Сhарter 182: Do Not Lеt Еnmity Run Tоo Deер
Аuntiе Wаng lеft, and aftеr answering Zhen Niang’s question, Сhоu Pо did not еlаbоrаte muсh оn hеr idеntitу as а member of thе Luо Familу. She simply rеturned to hеr quarters with Еr Gоu’s suрроrt.
“Zhеn Niаng, from now оn, tаke gооd сarе of Сhоu Po,” Оld Shоpkеeper Li sаid knowingly, addrеssing Zhеn Niаng befоre leaving thе rооm and rеturning tо thе Ink Wоrkshор to соntinue his rеseаrch on innоvating Li Мо.
Li Jingfu аlso wеnt оut, sееking Li Zhengshēn to inquire tоgether about the situаtion in Shanxi.
Nоw that Li Zhengshēn hеld the titlе оf Thоusand Households, he had more channels for gathering information.
Only Zhao Shi remained utterly confused. She quickly pulled Zhen Niang into the room and whispered, “Zhen Niang, what’s going on?”
Zhen Niang then explained Chou Po’s background in detail. Although Chou Po herself had not spoken of it, there was no need to keep it a secret. Chou Po was simply a woman of few words, so Zhen Niang saw no reason to hide it, especially from her own mother.
Upon learning that Chou Po was actually Luo Wenqian’s paternal grandaunt, Zhao Shi grew anxious and exclaimed, “Oh dear, what a mess! We can’t let Chou Po sweep the floors anymore. I’ve long said she should take it easy, but she just couldn’t stay idle.”
Zhao Shi rambled on, then turned to Zhen Niang and said, “Zhen Niang, should we bring her to live in this wooden building with us?”
Zhen Niang thought for a moment and replied, “That’s not necessary. Since Chou Po revealed herself today, she now represents the Luo Family. For the sake of the Luo Family’s reputation, she won’t sweep floors anymore. As for living in this wooden building, given her temperament, she wouldn’t be comfortable here. Let her stay in her current room, and I’ll pay my respects to her daily. As for future arrangements, we’ll wait until Wenqian returns and let him decide.”
Mentioning Wenqian’s return, Zhen Niang’s tone couldn’t help but turn somber. Her heart remained unsettled and filled with worry.
At times like this, she missed the telephones and internet of the modern era all the more.
“Hmm,” Zhao Shi nodded, then suddenly glared at Zhen Niang as she realized something. “I’ve noticed you’ve been visiting Chou Po morning and night lately. Did you already know about her identity?”
“Not exactly. It was only recently, when it came to the matter of the Goryeo Re-blended Ink. The Pan family’s Ink Mixing technique was taught to me by Chou Po,” Zhen Niang explained.
“Oh,” Zhao Shi nodded, then suddenly recalled the vague mention of a Chastity Archway and something about deceiving the emperor in Chou Po’s conversation with Zhen Niang. It dawned on her that this paternal grandaunt was the very one for whom the Luo Family had erected the Chastity Archway. Thinking of the Wang family’s earlier visit, she grew angry again and slammed the table. “The Wang family is despicable! Who knows if they’ll spread this?”
“Even if they do, it won’t matter. I asked Chou Po privately. Back then, the Luo Family didn’t even hold a funeral for her. When the prefect petitioned for the Chastity Archway, he only mentioned self-mutilation and martyrdom. Chou Po disfigured herself and remained unmarried for life—isn’t that martyrdom? The Luo Family and Seventh Grandfather must have considered this back then,” Zhen Niang explained.
Ever since guessing Chou Po’s identity, Zhen Niang had been paying her respects morning and night—first, because she was Luo Wenqian’s grandaunt, and second, out of gratitude for Chou Po’s teachings.In her usual private chats with Chou Po, Zhen Niang had managed to uncover some details about the past. Back then, when it was rumored that Chou Po had died, if she had truly sacrificed herself for chastity, she should have been buried in the Wang family's ancestral cemetery. Yet the Wang family never mentioned it, and the Luo family, seeing that the Wangs remained silent, naturally preferred it that way and never held a funeral. Others assumed the Luo family had quietly buried her, so no one ever questioned it.
Therefore, if the truth were exposed, her act of disfiguring herself and remaining unmarried for life would still uphold the reputation of the Chastity Archway. Strictly speaking, it couldn’t be considered deceiving the emperor. Surviving such self-mutilation could even be seen as the will of heaven.
This was also why, back then, the seventh master of the Li family dared to take Chou Po in. Otherwise, if it had truly been a crime of deceiving the emperor, the Li family could never have borne such responsibility—after all, it wasn’t just about one person but involved the entire clan.
As for why Chou Po never wanted to return to the Luo family, first, the Luo family’s younger generation had deeply hurt her feelings back then. Second, a once beautiful woman who suddenly disfigured herself, becoming neither human nor ghost, would naturally wish to avoid being seen by anyone forever.
This was only human nature. Thus, Luo Mengzhen had continued living as Chou Po.
Hearing Zhen Niang’s words, Zhao Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ah, now I just hope Wenqian returns safely,” Zhao Shi sighed.
“He will,” Zhen Niang clenched her fist, as if cheering for Luo Wenqian from afar.
………………
“Aunt, are we just going to let it go? That Li family girl’s fate is truly tough. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Hu Shi said, unwilling to give up as she helped Auntie Wang out the door.
“Enough about being safe than sorry. With the Luo family stepping in, I can’t interfere anymore. Let it be. Amitabha, may Guanyin Bodhisattva protect Wenqian and bring him home safely,” Auntie Wang said, clasping her hands together and murmuring a sutra.
“Aunt, we can’t just leave it at that. What exactly is going on with that ugly old woman? She suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Aunt, don’t let yourself be deceived. To speak bluntly, if Wenqian is fine and returns, all well and good. But what if something happens? How will the marriage with the Li family be settled? And now he’s gotten involved with all sorts of strange people, like that third granduncle from the Huizhou Luo family—they’re not even from the same branch. The Yi Hou Sheng Firm’s money exchange and trading businesses were all built up through Wenqian’s hard work. We can’t let some unrelated people scheme to take them away,” Hu Shi said anxiously. But as she looked up, she met her aunt’s cold gaze and immediately stopped, realizing she had spoken out of turn in her haste.
“Hmph, so that’s what you’re really thinking. I thought you were genuinely worried about whether Wenqian lives or dies,” Auntie Wang glared at Hu Shi.
“That’s not it, I am worried about Wenqian too. Last night, Sifang couldn’t sleep at all. Before dawn, he sent several people to Shanxi to inquire,” Hu Shi said somewhat sheepishly.
Staring coldly at Hu Shi’s face, Auntie Wang continued, then spoke word by word: “Listen carefully. I don’t like the Li family girl—I dislike her tough fate, fearing it might harm Wenqian. But if this is your true intention, I will never interfere in Wenqian’s affairs again.”At this point, Auntie Wang sighed and continued, "That Chou Po today is Wenqian's own aunt. In the past, she and I were close friends who shared handkerchiefs. To be honest, compared to her, I was quite ignorant. Back then, she once told me something: between people, one should not form a full ten parts of kindness, nor should one form a full ten parts of enmity. Honestly, I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but over these forty years, I've come to understand it. Forming ten parts of kindness makes the debt too heavy to repay, and it turns into enmity. Forming ten parts of enmity leaves no way out. Without a way out, isn't that just another dead end? All these years, I've found this advice endlessly useful. Now I pass it on to you. Remember, no matter what, Wenqian is still your own nephew. Sifang has now become the president of the Huizhou Merchants Guild. It may seem glorious and boundless, but people, once they reach the peak, must begin their descent. No one can say what difficulties he might encounter later. Wenqian is, after all, his own nephew. As long as you haven't formed ten parts of enmity, there will always be a way out when the time comes. Put all these thoughts of yours aside now, and just pray to heaven for Wenqian's safe return."
