Pei Ying froze in place, her thoughts a tangled mess. After eliminating all other possibilities, it seemed only the ghost theory remained.
Wasn't this man afraid?
Or was his atheism so ironclad that he had even ruled out the sole remaining possibility of a ghost?
Then what else could it be?
Pei Ying's mind was in turmoil.
"Madam, are you not going in?" Huo Tingshan looked down at her.
The beautiful lady seemed lost in her own thoughts, her expression shifting several times, as if she hadn't heard him.
Huo Tingshan raised his hand and placed it lightly on the small of her back, giving her a slight nudge.
Pei Ying instinctively took a step forward, the motion snapping her back to the present. She couldn't understand Huo Tingshan and could only forcefully suppress the urge to turn her head and look at him.
She was unable to formulate a proper response to his earlier words, so she could only pretend she hadn't heard them.
Pei Ying walked into the Meng residence.
A house devoid of human presence quickly falls into disrepair; it doesn't even take years, half a year is enough for numerous small issues to appear. Therefore, when Huo Tingshan originally bought back the Meng residence, he had ordered the purchase of a brother-sister pair of servants to maintain the property.
The siblings were honest and diligent. Even without their master present, they worked conscientiously every day. So, this "surprise inspection" revealed nothing amiss within the residence.
Pei Ying returned to the east wing.
When the residence was sold, it was done piecemeal. First, the furniture was sold off, then the Meng residence was sold as an empty shell. Now, the east wing was spotlessly clean and utterly bare.
Meng Ling'er walked a circle inside the east wing before finally heading to the swing in the small courtyard. She gave it a shake, found it well-maintained and sturdy, and sat down.
Giving a slight push with her foot, the little girl began to sway gently back and forth.
Pei Ying also came out of the east wing. She stood at the doorway, watching her daughter swinging in the courtyard, waves of panic rising uncontrollably in her heart.
Huo Tingshan had definitely noticed something was off. But what about her Nannan?
Nannan remembered every detail of this lifeless house so clearly. Having spent fifteen years day and night with the original Madam Pei, had she discovered that her mother's core had been replaced?
If she had, why hadn't she said anything? Was it because she didn't want to shatter the peace and completely lose her home?
Or perhaps she simply hadn't noticed.
Pei Ying paused, considering the problem from another angle for the first time.
The ancient daughter and the modern daughter looked and acted exactly the same. Were she and the ancient Madam Pei also completely identical?
She confirmed their appearances were consistent, even the position of the small red mole on her chest was the same. As for personality...
Pei Ying's heart was in her throat, tossed and turned in a frying pan several times over, filled with extreme anxiety.
Finally, Pei Ying took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the little girl swinging in the courtyard.
"Nannan," Pei Ying called.
Meng Ling'er turned to look at her mother, her eyes curving into a smile. "Mother, they've maintained our home so well. Everything is clean and tidy. If it weren't for the missing furniture, I'd think it was still spring last year."
Pei Ying sighed softly. "The world is unpredictable. Who could have imagined that in just over half a year, everything and everyone would have changed."
"Fortunately, Mother is still here." Meng Ling'er actively took Pei Ying's hand.
Pei Ying was taken aback, meeting her daughter's clear eyes. The second possibility grew stronger in her mind. She couldn't help but ask, "Nannan, do you think I'm any different compared to before?"
Meng Ling'er answered without hesitation, "Mother is much more capable now and knows about many more things."
Pei Ying pressed her lips together.
Was that all?
Did Nannan have no other suspicions?
"Nannan, aren't you curious about how I came to know those things?" Pei Ying asked in a low voice.
Meng Ling'er continued to swing slowly. "Didn't you say, Mother, that you learned them from ancient texts and from the immortals in your dreams? Actually, I don't really like digging too deeply into things. Things are good now. Mother is still here, I have no worries about food or clothing, beautiful clothes and jewelry are too many to count, I can study, and every day is fulfilling."
Pei Ying's heart settled.
She understood now. It really was the second possibility. The personality of that Madam Pei wasn't far from her own.
Apart from the room where the servant siblings lived, which had furniture, the rest of the Meng residence remained in its original empty-shell state. Pei Ying and her party couldn't stay even if they wanted to, so they spent that night back at the courier station.
After spending a day in Beichuan County, they leisurely continued their journey back to Youzhou.
The journey from Beichuan County back to Xuantu County, the seat of power in Youzhou, took a little over half a month. On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, Pei Ying arrived at this county town brimming with a rugged atmosphere.
Massive bluestone blocks formed the imposing city gate tower. Two enormous beacon towers stood tall on either side. On top of the tower, soldiers holding long halberds gazed into the distance.
Pei Ying arrived at Xuantu County during the Wei hour (1-3 PM).
This was a time of bustling activity, with a constant flow of people coming and going. Most of those entering and leaving the city transported goods by donkey cart, with only a few who appeared to be wealthy merchants possessing horses.
Horses were abundant in the north. In other regions, even merchants with bulging purses would never be able to own a horse team.
Commoners lined up to enter and exit the city, while Huo Tingshan's cavalry troop rode straight through.
Government gazettes were also popular in Youzhou. Large crowds of commoners gathered daily at the proclamation spots, eager to hear news of changes from the outside world.
Thus, over time, even though the commoners hadn't left Xuantu County, they knew about the external developments.
They knew the Blue Turban rebels had been soundly defeated by their Youzhou army. They also knew their Governor of Youzhou had annexed the two neighboring provinces. Although Bingzhou and Jizhou still called themselves "provinces," they were clearly little more than dependencies.
The guards at the gate recognized Huo Tingshan and couldn't contain their excitement, shouting, "The Governor returns!"
The commoners' hearts stirred, and they spontaneously lined the streets, cheering.
Pei Ying sat inside the carriage. Hearing the enthusiastic cheers, she couldn't resist secretly lifting a corner of the carriage curtain.
Peering through the gap, Pei Ying was momentarily stunned. She saw smiling faces—faces belonging to commoners in rough hemp cloth and to richly dressed merchants alike.
Pei Ying recalled a phrase: the support of the people.
"When a state of ten thousand chariots attacks another state of ten thousand chariots, the people bring baskets of rice and vessels of congee to welcome the king's army. Could it be for any other reason?"①
The clatter of hooves mingled with the cheers as the cavalry troop entered the main city.
Huo Tingshan's Governor's Mansion was located at the core of Xuantu County. However, their destination this time was not the mansion, but a residential compound situated not far from it.
The wedding was on the eighth day of the next month. Today was the twenty-fifth of the fifth month, leaving a little over half a month.
Pei Ying would stay in this compound for that period, and on the eighth day of the sixth month, she would marry from here into the Governor's Mansion.
The compound was a two-courtyard residence, not overly large, but its furnishings were exquisite. Blue bricks and dark tiles, elegant pavilions and terraces, upturned eaves catching a strand of falling sunlight—the entire compound was clean and bright.
Pei Ying instantly took a liking to the place.
Observing her expression, Huo Tingshan knew she was satisfied. "Madam, please stay here for a few days. I will come to escort you into the mansion in a few days."
Pei Ying said, "There's no hurry."
Huo Tingshan gave a light chuckle. "I think you'd be more than happy to stay outside forever."
Pei Ying glanced at him but didn't respond.
Huo Tingshan curled the corner of his mouth. "My lady, if you don't wish to soak your pillow with tears on the night of the eighth day of the sixth month, you'd best behave."
Pei Ying instinctively turned to look at Meng Ling'er not far away. Seeing her daughter's attention was completely on the exotic flowers and rare plants in the courtyard, she replied to Huo Tingshan with a blush of embarrassment, "You really have no filter when you speak."
In broad daylight like this, with her daughter so close by, what if she overheard?
