The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 958 - 937 - Old Friend

Chapter 958: 937 Chapter Old Friend

Bai Shan thought for a moment and said, "Lichong and the others are not familiar; it’s better to let Liu Gui inquire about this."

After saying that, he was about to call Liu Gui to give the instructions.

Mr. Zhuang, who was being supported in his chair, finally found an opportunity to speak, "No need."

Everyone looked towards Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang, smiling, shook his hand and said, "This isn’t directed at you, it’s aimed at me. There’s no need to investigate."

Manbao, worried, said, "Sir, are your enemies very formidable? If we don’t check, what if you’re attacked when you go out?"

Mr. Zhuang amusingly responded, "Who said he was my enemy? He’s just an old acquaintance."

Even Bai Erlang knew to say, "What kind of old acquaintance doesn’t come forward to greet you but has someone follow you instead? Sir, just tell us, what enmity do you have with him? I’m very strong."

Manbao and Bai Shan also nodded.

They already had an enemy who was a prince; surely this person couldn’t be more formidable than a prince, right?

Mr. Zhuang didn’t tell them, but instead, steadied himself on the table to stand up. Bai Dalang quickly came forward to support him.

Mr. Zhuang gave him a slight nod and then waved to the three youngsters, "Alright, I’ll handle this matter. Go rest now. Today you had both an exam and went out, aren’t you tired?"

He continued, "I’ll give you a day off tomorrow; go have fun. The day after tomorrow, when the results are out, you’ll be enrolled in school. Manbao, you can’t go to the pharmacy every day; you should talk with Jishi Hall to set your days off. When Bai Shan and the others have their days off, I will take you around the entire capital."

Perhaps it was because he had been drinking, or because he had encountered an old acquaintance today, but Mr. Zhuang was rather talkative. He murmured, "Although I have been away from the capital for many years, I still remember many places. I’ll take you to see them..."

Manbao and her two junior brothers exchanged glances, obediently agreeing before stepping forward to support him. Along with Bai Dalang, they helped Mr. Zhuang back to his room, prepared a footbath for him, wiped his face, removed his outer garments, and tucked him into bed, lowering the mosquito net and the rest.

The four left the room.

Manbao affirmed, "That definitely wasn’t an old acquaintance."

"Even if it was an old acquaintance, it was an unfriendly one," Bai Shan recalled the moment Mr. Zhuang had paused. Since Mr. Zhuang had recognized the person but did not greet him, it was obviously a strained relationship.

Bai Erlang asked, "There are actually people in this world who have a bad relationship with the teacher?"

In his memory, the teacher was always very popular and respected wherever he was. Could there really be people who didn’t like the teacher?

"I think you should first tell me why you suspect that it was Prince of Yizhou’s people following you," Bai Dalang stared at the three and asked.

Manbao then turned to Bai Shan and said, "Do you think that Lord Chen is the teacher’s enemy?"

Bai Shan looked at her and said, "Very likely."

As they spoke, they quickened their pace while Bai Erlang followed closely behind, and they included him in their conversation, "Shall we have someone inquire about his identity?"

Bai Erlang nodded, "Go ahead, go ahead. If his rank isn’t too high, we can help the teacher seek revenge."

As they walked faster and faster, they soon outpaced Bai Dalang, who remained silent for a while.

Once out of Bai Dalang’s sight, the three scattered, each retreating to their own rooms to hide.

Bai Dalang shook his head, turned around, and went to the front yard to find Gao Song.

They might not tell him, but did that mean he wouldn’t ask the servants?

Bai Dalang was different from Bai Erlang in two significant ways: first, he was the legitimate eldest son of the Bai family, and second, he was older. So when he asked, Gao Song told him everything he knew.

Of course, Gao Song didn’t know much, only a little, but it was enough, "It seems like our family has an enmity with the Prince of Yizhou. Before coming to the capital, the old master only told me to look after the Second Young Master, to ensure he doesn’t cause any trouble outside; everything else, we were to listen to Mr. Zhuang."

Bai Dalang was dumbfounded, "Our family, of all people, has an enmity with the Prince of Yizhou? What kind of grudge could we possibly have?"

Gao Song shook his head; how could a servant like him know?

He pondered for a moment and said, "I don’t know much, but it looks like Daji and Liu Gui know quite a bit. Eldest Young Master, why not ask them?"

Liu Gui wasn’t a servant of his household; how could he feel comfortable asking him?

Bai Dalang frowned and made a mental note of the matter, then got a pillow that night wanting to have a heart-to-heart brotherly talk with Bai Erlang by the candlelight.

Unfortunately, Bai Erlang staunchly refused to speak, fearing he might accidentally say too much or mutter something in his sleep. He even sneaked into Bai Shan’s room and forcibly squeezed onto the bed, saying, "My big brother is in my room right now, I haven’t told him anything yet, but if he asks again, I’m not sure."

Bai Shan, yawning, made room on the bed for him, "But you must not kick people, otherwise I’ll have Daji throw you out."

Seeing his foolish younger brother so resolute, Bai Dalang sighed and decided not to inquire any further.

In the end, Liu Gui quietly investigated that Lord Chen; just as Manbao returned from Jishi Hall, she saw Bai Shan and Bai Erlang standing in the shadows near the second gate talking to Liu Gui.

She immediately approached with her basket on her back.

Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, who were listening intently, were startled by the sound of footsteps but relaxed when they saw it was her, "Why did you come back so early today?"

Manbao replied, "There weren’t many patients today. I’ve already arranged with Shopkeeper Zheng; from now on, I will take two days off every ten-day period. If there’s an emergency where they need me, they can come to my house to call me. What were you just discussing, so secretly?"

Bai Erlang lowered his voice and said, "Liu Gui has found out about that Lord Chen."

Manbao then turned to Liu Gui, asking, "What’s his name?"

Liu Gui bowed and repeated, "Replying to Miss Man, his name is Chen Fulin, a Langzhong in the Ministry of Revenue. Yesterday, he was at Primus Pavilion drinking with Lord Shang from the Ministry of Personnel."

Liu Gui paused before continuing, "I found out that this Langzhong Chen is also from Jiannan and is a native of Yizhou. Currently, his family, including his eldest grandson, lives in the capital, and his eldest grandson has received sponsorship to study at the Four Gates School."

Each official of the fifth rank had a sponsorship quota for the Four Gates School.

Bai Shan asked, "Did you inquire about his dealings with the teacher?"

"I discreetly asked his household servants, but they’ve never heard of Mr. Zhuang’s name."

So, they didn’t find out anything at all.

Apart from some basic information about Chen Fulin, they hadn’t found out anything else.

Manbao looked around and asked, "Where is the teacher?"

"The teacher is writing in the study," Bai Shan replied. "Today we have a day off; we don’t have class. But the teacher has been practicing his calligraphy since morning. I went to grind some ink for him, and his strokes were too forceful, not as good as yesterday—clearly, he’s disturbed."

Bai Erlang remarked, "It’s a grave enmity."