Chapter 134: Hello Chang’an

  

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  Chapter 134: The Sound of the Zither on a Rainy Night

However, the person was not hiding very well, and it seemed more like they were intentionally waiting there, hesitating about whether to come out or not.

 

Seeing Chang Suining stop, Ah Zhi, whose senses were quite sharp, quickly scanned the area: "Who’s hiding there sneaking around?"

As soon as this question was asked, a figure hurriedly emerged from behind the bushes, a smile plastered on their face, bending and bowing repeatedly to Chang Suining.

Chang Suining paused for a moment and then recognized the person: "It’s you."

In the two months since they last met, the person had transformed from a traveling swindler pretending to be a Taoist priest into a dark-skinned laborer working at the estate. At first glance, he appeared solid and unpretentious, almost grounded.

But as soon as he spoke, that impression disappeared: "Ah, miss, you still remember this humble one!"

"You were supposed to stay here for a month to work off your debt, but two months have already passed," Chang Suining said. "That’s my oversight."

The man looked surprised, seemingly thinking it over: "Has it really been two months? That can’t be right…"

Then, he chuckled awkwardly: "I still feel like I’ve only been here a few days! I must have enjoyed it so much that I lost track of time!"

Ah Zhi stayed silent.

Chang Suining, however, thought there might be some truth to his words.

....

This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com

....

This man’s skin was as dark as charcoal, which indicated that he had indeed been working hard—she had already asked the estate's steward about him, and the steward had said that this man was always restless, constantly coming up with new ideas, never sitting still, and could not stand others being idle.

Despite his dark complexion, his energy seemed vibrant, and his eyes, though not exactly honest, reflected a sense of positivity.

But she was still unsure whether this was driven by survival instinct or if he had some other plans.

To confirm, Chang Suining casually asked, "You’ve been here for two months now, how do you find the estate? Is it a good place?"

As the man walked alongside her, he responded, "Not just a good place... it’s close to the mountains and the water—absolutely a feng shui treasure!"

Suddenly, he paused, perhaps realizing how his words might sound, given the young woman’s strict and ruthless reputation. He was worried that this "treasure" might become his burial ground.

He adjusted his expression and continued, "But… there’s something I must mention."

Chang Suining found his words pleasing to hear. She liked it when people had things they "must" say, rather than speaking without knowing when to stop.

"Go ahead, speak."

"The place is a great one, but the estate, the back mountain, and the fields… while they haven’t been completely abandoned, they have definitely been wasted," the man said, his tone sounding regretful. "If someone took good care of them, the harvest could easily be doubled!"

As he spoke, he subtly observed the young woman's expression.

She nodded: "That’s true. I have other estates at home, and due to the lack of skilled managers, they’ve all fallen into a similar state of semi-neglect."

Even though he had prepared himself, the man still felt a jolt in his heart—this must mean they were incredibly wealthy, to just let such valuable land go to waste!

If they didn’t know how to manage it, they could give it to someone who needed it!

He inwardly felt as if he had swallowed an entire basket of sour lemons, but on the surface, he could only smile and say, "Your father, General Chang, comes from a martial background and has a kind heart. He’s simply keeping these estates to support his old soldiers. Managing the land is not an easy task, and without someone skilled to handle it, it’s actually impressive that things have been kept afloat in the current state."

Chang Suining glanced at him, "You seem to know a lot about my family."

Indeed, someone who could fool people on the streets as a scam artist had a keen sense of hearing and observation.

The man didn’t deny it but only smiled: "General Chang’s reputation precedes him. I’ve admired him for a long time!"

"My father does have a reputation, but as you said, he does lack the knowledge needed to manage the estates," Chang Suining spoke casually, as if in a normal conversation. "Recently, I’ve been working with the estate manager to find skilled people to manage the farmland—"

The man nodded, "I’ve seen those people. They’re indeed good workers, each of them skilled in their own right. But they mostly just follow orders. It’s fine to work under someone, but—"

Chang Suining smoothly took over his words: "Yes, what’s missing is a good manager who can lead them. I’m currently on the lookout for someone. But this manager needs more than just farming skills—they must have insight and intelligence, and of course, loyalty. So it’s not easy to find someone suitable."

The man’s eyes flickered as he was about to speak, but suddenly a voice interrupted:

"Shen Sanmao, what are you sneaking around near my lady for?!"

A loud voice came from the approaching steward of the estate, who was an old subordinate of Chang Kuo. Despite his age and a left-hand injury from the past, his voice was still booming, making the man shrink back.

"Are you Shen Sanmao?" Chang Suining looked at the man. "Is that your real name?"

The man smiled and nodded: "Yes… it’s easy to remember."

Chang Suining nodded. "Mm, after all, it was 27 lives."

Even if one was lost, there were still 26 left.

The steward reminded from the side, "Young lady, do not listen to his nonsense. This man is full of tricks and is very persuasive..." 

With his mouth, he could likely talk a live duck into jumping into an oven, and then roast himself to serve it! 

"Has he been slacking off at the manor these past few days?" Chang Suining asked. 

"He works... quite diligently." The steward said straightforwardly—he just thinks too much!

"He doesn't slack off in his work, and a sharp mind isn’t necessarily a bad thing," Chang Suining said, looking at the man—she had picked him out of the sack because of how much he thinks. 

Upon hearing her affirmation, the man froze for a moment. After meeting her eyes, he hesitated but then suddenly knelt before Chang Suining. 

"If the lady can overlook past grievances, I am willing to stay and help manage this estate!" 

He spoke briefly, no longer trying to flatter her. Chang Suining raised an eyebrow. "Besides this mouth of yours, what other talents do you have that would make me overlook the past?" 

The man immediately took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his chest. "This is what I’ve thought of recently, please take a look, lady."

After receiving a nod from Chang Suining, Ah Zhi stepped forward to take it. 

Chang Suining unfolded it to see a blueprint of the manor's layout, including the fields, houses, and mountains—this required detailed measurements.

But it was not just a simple layout, as there were also suggestions for improvements marked on it. 

Chang Suining glanced at it briefly and handed the blueprint back to Ah Zhi.

Seeing that she did not look closely or seem interested, the man felt empty inside. Just as he was feeling anxious, he heard the girl say, "There are only limited notes on the blueprint, I don’t quite understand it. Let's walk and talk." 

Hearing this, the man's face lit up, and he quickly rose to his feet. "Please, follow me!"

He led the way, clearly very familiar with the estate inside and out. 

"Since you're so familiar with this place, why not escape?" Chang Suining asked casually, her tone lightly curious.

The man froze for a moment, then smiled. "To tell you the truth, after getting acquainted with the dogs here, I’ve tried escaping twice at night."

The steward's eyelids twitched—he knew it! The man must have taken the dogs with him while escaping!

Chang Suining showed no surprise. "So why come back?"

She had left him here to test if he was useful, but such things were also about fate. If someone had their mind set on escaping, she wouldn’t keep them. If they stayed, it could bring trouble. 

"Where would I escape to? My family’s already gone." The man sighed, perhaps realizing that now wasn’t the time for flattery, and spoke frankly about his past. His family had been in business when he was young, but before he could take over, his irresponsible father ruined the business, lost the shop, and left a huge pile of debt. 

Soon after, his father passed away from illness, and just a couple of days after his mourning period ended, he returned home one day to hear sounds of celebration in the alley. He went over to investigate and found out that the widow had remarried. It turned out his mother was the widow in question.

He was stunned—his mother remarried without telling him in advance! He watched as the bridal sedan carried her away. 

Then, to make a living, he tried doing all kinds of work and learning new skills, but with creditors chasing him everywhere, no matter what he did, it never went smoothly. If he ate a steamed bun in public, the debt collectors would chase him and scold him down the street, so nothing ever worked out.

Eventually, he turned to swindling to survive.

"...Your mother remarried without a word to you!" The steward listened with great interest, showing some sympathy. "Why didn’t she take you with her?"

The man shook his head. "It’s not her fault. My biological father left a mountain of debt. If it were me, I would remarry too."

"..." The steward said to Chang Suining, "Lady, no wonder he doesn’t want to leave. Looks like he's hiding from debt here!" 

"Debts should be paid back," Chang Suining replied. "If you work hard, you will not be wronged. If the harvest at this estate truly improves by two or three times, by next year, you’ll be free of debt." 

Shen Sanmao was stunned.

He had been hoping to climb up to the great general’s house, thinking he could escape paying off his debt, but he never expected this young lady, who had knocked him out and brought him here, to be so principled in her ways.

He began to carefully assess the young lady’s character and attitude, all the while smiling and agreeing.

The steward still wasn’t entirely reassured and kept advising Chang Suining, "Lady, this man is truly..."

Shen Sanmao interrupted the steward, pointing ahead to a pond. "Lady, I think we should raise some edible fish in this pond. I have a method that can make the fish grow quickly. But the steward insists on raising these golden ornamental fish that only eat and poop. You hardly ever come here; who are they for? Isn’t it a waste?"

"This chicken coop is emptier than my purse! Steward, how do you sleep at night?"

"Ah, lady, look, there are some vegetables growing in the garden ahead?"

"..."

The relentless barrage of remarks caused the old steward to retreat step by step, nearly losing his balance, feeling as though his life was about to end.

"It’s getting dark, let’s head back," Chang Suining said. "I’ll stay here for a few days, and we’ll discuss the details tomorrow."

The steward came to his senses and, realizing it was really getting dark, relaxed.

The group made their way back, while Chang Suining listened to Shen Sanmao’s bizarre ideas and techniques, feeling she had struck a great deal.

After bathing that night, Xi'er couldn’t help but ask, "Lady, although Shen Sanmao has some skills, they are mostly small tricks. Why are you treating him so differently?"

Chang Suining nodded. "It’s true that they are small tricks, but the military strategy says, 'Those who excel at the unusual are endless like the heavens and inexhaustible like the seas.'"

Xi'er said, "Ah," not fully understanding.

Chang Suining explained, "In simpler terms, there’s no need to be too normal in life and work. That’s how you can surprise your opponent and win."

For example, the method of making duck eggs square or making fish grow quickly—though not particularly useful on their own, it shows that this man is good at coming up with unconventional solutions.

Someone good at unconventional methods may seem like small cleverness in a small world, but in a larger world, they could prove to be a great help.

Now Xi'er understood and nodded. "Since you say so, then the money spent on this sack is not wasted."

...   

"Has she not been found yet?"

Inside Ganlu Hall, holy Emperor finished reviewing the memorials and inquired about the disappearance of Yu Xie. 

"Your Majesty, she has not been found yet," Ming Luo replied. "But we found a embroidered shoe along the river, which belonged to Lady Yu Xie. Based on the traces, it seems she left the mansion through the back gate and fell into the water."

"Was it an accident, or is there something else behind it?" holy Emperor frowned. "She has never left the Princess's residence. This time, her actions are unusual, so something might be afoot."

She looked at Ming Luo. "Have the palace officials thoroughly investigate the women servants in the Princess's residence, and don’t let any suspicious detail slip by."

"We must continue searching for her." The Emperor's voice became firm. "She may be delirious. If she speaks recklessly, it could harm the reputation of Master Shangqing. We must find out quickly whether she is dead or alive."

Ming Luo replied solemnly and then withdrew.

holy Emperor’s eyes remained deep in thought. 

There was never a moment of peace in the capital, and she could never treat any small matter as mere coincidence. 

Yu Xie had certainly known about the old matter, but she was not the only one who knew. If someone really wanted to make use of that incident, why would they target a delirious, unreliable maid whose words lacked credibility?

That didn’t quite add up...

But if it wasn’t for that old incident, then what could it be for? Did Yu Xie still hold some other value? 

The Emperor’s gaze fell on a nearby candleholder, her thoughts flickering like the unstable flame within her eyes.

Outside the palace, it was unclear when the rain had started again, but Ming Luo, holding an umbrella, had already left the palace.

The rain had been falling continuously for several days.

Yu Xie had lost track of how long it had been since she last ate. She had been surviving on the little fruit left in her stomach, and gradually, she no longer had the strength to cry out for help.

In her haze, as she moved, she noticed that the rope around her hands had loosened. She tried shifting and found she was able to break free.

This discovery made her instinctively sit up, hurriedly working to untie the rope around her ankles.

It took a bit of effort, but she finally managed to free herself.

She immediately dragged her weakened body forward, and guided by the instinct for survival, pushed open the cellar door and crawled out.

It was night outside, and the rain was still pouring.

She stood there, momentarily confused, but dared not stay. Not wanting to walk down the straight path, she ran instead toward a small trail.

The trail led her into a bamboo forest, and amidst the sounds of wind, rain, and rustling bamboo leaves, a faint, serene sound suddenly echoed through the air.

 

It was the sound of a guqin.

As the familiar melody reached her ears, Yu Xie’s steps faltered, her expression trembling as she looked around in confusion.

That was... the prince’s guqin! 

(End of Chapter)

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