Fuxiang's Little Stories

Mei'er presented the small cloth bag with both hands, bowed, and said softly, "Young Master Xu, then, this servant will take her leave now."

"Etc!"

Xu Qi'an took the cloth bag but didn't open it. Looking at the pretty young maid, he asked, "Where do you live?"

"My home is in Jiaoshi County," Mei'er said softly.

Jiaoshi County is located within the territory of the capital, northeast of it. If you travel from the north, you can reach it in two days by hiring a horse-drawn carriage.

Mei'er wasn't the daughter of a disgraced official; she was sold into the Imperial Academy of Music by her family.

Maids like her, sold into the Imperial Academy of Music in the capital, were usually from poor families in or around the capital. It was impossible for someone to travel thousands of miles to the capital to sell their daughter; if they had the money, they wouldn't need to sell their daughter.

As for her parents, they sold her into the Imperial Academy of Music out of desperation. That year was a year of great famine, and the whole family was almost starving. Selling her out was the only way to survive.

Even if Fuxiang left her some money, the Imperial Academy of Music was a ruthless place that would surely have extorted money from her during the redemption process. If she, a weak woman, brought back too little money, her family probably wouldn't treat her well.

Seeing that she was dressed simply, Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, reached into his pocket, gently tapped the mirror, and took out a fifty-tael silver note, handing it to her.

"Young Master Xu, I can't accept it." Mei'er shook her head repeatedly.

"Since you and Fuxiang have been master and servant for so long, it's only right that I do my part," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

Mei'er's eyes filled with tears, and she choked out, "During Fuxiang's illness, I hated you in my heart, hated your heartlessness. I was wrong. You are a truly compassionate man. Fuxiang was unlucky and had no good fortune."

Xu Qi'an felt somewhat awkward. He had known for a long time that Fuxiang was seriously ill, but he hadn't figured out how to face her.

As for her identity, ever since Zhong Li pointed out that the other party's soul was incomplete, he, as a veteran criminal police officer, immediately connected many of his previous doubts.

For example, how would the Demon Race know that he was blessed with good fortune?

For example, why did the Demon Race secretly hide Shen Shu's severed hand in his house?

Normally, a person with a mental or spiritual disability is unlikely to be perfectly healthy; they would either be demented or in a vegetative state.

After seeing Mei'er off, Xu Qi'an sat in the outer hall and opened the package.

Inside were two letters, a book, and a butter jade bracelet.

One letter was written when I passed through Qingzhou on my way to Yunzhou. The other was written when I passed through Huangyou County in Jiangzhou on my way to Chuzhou to investigate a case.

Just as Xu Qi'an was about to put down the bracelet and the two letters, he suddenly felt something was wrong with the touch. He opened the letter from Qingzhou and poured out a dry, wrinkled lotus petal.

Xu Qi'an, who had initially felt only slightly saddened by Fuxiang's death, suddenly felt as if he were suffocating.

So, all I ever gave you from beginning to end was this.

He unfolded the letter and read it silently, a bitter feeling lingering in his heart as he recalled his past with that courtesan.

I once heard someone say while browsing forums that true, deep sorrow isn't about having a good, explosive cry, but rather about the half-empty carton of milk in the fridge, the green ivy swaying gently in the breeze on the windowsill, the folded comforter on the bed, and the quiet afternoon hum of the washing machine.

He took a deep breath, carefully put away the envelope and bracelet, and turned his attention back to the book.

The book had a blue cover and no title. After opening it, I discovered that it contained some essays written by Fuxiang. The handwriting was delicate, and the essays recorded some strange and wonderful little stories.

The book says that there was a towering cliff that reached into the clouds, where an old eagle lived. The eagle had six children. One day, the eagle's children were bullied and came back to the eagle crying.

The eagle ignored them, simply standing silently on the cliff, gazing at the ground.

So the eagle's cub flew away and never returned.

Below the cliff lies a dangerous jungle where a tiger lives. The tiger is sick and can no longer hunt, so it sends its fox to lure small animals into its cave to satisfy the tiger's appetite.

The fox believed that the tiger couldn't do without it, so it gradually grew arrogant. It joined forces with the wolf pack and ate the noble little white rabbit.

The tiger found out, but chose to turn a blind eye and protect the fox.

The wise monkey king of the forest sensed something was amiss and sent his monkeys to investigate the fox. To prevent the fox's scheme to lure the small animals from being exposed, the tiger spoke to the python:

Go find the big black bear and tell him that his cubs were eaten by the fox.

