can"t differentiate her actual gender. Time to turn back to all the previous chapters and edit back the wrong ones.
Chapter 20 – The Rumoured Boss Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various works. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)
Chu Xun must take a look at what sort of person that Nan Bai Cheng was.
At afternoon, Mei Qian Deng accompanied Chu Xun to listen to the opera at the Lu Garden. Senior Official Song said he wouldn"t go. If Nan Bai Cheng saw Senior Official Song, he definitely would instantly recognise that he was the head examiner for that year"s imperial examination.
"Who call laofu worthy of the name of teacher with outstanding makings?"
Chu Xun slammed the door as he walked away. He was fairly disgusted. It is also not known when Senior Official Song get this smug habit.
Lu Garden was at a corner of the Bai Long City. The garden was not considered large. There were twenties or thirties of green plums planted inside the garden and it got its name from this. During the severe winter, the soft green colour of the plum flowers at the tip of the branches burst into bloom although was incomparable to the red plums in full bloom nor the bleak white plums as well as not having delicate fragrance like the winter sweets, it made others mistaken it as the approaching spring season with the soft shoots developing.
In the middle of the garden, a plain yet impressive stage was put up. Ten row of benches were placed below it. During the singing, those who arrived first were able to s.n.a.t.c.h the seats while those that arrived later could only stand all around. All of them were cheerful as they listened to the opera.
Chu Xun stood among the crowd. Mei Qian Deng and he wore gorgeous clothes and they looked out of the ordinary. One look and anyone would know that they were n.o.ble young masters from rich and powerful families. Today, Mei Qian Deng changed into a half ponytail and her forehead was adorned with rare, treasured beads (it"s exactly like the one Jia Baoyu[1] had). She wore one of Chu Xun"s hex colour long gown. The young ladies and madams inside the garden were continuously peeking at her. Bai Long City had its business trade flouris.h.i.+ng so it was not rare for n.o.ble young masters from faraway lands to appear here. It was a daily occurrence that some of them would flaunt their wealth or act like a pretentious p.r.i.c.k. Yet, it was rare that today they got to see such a nice looking one.
Below the stage, the one sitting in the middle part of the first row was exactly Nan Bai Cheng. It was not like he would appear for all operas but just coincident that this time he ran into Chu Xun. That person currently was just a blurred back. He was lean yet das.h.i.+ng. Among the back of the commoners, it was obvious his was special. Probably, he was the back killer[2] in legend.
Chu Xun watched him for half a day. The opera had just played half when Nan Bai Cheng stood up. He bowed with his hands held in front to his left and right meaning that he was leaving. Only then Chu Xun got to see clearly that person"s appearance. It was said that a person"s nature could be seen from that person"s appearance. Nan Bai Cheng"s appearance was quite normal but his temperament was chilly. It was resembled slightly with these plum trees. It was as Senior Official Song said, Nan Bai Cheng was quite aloof from politics and material pursuits.
When Nan Bai Cheng was leaving, many of those who came to watch the opera stood up to send him off. Nan Bai Cheng said, "Everyone please stay, this Nan still has official business to work on and such will take leave in advance." However, looking at him with his brows slightly knitted and his face wearing tired look, his whole self was not fully spirited. It inevitably made others felt today he was just acting perfunctorily.
Chu Xun was surprised. How did this aloof from politics and material pursuits yet prideful Senior Provincial Official obtained the commoners" support?
"Did you see what Nan Bai Cheng tied on his arm? Chu Xun casted a sidelong glance at Mei Qian Deng as he asked.
There was a long, black handkerchief tied on Nan Bai Cheng"s left arm. He wore the official ceremonial clothes so this tied handkerchief was very odd. Yet, it didn"t look pretty like that rare, treasured beads ornament on the boor"s forehead. It ought to have a special purpose.
"Someone in his house just pa.s.sed away recently."
"How do you find out?"
"Common sense."
Your mom, boor are you saying that this Crown Prince has no common sense?! Do you believe that this Crown Prince will stuff those beads on your head into your poisonous mouth?! Chu Xun panted in rage as he touched his smooth forehead. Obviously, he was not happy with such boastful form of Mei Qian Deng today. He had never dressed himself like that.
