Zhao Yuan looked serious. As soon as he said that, Gu Qinghan and Yang Ning turned pale, and Gu Qinghan even stood up suddenly, asking, “What did you say? The tax has been sent?”
Zhao Yuan answered solemnly, “We sent it at the end of September, and it’s Master Cheng… It’s Steward Qi who arranged it personally. In order to ensure the silver’s safety, they did like before and specially went to Jingzhou City to ask the governor, who dispatched more than ten soldiers to escort it all the way.”
Yang Ning thought it was getting more complicated and stood up, too. “The marquis’ mansion didn’t receive the tax silver, so Aunt and I came to Jiangling in person to check what happened.”
“How is it possible?” Zhao Yuan was shocked. “Steward Qi wanted to escort it personally, but he had something to do and couldn’t go, so he told Cui to send. Cui has been to the capital and is familiar with the way. Moreover, after they came back, they said that the silver h
Yang Ning thought Wei Dong was just playing mysterious and laughed. “What nonsense are you talking about? If there is a ghost in this house, do you dare to live here?”Wei Dong explained, “The ghost is only in this courtyard. As long as we don’t get close to it, there is nothing wrong.”“What happened to the two dead people you mentioned?” Yang Ning was curious. “Since you said there is a ghost in this courtyard, did somebody see it?”Wei Dong glanced at that courtyard and replied in a low voice, “In fact, all people in the old house know it. They know that there is a ghost and often hear some sounds.”“Sounds?” Yang Ning furrowed his brows. “What sounds?”Wei Dong answered, “Sounds of the vertical bamboo flute. The sounds come from the courtyard once or twice every year and it would play half a night. What’s more, it would disappear after lasting two or three nights every time. The sounds of the vertical flute are cre
“Did you go there?” Gu Qinghan frowned. “That’s not a good place. Don’t go there in the future.”It appeared that Gu Qinghan also knew that courtyard with a ghost. Of course, Yang Ning wouldn’t give up this subject. He asked, “Why? Because there is a ghost?”Gu Qinghan responded, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t listen to their bullshit. That is a deserted courtyard. What ghost? Just don’t get close to it in the future.”Yang Ning moved his chair forward and laughed. “Aunt, if it is just a deserted courtyard, why did you tell me not to go there? I find that the courtyard is surrounded by wild grass and withered vines, and we should tell somebody to clean it up. Although we don’t live here, it’s our old house after all, and we can’t ignore it.”Gu Qinghan seemed unwilling to talk about it, and Yang Ning begged, “If you don’t tell me, I will think about it all the time. Aunt, just do me a favor and tell me.”Seeing his expres
As they agreed, Qi Feng led five guards to the old house of the Qi family at dusk. There were many rooms in the house, so their accommodation was no problem at all.Yang Ning had planned to tell Qi Feng to go to Jingzhou City and find the governor of Jiangling, inquiring about the escort of the tax silver in the name of the heir of the Marquis of Honor, to check if Jingzhou City really sent soldiers to protect the silver, but it was getting dark, so he told Qi Feng to set out next morning.Although Qi Feng arrived on time, Qi Cheng didn’t return on schedule.Gu Qinghan stayed in the accountant’s office till dusk and was exhausted. She checked the tax in recent three years carefully but didn’t find anything wrong.Gu Qinghan was clear that so many accounts were finished in detail, which couldn’t be completed in two or three months. Otherwise it couldn’t have nothing amiss. If these accounts were false, it meant that since three year
Yang Ning pondered for a while and then carefully packed the long vertical flute with the black silk fabric before putting it in the drawer of the dressing table. Then he went to the opposite room.He thought there might be something in this room. After entering, he found that it was empty, with only a plank in the corner and a pile of hay next to it.He walked over and finally found that in the corner there were two brush pens and an inkstone. The ink in the container was congealed. He picked it up and found it was a common container, and the ink in it was as hard as a stone.He was astonished and thought that a woman lived here. Were the brush pens and the inkstone left by that woman?He looked around and suddenly found there was a piece of yellow paper on the floor. He picked it up and had a look. The paper was broken, but it seemed to be a picture on it. The paper was incomplete, so he couldn’t see clearly what was in the pictu
Yang Ning was absorbed in the swordsmanship in the dozens of pictures for a whole night and practiced in person from time to time. He didn’t realize that it was already dawn.He knew that if somebody found that he sneaked into the courtyard, even though he was the heir of the Marquis of Honor, it was not a good thing. After all, the old marquis set the rule when he was alive and nobody was allowed to enter that courtyard. Yang Ning didn’t give a lead but entered it secretly and broke the rule, so it would inevitably make people criticize him.He arranged the pictures and put them away under his arm, thinking that the old paper had been thrown there for many years and nobody found it, so nobody would care after he took it away.He jumped over the wall and got out of the courtyard. Then he went back to the room arranged for him and found some silk fabric to pack the pictures before putting them under the bed. As soon as he finished everything, he
Yang Ning had a bad feeling since he entered the courtyard. When he kicked the room door open, he hoped that he guessed wrong. Then he came into the room and looked around, to find that Gu Qinghan was not inside.This room was not big and every corner could be seen. The quilt was put aside on the bed and it was obvious that there was nobody in it.Although Gu Qinghan was not here, her clothes were beside the bed. Yang Ning looked serious and walked over quickly, reaching out his hand to touch the quilt. It was cold, which meant that Gu Qinghan had left the room long ago.He looked back and found the two maids standing at the door. Seeing that Gu Qinghan was not in the room, they both looked surprised and scared.“I ask you. Did the third lady wear these clothes last night?” Yang Ning pointed at those clothes.A maid replied in a hurry, “Last night we served her when she took a bath and got changed. She changed into the
Qi Cheng was a tall and strong guy, less than forty years old, looking plain. Yang Ning stated casually, “Steward Qi, you have a good sense of hearing and could hear what I said when you were outside.”Qi Cheng replied respectfully, “I manage many affairs in the house and should have sharp ears. If I neglect something and can’t deal with it properly, I will disappoint Marquis of Honor.”“Get up first.” Yang Ning withdrew the Cold Blade near Zhao Yuan’s throat and asked after Qi Cheng got up, “You said I was wrong. Why?”Qi Cheng looked at Yang Ning and responded, “Your Excellency, you said there was nothing wrong in the accounts Mr. Zhao did, so you doubt that the third lady’s disappearance has something to do with him. You are certainly wrong.”Yang Ning expressed, “You have sharp ears and a clear head indeed. Isn’t this something wrong?”Qi Cheng answered seriously, “Of course not. I employed Mr. Zhao because he is q
Yang Ning headed to the Xia Mountain. The sun was setting, and he saw a mountain’s outline in the front far away. There were many mountains in Jiangling, but all of them were not high, ridge upon ridge.The horse ran rapidly, and then he saw a river several kilometers away from the Xia Mountain. He knew that it was the Hongsha River. This river zigzagged and babbled but the water was clear. The crops on a lot of farmland to the east of the Hongsha River had been collected, and the land was empty and boundless. Under the sunset, the horizon was golden.Yang Ning knew that the warehouse was built by the Hongsha River, so he went ahead along the river. Before the sunset, he saw a few stone rooms in the front, which were eye-catching under the sky.He was clear that it was the warehouse where he was asked to go. He urged the horse and then reached there, to see nobody around. He got close to it and saw that there was a row of four rooms. Obviously,