《A Gallop on the Embankment with Spring Breeze》


 Chapter 1 - I am the Daughter of Dragon King

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    As the night grew darker, the lanterns were all lit up. The streets along the Datong River were still busy with pedestrians coming and going, for it was the Zhongyuan Festival (the traditional Chinese holiday to pray for ancestors and souls) and it was a convention that people would put lanterns on the river at night of this day.


    Besides the cries of roadside vendors and hawkers, what was more attractive was a wide variety of goods such as clay dolls, gilding gourds, lifelike monkeys, and exquisite lanterns which attracted pedestrians to appreciate and purchase.


    The woman in white walked towards the Qingfeng Dam. She was tall and elegant with half-piled hair. With a silvery mask covering the lower side of her face, she glanced right and left with her bright eyes which were shining just like stars.


    Seeing the woman in white, some pedestrians moved aside for her subconsciously, discussing in a whisper.


    ¡°What a beautiful lady! Where did she come from?¡±


    ¡°She is like a fairy in the sky. Is she a fairy descending to the earth?¡±


    Having heard the whispers, the woman in white walked at a brisk pace, with pride on her face. A gust of wind blew, her sleeves were fluttering, setting her figure off to advantage; now she almost looked like a fairy indeed.


    Walking to the bridge of Qingfeng Dam, she stopped and looked down. Among those colorful lanterns floating on the river, most of them were eggplant lanterns. The poor had not enough money to buy lanterns, so they just picked big eggplants, cut them in halves to make lanterns with bamboo shade pieces around and a small candle in center. Those eggplant lanterns floated on the river, flat and steady, which formed a sense of beauty while floating with colorful lanterns.


    Suddenly, someone fell into the river and the crowd became noisy. After a while, the person disappeared. Those who wanted to go down to rescue were always be deliberately or unintentionally stopped or pushed away. At that time, the woman in white jumped into the river.


    For a while, the drowning man was dragged to the riverside and the crowd helped to pull him to the bank. It occurred to the crowd that the drowning man was a young man dressed like a scholar. Then after coming back to the bank, the woman in white expertly pressed the abdomen of the young man and squeezed the water out.


    Waking up in confusion, the scholar saw a woman in white watching him. She wore a mask with a pair of eyes shining like stars. He struggled to sit up and asked, ¡°You saved me? May I ask your name for repaying you later?¡±


    In the twinkling of an eye, the woman hatched an idea and answered seriously, ¡°I am a daughter of Dragon King. I just happened to be here to save you and you do not have to take it to your heart.¡± Then she stood up, walked a few steps towards the river, jumped down and disappeared without leaving any trace, just like a dragon flying into the river.


    At that time, the crowd on the riverbank began to cheer and screamed out, ¡°She is the daughter of Dragon King! The daughter of Dragon King!¡±


    Wanjin Building was one of the most famous brothels in Shuntian Prefecture. At this point, two young men dressed like the noble were drinking their fill in a private room. One of them raised his wine cup and toasted to a slightly plump scholar in deluxe brocades, ¡°Childe Hu, you would take the first place at in the metropolitan examination as long as Wu Zhong drowned to death. Let me toast to the future Number One Scholar! (the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score at the highest level of the Chinese imperial examinations).


    The guy who was talking was Tian Zhonghua, the eldest son of Tian clan, one of the clans of guarding the first dam of Datong River. It was he who plotted to push Wu Zhong down to the river.


    Childe Hu drained his wine cup with one gulp, ¡°God knows how he, a poor guy from the countryside, was praised by the learned scholar, Qian, and recommended to enter the Imperial College! Even worse, Scholar Qian wanted to accept him as a disciple! My uncle asked Scholar Qian to do him a favor by being an instructor of me, but he refused. What if he accepts Wu Zhong as a disciple? Then I would be an object of universal derision!¡±


    Tian Ronghua chimed in and agreed that Scholar Qian was as blind as a bat.


