"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 48

 Mask Wu was from a family who had been in the embroidered uniform guards for several generations, carrying on the father’s job, but he had not cleaned his gun properly, blowing up his chest and ruining half of his face, destroying his future, he had wanted to give up his position but he had an elderly mother and a young child, and only because of his deceased wife he begged Lu Bing to give him a position, as long as his family had enough to eat.

Lu Bing took pity on him, asking him to look after the firearm storeroom, conveniently also letting every new recruit come to “see” what happens when they don’t clean their firearms properly.

His ruined face was like that of a ghost, in order to avoid scaring people, he wore the mask all year round, people called with mask Wu.

Mask Wu had always been very earnest, so him using the steel teeth cricket to distract the jailor and switch the zongzi surprised everyone, the person who had been given Lu Bing’s favour was actually the traitor!

There was no use being surprised, they had to hurry up and find Ding Wu.

Everyone followed him in disguise, Wei Cai Wei carried a basket filled with pure white cape jasmine, pretending to be a young girl selling flowers.

Lu Ying wore a Taoist robe with a beard, carrying a divinatory diagram flag while pretending to be a fortune teller.

As for Wang Da Xia…he had to copy Wei Cai Wei, also acting as a young girl selling cape jasmine! The frightening thing was with his esthetics, he was gorgeously dressed, he even raised his pitch and chased after Wei Cai Wei, waving his embroidered handkerchief: “Sister Banxia, wait for me, let’s sell flowers together! We can avoid lechers from harassing us on the streets!”

Wei Cai Wei thought: Which blind lecher would take advantage of you!

Why did Wang Da Xia have to follow Wei Cai Wei? It was because he heard the rumour of “the pregnant widow”, Wang Da Xia knew Lu Ying and Wei Cai Wei were putting on an act to let the other person let down their guard, but he still didn’t like it so much so he wasn’t interested in the fact they had won first in the race.

The prize for winning the dragon boat race was unexpectedly a “green hat” given personally by his superior.

What a pleasant surprise? Isn’t it exciting? He didn’t want this prize!

But Wang Da Xia also knew this was about Ding Wu’s life or death, it definitely wasn’t the time to be jealous, so he controlled himself, dressing up as a young girl in order to be with Wei Cai Wei, to avoid giving Lu Ying the opportunity to put on another play with her.

After a few situations, based on Lu Ying’s personality, Wang Da Xia believed he wouldn’t fall for female charms and was a strict gentleman.

However, he couldn’t just believe it! Putting on an act was also not possible! He also can’t be given a fake green hat! No and no! 

The two of them walked side by side with flower baskets in hand.

After mask Wu left the city through the Zhengyang gate, he reached the border of Wanping but didn’t directly return to his home on Saozhou lane, instead he bought a jug of realgar wine from the tavern just outside of Zhengyang gate, then he went to the edge of the moat where the dragon boat race had taken place and found a stone to sit down on, he took off his mask, drinking his fill of the realgar wine.

Today’s dragon boat festival was especially hot, a lot of boys were playing in the moat and young men were swimming even washing in the moat, their close-fitting trousers stuck tight to their bodies, there were so many people they looked like dumplings.

“Aiya, so disgusting!” Wang Da Xia used his handkerchief to cover his eyes, being too into the act.

However, Wang Da Xia’s reaction was correct, how could a young girl selling flowers stay at men swimming? 

Wei Cai Wei also copied his actions, using the handkerchief to cover her eyes, looking at mask Wu out of the corner of her eyes.

While mask Wu was drinking his ruined face was visible, the boys playing by the nearby waters were all scared away, only a few young men were curious about his heavily scarred face and didn’t swim away, but still maintained a distance.

Mask Wu drank half a jug of the realgar wine, he placed the mask on top of the jug, taking off his shoes and socks as well as his outer robe, he folded them neatly and placed it beside the jug, he wore only his black trousers and sleeveless white top, with a plop he entered the river.

The mischievous boys watched him jump into the water from afar, they clapped: “The monster has entered the river to eat children, everyone run!” There was an uproar of amusement.

Mask Wu was a very good swimmer, he stayed underwater for a long time, the two of them didn’t see him come up, Wang Da Xia said softly, “This isn’t right, I’m quite a good swimmer but even I can’t stay underwater for so long.”

