Chapter 13 – Fourty Thousand: A Debt Collecting Ghost's Story

You Shu had already finished his preparations to return to the Capital with his Master. Song Mama and Baishao rushed to Kaiyuan Temple to pick up You Shu and leave. They thought that after 10 years, the evil spirit would have already left and that it would not matter for him to not stay by the noble’s side.

“I still can’t go now.” After You Shu finished listening to the two people’s reason for coming, he shook his head in refusal. He still hadn’t found a way to kill the evil spirit. Once he leaves the Master, he would only meet his doom.

“But your mother is still waiting for you!” Song Mama was anxious and held the Young Master’s wrist and whispered, “Do you not want to know your past?” She had originally thought of waiting for the Young Master to establish himself before returning to the Capital to recognise his ancestors and return to the clan. Who would have thought that Lin-shi that slut would be completely unwilling to let Young Miss off and went into Young Miss’ inner room to stuff some man’s private things, slander the Young Miss that she had committed adultery with an outsider, forcing Young Miss to become a nun in Ganye Temple.

Blu: XX-shi – a married lady’s maiden name. Also, wow what a vicious worm

When Song Mama received the news, this matter was already settled. Thinking of how this life of the Young Miss was ruined at the hands of Wang Xianggan and Lin-shi, she couldn’t swallow this down no matter what, and impulsively thought of bringing Young Master to return back. At any rate, Young Master was Wang jia’s di son, and he was so smart and handsome. He would definitely be able to get the favour of Laotaiye and Taifuren.

Blu: Laotaiye – the grandfather /// Taifuren - the grandmother /// Wang jia’s di son – Wang family’s legitimate son. Di children, a.k.a. legitimate children, were born of the legitimate (main) wife. Shu children were children born from concubines and were considered illegitimate.

Thinking up to here, she did not care whether the Young Master was willing to listen and poured out all the past events without holding back, finally weeping, “Young Master, your mother is still waiting for you to go back and save her. Quickly follow me back to the Capital.”

“You’re thinking of letting me recognise my ancestors and return to the clan?” You Shu expressionlessly inquired. Don’t say that he was still powerless to defend himself. Even if he wasn’t bothered by the evil spirit, he would never return to Wang jia.

Song Mama nodded again and again, Baishao also exposed a hopeful expression.

“So, what if I am the di son? Mother is the Main Wife and she still ended up in such a sorry state. Have Laotaiye and Laofuren ever said a fair word for her? You have also said before that I once I was born, the whole family knew that I was the reincarnation of a debt collecting ghost. I had been stolen away for 15 years now and no one had cared. Originally thinking that the debt collecting ghost had already died outside and was going to breathe a sigh of relief, but it suddenly came to their door, Song Mama, if you were in their shoes? Would you like it?”

Blu: Laofuren - same meaning as Taifuren (grandmother)

You Shu pursed his lips and continued,

“Lin-shi was even unwilling to let go of mother, who had been harmless, how could she tolerate me, this di son who will compete with her son for the family property? As for the elders in the family, who will protect me? Father? Laotaiye? Laofuren?”

You Shu once again waved in refusal, “Song mama, we are still weak. Going back now is not a matter of contending for the family property, rather to court death. It is a good thing for mother to leave Wang jia. At least, she doesn’t need to receive abuse. When I am done here, I will go and pick her up. If you shave your hair off, you can still grow it back. If you renounce the family to become a nun, you can still return to the secular world. But if you don’t have your life, you will have nothing.”

Blu: Such wise words. I’ll write them down. Basically, don’t sweat the small stuff. Your life is the most important. // Samui: or the other saying. IM NEVER GONNA GIVE (YOU) UP

Once Song Mama heard these words, she sank into a long silence. Baishao’s fervent expression also slowly calmed down. After a cup of tea, the pair had woken up to the reality, their eyes revealing shame. They had become anxious to the point of confusion and almost harmed the Young Master. How is Wang jia a good place? It was actually a mountain of daggers and a sea of flames, a blood pool of purgatory.  

Blu: For those very observant people who mind the small details, I’m not sure if the author meant that they DRANK tea or if the author-sama meant the amount of time taken to brew a cup of tea. The latter is hella long, so I just left it at ‘After a cup of tea.’ // Samui: …or even after a cup of tea > gossip???? It works in English too!!

