Seeing Chu Qiguang refuse the silver, Wang Chengwang intended to urge him further, but Chu Qiguang looked at Housekeeper Wang and said, "Step outside for a moment. I have matters to discuss in private with your master."
Wang Chengwang nodded to the housekeeper, who had no choice but to withdraw, leaving only the three of them in the room.
Wang Cailiang spoke first. "Father, my affliction..."
With that, Wang Cailiang finally came clean, admitting that he was not fully cured and still needed Zhou Ergou's treatments. Just before, he had merely put on an act with Zhou Ergou when stepping outside so as to put everyone at ease.
After hearing him out, Wang Chengwang nodded. "You did the right thing."
Wang Chengwang then asked how they would proceed with the treatment.
Chu Qiguang said, "From now on, I will come to your manor in person to treat Young Master Wang. It is just that I have been preoccupied with that grain tax matter lately..."
Wang Chengwang caught his drift immediately. Waving a broad hand, he declared at once, "I have already asked the housekeeper about the grain tax. The bookkeeper made an error in the ledgers; it was never your family's turn to pay in the first place, Worthy Nephew Zhou."
Looking indignant, he continued, "I explicitly instructed that wretch Wang Zhong to handle this long ago! Did he fail to go? He must have been shirking his duties again. I will make him settle it properly this instant."
Chu Qiguang added, "I also have the farmwork at home to tend to on ordinary days..."
Now Wang Chengwang understood completely: the boy had not refused the silver earlier out of virtue, but because he thought thirty taels was not enough!
Wang Chengwang pondered for a moment before saying, "It so happens that I am looking to cultivate more land. How about you lease your family's land to me, Worthy Nephew? For those five mu... good harvest or bad, I will pay five taels of silver a year. As long as I draw breath, this rent will never cease."
Chu Qiguang said with a conflicted look, "Just that?"
Suppressing his temper, Wang Chengwang said, "Five taels of silver is far above the market rate."
Chu Qiguang sighed. "Squire Wang, there is something you do not understand. It is not that I am unwilling to lease it to you, but rather that my little sister loves farming."
Wang Chengwang stared blankly.
Chu Qiguang continued, "Our family has passed down the tradition of farming and study for generations, decreeing that every descendant must till the soil. If my sister goes a single day without turning the dirt or carrying manure... she feels uneasy all over.
"Besides, that is the ancestral rule handed down to us. If I were to lease the land out now, I fear my mother would call me unfilial."
Wang Chengwang nearly cursed aloud upon hearing this. Yet he was the one begging for a favor, and the boy had even invoked filial piety. The Great Han Dynasty governed the realm through filial piety; it touched upon morality and ethics, and unfilial conduct was a grave offense.
Seeing Wang Chengwang fall silent, Chu Qiguang instantly bristled with indignation. "Squire Wang! Surely you do not take me for someone begging you for silver?"
*Aren't you?* Wang Chengwang blinked. Could he truly have misjudged the boy? Was he really a chivalrous soul who cared nothing for gold or silver, whose filial devotion moved the heavens? If so, that was wonderful...
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang turned as if to storm out. "My sole desire was to heal Young Master Wang! How could you insult me with gold and silver, Squire Wang?"
To the side, Wang Cailiang jumped in fright. Zhou Ergou was his only hope for a cure! He rushed forward immediately, cutting off Zhou Ergou's path as the boy made a show of leaving.
Wang Cailiang cried, "Brother Zhou! My father is merely a vulgar man reeking of copper coins—do not lower yourself to his level!"
Wang Chengwang nodded along hastily. "Yes, yes, yes, I am a vulgar man! No more talk of silver. I will not utter another word about silver."
Wang Cailiang reached out to pull Chu Qiguang back, only to find that with the slightest tug, Chu Qiguang was already back in his original spot.
Chu Qiguang continued, "Master Wang, speak no more of silver to me. When I save lives, it is never for money. What I hate most in this life is silver."
Wang Chengwang nodded repeatedly in agreement. If the boy did not want silver, he was all for it.
Chu Qiguang continued, "I will still come to the manor to treat Young Master Wang. However, the lingering poison in his body has not been fully purged, so we will need to concoct some pills to accompany the treatment."
Wang Chengwang asked, "What medicinal herbs are required? I will send someone to the county seat to purchase them right away."
Chu Qiguang shook his head. "The medicinal herbs required to treat the poison of a dog ghost cannot be bought in ordinary apothecaries. Fortunately, I have already prepared most of them, such as Senzu Beans, Blood Bodhis, and Seven-Star Begonias. Only one ingredient is currently missing from my hands: Naobaijin."
Father and son listened blankly to this string of medicinal names, not recognizing a single one. Finally, Wang Chengwang asked, "What is this Naobaijin? Where and how does one find it?"
Chu Qiguang explained, "This Naobaijin is formed within auspicious feng shui grottos over ten thousand years, condensing drop by drop from the underground essence of spiritual fluid. As you can imagine, a heavenly treasure of this caliber is bound to be controlled by major factions.
"When it comes to these matters, those in the know understand, and if you do not, I will not explain further. After all, knowing too much does you no good. Do not ask me for details, either; the interests involved are far too great, so it is best to act as though you know nothing. Beyond that, all I can say is that the waters run very deep here, touching on many things. Most of the intelligence has already been sealed off, and it would be very difficult for you to grasp the specifics on your own, so I can only say: those who know, know."
Listening to Chu Qiguang's words, father and son felt only an unfathomable mystique, and all manner of wild guesses about his master's identity surged in their minds.
Chu Qiguang continued, "Still, there is no need to worry. Relying on my master's face, this item can still be bought with silver."
Hearing this, Wang Cailiang let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked, "How much silver will it take?"
Chu Qiguang said, "To purge the lingering poison in your body, it will take about three hundred taels of silver worth of Naobaijin."
Wang Chengwang was shocked. "That much silver?!"
One had to realize that their Wang family made only around a thousand taels of silver a year. Deducting the living expenses of the master, madam, young masters, and young mistresses, the food and clothing of the maidservants and footboys, various tips, and the grease money paid inside and outside the county seat, they only had one or two hundred taels left over at the end of a year.
Chu Qiguang said, "This is already very cheap. Were it not for my master's face, no amount of silver could ever buy it. Although I will not take a single coin for treating you, you must pay for the medicine yourselves."
Wang Cailiang agreed readily, "Naturally!"
Wang Cailiang naturally agreed without hesitation, but when it came to three hundred taels of silver, his father, Wang Chengwang, remained silent.
Chu Qiguang could tell at a glance that the old landlord was agonizing over the money. The man was a textbook feudal landlord, so stingy he would squeeze a few miserable taels out of Ergou's family. Three hundred taels was bound to cut him to the quick.
So Chu Qiguang looked at Wang Cailiang and said, "If the dog ghost's lingering poison is not purged, it could worsen at any moment. As soon as you have the silver ready, bring it to me quickly. Do not dawdle and miss the optimal window for treatment, or by then, you will be ruined."
"Father!" Wang Cailiang turned to his father and urged frantically, "What are you still hesitating for?! I am the sole sprout of our family! You only have this one son—if I die, your bloodline ends with me!"
Chapter 22