Chapter 62

里 | li | unit of measurement that has varied over time but has now been standardized to 500 meters (Wikipedia)

The rainy fifth lunar month had arrived, and torrential rains poured down practically every day. River levels rose tremendously, sparking floods to occur, and it was reported that numerous buildings in several provinces had been damaged by the water. All of the disaster-stricken commoners fled and increasingly rushed into the capital, and as a result, the prices of everyday goods soared into the Heavens; more civilians lost their jobs; the number of refugees in the streets increased; and robberies also started being a common occurrence.

The Emperor sent a decree to close all of the capital’s gates as well as requiring all civilians to obtain a permit given by the authorities before they could enter or leave the city.

With great difficulty, a clear and sunny day arrived, and Ruan Zhu had someone place a table and chairs in the courtyard, where she added up this months’ expenses into the ledgers. She discovered that the expenditure number was high again and had someone bring Xiao San Zi, who managed the outside matters, over for inquiry.

“Lady is somewhat unaware, but the entire country has been plagued by overcast and rainy weather. The roads are muddy, the Chang Jiang River has flooded, and the foodstuffs from Jiang Nan cannot be transported in. The price of white rice in the stores in the capital have continuously risen to several times what it used to be, and there are many who are starving. I’ve heard that several have already died from hunger. The Emperor has established a food relief center on the streets, but they only serve one portion a day. Outside, emotions have been stimulated, and I heard that if the question of foodstuffs is not resolved, I’m afraid that there may be another Red Eyebrow army causing trouble.”

Ruan Zhu had intermittently heard a little about the matters of people starving to death, but after listening to Xiao San Zi’s words, she felt that the current political situation had been thrown into even more disorder. It seemed like the food issue was the first priority for maintaining national peace as revolts occurred precisely because the commoners had nothing to eat.

Nuan Chun walked over with juice that he had already mixed up and offered it to Ruan Zhu: “There is not much food left from what our family has brought from Yu Zhou. We should take advantage while they are still being sold in the markets to replenish our reserves. Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other necessities should also be stocked.”

“Xiao San Zi, I will write a list for you later. Go take care of each of the items on there.” Xiao San Zi was a servant born in the family, and all of his family relied on the Ruan clan to eat. He was naturally clever and knew how to be on good terms with his Masters, thus, they were at ease letting him handle things.

After Steward Yang was announced, he stepping into the courtyard and bowed in greeting before placing a few account books on the table: “These are what the managers of a few of the shops in Yu Zhou have sent over. This year has not been good, and they are all in deficit. There is also a shop whose workers grouped together and beset Manager Bao before completely emptying out the store and running away. That manager has sent word asking if Eldest Miss would like to report this case to the authorities?”

Ruan Zi Xu had relocated the majority of his businesses from Yu Zhou to the capital, but there were also some that were not easy to withdraw from. It wasn’t that it was costly; they sold some local specialties, that’s all.

Massaging her temples, Ruan Zhu then wrote a letter before stamping it with the seal that Ruan Zi Xu had entrusted to her just before he left. She handed the sealed letter to Steward Yang: “Go to Yu Zhou and let the managers see this letter. Tell them to cease business. If the shops can be transferred, transfer them. If not, simply giving them or throwing them away are both fine. Lower the prices of all the merchandise inside and sell them off; also provide everyone with their wages.”

The current political situation was in upheaval. If profits weren’t being made, why not close the shops?

Steward Yang bowed, took the letter, and left.

Ruan Zhu flipped open the account books he had brought. The more she looked, the more astonished she became, and she turned through the pages, her eyes bulging.

“Sister, what’s wrong with you?” Right at that time, Ruan Yu returned from outside and came over for a look after passing through Yi Xin Residence. Seeing Ruan Zhu in a daze, she reached over to look at the accounts book herself and turned a few pages before remarking: “Nothing much, ya? Why do you have an expression as if you just saw a ghost?”

“You don’t think this ledger is strange?” Ruan Zhu pointed at one of the charts in the account book, her face odd.

