Chapter 40: The Mountain Wind Preceding the Storm (Part Two)

Quack, quack, quack, quack... Dozens of jackdaws shrieked as they flew up from a courtyard in Banzheng Ward, not far from the Daming Palace, circling under the moonlight and refusing to disperse for a long time.

Woof, woof, woof, woof... Barking echoed endlessly, instantly waking up half the ward. Yet whether it was wealthy prodigals scaling walls to return late or night watchmen patrolling and beating gongs, they hurried along with their lanterns, none daring to cast a single extra glance at the mansion from which the jackdaws had risen.

That mansion was haunted—many watchmen said so. It was even rumored that some watchmen had seen ghosts roaming in packs during the dead of night. Yet just a few days later, the watchman who had seen the ghosts hanged himself in his own house, his tongue lolling out half a foot!

The rumors spread with vivid and elaborate details, entirely impossible to stop. Some timid and wealthy aristocratic scions simply packed up their entire households and moved elsewhere, causing the once land-gold Banzheng Ward to see an increasing number of uninhabited estates. When the dead of night arrived, it appeared all the more gloomy and eerie.

Sigh— An aged founding duke awakened by the barking sighed, rolled over, and stared blankly at the ceiling with wide-open eyes. For a long time, he did not blink his eyelids once.

He was one of the very few people in the entire ward who still did not believe in the ghost stories. Nor did he believe that, merely relying on the spineless demeanor of Wu Sansi and his son Wu Chongxun, they could turn into fierce ghosts after death.

As for that pair from the Wu family, when it came to scheming, each surpassed the other. But when it came to physical combat, even if the father and son both turned into ghosts, old Founding Duke Qin Huai'dao guaranteed he could knock them all down within three moves.

Fierce ghosts my foot, a pair of bewildered ghosts was more like it! Up until now, that pair from the Wu family, notorious for their dark hearts and ruthless hands, probably still hadn't figured out whose hands they had died in. On the night they died, why neither the Imperial Guards, the Directorate of Bad Youths, nor the Hundred Cavalry Bureau had been able to come to their rescue in time.

As for the "ghosts" currently frequenting Wu Sansi's old residence, in the eyes of old Founding Duke Qin Huai'dao, they were nothing more than a bunch of good-for-nothings. No matter how much fuss they kicked up, aside from driving down property prices in Banzheng Ward, it had zero effect.

However, Qin Huai'dao—the Minister of Revenue who had retired for several years and the Founding Duke of Licheng County—couldn't be bothered to stop the "ghosts" from making a ruckus, let alone bother to uncover the truth and make it public.

Crafty, reckless, and muddle-headed Qin; among the founding ministers whose portraits hung in the Lingyan Pavilion, very few had managed to pass down their wealth and status without interruption to this day. And among them, the ones who lived relatively comfortably, even faintly rivaling the glory of their ancestors back in the day, were only the Duan, Cheng, and Qin families.

As the saying went, there might be mistaken names, but never mistaken nicknames. The reason why the wealth earned with the life of the Qin family's founding ancestor, the Duke of Huiguo, had safely passed down to the present was precisely because of the two words: "muddle-headed." Regarding matters outside their own courtyard, even if they happened right next door, they would turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.

However, today it was slightly difficult for the Founding Duke of Licheng County, Qin Huai'dao, to turn a deaf ear. Just as his eyes began to grow sore again and he was about to close them, the barking started up once more, growing more intense by the moment.

"Nonsense!" Qin Huai'dao lowered his head to look at his elderly wife beside him and the beautiful maid on the bed in the outer room, and casually pulled a pair of velvet ear-muffs from beneath his pillow, pressing them firmly over his ears.

This time, he could sleep in peace. As for how the dogs outside barked, he couldn't care less.

"Second Brother, next time bring fewer people. Causing the dogs to bark like this, be careful not to alarm the Hundred Cavalry Bureau!" Just as Qin Huai'dao had guessed, inside the former residence of the deceased Prince of Liang, Wu Sansi, a "little ghost" with his face covered in black cloth complained in a low voice.

"It's fine, those cowards in the Hundred Cavalry Bureau don't have the guts to keep watch here!" The one addressed as Second Brother did not cover his face, openly revealing a very delicate yet no longer youthful countenance. "Besides, this estate is still under Princess Anle's name. We've come here to pay respects to our uncle and brother, who can find fault with that?!"

"It still violates the curfew! You live right in Banzheng Ward, so it's fine if you get caught. But I had to scale the wall to get here." The masked "little ghost" spoke in a very soft voice that felt extremely grating to the ear.

"I told you long ago to move into the ward, but you wouldn't come—who else can you blame?!" The delicate face curled into a cold sneer, showing utter disdain for the masked man's warning. "Renting or buying just one courtyard isn't something you can't afford, is it?"

"It's not that I begrudge the money, I just don't want to attract attention!" The masked "little ghost" stiffened his neck and argued in a low voice, "That person in the palace seems muddle-headed, but is extremely cautious. If all of our families move into the same ward, I reckon the Hundred Cavalry Bureau will immediately send people to live next door!"

"You wouldn't be noticed by the Hundred Cavalry Bureau if you didn't move in?" The smile on the delicate face grew increasingly cold and haughty, carrying a faint trace of contempt. "Since you'll be watched either way, it's better to be open and aboveboard."

"Second Brother is right, the Hundred Cavalry Bureau will keep an eye on us often even if we live in other wards." Seeing the two of them in a deadlock, a masked "fat ghost" chuckled and stepped in as a peacemaker. "However, Third Brother also makes sense. If we live more scattered, the one in the palace will sleep a bit more soundly. If the Hundred Cavalry Bureau wants to keep tabs on us, they'll have to expend more manpower."

"Fourth Brother, when will you stop trying to smooth things over!" The masked little ghost and the delicate face turned to look at the fat man simultaneously, their reprimand delivered in unison.

"Now, right now!" The fat man chuckled and cupped his fists, as if one could see the expression on his face despite the mask. "My point is, there's no need for us to argue over this. Second Brother likes the prestige of Banzheng Ward, so by all means live in Banzheng Ward. Third Brother likes the bustle of Pingkang Ward, so by all means live in Pingkang Ward. It's not easy for us brothers to get together, no need to waste time on such trivial matters."

"Humph! Let's talk business then!" The delicate face waved a hand, decisively accepting the fat man's proposal. "Have you heard that Zhang Yongzhao, the newly appointed Junior Monitor of the Directorate of Armament, beat up Huian, the chief disciple of White Horse Temple?"

"I heard, and he beat him well, beat him satisfyingly!" This time, the masked "little ghost" did not deliberately argue back, but chuckled and clapped. "Second Brother, I've long found that flashy monk Huian an eyesore. I've been plotting to deal with him these past few days, but he's too close to Princess Anle, giving me no opportunity."

"Indeed, Second Brother, although that fellow surnamed Zhang is in cahoots with Bi Gou, this fight was beautifully executed." In the corner, another tall and thin fellow took up the conversation, stamping his feet in excitement. "No matter what, the Princess is still our Wu family's daughter-in-law, and Seventh Brother's bones are not yet cold..."

"Ahem, ahem..." The stout Fourth Brother lowered his head, coughing softly to cut the tall and thin fellow's words off midway.

The tall and thin fellow immediately lowered his head, laughing sheepishly as he waved his hands. "Second Brother, I didn't mean you. You only got close to the Princess on purpose for the sake of our Wu family. I meant..."

"Say it if you want! I, Wu Yanxiu, walk straight and fear no shadow!" The delicate face smiled, unashamedly displaying his untamed arrogance. "However, you'd better figure this out: right now is the weakest time for our Wu family. If Princess Anle remarries an outsider..."

"An outsider, remarried to whom? Surely she wouldn't actually marry a monk! Even if the one in the palace dotes on his daughter, he still cares about his face, right?" The masked little ghost started in surprise, his skeptical words blurted out.

