Chapter 87: Chapter 88: If One Hears the Dao in the Morning, One Can Die in the Evening

The sky cleared after the summer rain, yet it was so hot it felt as if it had never rained at all.

From sunrise, the evaporating moisture was tinged with a faint warmth, making the air stuffy and humid.

It left one feeling rather unpleasant.

But as the old saying goes, a calm heart keeps one cool.

The three people inside the pavilion, Chen Yi, Duke Zhang, and Sun Fu, could all be considered composed individuals.

In contrast, Xiaodie bustled about, her two hair buns facing Chen Yi one moment and turned away the next, beads of sweat already forming on her forehead.

It wasn’t until noon, when the sun was at its peak, that Duke Zhang and Sun Fu began to feel a little drowsy and prepared to return for a short nap.

Before they left, Duke Zhang, apparently unwilling to let the matter drop, said to Chen Yi while clearing the game board:

"I’m thinking of throwing a big celebration for my birthday banquet this time, even grander than your family’s Old Master. You can’t forget what you promised me."

Chen Yi smiled and nodded. "I’m just afraid my work won’t be to Your Lordship’s satisfaction."

Seeing him agree, Duke Zhang’s old face broke into a brilliant smile.

"The poetry is just the icing on the cake. I’ve been on the battlefield for decades; I’ve had more than my share of flattery."

"What I truly value is your Calligraphy."

Duke Zhang paused here, then pursed his lips toward Sun Fu at his side, winking as he said:

"You should have seen how obsessed Old Sun has been these past few days. He’s been holding that calligraphy piece of yours all day, staring at it over and over."

"I have no idea what he sees in it. He’s tried copying it a few times, and his writing is worse than my eldest grandson’s."

Sun Fu immediately glared at him and retorted, "What does an old brute like you know about Calligraphy?"

"Qingzhou has written in a new script. Every single stroke shows profound skill. If one doesn’t study it meticulously, it’s difficult to grasp its true essence."

"Forget me—even other masters of Calligraphy would have to start from scratch like a child if they were here."

Sun Fu wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest; he was truly delighted with that calligraphy piece.

It wasn’t just him. Any Confucian Scholar with a deep interest in the Calligraphy Dao would be thrilled upon seeing such a complete and perfect new script, wanting to throw themselves into studying it day and night.

Being praised so openly, Chen Yi felt a little embarrassed.

Others didn’t know the truth, but he was well aware that his success in the Calligraphy Dao, much like his previous poems, came from standing on the shoulders of giants.

Fortunately, he was thick-skinned enough to take credit for the works that came from his hand.

When Chen Yi didn’t say anything, Sun Fu muttered a few words to himself before shamelessly steeling his old face to ask:

"Ah, Qingzhou, in a few days, I will also be setting off for Jinling. When the time comes, would you be willing to part with a few of your ink treasures?"

Before Chen Yi could respond, Duke Zhang’s eyes widened. "A few? Do you think they’re cabbages growing in your garden?"

"Qingzhou, you listen to me. Don’t give him a single one."

But just as he finished speaking, Duke Zhang paused and looked at Sun Fu suspiciously. "What are you going to Jinling for?"

Sun Fu ignored him, only looking at Chen Yi with pleading eyes.

Chen Yi was at a loss. Being watched so intently by a refined elder, he had no choice but to agree.

Sun Fu left, completely satisfied. Duke Zhang, however, no longer cared about causing trouble and followed behind him, pestering him about why he was going to Jinling and saying that Jiangnan Prefecture was in turmoil and he’d be better off going to Guangyue Prefecture, and so on.

Chen Yi overheard a few sentences and understood that Mr. Sun the Elder had already made up his mind.

Even if Xiao Wuge didn’t become his student for the time being, he was determined to go to Jinling.

’Learned people really are different. Could this be "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening without regret"?’

Chen Yi couldn’t comprehend Elder Sun’s motivations, nor was he in the mood to think about the strangeness surrounding Xiao Wuge.

