Chapter 32: Blooming Flowers
A gathering of drinking companions was naturally a lively affair.
The two chatted about everything under the sun and slowly finished a pot of wine.
Xue Sui thought of Li Zhao’s indifferent and distant eyes, her brow furrowing from time to time. Li Zhao was a ruthless and bloodthirsty wolf; he had wanted to kill her the first time they met. Now that he had caught a whiff of blood, he would bite down with all his might, and she had to be wary.
Yaoguang saw that she was uneasy, patted her warm body, and signaled to his attendant.
“Su Yang, take out the 《Marsh Collection Post》 and let Thirteenth Lady have a look. See if there’s any intelligence that Thirteenth Lady can use. Also, which hidden informants can be put to use? She can command them as she pleases.”
The Marsh Collection Post was a compilation of intelligence from the Old Mausoleum Swamp, similar to how the Imperial Censorate reported important matters from various regions to the Emperor. It was densely packed with intelligence and clues gathered from all sides.
Su Yang responded, opened the hidden compartment in the box of pastries on the table, and carefully took out a post, laying it flat on the table.
“This is the Shangjing Collection Post, compiled by Eldest Young Master specifically for Young Lady.”
Yaoguang glared at him displeasedly.
“Did I not contribute?”
Su Yang quickly smiled and replied, “Yes, Seventh Young Master also carefully considered it and put a lot of thought into it.”
Xue Sui pursed her lips and smiled, flipping through the collection post and reading for a moment. Her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed again.
“If that’s the case, does Prince Duan also believe the Hongfu Gambling House is an underground establishment of the Eastern Palace?”
Yaoguang nodded, “There is no room for error.”
Xue Sui raised her eyebrows slightly, “This Li Zhao actually has some skill.”
Yaoguang smiled, “They say Prince Duan is shrewd and calculates everything clearly, but how many people know that Li Zhao schemes against his Imperial Brother with every move, and is extremely ruthless and formidable?”
Xue Sui’s lips curved slightly. After finishing the collection post, she put it away and handed it to Su Yang. She didn’t say much, only, “It’s getting late, I should be going. Thank you, Senior Brother, for the wine.”
As she spoke, she steadily pushed a heavy money bag towards Yaoguang.
Yaoguang’s expression changed, “What is the meaning of this?”
It was just the cost of a meal and drinks, certainly not enough to warrant such a large sum.
Xue Sui said calmly, “I am no longer an Imperial Envoy, so I will follow the rules of the Old Mausoleum Swamp.”
Intelligence from the Old Mausoleum Swamp required payment.
There were no distinctions in rank; each item had its price.
Yaoguang disliked her being so distant. Although he knew she was doing this so that one day she could extricate the Old Mausoleum Swamp from the trouble she caused, he still frowned and became angry.
“Thirteenth Sister, have you forgotten your oath of discipleship?”
Back then, the senior brothers and sisters had sworn before their Esteemed Teacher to be like siblings, to support each other through thick and thin, and to share life and death.
How could Xue Sui forget?
The day she suddenly gained many relatives was still vivid in her memory.
She couldn’t help but show a slight smile.
“There will come a day when I will trouble Senior Brother and Senior Sisters. Let’s keep our affections and take our time.”
–
Stepping out of the Misty Rain Tower, the outside was already a different, lively scene.
The streets were bustling with people coming and going. Many vendors carried baskets selling flowers. The colorful flowers vied for beauty, making for a stunning sight.
Xue Sui walked slowly, looking casually.
Xiao Zhao’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, “I’ve often heard people say that Shangjing has a grand Flower Competition in spring. I wonder how this Flower Competition is actually conducted?”
Her voice was not quiet. An old woman selling flowers nearby, with sharp ears, immediately saw a business opportunity and eagerly leaned in, her face breaking into a smile.
“This Flower Competition is very lively! Regardless of whether they are royalty, noble ladies, or young ladies from prominent families, they will bring out the flowers they have carefully cultivated to compete for whose flowers are more beautiful and rarer. There are so many ways to compete!”
“This year, the Empress in the palace will also be holding a spring banquet and Flower Competition.”
After speaking, the old woman quickly raised her basket, her face full of earnestness.
“The three young ladies have such good complexions, why don’t you buy a few to wear?”
Xue Sui’s gaze fell on her basket. There were winter jasmine, wild apricot, peony, peach blossoms, camellias, and peonies, each more delicate and beautiful than the last.
The corners of her lips curved slightly as she signaled Xiao Zhao to get her money.
“Buy them all.”
Xiao Zhao responded crisply and reached for her money.
“Auntie, please calculate how much it is in total.”
The old woman’s smile spread across her wrinkled face, “It’s ninety copper coins in total. If you give me a hundred copper coins, I’ll give you the basket as well!”
Xiao Zhao counted out the copper coins, giving her ten extra. She took the flower basket and happily gestured which flower would look good on her young lady.
Ru Yi watched from the side, very anxious.
“Young Lady, it’s not appropriate to buy flowers right now!”
Third Master of the mansion had just passed away, and bringing these flowers back would surely invite scolding.
Xue Sui smiled and did not reply.
Xiao Zhao, however, was indifferent, “Why do you care if they are happy or not? As long as Young Lady is happy, that’s all that matters!”