    The full name of Childe Hu was Hu Chunqiu. His uncle, an official, took Liu Jin a powerful eunuch in imperial court as the adopted father. Relying on his uncle¡¯s power, Hu Chunqiu had always been arrogant and domineering. He once tried to be the disciple of Scholar Qian but was rejected. Wu Zhong, out of nowhere, was allowed by Scholar Qian to attend the lectures in Zhongtian Pavilion and was praised many times, which annoyed Hu Chunqiu extremely. Thus, he invited Wu to enjoy the sight of river lamps and arranged Tian Ronghua to pull Wu Zhong down to the river, taking advantage of the mussy crowd in the Zhongyuan Festival. Having known that Wu Zhong couldn¡¯t swim, Hu tried to prevent people from saving him, trying to drown Wu to death.


    The door opened when they were celebrating. An attendant rushed in with an anxious face.


    ¡°Wu Zhong was not dead!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Hu Chunqiu and Tian Ronhua answered in utter astonishment.


    ¡°I did push him down to the river, but he was¡­was saved.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡± Tian Ronghua added, ¡°Who upset my plan?¡±


    The attendant paused for a moment. His face was thick with disbelief, ¡°It was¡­was the daughter of Dragon King¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I would be the Jade Emperor (the Supreme Deity of Taoism) if there is a daughter of Dragon King!¡± Hu Chunqiu broke out into curses.


    ¡°It must be the excuse you figured out to fool me!¡±


    ¡°I dare not. Lots of people saw it. That woman jumped into the river and disappeared. If she were a mortal, how could she stay under the water for such a long time? For almost four hours under the water!¡±


    ¡°An expert swimmer can indeed hold his breath and swim to a place with few people. However, on such a festival, few can hold his breath for such a long time, let alone a woman. Women are not allowed to swim in the area under the control of the five dams, so it is quite odd,¡± Tian Ronghua thought about all the expert swimmers in his mind but could not think of a woman who could do it.


    ¡°Cut the crap. What¡¯s the next step? Any good ideas?¡± Hu Chunqiu asked impatiently.


    ¡°I have got an idea. Why don¡¯t we set fire to the inn where Wu Zhong is lodging?Then we can take the opportunity to steal his baggage. He cannot stay at the Imperial City for having no money. Even though he struggles to stay, making a living will definitely delay his progress of study,¡± Tian Ronghua said with an evil smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! But be careful to make it a low-profile campaign this time. There are so many people in the inn. It would become a big trouble if they were burned to death.¡±


    ¡°I know. I will arrange someone to throw some torches and scream out. You can rest assured that no one will be hurt. But the guards of Ma family may disrupt our plan so we have to get out of sight of the guards of Ma family for that inn is right beside the Ma family.¡±


    ¡°The Ma family in charge of the second dam, which is against your family all the time? Well, I will deal with Ma family as long as you get this thing done,¡± Hu Chunqiu said casually.


    ¡°I will arrange proper people right away and ask them to set on fire when most people fall asleep. Wu Zhong would not recover his strength after being saved from drowning. He certainly won¡¯t bring the baggage in panic while trying to escape the fire.¡±


    The attendant left in a hurry after being told a few words by Tian Ronghua.


    The moon was bright and it was about eleven o¡¯clock at night and the busy streets slowly became quiet. Almost no one was seen on the street. Occasionally, the night watchman passed and shouted while ringing the gong, ¡°Watch for fire in dry days! It is eleven o¡¯clock at night!¡±


    A man sneaked up on a corner of that inn with a bucket of stuff in his hand. He took out the stuff from the bucket, and it turned to be cotton cloth soaked in kerosene. Then he carefully took out the flint. Probably out of nervousness, he hit it several times, but failed to catch on fire.


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    At this point, a cold voice was heard behind, ¡°Need any help?¡±


    As soon as that man turned back, he saw a woman in white standing behind. She was like a ghost with her face half covered by the long drooping hair which was dripping.


    ¡°A ghost!¡± that man screamed out. Throwing away the flint in his hand, he ran away immediately, just wanting to get rid of the ghost right away.