Realizing the mistakes of their judgment, the two asked You Shu to write a letter to his mother so that she could feel at ease and then go home to pack their bags to first go to the Capital to check the situation. Their forefoot just left when Ah Da’s hind foot arrived, letting You Shu finish his preparations for the long trip.

3 days later, You Shu boarded the carriage with his Master and swaying, returned to the Capital.

Ji Changye held an Imperial decree in his hands and lightly smiled, “You Shu doesn’t have anything you want to ask me?”

You Shu was holding a piece of rice cake and nibbling at it with his teeth. When he heard what was said, he shook his head left and right, not interested in the contents of the Imperial decree at all. What he should know, he already knew earlier. What he shouldn’t know, he already guessed it.
People who were too clever worrying just like this.

Ji Chanye pulled the boy into his arms and carefully wiped the crumbs from the corners of his mouth and sighed, “I thought I couldn’t return to the Capital in this lifetime so I wanted to throw away my identity and live anew, but I didn’t expect Father Emperor to make a move on me to return to the Capital. You Shu, you probably already guessed it? I am the present dynasty’s Third
Prince, Ji Changye.”

You Shu nodded; expression completely indifferent. Master is Master. No matter whether he is the downtrodden youth practicing Buddhism in Kaiyuan Temple, or the high-ranking official devising battle plans in a tent of now, there was no difference to him.

Ji Changye was very satisfied with the young boy’s usual indifferent response. He thought about it for a long while and asked a question he had been holding back on,

“Then, would you like to know your past?”

In the end, he had to arrive at this step. He pursed his lips, his mouth extremely dry.

You Shu nodded while gnawing at the rice cake. In sharp contrast, his big eyes were filled with confusion, as if to ask the Master why he brought up something someone else already mentioned.

Ji Changye’s heart felt slightly startled. Holding the young boy’s chin, he carefully looked at him,

“When did you know?”

“4 days ago, when Song Mama came to see me.” You Shu reported honestly.

“So, it was actually known since that day.” Ji Changye muttered to himself and repeatedly recalled You Shu’s behaviour these past few days and found that he ate when he should eat and slept when he should sleep, without a single bit of the sorrow and hatred that he expected. He also didn’t ask for his help. Just what was You Shu thinking in his mind?

Composing himself, he continued questioning closely, “Since it is like this, have you thought of going back to Wang jia to recognise your ancestors and return to the clan? If you want, I can also take Song-shi back.”

How could You Shu dare to go? Once he heard this, he couldn’t even eat his rice cake and hastily rushed to the youth’s side, arms wrapping around his thin waist and expressed impatiently, “Please don’t send me away, Master! How can Wang jia be any better? They abandoned me from an early age, never gave me a grain of rice and never gave me a single piece of clothing. The one who raised me was Master, the one who taught me was Master, the one who let me eat my fill and dress me up in warm clothes, raised me up safe and healthy was also Master. I would rather stay by Master’s side as a servant than go back to Wang jia to be some Young Master.” Speaking till here, You Shu blinked his contrasting, clear, big black eyes and sincerely said, “Wherever Master is, is where my home will be.”

You Shu’s speech was clumsy and spoke so with so many words in such a short time, already outperforming himself. However, these words and sentences were all from the bottom of his heart.

He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to shake the mind of the Master and couldn’t help feeling utterly anxious. The rims of his eyes and nose slowly reddened, his thick eyelashes were stained wet, looking very pitiful.

Ji Changye seemed to be gentle and good-natured, but in fact, his heart was the coldest. In the beginning, he accepted You Shu because one, to exploit his past and to make a fuss over it, and two, to find a source of fun. He did feel some pity for You Shu, but it wasn’t a lot.

But, a human’s heart was made of flesh. Having been keeping each other company day and night for 10  years, even if Ji Changye was a rock, it would still warm up. Moreover, You Shu did not treat him with even a single display of false friendship. That innocence and whole-hearted devotion has not changed from beginning to end.

He did not have much time to think and hugged the young boy who was frightened pale, gentle patting his back to comfort him.

He promised, “Don’t be scared, You Shu. I won’t send you away. Wherever I go, there will always be a place for you to return to.” The person in his arms, is someone he personally raised. Someone he personally watched as he grew from a 3-foot-high child to a young man who was exceptional in appearance and bearing. Although he was 25, he has never married and has neither a harem nor sons by his side. You Shu is said to be his servant, but he was no different from his loved ones.

