"Ah?" Sun Yixie jumped up from his chair as soon as he heard the servant's words. At that moment, he even sobered up a little bit, "What did you say? Please speak clearly, what kind of monster?"
"That... that's... this... Hi! Master, I'm stupid and can't explain clearly. You'd better go over and have a look on your own." This servant was really stupid, and after a long time, he couldn't even squeeze out a useful sentence. If he doesn't come out, the only reason he's here is obviously because he has quick legs and feet.
"Okay, lead the way, lead the way." Sun Yixie didn't bother to talk to him anymore, and was ready to follow him.
Of course, he also had to explain to Yun Shili: "Brother Yun, let me go and see what's going on. It's up to you."
"No~" Unexpectedly, Yun Shili stood up at this time and said with a bit of a smile, "I have never seen a goblin in my life. Let me open my eyes today."
He was able to say this in such a relaxed tone for two reasons: first, he was highly skilled in martial arts; second, he did not believe in any ghosts or gods in this world at all.
In Yun Shili's view, the so-called "monster trouble" means either someone is suspicious or someone is pretending to be a ghost; no matter which one, he can solve it, and he is happy to help Sun Yixie solve the problem.
But...Sun Yixie doesn't see it that way.
Brother Sun is someone who has seen ghosts, monsters and foxes with his own eyes. He clearly knows that there are some supernatural phenomena in this martial arts world.
Back in Lanruo Temple, Xie Run, the third boss of the Yiyong Escort Bureau, had the same idea as Yun Shili, and Xie Run's martial arts was not low, but if Sun Yixie hadn't been there, Xie Run, the third boss, would have been burned. He died in the alchemy room of the temple.
Therefore, Yun Shili's reaction at this moment was roughly "never dead" in Sun Yixie's eyes.
"I'm telling you, don't regret it. Some things are better to be believed than not." Sun Yixie reminded Yun Shili with a serious look.
But Yun Shili didn't appreciate it at all, and was still laughing: "Hey! I said it's Yixie, why do you, at such a young age, believe that?"
"You don't believe it, right? Okay... just follow me." Sun Yixie felt that it was useless to persuade him, so he sneered, "Ha... if something happens then, don't blame me for not warning you. You."
"Hey... what could be the situation?" Yun Shili was still very determined. This kind of cognitive difference in three views is indeed difficult to shake with just one or two words, "Maybe it's just a wild cat or a dog. Or maybe there are thieves stealing things..." He paused, "Now you have caught up. Yun is also experienced in solving cases. Let me help you settle this matter in a short while. It’s not like I’m living and eating for free.”
After he said this, Sun Yixie stopped arguing with him. He just turned around and asked his servants to lead the way, leading them towards the west wing together.
In ancient times, there were certain rules for the layout of the houses of wealthy families: the owner's living room was usually located in the north of the house, and the owner's bedroom would be located in the east by north. It is connected to the living room; the east wing on the east side is occupied by the owner's son, and the office and guest reception rooms are also located on the east side; while the west wing is for the female family members, the owner's daughter, and Sisters, aunts, nieces, etc. all live in the west wing. If the family does not have a daughter, or the daughter is married, the west wing can also be used as a guest room; as for the last south wing, it is for the servants.
Although the customs and layout of mansions in some places will be different due to climate differences in various regions, they generally follow this rule, and the Sun Mansion is no exception.
Since Sun Yixie was the only son in the family, and his father had no sisters, aunts or nephews, no one lived in the west wing of their Sun Mansion most of the time.
On weekdays, the northwest half of the west wing is left empty and is used as a spare guest room. If a female guest comes or the east wing is full, it can be used at any time; while the southwest half of the room is , used as a storage room to pile up some messy things.
The place where the accident happened tonight is in the southwest.
Sun Yixie and Yun Shili rushed to the scene under the leadership of the servant. When they arrived, they saw a large group of servants gathered around the door of a storage room, talking among themselves.
"Master, you are here!" As soon as he saw Sun Yixie, an old man came up to him quickly, "Come and take a look, there is something wrong in this room!"