The black bear was furious when it found out, broke into the fox's house, and killed the fox.

"What's the meaning?"

Xu Qi'an frowned, pondering for a long time, but couldn't figure out what the story was trying to convey.

It has a strong sense of déjà vu, but I can't quite place it right now.

Without much thought, he returned to the inner courtyard to hone his sword intent and practice the Heaven and Earth One-Slash Technique.

After lunch, he rode his little mare to the brothel, where he changed his clothes and left on foot. He then arrived at the agreed-upon private residence and boarded a carriage in Lin'an.

Then, riding in the royal princess's carriage, the wheels rolled as we entered the imperial city.

As they approached the area where the royal family was gathered, a luxurious carriage made of rosewood came from the opposite direction.

"Parking!"

From the approaching carriage came Huaiqing's cold voice.

The two carriages stopped. Huaiqing opened the window, sat by the window, and half-peeked out with her beautiful face, saying, "Lin'an, didn't you say you weren't feeling well these past few days? Where have you been?"

Holy crap, Xu Qi'an sat in the carriage, his face stiff.

She secretly went on a date with her younger sister, but her older sister caught them on the way.

Huaiqing frowned and said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

What I want is Master Luo's time management philosophy, not his "failure philosophy." Xu Qi'an's mind was full of complaints. He coughed a few times, then, without answering Huaiqing, calmly instructed the driver:

"Walk."

After reaching the fifth rank, he could perfectly control his body, including his voice, and it wasn't difficult for him to temporarily produce a high-pitched female voice. As for whether it sounded like a woman, given the cough as a prelude, it was understandable that Lin'an's voice changed slightly due to his discomfort.

Hopefully, Huaiqing hasn't noticed.

I spent the whole afternoon hanging out with Lin'an, talking to her, playing chess, drinking tea, and occasionally touching her. We became more and more comfortable and natural with each other.

At the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM), Xu Qi'an left Lin'an Prefecture and rode in Biao Biao's carriage out of the capital. Just as he stepped out of the city gate, he heard that familiar, clear, and cold voice again:

"Parking!"

Holy crap Xu Qi'an almost lost control of his expression. Before Huai Qing could speak, he pinched his throat and coughed forcefully.

Then, he let Huaiqing cough in.

Dressed in a plain palace dress, the eldest princess, beautiful as a painting and elegant as a flower, pushed open the car door, climbed into the carriage, and looked at him coldly. Her eyes, as clear as a pool in late autumn, were filled with mockery and anger.

"Your Highness, Huaiqing."

Xu Qi'an forced a smile. Although there was no mirror, he knew his expression could be described in seven words: awkward but polite.

"Young Master Xu, you're quite something, sneaking into the capital to have a secret rendezvous with the princess. Are you afraid that Father Emperor won't have any evidence to behead you?" Huaiqing's voice was icy, her pretty face as frosty as ice.

I've always been cautious.

He pointed to his own face, which was the face of his younger brother, Xu Erlang.

He and Lin'an had agreed that if anything went wrong, they would claim she was seeking instruction from a junior scholar in the classics, and that she was learning. As for whether there was any private instruction involved, since all the palace maids were dismissed, no one knew.

Huaiqing sneered, "When you met with Lin'an, did you dismiss the palace maids and guards?"

"Nature."

"This happens every time?"

"Yes."

Huaiqing looked at him calmly with her clear, bright eyes and said softly:

"Lin'an is not like this palace. Among the guards and maids in her residence, she probably doesn't even know who is Consort Chen's person. It is not inappropriate for members of the royal family to ask a junior scholar to explain the classics, but the fact that she dismisses the servants every time suggests that Consort Chen already knows about this matter, but is just observing."

"You've already thoroughly offended Consort Chen in the Consort Fu case, giving her leverage to accuse you to the Emperor. Do you want to die, or push Xu Cijiu out to take the blame?"

"I just mentioned today that I wanted to reduce the frequency of my dates," Xu Qi'an nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness."

Huaiqing nodded in satisfaction. "From now on, you are not allowed to see Lin'an again."

Xu Qi'an looked at her in shock.

Huaiqing explained in a serious tone, "As I have said, she is not like me; she doesn't even know how many spies are around her. Meeting her in private is too risky for you."

"If anything comes up in the future, I can relay the message. If you absolutely must meet, then come to Huaiqing Prefecture. I'll arrange for you to meet Lin'an."

"If that's the case, everything is right under your nose. How can I hold Biao Biao's hand then?" Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"Doesn't Your Highness have any spies in your residence?"

Huaiqing glanced at him, his smile dismissive.

"Your Highness is indeed exceptionally intelligent and skillful, a hundred or a thousand times better than Prince Lin'an," Xu Qi'an immediately flattered.

Huaiqing remained noncommittal to his flattery and continued, "Three days later, the Imperial Academy will hold a literary gathering at Luhu Lake in the capital. It is related to the war in the north and the historical grievances between the Great Feng and the Witch God Sect. You will accompany me to attend, under the identity of Xu Cijiu."

"Good!"

Xu Qi'an could only nod.

Huaiqing nodded in satisfaction and smiled slightly, "In another two weeks, summer will be over, and the imperial court may be going to war. It is customary for local gentry to donate silver and grain during times of war. What are your thoughts, Young Master Xu?"

Since Emperor Yuanjing began practicing Daoism, he has been exhausting the people and wasting resources. In order to fill the empty national treasury, he came up with the idea of exploiting the local gentry.

"Huh? What opinion could I possibly have? I'm not some local gentry." Just as Xu Qi'an was thinking this, Huai Qing coldly replied:

"Young Master Xu is extremely wealthy; why not donate some as well?"

"Donate, how much?"

How about eight thousand taels?

Xu Qi'an's face suddenly went blank.

Donating money is impossible, I'll never donate in this lifetime. As dusk fell, Xu Qi'an dragged his weary body back to his residence.

After lunch, he lay in bed and heard the door creak open. It was Zhong Li, who had returned after taking a bath.

"How were you this afternoon? Did you get hurt?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"No, I wasn't injured, but I almost died," Zhong Li said softly.

"?"

Xu Qi'an immediately sat up and asked, "What happened?"

Zhong Li suddenly felt aggrieved and said in a tearful voice, "I was cultivating peacefully in the room when, for some reason, your broken sword suddenly went berserk and stabbed at me. It was just a centimeter away; my head would have been ripped off."

Xu Qi'an comforted him, "It's alright, it's alright."

"It's not over yet. Your broken sword has been chasing me relentlessly. If it weren't for Master Li coming to my rescue, I would be dead."

"Thank goodness."

"It wasn't over yet. In the process of subduing it, Master Li accidentally used the wrong Law Technique, scattering my soul. It took her an entire afternoon to bring me back."

"Thank goodness."

"It didn't end there. After my soul was summoned back, I realized that your child had forced a piece of glutinous rice cake into my mouth, and I almost suffocated to death."

"It's not over yet?"

"It's over."

"How can I save you?" Xu Qi'an, the fifth senior sister, was overcome with grief. She beckoned to Taiping Blade and scolded, "Why did you bully her?"

The Taiping sword vibrated with a buzzing sound.

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt annoyed with her. This feeling was transmitted to Xu Qi'an.

I don't know whether to blame Taiping or you! Xu Qi'an was overcome with grief again and said softly, "Senior Sister Zhong, you can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

Zhong Li shook her head repeatedly, curled up on her small couch, feeling very safe.

At that moment, a familiar feeling of palpitation came over him. Xu Qi'an subconsciously reached under his pillow for the fragment of the Earth Book, lit a candle, and began to examine the information in the Earth Book.

[Six: The health center is under surveillance; someone wants to harm this poor monk.]

This is a message from Hengyuan.

Is someone trying to target Master Hengyuan? He shouldn't have offended anyone, right?

Xu Qi'an was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly realized that the person Hengyuan had offended was none other than Emperor Yuanjing. Whether it was his intervention in stopping the Imperial Guards when the two dukes were killed, or his protection of Lianzi in Jianzhou, he was going against Emperor Yuanjing.

[Two: Are you at the health center? Are you in any danger? I'll come right away.]

The Flying Swallow Heroine is always quick to help those in need and never hesitates to lend a helping hand.

[Six: This humble monk is not at the Yangsheng Hall. Today, someone inquired about my situation in the southern part of the city. It was a message secretly sent to me by a fellow villager I had helped in the past.]

[I then left the health center and hid in a nearby house. After dusk, people lay in ambush near the health center.]

[Four: Ignore them and find another place to hide.]

Chu Yuanzhen offered his advice.

[Six: This humble monk is worried that they might prey on the children and elderly at the orphanage.]

[4: Do you know who the other person is?]

[Six: I don't know.]

Xu Qi'an used his hand as a pen to convey the message: "[This isn't hard to guess; it's someone from our Emperor's faction.]"

P. S.: Due to copyright issues, the cover has been changed. The back office kindly replaced it with a cover that is similar to the original.