"My lady, that girl is sixteen this year," Huo Tingshan said leisurely.
Sixteen years old—old enough to be married.
Pei Ying couldn't miss the implication in his words. She immediately said, "I recall Zhi Zhang mentioning to me that he has an elder brother, two years his senior, who is also unmarried. One of your sons is twenty, the other eighteen. Aren't you concerned about your own sons, instead of fussing over my daughter?"
"He is your son too, and she is my daughter," Huo Tingshan corrected her.
Pei Ying said, "Today is only the twenty-fifth of the fifth month."
Huo Tingshan gave a light tsk. "It's just thirteen days away."
"That's nearly half a month," Pei Ying murmured softly.
At that moment, a guard entered from outside. "General, a secret letter has arrived from Chang'an."
Huo Tingshan walked over, took the letter, and broke the wax seal. Upon reading the contents, he immediately smiled. "My lady, following the soap, Pei Family Fine Liquor is now all the rage in Chang'an."
Pei Ying wasn't surprised at all. The distilled liquor had a very high alcohol content. If not diluted at all, someone who couldn't hold their liquor would feel tipsy after just one sip.
The euphoric feeling after getting drunk on strong liquor was something low-alcohol drinks simply couldn't compare to.
The nobility of Chang'an had no shortage of money. They loved anything that was the latest novelty, the finest thing that others didn't possess.
Pei Ying asked, "Is it sold out?"
Huo Tingshan nodded. "Already sold out. Many nobles have even sent their servants to wait outside the Shengjing Pavilion every day, just to purchase the fine liquor as soon as it arrives."
The production of Pei Family Fine Liquor was simple. Taking semi-finished wine and distilling it once turned it into strong liquor—there was no real technical complexity involved.
Lack of technical complexity meant it was easy to imitate.
Chang'an wasn't Huo Tingshan's territory. If the distillation apparatus were transported to Chang'an to produce the liquor, within three days, both the apparatus and the raw materials would surely be stolen.
Therefore, to ensure the safety of the "golden goose," the distillation apparatus was set up in Bingzhou, which was relatively close to Chang'an. The finished product was distilled in Bingzhou and then transported to Chang'an for sale.
The back-and-forth was quite troublesome, but it was safer this way.
Hearing it was sold out, Pei Ying calculated the batches and selling price in her mind and couldn't help but curve her eyes into a smile.
Excellent, another large sum of income.
Just then, a tall figure entered the corner of Pei Ying's vision. This person had come from the direction of the inner courtyard, so noticing movement there, Pei Ying instinctively looked over.
At first, she thought it was a man, as the person was exceptionally tall and built, with a physique comparable to many military officers.
But upon getting a clear look, Pei Ying realized it wasn't a man, but a woman.
She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in simple short clothing. Her shoulders and back were broad and solid, her legs powerful, and the exposed muscle lines were incredibly well-defined, putting many men to shame.
Besides her extraordinary height and build, Pei Ying also noticed a brown birthmark on her right cheek. It spread from her neck up to her right jaw and climbed onto a small patch of skin in front of her ear, like a natural half-mask.
Huo Tingshan introduced her to Pei Ying: "My lady, this is Wu Nanran. Originally from Chang'an, she was later implicated by her family and exiled to Youzhou. She possesses immense natural strength and her skills are passable. While you reside outside the residence, she will guard your courtyard."
Apart from the soldiers guarding the gates, others from the main residence couldn't conveniently stay here.
After the experience at the Yunxiu Pavilion, Huo Tingshan felt it was quite necessary to find a female martial guard, as it was inconvenient for male guards to be close to her at all times.
"I pay my respects to the General, to the Lady," Wu Nanran spoke. Her voice was very hoarse, like gravel grinding together.
Huo Tingshan glanced briefly at Pei Ying, expecting to see some displeasure on her face. After all, this female guard was a branded criminal who had been exiled, and her appearance was rather fierce.
Unexpectedly, he saw her eyes light up. "She is excellent. You've been thoughtful, General."
Pei Ying estimated this woman was about 1.85 meters tall. Long legs, a face like an international supermodel, plus that unique voice—it simply radiated a sense of security.
She remembered her daughter had once said she wanted to be a model, but unfortunately, she herself was only 1.7 meters, and the child's father was 1.79 meters—neither particularly tall, so the genetic potential probably wasn't great.
Huo Tingshan studied her, seeing she genuinely liked Wu Nanran. His brow moved slightly, and he lifted his gaze to sweep over Wu Nanran again.
She liked this type?
It seemed those big eyes of hers weren't very discerning again.
On the first day of Pei Ying's stay, Huo Tingshan had dinner there before being seen off by Pei Ying.
"Take care on your way back, General," Pei Ying saw him to the gate.
As summer approached, the days grew longer and the nights shorter.
It wasn't yet dark after dinner. Huo Tingshan stood at the gate, looking at her smiling face. "My lady, are you this happy?"
"One always feels a sense of novelty arriving at a new place on the first day," Pei Ying tempered her smile a little.
She realized this man could be quite petty at times, holding onto some things for a long while.
Huo Tingshan gave her an inscrutable look, mounted his horse, and left.
Pei Ying slept very well on her first night in the new residence. The next day, she noticed something.
Perhaps due to Wu Nanran's arrival, her loyal maid Xin Jin seemed to have become fiercely competitive.
Apart from their small group, there were four cleaning maids in this four-courtyard residence. Xin Jin still rose early as usual. First, she inspected the entire compound, then assigned tasks to the others. After completing all that, she personally tidied Pei Ying's courtyard.
After Pei Ying finished her breakfast, Xin Jin timely reported on her duties. The content included not only her own and the other maids' division of labor but also Wu Nanran's movements.
Xin Jin said the other woman had merely walked a circle around the residence in the morning before going to eat breakfast, where she consumed three bowls of noodle soup.
She said this in a matter-of-fact tone, just like when she reported on the other maids cleaning the courtyard, but Pei Ying detected a hint of complaint nonetheless.
Pei Ying recalled the previous day; Xin Jin had been present when she told Huo Tingshan "She is excellent."
It seemed Xin Jin was feeling a bit of a threat.
Pei Ying had no experience handling such situations and could only think of raising her monthly allowance. She told Xin Jin she had been extremely diligent over the past period and was already excellent.
A surging undercurrent of internal competition quietly subsided with the increase in monthly pay.
Since her daughter was living outside the residence with her, the daily lessons had to be suspended. The young girl gained over ten days of holiday once again.
Meng Ling'er said, "Mother, after lunch, let's go out to the market. The northern regions produce fine horses; I'd like to visit the horse market."
Pei Ying happily agreed.
Xuantu Commandery was very prosperous. The mother and daughter took a carriage out, stopping it before entering the bustling market area.
Although Youzhou was far from Chang'an, the layout of its core commanderies and counties bore great resemblance to the capital.
For instance, within the marketplace, there was a proper "enclosure" for vendors, unlike many places where peddlers would simply spread a piece of hemp cloth and start selling. Upon entering the enclosure, the passageways were straight and everything was in perfect order.
Pei Ying and Meng Ling'er walked to the horse market.
Nowadays, an ox cost about two taels of silver, but there was no fixed price for a horse. The better the horse, the higher the price, and the more chaotic the times, the more expensive horses became.
Pei Ying saw many horses of different colors and builds. There were ponies and also tall, powerful steeds. Some old horses even had tags reading "Sold Cheap" hanging on them.
A stall up ahead was bustling with activity, surrounded by a crowd, with occasional shouts and cheers rising from it.
"Mother, let's go take a look." Meng Ling'er also loved a lively scene.
Pei Ying went forward with her.
This entire area was for selling horses, and this stall was no exception. The high foot traffic certainly had its reason: the horses at this stall clearly looked more spirited than those at others.
Pei Ying saw a pure white colt, a young stallion, likely in its adolescence, not quite fully grown yet.
Its large, grape-black eyes were bright and full of life, looking exceptionally proud. Its glossy mane seemed to gleam under the sunlight.
Meng Ling'er took a liking to it at first sight. "Mother, this horse is truly beautiful."
The one intending to buy the horse was a young man of about seventeen or eighteen in blue robes. Judging by his attire, he was likely a servant from some household.
At the moment, the young man in blue was haggling with the horse trader. "One hundred and seventy taels. This horse isn't even fully grown yet. After buying it, one would still have to carefully raise it for a while before it could truly be of use."
"One hundred and seventy taels won't do. Look how handsome it is, with such long, strong legs. Its endurance and speed are surely top-notch; it's the stock of a thousand-li steed," the horse trader said, unwilling.
"The two hundred and thirty taels you quoted earlier is too high," the young man in blue shook his head. "It's not like I haven't bought good horses for my master before. Your price is inflated. Besides, I don't want those saddles and whips of yours."
The horse trader knew this person was truly knowledgeable; the price would require some serious bargaining. "If you don't want the saddle and such, then two hundred and twenty taels."
"Saddles and whips aren't worth ten taels of silver. You know perfectly well the price is high. I'll add another ten taels. How about one hundred and eighty taels?" said Lin Yizhi.
Two hundred twenty taels and one hundred eighty taels—a difference of forty taels.
Meng Ling'er looked at the white colt again, genuinely fond of it. Her eyes shifted thoughtfully. "I'll offer two hundred taels. Will you sell this horse to me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of surprise rippled through the surrounding crowd, and all eyes turned toward her.
The horse trader's eyes lit up. Upon seeing Meng Ling'er and judging by her attire, he knew she was someone who didn't lack money. "Young lady, this one of mine is absolutely a fine horse, worth two hundred and twenty taels."
Lin Yizhi was stunned. He turned to look at Meng Ling'er, then saw Pei Ying wearing a veil hat beside her. He hadn't expected someone to swoop in and snatch the deal midway through his haggling. His face darkened with anger.
Meng Ling'er: "Just two hundred taels."
Hearing her firm tone, the horse trader frowned inwardly. She seemed unwilling to spend a single copper coin more.
But two hundred taels... it should be possible to go a bit higher...
The horse trader shifted his gaze back to Lin Yizhi. "Young master, that young lady offers two hundred taels of silver. If you wish to buy it, add something on top of two hundred, and I'll consider selling it to you."
How could Lin Yizhi not see the calculation in the horse trader's mind? The other was thinking of inciting a bidding war. However, he truly needed to secure this white horse. Not to mention his master's fondness for horses, just this fine breeding stallion alone had great utility.
"How can you act like this?" Lin Yizhi had just finished speaking when he suddenly caught sight of Guo Dajiang not far behind Pei Ying. His expression changed drastically.
"Wait for me for one quarter of an hour. I'll be right back." Leaving only these words for the horse trader, Lin Yizhi hurried away.
The horse trader was dumbfounded.
The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Is he not buying anymore?"
"Perhaps his purse is light, so he made an escape?"
"It doesn't seem like his purse is light. I recognize that young man from a month ago when he spent a hundred taels on a good horse at the market."
"But he's left now."
Seeing him leave, Meng Ling'er immediately felt delighted. "Sell it to me for two hundred taels. How about it?"
The horse trader hesitated. "Young lady, that young master just asked me to wait for one quarter of an hour. After all, he and I have a connection of sorts. I really must wait this one quarter."
Meng Ling'er was both angry and amused by him.
A connection? One a seller, one a buyer—what kind of connection was that? Clearly, he just wanted to see if the other would return.
But if the seller refused, she couldn't force a sale. In the end, she still had to wait.
Meng Ling'er herself didn't mind waiting, but her mother was still there.
"Mother, why don't you go with Wu Nanran to the tea house beside the horse market enclosure first? I'll come find you after I buy the horse," Meng Ling'er said to Pei Ying.
Pei Ying shook her head. "It's fine. It's only a quarter of an hour."
Some of the onlookers dispersed, while others, having nothing better to do, didn't mind waiting another quarter of an hour.
Before the quarter was up, Lin Yizhi returned, and he brought someone back with him.
The young man in black robes had a tall, slender figure, already bearing the stature of an adult. His eyes were somewhat narrow and long, like thin blades—the eyes of a cold-hearted man. A leather belt cinched his trim waist, from which jade pendants hung. His attire was elegant, yet his bearing was robust, with the air of a military officer.
Seeing him, the horse trader's heart leapt with joy, knowing this must be the master of the young servant in blue. With the master himself here, why worry about the horse not selling?
But no sooner had this thought arisen than he saw the young man in black robes not even spare a glance for him or his white colt. Instead, his gaze settled on the young lady who had earlier wished to compete for the horse.
He saw the young man break into a smile, the cold aloofness about him seeming to dissipate in an instant. He performed a deep bow of greeting. "Mingji pays his respects to Aunt Pei. My servant earlier was ignorant and presumptuous. I beg Aunt Pei not to take it to heart."
Meng Ling'er was utterly astonished.
Pei Ying was also taken aback but quickly collected herself. Huo Tingshan had two sons. The younger was called Huo Zhizhang, and the elder, if she remembered correctly, was called Huo Mingji.
Pei Ying observed the young man not far away. He was also tall, though perhaps because he was still developing, his build was somewhat slimmer compared to men of Huo Tingshan's age.
Perhaps he had seen less battlefield experience, or perhaps he took after his birth mother, his skin was slightly fairer. But his sharp eyes and brows greatly resembled Huo Tingshan's. Both father and son had thick, dark, long eyebrows and deep-set brow bones.
"So it's Mingji. There's no need for such courtesy. It was just an ordinary horse purchase, hardly an offense." Pei Ying turned to her still-dazed daughter. "Sweetheart, greet the Eldest Young Master."
Meng Ling'er, in a daze, performed the greeting.
So, that horse-buying servant earlier was actually a subordinate of her future elder brother?
Suddenly, someone in the crowd said, "That's the Huo Eldest Young Master!"
In Xuantu Commandery, the "Huo" families that could be named were only a few, and these few actually belonged to the same branch, though later they had split into collateral lines. The one who could be called "the Huo Eldest Young Master" was none other than the eldest son of Huo Youzhou.
A fresh wave of surprise swept through the surrounding crowd.
Word spread that their Huo Youzhou was to be wed next month, and his betrothed was the renowned Pei maiden of Chang'an. Could this be the very one?
Instantly, all eyes turned to Pei Ying.
Huo Mingji gave Lin Yizhi a look, who immediately began negotiating with the horse trader to purchase the white steed.
Upon learning the buyer was the son of the Governor of Youzhou, the trader hastily lowered the price to one hundred and eighty taels.
A little less was still acceptable; it wasn't as if he wouldn't profit. Only with Youzhou stable could his future business thrive.
Huo Mingji led the white horse over and, with a smile, offered the reins to Meng Ling'er. "Sister Meng, this fine steed is my apology. I hope you will accept it."
Governor's Mansion.
A guard raced to the study of the Governor's mansion as if pursued by fire. Hearing the report, Huo Tingshan, inside the study, summoned him in.
"General, an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch," the guard panted, breathless from the sprint.
Huo Tingshan's brow twitched. "What is it?"
"General, His Majesty... the mountain and tomb have collapsed." (The Emperor has passed away.)
Huo Tingshan's pupils contracted slightly.
Emperor Zhao... had chosen this moment to pass on?
