DWGL _ Chapter - 21

Chapter 21: The Wooden Box

I'll Disguise For You

The next morning, Chu Yuan had just woken up when Eunuch Si Xi brought a steaming hot breakfast, saying that Xinan Wang had personally bought it from the street and that it was all light in taste.

"Is there a funeral outside?" Chu Yuan frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty, it is the people of this city who have raised money to ask the master to perform a funeral service for the elderly who have passed away." Eunuch Si Xi said, "Although the Goodwill Hall has been closed and the deceased will not be able to be buried for a while, it is a token of the people's appreciation to recite the sutra on the street outside."

Duan Bai Yue walked in with a packet of dim sum.

Eunuch Si Xi withdrew.

"Is your nose better?" Duan Bai Yue asked.

Chu Yuan nodded and pulled out a chair to sit at the table.

"I didn't get it earlier, try this while it's hot." Duan Bai Yue opened the paper packet, "Fried dumplings with dried special small fish."

Chu Yuan frowned, "It's fishy."

"How can you know it's fishy before you've even eaten it." Duan Bai Yue poured some vinegar into the small plate in front of him, and then pushed a dumpling into it, "Try it."

Chu Yuan took a bite, and the dumpling was full of juice and delicious.

"How is it?" Duan Bai Yue asked.

Chu Yuan put down his chopsticks and staggered his eyes to look outside: "It's still fishy."

Duan Bai Yue smiled and shook his head, handing him another bowl of vegetable congee.

"What else can we find out about the corpses in the Goodwill Hall?" Chu Yuan took another bite of a fried dumpling.

"You're still eating, do you really want to talk about corpses?" Duan Bai Yue laughed.

Chu Yuan said, "Yes."

"Those corpses should have been planted with compulsion after death, the compulsion worm eroded the bones and transformed them, plus the fire burned them, even an experienced coroner might not be able to tell that the deceased was actually young." Duan Bai Yue said, "As for Sun Man's corpse, it was forcibly concocted with a compulsive worm when he was about to die, which is why it was different from the rest of the corpses. It is not easy to detect if you look closely. If you observe it, you can still find clues.”

Chu Yuan really put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.

Duan Bai Yue was helpless: “I should let you finish the meal first.”

“Can you tell where those corpses came from?" Chu Yuan asked again.

“The damage is too serious." Duan Bai Yue said: “My people have also checked. There is no trace of the mass grave in this city being overturned, and I have not heard of where people have been lost or their graves have been dug."

"The corpses were brought in from elsewhere so that the old people in the Hall could be swapped out unnoticed." Chu Yuan said, "Normally, there are only 25 people in the Hall, so the killer only prepared 25 corpses. But when he was on the move that night, he found that there was one more person, and in order to avoid mistakes, he went to the street to catch them and met Sun Man, who had gone to have an affair, and killed him."

Duan Bai Yue nodded: “There are often large quantities of goods coming in and out here. It is not difficult to transport corpses into the city, but the 26  living people are no better than the others. I am afraid it will take a lot of trouble to get out of the city. Moreover, after the fire, the gate of the city was so heavily guarded that not even a mosquito could fly out. According to this inference, 99% of the old people in the Goodwill hall should still be hiding in the city.”

“What about the purpose?" Chu Yuan frowned slightly.

“The people who live in the Goodwill hall are all old carpenters.” Duan Bai Yue knocked on the table and reminded, “The old carpenter is also a carpenter."

Chu Yuan asked, "Tian Sha Sect?”

Duan Bai Yue nodded: “Kidnapping so many old craftsmen, I'm afraid Lan Ji is going to break some old institutions.”

"Why did she take action at this time?" Chu Yuan said, "Knowing full well that I am in Dayan City, it would be difficult for her to take someone out even if she had tied them up."

"To deter Xu Zhiqiu," Duan Bai Yue said, "If it weren't for you, he would be the number one person in this city and the Demon Cult might not be able to threaten him. If Lan Ji wants to use it to draw him in, this is the best time to do so."

"It's a pity that Xu Aiqing has been loyal and generous all his life." Chu Yuan shook his head, "But his son is so indisputable."

"The truth is not yet known, so it is still too early to talk about this." Duan Bai Yue said, "As for the corpses in the Goodwill Hall, let them be buried tomorrow so that Lan Ji can relax and think that we haven't found anything."

Chu Yuan nodded, "Good."