Every day, they shared their meal at the same table, slept in the same bed. They were already each other’s most intimate, most important existence since long ago.

Sending You Shu away to those sinister-hearted people of Wang jia whose ethics and virtues have withered away, how could he be willing? The previous so-called plans, the so-called strategy, were all nothing before You Shu’s weeping, red eyes.

Ji Changye compromised.

Thoroughly compromised.

He wiped the tears dripping from the corner of You Shu’s eyes and broke the rice cake into pieces, feeding them into his mouth bit by bit while softly speaking, “That’s enough, don’t cry anymore, you’re already not a 3 or 4 year old child, how could you still like crying and snivelling? As long as you’re unwilling, I will never send you away, I swear.”

Ji Changye’s words always carried enormous weight. You Shu only felt at ease after hearing this and stuck out the tip of his tongue to sweep the rice cake away and low-spiritedly said, “I didn’t cry, only felt a little upset, I’ll be fine after some things.”

He held the rice cake and took a big bite. Seeing the bulge in the young boy’s cheeks, Ji Changye softly laughed, the cloudiness that accumulated in his thoughts slowly dissipated.

3 days later, the group arrived at the Capital. Due to the Third Prince having been banished in the past, they did not have enough time to go to the Palace to construct a residence. Now that he was older, it was also inconvenient to stay overnight in the Palace. The Emperor bestowed him an official’s residence that he had confiscated a few days ago.

When You Shu jumped down from the carriage, the Palace people that the Imperial Household Department had dispatched were in the midst of wiping the vermillion red entrance clean. The plaque inscribed with “Fangfu” that was hanging from the beam of the entrance had been taken off and was casually placed on the side of the road.

“This person, you are so rude. Actually parked the carriage at the front door of someone else’s house. Quickly leave!”

A Palace person stepped forward to chase them away.

Seeing Ji Changye who arrived soon after, he looked at him for a long time before recognising him and only then kneeled in salute. In any case, he didn’t expect that this dynasty’s Third Prince and also His Majesty’s sole di son, would only be equipped with a carriage when he returned to the Capital. It looked very shabby.

Ai, sure enough, he isn’t favoured. Thinking this way, the Palace person inevitably revealed some contempt.

Ji Changye faintly shot him a glance and then directly led You Shu in. As early as the time of his mother’s death, he saw through the changes in human feelings and also saw the hypocrisy of the world. He no longer felt sorrow at his Father Emperor demoting him nor did he feel anger at the scorn of others, only because he knew, that he will sooner or later ascend that supreme throne, then he would step on these people under his feet.

Speaking of also being born under an ill star, although You Shu came from modern times and was reincarnated into the very rich Wang jia, he had never stayed in such a spacious and luxurious house. He looked here and there, his eyes filled with amazement.

But for Ji Changye, this residence could only be described with two words, “simple and crude”. Looking at the entire Daming Dynasty, which Prince’s residence had the appearance of a 3rd ranking official? He just entered the Capital and his face was ruthlessly slapped, and it was unknown how many people were watching the fun from the dark. But so what? Being able to make the Emperor personally overrule the previous decree to exile him forever, Ji Changye already won a move.

At the moment, seeing You Shu’s bright, radiant eyes blossom and his cheeks revealing small dimples, Ji Changye became more and more pleased.

“Do you like it here?” He habitually poked that soft pit, captivated by the warm and exquisite feel on his fingertips.

You Shu nodded and nodded. The flowers and trees here were outstanding, complemented with a lot of ornamental rockery. It could be said that 3 steps into this scenery were 5 steps into a painting. Compared to the dilapidated and bleak Kaiyuan Temple, it was as far apart as Heaven from Earth. After experiencing the end of the world and suffering being abandoned by his parents,

You Shu did not have extravagant demands for his quality of life. Being able to stay in such a magnificent place, he was naturally very satisfied.

Seeing the young boy very joyful, the feeling of discontentment in his heart subsequently dissipated.

TRANSLATOR'S & EDITOR'S CORNER

BLU: MY HEART IS MELTING OMG YOU SHU IS SO CUTE I CANNOT EVEN AHHHHHHHH THE DOG FOOD!!! JI CHANGYE’S AFFECTION!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *fangirling*

SAMUI: This is so sweet *sobs*

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