–
Xue Mansion, Shou An Courtyard.
Second Young Lady, Eighth Young Lady, and Ninth Young Lady had all come to accompany Old Madam Cui.
The Old Madam was listless and did not want to speak. The young ladies, fearing the Old Madam’s dignity, did not dare to say much, merely accompanying her foolishly, creating an exceptionally somber atmosphere.
They waited until sunset. When Xue Sui came to pay her respects, the Old Madam showed a rare smile.
“Sixth Girl, come, sit here with Grandmother.”
She patted the cushion beside her and saw the flower basket Xue Sui was holding in her arm, pausing for a moment.
“What is Sixth Girl doing?”
Before Xue Sui could respond, Xue Yue E, who had been holding back her words, stood up from the stool, finally finding a target for her frustration.
“Sixth Sister is so heartless! Third Uncle just passed away, and you’re already eagerly putting on the airs of a seductive woman. Are you trying to rush to the Prince’s Mansion to enjoy yourself?”
Her words were both sharp and malicious.
Old Madam Cui’s brow also furrowed.
Seeing this, Xue Yue Man also chimed in, “Exactly, Sixth Sister doesn’t understand the rules at all. The mansion is still in mourning, and everyone is grieving for Third Uncle, yet she’s already dressing herself up? Anyone who didn’t know would think she was happy about Third Uncle’s passing…”
Xue Yue E saw that her expression remained unchanged and became even more enraged.
“Grandmother, look at her, she’s being so disrespectful to me.”
Xue Yue Man also said, “Grandmother must punish her severely this time!”
The two spoke one after another. Only Second Young Lady Xue Yue Lou frowned, her gaze showing concern for Xue Sui.
Xue Sui walked over calmly, as if completely unaware of having transgressed, and amidst the scrutinizing gazes, she slowly bent down and took a vibrant peony from the basket, placing it on the Old Madam’s temple.
“This is the shaman’s indication.”
The Old Madam’s heart leaped. She held Xue Sui’s hand and asked in a low voice:
“What did the shaman say? Where is your Third Uncle’s soul? Are there any unfulfilled wishes?”
Xue Sui said, “The shaman said she couldn’t find Third Uncle’s soul, only saw a flower…”
The Old Madam’s face turned pale with fright, “Then Third Uncle’s soul has scattered?”
Xue Sui shook her head, “The shaman didn’t say that. She only said some things that I, your granddaughter, couldn’t understand, like ‘flowers wither to bring disaster, flowers bloom to bring life.’ She also said that seeing flowers is a great omen… I thought, since it’s a good omen, perhaps Third Uncle’s blessings are in these flowers. Buying some flowers to bring good fortune to everyone wouldn’t hurt.”
“A good omen?”
Before the Old Madam could ponder this, Xue Qingzhi returned to the mansion to pay his respects.
Old Madam Cui had a maid serve the Eldest Master tea and a seat.
Eighth Young Lady and Ninth Young Lady watched, eager to complain to their father, but were stopped by the Old Madam’s stern gaze, making them puff out their cheeks in anger.
Why was Grandmother biased towards Xue Liu?
What right did she have?
Xue Qingzhi also saw the basket of flowers and frowned. Just as he was about to speak, the Old Madam asked him.
“Still no news? What did Jingzhao Prefecture say? When can we bring Third Brother home?”
Xue Qingzhi glanced at Xue Sui and said softly, “Investigating a case isn’t that quick. Mother, please take care of yourself. The truth will come out sooner or later.”
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Cui became displeased.
“It’s not your son who died, so of course you’re not in a hurry.”
She raised her voice, tears no longer able to be held back, rolling down her cheeks. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief as she spoke.
“Third Brother is all alone in Jingzhao Prefecture. Your Fu Shi, as the matriarch, didn’t arrange for his funeral rites and instead went back to her maternal home. You didn’t pay any attention to it. Are you trying to make a laughingstock of yourself for everyone in Shangjing to see… When you go before your father’s spirit, I’ll see how you, an unfilial son, will account for yourself…”
In the cold weather, Xue Qingzhi broke out in a sweat from his mother’s words.
He couldn’t bear the accusation of being unfilial.
Xue Qingzhi frowned and repeatedly pleaded with his mother.
“Son would never dare to neglect Third Brother’s affairs. Today, I have sent a letter to Jiangzhou, asking Second Brother to bring his children back to the capital for the funeral. The Ministry of Justice and Jingzhao Prefecture are also closely monitoring the ongoing investigations…”
“Strict investigation, strict investigation. After investigating for so long, there’s still no definite news. You’re clearly just fooling this old woman!”
Xue Qingzhi understood his mother’s grief over losing her son and quickly said, “With two major cases occurring consecutively, Shangjing has been in a state of panic recently. Prince Duan is also anxious and is personally handling it. I believe there will be news soon…”
Old Madam Cui’s face darkened, and she was about to scold him further when a maid came in to deliver a message.
“Eldest Master, Daoist Master Lingxu is here to see you. He says he has calculated the cause of Third Master’s death, and the true culprit is within our mansion…”
Xue Qingzhi frowned and, after a moment of thought, stood up.
“Mother, please rest. I will go and see.”
See you tomorrow, my dears~