"Now that we're done with the corpses, do you still want to go to Xu's study tonight?" Duan Bai Yue asked again.

Chu Yuan said, "Yes."

Duan Bai Yue smiled, "Then you should sleep for a while longer this afternoon so that you can have the energy to stay up late to investigate the case."

Looking at the faint blue and black under his eyes, Chu Yuan wanted to say something, but finally just bowed his head and ate his porridge.

He rushed to Dayan City without any sleep and then encountered the fire in the Goodwill Hall, so he thought he had only slept well for a few hours last night, but went out to buy breakfast early in the morning, and even bought it twice. When he thought of this, although Chu Yuan still had no appetite at all because of the corpse, he finally finished a plate of fried dumplings and a bowl of congee before going to his study to deal with his affairs.

After he left, Duan Bai Yue just wanted to go back to the inn to take a look, but Eunuch Si Xi entered again, saying that His Majesty had ordered that if Xinan Wang had nothing to do, he should rest in this courier house in the afternoon, not to run around again.

Duan Bai Yue laughed in silence: "Don't run around again?”

Eunuch Si Xi smiled with his hands in his pockets: “Your Majesty's decree is indeed true.”

Duan Bai Yue readily agreed, or simply said... that I would like to do so.

Duan Bai Yue was already asleep when his head hit the pillow. It was so quiet outside that not even a mouse could enter, not to mention a human being. A team of imperial guards surrounded the courtyard, wondering why the emperor had ordered this empty courtyard to be guarded when he was clearly in his study. But he ordered to guard this empty courtyard, could it be that there was something hidden in it?

The twilight was heavy, and as soon as Chu Yuan returned to his residence from the study, Eununch Si Xi said that Xinan Wang had been sleeping and hadn't even eaten.

Duan Bai Yue lay on the bed, listening to the movement outside leisurely, the corners of his lips curved. He is a martial arts practitioner, and naturally, he woke up when the courtyard door squeaked just now, but he didn't make a sound, just waiting for the person to come in and call.

After a while, someone really opened the door.

Duan Bai Yue turned his head and saw Eunuch Si Xi walking in.

……

Duan Bai Yue calmly withdrew his gaze and continued to stare at the top of the bed.

"His Majesty is still waiting for Wang Ye to join the dinner." Eunuch Si Xi stood by the bedside, with a smiling and deep meaning in his eyes.  If he didn't come to call this time, maybe he will come next time. After all, no one can say what the emperor's nature is, so don't be discouraged.

Duan Bai Yue took a deep breath, got up and washed up and went next door.

The food on the table was still light, and even the salt and pepper shakers had been taken away.

Duan Bai Yue looked at the big bowl of vegetarian fried rice in front of him and smiled calmly.

Chu Yuan ate his rice by himself.

"There are mushrooms in it, and the soup is freshly made, it's good for the body." Eunuch Si Xi was waiting at the table.

"It's good." Duan Bai Yue picked up his chopsticks and swallowed a mouthful.

It was expected to be bland, but it was really good.

The only reason for this is that ‘His Majesty specifically asked that it be cooked lightly, probably because he was still worried about Wang Ye's internal injuries.’

Even if it was a scorpion, a poisonous insect or a bitter herb, he would have been able to eat it without changing his face.

Everything in Xu's study was the same as before, and it was clear that Xu Zhiqiu had not noticed anyone had entered. This time, Duan Bai Yue used a semi-permeable gauze bag to fill with night pearls, so even if there was no moonlight, it was just enough to shine a little.

Chu Yuan looked down and quickly transcribed his books, while Duan Bai Yue stood by, never taking his eyes off his side for a moment. It was rumoured that the Empress of Great Chu had been of exceptional beauty, and now there was evidence of this - how else could she have produced such a lovely and handsome son?

"There." Chu Yuan blew the ink dry and restored everything to its original state, "Let's go."

In all fairness, Duan Bai Yue was a bit reluctant to leave like this.

However, Chu Yuan had already left the door.

Duan Bai Yue sighed in his heart and followed after him.

"The weather is dry, beware of the fire!" On the street, a watchman was walking past.

Duan Bai Yue grabbed the wrist of the man beside him and led him into a small courtyard.

"Two strings of red-colored lanterns were hanging from the eaves of the house, which was a youth house.

Duan Bai Yue: "......"

Chu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand away angrily, and returned to the station alone, locking the bedroom door without turning his head back.

Eunuch Si Xi touched his grey nose and asked in a low voice, "Why is His Majesty angry?"

Duan Bai Yue also lowered his voice and replied: "Because he found Xu Zhiqiu's record.”

Eunuch Si Xi suddenly realized: “That's it.”

Looking at the closed door of the house, Duan Bai Yue sent Si Xi back to rest, sitting on the steps by himself to watch the moon.

The sky lit up a little bit, Chu Yuan put the sorted accounts aside and let out a sigh of relief.

After all, the night had not been wasted.

Outside the door, Duan Bai Yue was breaking worm scraps and feeding them to the spider, which looked about as big as a grown man's fist, and the black and white color was a little bit blinding.

Chu Yuan just pushed the door and saw this scene, so his face stiffened.

Duan Bai Yue: "......"

Chu Yuan asked, "What is this thing?"

"I don't know." Duan Bai Yue stood up and swept the spider to the corner, in a casual tone, "I just picked it up from the yard."

The white-headed spider turned dizzy, obviously extremely confused as to why it had been thrown into the grass by its owner just as it was halfway through its meal.

"What do you want to eat?" Duan Bai Yue asked, "I'll go and get it."

"There are rules between the shapes in the accounts." Chu Yuan said, "As long as you find the right way, it's not hard to read."

"So?" Duan Bai Yue tried.

"Although only a few pages have been transcribed, the amount of money in these accounts alone is proof that Xu Zhiqiu is not only greedy but also a big greedy man." Chu Yuan said.

"That doesn't make any sense." Duan Bai Yue shook his head, "Even if one is greedy, one has to have a way. What exactly is he doing in private that he has the ability to collect money without making a sound, and even the people don't notice the difference."

Chu Yuan frowned and sat on the steps, obviously not thinking clearly either.

"Even if we can't find an answer for a while, we still have to eat." Duan Bai Yue said, "Otherwise, you would not be an emperor, but an immortal."

"Think of a way to force Xu Zhiqiu to reveal himself." Chu Yuan said.

Duan Bai Yue nodded, "Good."

Chu Yuan was amused: "So easily said yes?"

"I will find a way to do what I have promised." Duan Bai Yue sat beside him, "But there are conditions."

Chu Yuan's expression stiffened and he turned his head to look at him.

Duan Bai Yue raised his eyebrows, "Xinan Mansion has never been at a disadvantage."

“What do you want again?" Chu Yuan's expression was alienated, and his tone of voice became slightly colder, “The whole Southwest is now Duan Wang's."

Duan Bai Yue smiled, got up and strode out of the courtyard.

Eunuch Si Xi brushed past him and was about to greet him with a smile, but then his eyes scanned Chu Yuan's expression and he bowed in a panic, not daring to say another word.

In the silence, the white-necked spider crawled over to the ground and continued to nibble on the insect scraps that had fallen on the ground, but without the fear of being trampled on.

Eunuch Si Xi stood on one side, worried, as the Emperor and Xinan Wang had been fine earlier, but in just one night, what had happened?

After about an incense stick, Chu Yuan stood up to go back to his room, but Duan Bai Yue jumped down from the courtyard wall again.

"Is there anything else, Duan Wang?" Chu Yuan misdirected his eyes.

"I just bought some roast chicken with marinated water." Duan Bai Yue took his wrist and led him inside, closing the door behind him, with a smile in his voice, "Eat it in peace and I'll promise to help you."

Chu Yuan: "......"

Eunuch Si Xi held his breath and listened with his head bent over.

Duan Bai Yue washed his hands, opened the paper bag and pulled off a chicken leg, which looked quite tempting as it was tender and golden, with juice dripping down.

Chu Yuan hesitated for a moment before he said, "Is this what you call a condition?"

"What else?" Duan Bai Yue handed him the chicken leg: "After eating vegetarian noodles for three days in a row, those who know say he is the emperor, those who don't know still think he is some monk."

Chu Yuan: "......"

Duan Bai Yue himself also took a bite of meat and sighed, "I've been running around all day, I guess I'll come back tonight with another bowl of noodles with vegetables, at least to mix some oil first."

Chu Yuan was dumbfounded as he wiped his greasy fingers and peeled off a lo mien egg for himself.

When the two men inside started talking again, Eunuch Si Xi was relieved and continued to stand outside, watching the clouds with his hands in his pockets.

After another day, rumors began to spread in the city that the emperor was extremely dissatisfied with Xu, and it was expected that he would soon issue a decree to recall him to Wang Cheng after his official duties were removed.

Some people also said that they were afraid that it was not just as simple as dismissal, and others would ask the reason again, but no one could tell.

Others said that this time it was not only the Prefect Xu, but it was estimated that even Lord  Xu in Wang Cheng would be implicated.

Rumors flew everywhere for a while, and the people said everything, and naturally, it reached Xu Zhiqiu's ears.

So he became more and more nervous. He was like a mouse who had seen a cat all day, and he couldn't even eat, for fear of being summoned by the emperor.

On the afternoon of this day, a pallet truck full of firewood entered the prefect's yamen from the back door. The accompanying people were all in the gang room to help unload the goods, but there was only a thin man who hurriedly went straight to the backyard.

Duan Bai Yue dropped down from the tree and followed silently behind.

“How dare you come now?" Xu Zhiqiu was writing a letter in the study when he was suddenly covered by someone from behind, and he was shocked.

"There is no need to worry, Your Excellency." The woodsman unlocked his acupuncture points, his voice clear and crisp, a woman in disguise.

"There are imperial guards everywhere in this city now!" Xu Zhiqiu stomped his foot repeatedly.

"Your Excellency also knows that the situation is dangerous." The woman snorted, "Even a three-year-old doll is saying that the emperor is not happy with your performance, but it would be useless to be so anxious, and the only way to have a chance of keeping your black hat is to agree to the leader's request."

“The emperor is still in the city, so why can't she wait until the future?" Xu Zhiqiu lowered his voice and gritted his teeth.

"If the Emperor is not here, I am afraid that Your Excellency will not be willing to be subjected to the control of others." The woman said, "If you are sensible, you should hand over the gold mountain in your private treasury, and the sect master will not make things difficult for you."

Duan Bai Yue frowned slightly at her words. Earlier in the morning, he had said that this man was a huge covetous person, but he did not expect that he could actually covet a gold mountain.

Xu Zhiqiu's face turned white and red for a while, and she sat in a chair with a dead face.

"Your Excellency is really dead-hearted." The woman shook her head when she saw this. "As long as Qiufeng Village is still alive, your private coffers will not worry about running out of money, if you lose it this time, you can earn it the next time, if you keep the green hills alive, you are still afraid of not having wood to burn?"

"Shut up!" Hearing the words "Qiufeng Village", Xu Zhiqiu became even more nervous.

"My master is not a patient man." The woman said and left the door. Duan Nian, who had been watching Xu's study, received Duan Bai Yue's instructions and followed her out of the house to see what was going on.

Duan Bai Yue went back to the courier house first.

"Qiufeng Village?" Chu Yuan said, "We can get there in about half an hour if we go out of the city with a fast horse. This Da Yan City has limited space after all, so some large wooden beams are first made in Qiufeng Village, then transported back to the city to be assembled in the shops, and finally sold across the Yan Shui River to all parts of the Chu Kingdom."

“Do you want to go and have a look?" Duan Bai Yue said, "Listening to what the two of them said today, Xu Zhiqiu's trick should be there."

Chu Yuan nodded and said, "What if someone finds out?”

“It's easy to tolerate." Duan Bai Yue said easily.

Chu Yuan: “......”

He has only learned kung fu since he was a child, but he has never learned how to be easy to tolerate.

Duan Bai Yue said, "Everyone in the Xinan Mansion is a master of disguise."

Chu Yuan had no choice but to sit back in his chair and let him smear his face.

His fingertips felt soft and cool, and the corners of Duan Bai Yue's lips rose as his thumbs gently rubbed against the side of his face.

Chu Yuan wanted to punch him out.

Duan Bai Yue drew closer and closer, his expression extremely focused.

Chu Yuan couldn't help but duck back, but there was nowhere to hide, and in the end, he was almost pressed against the wall.

Duan Bai Yue gently lifted his chin.

Eunuch Si Xi inadvertently saw it through the window and turned his back to show that he really didn't see anything.

They were so close that their noses were close to each other.

Feeling the other party's burning breath, Chu Yuan finally couldn't stand it anymore and pushed him away.

Duan Bai Yue's eyes were puzzled: "What does Emperor Chu mean by this?"

Chu Yuan wiped his face and said through clenched teeth, "I'm not going, just leave this to Xiang Lie."

"If you don't go, it would be a waste of time." Duan Bai Yue took the bronze mirror and placed it in front of him, "Are you still satisfied?"