The matter of the Xiao Family’s "robbed medicinal herbs" was only the very first sign of the coming storm. He was certain the person behind the scenes had other moves to make.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi instructed Xiaodie to arrange for lunch, specifically telling her to have the kitchen prepare a braised fish.

Although Xiaodie didn’t understand why, she noted it down carefully and left Spring Lotus Garden under the blazing sun.

Not long after, Xiao Wuge came running in, calling out "Brother-in-law!" with a grin.

Chen Yi saw that he seemed unaffected and guessed what the Xiao Family’s response had been. He motioned for him to sit down and have some water, indicating there was no rush to speak.

Xiao Wuge obediently finished his water, then poured out everything that had happened in the Qingjing Residence in great detail.

He even imitated the Old Master’s expression and tone of voice quite vividly.

"Second Grand-uncle was furious! He said, ’How dare some Jianghu bandits bully the Xiao Family!’ I thought his expression was terrifying just looking at him."

"But in the end, it was Grandfather who made the arrangements—the Punishment Hall, the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, and Second Uncle’s side..."

Chen Yi listened carefully, confirming his own speculations one by one, and gained a deeper understanding of the Xiao Family’s current situation.

’The Old Master must know something. That’s why he didn’t overreact, let alone panic, and just made arrangements as usual.’

’The Punishment Hall, managed by Second Master Xiao Wang, must have some hidden power.’

’The so-called investigation probably involves more than just their public connections.’

’And Third Master Xiao Shen usually keeps a low profile.’

’Sending him to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office at a time like this suggests he’s not an easy person to deal with.’

’After all, with the Xiao Family’s medicinal herbs being robbed in Shu State, the first to be held accountable is the Prefecture City’s Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.’

’Even the Imprisonment Department and the City Guard Army would come second.’

’So for Xiao Shen to go to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office to represent the Xiao Family’s stance, he’d have to play the bad cop, slam the table a bit, and apply some pressure.’

’As for the Old Master’s final questions to Xiao Wuge, that was just a small test.’

’The Old Master is still sharp. The impact of this incident might be smaller than anticipated.’

’Still, I hope it’s a big fish. If it’s just some small fry on the front lines, they’re really overestimating themselves.’

Even with the Xiao Family’s current decline, the network they’ve built over many years still exists. If they were to use their connections, both public and hidden, there probably aren’t many powers in the Great Wei Dynasty that could stand against them.

After lunch, Shen Huatang came to call Chen Yi over for a discussion.

Chen Yi acknowledged her, then had Xiaodie take Xiao Wuge for a nap while he followed Shen Huatang alone to Jiaxing Garden.

The two of them walked one after the other, the atmosphere quiet.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yi turned his head to the side and asked, "Did that ’Sword Madman’ really say he was going to seek out my wife for a duel?"

Shen Huatang hadn’t expected him to speak. After a brief moment of surprise, she nodded. "He did say that."

Chen Yi continued, "My wife’s Martial Arts should be superior to his, right?"

Shen Huatang said with conviction, "The Second Miss could slaughter him!"

Chen Yi nodded in understanding, then said with a smile, "If you have the chance in the future, Miss Huatang, feel free to tell me more about the affairs of the Jianghu."

Having been here for so long, he knew a little about Shen Huatang’s identity.

She appeared to be Xiao Wan’er’s personal Maid, but in reality, Xiao Wan’er treated her with respect, more like a sister than a master and servant.

Therefore, it was reasonable for him to be polite.

Shen Huatang glanced at him and gave a perfunctory reply, then followed behind him with her head down.

Chen Yi naturally understood. He just smiled and said no more.

Arriving at Jiaxing Garden, he went straight to the wooden building’s living room.

At this moment, the other four Shopkeepers from the Medicine Hall were all present.

Xiao Wan’er sat in the seat of honor. Her complexion was a little better than before, but one could still tell she was in a bad mood.

