Chapter 15 Pear Garden Shadow (Fifteen) “Just treat me as if I’m dead, okay…”

The lanterns hanging high on the eaves cast bright light, falling on the group of shadow figures who suddenly arrived.

The two people standing at the door of Ye Mansion, one was big and strong, dressed in silk and satin, and the other was skinny and dressed in cloth. Behind the two stood a group of people dressed as attendants and guards.

Even though they had become shadow figures, Li Zhixing recognized them at a glance and glanced at Qinghuai behind him.

Qinghuai stood side by side with Ye Qingzhan and whispered, “Lord ‘Jinchan’?”

After the words fell, Wen Gu glanced at him sideways. Ye Qingzhan was between the two and asked in a low voice, “Who is Lord Jinchan? "

Qinghuai wanted to explain for her, but was interrupted abruptly.

The tall and thin servant at the foot of the stone steps said with a smile: "I heard that Mr. Ye is kind and generous, no matter if it is a business customer, an illiterate commoner, or -"

The servant's smiling eyes passed over the actors behind Mr. Ye one by one, lingered on one of them for a while, and then continued slowly: "Mr. Ye is willing to help the grassroots and lowly people in the brothels and theaters. How come he can't even see you, the county magistrate? "

Zhao Jinfan was furious. She had long seen the mockery in the villain's eyes towards them. She didn't expect that he would say it out loud without any scruples after looking at them. She clenched her fists and said, "What did you say..."

Xie Zhiyan on the side held her hand and shook his head at her. After weighing the pros and cons, Zhao Jinfan had to hold the words in her throat.

If she spoke out at this time, it would only make Mr. Ye's situation more difficult.

Miss Ye was also pulled by Jiang.

Mr. Ye, who was standing at the front, suppressed the anger in his heart, patted his daughter who was also angry, and listened to the boy continue: "

I also heard that when Miss Ye's birthday came, you invited friends from all over to celebrate Miss Ye's birthday, and even invited this group of actors who were not up to the standard, but you never sent an invitation to County Magistrate Jin. Why is that?

"Also, you delivered silk cloth to every household in the city, but you didn't send any to Lord Jin. Why is that? Do you look down on us, Lord?"

The servant was aggressive, his barrage of questions irritating.

Mr. Ye's usually cheerful face faded, his expression sullen. "I didn't know Magistrate Jin was coming. I apologize for not welcoming you." With that, Mr. Ye bowed and saluted at the foot of the stone steps.

The man, revered as "County Magistrate Jin," glanced at him with his chin raised and snorted. The servant asked again, "Oh, Mr. Ye, is that an apology?"

"Mr. Jin has been in office for over a month, and all the prominent families in the city have come to pay their respects. Why haven't you come, Mr. Ye?"

The few people at the back listened to this back-and-forth, and their hearts ached for Mr. Ye—he was just using his position to stir up trouble, to flaunt his authority!

Although Mr. Ye was angry, he did not show it, and continued to speak calmly: "Sir Jin, little brother, allow me to answer your questions one by one. First of all, you'd better not say the word 'untouchables'. The current emperor loves the people like his own children, and treats everyone equally regardless of their status. He also selects the virtuous and capable, and recruits talented people regardless of their background. There are many strange people in the world, and how can it be said that a place where all kinds of people gather is a dirty place?" "

Therefore, you should be careful with your words. If it gets to the ears of His Majesty, you will be in trouble."

"You..." The servant pointed at him.

Mr. Ye ignored him and continued, "My dear brother, the sages acted like this. You and I should strive to emulate them. Therefore, I remind you again: be careful with your words and actions. Disaster can come from the mouth, so please stop speaking such nonsense."

"Secondly, the cloth I gave to the people in the city is not the finest silk. It is just a small token of my gratitude to the people of the city. After all, business transactions rely on the support of the elders and villagers."

"If Magistrate Jin is pleased, I will personally select several rolls of fine silk tonight and have them delivered to your residence tomorrow."

Regardless of the servant's expression, Mr. Ye continued, "As for Lord Jin's arrival, I haven't been able to visit and congratulate him—this is truly unfortunate, and I'm truly sorry. It all started last month when I was ill and contracted an epidemic, and my family and I retreated to Yuntai Mountain. Upon returning from my illness, I heard that Lord Jin was busy in Lin County, and I wanted to visit you, but something happened that kept me from visiting until now—this is truly my fault."

Mr. Ye bowed his head, his face clear of shame, yet he managed to force a hint of humility to convince the others.

He tried to be as flawless as possible in his words.

The servant's face turned green with anger. "Mr. Ye is such a smooth talker! You've got all the good and bad things to say—" He looked at the silent person standing beside him. "Sir, this…"

County Magistrate Jin's eyes fell on Mr. Ye, and he didn't know what to think. After a moment, he said, "Since that's the case, I won't bother Mr. Ye any more."

"I'll present Miss Ye's New Year's gift another day."

"Let's go," he said to the guards behind him without changing his expression.

Under the servant's resentful gaze, the group drove away in a mighty procession.

After the figure disappeared around the corner, Miss Ye asked, "Is this Magistrate Jin the same Jin you mentioned who framed Magistrate Fenghua and caused his unjust imprisonment?"

Mr. Ye nodded and said angrily, "You still call yourself a nimble and graceful 'cicada'? If you can fly, then fly. I, Ye Shaolin, can give gifts to whomever I want and make whomever friends I want. Who cares?"

"Pah!"

Mr. Ye spat fiercely at the disappearing carriage. "I feel relieved. You were acting like a grandson just now and it made me uncomfortable."

Everyone laughed.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye, for speaking up for the street performer," Xie Zhiyan said, clasping his fists.

"What are you thanking me for? If you hire that kind of person, you'll be full of stench. It's better not to say anything in the situation just now." Mr. Ye said, "After dealing with him enough, I, Ye Shaolin, will take Qingzhan and Xuejun away and find a beautiful place with clear water and mountains."

"We have money anyway!"

Miss Ye cast an admiring look at him. Ye Qingzhan, who was standing behind, looked at the two people's backs with envy. Miss Ye asked, "Will you visit him someday?"

"Visit what?" Mr. Ye scratched his daughter's nose lightly and said with a smile, "I will be sick someday and have to look for a doctor everywhere."

"You, stop talking nonsense!" Jiang glared at him.

Mr. Ye smiled and consoled Jiang, saying, "Don't be angry, it's just an excuse." He glanced at the people behind him and said regretfully, "It's getting late tonight. Everyone should go to bed early and stay a few more days at home."

"Mr. Ye..." Zhao Jinfan wanted to say something, but he heard him say,

"Master Zhao, don't be so quick to refuse," Mr. Ye continued. "Just stay here and go boating with Qingzhan, enjoy the flowers, go for an outing, and—"

Mr. Ye paused, then continued, "Watch a shadow play."

"Shadow play?" Miaoyun and Cuiqiao said in unison. "We haven't seen one yet!"

Miss Ye's eyes lit up. "Did you really invite the masters?"

Mr. Ye smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright, go back to your rooms and get some sleep."

"Thank you, Mr. Ye!"

everyone in Sui and the class said. Seeing the anticipation on everyone's faces, Zhao Jinfan glanced at Xie Zhiyan and stopped trying to stop him. She actually wanted to see a shadow play, too.

The shadow puppets were rejoicing, and the few who were walking at the end and turning back to the mansion slowed down tacitly.

Ye Qingzhan and the exiled immortal exchanged a glance and said, "The illusion must be deeply related to the shadow play that is about to be performed, right?"

"Who knows? Let's wait and see." The exiled immortal replied. Qinghuai beside him seemed to be thinking about something. Wen Gu,

who was walking with Ye Qingzhan, seemed not to have heard what the two said. His eyes fell on the back of one of the shadow puppets who was walking away.

The

moon was hanging on the top of the trees, the clouds were faint, and the surroundings were silent.

In the darkness, Wen Gu opened his eyes, quietly listened to the footsteps on the roof, and quietly sat up from the bed, glanced at Xie Zhiyan who was sleeping soundly, stuffed the pillow into the quilt, and jumped into the night.

Following the footsteps on the eaves, Wen Gu walked along the wall and came all the way to the vicinity of Ayang's room.

Sure enough.

The person on the eaves climbed through the window and entered the inner room.

As soon as he leaned against the doorway, Wen Gu heard a voice from inside: "You're here."

Ah Yang's voice.

"You're so good at hiding yourself away. We thought you were dead," the man said.

It sounded like the sharp-faced servant who was using the power of the other tonight to bully the enemy, along with County Magistrate Jin.

The room fell silent. After a moment, Ah Yang said, "Just treat me as if I'm dead, okay?"

The man chuckled twice, as if jokingly, and said nonchalantly, "That won't work. No one else is as useful as you."

"Who kills as cleanly and efficiently as you? Who's as ruthless as you? Who's more like a stray dog than you?"

The man chuckled a few more times and said, "You really are homeless. Sorry."

The man inside the room didn't respond for a long time, and Wen Gu, listening outside, wanted to crush his head.

The man's voice no longer contained a smile, and suddenly became fierce. He said, "Don't think about getting rid of us, and don't have those absurd fantasies."

"From the first day you killed someone, the blood on your hands can't be washed off, let alone leaving!"

"You know those traitors..." The man was interrupted.

"I know."

"Of course I know!"

Ayang's calm voice cracked, like white porcelain shattered on the ground. He said, "Give me some more time, and I will go back."

"I would like to give you time, but--" the man paused, then smiled and said, "Don't you want to know who that actor is earlier?" Wen Gu, who was

outside the door, froze in his tracks when he heard Ayang's anxious voice:

"Where is she?"

"Go back with me, and you'll know."

"How should I know you won't lie to me?" "

Lie to you?" The man chuckled, "What good would it do me to lie to you? I'm just here to pass on a message. Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"After you go back and listen to what the adults say, you can judge whether it's true or not."

Adult?

Wen Gu asked in his heart: Magistrate Jin or...

"Okay, I'll go back with you."

"That's right, that's what a good child of an adult should do."

Before he finished speaking, Wen Gu leaned aside, disappearing into the columns beneath the eaves. He watched the two men exit the house, leaping over the wall and out of the Ye Mansion. He quietly followed.

Concealing his tracks, Wen Gu followed them to a street market. At the end of the alley, he saw a gambling house. Young men in lavish attire filed in.

A tree blocked his path, and Wen Gu hid himself atop the wall, puzzled: It's the middle of the night, and these people... Frowning in thought, he was startled when someone tapped his shoulder.

"How could you go alone, boy?" Li Zhixing crouched down on the wall. Another head popped up nearby.

Ye Qingzhan struggled to climb the wall and smiled at him. "What a coincidence, you're here too?"

His face darkened. Wen Gu was about to say something when another face popped up beside her—Qinghuai winked at him.

"..." Wen Gu gritted his teeth: "Why are you all here?" "

This is a long story, let's sneak in first." Li Zhixing propped up his arms from the top of the wall and squatted on it with difficulty like Wen Gu, "Your martial arts should have been locked up by the King of Hell, so I have to do the disguise."

As he said, he cast a spell, changed the clothes for several people, changed their faces, and turned them into wealthy gentry. When they got to Qinghuai, he waved his hand and refused: "I don't like the smell of alcohol in there. You guys go in, I'll keep watch at the door."

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Ye Qingzhan asked, "You go in and take a look. Saying no will help restore your memory." Qinghuai's

expression was tense, and he said, "I may not be him."

Li Zhixing glanced at him, took out a ginkgo leaf from his sleeve, and said, "Okay, if something unexpected happens, you hold this leaf in your palm, and then say 'One leaf knows autumn', and then you can pass the message to me."

Qinghuai took the leaf, nodded, and said, "I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Gu put his arm around Ye Qingzhan's waist and jumped down from the top of the wall, and Li Zhixing followed. Yixian and the other man straightened their clothes and walked into "Changzuifang".

Qinghuai, who was lying on the wall, looked at their receding figures and whispered to himself, "I don't want to see him."

They came in smoothly, probably because their clothes were gorgeous enough. The gambling house was bustling with people, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine. The exiled immortal reminded them as he walked, asking them to cover their mouths and noses: "The aroma of this wine is poisonous."

After leading the two to hold their mouths and noses, Li Zhixing explained: "This immortal has a keen nose. Although there are steps between us, I can still smell the aroma of wine on those two people, the same as I smelled at the gates of hell."

"This immortal couldn't sleep because of the aroma. I tossed and turned and heard a sound on the eaves, so I got up to look for it. I happened to see someone leaving the mansion, and then I saw you flying to chase him."

"This immortal was left behind by you, so I called Qinghuai as well, and when I raised my foot, I met this little girl again.

" Ye Qingzhan continued his words, "I heard footsteps too."

"Very loud."

"The smell of wine on County Magistrate Jin was also very strong and stinky.

" Wen Gu glanced at her, and Li Zhixing also looked at her and said, "Has anyone said that your five senses are different from those of ordinary people?"

"The footsteps were very light, not bright."

"The aroma of wine is also light."

Hearing this, Ye Qingzhan blinked and said seriously, "Really? I don't know."

Seeing that no one knew, Li Zhixing stopped asking. The two people and the immortal looked around, looking for Ah Yang's trace. Suddenly, there was a sound at the door, and someone shouted at the top of his voice:

"Dr. Fox is here!"

The three of them turned around and followed the voice.

After seeing who was coming, Wen Gu's eyes suddenly lit up.