Pei Xiao’s half-rolled eyes suddenly froze.
After a few seconds of silence, he slammed down his wine cup, jumped to his feet, placed one foot on the bench, and pointed his finger at Xie Zhifei’s nose.
“Xie Wu-shi, I can tolerate you not letting me listen to songs, but asking me to dig up my maternal grandmother’s grave—I can’t tolerate that. Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Xie Zhifei: “…”
Perhaps we shouldn’t dig it up after all—at least he won’t be the one to die!
“Alright, sit down and talk properly.”
Xie Zhifei pushed away the finger nearly poking his nose. “I rushed over here in such a hurry because I heard some news.”
“What news?”
“Your uncle was merely dismissed from office. The Emperor at least left him some dignity, but that person apparently won’t let it rest.”
Xie Zhifei dipped his hand in the teacup’s water and wrote two characters on the table—
“Prince Han.”
Pei Xiao’s eyes immediately changed when he saw those two characters.
The current Emperor had two legitimate sons: the Crown Prince and Prince Han. These two brothers, despite being blood relatives, had fought to the death over the throne for more than twenty years.
His own uncle worked in the Ministry of Revenue as a vice minister, in charge of canal transport and warehousing—a lucrative position.
The Ministry of Revenue had always been under the Crown Prince’s control, so his uncle naturally belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction.
Pei Xiao gritted his teeth. “What does he want?”
“He wants to beat a dog when it’s down.”
Xie Zhifei grabbed Pei Xiao’s collar, lips against his ear:
“I heard the Censorate wants to impeach Minister Ji for corruption. This matter could be big or small. At worst, even his house could be confiscated.”
“Those dog bastards—whichever way the wind blows, their dog heads turn that way.”
Pei Xiao trembled with rage, his brain trembling along with it.
“Wait, what does this have to do with digging up my maternal grandmother’s grave?”
Xie Zhifei: “…”
Perhaps we shouldn’t dig it up after all—at least he won’t have to explain so exhaustingly!
Xie Zhifei thought seriously for a moment, then squeezed out this sentence from between his teeth:
“Your maternal grandmother has been appearing in my dreams recently. Not just once—she says the house she lives in is leaking water and she’s freezing to death.”
At this moment, Third Master Xie’s thin lips were only three feet from Master Pei. He had wanted to slap him.
You actually take a dream seriously?
But possessed by some devil, Master Pei asked steadily: “Why would my maternal grandmother appear in your dreams and not mine?”
“Perhaps…”
Third Master Xie said brazenly: “My smile is more attractive than yours?”
Pei Xiao: “…”
This is also a reason?
…
Dark night with a fierce wind—
The perfect time for grave digging.
The masters couldn’t possibly do the work themselves—that was for the guards.
Master Pei’s guard was named Huangqi, a house-born servant of the Pei family. His martial arts skills were quite good, but his courage was smaller than a sesame seed.
He dug one shovelful, his heart went “thump.”
Dug another shovelful, his heart went “thump” again.
Finally unable to bear the thumping, Huangqi threw down the shovel and prostrated himself before his master.
“Master! At least inform the Ji family. If something happens, even with ten mouths we couldn’t explain it clearly!”
Pei Xiao’s heart was also unnerved. He glared hard at Xie Zhifei beside him, thinking: How did I believe this bastard?
“We’ve already dug this far. What nonsense are you spouting, Huangqi!”
Xie Zhifei put on his master’s airs. “If something happens, I’ll go apologize to the Ji family myself.”
“Third Young Master, you said that yourself.” Huangqi’s face was mournful.
Zhu Qing nudged him with his elbow. “Don’t worry. My third young master’s dreams are very accurate.”
These words didn’t comfort Huangqi, but his master happened to overhear. “Xie Wu-shi, since when have your dreams been accurate?”
Xie Zhifei raised his head, saying with utter composure as he lied: “Recently.”
Pei Xiao fumed inwardly. “You’re just talking nonsense!”
Xie Zhifei glanced at him. “What if it’s accurate?”
Pei Xiao: “I’ll have the high monks from my ministry drink with you.”
