One man’s poison is another man’s honey. Li Xun didn’t want to get involved with the affairs of Duke Fuchang’s Residence, thinking it was a big mess and a hassle. However, his maids and attendants, including Zhan’er, didn’t think so and were full of enthusiasm. The old subordinates of the boye’s furen, who were brought back from outside, were even more grateful, wishing they could repay the gongzi’s great kindness with their lives.

Especially Zhu’er, who was falsely accused by Liu Yiniang of being dishonest and was kicked out of the residence, causing her parents to lose face among the servants. However, because her reputation was tarnished, she couldn’t get married for a while and stayed at home, and now she was smoothly summoned back.

Li Xun watched coldly, and these people were indeed very capable. Even without the account books from the past five years as a reference, they could follow the old account books left by the boye’s furen and get started very quickly. So Li Xun let Zhu’er take the lead, and he confidently let go, taking Shen Qian, Zhan’er, Xiao Wan, and a few close attendants, along with a team of family guards, out of the residence under the pretense of inspecting the shops.

Shen Yi’an always claimed he wouldn’t covet the original wife’s dowry, boasting about the boye’s vast wealth, and it wasn’t just bragging.

Shen Yi’an’s grandmother came from the Huainan Cheng family, one of the eight great salt merchants, and her dowry was worth nearly a million at the time. Moreover, Cheng Laotai Jun was smart and good at managing, and after marrying in, she managed her dowry and the boye’s estate to flourish, marrying her son and grandson to wives who were also good at household affairs, multiplying the family wealth of Duke Fuchang’s Residence over decades.

Plus, Shen Yi’an and his father were the only sons for two generations, with no brothers to divide the family wealth. Although the boye’s furen’s dowry was substantial, Shen Yi’an indeed didn’t care much about it.

Just in the western and southern markets near Duke Fuchang’s Residence, a third of the shops belonged to Duke Fuchang’s Residence. Most were rented out, and about a dozen were self-operated. The western market was close to the imperial city, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that every inch of land was worth gold, with a single shop worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. Every year, just from collecting rent in the western and southern markets, there were thousands of taels of silver in income, not to mention the eastern and northern markets also had some properties, plus the income from self-operated shops and estates, bringing in at least hundreds of thousands of taels annually. Shen Yi’an didn’t have any overly extravagant hobbies, even if he watched opera and drank flower wine every day, he couldn’t spend that much.

Today, Shen Qian and the others went to the western market. The whole city had been under lockdown for a few days, and once it was lifted, the markets were bustling, with people shoulder to shoulder. And because of the beheaded sorcerer, there were also Daoists and shamans performing rituals on the streets, sprinkling “holy water” on passersby. They had just gotten off the carriage and walked a few steps when they saw a shaman dressed in an exaggerated and complex outfit at a street corner, jumping and chanting.

Shen Qian glanced at it, and the “holy water” was a mixture of pomelo leaf water and incense ash, which according to folklore, indeed had some effect of warding off evil and dispelling bad luck.

Buying peace talismans cost money, but sprinkling some “holy water” was free. These Daoists and shamans performing rituals on the street were, in a way, providing a benefit to the poor. Many people gathered around, asking the shaman to hit them a few times with a willow branch dipped in holy water.

Li Xun, who had never seen this before, curiously went over to take a look and was almost splashed by the “holy water.”

Shen Qian instinctively pulled him back, standing in front of Li Xun.

Why doesn’t this Ye Gui have any self-awareness? What if he got hit by that willow branch… Shen Qian was stunned, if he got hit, he got hit, wouldn’t it be just what I wanted if he got revealed? Wasn’t I hoping to go back?

Why did I bother to block for him??

Li Xun looked at him puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Qian was very puzzled by his own actions, but he didn’t let go of Li Xun’s hand, hesitating for a moment before saying sullenly, “…There are many people over there, gongzi, be careful not to get trampled.”

The street was already crowded, and it was even more packed with people around the shaman. Zhan’er also chimed in, “Yes, gongzi, if you want, we can send someone to buy some peace talismans and holy water later, and we can dispel the bad luck ourselves when we get back. Why go up there personally?” There were all kinds of people on the street, and if their gongzi, with his noble status, got jostled or touched, where would they go to reason?

Li Xun seemed thoughtful and didn’t insist. He didn’t personally inspect the shops but found a very lively restaurant, and instead of going to a private room upstairs, he found a corner in the main hall and had the waiter set up a screen around him.

The waiter, seeing that Li Xun looked like a gongzi from a big family, was very attentive in serving him, even though he didn’t understand why he didn’t go to a private room. Li Xun ordered a few dishes with unfamiliar names and then gave Shen Qian, Zhan’er, and the others some silver, “You go check out the shops, just act like ordinary customers, don’t reveal your identities, and see how the business is. After you’re done, come back here, I’ll be waiting for you.”

