My wife has a secret

Chapter 21 Setting up a trap
"Tang poetry and Song lyrics? This person's name is really interesting, and he even added poetry to it... No wonder he can write such exquisite poems."

After hearing this, Lu Wanhe smiled and felt much relieved.

She had been confused by the poetry titles that did not belong to her, and now that she heard the news about the original author, she felt relieved.

"My dear, could you lend me that ancient book so I can study it?"

Xu Qing turned his back and pretended not to hear what was said.

When Lu Wanhe saw his expression, she felt angry and amused at once.

Why does my husband have the same temper as those children? I just want to read ancient books to broaden my horizons. I don't want to attract attention from him, so why should he be on guard against me?

……

The next morning, it was dawn.

A figure wrapped in a hooded robe sneaked out from the back door of the Lu Mansion and ran straight to the West Market.

He came to an inn without a nameplate, looked left and right, and only dared to knock on the door softly after confirming that it was correct.

"Who?"

"It's me, Ding San from the Lu Mansion."

After verifying his identity, the people in the room opened the door and let him in.

The inn was bustling with people. On each square table was a copper basin, surrounded by three or five attentive spectators.

Lu Dingsan walked closer and saw that there were indeed two crickets fighting each other in the basin.

"Sir, do you want to buy fighting crickets?"

Lu Dingsan withdrew his gaze and coughed lightly.

He pulled the waiter aside and asked quietly, "Of course I'm here to buy fighting crickets. Which crickets do you have here are the best?"

"The best fighting crickets... are probably the native crickets in Ningyang County. The crickets there are very ferocious by nature and can kill their opponents with just three bites. They are really fierce."

After hearing this, Lu Dingsan nodded repeatedly and secretly thanked that he had found the right place.

Cricket fighting is popular among the people. Although he had never been exposed to it before, he had heard of Ningyang County's reputation as the best cricket fighting county in the world.

"How much is one?"

The waiter reached his hand out from his sleeve and stretched out five fingers.

"Five taels, not expensive."

"Sir, you are mistaken. It is fifty taels of silver."

Lu Dingsan's face changed drastically and he almost cried out in surprise.

"Fifty taels? Are you kidding me? Why don't you just rob it if it's so expensive?"

Although he brought all his belongings with him on this trip, the fifty taels were still a bit too expensive.

You have to know that the price of an ordinary cricket fighting cricket is no more than a hundred coins. If it weren't for the position of the head of the family today, why would he spend real money to buy these things?

Fortunately, the young master of the Xu family was very generous yesterday and stuffed a fifty-liang silver note into the red envelope given when the bride returned home.

"Sir, is this the fighting crickets from Ningyang County? You know that Ningyang County is located in the middle of Shandong, a long way from our Suzhou, and it often takes a month to get there. And these crickets like shade and are living creatures. The caravan has spent manpower and material resources to transport them over long distances, so you have to let them make some money, right?"

After hearing this, Lu Dingsan felt that cricket fighting was not that expensive.

If he can really help me win the position of the head of the family, what does a mere fifty taels mean to me?
The return gifts sent by Master Xu were all genuine gold bricks and jades, not to mention that he would be able to call the shots and wield power in the Lu Mansion in the future.

This is a good deal.

"Okay, then get me a pair... Wait, do you know Ghost Prince?"

The waiter's smiling face froze, and horror flashed in his pupils.

"What? Are you asking about the leader of the cricket fighting world, the leader of the Thunderbolt Rakshasa Sect, the Merciless Fighting Cricket Ghost Young Master?"

Lu Dingsan then realized that not only the waiter in front of him, but even the passers-by who were enjoying a fight at the next few tables were looking at him because of the name of this ghost young master.

"Is he that famous?"

The waiter pulled him around and introduced him in a serious tone, "Young Master, you may not know this ghost young master is my young master, and this cricket fighting shop is one of his many businesses. Since you know my young master, come upstairs and talk to me in detail."

Lu Dingsan had originally been unsure about cricket fighting, but now that he was respectfully welcomed to the second floor by the waiter, he suddenly felt that this nameless inn was very unusual and must be hiding some secret.

And the key to this secret is the Ghost Prince.

When Lu Dingsan walked into the private room, he saw a young man in brocade robe and covered with valuable ornaments standing by the window, looking out with a serious expression.

"Brother Ghost!"

"Oh...Brother Lu, you're here?"

The man turned around with a look of shock on his face.