Wei Cai Wei said: “Did he emerge elsewhere or climbed ashore?”

Wang Da Xia said: “It can’t be, with his ruined face, it’s a ghastly sight, even if he came up from behind a rock I would be able to see him, I’m not blind.”

Wei Cai Wei calmly looked at him.

Wang Da Xia suddenly realised he had said something wrong, he said: “I didn’t say you’re blind, don’t be mistaken.”

Actually Wei Cai was thinking about it, her expression changed drastically, she said: “Did he get drunk and drowned in the river after not coming up for so long?”

Wang Da Xia wanted to take off his shoes and immediately jump into the river from the bridge, a Daoist priest stopped him with his flag, “Young lady, how much are you selling your cape jasmine?”

It was Lu Ying pretending to be a Daoist priest, Wang Da Xia was baffled, “One coin for a flower.”

“Do you see that soaked man in black and white on the south side of the river?” Lu Ying used the end of the flag to point in that direction, saying quietly: “He is mask Wu.”

Wei Cai Wei stared at him, “That can’t be, his face is very smooth, just like a normal person without disfiguration.”

Lu Ying said: “Look at his left arm closely, there’s a scar as think as a rope, just now when mask Wu took off his outer robe and jumped into the water with just a sleeveless top it was there. He is mask Wu.”

Just now Wei Cai Wei, Wang Da Xia and everyone else had been captivated by his ruined face when he took his mask off, like they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, they didn’t pay attention to other characteristics.

However the almost inhumanly calm Lu Ying paid attention, let alone seeing a ghost during the day, even if it was at night, she would calmly consider how long the ghost’s tongue was.

Wang Da Xia said in shock: “But his face—”

Wei Cai Wei suddenly realised something, she understood what Lu Ying meant: “The mask Wu at the embroidered uniform guard’s yamen was a fake, he had faked the ruined face, speaking through the mask his voice would be muffled anyway, he’s easy to imitate. It’s the fake mask Wu who used the steel tooth cricket as a distraction to swap the zongzi and warn Ding Ru Kui. But the disguise was washed away by the water, that’s why he became someone else when he came out.”

Wang Da Xia asked: “if this is the case, why did he still go swimming—ah, I understand! He’s getting rid of his disguise, vanishing with only an empty shell left behind! The real mask Wu is probably already dead, as soon as it’s night someone will secretly throw his body into the moat, by then his family who noticed he hadn’t returned yet would only discover a jug of wine and his outer garments by the river, the children playing in the water would also have seen a person with a ruined face jumped into the river for a swim, that would substantiate the claim mask Wu drowned after getting drunk.”

In the heat of the evening, the three of them felt their back turn cold with their thoughts, that person was very meticulous with their planning, such a ruthless scheme!

The fake mask Wu already had someone helping him, from behind a rock on the other side of the shore he took out a set of clothes and shoes, he put on the clothes, taking on a new lease of life and became someone else, he had an average appearance and wouldn’t be found in a crowd.

The jug of wine as well as the clothing on the north side of the moat were destined to never be picked up by its owner.

The sun sets in the west, the crime had happened so quietly.

Even if Ding Ru Kui’s suicide became exposed, everyone would think mask Wu was the traitor, scared of being caught he then killed himself by drowning.

At Saozhou lane, mask Wu’s son and elderly mother waited for him to come home and celebrate the dragon boat festival, they didn’t know, their family dinner was separated between the living and the dead, it would never come true.

The three of them suppressed their anger and pain of losing mask Wu, they continued to follow the fake masked person.

Before they left, Lu Ying ordered her subordinate, “Set up an ambush, when it turns dark, someone will definitely dispose of a corpse.”

After the fake mask person changed his appearance, he walked through the street from the Zhengyang gate, travelling from Wanping to Daxing, then he headed south-east, after it turned dark he reached a goldfish pond.

During the Song dynasty the goldfish pond was actually flat land, there wasn’t a pond, after the Jingkang incident, Jin–Song Wars, the Southern Song dynasty became the subject of the Jin dynasty, the Jin dynasty moved the capital to the current Beijing, when they were building the capital, they dug a hole in the ground and built a kiln to make bricks, then laid layers of rice gauze to build a pond.

Later the Jin dynasty was destroyed when the Southern Song dynasty and the Mongolians joined forces, the pond however was left behind.

The Mongolians then destroyed the Southern Song dynasty, unifying the lands, the Mongol dynasty remained in Beijing, the pond was then used to raise goldfishes for the high officials and nobles to admire, that’s why it was called the goldfish pond.

When Zhu Yuan Zhang established the Ming dynasty, destroying the Mongol dynasty, the goldfish pond was left to deteriorate, but Yongle emperor, Zhu Di, after he moved the capital city from Yingtianfu in Nanjing to Beijing, the goldfish pond flourished again, many ponds were bought up by the rich and influential families, built around to create a summer courtyard, when it was hot they would move to this other courtyard to spend the summer, with the pond it was very cooling.

The fake masked person went to the back door of one of these courtyards, knocking on the door with three long and two short raps, the door opened, the guard let the fake masked person in and closed the door with a bang.

Wang Da Xia said quietly: “I wonder whose courtyard this belongs to? This is considered south of the city, I’ll go find out from the southern city military, the southern city military commander has a good relationship with my father, he ought to be kind to me.”

Lu Ying said: “There’s no need, I know who this belongs to.”

Thinking that Ding Wu could very well be inside, Wei Cai Wei hurriedly asked: “Whose? Is it Yan Shi Bo’s home?”

Lu Ying shook her head: “No.”

Wei Cai Wei was stunned, “Apart from Yan Shi Bo, who would want to do this, who would dare to kidnap someone banished to exile under the guard of the embroidered uniform guards? Who would kill an embroidered uniform guard who oversees the storeroom?”

Lu Ying said: “This belongs to Yanshenggong, after the great Ming moved its capital to Beijing, Yongle emperor bestowed a place for Yanshenggong to study away from the heat.”

A descendant of Confucius, Yanshenggong.

Wang Da Xia was even more stunned, “It can’t be, the Confucius family has never participated in politics, they have no animosity with Ding Ru Kui, how can they have kidnapped Ding Wu? The Confucius family also hasn't got the influence to do this.”

Lu Ying said: “Yan Shi Bo’s eldest daughter, that is also my second sister’s husband’s older sister, with the emperor as her personal matchmaker, she was married to Yanshenggong, she is the wife of Yanshenggong. Yanshenggong usually lives in the Confucius residence at Qufu in Shandong, he gave this bestowed courtyard to his father-in-law Yan Shi Bo to use.”

Wei Cai Wei clenched her fists, “Yan Shi Bo is very cunning, this is a courtyard bestowed by the emperor and it’s a property under the Yanshenggong family name with such a powerful backer, with leader Lu here and even if commander Lu comes himself, you wouldn’t dare to burst in and carry out a search.”

Yanshenggong residence was a sacred place for every scholar in the world, if Lu Bing dared to charge into Yanshenggong’s courtyard to carry out a search, memorials to the emperor asking for Lu Bing’s impeachment would pile up like snow, Lu Bing would no longer be a commander.

That’s why, Yan Shi Bo’s plan was watertight— even if there was a hole, no one would dare look inside, because this wasn’t the Yan residence, rather the residence of Yanshenggong, it was an even safer place than the Yan residence. 

No wonder he was called a genius! Wang Da Xia immediately lost hope, he hurriedly said: “Leader Lu, if we wait any longer, either Ding Wu or Ding Ru Kui will die, or both of them will.”

“If we don’t enter the tiger’s cave, how do we know where Ding Wu is?” Lu Ying pointed at the courtyard next door, “This is our Lu family courtyard, we’re neighbours with the Confucius family, that’s why I know what the courtyard is like the back of my own hand.”

Wang Da Xia suddenly realised, “Leader Lu means, we’ll climb over from your courtyard?”

“What? You don’t dare?” Lu Ying asked.

Of course I don’t dare, this is the Confucius courtyard, and the Yan family, I don’t dare to offend any of them, my father isn't the son of the emperor’s wet nurse either!

But— seeing Wei Cai Wei’s worried expression, Wang Da Xia put on a brave face, saying: “I’ll go, who’s afraid! I, Wang Da Xia is only afraid of ghosts not humans!”