Ink Burns

Chapter 174 The Fisherman's Spring (Fatty Chapter)

Xue Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at his sister-in-law's eyes darting around, and a cryptic smile appeared on his face.

The sister-in-law, who was skilled at defeating a master with random punches, was actually unsure of herself; she was just testing him—this brat, she didn't dare mess with her sister, but annoying him was quite easy.

Xue Xiao didn't reply. Instead, he casually summoned the gatekeeper, Jifeng, and instructed him: "Personally drive Wei Sibu back to Qiushui Ferry. Also, take two hundred taels from the account and go to Qiushui Ferry to have a good drink with the boat captain and express your gratitude. Please ask him to keep an eye on things at Xinglin Hall."

The matter has now reached the emperor's ears. Under the pretext of a respectable young man's promotion, the Six Ministries stepped in to protect Qiushui Ferry Apricot Grove Hall, and also gave the sister-in-law a legitimate place to live.

However, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. The emperor is far away, and if some foolish street thugs break in and cause trouble, skinning them alive is a matter for later. If irreparable harm is caused, it will be too late to regret it.

As it happened, the sage had some connections with the canal gangs, which was exactly what the boat captain needed.

Jifeng hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course! A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Lord Baihu has devoted himself to our aunt, and I will gladly die for him!"

Xue Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "Never mind. Let Luo Feng go have the drinks; you just need to drive the carriage."

The boat captain was illiterate, while Jifeng was all talk and no action, making him an easy target for a beating.

Seeing that Xue Xiao didn't respond, Shui Guang tilted her head and glanced at him for a moment, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets, before finally saying with certainty, "You don't know what our feud is?"

Xue Xiao remained silent, simply handing the reins to Jifeng with one hand.

“I can tell you, in exchange, you have to—” Shui Guang blinked, but Xue Xiao cut her off.

"When your sister feels it's time to tell me, she will inform me."

Xue Xiao said softly, "If she doesn't tell me, it means I haven't won her complete trust yet, so naturally I'm not worthy to know."

After a moment of stunned silence, Shui Guang's lips curled up so high that they looked like they could hold a pot of vinegar.

Unable to suppress her laughter, she simply let it go.

Shui Guang burst into a big laugh, revealing eight even, shiny teeth that shone brightly against her wheat-colored skin.

"Brother-in-law! You're amazing!" Shui Guang peeked out with his shifty eyes, his voice low: "You've got to work! Hard work pays off! Diligence can make up for lack of talent! You're exceptional! Exceptional... exceptional."

With a swift stomp of one foot and a raised head, he proclaimed to his soldiers: "A gathering of heroes!"

"Clap clap clap—" Shui Guang clapped admiringly: "Brother, you have great learning!"

Jifeng humbly cupped his hands in greeting: "Not at all! You are equally outstanding, young lady, truly a person of extraordinary talent!"

Shui Guang chuckled and scratched his head, "You flatter me. I've been taking the Six Departments exam recently and just learned a few words, hehehe."

As if they had exchanged a secret signal, the two began offering insincere compliments right at the door.

Xue Xiao stood silently for a moment, then decisively turned and left without hesitation: "These two are sick. If I stay any longer, they might infect me." There was another question that puzzled him as well. He and Shan Yue were both deeply calculating, so how come, without realizing it, everyone around them was in a rather complicated situation?

Xue Xiao slipped away and entered the mansion. As he passed through the main courtyard, Xue Chen's voice could still be heard in the outer hall.

Xue Xiao stopped and stood in front of the window.

Xue Chen, unlike her previous choked and timid demeanor, spoke with great strength and confidence.

"My mother's dowry and savings must never be given to the Zhu family. The suffering my mother has endured is entirely due to the misdeeds of the Zhu family. If the Zhu family were to take all three thousand two hundred and seventy-three taels of silver and the two shops, I would absolutely not agree to it. This matter is now left unresolved."