"Yes, Auntie," Hu Shi replied, not daring to say more in the face of Auntie Wang's frosty expression. Her husband, Wang Sifang, held this aunt in the highest regard, inviting her to Nanjing every year to stay for a period and serving her as if she were his own mother. If Hu Shi truly offended her, and Wang Sifang turned cold toward her as a result, her days would not be pleasant.
Of course, to be honest, Hu Shi didn't fully grasp what Auntie Wang had said.
As they spoke, the two boarded a small sedan chair and returned to the Wang residence together.
……………………
Meanwhile, Li Jingfu and Li Zhengshēn went out to gather information, splitting up to cover more ground. Li Zhengshēn headed to the military garrison to inquire, while Li Jingfu went to the Huizhou Merchants Guild. The guild had many merchant caravans coming and going, making it a relatively well-informed place.
However, as soon as Li Jingfu entered the guild, he ran into Wang Sifang.
Li Jingfu, accustomed to hanging around gambling dens and still fuming over the earlier incident with Auntie Wang and Hu Shi causing trouble, couldn't resist a sarcastic remark upon seeing Wang Sifang. "Well, well, President Wang, busy with affairs of state, managing the guild's business while your wife goes around throwing her weight around, forcing people to break off engagements."
"What do you mean by that?" Wang Sifang asked irritably, utterly confused.
"You figure it out yourselves. How should I know?" Li Jingfu retorted, then ignored Wang Sifang and went off on his own to ask about news from Shanxi.
Baffled, Wang Sifang hurried home. As soon as he entered, he summoned Hu Shi. "Did you go to the Li family and cause trouble today?"
"What trouble? Auntie thought Li Zhenniang's fate was too harsh and wanted the Li family to break off the engagement, thinking it might bring Wenqian back safely," Hu Shi explained.
"Nonsense. Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor by heaven. How could a young girl decide someone's life or death? Tell me everything that happened today, clearly and in detail. Don't pin everything on Auntie. I'm sure you had your own motives in this," Wang Sifang said, well aware of his wife's tendencies. As a practical businessman, he didn't believe in fate.
Seeing Wang Sifang's anger, Hu Shi recounted the day's events in detail: the demand to break off the engagement, the Luo family's aunt, and finally the advice Auntie had given her.Listening to Hu Shi's words, Wang Sifang fell into deep thought. After a long while, he spoke with a serious expression: "I'll say two things now, and you remember them well. First, regarding the matter of the Luo Family aunt, act as if you never saw it—not a word of it should spread. Second, as for Wenqian, put away all those unnecessary thoughts of yours. Back then, we didn’t take in my sister and her husband, so that bond is over. I understand this clearly, and you should too."
Hu Shi had never seen Wang Sifang look so serious before, so she nodded repeatedly.
"By the way, how much silver do we have left at home? Take stock of the amount." Seeing Hu Shi nod, Wang Sifang didn’t say anything more and added, "Prepare the money for me. Tomorrow, I’ll deposit it into the Yi Hou Sheng Bank."
"What for?" Hu Shi asked curiously.
"I’m going to deposit the money into the Yi Hou Sheng Bank tomorrow," Wang Sifang replied.
"What are you doing?" Hu Shi jumped up again. Nowadays, rumors were spreading that the owner of the Yi Hou Sheng Bank might be in trouble, and merchants were rushing to withdraw their money from Yi Hou Sheng. What was Sifang thinking, still planning to deposit money there?
Wang Sifang glared at her fiercely. "I told you not to interfere."
"But you’re using our family’s money—how can I not care?" Hu Shi felt somewhat wronged.
"Ah... Aunt was right. You shouldn’t make enemies to the fullest extent; you always have to leave a way out," Wang Sifang sighed.
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