This was very novel, like something out of a play about going incognito. Everyone was extremely excited, thinking they could secretly investigate and find out the mistakes made by Liu Yiniang in managing the shops, allowing the gongzi to hold his head high in the residence!

Except for Shen Qian, the maids and attendants happily took the silver.

Shen Qian: Annoying, being a servant really means having to work… He also wanted to just sit here doing nothing, eating fruit and drinking tea, that should be his life!

Why did I block for that Ye Gui earlier, it’s baffling.

But even though he was unwilling in his heart, he didn’t slack off—Shen Qian felt that even though he always said he wanted to retire, he worked harder than anyone else… This isn’t normal, really!

He listlessly discussed with Zhan’er and the others, divided up a few shops, and then they each went their separate ways.

Shen Qian was assigned a dry goods shop and a fabric store operated by the boye’s residence. The fabric store seemed fine, with a steady stream of customers and very attentive staff, clearly a thriving business.

But the dry goods shop was different. This shop originally sold produce from Duke Fuchang’s Residence’s own estates, like mushrooms, dried fruits, preserves, nuts, and some mountain delicacies. Duke Fuchang’s Residence had over a dozen estates in various places, and the main family couldn’t consume it all, so the surplus was sold in the shop. Besides the capital, Duke Fuchang’s Residence had similar shops elsewhere.

However, when Shen Qian looked, the shop seemed like it hadn’t been restocked for a long time, with items only half-filled in baskets, looking dull and dusty, making the large shop appear empty.

Shen Qian picked up a peanut to taste, finding it somewhat moldy, and quickly spat it out.

The shopkeeper lazily lay in a rocking chair, and the assistant was dozing off with his chin propped up. Seeing Shen Qian taste a peanut, the shopkeeper just glanced over and then looked away, not bothering to greet or promote, as if knowing that anyone who tasted it wouldn’t buy.

After a rough tour, Shen Qian had a good idea of the situation. He didn’t rush back but wandered the streets for a while, observing the local customs and buying some items needed for cultivation before leisurely heading back.

Outside the restaurant, he ran into Zhan’er. Zhan’er’s situation was even more outrageous; a grain shop was in a similar state to the dry goods shop, but the shopkeeper there was more cunning, having divided the shop in two, with the owner’s grain piled on one side and some miscellaneous goods he had acquired from somewhere on the other.

Zhan’er muttered quietly, “Truly a crafty servant, who knows if the money from selling those miscellaneous goods went into his own pocket or Liu Yiniang’s?”

Shen Qian, however, thought beyond that. Shops like the fabric store, which needed to restock, were fine, but those selling their own produce were empty, so where did the estate’s produce go?

Tsk, this might have to wait for the accountants to finish checking the books to find out.

Li Xun, however, wasn’t very concerned about what they found out, it was just an excuse to send them away. Once the maids and attendants left, he sat behind the screen, listening intently to the idle chatter of others in the restaurant.

Many were discussing the city lockdown, but no one mentioned the crown prince, which seemed to be a court secret unknown to the common folk. However, many were talking about the beheaded sorcerer, and after the lockdown was lifted, people discovered that many places in the city had been dug up, clearly indicating that the sorcerer had been practicing witchcraft to harm people.

Some families found that areas near their courtyard walls had been dug up, and they were terrified. Although digging didn’t necessarily mean something was found, such supernatural matters easily incited fear among ordinary people. As they talked, they began sharing which shamans had profound skills, which Daoists could perform divination, and which great immortals could possess bodies…

The shaman at the street corner who almost splashed water on Li Xun was evidently quite skilled and was highly regarded in the neighborhood.

Li Xun hesitated for a moment, put down his teacup, and headed back towards the shaman.

The shaman was taking a break.

She wasn’t purely doing charity, performing a dance and sprinkling holy water for free on passersby. After a break, people would come with money to buy amulets and sachets for warding off evil. The previous free actions were a way to attract business.

Li Xun approached, and the shaman, holding a few sachets for people to choose from, suddenly sensed something and looked over at Li Xun.

At that glance, her cloudy eyes widened.

Li Xun noted her reaction. Could it be that she indeed had some power and saw his predicament at a glance? A glimmer of hope rose in his heart, and just as he was about to speak, the shaman suddenly gathered her things, tripped over her own feet, and fled in a panic.

Li Xun: “…?”

The bystanders who were about to buy talismans: “?”

The surrounding people watched the shaman’s hasty departure and couldn’t help but glance at Li Xun, whispering among themselves, with some even taking a step back.

Li Xun: “…………”

He was a bit angry inside, if you can help, help, if not, just refuse, why run? Do I really look like some evil spirit?

Feeling displeased, his expression grew even darker. The people around him, seeing this, retreated even further.

…

When Shen Qian and the others returned, Li Xun was still in the same spot, but his face was inexplicably gloomier than before. They each reported what they had seen and heard, and Li Xun had a rough idea of the situation. He arranged for the servants to have two separate tables for a meal outside, then went to a teahouse to listen to storytelling, and after some sightseeing, they returned to the residence.