Ruan Yu gave a puchi of laughter: “Hasn’t Eldest Sister continuously been using tables to keep the accounts? Who are you asking? You sit at home all day so you don’t know this, but nowadays, all of the large businesses use tables to keep their accounts. It’s fast and simple and can be seen at a glance; many people think highly of it.”

Ruan Zhu was stupefied and stared blankly at her for a moment. Why did she not expect something like this would occur? Could it be that besides her, there was another transmigrator in Tian Chu?

“I heard that the person who had come up with this format of using tables to do accounts is someone from Lan Zhou, surnamed Wang. He had earlier been muddling about in Yun Zhou, but had come to the capital because Yun Zhou had been beset by flood. After news of using tables to do accounts spread out, it caused a large sensation, and the big boss of Lu Yin Ge Restaurant spent an exorbitant amount to hire the one surnamed Wang to be his bookkeeper. However that surnamed Wang is very loathesome. Bragging, drinking, gambling–he does it all and the big boss of Lu Yin Ge Restaurant hates it. If it wasn’t that the accounting method of the one surnamed Wang is very good, he would have long be kicked out. ” Ruan Yu threw the books onto the table: “I’m gonna ignore you now and go look at my little nephew. Eldest Sister, you should still slowly look over the accounts, okay!”

Ruan Zhu dazedly watched as her second sister left Yi Xin Residence, her mind still thinking of what she had just said: Lan Zhou, surnamed Wang; could it be that Steward Wang that she had personally kicked out? At that time, had she carelessly leaked her secrets and made it so that the other had an advantage? If it truly was like that, she would really find it hard to breathe.

Lu Yin Ge, was that it? She had to go take a look. If it was Steward Wang, then that would be whatever. But if it was another transmigrator, wouldn’t that be troublesome? Based on the novels she read and TV shows she watched in her previous life, if there happened to be two transmigrators who had crossed over to the same exact period, there would usually be one that had all the bad luck.

Ruan Zhu decided to take a look to get to the bottom of this matter.

Lu Yin Ge was a large restaurant in the capital located in a very prime district. Their patrons were quite wealthy and respectable people, and if one were to dress too ordinary, they would be looked down upon by the other guests.

The next morning, she dressed up. Putting on some custom ordered pieces from Lan Zhou’s Ming Xiang Cui Yu, she paired them with a pink, soft smoke gauze long skirt and a soft gauze circular fan in her hand and entered the carriage with Nuan Chun in accompaniment.

Along the way, they could see the majestic sight of soldiers passing through the streets, perhaps to patrol or perhaps to transport carriage after carriage of all sorts of supplies to the battlefield.

Groups of raggedly-dressed civilians went begging from door to door for food. Store entrances were deserted for the most part, and the majority of shopkeepers chased beggars away, though there were a small few that provided them with leftovers.

On the side of the street, commoners–men, women, old, young–had lined up by a tent that stretched half a li. Their faces full of hunger, they shuffled along with their bowls for the yamen to ladle out some porridge.

Ruan Zhu lifted up the curtain. With a sweep of her eyes, she witnessed a man with clean and bright attire being dragged by a few beggars into an alley, where they cleanly stripped him of his clothes and money.

She stared for a while, sighing incessantly, before lowering the curtain down.

The capital of the country of Tian Chu was a desolate and chaotic sight to behold. If the issue of food was not solved, how long could the capital remain stabilized?

Lu Yin Ge was not too terribly far and she arrived after sitting in the carriage after two quarters of an hour had passed. Perhaps because it was not meal time, or perhaps they had suffered from the influence of the disaster, but the restaurant was quiet and cheerless.

Ruan Zhu led Nuan Chun over. The waiter saw that it was a young wife dressed honorably and hurriedly welcomed them inside enthusiastically. She followed the waiter in walking towards the staircase, and when they had reached the head of the steps leading to the second floor, a crippled man relying on a cane limped down and brushed past her.

Ruan Zhu was faintly stunned. There seemed to be something familiar about this crippled man, as if she had met them somewhere before.

“Madam, please.” The waiter pushed open the door of a private room for her to please enter.

Nuan Chun ordered a few dishes and a pot of fruit wine according to his Master’s tastes. Not long after, the tea arrived, and the waiter announced: “It will be a little bit before the dishes and wine will arrive; may Madam please first drink some tea. The tea in our restaurant is the best under the Heavens. Others do not have this kind, and I can guarantee Madam will like it.”

“I heard there is a bookkeeper here that is very knowledgeable on handling accounts. Is it possible to perhaps meet him?”

The waiter saw that this small Madam was very beautiful with a modest bearing and had a good first impression: “Previously, there were also many customers that wanted to meet Accountant Wang, but they all became disappointed after doing so. You may ask why, and that is because this Mister Wang loves to shoot off his mouth, provoking disgust. His moral character is also not any good. He finds it difficult to remain idle, so drinks and gambles, leading astray many of our Lu Yin Ge’s workers. The boss would like to fire him, as presently, many people have mastered those tables, and it wouldn’t matter who we hired.”

Ruan Zhu smiled: “I am not requesting him to be my bookkeeper. I am just a little curious and would like to meet this person.”

“Well then, if Madam would wait for a little while, this small one will invite the other over. In the mornings when he has nothing to do, Accountant Wang always sneakily hides somewhere to drink, so trying to find him is a little troublesome. This small one will go ask for Madam; however, this small one would like to first say that Madam will surely be disappointed after meeting him.”

Ruan Zhu laughed and did not respond.

After the waiter had left, Nuan Chun asked: “Why does Miss insist on meeting that Accountant Wang? Does Miss not also know the method of using tables to do the accounts?”

Ruan Zhu knitted her brows: “I suspect this Accountant Wang is the Steward Wang that I had driven out of our residence in Lan Zhou.”

Nuan Chun was startled and immediately became indignant: “That bastard who doesn’t know how to be grateful to his past master. To have the impertinence to say Miss’s tables are something that he thought up himself, he must be caught and caned.”

“You are currently not in your home; who do you have the right to cane?” Ruan Zhu insipidly said a sentence. Why bother nursing a useless anger against such a vile person to avoid losing dignity? What she currently had to do was to ascertain whether someone else had also transmigrated or not. If there wasn’t, then she would be at peace.

Nuan Chun poured his Master a cup of tea: “Since that waiter has said their tea is good, Miss should have a taste and moisten your throat on such a hot day.”

Taking the offered cup for a sip, Ruan Zhu became astonished and couldn’t help but to take another mouthful to sample the flavor. This method of making tea was not something that could be found in the ancient era; it was the stir-fried tea method of the future.

When she had transmigrated, she had indeed thought of stir-frying tea. But not long after, she had gone to Lan Zhou, the southern border, Yu Zhou, the capital–running from place to place–and furthermore, she had also became pregnant. Since the beginning, she had not had any free time and manufacturing tea had also been delayed.

Could it be that in this world, there really was another transmigrator?

Suddenly, her meeting with the crippled man at the staircase flashed in her mind, and her heart shook.

“Nuan Chun, wait here for a moment while I head to the lavatory.”

“En, then Miss has to hurry.”

It was after making some inquiries that Ruan Zhu came to know that the crippled man was a master of manufacturing tea that the boss of Lu Yin Ge had spent a large sum to hire and that he lived in the east wing of the east lateral court of the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard was the boss’s personal residence and outsiders were generally not permitted to enter.

She saw that the back door was slightly ajar and walked through it to the outer courtyard. To her left was the east lateral court and the gate just so happened to be wide open.

Ruan Zhu entered the east lateral courtyard and raised her eyes to carefully look it over. The building was the sort that was more old-fashioned and should be one that was for servants to live in. She didn’t see anyone, but this was also the working hours of the restaurant, causing the servants’ quarters to be deserted.

All of the other rooms were locked, and only the door of the east wing was wide open.

Suddenly a hoarse voice transmitted from inside. Because the door was ajar, she could hear it especially clearly.

“You have crossed?”

Ruan Zhu’s heart pounded and her legs nearly went soft. After she composed herself, she realized no one had discovered her, thus they were absoloutely not speaking to her. Seeing an old willow tree by the side, she hastily ducked behind it to hide.

She was certain that hoarse voice belonged to the crippled man. There was no indication at all; it was merely intuition.

“Passed? What passed?”

Steward Wang! It was definitely him, the one who always drank and gambled in the residence at Lan Zhou and was driven out by her. He had taken her tables to show off and swindle others, deceiving them from Lan Zhou to the capital.

“You still dare to quibble? How could you not have crossed with those tables you set up?”

“It’s true that the tables were thought up by me. Because I am talented, I created the tables. If you can’t bear to see them, you can scram. For what reason do you know how to manufacture tea and obtain the boss’s appreciation and I, your father, cannot come up with the idea to use tables for accounting?”

“You have crossed?”

“Ah!……Zhao Hai……Brother Zhao……if you have something to say, be my guest……quickly put the blade down.”

“You have crossed? Tell me, yes or no?”

“If you say yes, it’s yes. Cough cough……pass……wear the……wu……”[a]

Following Steward Wang’s stifled voice–splat!–an eye-grabbing bloodstain flew on top of the muslin covering the window.

Not long after, the crippled man limped out of the side room, the blade in his hand already wiped clean of blood. A breeze brushed past, and the remnants of the stench of blood floated into the nose of the one hiding behind the old willow tree. She held her breath, not daring to even breathe or exhale. Only the thudding of her heart–dong dong–proved how nervous and tense she was at this moment.

“With two transmigrators, it’s enough for there to only be one that knows the advanced technology of the future; the second person is unnecessary.” The crippled man lightly snorted. He fastened the dagger inside his wide sleeve and left the east lateral courtyard.

Ruan Zhu heard the steps becoming more distant and waited a little longer before finally daring to come out from behind the tree. She headed towards the courtyard’s gate before turning back and trotting towards the eastern side room. She mustered her nerve and walked inside; she only wanted to see if the man inside was truly Steward Wang or not.

An elderly man sat crookedly in the taishi chair in front of the window. With eyes wide open, he was motionless and smeared all over with blood. His throat had been cut open and it was very obvious he was no longer breathing.

He was precisely the man that had been driven out by her from their residence in Lan Zhou–Steward Wang. It was very likely that after he had stolen her method of accounting, he had not dared to remain in Lan Zhou, and that was the reason why he had fled to show off and swindle others.

It could be said that his man had taken the place of her death.

Ruan Zhu just stood at the doorway, not daring to walk inside. Just as she was about to turn and leave, footsteps sounded from outside. Quite a few people entered the courtyard, though they seemed to only be in the restaurant’s main courtyard, thus they and her were separated by a wall.

“Guard all of the doors and search from room to room. If alive, I want to see the person. If dead, I want to see the corpse.”

Ruan Zhu became terrified. If she was found here, they might take her to be the murderer.

She had no time to think and could only advance forward, not retreat, and directly entered the bedroom of the side room.

There were some broken tools and other junk underneath the bed; simply nowhere for a person to hide.

Her graceful eyes swept the inside of the room once and only saw a long and narrow, tattered trunk next to the bed. Rushing over in a few steps to lift up the lid, she only saw that the inside was unexpectedly filled with old clothes.

The footsteps were getting closer. She could no longer hesitate and plunged into the chest, closing the lid behind her.

Almost at the same time, one person entered the room and directly headed to the bedroom.

Ruan Zhu was so tense from nervousness that she felt her heart would nearly jump out of her chest. Her hands were covered with sweat and tears threatened to fall, fast and heavy. The east courtyard has so many rooms, hey, Mister, why must you choose the room I’m hiding in? Do the two of us have some sort of animosity?!

However, she had forgotten one key point. It was true that there were multiple rooms in the east lateral courtyard, but only the room she was hiding in was not locked.

Suddenly, the trunk lid was opened and the face of a man she had met several months earlier entered her sight. But the skin that she saw was bronzed while his facial features were distinctly outlined like a Greek sculpture, and his eyes were both deep and cold.

It was precisely Xuanyuan Min Zhi!

Ruan Zhu muttered in her heart: This prince was truly attractive. If his skin was back to white, he could be trained and then become an escort in Japan’s red district. He would also be immensely popular on the internet, and his clicks would surely give him first-place.

“Must be in the eastern side room. Go inside for a look.”

The cacophony outside grew increasingly closer and headed towards the eastern side room.

Ruan Zhu and Xuanyuan Min Zhi stared at each other; the other was stunned at seeing her. Immediately after hearing the outside voices, his face slightly changed, and he vaulted inside the chest while closing the lid. Inside the trunk became pitch black.

Molester! Being pressed down by him, Ruan Zhu nearly choked. Feeling as if her five viscera and six bowels were going to be displaced, she rushed to push him off. A rough hand covered her mouth, and a low voice sounded from next to her ear: “Don’t make a sound otherwise I’ll choke you to death.”

Ruan Zhu hastily nodded her head. What else could she do? Her little life was the most important.

Xuanyuan Min Zhi let go of his hand and finally realized the two people were intersecting in an extremely embarrassing position.

She was on her back facing upwards; he was on his stomach on top of her. The exquisite figure of the girl in her prime of youth was precisely under him, and her mouth was practically stuck to his. A beautifully sweet fragrance also drifted into the man’s nose.

Xuanyuan Min Zhi felt somewhat dizzy. There was a slight heat in his underbelly while his pulse no longer remained steady……

He unnaturally shifted his head away a little. His right hand slightly moved and unexpectedly touched her soft chest. The sensation was surprisingly not unpleasant, and he squeezed a bit, causing his fingertips to become numb, and such an unspeakably carefree feeling transmitted all over his body.

When he finally realized what he was groping, he became embarrassed and hurriedly moved his hand away.

Ruan Zhu was in such a state of nervousness so how could she have the time to pay attention to the peculiarity of the man atop her? She tilted her ear to carefully listen to the movements outside……The men entered the room and walked around inside, from the living room to the bedroom. There were at least ten of them.

“Sir, there a corpse here. The body is still warm so he seems to have died recently. Could he have been killed by that person?”

“Sir, the main house and west lateral court have both been searched. There has been no sign of the person.”

“There are still the inside of chests and under the bed. Have all the places where one can hide been searched?” A dignified and imposing voice sounded out.

“Already searched, sir, there has been no sign.”

“There is a trunk next to the bed in this bedroom. Go open it for a look.” The dignified voice commanded.

“Yes, sir.”

Ruan Zhu felt faint. In her keyed-up state, her hands had started sweating. When she left home today, she had not checked the yellow calendar.[b] Running into Xuanyuan Min Zhi, this death star, she just knew that misfortune could not be separated from this person. Whoever came in contact with him would definitely be out of luck!

Xuanyuan Min Zhi tried his hardest to ignore the dainty woman underneath him. He concentrated his mind and placed his hand on top of the longsword strapped at his waist, preparing to strike as soon as the person outside lifted open the lid of the trunk.

[a] 穿 chuan, can mean to wear (clothes); to pass through; to penetrate. 穿越 chuan ye is transmigration; ‘crossing over.’ The original question that the crippled man keeps asking is 你是穿的？which is literally you passed (over)? Tbh, it’s a very smart way to ask someone if they’ve transmigrated because it’s one of those things that you get it if you get it. I translated it as ‘crossed’ because I’ve been using ‘crossing over’ and ‘transmigration’ interchangeably and both ‘chuan ye’ and ‘crossing over’ are two words. 🧐

[b] 黄历 (lit. yellow calendar) is currently called ‘Tung Shing’ and is a Chinese divination guide and almanac. (Wikipedia)

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