Chapter 294: Old Residence

Chapter 294: The Old Residence

"When it gets colder and the ground freezes over, Da Lang will have trouble getting up early. Wan Geer wants him to live closer to the Shuntian Prefecture office." Aunt Chang came out of her bedroom, speaking to Lan Niang and Zheng Shushen.

The two quickly bowed and paid their respects to Aunt Chang. With an elder present, and since they weren't very familiar with Meng Wan, they both felt somewhat constrained.

"Go sit on the couch. I'll go check on A Yan and Tong'er—you two chat at your leisure." Aunt Chang felt she had little to discuss with them anyway; better to go see her grandson.

Lan Niang knew that Aunt Chang came from a farming family and wasn't big on formalities, so she rose to see her off and then sat back down at ease. Zheng Shushen, on the other hand, seemed slightly uneasy and hesitated before asking, "We didn't disturb the old lady's rest, did we?"

Meng Wan pulled him to sit down. "No disturbance at all—my mother just can't sit still. We three families are close, so calling her 'old lady' makes it sound too formal. She'd prefer if you called her Aunt Chang."

"How is Qiongniang doing? Is A Xun treating her well?" The latter question Meng Wan directed at Lan Niang.

At the mention of her daughter, a hint of joy appeared on Lan Niang's face. "How could she not be well? He's more reliable than any physician I found in Shengjing. He says to follow his dietary regimen and slowly nurse her back to health—by the time she's twelve or thirteen, she won't need any medicine at all. I haven't even properly thanked you yet!"

Meng Wan smiled. "As long as there's a way to cure her, no need for thanks. Bring Qiongniang by often in the future—once it gets cold, she won't be able to go out easily." He and Song Tingzhou treated Zhu Zening like a younger brother, and Third Master Zhu was now doing business with him, having abandoned even his sugar workshop to throw himself wholeheartedly into the courier station, running about everywhere.

Lan Niang had previously moved in aristocratic circles and had some experience. She was also bolder than most other women. Zheng Shushen was the complete opposite—frail and gentle, speaking in a slow, measured manner.

The two had known each other for a long time and were familiar with one another. Meng Wan was skilled at socializing and fit in naturally without seeming out of place. At noon, Aunt Chang personally cooked a feast and invited the two to stay for lunch at the Song residence.

After the meal, the two took their leave. After leaving the Shichun Lane residence, Zheng Shushen climbed into Lan Niang's carriage. "Lan Niang, do you think we bothered them today?"

Previously, Song Tingzhou had been home alone without any female family members, so they couldn't very well visit. They also feared the Song family might think them neglectful, so as soon as Meng Wan returned, they came together to show their faces.

Lan Niang knew Zheng Shushen's temperament well and reassured her, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. What's there to worry about? Aunt Chang is from a farming family—no hidden agendas. Wan Geer isn't particular about formalities either. They're eager to buy a new house now, and once they do, I'll bring you over often to get familiar with the place."

Since breaking off her engagement to Chai Jun, Lan Niang had stopped trying to force her way into aristocratic circles. When others sent her invitations, she'd attend only one out of every three. It was boring, but much more relaxed and free. Later, when Wu Zhaoyuan brought Zheng Shushen to the capital, she gained a companion, and she was even happier when Meng Wan returned.

Lan Niang told Zheng Shushen about the Song family's situation, and after Zheng Shushen went home, Wu Zhaoyuan also shared some things with her. After that, the two met with Meng Wan several more times before they truly became familiar.

Meng Wan had money, so buying a house was a breeze for him—except that houses near the imperial city were hard to come by, with far more buyers than sellers. He weighed his options carefully before settling on two properties. The first was just right in both size and location—none other than the former residence of Lord Bian, the first Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

Lord Bian had served for over a decade, and his residence had expanded over time until it was a grand mansion with five courtyards, containing eight courtyards of various sizes. It had grand halls, ceremonial gates, winding paths, screen walls, studies, flower halls—everything you could want.

As a third-rank court official, Song Tingzhou was allowed to buy a five-courtyard house, though the depth of the beams, ridgepoles, painted decorations, and eaves all had to follow regulations. The Bian family's former residence seemed made to order for the Song family.

Unfortunately, it was a house where someone had died violently.

The Ministry of Justice still hadn't explained Lord Bian's death. The Bian family had kept quiet and made no fuss, selling the house at a low price to a real estate broker and quietly returning to their hometown.

This was the downside of being an ordinary civil official—once the family's pillar in court was gone, all their former glory amounted to nothing, and they rapidly declined into ordinary country gentry.

No wonder currying favor with the emperor was so tempting, and why noble families were so arrogant.

To avoid moving repeatedly, Meng Wan looked at large houses. The second property was also a five-courtyard mansion.

Its drawback was that it wasn't as close to the imperial palace as the Bian house—a half-hour ride by horse versus just two quarters of an hour. However, it was quite close to the Shuntian Prefecture, only a quarter-hour's journey away.

The second drawback was that the interior was somewhat decayed, requiring major renovations throughout. That was a headache—for such a large house, major repairs would take at least half a year, and his family was eager to move. All things considered, the Bian house was the better choice.