Xue Chen glossed over the middle title, softened her voice, and pleaded, "Sister-in-law, I beg you to help me with this matter. Money is just an external thing, but I would never dare to let anyone else have what my mother left behind. Please grant me this deepest filial piety!"

Money is an external thing, but even the smallest amount of it can be counted clearly.

Speaking of filial piety, Shan Yue blew away the foam on the tea: "Is the Grand Protector of the Northern Prefecture still well?"

Xue Chen was taken aback.

How could he know whether his father was dead or alive?
Recently, he has become obsessed with fishing. With no hope of passing the imperial examinations, he no longer wants to exert himself and is looking for ways to live a leisurely life. Internally, his eldest sister-in-law is also a "Qingfeng" (a term of endearment for a woman), so she won't make things difficult for him. Externally, he has the Chang family as his backing, probably because he has always agreed with Chang Yusu, and Chang Yusu has always treated him well. Now that Chang Yusu's wife is engaged to him, the Chang family is very protective of their own. He can live a carefree life from now on, which will be better than being an immortal!
The only drawback was that Chang Yu's mother wasn't very pretty. She was born with the sparse hair and small eyes that were a family trait of the Chang family. She only had white skin like her mother, so she was not as pretty as her mother at all. I remember her not being pretty when I was a child. A few days ago, I glanced at her from across the lake, and my heart sank even further: she was even less pretty than when I was a child. Her fur was yellowish, and she looked like a dirty cat that no one wanted at the entrance of an alley.

He's not a good person, but luckily his surname is Chang, so he can be protected.

Let it be.

Having figured this out, Xue Chen fished even more freely. Every morning he would set off, either to the back mountain or the east of the city. The back mountain had clear water and shallow beaches, making it the best place to fish for rockfish. In the east of the city, he would fish in the Grand Canal, where there were boat nails, mandarin fish, and greenfins, but it was very far, taking two hours by carriage to go there and back.
Fishing is fun. Even though the fishing line cuts his right fingers raw and leaves several bloody marks, and he gets tanned dark every day, he still enjoys it.

Fishing takes a lot of time, so where would he find the time to take care of his paralyzed father!

"It's...it's alright," Xue Chen stammered.

"Not bad?" Shan Yue laughed. "If he's not bad, then you're doomed—Grand Tutor is now paralyzed in bed. I heard from the servants of the Northern Mansion that they can feel his bones with a single gesture. He's practically a corpse. Chen Di, use your brain! If you've just finished observing mourning for your mother, and Grand Tutor dies then, you'll have to observe mourning for another three years. Three years after three years, when will you be able to marry Miss Chang? How can you establish a career without starting a family? When will you be able to rightfully take back the Xue family's ancestral property from your brother?" The Sparrow Tongue Tea was lukewarm, and you couldn't taste anything, but it felt smoother than plain water.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes, put down her teacup, and looked at Xue Chen's pale face. Her smile was faint: "Are you better than your brother in literature or martial arts? Old Master Xue only left this Southern Mansion to him, but didn't explicitly say who the Northern Mansion belonged to. I don't know your brother's methods, but don't you know them? Even if he's in mourning, if he wants this little bit of stuff, can you outmaneuver him? In one fell swoop, you, Xue Chen, with your brittle bones, would have been thrown out of the Xue family's gate long ago—you've lost your ancestral property and have been observing mourning for a long time. Are you sure Miss Chang will wait for you until then?"

Xue Chen was shocked and panicked: "According to sister-in-law's meaning... yes."

"Make your move and kill Xue Changfeng."

Shan Yue turned the teacup and made the suggestion for the second time.

With the approach of midsummer, nearly a hundred ghosts are said to roam the nights, and many households in the capital have hung up portraits of Zhong Kui.

The image of Zhong Kui with his green face and fangs on the teacup was gently turned by Shan Yue so that it faced Xue Chen.

