Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 236: The Liu Mansion with a Countless Amount of Gold and Silver

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they suddenly felt a rolling heat wave. The back of Wang Heng's hemp clothes was soaked, and Xiaocai's collar smelled of sweat. He frowned slightly when he smelled it.

Wufa showed them the way and they walked west along the official road for about three or four miles. There was a big waterwheel at the entrance of the village, and that was Cuihua Village.

Xiaocai looked towards the east of the official road and saw a vast lake of white water in the distance. In the distance, there were mountains and lush greenery. He said, "Seventh Brother, the scenery here is particularly beautiful. I wonder what kind of village this is?"

Wang Heng echoed, "Green mountains and clear waters, what a beautiful scene. When we get back to Jubao Temple, we'll ask Wuming and Wufa and they'll tell us."

The two men quickened their pace and headed west, finally arriving at the village entrance before sunset.

Midsummer is the season for draining water and irrigating seedlings. A strong man stands on a large waterwheel at the entrance of the village, pedaling the water pump, with his upper body bare and sweating profusely.

Xiaocai stopped in front of the waterwheel, raised his head and bowed to the sturdy man, saying, "Brother, I want to ask you something. How do I get to the residence of Mr. Meng in the village? And which family did Liu Biejia, the Tongpan of Runzhou who passed away last year, live in?"

The young monk from Vimalakirti Courtyard told them that the pilgrim who first discovered the murder yesterday was named Qiu Erlang, a farmer from Cuihua Village. Qiu Erlang was so frightened that he might not be able to give any useful clues. Wang Heng planned to ask Qiu Erlang one last question at the last stop.

The strong man stopped and looked at the two people asking for directions. Seeing that the two people were elegant young scholars, he said, "Young man, go a hundred steps forward on this path. The first house on the left is Mr. Meng's house. As for the Liu Biejia family you mentioned, I don't know much about it. Our Cuihua Village is very big. There are several families with the surname Liu. There is a family in Tayuan Bay. I heard that they used to be officials."

Xiaocai discussed with Wang Hengyi and decided to go to Liu's house in Tayuanwan first. If they got there in the wrong place, they could just ask for directions.

Xiaocai asked the strong man: "Brother, how do we get to the Liu family in Tayuanwan that you mentioned?"

The sturdy man laughed and said, "It's not close if you walk there. Go forward along the path for about four or five miles. You will see Putong Pagoda. Go east for another three or four miles. There is a Taiping Bridge, also called Qingshi Bridge. Cross the bridge and you will reach Liu's house."

After thanking the strong man, the two of them walked forward along the path. After a while, they saw a large house standing on the left side of the road. It was very new and seemed to be a large house built in recent years. Xiaocai said, "It seems that Mr. Meng's family finances are quite good."

They decided to find Liu Biejia's mansion first, so they passed Meng's house and walked for a long distance. They came across several monks' houses surrounding a brick pagoda. They thought it was the Putong Pagoda Courtyard that the man mentioned, a shabby little temple in the countryside.

Outside the tower wall, there is indeed a path winding eastward. This path is narrower than the road when you first enter the village. If it rains, it must be very muddy.

Wang Heng frowned and said, "Why would the Liu family live in a place where carriages can't pass? Maybe we got the wrong family."

This reminded Xiaocai. He still remembered that the Liu Mansion's carriage was big and spacious. How did it cross this small road?

There were a few farmhouses scattered along the path to the east. After a cup of tea, we saw a stone bridge spanning the river.

When Xiaocai stepped onto the stone bridge, he couldn't help trembling with fear. The bridge was just made of two long bluestones, with a large gap in the middle. Looking down from the bridge, he could see the gurgling water.

Xiaocai was surprised and said, "This bridge is so simple. Isn't it too dangerous to cross it at night?"

Wang Heng was stunned and said, "It's called Taiping Bridge, but I don't think it can be Taiping."

Xiaocai crossed the bridge carefully and said, "A few days ago, Ah Xian argued with me about whether the city or the countryside is better. Is there any need to argue? Of course the city is better. The city bridge is so bad, the county magistrate and the prefecture government must take care of it."

After crossing the bridge, a residential area appeared deep in the shade, and it looked quite old.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai exchanged glances, unable to hide their surprise. Was this really the residence of the wealthy Liu Biejia? The two did not dare to knock on the door rashly, and walked around the house. This old house only had two entrances, not much bigger than the new house they rented by the Liuqiu Bridge in Suojin Village.

There was not a single decent locust or elm tree in front of or behind the house, but there were a few beds of edamame, taro and water melon.

There was a pile of firewood behind the house. Xiaocai was tired from walking, so he sat down on the pile and whispered, "Seventh brother, we must have found the wrong house. It can't be this family. There are so many servants in the Liu Mansion. How can they live in a house with two entrances? This house is even worse than Ye Tianliao's house in Yejiadai."

Wang Heng nodded and said, "Let's knock on the door and ask for directions."

After knocking on the door for a long time, no one answered. The two were frustrated and were about to go back the same way when suddenly the wooden door creaked and a crisp voice came from inside the house: "Here, here, who's knocking?"

A young girl leaned out from behind the door. When they looked closely, they found that it was Xiaolian, a maid from the Liu residence.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai were shocked. Could it be that they had taken the wrong road?
Xiaocai calmed down, took a few steps forward, bowed and said, "Miss Xiaolian."

Xiaolian looked up and saw that they were Mr. Zhang's two servants. She showed a trace of surprise on her face and knelt down and bowed: "My two princes."

Wang Heng smiled and said, "Miss Xiaolian, Mr. Zhang sent us down the mountain to do some work. We passed by your Cuihua Village. It's very hot, so we came to ask for a glass of water."

Xiaolian quickly opened the wooden door and invited Wang Heng and Xiaocai in. She had fallen a few days ago and now seemed to have recovered well. She still walked with a limp, but her movements were normal.

The house is old and cramped, and it looks like it hasn't been renovated for several years.

Xiaolian invited the two to sit in the hallway, and said a little embarrassedly, "My wife has gone out with the housekeeper, so I'll have to ask you two princes to serve tea here."

Xiaocai said, "Excuse me, please excuse me."

There was a lot of miscellaneous items piled up in the foyer, the lighting was very poor, and the walls were mottled, all of which showed a sense of desolation.

There were two old lanterns hanging in the foyer, covered with white cloth. Wang Heng could not help but wonder whether these were left behind by Liu Biejia after his death last year, or they were to commemorate Miss Wanying of the Liu family. Miss Wanying jumped off a cliff to pray for her father at Jubao Temple. She was a chaste and filial heroine. Why didn't the Liu family hold a funeral for her after they went down the mountain?
Xiaodie quickly poured the tea back. The teacup was made of white porcelain from the market, and the tea was filled with the marigold that she had planted in the front yard.

Xiaocai said jokingly, "Miss Xiaolian's Perilla frutescens is really fragrant."

Just as she was about to start a conversation, she heard rustling footsteps from inside. After a while, a ragged old man came out, leaning on a cane, looking shaky. He asked tremblingly, "Xiao Lian, who is visiting?"

Xiaolian hurriedly supported the old man and said, "Dad, how did you come out? These two princes are the disciples of Mr. Zhang who wrote the epitaph for the master. They came by to have some tea. A few days ago, I got a few steamed buns in the dining hall of Jubao Temple. I was anxious to go down the mountain early in the morning to deliver them to Dad. I accidentally fell down, and it was these two princes who saved me."

This old man was very polite. Even though he was not in good shape, he still bowed.

How could the two dare to accept it, so Xiaocai quickly supported the old man to stop him from bowing.

Wang Heng was surprised and said, "Miss Xiaodie hurried down the mountain that day just to bring steamed buns to your father. Not counting the journey up and down the mountain, the round trip alone was more than ten miles."

Xiaodie blushed and lowered her head in silence. The old man said, "After the master passed away, the family was in a difficult situation. My wife scraped together money from everywhere to pay for the master's funeral. She pawned everything she could. The family had no rice or noodles. Ah Die thought I would starve to death if I stayed at home, so I dug taro to eat for three days."

Upon hearing this, Wang Heng and Xiaocai became even more suspicious. Is this the Liu family that could pay one thousand taels of silver to ask Mr. Zhang to write a tombstone and employ dozens of servants?