The person in the mirror had mediocre features and looked dull, with some spots, and looked like a businessman from a foreign country.

"Let's go and have a look, after all, there is nothing to do in the courier house." Duan Bai Yue picked up another mask and quickly put it on his face.

Chu Yuan frowned.

Duan Bai Yue explained calmly: "Previously when walking in the Jianghu, I often give myself a disguise, naturally I have to be more familiar with it."

Chu Yuan: "......"

"Let's go." Duan Bai Yue said to himself, " Qiufeng Village, sounds like a good place."

There are often merchants in this area who come to look at goods, so the sudden sight of two foreigners did not strike anyone as unusual.

Duan Bai Yue was playing at the ridge of the field when he casually broke off a bunch of red flowers on the roadside and plucked out the stamens: "Want to eat?"

"Eh?" Chu Yuan frowned.

"Sweet." Duan Bai Yue said.

Chu Yuan simply refused. As a prince, if he were to be like a child in a normal family who would grab everything and stuff it into his mouth, he probably wouldn't be alive now.

"With me here, no one can harm you." As if reading his mind, Duan Bai Yue smiled, "This is called a lantern wick, and there are many of them in Xinan."

Chu Yuan just ignored it and walked a few steps closer to the village not far away.

Not only does it make a living from carpentry, but the plaques in Qiufeng Village are also much more exquisite than ordinary villages. In the small courtyard on the two sides of the road, men were logging and women were weaving, and there were a lot of scattered parts piled up. After seeing the two of them, they all smiled and said hello, thinking that they were merchants who came to see the goods and receive the goods.

After walking around the village, still didn't see any clues. Every family was sawing wood and doing crafts. When they saw someone, they didn't hide it. On the contrary, when they met someone who was enthusiastic, they had to greet them to go in for tea. It really doesn't look like there is a secret hidden.

On a farm at the end of the village, a man was sweating profusely sawing wood. Duan Bai Yue walked in with Chu Yuan and asked if he could give him a bowl of tea.

“Naturally." The man put down the work in his hands and quickly brought water out of the house. “Are you two here to see the goods?"

“Yes.” Duan Bai Yue nodded, “I want to order a batch of carriage wheels. Seeing that there seem to be a lot of scattered pieces in the courtyard of the brother, I came in and asked."

“If you want to buy goods, you still have to order from the shops in Dayan City." The man said, “It's just to make some parts here. Every household has different things. In the end, the assembly and sales are still in the city."

"So that's how it is." Duan Bai Yue understood, "So you specialize in making these carriage wheels?"

"There are also table legs and wooden boxes." The man wiped his sweat.

"Wooden boxes?" Duan Bai Yue asked, "For jewellery?"

"I don't know. The village is full of craftsmen, and they don't know what's available outside. All the big shops in the city send us drawings, and we make them according to the pattern." The man said.

“It looks a bit big, and it doesn't look like something my daughter likes. Duan Bai Yue picked up a wooden box, “Seeing that the elder brother is so proficient in craftsmanship, he has been doing it for a long time."

"My ancestors used to make carriage wheels, but I only started making this wooden box a few years ago, but it's the best seller." The man, probably because very few people come here on a regular basis, spoke more and said with a smile, "We make at least 200 of them every month."

“It looks very delicate, can I take one away?"  Duan Bai Yue asked.

"That's not possible." The man looked puzzled, "Staff Squire Wu has said that this wooden box cannot be given to outsiders, and he will not sell it for any amount of money."

"So." Duan Bai Yue apologised, "I was reckless."

"It's not a problem, you're too polite." The man waved his hand repeatedly, "If it were my own, you could take away as much as you want, but the authorities really don't allow it. If you really want it, just ask at the Wu family carriage shop in Dayan City. After I have finished this, I will also send it to the carriage shop."

Duan Bai Yue nodded: "Thank you."

The two of them sat for a while longer, and after they finished their tea, they left the village and walked slowly back along the path.

"What was so strange about that wooden box?" Chu Yuan asked.

"I can't say it's strange, but it really doesn't look like something that can be used in everyday life." Duan Bai Yue said, "It's bulky and unattractive, and it doesn't hold many objects, so it's only natural that it won't sell."

“Just go to the city and have a look." Chu Yuan said, “The Wu family carriage shop is not far from the station. I have seen it before, and the business seems to be good."

Duan Bai Yue nodded and returned to Dayan City with him.

—— ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ ——ㄚ

Note: ...

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