Chapter 77
When Jiang Yeye hurried over, the household's old steward and another slave trader were arguing with a greasy, pot-bellied man dressed in fine brocade robes.
The old steward was outnumbered and outmaneuvered by the trader and the man, leaving him speechless with frustration. "You are going too far! For fifteen hundred taels? I wouldn't sell even a single room for that price!"
Good grief—fifteen hundred taels was indeed an insulting offer. Jiang Yeye paused and exchanged a glance with Steward He.
"You don't know what's good for you. If word gets out that your house is haunted—that it's a 'ghost house'—people wouldn't want to step foot inside even if you paid *them* to take it."
"Nonsense!" The old steward was so angry his face and neck turned crimson. "Our family spans four generations living under one roof; we are blessed by our ancestors, and even ghosts would flee from us! How could it possibly be haunted? You are slandering us!"
Just then, a young man watching the commotion from the sidelines chimed in, "But I heard someone saw a hanged ghost dangling from a tree in your courtyard. Maybe there really is some evil spirit there."
The crowd instantly began to buzz with speculation, and the commotion drew the attention of even more passersby.
The old steward grew frantic; if a residence acquired a bad reputation like that, truly no one would be willing to buy it! But he knew this was surely a scheme by the wealthy Merchant Xu. "Don't believe him! He’s only slandering the place because he wants to buy my master's estate at a bargain price. The house is perfectly fine—there’s nothing wrong with it. I live there every single day..."
"But why did your master's entire household move out in such a rush? It must be because something went wrong," someone voiced their doubts.
This touched upon his master's private affairs, so the old steward naturally couldn't speak openly about it. His expression darkened. "In any case, I am not selling. Merchant Xu, please leave!"
As he spoke, he moved to close the gate, but voices immediately chimed in from the crowd: "He’s got a guilty conscience!"
"It looks like there really is a problem..."
"Hey now," Merchant Xu—Xu Biao—said, sticking his hand in the gap of the gate with a sly smile. "I’m a reasonable man; I wouldn't make baseless claims. Unless, of course, you let us verify for ourselves whether there’s truly nothing wrong."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yeye and Steward He realized the man must have tampered with something.
The old steward was suspicious too, but he trusted his own observations; having guarded and inspected the house repeatedly over the past two days, he was certain there were no issues.
Thus, facing the crowd's insistence and wanting to prove his integrity, he let them in with a grim look on his face.
The onlookers filed in after them, while Jiang Yeye and Steward He brought up the rear, already knowing how it would end. Just then, a few screams rang out, and someone collapsed onto the ground, pointing frantically: "There—over there..."
Following the direction of his finger, Jiang Luye saw a long strip of white silk hanging from the very same purple magnolia tree he had noticed earlier; it fluttered brazenly in the wind, yet the accumulated snow on the ground beneath it remained completely undisturbed—not a single footprint marred its surface.
The onlookers were terrified by these eerie anomalies; even Steward He’s face turned pale. "How could this happen?"
The old steward’s jaw dropped in disbelief. "Impossible... I didn't see a thing..."
"And you still say it isn't haunted? Look at this—who would dare buy a house like this now?"
Xu Biao was speechless for a long moment, clearly shaken. "I certainly won't buy it for fifteen hundred taels. If someone moves in and loses their life, or if the elderly and children get scared out of their wits or plagued by malevolent spirits—that would be the end of it!"
He spoke with such conviction that the others couldn't help but shiver. Steward He realized then that the house likely wouldn't sell after all.
He glanced at Jiang Luye, intending to urge him to give up; after all, it was better to err on the side of caution—this wasn't a matter to be taken lightly.
Yet, Jiang Luye’s expression remained calm; he wasn't frightened in the slightest. Instead, he studied the strip of white silk with an intrigued look, as if pondering how the feat had been accomplished.
Qinggong—the art of lightness? Although he had never witnessed it and had once doubted the plausibility of such a skill, it wasn't entirely impossible.
A sleight-of-hand trick? A manipulation of time and space designed to trigger intuitive illusions and instinctive misconceptions? On second thought, he wasn't here to solve a crime, and he didn't believe in ghosts or spirits; even if they did exist, there was nothing to fear.
Jiang Ziye stepped out from the crowd. Amidst everyone's gasps, he walked to the purple magnolia tree and easily reached up to grab the length of white silk hanging high on a branch.
Some people were already wanting to flee, their legs turning to jelly.
Xu Biao warned him earnestly, "Young man, one must have a sense of reverence. That belongs to the vengeful spirit of the deceased—be careful! Disturbing it could bring disaster upon yourself."
"Is that so?" Jiang Ziye nodded as if taking the point seriously, yet—in full view of everyone—he yanked the silk down and wrapped it several times around his neck.
"This scarf is actually quite comfortable."
The crowd was speechless. They wanted to faint but couldn't quite manage it; *Good heavens, who is this guy?*
"I only believe that if you haven't done anything wrong, you needn't fear a knock at the door in the dead of night, and..." Jiang Ziye strolled over to Xu Biao and smiled slightly, "...evil cannot triumph over righteousness!"
Otherwise, why would he have been reborn after saving a little girl from a fire in his first life, and then reborn *again* after suffering such a grave injustice?
If such things truly existed...
It must be said that his words and actions had an effect; while the onlookers found his logic sound, the terror that had gripped them quickly dissipated.
Just then, a glint appeared in Jiang Ziye's eyes, as if he had realized something. "Actually, hanging this silk back up wouldn't be that difficult."
Xu Biao glared at him with a dark, sullen expression. He took it down and examined it closely. "This fabric seems rather unique; it’s incredibly light."
Some people hurriedly backed away, while others—the bolder ones—hesitantly reached out to touch it, marveling that such an airy fabric could even exist.
The next moment, Jiang Yeye gauged the wind direction and immediately let go, allowing it to drift away.
The crowd was left speechless, and half their fear vanished instantly.
"Furthermore, there are plenty of other ways..." Jiang Yeye found a long bamboo pole, used it to hook the silk ribbon down, and then hung it back up again.
The onlookers felt a complex mix of emotions; in such an atmosphere, fear gave way to a sense of absurdity—they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
With a simple action, Jiang Yeye shattered the mystery surrounding the "haunting"—leaving everyone wondering, "What the hell was that all about?"
Ultimately, the person behind the scheme had exploited the public's fear and their instinct to avoid the ribbon at all costs; had anyone actually taken it down and touched it, they would have realized something was amiss.
Cleverly manipulating human psychology—it was quite a cunning plan. Xu Biao clenched his fists. "You’ve got guts, friend, but what does that prove? Aside from showing you’re bold, it doesn’t prove there *aren't* ghosts here, does it?"
However, few people were willing to believe him anymore. "I know the Wei family well; their household is peaceful. With so many men in the house, the *yang* energy is strong—there’s no way it’s haunted."
"Besides, no one has ever died in this estate."
Steward He also put in a good word. The elderly Wei steward, moved and emotional, said, "Thank you—thank you all for your trust. My master isn't exactly short on money, but it’s infuriating to have our reputation smeared and the home we once lived in insulted like this!"
"It’s one thing for people to maliciously drive down the price, but to pull a stunt like this—claiming they wouldn't buy it even for 1,500 taels... I don't know if he was trying to pull a 'wolf with empty gloves' scheme [getting something for nothing], but the Wei family will absolutely not do business with the Xu family from Chongzhou!"
So, he was a merchant from Chongzhou—trying to bully the locals!
Xu Biao was still unwilling to give up. He had reaped plenty of benefits using this same trick before; this was the first time he’d been found out. He glared at Jiang Yeye.
Some nobody—what a nuisance!
That "nobody" spoke up then: "Old Steward Wei, if I offer 2,200 taels, could I buy this estate of yours?"
The crowd was astonished. This man was smart, bold, *and* wealthy?
2,200 taels was not a sum an ordinary household could easily produce.
When the property broker had brought Jiang Yeye to view the place earlier, the old steward hadn't been around, so he hadn't realized Jiang was also a prospective buyer. Had the buyer been Xu Biao, the old steward certainly wouldn't have been thrilled with a price of 2,200 taels—especially since his master’s minimum acceptable price was 2,000 taels. In fact, given the circumstances, he could have easily sold the property to Xu Biao at that lower price point while Xu Biao was maliciously driving the bid down.
But he hadn't done that. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, the young man had helped clear the family's name, and for that, Old Steward Wei was deeply grateful.
"While 2,200 taels isn't quite the price I’d hoped for—and letting it go for less does leave me with some regret—your willingness to step in and help, along with your courage and magnanimity, is truly admirable! I am willing to make the call on my master's behalf and sell it to you for 2,000 taels."
The crowd erupted in an uproar, followed by a burst of applause. People praised both Old Steward Wei and Jiang Yeye, yet not a single person felt a twinge of jealousy.
After all, even if such an opportunity had been placed right in front of them, they wouldn't have been able to seize it.
Jiang Yeye hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus.
He would have been perfectly satisfied securing the property for 2,200 taels; it was in a prime location suitable for business, close to the He family for convenience, and allowed for mutual looking-out-for-one-another.
Most importantly, his mother absolutely loved it.
He had helped the old steward not only because he couldn't stand to see someone being bullied so egregiously, but also because if rumors about the place being haunted spread, it would make living there uncomfortable—and might even spark further gossip down the line...
Securing it for 2,000 taels was a real win for him; the Wei family, on the other hand, made virtually no profit—they barely broke even. Unexpectedly, the old steward then produced a letter of introduction. "Young man, our Wei family has relocated to Lingzhou in Jiangnan. If you ever go there, I am certain my young master would be delighted to make your acquaintance."
Steward He stood by, dumbfounded. The Wei and He families had been neighbors for years but had never been more than nodding acquaintances—hardly friends. To think that Young Master Jiang...
What incredible luck—and what an uncanny ability to win everyone's favor!
Jiang Yeye accepted it readily; after all, having more friends meant having more paths open to him. Xu Biao, meanwhile, was fuming; he stormed off in a huff.
Shortly thereafter, the shills who had been planted in the crowd quietly slipped away.
That afternoon, Jiang Yeye accompanied Old Steward Wei to finalize the transfer of the property deed. The old steward was in high spirits, knowing that with the house sold, he could finally rejoin his master's family in Jiangnan.
As they conversed, the old steward’s admiration for the young man grew; he resolved to speak highly of him to his master once they reached Lingzhou.
Back at the Xuanhe Prefecture Academy, the results of the morning’s quiz had been posted, and Instructor Yi’s expression was inscrutable.
Amidst the students' anxious anticipation, he called out a name: "Lu Lizhi."
"Top Grade (Grade A-Plus), First Place."
Class One fell into stunned silence. *He* was the one who took first place?
So much for the rumors that he was just goofing off and neglecting his studies—he must have been secretly studying with fanatical intensity behind their backs!
Damn it, they had let their guard down. The smug smile Yu Zhijie wore—stemming from his scheme regarding the dormitory arrangements—froze on his face. Had Song Haocheng lost his touch? How could he lose the top spot the moment Lu Lizhi arrived? He was utterly useless!
As he thought this, he seemed to have conveniently forgotten his own mediocre academic standing.
Song Haocheng placed second, yet he showed no sign of surprise; Fei Hongyu, however, was taken aback. "You don't look the least bit upset?"
He wasn't usually so indifferent about his ranking, was he?
Song Haocheng mused to himself: how could he possibly harbor a desire to compete with Lord Qingyuan? He viewed the man as someone beyond reach; the idea of *not* surpassing him was simply the natural order of things.
If the other students—who were driving themselves to the brink of exhaustion in hopes of catching up to Lu Lizhi—knew that the runner-up held such a mindset, they might well fall into despair.
When classes ended that evening, Lu Lizhi received his student uniform and finally recalled the matter Jiang Yeye had repeatedly urged him to address.
"You’re a married man; surely you can't share a room with others, right?"
"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you actually *want* to share a room? Surely not—you value peace and quiet above all else, don't you? Those others would only disturb your studies!"
"So, you should be able to get a private room, right? With your capabilities, that ought to be easy enough to arrange."
It was indeed easy—he need only reveal his status as the son of Prefect Yan... yet he had forgotten all about it. By the time he sought out Professor Huang, he learned that the professor had already left that afternoon to go drinking and listen to storytelling performances with friends.
Lu Lizhi: "..."
Harboring a secret, he could not share a room with others; yet, along with his student uniform, he had been issued a key to a dormitory room.
Students in his class were assigned four to a room. He had no idea who his three roommates would be, or whether he would manage to get through the night...
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