In the past two years, Southern Jing gradually settled down in Lin'an, and
the specifications of the banquet also rose every year.
Consequently, the Ministry of Rites was also thrown off their feet.
Under such circumstances, even though Jiang Suizhou received a lot of care
from Ji You and did not have to work until midnight, he was still only able
to return to his house on time, not early. And even so, when he returned to
the house every day, he was still so tired that he felt like he was walking on
air. He felt dizzy, and he was so sickly that he wished he could throw
himself down.
However, he rested well every day.
Huo Wujiu seemed to have forgotten that the bed was his turf. Every day
when Jiang Suizhou wanted to rest, Huo Wujiu would take the couch so that
Jiang Suizhou could sleep on the bed.
Jiang Suizhou wanted to remind Huo Wujiu every day to switch back with
him, but he was so beaten every day and the bed was so comfortable that he
put off the idea again and again.
Because of this, although Jiang Suizhou was tired during this period, he
slept soundly every night. When he got up the next morning, he was more
or less recharged and wouldn't be really burnt-out.
To a certain degree, this credit was all due to Huo Wujiu. Even when Jiang
Suizhou looked at Huo Wujiu every day, he felt that the latter was quite
pleasing to the eye.
He also gradually formed a delicate balance with Huo Wujiu.
The two of them still had little communication, but because they lived in
the same courtyard, they would have two meals together every morning and
evening. After they finished eating, if it was early in the day, they would
stay on their respective side in the bedroom, each doing their own thing.
It was quite peaceful.
This lasted until the 15th of the month.
Although Jiang Suizhou was busy, he still kept in mind the account book
that he found in the study.
On the morning of the 15th, he called Meng Qianshan aside as soon as he
had eaten breakfast.
"Have you brought back the account book for this month?" He asked in an
unclear and meaningful way.
Of course, he fooled Meng Qianshan. Hearing him ask, he hastily took out a
thin piece of paper from his bosom.
"It was only delivered last night, so I thought I would give it to you when
you return from work today," he reported with a smile.
Jiang Suizhou took the account and saw that the details were noted in it,
which consisted of the entire diet and living expenses of a family of two in
a month. Because these two people never went out, their expenses were
very little. There wasn't much money spent a month down the line.
Jiang Suizhou glanced at Meng Qianshan and said, "This month's expenses
are a little less."
Meng Qianshan replied, "Is it? That young lady doesn't spend much money,
and the old lady's wind chill has been treated. Hence, she doesn't even need
money for medicine."
Jiang Suizhou paused, then tried: "That's good. If they need to spend
money for something, there's no need to save. These two people are
important and must be taken care of."
Meng Qianshan immediately took the bait.
He smiled naively, nodded repeatedly and echoed, "Don't worry, Master. I
will save you the trouble! I will definitely not let Madam Gu's family suffer
an ounce of hardship!"
Jiang Suizhou was stunned.
…Madam Gu?
Unexpectedly, the original owner had actually detained Gu Changyun's
family in the house in order to make him obey him.
It was no wonder that among these two people's expenses, there were no
travel expenditures. On the contrary, a huge amount of money was spent on
the hiring of guards. It was no wonder that Gu Changyun didn't resent him
a tiny bit even after testing him. It was as if he didn't have any master-
servant relationship with the original owner…
Jiang Suizhou paused and put the account book away.
"It's good that you know." He gently nodded, then turned around and
walked out.
He finally got to the bottom of Gu Changyun's details. Now, he desperately
wanted to know in what way Xu Du was brought under the original owner's
command.
He had not forgotten that on the 15th day of every month, he had a money
exchange with Xu Du. From this, he might be able to get a glimpse of Xu
Du's bottom line.
After returning from the Ministry of Rites tonight, he needed to make a trip
to Xu Du's courtyard.
While Jiang Suizhou internally devised plans, he walked out of the
courtyard and entered the palanquin parked outside the courtyard.
There were still a bunch of chores waiting for him at the Ministry of Rites,
and he also obtained important news about his staff at this time. So many
things occupied his mind that he forgot to tell Meng Qianshan that he would
not be returning to the courtyard for dinner this evening.
Night fell.
Jiang Suizhou busied away at the Ministry of Rites until it was completely
dark. Afterwards, he returned to the royal residence.
He didn't forget about Xu Du's matter and went to Xu Du's courtyard as
soon as he returned.