Xie Zhifei: “I can’t drink facing bald heads.”
Pei Xiao: “Then I’ll have my maternal grandmother appear in your dreams to thank you.”
Xie Zhifei: “Forget it. I’d like to live a few more years.”
Just as the two were going back and forth with their nonsense, suddenly there was a “bang.”
“We’ve hit it.”
Zhu Qing shouted and threw down his shovel, immediately crouching down to dig with his hands.
Though Huangqi’s scalp was numb, he didn’t dare not help.
When the last layer of soil covering the coffin was cleared away, everyone was stunned speechless.
Under the pale moonlight, a crack had opened in the finest golden-threaded coffin lid.
An eerie ghostly aura.
What made everyone’s hearts jump even more was that the crack was initially only a few inches, but then, right before everyone’s eyes, it slowly grew larger.
Huangqi let out two “aah” sounds in fright, fleeing in utter panic behind Zhu Qing, clutching his clothes tightly.
Zhu Qing’s courage was slightly greater. After his chest heaved several times, he raised his head intending to ask “Third Young Master, what should we do?” but the words stuck in his throat—
His third young master stood ramrod straight, holding Master Pei horizontally in his arms.
Master Pei’s face was deathly pale, his hands hooked around Third Master Xie’s neck, his breath weak as a thread:
“Chengyu, quick, quickly take out that copy of the Diamond Sutra the high monk transcribed from my chest… Right, right, right, and I, I have a string of Five Emperor Coins at my waist that, that, that can ward off evil.”
Xie Zhifei’s face looked relatively calm, but his heart was pounding so hard it nearly leaped from his chest.
Hearing about it was one thing; seeing it with his own eyes was entirely another.
This scene—fortunately he had some mental preparation beforehand, otherwise he wouldn’t be much better off than the person in his arms.
“Too late!”
He set Pei Xiao down on the ground, and after evening out his breath for a long while, said again: “Take me to see Minister Ji. I have something to tell him.”
Pei Xiao immediately shuddered, his soul returning.
“Right, right, right. You telling my uncle would be better, since my maternal grandmother appeared in your dreams after all.”
“The dream appearance was a lie I told you.”
Xie Zhifei knit his brows together, staring hard at Pei Xiao.
“Mingting, what I’m about to say might sound bizarre, but every word is true. Listen carefully.”
Pei Mingting: “…”
“Legend has it that when a dead person’s coffin lid won’t close, it’s because they had unspoken wishes in life. Over time, these wishes transform into demons…”
Pei Mingting: “…”
Jade Emperor above, what, what, what is he saying?
Could you send the Thunder Duke and Thunder Mother to strike me with eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning to help me ascend on the spot?
Strike me dead!
Come on!
Strike me dead!
…
No heavenly lightning came, not even rain.
The next day brought beautiful spring weather.
Yan Sanhe looked at the rack full of colorful garments and the rouge on the vanity table. These had all been delivered trip after trip by that fatty Xie.
After a long silence, she ultimately chose her own old grayish-blue garment.
“Is the young miss planning to go out?”
Tangyuan, who had been sunbathing while doing needlework, saw Yan Sanhe emerge and quickly approached.
“I’m going to look at the back garden, then take a stroll through the streets.”
“It’s too far for the young miss to circle back to the front gate.”
Tangyuan pulled out a string of coins from her bosom. “The back gate isn’t often opened. The gatekeepers will be more accommodating if they get some silver.”
“No need!”
Yan Sanhe said coolly: “I don’t indulge bad habits.”
Tangyuan had grown accustomed to this master’s uncompromising nature. “Then I’ll accompany the young miss.”
Yan Sanhe had always been used to freedom—how could she let her follow?
“I don’t indulge your habit of following everywhere either.”
Tangyuan: “…”
The garden was brimming with spring vitality, flowers in full bloom, exuding refinement everywhere.
Yan Sanhe swept a glance over it, thinking it was just so-so. Compared to the wild flowers covering the mountains before and behind her home, there was no comparison at all. She didn’t linger.
“Stop right there!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind.