Chapter 20: Night Exploration

The Chen mansion was expansive, likely housing the two sons and their servants, a number surely exceeding those in the prefectural yamen's inner quarters. Anticipating night patrols, Zhu San proceeded with caution. She chose to climb over the wall on the left side of the front courtyard, where it was quieter and less populated, as the family's main living quarters were in the back.

She waited on the wall for a moment, detecting no unusual activity before agilely dropping down, almost soundlessly, and pausing before moving towards a lit room along the shadows cast by the wall.

Night watchmen usually stay in a small hut near the gate.

In a large household like the Chen family, night watchmen are definitely arranged, but whether the servants can fulfill their duties diligently depends on the capability of the household's master. Even the most capable master cannot expect servants to wander the courtyard all night without rest.

Indeed, the people in the hut were awake and engaged in a lively conversation.

Several men's voices, none slurred with alcohol, chatted to keep awake. They began with gossip about the household servants, criticizing the ignorance of the second house's young man daring to challenge their authority. Then, they mentioned hearing from the guards that a new envoy to investigate the witchcraft case is expected to arrive these days.

Another asked, "They've been saying 'he's coming, he's coming' for days now, why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Why do you care so much? As long as our eldest master doesn't suffer, that's all that matters!"

"Not suffer? Ever since our lady passed and the master married the current one, the eldest master was sent back to his hometown, as if exiled! Even a proper room and wife are refused for him!"

"Shush! What nonsense? The lady is a good woman willing to share her husband's hardships! The arriving envoy has a deputy; guess who?"

"Who?"

"Someone from our lady's maternal family!"

"Ah! That's great!"

As the men happily gossiped, a creepy cry from Chen's second son echoed from the back courtyard. The one who had shared a lot of information cursed, "Ugh! Such bad luck! We thought we had good news today and could spare him tonight, but he starts again! Go! Who's going to scare him a bit?"

"With the job the eldest master assigned, it’s scared us silly, why bother going?"

"What do you know? The eldest master said to prevent him from feigning madness, we must stay vigilant. Act mad too long, and one truly becomes mad!"

Zhu San didn’t expect the servants to unveil the true intricacies of the witchcraft case, merely hoping their chatter might reveal where the two Chen brothers resided, possibly shedding light on internal secrets. She hadn’t anticipated uncovering such scandalous aristocratic secrets.

She thought, "Why does the prefect not behave like a decent person, and why does this chancellor’s family lack lively spirits?"

There's a misconception that wealth and power bring everything one could wish for. In reality, having money means just that, and power is merely power; neither necessarily equates to having morals or wisdom. Many are perhaps just like Chen Er Gongzi, relying solely on their fathers.

Having witnessed the vendettas among the county’s wealthy and seen the true colors of officials and wanderers, Zhu San held no expectations for Chen Er Gongzi. Yet, she was surprised to find that even the victim, Chen Da Gongzi, was implicated in ways she hadn't anticipated.

"So, is there anyone clean left in this residence? With the deputy of the new Imperial Inspector coming, it's bound to stir up more commotion. I must hurry and clear my father's name before they arrive!"

Hiding behind a pillar, Zhu San held her breath as someone carrying a lantern passed by. Overhearing conversations from inside a small house, phrases like "Eldest son was sent here at the age of seven, almost twenty years now, finally made it through!" and "Someone still trying to scare the eldest son, luckily he pretended to be shocked by the lady’s death to survive this long…” caught her attention.

Not long after, the most talkative one amongst them announced, “Let’s not sleep yet, go for a patrol, don’t let any mishap give the criminals a chance like the government office leaking information!”

Zhu San edged closer to the window; as the door creaked open, she quickly hid in the shadows. A few men in long robes came out with lanterns, nearly spotting her. She remained still, knowing that movement could reveal her presence.

As expected, the men briefly shone their lanterns around and split up to continue their patrol, resuming their conversation about how unfortunate it was that some servants from the official residence had escaped, speculating that it wasn’t just an escape but a kidnapping during the fire.

Their talk continued but faded into the distance, leaving Zhu San with bits of information about the lady of the house being shocked by the fire and ill, and the prefect’s comedic escape from his room leading to an injury. It seems both lay bedridden, delaying the Imperial Inspector’s departure who planned to take over the case of the swindlers.

This was news to Zhu San, prompting her to follow them quietly for more insights.

After a brisk walk, she heard them no longer discuss the official residence but speculate on Chen Da Gongzi’s eventual return to the capital and his prospective achievements.

Deciding to follow the more talkative group, Zhu San encountered a locked second gate, forcing her to climb the wall again. Peering from atop, she saw them head towards a courtyard on the left, their lanterns moving further away.

Then, cries of Chen Er Gongzi begging for mercy came from the west. Estimating the layout, she deduced the eastern side was likely Chen Da Gongzi’s quarters. Choosing not to investigate further, she jumped off the wall and stealthily approached the west.

Peering into Chen Er Gongzi’s sizable courtyard through the open window, she saw a young man in light clothing prostrated on the floor, pleading for his life, surrounded by several young women in bright attire, all looking terrified.

Outside the window, a figure in a long robe cursed, "Worthless descendant! Disturbing my peace!"

Zhu San immediately recognized this as a trick to impersonate ghosts, using a rope to simulate floating. Another method involves stilts, making it appear as if one is walking in mid-air in the dark.

The faux ghost continued to curse, threatening that the food of the second Chen son would turn into maggots as punishment for disrespecting ancestors, condemning him to the realm of hungry ghosts after death.

The second son cried even more miserably, "I didn't mean to disturb our ancestors; I just wanted to curse my damned elder brother to death! It was them! They said it would only work if performed at our ancestors' grave!"

Zhu San's frustration was palpable as she realized there was nothing new in this charade. She quietly left the western courtyard, not retracing her steps but instead climbing onto rooftops, running to a street-facing wall. After ensuring she wasn't spotted, she leaped across to another roof to make her escape.

………………

Back home, Zhang Xian Gu was sewing under the lamp. Zhu San, growing taller, needed new clothes. While ill-fitting garments were common for the poor, improperly sized shoes and socks could greatly hinder her movements.

Zhang Xian Gu decided to make her a new pair of socks.

The door was knocked twice, and Zhang Xian Gu, recognizing the knock, abandoned her task to hurry to the back door, "You're back."

It was Zhu San who had returned.

Zhang Xian Gu immediately began to fuss over her, "Are you okay? Not hurt, right?"

Zhu San looked somewhat distressed, "I'm fine, but I need to go out again tomorrow."

Zhang Xian Gu urged her to sit on the bed, "Wash your face and soak your feet first!" She went to fetch the pot from the wall to light the fire outside. The stove outside was uncovered, and Zhu San had makeshiftly sheltered it, but it remained unsecured, requiring the pot to be brought back in after cooking.

Zhu San insisted, "Cold water will do." She fetched water and began to wash, revealing, "I've got a lead."

"Is it difficult?"

Zhu San answered, "We must act quickly!"

"Hmm?"

Zhu San stated, "Father has never been to the capital, right? He didn't this time either."

"How could he recognize which way the capital's gates open? Why are we mentioning the capital again?"

Zhu San explained, "Today, I overheard that it was Chen Er who, after hearing someone's suggestion in the capital, decided to return and perform a ritual to harm his elder brother... and it worked."

"Then your father isn't the mastermind!" Zhang Xian Gu's thoughts were clear now, "At most, he's an accomplice. He wasn't well-acquainted with others before, likely just mingled in halfway through! That shouldn't be a problem then, the verdict could be a beating or at most exile, but his life would be spared. Alright, rest now. Don't wander off tomorrow."

Zhu San shook her head, "I still need to clarify something. Don't worry, I won't go to the Chen's. I'll take a walk tomorrow. I might not return by noon."

"What are you planning to do now? Don't even think about exploring the jail during the day!"

"I won't. By the way, at the yamen, with the magistrate and his wife injured or sick, they're convinced that Xu Da Nian and we were kidnapped by bandits."

"Pah! They deserve to be kidnapped and sold as laborers, to be beaten three times a day!" Despite saying this, Zhang Xian Gu felt relieved and added, "Be careful on the streets, don't let them recognize you at this time."

Zhu San smiled, thinking: I'm not going to the streets; tomorrow, I need to check out the Chen family's ancestral grave. Something's off here. What kind of ritual requires going to someone's ancestral grave?

As far as she knew, meddling with ancestral graves indeed significantly relates to descendants. But performing rituals at the ancestors' graves targeting only one descendant was unheard of; normally, no one in the family would do such a thing! Who would risk harming themselves by mistake?

"But this graveyard is crucial! I must go see it!"

…………

Early the next morning, Zhu San prepared her peddler's load, leaving behind the two boxes and choosing only two baskets to carry out.

Zhang Xian Gu asked, "Going to do business?"

Zhu San replied, "Heading out of town to look for some goods to sell, and incidentally check on the Chen family's ancestral grave."

"You..."

"It's alright," she assured, patting the two neither-new-nor-old baskets, "I have legitimate business to attend to."

She didn't know where the Chen family's ancestral grave was located, but she wasn't worried. Carrying her load, she listened for any mention of the Chen family in the streets, and would chime in with, "Perhaps it's the ancestral grave's location that's the issue!" Successfully initiating conversation, she then guided the discussion to ascertain the location.

The Chen family's ancestral grave wasn't a secret; it was just over ten miles away from the city, and she would have to walk there.

Without any other choice, Zhu San sprinted with her load until she reached her destination, then put down her load to catch her breath, taking a drink from a gourd she pulled out of a basket. Removing her coolie hat to fan herself, despite the cool weather, she was sweating profusely.

Zhu San set down her load and frowned — that "ritual" had taken place almost two months ago, and in the interim, there had been rain, erasing many traces.

But now that she was here, she had to proceed!

After performing a symbolic offering by burning some incense and paper money from her pack, Zhu San wandered the estate. Noticing remnants of rituals and partially decayed offerings, she felt the vastness of the Chen family estate and its accompanying weariness.

As she walked, her suspicion grew until she approached a peculiar grave mound. The graves of the Chen family, known for their stature, usually stood out, but this one was different. Continuing to observe, her suspicions intensified.

Upon parting the underbrush, Zhu San’s expression darkened significantly.

Bending down to pick up a copper bell and two jade hairpins, Zhu San wrapped them in a handkerchief from her bosom, planning to leave. Suddenly, she was startled by the sound of approaching horsemen she initially disregarded. As she prepared to retrieve her pack and depart, she realized they were heading her way.

Just as she sought refuge behind a grave mound, a loud call halted her: "Hey! Over there! Stop a moment, I have a question for you!"

Zhu San inwardly lamented her luck.