    The woman in white pushed her hair aside, revealing a pretty face. She, with disdain, kicked off the cotton cloth on the ground, laughed in a crisp and arrogant voice, ¡°When I began to play with fire, you were still a baby!¡±

 Chapter 2 - A Toff of Ma Family

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    The woman in white slipped skillfully to a corner of the outer wall of Ma¡¯s compound, bent down and tore down a few pieces of blue brick from the wall, and then got in. She was so swift and familiar with the house that she walked to a room in Ma¡¯s inner maze of chambers. The girl pushed the door and sneaked in without any noise, and then closed the door.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± The girl in white screamed out.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en!¡± shouted a middle-aged man seated in the room with a rod in his hand. The moment the girl entered he stood up with anger.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en, there were so many people, how dare you went to see river lanterns in women clothes! What the hell do you want?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I, I wore my mask¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en talked back in a low voice.


    ¡°Then where is the mask?¡± Ma Chaosheng, the father of Ma Tian¡¯en, stared at her and questioned intensely.


    ¡°I lost it, to save a man¡­¡±


    ¡°To save a man? If only you wouldn¡¯t harm others! What¡¯s wrong with the family to have you, a toff! Tell me if you went out gambling or cheating again? You are a girl! You know that?¡± said Ma Chaosheng in an exasperated tone, ¡°Except for stirring for trouble and making no efforts, what else can you do? How dare you wear women¡¯s clothes! Do you still remember that you are the son of the family! What will happen if you are known to be a girl by other families and relatives? Have you ever considered the consequences?¡±


    ¡°Dad, you asked me if I knew I was a girl, and then you said I could not leak my true gender, so have you ever thought about my feelings?¡± refuted Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Tracing the origin, Ma Chaosheng, the leader of Ma family in the second dam, fell in love with Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s mother, Li Yunyao at first sight. Their love was even sweeter after the marriage. But he was forced to have two concubines because Li Yunyao gave birth to three girls in a row while the family wanted boys. Unfortunately, the kids of two concubines were born dead. When Ma Tian¡¯en, their fourth daughter was given birth, Ma Chaosheng stayed out discussing something important with the heads of the other dams. He was very happy and congratulated by all people around when the news came that his wife gave birth to a son. But as he went back, he only saw a daughter, who was faked as a boy by Mrs. Ma. Ma Chaosheng could do nothing but cooperate with her lie since he was ashamed of clarifying that he got a girl again rather than a boy, and he was afraid that Mrs. Ma would be punished. They intended to declare Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s gender after a son was born, but neither Mrs. Ma nor concubines were pregnant afterwards. Growing up as a boy since her birth, Ma Tian¡¯en looks all the same as a man, who has nothing to do with a girl. He is just a rich dandy with a bunch of bros, claiming to have a strong sense of justice and ready to help the weak. Be that as it may, they just ask for trouble everywhere and invite enemies to home. So, no one has ever doubted Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s gender in the past 16 years.


    ¡°You just said to save a man. Well, several days ago, a couple was quarreling and you went forward to kicked the husband¡¯s leg and broke it. I, your father, had to pay one hundred taels of silver. Also, last month, you competed a whore from the procuress in Wanjin Building, who is not able to do housework at all. You are a girl, why you took back a woman just singing for you every day? What the hell are you thinking?


    ¡°Sorry, I did wrong. How about a gigolo next time?¡±


    ¡°You black sheep!¡± Ma Chaosheng became even angrier and wanted to hit him with the rod. Ma Tian¡¯en, certainly unwilling to be hit, run away in no time. After chasing him around for several times, Ma Chaosheng got Ma Tian¡¯en and lifted the rod trying to strike him, while Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly knelt down, bursting into tears.


    ¡°Daddy, do you know how sad I am? As a girl, I could have learned to embroider, married someone like my sisters did, and wore beautiful dresses and nice jewelry. It was you who forced me to live as a man. I have to learn diving, and you know I almost suffocated for several times? I have to learn to how to be an accountant, I have to study, and have you ever minded how I feel? I wore a skirt just because I wanted to live like a girl¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en sobbed, excellent in voice and affection.


    Ma Chaosheng had a deep sigh and asked, ¡°How much do you want then?¡±


    ¡°Just twenty taels of silver,¡± replied Ma Tian¡¯en without hesitation. Her face was lit by a smile and her eyes full of ingratiation squinted like a crescent moon.


    ¡°Thankless child! Each time you want money from me, you will try every means, even going so far as to wear a skirt. Alas!¡± said Ma Chaosheng, throwing the rod to the ground.


    ¡°Go to the accountant for ten taels of silver tomorrow and remember, do not ask for trouble again. And I will invite a teacher for you. If you dare to give your master any more medicine or cut his clothes, I won¡¯t give you even a coin.¡± Ma Chaosheng went out after saying so, with the door slammed.


    Ma Tian¡¯en, in man¡¯s clothing as usual, lay on a rocking chair, with servant girls surrounding him, some of the girls feeding him peeled grapes. Another beautiful young lady with picturesque features sat against Ma Tian¡¯en to play the pipa while singing a Jiangnan (regions south of the Yangtze River, whose folk songs are soft, exquisite and gorgeous) folk song for him, whose face seemed to be more delicate and attractive than the blooming rose beside her.


    Next to her was a low table, on which stood a wine bottle gourd inlaid with jewels of all colors. Since those jewels were hooked into the gourd, they would never be broken if the gourd was broken into pieces. On the table was also a vase made of dead wood pottery, which was obviously made of clay, but shaped like dead wood. In the vase were several red roses, just like flowers growing on old trees.


    At this time, a little fat boy dressed in red came from the outside and accelerated the pace at the sight of Ma Tian¡¯en, running to apple-polish him.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m coming. Where are we going today?¡± The little fatty looked at Ma Tian¡¯en with worship, and snatched a grape from the servant girl.


    ¡°Tian Fugui! Was it Tian Ronghua that set you free? I remember that he said if you came to join me again, he would break your legs, right?¡± said Ma Tian¡¯en, with drowsiness in his utterance.


    Tina Fugui, the youngest son of the head of Tian family in the first dam, was a faithful to Ma Tian¡¯en. Different from his older brother Tian Ronghua, who aimed to make Tian family prosper so as to unite the five dams, Tian Fugui¡¯s dream was to adventure in Jianghu (the martial society in ancient times of China) to be a respected swordsman.


    ¡°He was too busy with Mr. Hu to monitor me, so I sneaked out of the house.¡±


    ¡°You know, Hu Chunqiu is so indulged in playing dirty tricks that he has no time to learn something good.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said dismissively, ¡°If such dregs of society were to be the Number One Scholar, I would be the Dragon King.¡±


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    ¡°Exactly right! He can¡¯t even compare with you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en jumped from the rocking chair.


    ¡°Where to go?¡±


    ¡°To be help the weak, uphold justice and protect the innocent!¡±

 Chapter 3 - The Master Who Knocked Ma Tian’en over

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Compared with night time, the street in the daytime was another scene. The shop signs in the street were waving and bristling; the street vendors were shouting with charm; and some entertainers were performing acrobatics, attracting a cheer from the crowd.


    A few children were singing while running around: if in fatigue you travel, next year please pay a visit to the second dam. The scenery of both sides can be compared with a beautiful picture. Five miles away to the east is the third dam¡­¡± The children¡¯s voices were so clear and sweet.


    Along with other sidekicks, Ma Tian¡¯en swaggered around in the street. Noticing the children were running over, she threw a few copper coins to them. Then the children picked up the copper coins happily, shouting in chorus: thank you, Hero Ma.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en didn¡¯t think it was a big deal and said: go and buy some sugar gourds


    At this moment, she saw a child running hurriedly toward him, as if someone was chasing behind. The child was too hurry-scurry to see the way and hit upon Ma Tian¡¯en. He suddenly fell onto the floor and hastily got up, grabbing Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s clothes to hide behind her. ¡°Help me, hero! Someone wants to abduct me,¡± the child cried.


    At this time, a scholar-like young man ran over and stopped in panting in front of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Ma Tian¡¯en looked at the scholar and thought he looked kind of familiar, but cannot remember where they met. Gentle and handsome as he looked, it is surprising that he was a trader in human beings. Although Ma Tian¡¯en hadn¡¯t read many books, fighting is her strong suit. Since childhood, she relied most on swiftness when fighting with others.


    he scholar was about to talk, but the words were not uttered. Ma Tian¡¯en lifted her leg. What surprising is that the scholar looked weak, but reacted quickly. He shunned swiftly and Ma Tian¡¯en missed. Failing to control her body, she fell down toward the earth. And the scholar, who wanted to pick up Ma Tian¡¯en, didn¡¯t expect that it had such inertia. Ma Tian¡¯en pounced onto the scholar and they two fell down.


    Ma Tian¡¯en wanted to stand up. She looked up while the scholar was also up, and the two heads bumped together again. Ma Tian¡¯en jumped up from the scholar and shouted, ¡°You are such a fucking trader in human beings! How dare you to hit me! today I will teach you a lesson.


    At this moment, Tian Fugui and other people also came over, surrounding the scholar


    People on the street gathered round and whispered to each other.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en is bullying people again!¡±


    ¡°Master Ma is such a nice man. How could he have such a black sheep?¡±


    ¡°This scholar is an honest young man. How could he offend the devil? Today must be his bad day.


    These comments were not conducive to Ma Tian¡¯en. Hearing these, she suddenly got angry, ¡°Are you blind? I am getting rid of the cruel and pacify the good. He is a trader in human beings.¡±


    At this time, the scholar also stood up and tidied his clothes. He straightened the square scarf on his head. Although it was only a simple long blue gown and, it still revealed an elegant style after tangling with Ma.


    Compared with the furious Ma Tian¡¯en, the scholar seems to be magnanimous and calm. The scholar held his fist on hips, ¡°My name is Wu Zhong. Not before long, a little thief just stole my purse, so I chased him here.¡±


    ¡°Your mere words cannot persuade me. Where is the kid? Ma Tian¡¯en hurried to find the child, but it was in vain.


    ¡°Boss, we just thought to protect you and failed to pay attention to that kid¡­¡± Tian Fugui and his fellows looked around at each other and then uttered in a timid manner.


    ¡± Do I need your protection?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en then realized that she might be used by that kid as a tool. But she was reluctant to admit it.


    ¡°Perhaps, he is afraid of being sold by you and ran back home!¡±


    Wu Zhong suddenly approached to Ma Tian¡¯en. Ma Tian¡¯en felt guilty and shunned to the other side. However, Wu Zhong bypassed her. On the ground, where Tian Fugui stayed just now, lied a small bag. It was supposed to be left by that kid.


    The scholar picked up the small bag and showed it to Ma Tian¡¯en, ¡°It is my lost wallet. Then what do you want to say? Could it be said that you are the accomplice?¡±


    ¡°Bah, I have plenty of money, so how can I steal a poor scholar¡¯s wallet?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said angrily. Until now, she was fully aware that she misjudged Wu Zhong, so she felt guilty in the bottom of the heart.¡±


    When Wu Zhong opened his wallet, it was empty. It seemed that the thief took the money and left it there.


    ¡°That is all the money that I have, and now it was stolen away. I insist on learning for decades in spite of hardships, only to make myself stand out in the imperial examinations. However, I have no money now. See, should you be responsible for this? But for you, I am sure to catch up with the little thief.¡± The sadness aroused the compassion of the audience. In the next second, he turned the tones into slashing and Ma was pushed hard.


    ¡°I would like to offer the compensation. You say, how much tael of silver is there in it?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en, for the first time, met such a difficult scholar. How loquacious! It would better to have a fight. Thinking that the silver which is asked from father painstakingly was about to hand over part to him, Ma felt heart-broken. Ah, without the money, she had to say good bye to the liquor in Wangdong Tavern, the meat in Wanghai Restaurant, and the dice in Ruyi Casino!


    Suddenly, Wu Zhong wore an expression of integrity, ¡°As a scholar, how can I accept your money. Sow nothing, reap nothing. Although the escape of thief has something to do with you, you didn¡¯t steal my money; so I can¡¯t ask for your money. However, since you have been involved in these accidents, you should shoulder some responsibilities.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was dazzled by his words. ¡°You scholar, I have said that I will compensate for you but you won¡¯t accept. What do you want? Do you want me to pledge to marry you?¡±


    Wu Zhong just answered seriously, ¡°Sir, it is the natural law to be harmonized by Yin and Yang. But we are all men, how can we marry each other? Please behave yourself!


    ¡°Well, well. Then you tell me what to do.¡± Ma felt like hundreds of crows flying overhead.


    ¡°I want to rely on myself to make money. Since the trouble is caused by you, you should find a job for me!¡±


    ¡°What can you do?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Wu Zhong up and down. ¡°Unloading the cargoes of my wharf? Look at your weak arms and legs. I am afraid it is likely to be broken.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I have an idea¡± Tian Fugui pulled Ma Tian¡¯en aside and whispered, ¡°Your father is looking for a teacher for you, right? Why don¡¯t you take the scholar back home to be your teacher? He can¡¯t beat you anyway, and if you don¡¯t want to learn, can he force you?


    Ma Tian¡¯en thought in a flash, ¡°Indeed, although this scholar talked too much, at least he looked handsome, which was better than those stuffy old men which were hired by his dad. Moreover, he needed to prepare for the exam and had no time to take charge of me.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en felt that this was destiny! At this moment, Ma Tian¡¯en never thought that although he will not be forced to learn, he will be tricked.


    ¡°Well, Wu Zhong, you are a scholar, but you don¡¯t have much energy. Why don¡¯t you go back with me and study with me?¡± Ma was reluctant to call Wu Zhong a teacher, so he said he was to accompany him to study.


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    It was unknown whether Wu Zhong pretended to be confused or not. He continued to ask, ¡°Are you inviting me to be your teacher? It is servant¡¯s job to accompany you to read, not mine!¡±


    Looking at his awe-inspiring expression, Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly wondered whether he was shooting himself in the foot. With the more people gathered, Ma was afraid that what he had done today was to be heard by his father; otherwise, it was more difficult to go out. Thinking about these, Ma Tian¡¯en held fists on hips toward Wu Zhong as a politeness, ¡°Please be my teacher and teach me how to learn. Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Please lead the way, my student,¡± Wu Zhong replied immediately.


    Ma Tian¡¯en felt that she jumped into the trap dug by herself voluntarily. By the way, she blocked the exit and she had no way out.

 Chapter 4 - On the Role of Reading

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    In light of past deceptions of Ma Tian¡¯en, Ma Chaosheng was skeptical of Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s words that he picked up a master for himself when he went out due to the worry of being cheated again by an employed false teacher. However, after talking with Wu Zhong, Ma Chaosheng found him a man full of wit, who might know everything in heaven above and the earth underneath. And it was more important that he was able to tell what he knows in colloquial words, which was very different from hired pedantic old Confucian scholars before. Under the guidance of those scholars, Ma Tian¡¯en, needless to say, was unwilling to learn while Ma Chaosheng himself was annoyed to listen to such fusty thoughts. It was a great surprise to pick up such a nice master. What¡¯s more, Wu Zhong said that he would take part in imperial examinations, so he could only teach Ma Tian¡¯en for a short time. If he ranked first in the examination, he might be a firm support for Ma Tian¡¯en, right? So, in Ma Chaosheng¡¯s opinion, it was really a good deal.


    Ma Chaosheng sent someone to clean up a room for Wu Zhong, and decorate the room in a way that an intellectual may be fond of. He then told Ma Tian¡¯en that it was him who invited the master, so he should not say no concerning study matters. After that, he solemnly handed a lengthened and thickened ferule to Wu Zhong, which could be used to teach Ma Tian¡¯en a lesson without considering any consequences.


    Ma Tian¡¯en felt more like he had fallen into the pit and did not know whether there was a chance to back out. In the study, Wu Zhong was seated in the head seat with the ferule in his hand. And his expression towards Ma Tian¡¯en was just like: I will give you a lesson if you don¡¯t obey me. The feeling in his eyes, with which Ma Tian¡¯en was familiar, was the same as his when he wanted to train a horse.


