Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 263: Madam Yizhen Xianmei
Li's house was located in a remote countryside, with very few servants, and for a while they were overwhelmed.

The doorman reported to the butler Uncle Gui. Perhaps because Master Chen was of high status, Uncle Gui came out from the inner hall and personally led him to the west hall to serve tea. He also told him that Master Li Wan was straightening his hat and robe, and would soon go to the main hall to welcome guests.

Wang Heng was just about to strike up a conversation with the Chen father and son, so he handed the congratulatory gift to the doorman and followed him to the west hall to sit down.

The second son of Chen briefly introduced Wang Heng to the eldest master Chen. He said that Wang Heng was a classmate and good friend of Lord Li’s youngest son Li Shanmin in the Southern Prison, and Wang Cai was Wang Heng’s cousin.

Uncle Gui glanced at the two strangers sitting at the table and looked a little hesitant. Wang Heng then explained the origins of Li Fu and Xiao Wu, saying that he was Li Jiansheng, a classmate of Li Shanmin, and Xiao Wu was his companion.

Master Chen seemed to be in a very bad state, with a yellow face and the look of having just recovered from an illness. Seeing that all the people present were young students, he was proud of his status and simply nodded his head as a greeting.

Li Fu introduced himself as: "Li, from Jiangning."

Everyone present was reserved and no one asked him the real reason.

Because the butler Uncle Gui was present, the second young master Chen was wearing casual clothes. His adoptive father had passed away only a few days ago, and it seemed unlucky for him to attend a birthday banquet while he was still in mourning. Therefore, those who knew about the matter tacitly agreed not to mention it.

Wang Heng sat next to the Second Young Master Chen, sipped his tea, and said to him mysteriously, "On our way to Li Mansion, we accidentally came across a dilapidated Taoist temple called Yunzhong Temple, which was built next to a cliff."

Xiaocai seemed to remember something, and suddenly said, "I heard someone say a few days ago that several decades ago, there were a man and a woman who were thieves. After committing a crime, they retreated to the cliff. Could it be the same cliff?"

Young Master Chen was surprised and asked, "Could it be that the Taoist priests in the Taoist temple had great magical powers and used profound means to defeat the male and female thieves?"

Xiaocai burst out laughing, looking at Mr. Chen Er with a foolish look in his eyes, and said exaggeratedly: "If there was a profound ability, the Taoist temple would not have fallen into ruin. Naturally, it was the constables of the Jiangning County Court who defeated the male and female thieves."

"Oh." Second Master Chen said embarrassedly, "That's because I misunderstood. I read too many books about gods and demons recently, and everything I heard was associated with some kind of magical power or magic weapon."

This Mr. Chen is such a wonderful guy. I was afraid he wouldn't respond, but he did so in such an engaging way.

Wang Heng only felt a gaze coming at him, it seemed to be Master Chen. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but saw that Master Chen had a blank expression on his face and just closed his eyes to rest.

Wang Heng said calmly, "It may not be there. Jiangning County is very big. I will go ask the county magistrate and the squad leader later."

Li Wei was confused and couldn't help asking, "Brother Wang, why don't you tell me what's going on with these two thieves?"

Xiaocai wanted to show off, so he cleared his throat and said loudly: "It is said that a male and female thief suddenly appeared and brought disaster to Jiangning. It started in the 26th year of the previous emperor. Suddenly, two thieves, a man and a woman, appeared in Jiangning County..."

At this moment, a servant from the Li family came in, bowed and said, "Dear guests, please follow me. My master is waiting for you in the main hall."

Although Master Chen was old and frail, he moved quickly. He immediately stood up and was supported by two servants and walked towards the main hall.

The housekeeper Uncle Gui was originally a guest of Master Chen. He smiled and waved his hand to make way, saying, "Gentlemen, please move." Then he followed Master Chen and left.

Just as Xiaocai was brewing interest, he was interrupted. Yangyang said, "Dear audience, please come early this afternoon."

Wang Heng and his companions had no choice but to get up and follow Uncle Gui. The second young master Chen stretched his arms and legs, paused, and did not rush to serve his father. He lagged behind and walked with the young people.

Wang Heng thought that the father and son of the Chen family were interesting. Xiaocai came over and whispered, "Seventh Brother, I have a question in my mind. I heard the Li family call the mountain people the second master, so where is the Li family's master?" Xiaocai's low voice was just loud enough for the young people who were traveling with him to hear clearly.

Wang Heng guessed, "Judging from the age of Shanmin, maybe Shanmin's brother is serving as an official in a remote place, or maybe he is studying in Shuntian Prefecture, BJ?"

Mr. Chen smiled slightly and did not comment.

The main hall of the Li residence is in the second courtyard. People can reach it by walking through the corridor. The hall is just like the overall structure of the Li residence, spacious but not luxurious enough.

A servant had already come to lead them to their seats. Master Chen and several unfamiliar elderly men were the guests of honor and were seated at the same table as Lord Li.

The old men all seemed to be familiar with each other and were chatting happily with each other. Lord Li was very good at handling things and was very thorough.

Young men like the second son of Chen, Wang Heng, etc. bowed deeply to Li Wan when they entered the room. Li Wan helped them up personally without any arrogance.

The young people sat at another table, separated from the main table by an embroidered screen. There was no sign of Li Shanmin, probably because he was not feeling well yet. Everyone agreed to go to the study to visit Shanmin after the meal.

There was still an empty table in the hall. Wang Heng noticed that Li's cousins ​​Meng Shanren and Meng Dalang had not arrived yet. It took them quite a while to travel to and from Yunzhong Temple. Now that they had arrived, there was no reason why the Meng father and son had not arrived yet?
Xiaocai remembered that he had to look for Lao Chen, the errand boy at the Nanjian who was accompanying Ruan Youhai, and told Lao Chen that if he met Jinyang Jun Li Yan, he should just call him Li Jiansheng and not to reveal his identity. Then he quietly left the table and went to Mr. Zhao's yard.

It was getting late, already past noon, and the housekeeper Uncle Gui told the kitchen to prepare the meal.

In less than a cup of tea, Xiaocai had returned to the main hall. He was smiling and it was obvious that he had successfully completed the task.

The Li family’s banquet is a bit old-fashioned, sticking to the old tradition of four pots and eight bowls. The advantage is that the ingredients are very fresh and the taste is very good.

The desserts on the table were longevity peaches from the Jubao Temple. According to Master Chen II, the longevity peaches from the Jubao Temple were very famous in Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture. These monks were reluctant to give them away easily, so even a big donor like the Chen family had only received them twice.

The old abbot Zhihai is smart and capable, and he knows how to manage a temple. I wonder why he suddenly wants to go into seclusion?
The young people had traveled a long way in the morning and their appetites increased dramatically. They put aside their good manners and ate everything in no time.

Suddenly, Uncle Gui came in happily, "Master, the master has sent Mr. Hu from Shuntian Prefecture to celebrate the birthday. Mr. Hu brought a letter personally written by his wife."

The hall fell silent for a moment. Wang Heng felt that everyone around him seemed to hold their breath and looked towards Lady Li Wan at the same time.

Li Wan slammed the table with her hand, seeming to be very happy, and laughed, "Please welcome Mr. Hu."

Soon Uncle Gui brought in a scholar in blue. The scholar, Mr. Hu, bowed to Li Wan from a distance and said, "I greet you, Your Excellency. Madam Wang asked me to read her handwritten letter to you."

Mr. Hu took out the letter and said in a loud voice, "Mrs. Yizhen, I heard that you were ill with a cold a few days ago. I was very worried, so I asked Aunt Wu to bring you a gold-covered hairpin from Linlang Pavilion for you to play with."

Mr. Hu was still reading the letter aloud, but Lord Li's face changed and he ordered his attendants, "Bring Mr. Hu's letter here, and invite Mr. Hu to the flower hall for tea."

The servants were still in a daze. Mr. Hu, who was far away, read a few more sentences: "If you want to find Aunt Wu, just go to the Fusheng Rice Shop at the corner of the alley and tell the shopkeeper."

Li Wan signaled with her eyes, showing her authority without even getting angry, and the servants of the Li family hurriedly dragged Mr. Hu out of the house.