"Wan Geer, why don't we just buy the house on Songxue Lane? We can renovate one small courtyard first for Da Lang to live in. A Yan, Xiao Ci, and I aren't in a hurry to move." As a relatively superstitious person of the old school, Aunt Chang couldn't quite accept living in the former residence of someone who died unjustly—it always made her uneasy.

"Alright, let's settle on the Songxue Lane property then. I'll have the broker come over to sign the contract." Since there was another option, Meng Wan didn't want Aunt Chang to feel uncomfortable.

But when Meng Wan called the broker over, the man bowed apologetically and said the Songxue Lane house had already been sold that very morning.

"I only went to look at it yesterday—a house that big sold in one morning?"

"Fulang Meng, I'm truly sorry. I only just received the news myself." Houses in Shengjing never lacked buyers, especially three-courtyard ones which were in the highest demand. Five-courtyard houses didn't sell as quickly as three-courtyard ones, but there were plenty of wealthy people around, so buyers could always be found.

The Songxue Lane house was a bit run-down, but its location was excellent. It had been sitting vacant for a while and had only recently been put up for sale.

Moreover, real estate agencies in Shengjing operated differently from elsewhere—there were fewer houses than buyers, and most listings were held in the hands of buyers. Whichever agency offered the best price got to sell the property. The Songxue Lane house had been sold by a broker from another agency.

It was rare for two qualifying large mansions to become available at once, and now there was no choice. Meng Wan looked at Aunt Chang helplessly. "Mother, how about we take the Bian house on Lancui Lane? I'll go to Huguo Temple and invite some eminent monks to chant sutras and pray for blessings before we move in—will that work?"

Their family wasn't large, but they had brought too many belongings from Lingnan. Combined with the large items bestowed by the emperor, even an ordinary three-courtyard house felt cramped. They had no choice but to buy the Bian mansion.

Once decided, Meng Wan moved quickly to finalize the deal, completing the deed and land title. He handled these matters personally. Since the property fell within Shuntian Prefecture's jurisdiction, Song Tingzhou, as Prefect, accompanied him throughout the entire process at the prefecture office, and Meng Wan received many surreptitious glances.

"You go back to work. I'll head home and arrange for the house to be cleaned, then pick an auspicious day for us to move." Meng Wan urged Song Tingzhou, who had walked him to the gate of the prefecture office.

Song Tingzhou cautioned, "Be careful on your way back. Don't let Chi Yu leave your side."

"Don't worry, my lord—I'll protect the fulang with my life!" Chi Yu thumped his chest in assurance. If not for the pregnancy mole clearly visible on his forehead, Chi Yu looked far more robust than those frail civil officials.

Meng Wan returned with the brand-new deed and immediately set about preparing to clean the house, finding a Taoist priest to pick an auspicious moving date, and inviting monks from Huguo Temple to come chant sutras and pray for blessings in advance.

He didn't believe in ghosts or spirits himself, but whatever it took to put Aunt Chang's mind at ease was worth any expense.

Everything was prepared, and from the time Meng Wan contacted the agency to the actual move, only a month and a half had passed.

In mid-November, large snowflakes drifted through the sky. The entire Song family sat in carriages, emerging in a grand procession from Shichun Lane, heading toward their new home in the coldest hour before dawn.

A Yan wore thick cotton clothes with a red fox fur cloak over the top, pressing himself against Meng Wan. "I'm so cold, A-die. My feet are going to freeze off!"

Aunt Chang placed the hand warmer she'd been holding against her chest by A Yan's feet. "We'll be at the new house soon. Bear with it a little longer."

"Tong'er, are you cold? Here, your little uncle's hand warmer is for you." Meng Wan handed his own warmer to Tong'er. Fang Jinrong had quietly slipped away shortly after arriving in Shengjing, and Tong'er, upon waking to find his father gone, had been remarkably calm about it.

Everyone was used to it by now.

Tong'er shook his head in refusal. "Little uncle, keep it for yourself. I'm not cold." Indeed, he wasn't—his hands and feet were still toasty warm.

A Yan shivered. "A-die, why don't we call the snow wolf inside? It could warm us up."

Meng Wan tapped his head. "This carriage is already heavy enough with all of us. If the snow wolf came in too, wouldn't it crush the whole thing?" The specially made carriage he'd had built in Lingnan couldn't be used in Shengjing—it had been left behind at the Shichun Lane house.

A Yan, frozen and exhausted, couldn't help grumbling, "Why did we have to listen to that Taoist priest and move before dawn? Wouldn't it have been fine to come at noon?"

Meng Wan saw the boy was getting a bit delirious and tightened his hold on him. "Don't talk nonsense—everyone moves before dawn. It's just this one day. Bear with it. How about at noon I take you, your brother, and Tong'er out to a nice restaurant for a good meal?"

A Yan pouted and sniffled. "I don't want to go out. It's freezing outside."

"Fulang, old lady, we've arrived." The carriage traveled another two quarters of an hour before finally reaching Lancui Lane.