    ¡°Men have ambitions. Some aim at killing enemies in the battlefield at the cost of life; some aspire to be officials of the emperor for benefiting the people; and others resolve to go into business for the glory of family. How about yours?¡± asked Wu Zhong slowly and gently.


    Rolling his eyes, Ma Tian¡¯en thought now that he could not force the teacher to leave, he would like to make him so angry that he would go away himself. So he answered, ¡°My ambition is very simple, which is to be a toff to drink and gamble in company of beauties. Simply speaking, I just want to kill time. You know, we can at most live for one hundred years, so it is better to enjoy the pleasures of the moment rather than live so tiredly. Just as the saying goes, eating, drinking and be merry each day.¡±


    As expected, Wu Zhong smiled with sneer. Ma Tian¡¯en hurried to add highly colored details, ¡°It is a waste of time to teach a student like me, who doesn¡¯t want to make any progress at all, so you¡¯d better go away with money, or it will be detrimental to your imperial examinations.¡±


    To his surprise, Wu Zhong asked him, ¡°You said you wanted to be a toff, so how much do you know about a toff?¡±


    ¡°A toff? Isn¡¯t it a person who is addicted to drinking, gambling and flirting with women?¡±


    ¡°No, no. What you said is just superficial. Rites, music, archery, horse-riding, calligraphy, mathematics, how many of six arts have you mastered? A real toff must be excellent in throwing, archery, bird fighting, cuju (literally kick ball; the earliest form of football played in ancient China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam), drinking games, tea art, horse riding, etc. You mentioned gambling, so how many ways of gambling do you know? Just taking dice as an example, it has many types, such as Liubo, Chupu, Shuanglu, Wumu, Touqiong and Caizhan (The six ones are all ancient Chinese gambling games). Well, how many have you been proficient in?¡±


    Hearing that, Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s eyes were lit up because he thought he met a master-hand: ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you and I are in the same boat. I will take you to the gambling house some other day. If we cooperate, we will win the money of all.¡±


    But Wu Zhong refused with indifference, ¡°Who said that I would gamble? I have never gone gambling.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you know so much about gambling?¡± asked Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°Well, because I read. As the saying goes, a scholar knows the world without going out. So even though I am not a gambler, I know more about gambling than you. Another saying is that there are gold and beauty in books. If you, who don¡¯t like reading, accidentally saved a beautiful woman, you may only go forward to say, ¡®Dear lady, you are so beautiful that I have fallen in love with you at first sight. How about marrying me?¡¯ Saying so, you would be scolded as a satyr prodigal, and what the lady may answer, ¡®I will make a grass knot or champ a ring to repay your kindness in the world to come.¡¯ While if you have read, you can say: ¡®I see you dim as the moon mantled in filmy clouds, and restless as snow whirled by the driving wind, and then¡­''¡±


    ¡°And then? The lady will say that she has nothing but her promise to marry me to repay my kindness, and then she will go with me, right?¡± asked Ma Tian¡¯en, with his eyes full of hearts.


    ¡°If you have read, you will know doing favors should not expect benefits, so you will have no such improper thoughts. You have read too little!¡± Wu Zhong answered, standing up with awe-inspiring righteousness.


    ¡°You¡­it was you who said like that¡­ Is that how a scholar teases me?¡±


    ¡°True, I have read more than you, so naturally I can make fool of you, so you¡¯d better study hard.¡± Said Wu Zhong while he took out The Book of Rites and handed it to Ma Tian¡¯en, ¡°You should learn rites first. Just read the book, and I will interpret it to you later. If you wonder about something unclear, think it over before asking me for help. I¡¯d like to study more important issues, please don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    Then, Wu Zhong got out of the study and locked the door.


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    Ma Tian¡¯en was too angry to jump up, ¡°Liar! What kind of scholar he is! What a teacher! He just annoyed me before he ran away, leaving me a fucking book.¡±


    ¡°Open the door! Roll over and open the door for me!¡± