Ironclad Proof

Naturally, this meager salary was no longer the point; word on the outside was that people had to queue up just to present Housekeeper Wu with gifts. As the saying went, the gatekeeper to a chancellor's door was as good as a seventh-grade official. Their own master's importance to Great Yuan was hardly beneath that of a chancellor, so why did this "seventh-grade official" love munching on radishes so much? "What do you know?" Housekeeper Wu glanced at her. "The more frugal I appear, the more at ease the Master and Madam are with me." The old woman looked somewhat worried. "The Master is leading troops south to fight this time—do you think he can win?" Housekeeper Wu found that amusing. "His Majesty can't say for sure, nor can all the dignitaries throughout the Yuan court. Do you think I could know any better? Naturally, I hope the Master wins. Besides, in the entire royal court, our Master is the only one left capable of putting down the rebellion." The old woman was puzzled. "With so many generals, is there not a single one who can get things done?" "They've suffered several defeats in the south. The Master often tells me that once defeats pile up, morale falls apart. Any senior general His Majesty dispatches south now has to possess immense prestige and command respect. Otherwise, he won't be able to keep a lid on things, and the soldiers under him might just slip away halfway there." The old woman stared in disbelief. "Slip away... Is it really that bad?" "Why wouldn't it be? Two years ago, when I followed the Master to Xiazhou, the journey really opened my eyes." Housekeeper Wu's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "Those deserters and routed soldiers were no different from bandits!" "And doesn't prestige come from constantly winning?" He took another sip of wine. "Look across the court at all the generals, high and low—how many enjoy prestige comparable to our Master's? Even if those young generals have talent, they lack renown. Who would respect them? In a battle this crucial, how could His Majesty dare entrust the army to unknown, unproven youths?" The old woman was convinced. "So, in the end, it still has to be our Master!" "Once the Master returns in triumph—" Housekeeper Wu's eyes narrowed into slits, "—just you wait, our good days will be here." With good days drawing near, he had to be all the more cautious and prudent; he couldn't let his own carelessness ruin it. After finishing his meal, he washed his hands and feet, and the warmth of the alcohol began to take hold. Housekeeper Wu could barely keep his eyes open. He collapsed onto the bed, and within a few breaths, his snores began to rise. In his dream, the Master had not yet set out on the campaign, but had instead summoned him to the study for questioning. "It suddenly occurred to me: was that matter with Sun Hongye handled properly?" "Sun Hongye?" Housekeeper Wu wore a bewildered expression. "Master, I drew fifteen taels of silver from the accounts to settle up with him. That amount seemed appropriate, didn't it?" "And after that?" "After that, he departed." Housekeeper Wu pondered for a moment. "He said he planned to head east and travel through Beijia." He Chunhua asked again, "And that book? That variorum or commentary collection..." "What commentary collection?" Housekeeper Wu looked utterly perplexed. "Oh, it's nothing. I must have misremembered." He Chunhua clasped his hands behind his back, his expression somber. "The expedition is at hand, and I don't know whether we can achieve success in one stroke. Alas, fortunes are hard to foresee!" Housekeeper Wu comforted him, "The Eldest Young Master returned unexpectedly and even brought you a sizable loan from the Mount Rong Sect. That is fortune smiling upon you—a most auspicious omen!" "Chuan'er is indeed a lucky charm, but he won't be accompanying me this time." Housekeeper Wu smiled. "The Eldest Young Master was gone for an entire year, yet didn't you prosper and thrive just the same in Xiazhou? It clearly shows that you yourself are born lucky; it has nothing to do with anyone else." "Born lucky?" He Chunhua's expression darkened slightly. "Given how this good fortune came to be, I fear I won't have the blessing to endure it!" "Master..." "Once the southern rebels are dealt with, we will have to fight Dong Haoming in the northwest. How much good luck do I have left?" He asked Housekeeper Wu, "Old Wu, do you remember when I first began...?" He left the sentence unfinished, but made a gesture of offering incense in worship. Housekeeper Wu thought back. "That was twenty years ago. When you were a courier in Blackwater City, you assassinated an envoy of the Andongese and were thrown into prison. That was where I met you. Later, you cleared my name of false charges, saving my head from the executioner's block... Two years after that, when the Andongese invaded once more, the local officials pushed you forward to face the enemy. Having no confidence at all back then, you finally resolved to invoke a celestial god!" He Chunhua murmured to himself, "Why did I choose to invoke this particular one back then? I can't even seem to recall." Housekeeper Wu rarely heard the Master wallow in self-pity or regret. Had he been awake, he might well have sensed something amiss, but right now... right now, everything felt completely natural, leaving him incapable of harboring the slightest doubt. "You went to Great Shaman Zhaomandu, saying you needed aid—that repelling the enemy, taking the city, and exacting vengeance all on your own was simply too difficult," Housekeeper Wu recalled. "Great Shaman Zhaomandu was unwilling to offer guidance at first, but by the end you were weeping so bitterly that he was moved. He told you that you could try invoking Nailuotian; this celestial god could bring good fortune, though the chances of it responding to mortals were very slim." He Chunhua nodded. "Celestial gods are even greedier than mortals. Why would they readily do favors for anyone?" Housekeeper Wu said softly, "Yet you succeeded in summoning it." "And the price?" "At that time, you already had the Eldest Young Master, and the celestial god specifically demanded him." He Chunhua shook his head. "I never imagined I would possess something it desired." "You couldn't bear to do it, but the celestial god refused to alter its terms. Back then, Blackwater City was facing the Andongese's vengeance and the situation was dire, so..." So there had been no choice but to sacrifice the eldest son. "Think back for me: why did the celestial god want Chuan'er? In the pact made back then, were there any loopholes?" "The celestial god only said that the Eldest Young Master possessed an extraordinary constitution, one in ten thousand, and would be of great use to it." Housekeeper Wu hung his head in shame. "This old servant is useless; I cannot find any loophole in that agreement." He Chunhua let out a long, wistful sigh. "Over these past few months, where on earth did Chuan'er go?" "Do you believe he went somewhere beyond the Xuluo Kingdom and Mount Rong?" He Chunhua looked at him. "What do you think?" "If even you don't know, Master, how could this old servant have any idea?" *Oh, so he himself didn't know either?* "He Chunhua" gave an acknowledging murmur. ... The next morning, Housekeeper Wu slept until mid-morning before finally getting out of bed. The moment he heard what time it was, he chided the old woman: "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" "You were sleeping so soundly; I tried waking you several times, but you wouldn't stir." Housekeeper Wu scrambled out of bed to wash up. While washing his face, he vaguely recalled having had several dreams one after another last night, one of which featured the Master, but for the life of him he couldn't remember their conversation. It seemed to be about old matters from the past. *I really am working as a housekeeper day and night,* he thought, shaking his head before heading off to He Manor to attend to his duties. Encountering He Lingchuan on the way, Housekeeper Wu bowed in salute, only to see the Eldest Young Master smiling with utmost warmth. "Head Housekeeper, did you sleep well last night?" "Ah, very well, slept quite soundly. Thank you for asking, Eldest Young Master." He Lingchuan nodded and walked out of the manor with his hands clasped behind his back, followed by a large contingent of guards, a little squirrel perched on his shoulder. He put on the full, grand display of someone surrounded by an escort. Housekeeper Wu watched the Eldest Young Master's receding figure and scratched the back of his head. *In my dream last night, was something mentioned about the Eldest Young Master?*