On the bowl, Zhong Kui glared angrily at him, his mouth gaping wide as if he were about to devour him!

Xue Chen couldn't help but shudder: "Those who kill their fathers deserve to be executed by slow slicing!"

“He’s nothing but a dying man. The elegant and arrogant Xue Taibao is long dead! What’s left now is nothing but a sinful shell!” Shan Yue leaned forward, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her voice instantly became gentle and kind: “Brother Chen, you should know that I’m of one mind with you. I’d rather risk offending Xue Xiao than let Madam Zhu have any descendants. You should know that I’m doing this for your own good.”

Xue Chen shrank back, her mind reeling, lost in thought.

The constant dinging and clanging was quite alarming.

Xue Xiao stopped outside the window and saw Qiu Tao leading her usually taciturn maid Qiu Yu inside with pastries.

Xue Xiao raised his hand.

Qiu Tao then respectfully carried the tray and shuffled over, saying, "My lord—"

"Don't go in yet," Xue Xiao said. "Your wife is setting up a scheme."

"Beep—" The strings in my mind seemed to be pulled by a strong force, and the music stopped abruptly.

Xue Chen hurriedly stood up, not daring to look up: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I, I dare not, I have no choice, I can't do it—if you want to do it, I, I'll keep watch for you, okay?"

"The Northern Prefecture has servants whom the Xue family has kept for many years. If I go there, will I still be alive to come out?" Shan Yue leaned back, about to speak again, but was interrupted by Xue Chen's hurried words.

"Then! Then! Then let's discuss this matter again! Let's, let's take our time to plan!" Xue Chen fled like a frightened bird.

Xue Chen ran out of the outer hall as if fleeing.

Xue Xiao leaned back, his figure disappearing behind the tall pillar, and took the lead in raising his foot: "Now we can go in—" He then kindly reminded Qiu Tao: "Your wife's scheme didn't work out, so be careful with your words and actions these next few days."

If he remembered correctly, this youngest girl was the most reckless. She was neither as vicious as the evil steward Zhi nor as wise as Aunt Wang. Apart from her good relationship with Qiu Yu, she was not memorable. She was usually timid and didn't seem very smart.

Oh, and here's another memorable point: Shan Yue really liked her and often called her "Wu Liang," which was probably a unique and intimate nickname.

Qiu Tao said "Oh" and followed Xue Xiao into the outer hall.

Upon entering the outer hall, Shan Yue was sitting at the head of the table.

Xue Xiao lifted his robe and sat down beside him: "The fish didn't take the bait?"

Shan Yue pursed her lips: "Cowardice can sometimes be a lifesaver." She paused, then raised her chin and looked in the direction Xue Chen had gone: "Things don't happen more than three times. People who waver between right and wrong can't withstand constant whispers from others—as long as he commits patricide, he'll be caught red-handed. According to the laws of the Great Wei, he should be executed by slow slicing in the afternoon."

The revenge against Xue Chen can now be concluded.

Xue Xiao nodded slightly: "If he is smart enough and his reasons are credible enough, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review can sentence him to exile in Lingnan—after all, Xue Changfeng's life is already hanging by a thread, and his life or death is just a matter of a moment."

“That would be better,” Shan Yue said softly.

That's just enough to offset the evil he did at Fushou Mountain.

Although not the greatest sinner, he was still evil!
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Xue Chen went out very early: because of Shan Yue's provocation, he hadn't slept well all night. As soon as he fell asleep, he dreamed that his father had stuck out his tongue, and bright red tears of blood were flowing from his eyes. He was limping towards him.

His father's icy fingertips had just touched his neck when he woke up with a start.

He then broke out in a cold sweat.

Since he was too scared to sleep, he simply got up early, grabbed a pole, packed his bags, and sneaked out through the back door.

Just as I was about to head to the back mountain, I inexplicably changed direction and headed towards the canal ferry crossing in the east of the city.