lcionline Chapter 111 Master Fu
Chapter 111 Master Fu
"'If the world is a cage, then the sparrow has nowhere to escape'—such a wonderful phrase is much more interesting than the tricks my son played at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."
Cheng Wenhao's voice was still in its usual nonchalant tone, but to Cheng Xiangsong at this moment, it sounded like a thunderclap.
The paperweight grazed past Cheng Wenhao's ear and struck the door frame, shattering the fine Hetian jade into countless fragments. Cheng Xiangsong's fingers trembled slightly within his sleeve.
The calluses on my palms, etched by the sea breeze from my early days selling salt, suddenly stirred up a cacophony of memories from the depths of my mind, a cacophony of unspeakable account books.
Cheng Xiangsong glared angrily, "How dare you?! Who gave you permission to look through my things! Have you completely forgotten the first rule of the Cheng family ancestral precepts?!"
Cheng Wenhao neither dodged nor flinched, letting the flying shards of jade brush against his cheek. He simply raised his hand to wipe them away and said casually, "The father is the head of the family, after all."
He bent down, picked up a half-shard of jade, and held it between his fingers, his tone still light and casual: "As you know, your son has been dull-witted since childhood, unlike his father who is so farsighted..."
He paused, looked up at Cheng Xiangsong, and there was no trace of the spoiled brat left.
"I'm just curious, what kind of immense wealth could allow you to have a private conversation with Prince Gu so late at night?"
Cheng Xiangsong's Adam's apple bobbed several times before he finally managed to squeeze out, through clenched teeth: "...You keep this matter buried deep inside, and you're not allowed to mention it to anyone again. Go back to the Ministry of Personnel and be a carefree official. If you dare to pry again—"
“My son will go to the Examination and Appointment Office tomorrow.” Cheng Wenhao squatted down and piled the broken jade pieces into a small jade mountain. “But I’m afraid the merit and demerit books of all the civil and military officials will need to be updated with some fresh ink.”
"You think you can turn the world upside down just because you're a lowly official? Does that captain really consider you one of his own?" Cheng Xiangsong was so angry at his stubbornness that he trembled all over, and his finger pointing at Cheng Wenhao kept shaking.
Cheng Wenhao gently pushed the small jade mountain, and the broken jade pieces scattered on the ground with a "whoosh" sound.
He raised his head, his smile growing even brighter, but there was a chilling undertone to it. "If Jiang Jin'an had a son, he probably wouldn't be willing to send him to that place called the Imperial Prison."
"You unfilial brat!" Cheng Xiangsong slammed his hand on the table, angrily rebuking, "What do you know! Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and don't meddle in things you shouldn't meddle in!"
Cheng Wenhao was silent for a moment, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared. "You keep saying you're doing this for the Cheng family, but what is your son in your eyes? Is he a pawn in your game, or... a burden that you can discard at any time?"
Cheng Xiangsong stared at him for a long time, then finally sighed and softened his tone: "Everything I have done is for the purpose of... reaching a higher level. You just need to remember that no matter what, you must never betray the Cheng family, and you must never... do anything that would harm the interests of the Cheng family."
Cheng Wenhao lowered his eyes, concealing the mockery and disappointment within them, and once again revealed that smile unique to spoiled brats.
"When my son receives his salary tomorrow, I'll definitely bring you back a better paperweight."
……
In Beijing recently, some are happy while others are sad.
Cheng Wenhao, a playboy who was originally quite famous in the business circles of the capital, suddenly transformed into the head of the Personnel Examination Department of the Ministry of Personnel.
Although he came from a merchant background, his status and position rose immediately after he took up an official post.
People from all walks of life flocked to the door, bringing gifts and trying to curry favor; the doorstep was practically worn down by the constant stream of visitors.
Fu Zijin, once a brilliant and talented scholar, received an imperial edict and was transferred to the Commandery.
The scholars of the capital were in an uproar.
He is a protégé of the Marquis of Pingyang. With his talent, he is sure to pass the imperial examination next spring and has a bright future ahead of him.
But after the Shen family girl rejected his marriage proposal, she was then betrothed to the Commandant in the blink of an eye. No one could have imagined that he would one day be tied to the Commandant.
Even Shen Zizhong was taken aback, and after court, he grabbed Jiang Jin'an and interrogated him thoroughly.
The locust blossoms in front of the Fu family's house in Liuyin Lane fell to the ground like fine snowflakes.
Fu Zijin sat alone by the window, holding a copy of "Discourses on Salt and Iron," and was reading the line "to control all the profits of salt and iron in the world."
"The Holy Lord's oral order—"
Fu Zijin looked up at the sound and happened to catch a glimpse of a few bright yellow locust blossoms clinging to the eunuch's robe, which were particularly eye-catching.
He put down his book, stood up and straightened his clothes. As he knelt in worship, his wide sleeves brushed against the blue bricks, just enough to cover the cold smile on his lips.
"...Fu Zijin is hereby appointed to the Commandery to assist Commandant Jiang in investigating the case. This is the imperial decree."
As Fu Zijin kowtowed, his gaze fell on the waist token swaying at the eunuch's waist—a token that allowed him free access to the imperial prison.
He lowered his eyes to hide the dark glint in them, and when he looked up again, he was once again the gentle, refined, and polite young master of the Fu family in the eyes of others.
"Your subject kowtows to express gratitude for the Emperor's grace."
After the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, he smiled meaningfully and said, "Young Master Fu is truly blessed. Congratulations!"
"Thank you, father-in-law."
After the eunuch left, the noisy cicadas in the courtyard suddenly stopped, leaving only scattered locust blossoms on the ground.
Fu Zijin picked up a locust flower, stood up, and picked up the book "Discourses on Salt and Iron" again to continue reading.
The five-day deadline is almost over, and only one day remains. After discussing with Jiang Jin'an yesterday, Shen Jingshu went to Shanyuan Temple again this morning.
The rain at Shanyuan Temple is always tinged with a faint, ethereal fragrance of Zen.
Shen Jingshu came here again, requesting an audience with Jingchen.
The young novice monk led her outside the meditation room and then withdrew.
Shen Jingshu stood alone outside the meditation room, watching the copper bells on the eaves sway in the rain and listening to the sound of the wooden fish inside.
After standing there for a long time, she finally spoke: "Sister Wenyin, it's me, Jing Shu."
The sound of the wooden fish stopped, and Wen Yin's clear, cold voice came from inside the room: "Please return, benefactor. This humble nun has entered the Buddhist order and no longer sees worldly guests."
Shen Jingshu's heart skipped a beat, a sharp pain shooting through her. "...I know you're suffering, but some worldly matters need a resolution. Gu Changyi, he..."
“There’s no need for you to say more, benefactor,” Wen Yin interrupted her. “The past is all gone. This humble nun has no further connection with you, benefactor Gu.”
Shen Jingshu was silent for a moment, her eyelashes dampened by the moisture, making it difficult for her to see the road ahead. "Sister Wenyin, are you really not going to regret it?"
A soft sigh came from inside the room: "This life is over, what is there to regret?"
Shen Jingshu clutched the blood-stained broken hairpin in her sleeve. "Sister Wenyin, he said that if he doesn't see you, he will carry his coffin and crash into the wedding sedan chair of Prince Jing's mansion tomorrow. He will go with you to the underworld or the heavens."
The scroll fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The room fell silent again, with only the sound of rain pattering on the banana leaves outside the window, a continuous, gentle patter.
After a long time, so long that Shen Jingshu thought Wen Yin would not speak again, half a faded red rope floated out from the crack in the door and landed at Shen Jingshu's feet.
Wen Yin's voice rose again, accompanied by the sound of the wooden fish.
"The poor nun's Dharma name is Pure Dust".