This one is the steward of the Sun Mansion. The slave takes his master's surname, so his surname is also Sun.
Butler Sun is already in his sixties this year and is a "veteran employee" here. He has watched all the young masters of the three generations of the Sun family grow up with his own eyes.
Some people may find it strange when they see this. Doesn't the "three generations" include Sun Yixie's grandfather? Could it be that this housekeeper has been working here since he was ten years old?
It's true. When Butler Sun first came to the Sun Mansion, he was ten years old and was "sold" by someone.
In those days, this kind of thing was very common. Many poor families had too many children to feed, so they picked an older one and sold it to serve as a maid in a wealthy family.
With luck, I caught up with Renyi, the boss, who treated you as a human being and talked to you about basic human rights. Of course... don't think about labor laws or anything like that.
As for those who are unlucky, they will be beaten and scolded for the rest of their lives.
Steward Sun is undoubtedly lucky. From being a handyman to being a servant and then being a housekeeper, although he has experienced hardships and fatigues, he has never been beaten or scolded very much.
The heads of the Sun family over the past few generations have treated their servants well. As long as you abide by the rules, work hard, and don't be scheming or commit crimes, the treatment will not be bad; even if you prostitute yourself and come in, you will be treated accordingly. Salary, after working for ten or eight years, if you have saved enough money and say you want to leave, the master will even give you more severance pay so that you can do some business on your own after you leave.
At that time, it was considered very benevolent for the rich people to do this... There were many people who treated their servants like pigs and dogs, beating, scolding, and mistreating them to death and then burying them. As long as the deed of sale was there, this matter The government is not easy to control.
Therefore, it makes sense for the Sun family to have such power in Hangzhou. It is through the accumulation of these small things bit by bit that they can slowly build up a reputation.
One day the Sun family is really going to encounter something, and the people are willing to say a few good words for them, and even do a little bit of help... For example, last time Sun Yixie mobilized all the silversmiths in the city to tamper with the silver, and let someone else do it. Even if you have money, you may not be able to do it so neatly.
Not to mention Butler Sun's loyalty to his employer - he has stayed in this house for fifty years, and this is his home. In addition, he himself has never been married and had children... To put it bluntly, he regards Sun Yuanwai and Sun Yixie as the same as his own son and grandson; now he asks his servants to only call Sun Yixie He came here without notifying Master Sun, because he knew very well that this kind of matter had to be handled by a smart and capable young master. Not only would calling the master not solve the problem, it might even frighten him.
"Hiss..." When Sun Yixie heard the housekeeper's words, he immediately gasped, frowned and asked, "What's going on? What's going on in that room?"
"Uh..." Butler Sun groaned, looked at Yun Shili who was standing next to Brother Sun, and winked at his young master.
"But it doesn't matter." Sun Yixie understood what he meant and agreed again.
The housekeeper received a positive answer, nodded, and continued: "Master, do you still remember that in the evening, the prefect sent someone to deliver a painting?"
"I remember." This happened a few hours ago, and Sun Yixie naturally still remembered it, "What is it...'Encountering Immortals in the Lake'?"
"Yes, that's the painting." Butler Sun lowered his voice, moved closer, and looked sideways at the storage room a few meters away. "When Xiao Wu, who was patrolling the night just now, passed by the door of the house, he heard that There was a woman's voice in it. He came closer and listened. The woman seemed to be singing...
"Ordinarily, there are only things piled up in this room, and there shouldn't be anyone, let alone in the middle of the night... Who would sing in that dark room?
"The more Xiaowu thought about it, the more wrong he became. Feeling scared, he came to my room and woke me up... When he told me about this, I thought it was this kid who was dreaming in the middle of the night, but I thought about it again. Xiao Wu is usually a very honest child and won't lie, so I decided to follow him and have a look.
"I didn't expect...it was so loud..."
Having said this, a clear look of fear appeared on Butler Sun's face: "Old slave, I was also afraid and didn't dare to open the door, so I poked the window paper on the door and peeked in through the light of the lantern... …As a result, when I saw it, it was actually the woman in the painting who was singing…”
His words stopped abruptly here.