Just as he wondered if he should tail behind Nan Bai Cheng, the commoners just right beside them quietly commented.
"Lord Nan and his wife had such good affection with each other and yet now yin yang are separated to two[3]. It really makes a fool of people."
"Ai, isn"t it? They didn"t even have a child."
"Seeing Lord Nan"s haggard look, he must be extremely painful and suppressing it in his heart until it injures his body."
Chu Xun moved closer. "That Lord"s Madam had pa.s.sed away? Is it from illness?"
An enthusiastic madam was very fancy of Chu Xun"s look as she answered, "Yes, we didn"t even know what acute disease she got but she was gone in a night."
"When did that happen?"
"It"s that day when Anxi suddenly had a heavy snow fall. At afternoon, Lord Nan"s household hung plain white cloth and only then we found out that Madam Nan had pa.s.sed away. That snow was like specially fell for Madam Nan as if the heaven sees and has pity on her."
Chu Xun"s nerve leapt. It was quite unexpected.
Originally, he planned to come to Anxi and use the investigation of the "Flying Snow in June" unjust case to seize Senior Provincial Official. He too felt that his Imperial Father"s suggestion was supposed to follow such thinking. In the end, he had just arrived at Anxi Prefecture when he noticed the differences from his imagination. The folkways in Bai Long City were honest and simple. The commoners lived and worked in peace and contentment. The public reputation of Nan Bai Cheng was very high. He couldn"t see a single trace of the unjust case. He had finally found out that there was someone who indeed died recently but that person was his own wife.
It couldn"t be that Nan Bai Cheng killed Madam Nan?!
The back of Chu Xun"s head ached dully. It seemed it was he who was too stupid and too naive.
Now, what should he do?
Chu Xun pondered. Madam Nan died too fishy. If he could find out the cause of her death, maybe he could stop Nan Bai Cheng. However, as things stood, Chu Xun was unfamiliar with the place and people. On his hands there were only a Mei Qian Deng and a Senior Official Song. To investigate a dead person, from where should he investigate? He couldn"t just directly make boor climb over the wall and capture Nan Bai Cheng and use torture to extort a confession……
When he thought of Mei Qian Deng, he returned to his sense and tried to find her. He was surprised to see Mei Qian Deng had been surrounded by a group of sisters and aunts. Words entering his ears were, "Young Master is very good looking, have you got engaged? That muddleheaded and in trance one is your little brother or your servant? Although he"s not as good as you, if you have already engaged, then we can consider him too."
This group of people obviously must be blind and unable to differentiate the good and the bad ones. It was fine that they kept praising Nan Bai Cheng was a good official yet they even thought that Mei Qian Deng was much better looking, much honourable than him?! Where"s my mirror? I want to look clearly since this is an absolutely impossible matter.
Meanwhile, Senior Official Song who was resting alone in the room.
A black shadow entered in a flash. "Boss, you call me?"
Senior Official Song drank a mouth of tea. With a solemn face, he said, "While the two of them are not around, laofu will instruct you properly first."
"Mo Biao obey the order." She knelt down.
"When Crown Prince meet Nan Bai Cheng, he will surely know that the latter"s wife had died. The matter of those two is ambiguous. Purely relying on Crown Prince and Qian Deng these two youngsters, naturally they won"t be able to find out anything. The Emperor this time specially pick Nan Bai Cheng to put his hands on, three parts are to test His Highness and seven parts wis.h.i.+ng that His Highness can truly accept Qian Deng. Qian Deng this child is very good. Laofu had lived more than half a lifetime and few are very pleasing to the eyes on first sight. Laofu is old now, laofu thinks in the future this organization will be handed over to Qian Deng."
Senior Official Song prattled. Mo Biao secretly relaxed her knees. It was rare for her to see Boss so solemn. Internally, she was afraid some big matters had occurred but it turned out that this old fogey just knew how to feign. He had spoken for a period of time and all of them were nonsense.
One of Senior Official"s eyelids raised. With discerning eyes, he said, "Crouch properly."
"…… Yes."
"Later when Qian Deng return, give this information to her. After she had finished reading it, she will naturally know how to help Crown Prince."
"Yes."
As Senior Official Song expected, Chu Xun had strolled the whole Bai Long City once and had listened to countless gossips. Yet, he didn"t find any bit of clues. Nan Bai Cheng and his wife were deeply in love with each other so he didn"t have the murder motive. Nan Bai Cheng as an honest and upright official lived in a small, simple house. He had no child. Now that his wife died of illness, he was all alone with only body and shadow to comfort each other[4].
The Crown Prince was baffled and crestfallen. He sealed himself inside the inn room for four hours.
"I will bring you to a certain place."
After Mei Qian Deng received that information from Mo Biao, she understood in her mind. However, there was no change in her expression. She silently slipped into the room and dug Chu Xun from the bed.
"Go where?!"
Mei Qian Deng lifted Chu Xun as they moved, from the start she never cared of his protest.
She was afraid that if they were late, they wouldn"t be able to meet those people.
Outside the Bai Long City, there was a mountain slope facing the south. Mei Qian Deng brought Chu Xun and made a detour from the north side to climb up the mountain. Prying from the back, he could see that southern side of the mountain slope had numerous small mounds and gravestones. It should be a cemetery. At the moment, it was not the sweeping ancestral graves season. There was no one in the cemetery. The green gra.s.s was lush and the sun was setting in the west. A crow flew pa.s.sed them and Chu Xun s.h.i.+vered.
"What are you trying to do exactly?!" Chu Xun was afraid in his heart since it was his first time coming to this sort of place. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Is Nan Bai Cheng"s wife buried here?"
Mei Qian Deng nodded. She led Chu Xun all the way to hide themselves behind a large banyan tree. No far from it was a gravestone engraved with the words, "The Grave of the Deceased Wife Xue Zhou" and the one who set it up was Nan Bai Cheng.
Chu Xun saw that there was no one around and wanted to crane his neck to study. Why is Mei Qian Deng bringing him here? In the end, his head was instantly pressed back by Mei Qian Deng. "Ouch!"
Mei Qian Deng was blocking in front of Chu Xun, leaving only a crack for Chu Xun to peek.
"Someone is coming."
Not long, a group of people really came. All of them were beautiful, slim and graceful women. It was a beautiful spring scene. On further scrutinise, all of them aged above thirty. Each of their gestures were emitting mature women"s s.e.xiness and charms. Chu Xun frowned. These group of women with one look anyone would know they were not like women from respectable families.
The leading woman was fully clad in red which was a taboo during funeral. She lifted the basket and took out a pot of wine from it. "Elder Sister, today is when you turns twenty-seven. We sisters have come to visit you." After saying so, she offered a pot of wine to the gravestone, pouring half of it onto the loess. She drank the other half.
"Who are these people?" Chu Xun was astonished. It was rumoured that Madam Nan was gentle and virtuous. She was the paragon of the wives of the respectable families in Bai Long City. Whenever a wife make a scene, they will bring out Madam Nan to compare. Although they didn"t know the background of this Madam Nan, they always believed that even if Madam Nan was not from a good family, she would at least be a young lady from a scholar family.
How could she be a.s.sociated with these several sisters?
Mei Qian Deng pointed at the leading woman. "That is the star of the Mei Ren Village[5] in Bai Long City, Hong Zhan."
[A Little Theatre]
When Chu Xun returned to the inn, his mood was bad. He looked around and looked at the unpleasant Mei Qian Deng.
"Boor, where did you order that treasured beads on your forehead?"
Mei Qian Deng spoke bluntly, "I picked them from your clothes."
Chu Xun: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ You audacious, sly servant! Return my treasured beads!
[1] A male character in The Dream of Red Mansions. The beads referred are the those on his forehead like this guy:
[2] A slang for one who looked stunning from behind
[3] Husband (yang) and wife (yin) got separated
[4] An idiom which means extremely lonely or sad and solitary
[5] Literally, Beauties" Village
Translated by HaruOngy (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various works. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator"s hard work. Don"t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase!)