Everyone else present was also startled, shaking their heads repeatedly.

"That's impossible. No matter how little control the one in the palace has over his daughter, he wouldn't let Anle run wild in such a matter!"

"Second Brother, are you overthinking this?"

"Second Brother, if the Princess marries you, we would all be thrilled to see it. But..."

...

"Of course the Princess won't marry a monk, no matter how good-looking the monk is or how sweet his tongue!" The delicate face waved a hand, cutting off the discussion. "However, the reason that monk went out of his way to trouble Zhang Yongzhao is because the Emperor once sent someone to ask Zhang Yongzhao if he was betrothed. And on the day the Emperor inspected the Directorate of Armament, the Princess was dressed in men's attire and followed right behind him!"

"Ah—" The skeptical murmurs instantly turned into gasps of astonishment. A room full of "masked ghosts" looked at each other, seeing anger in one another's eyes.

"Quack, quack, quack, quack—" A large flock of crows landed back on the trees in the courtyard, shrieking at the top of their lungs.

"Zhang Yongzhao said he already had a betrothal, and the Princess returned and wept in secret. That's why that fool Huian jumped out to trouble Zhang Yongzhao!" The delicate face's voice continued, cold as the northern wind outside. "Whether he beat Zhang Yongzhao or was beaten black and blue by Zhang Yongzhao doesn't matter to us. But since the one in the palace has the notion of letting the Princess remarry, he won't worry about finding the next suitable candidate."

"Damn it, Seventh Brother's bones are not yet cold!"

"What did Seventh Brother ever do wrong by the Princess? She was murdered just a few days ago, and the Princess is already thinking of finding a new love?"

"The one in the palace is treating our Wu family too shabbily."

"He's an emperor, why would he care about who treats whom shabbily? As long as it benefits him, that's all that matters!"

"Although that Zhang Yongzhao's background is unknown, he has successively presented several state-guarding artifacts. And the Princess, after all, is left without a husband. So he's just recycling her for utility!"

...

Angry discussions rose and fell, each remark more offensive than the last.

"Gentlemen, yelling like this won't kill the fellow surnamed Zhang, nor will it kill the one in the palace!" Amidst the group of angry wandering ghosts, the fat man called Fourth Brother appeared exceptionally calm. "Instead of wasting energy cursing, you'd better think about how to deal with this matter. As far as I know, the one in the palace's sleeve holds more than just Zhang Yongzhao as a candidate."

"Fourth Brother is right!" The delicate face looked gratefully at the fat man, suddenly raising his voice to add, "The one in the palace certainly won't let the Princess spend her youth in lonely old age like this, nor will he allow her to indulge her loneliness by keeping a monk. Therefore, even without Zhang Yongzhao, there will be a Wang Yongzhao, a Li Yongzhao..."

"Then it'd be better to just marry the Princess to Second Brother!" The masked little ghost called Third Brother quickly interrupted. His voice was cold and dry, like a crow sharpening its beak against a stone on a winter night. "Second Brother marries the Princess, and everything is solved!"

"I'm just afraid the one in the palace won't agree!" Someone in the corner retorted in an extremely low voice.

"Kill whoever catches his eye, and whoever the Princess fancies! Then naturally he won't have a choice!" The masked ghost Third Brother's voice sounded once more, carrying bone-chilling coldness.

The others froze for a moment, then turned their gazes collectively toward Wu Yanxiu—the only one not wearing a mask and still holding the title of Duke of Huanguo—waiting for him to make the final decision.

Yet Wu Yanxiu remained silent for a long time. After hesitating repeatedly, he finally cupped his hands slowly and bowed deeply to the crowd.

"Quack, quack, quack, quack—" The flock of crows clamored in the courtyard once more, as excited as if they had discovered a rotting corpse.

The moonlight, clear as water, shone into every courtyard in Chang'an City, remaining equally cold and detached throughout.

The flock of crows soared into the air, their wings fluttering to blot out the moonlight.