The old plaque on the gate had been removed and replaced with one bearing Song Tingzhou's own calligraphy: "Residence of the Capital Prefect." Simple and clear.

Song Tingzhou helped Meng Wan down, and each of them carried a child. Chu Ci went to assist Aunt Chang. Before they'd even made it through the gate, the snow wolf dashed inside like a gust of wind.

Chi Yu ran in after it, with Xue Sheng following leisurely behind.

Because the move had been rushed, the house hadn't been much altered—it still looked as it had before. Following the eminent monks' advice, Lord Bian's former bedroom had been converted into a Buddhist shrine, where Meng Wan had installed a statue of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, that he'd requested from the temple.

Strangely enough, before the statue was installed, Meng Wan had thought the house was perfectly normal. After it was placed, perhaps due to psychological suggestion, he found himself feeling oddly uneasy, with a chill running down his spine.

Everyone had risen early. Except for Aunt Chang, who being older needed less sleep, and Song Tingzhou, who had to attend the morning court, everyone else was exhausted and gathered in Aunt Chang's courtyard to catch up on sleep.

The servants each took on their duties, some moving belongings, others busy lighting fires and burning charcoal to keep the household warm. Song Tingzhou changed into his court robes, draped a large black cloak over them, and led his horse out, preparing to attend the morning court.

"My lord, please wait!" Chi Yu quickly ran over to block Song Tingzhou's path, and Xue Sheng also wore a grave expression.

Song Tingzhou's eyes were darker than the night around them, as if he sensed something was amiss. "What happened?"

Xue Sheng looked up at him, his expression solemn. "The Snow Wolf dug up corpses in the garden—and there's more than one."

The morning court was, as usual, unremarkable, with various ministries reporting matters of little consequence. The most contentious issues were the Crown Prince's whereabouts and this year's military campaigns.

The Yu Kingdom's court was now dominated by the peace faction, with military officers held in far lower esteem than civil officials. The truly capable generals could be counted on one hand, nearly all aligned with Duke Dingxiang's faction, with the few remaining either from minor families or sided with Marquis Zhongyi—even combined, they couldn't rival Duke Dingxiang.

Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Zan of the Censorate presented a letter. "Your Majesty, this is a peace petition from the King of Annam. As stated therein, the Crown Prince is not being held by the Annamese, and the rumors that he died in Annam are sheer nonsense."

Xia Yuan's eyelid twitched. He cast a covert glance at Duke Dingxiang, who, though advanced in years, his back remained tall and steady, as firm as Mount Tai.

Averting his gaze, Xia Yuan lowered his eyes and observed coldly from the sidelines.

After reading the letter handed to him by the eunuch, the emperor was silent for a long time, his thoughts unreadable.

After a long pause, he spoke in a deep voice: "The Crown Prince is the heir to the state, of paramount importance. Whether dead or alive, his whereabouts must be found as soon as possible."

He sat too high, looking down upon all present. No one dared lift their head to meet the emperor's eyes, let alone discern his expression when discussing the Crown Prince's whereabouts.

"Xia Yuan."

Xia Yuan stepped out of the ranks, holding his hu tablet. "This servant is present."

The emperor asked in a deep voice: "You previously claimed to have seen the Crown Prince's corpse with your own eyes in Annam. Now the King of Annam says no such thing ever happened. How do you refute that?"

Xia Yuan replied with a respectful tone, showing no trace of panic in the face of the emperor's questioning. "To answer Your Majesty, on that day I did indeed see with my own eyes a corpse lying in a coffin whose build was extremely similar to that of the Crown Prince, and the face was indistinguishable from His Highness's. I know not why this is so, nor why the King of Annam now flatly denies it."

The emperor then turned his gaze to the military officers. "Marquis Zhongyi."

Marquis Zhongyi stepped out from the ranks of generals. "This servant is present."

"Your son Qin Jiao fought bravely in Qinzhou and, I hear, has joined forces with Prince Lian to slay a fierce Annamese general." The emperor's voice was majestic and inscrutable.

Marquis Zhongyi clasped his hands before his chest, bowed his head low in reply, his posture reverent, displaying complete submission. "My son is foolish and dull; he could only slay the enemy by relying on Prince Lian's princely prestige."

"Ha."

The emperor gave a soft chuckle, and the palace attendant standing closest felt his hairs suddenly stand on end.

"Since the King of Annam has submitted, let Qin Jiao withdraw his troops and join Prince Lian in searching for the Crown Prince's whereabouts."

Marquis Zhongyi replied, "Your servant obeys the imperial decree."

The Crown Prince's faction secretly worried, but Duke Dingxiang at the front remained as unmovable as ever.

The vast court fell into a deathly silence.

"Where is the Shuntian Prefect?" the emperor suddenly asked.

The palace attendant, hunched over, leaned in. "Your Majesty, Lord Song has requested leave this morning."

The emperor seemed slightly surprised. "Oh? Why?"

The attendant replied, "He said that today he was moving into his new residence, and he dug up twenty-one corpses from the courtyard."