Chen Yi found a seat and sat down. He glanced around, exchanged greetings with the other Shopkeepers, and then fell silent.

Seeing this, Xiao Wan’er picked up a few sheets of paper and began, "I’ve gathered everyone today to inform you of two matters."

"First, the medicinal herbs transported from the Northern State last night were robbed..."

Xiao Wan’er had thought about it for a long time. Even if the Old Master and the people from the second and third branches didn’t come to question her, she still had to find a way to persevere.

The loss of the herbs had left the warehouse empty, which would have a significant impact on the Medicine Hall in the short term.

The only thing she could do was take out a sum of silver coins and purchase some expensive medicinal herbs to get through this crisis.

"Everyone, go back and take stock of your inventory. From now on, report to me once every half-month. I will have someone prepare stock according to the lists provided by the Shopkeepers."

"As for everything else, it’s business as usual."

The four Shopkeepers—Liu, Li, Ma, and Sun—looked at each other, then agreed with solemn expressions.

After they left, Chen Yi had also planned to return directly to Spring Lotus Garden.

Xiao Wan’er stopped him. "I’m going to write a letter to Second Sister. If you have similar intentions, Brother-in-law, you can write one as well to be sent along with mine."

She wanted to write to Xiao Jinghong about the events of the past few days in the estate and also to remind her to be careful of the "Sword Madman’s" duel.

The reason she asked Chen Yi was also in the hope that the couple would stay in regular contact.

She knew her Second Sister’s personality well; things like writing letters were something she would likely never do on her own.

Chen Yi nodded with a slight hesitation and decided not to leave just yet.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Eldest Sister, do you know why that group of people robbed that particular batch of medicinal herbs?"

Xiao Wan’er lowered her gaze. "I don’t know either."

"The herbs themselves weren’t particularly special, just common ones used by the Medicine Hall. Other than the fact that they were being transported from the Northern State, I can’t think of any reason why people from the Jianghu would specifically target them for plunder."

As she spoke, she looked at Shen Huatang. "Did that swordsman give a reason?"

Shen Huatang shook her head but said seriously, "The ’Sword Madman’ is an upright person. His actions don’t seem like those of the Evil Demonic Dao."

"This whole affair is strange through and through. Perhaps he was entrusted by someone to do it."

Xiao Wan’er thought of what the Old Master had said, and a strange feeling faintly stirred in her heart.

She couldn’t help but look at Chen Yi. Seeing him just smiling, she asked hesitantly, "Have you... noticed something?"

Chen Yi paused. ’She’s quite sharp,’ he thought. ’She gets it with just a hint.’

But thoughts were just thoughts; he wasn’t about to admit it. "I only just took over the Medicine Hall. I haven’t discovered anything."

Xiao Wan’er gave a bitter smile internally, thinking she was grasping at straws in her desperation.

’Even if my brother-in-law is talented, he’s only been involved with the business for a few days. It’s impossible for him to know anything.’

"Don’t forget the letter for Second Sister."

Chen Yi agreed, then got up and returned to Spring Lotus Garden, heading straight for the study to take out a brush and paper.

’A letter to my wife...’

’This is much harder than investigating the "lost medicine" incident.’

After a moment of deep thought, Chen Yi recalled Xiao Jinghong’s reaction when she saw his poem that night, and an idea came to him.

He lifted his brush and wrote down "Thoughts of a Summer Night":

"You ask of my return, but the date is not yet set;

The evening rain in the Ba mountains swells the autumn pond.

Oh, when shall we trim the candle’s wick by the west window again,

And talk about this night of rain in the Ba mountains?"

After he finished writing, Chen Yi looked at the ethereal sheen on the Yunsong Paper and couldn’t help but smile.

’I’m being a bit presumptuous. Who would be so brazen as to make his wife ask about a return date?’

’It’s more like I’m intentionally reminding her to tell me when *she’s* coming back.’

I wonder what kind of mood Xiao Jinghong will be in after she reads this.

It should be quite amusing, I imagine.