Lu Dingsan saw that the clothes worn by this ghost young man were made of rare materials on the market and were somewhat similar to those worn by Young Master Xu. He knew that his status must be not low.

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you yesterday. I didn't know you were such a leader in the cricket fighting world..."

Young Master Gui stretched out a hand to stop him from speaking, and said in a deep voice: "Don't mention the past anymore, the past is the past... I, Gui, don't want to live in the past. If Brother Lu hadn't invited me a bowl of tea yesterday, I wouldn't have known that there are such noble and upright friends in this world who share the same ideals as me."

Lu Dingsan didn't expect that he left such a good impression on the Ghost Master. He laughed dryly twice out of embarrassment.

"I wonder why Brother Lu came here?"

"Ghost Master, I heard that your fighting crickets are unrivaled in the world, so I would like to ask you to sell me the best crickets."

"the best?"

"Yes, although the waiter just said that Ningyang County is the best in cricket fighting, I think Mr. Ghost is a rare talent, so he should have some unique skills, right?"

Looking at Lu Dingsan's fiery gaze, Ghost Young Master nodded solemnly.

"But this cricket fighting and secret technique are the secrets of our Pili Luosha Sect..."

"I'll pay! I'll pay all the money I have!"

Seeing that the ghost young man was a little hesitant, Lu Dingsan quickly took out his purse from his pocket.

The ghost young master glanced at the bulging purse, sighed, and shook his head, "This is not about money. I always win this cricket fighting game, and I have already won countless money with it. I don't care about this silver."

"what?"

Lu Dingsan felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity to turn over, so he gritted his teeth and took out something from the lining of his clothes.

These round beads are colorful and translucent in the sunlight, emitting a variety of lusters.

"This is?"

"This is a family heirloom left by my branch. It is called Mu Nan and is hard to find in this world... As long as Brother Gui can teach me the art of cricket fighting, I will redeem it with other rare treasures in the future."

The Ghost Young Master looked at Lu Dingsan's determined gaze, seemed moved by his spirit, and nodded.

"Since Brother Lu is so persistent, I, Gui, will teach you the brave and invincible general and secret skills of the Thunderbolt Rakshasa Sect. Bring me the money bag and the wood."

……

When Lu Dingsan came downstairs happily carrying the cage, the door of the next door was pushed open at the same time.

A fat figure walked out from there, it was Zhu Yuande.

He walked into the room without any hesitation and asked the "ghost master": "Zhang Ruihai, is this guy fat?"

"Not bad, there is a good quality wood."

Zhu Yuande took the bead in his hand and played with it for a while, then asked in confusion, "What kind of drug did the boss give to these people in the Lu Mansion to make them so obsessed with cricket fighting?" "I don't know."

Zhang Ruihai stroked his clothes and said pretentiously, "I am now the Ghost Prince of the Pili Rakshasa Sect. You have to use a respectful title for me."

"Zhang Ruihai, I respect your uncle."

If Zhu Yuande hadn't thought about the beating this kid had just received in Zuiyuan Pavilion yesterday, he would have rushed up long ago.

You're just pretending to follow the boss's instructions, and you really think you're a ghost prince?

That’s right, in fact, the Ghost Young Master and the Thunderbolt Rakshasa Sect are all fictitious, and this nameless inn was also temporarily rented by Xu Qing for them.

The waiter and guests in the inn are all the shopkeepers and clerks of Zhu's money house.

Yesterday, Zhu Yuande and Zhang Ruihai were chatting and basking in the sun at home when they suddenly received news that the steward of the Xu residence was coming to visit them.

As soon as they finished reading Xu Qing's letter, they immediately bribed cricket fighters on the market and spread the news about the Ghost Young Master around East Chang Street.

After everything was arranged, they stayed in the inn and waited for their opportunity, deceiving the Lu clan members.

"It's just dawn, and we've earned the same amount of revenue as my branch farm in a year just by selling these worthless crickets. It's a huge profit!"

Zhu Yuande loved money, and he was extremely happy to see so much more money in the account.

Moreover, this money was not earned by relying on his father's connections and family business, but was the result of the hard work of his brothers.

"The boss is the boss. Apart from being handsome and popular with women, what else can compare with the boss?"

Fortunately, Xu Qing didn't stay here, otherwise he would have been angry with Zhu Yuande after hearing these words.

At this time, there was a new sound coming from downstairs. Zhu Yuande winked at Zhang Ruihai and retreated silently.

"Do you know my young master, Ghost Master? Please come upstairs."

……

After Xu Qing got up, he yawned repeatedly and looked listless.

Xiao Huan, who was helping him change his clothes and put on his shoes, squatted behind him and asked cautiously, "Master, how did you feel last night?"

"cold."

Xu Qing said tiredly: "Without Xiaohuan warming the bed, there is no warmth in the quilt."

"what?"

Xiaohuan didn't understand what Xu Qing said at first and stood there in a daze for two seconds.

When she realized that the young master was teasing her, her cheeks flushed, like a delicate little flower bud about to bloom.

"Master is so bad."

"When I came out, Lu Wanhe was sleeping soundly. It's time for her to wake up now. Go and help her dress and get dressed."

Xiao Huan asked in confusion: "Master, doesn't the Third Young Madam have Ji Xia serving her personally? How can I steal her job?"

"I sent Ji Xia out to do something. Go quickly."

"it is good."

Xiaohuan always felt something was wrong, because when she was at the Xu Mansion, Jixia always stayed by the Third Young Madam's side, inseparable from her.

How could he disappear for a whole day just because of the young master's two words?

Really weird?
……

At noon, the sun was shining brightly.

Today is one of the rare good days since autumn, and everyone in the Lu family has put their best efforts into this cricket fighting competition.

They emptied out the entire backyard before they could create a slightly larger space.

In the middle of the yard, the largest copper basin in the mansion was placed there, which was used as a competition venue.

When everyone saw Xu Qing and Lu Wanhe appear from the back garden, they all gathered around.

The leader Lu Gongda smiled and told Xu Qing how hard he worked.

"Mr. Xu, look, I made all this this morning by myself... What do you think?"

"Uncle Gongda, you are obviously an amateur! When two male crickets wrestle, they must have no way to retreat or escape before they can exert their ferocity. You got such a big copper basin, what if the insects run away after being defeated?"

Lu Gongda's expression froze, obviously he didn't expect that cricket fighting had so many details to pay attention to.

"Just change it to a shallow-mouthed pot. I think the white porcelain pot in the hall yesterday is pretty good. Break it in half and bring it over."

Lu Gongda's face was pale and his forehead was covered with sweat.

The Lu clan members who were watching nearby also gasped.

Everyone in the Lu Mansion knew that the porcelain was Lu Gongda's favorite item to show off. It was often placed behind the main seat in the front hall to show off his superior status.

Now, Young Master Xu just smashed it as he said, without giving Lu Gongda any face at all.

"What are you standing there for? Why don't you do what Master Xu ordered?"

Although Lu Gongda felt pain, he did not dare to show it in front of Xu Qing. After all, the Xu family was very wealthy, and the jade artifact he brought back was worth a hundred or eighty bottles.

"Husband...what are you doing?"

Lu Wanhe's pupils widened, as if two crystal clear grapes were trembling slightly in her eye sockets.

She looked at Xu Qing in disbelief, her expression revealing confusion and puzzlement.

"Can't you see? Fighting crickets."

"Husband, this is the Lu Residence, they are not ordinary gamblers... Aren't you forcing them?"

Lu Wanhe clutched the fox fur coat tightly, as if she wanted to crush the fur.

She couldn't understand why her husband's behavior and changes were so drastic.

Xu Qing had apparently been polite and gentle last night, so why did he organize this cricket fighting contest today, causing such chaos in the Lu residence?

A "crackling" sound echoed throughout the sky, and a servant came out holding broken porcelain and replaced the large copper basin.

Seeing this scene made Lu Wanhe feel heartbroken. The Lu Mansion was where she was born and raised, and she didn't want to see it being ruined.

She had no choice but to ask Xu Qing for help in a low voice, "Husband..."

"Okay, let's get started."

As soon as Xu Qing spoke, the Lu clan members rushed forward, hoping to draw a good order for their crickets.

Everyone huddled together in the yard, some even fighting each other.

Under the temptation of huge sums of money, no one cared what Lu Wanhe thought.

After all, she was just an unfavored concubine of the Xu family.

Only Xiaohuan followed the young master's instructions and stayed quietly beside Lu Wanhe, stroking her back to help her calm down.

"Third Young Madam, please don't be angry. The young master must have his reasons for doing this."

Lu Wanhe stroked her chest which was rising and falling, unable to speak.

She just couldn't let go of some things and wanted to go back to the Lu Mansion to take a look, but she didn't expect that her husband's playfulness would destroy the entire Lu Mansion.

　The revision work has been carried out to Chapter 11, which is all word by word. It takes too much time. I will start to add more chapters after waking up. I beg everyone to read it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)