Gu Changyun didn't know of his visit beforehand, so he was absent ——
This was precisely Jiang Suizhou's purpose for not informing him. There
were some things that he needed to discuss with Xu Du in private.
Xu Du had just prepared dinner in his courtyard, and when he saw Jiang
Suizhou, he acted very calmly, asking the serving maids to add a set of
bowls and chopsticks, and then dismissing them all.
Once the servants withdrew, only the two of them were left.
Xu Du's residence was quite quiet, with bamboo shadows swaying outside
the window and the fragrance of ink lingering in the room. There was a
chess game on the table in front of the window, with an unsolved game on
top.
Jiang Suizhou sat at the table and looked at Xu Du, and saw Xu Du smiling
gently.
"Master actually knows that there are matters to be handed over to me on
the 15th of every month," he said. "I am not as resourceful as Changyun,
and was thinking of what method to use to see you in case you were
unaware."
Xu Du said this bluntly, laying Jiang Suizhou's identity on the table.
Jiang Suizhou didn't dodge the accusation. Relying on the lack of audio and
video equipment in ancient times, he stated outright, "There are a number
of records in the study from which I glimpsed a clue or two from, and know
that I have a transaction with you today."
Xu Du froze, not expecting him to be so blunt.
"I have only seen this kind of spirit possession in books since childhood. I
never imagined that this speculation was true," he said slowly.
Jiang Suizhou gave a faint smile: "I didn't want to be here either. It was a
coincidence, so I really had no choice."
Xu Du laughed.
"It is fascinating. Witnessing this unheard-of phenomenon makes my birth
and walk in life worthwhile," he said.
Xu Du acted open-minded and natural. Jiang Suizhou looked at him for a
moment and said, "Now then, I still don't know what the scheme with you
is."
Xu Du smiled and asked, "Which aspect of the plot is Master talking
about?"
Jiang Suizhou replied, "You already know. Although I became King Jing, I
am not him. You all have your own purposes for being his wingmen. I
know now that Gu Changyun's family is under duress, so what about you?"
A momentary surprise flashed across Xu Du's face.
"Master even found out about this?" Xu Du asked.
Jiang Suizhou regarded him quietly.
After a while, Xu Du burst into laughter and nodded.
"It's indeed because of this for Gu Changyun. His parents died early, so he,
his grandmother and younger sister depended on each other. At that time,
our Master approached him, but he did not want to get involved in the strife
of the court, so our Master used some tricks," he said. "Unexpectedly,
you're so astute that you even discovered this."
"What about you?" Jiang Suizhou asked him.
Xu Du paused and raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze clear and bright.
"I come from a merchant background and had no way to enter the
officialdom," he answered, "But I aspire to be part of the country's annals.
All I want in life is fame and fortune."
Jiang Suizhou knew that the Jing Dynasty had just started the imperial
examinations, and the requirements for the family background of those who
entered the service were extremely strict. Within the five categories, as long
as you were a merchant, opera singer, or prostitute, you were barred from
participating in the examination.
Jiang Suizhou paused and then asked, "So, you then joined King Jing's
command?"
Xu Du laughed a couple of times.
"I'm a nobody, and apart from His Highness King Jing, who is in a tight
spot, I really had no other means," he said.
"Moreover, although I want to achieve fame and fortune, I shouldn't stoop
to low levels. If I join Pang Shao's sect, won't I have to do something that
will leave a dirty mark for years to come?" He stated frankly.
Jiang Suizhou believed 80% of his words. He pondered for a moment and
asked, "So, what is the money given to you on the 15th of every month used
for?"
He knew that the credibility of a person's words depended on his actions.
Whether Xu Du was honest with him or not depended on these important matters.
Jiang Suizhou quietly looked at Xu Du, then saw him turn around. Xu Du
went to the hidden compartment in the bookshelf and took out an account
book. He returned to the table and handed it to Jiang Suizhou.
"His Highness has saved up money over the past few years and raised a
batch of dead soldiers," he informed. "There are a few with a total of ten or
so. Since dead soldiers need to be personally trained for many years before
they can be used with confidence, His Highness sought me out and handed
the matter of raising and training dead soldiers to me."
Jiang Suizhou was inwardly surprised, but nothing showed on his face as he
took the record and flipped through it carefully.
He committed each man's serial number and expenditure to memory, along
with the date. The detailed notes in a month accumulated into a thick book.