The food outside was far inferior to that in the boye’s residence. In ancient times, commoners ate poorly, with even refined rice and flour considered a luxury, and various seasonings were expensive and scarce, making the food taste far inferior to modern times. The restaurant was decent, with a few specialty dishes, but they were somewhat coarse, and Li Xun only picked at a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.

Shen Qian watched him, biting his chopsticks, thinking this Ye Gui is really picky… How can he maintain good health like this? Shen Qian sighed deeply, feeling like he was worrying himself to death over a body he didn’t even know when he could reclaim.

After the meal, the group headed to the teahouse, and at this time, both the maids and attendants and the team of family guards showed excited expressions.

Ancient entertainment options were scarce, unlike modern times where you could lie in bed and browse the world’s news on a phone. Commoners could go to the entertainment districts to play and watch performers, but those working in the boye’s residence didn’t have such opportunities. Being able to listen to storytelling made everyone very happy.

The story being told was “The Legend of the White Snake,” and even if they didn’t know the beginning or end, they listened with great interest, each one captivated.

Shen Qian found it boring after just a couple of sentences; the story was quite different from the modern version, with a fickle scholar and a foolishly devoted demon, and the storyteller’s delivery was bland and uninteresting. To Shen Qian, the local customs of this era were more intriguing. As he looked around, he noticed that, like him, Li Xun wasn’t focused on the storytelling either.

Shen Qian quietly observed, seeing Li Xun listening intently to the conversation at the table behind them, and he couldn’t help but eavesdrop. It was a few minor officials discussing the capital’s government posting notices to recruit skilled individuals, occasionally mentioning the “Regent” and “Crown Prince”…

Just as he was about to listen more, Li Xun seemed to notice, casting a faint glance his way. Shen Qian was startled and pretended to nonchalantly turn his attention to the storyteller on stage.

At that moment, his peripheral vision caught sight of Zhan’er and the others, and he was startled: the storyteller had reached the part where the scholar discovered the white snake was a demon and invited a monk to drive her away. The maids and attendants were all teary-eyed, and looking around, the women and children in the teahouse were the same, even the men were sighing, making Shen Qian feel like an outlier.

Shen Qian: “…” These ancient people are really emotional, tears are so easy to come by. It made him feel uncomfortable in this environment.

Fortunately—the Ye Gui was a killjoy, and at the critical moment when the demon was about to go to Jinshan Temple to find her husband, he suddenly said, “It’s getting late, let’s go back.” With the master speaking, Zhan’er and the others could only reluctantly leave.

Although they didn’t hear the ending, the maids and attendants were still very excited, gathering together to excitedly discuss the story. Only Li Xun seemed preoccupied and sullen.

He was already frustrated by the lack of information he had gathered, and upon returning to the residence, someone was walking right into trouble: a woman of unknown origin was blocking the entrance to Ganlin Courtyard, arguing with Zhu’er.

Zhu’er pointed at an account book, not wanting to argue further, and turned to leave. But the woman, along with a few servant women she brought, surrounded Zhu’er, making her face flush with anger.

“What’s going on here?” Li Xun, having his path blocked, was very displeased.

Seeing Li Xun, Zhu’er quickly said, “This is Liu Saozi, responsible for purchasing medicinal herbs and supplements outside. This morning, a female official from the palace just left, and Liu Yiniang fell ill. The boye invited an imperial physician to prescribe a remedy. The other herbs are fine, we have them in the residence, but they said they were short of one ingredient, Xuanshen, and needed to buy it. I allocated twenty taels of silver for it. But who knew this Liu Saozi would come into the inner courtyard to pester me, insisting I give her five hundred taels of silver.”

Zhu’er was indignant, holding the account book left by the boye’s furen five years ago, which clearly stated the value of each item. Twenty taels were enough to buy Xuanshen, with some left over for public use.

Liu Saozi’s face stiffened, not expecting to run into Li Xun. However, she had always worked in the outer courtyard and hadn’t witnessed the actions of the Ganlin Courtyard people firsthand, so she wasn’t as fearful as those in the kitchen and harbored a bit of luck. Being used to smooth sailing, she now raised her face and smiled at Li Xun, “Gongzi and the young ladies are in the residence all day and don’t know, the prices outside are unpredictable. This Xuanshen, after all, has the word ‘shen’ in it, and has been in high demand in recent years. The money the young lady allocated is only enough to buy a few scraps, how can it be used for Yiniang? If gongzi wants to be frugal, using some inferior products in daily meals is fine, but how can you skimp on life-saving medicine?”

Her eyes rolled a few times, deliberately saying, “If gongzi intentionally doesn’t want to give Liu Yiniang good medicine… then you can pretend this old servant didn’t say anything. But if the boye asks, we can only report the truth.”