Let's not talk about Sun Yixie and Yun Shili's reaction after hearing this. Let's talk about the painting first.
There is a hint in the book here that the "Picture of Visiting the Lake and Encountering Immortals" was personally made by Han Yu, the great scholar of Huagaidian and the prince's junior master at that time.
Han Yu, like the prefect Lu, was both the number one scholar appointed by the late emperor. Lu Wen was actually Han Yu's senior, having entered the court as an official a few years earlier than him.
But unlike Lu Wen, Han Yu was a world-famous talent who was known as the best in calligraphy and painting. His calligraphy treasures, if they were to be sold among the people, were worth a lot of money, and his talent and learning were appreciated by the current emperor, so he was allowed to serve concurrently. Prince's Young Master.
In the Ming Dynasty that we are more familiar with, the "Three Lords and Three Solitaries" were just empty titles most of the time and did not hold actual duties. However, in the "Zhao Dynasty" in this book, the Young Master is still the assistant minister of the East Palace and has great power. , if the prince ascends the throne and becomes the emperor in the future, and Han Yu is not dead at that time, then he will become a young master and become a grand master, ranking first among the three princes.
So how did his painting "Encountering Immortals on a Lake" come into Lu Wen's hands?
This is both sad and ridiculous: when Han Yu first entered the officialdom, he had to pay homage to the port to seek connections, and one day he paid homage to Lu Wen. However, Han Yu came from a poor family and had just become an official. He had not yet had time to be greedy, so he could not even come up with the money for bribes...He had no choice but to take out a painting he had painted before, which could be considered a gift at least. , and gave it away.
I must have seen someone here and asked again. Didn't they say just now that his calligraphy and paintings are worth a thousand dollars? How could he have no money?
Isn't this nonsense? What were the prices of Van Gogh's paintings when he was alive? What will be the price after death?
At that time, Han Yu had just won the first prize, and his works did not have the same value as when he later became a junior master.
When Lu Wen got the painting, he felt unhappy. He said to himself: "You are the number one scholar, and I am also the number one scholar. I am two years ahead of you. People who come to the pier give real money and silver to them. It would be better for you to give it to me." Painting, huh... I want to love painting, can’t I paint it myself?”
So, Lu Wen threw the painting into the warehouse without even looking at it; in his eyes, it was not as valuable as those old antiques, but at least it was given by someone who was an official in the same dynasty, so he just threw it away. It’s not good either, just keep it for now.
Unexpectedly, within a few years, Han Yu would rise to prominence. His talent and reputation soon began to be praised by the world, and the calligraphy and paintings he left behind in the past years have become treasures.
At this time, Lu Wencai rummaged through the cabinets and found the painting, asked a craftsman to frame it, and hung it in the most conspicuous place in his study to show off to whoever came.
until today.
When he was at a loss, Sun Yixie forcibly asked for a "congratulatory gift", so Lu Wen made the excuse of "rare and rare treasures" in desperation.
But where does he have any rare treasures? He, Lu Wen, is just a prefect, not an emperor. How can he take out such a thing at the drop of a hat?
This matter would be easier to handle if he and Sun Yixie reversed their roles - Brother Sun would probably go home and catch a mouse, paint it white with starch, call it "Golden Mouse", and then dare to send it to the other person's house. .
But how could Lu Wen have such intelligence? Even if he has the intelligence, he doesn't have the shame.
However, Mr. Lu didn't dare not send it away because he was really afraid of Yun Shili...
Furthermore, after Mr. Lu returned home, he realized that Sun Yixie was pretending to be confused. He also knew that he had underestimated the young master of the Sun family...the "congratulatory gift" at the moment. , it is estimated that it is the step the other party has given me. If I don't grasp it well, I may suffer serious consequences.
There was no other way, Lu Wen gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, and presented him with the "Picture of Traveling in the Lake and Encountering Immortals".
But he didn't know that there was actually a ghost in this painting.
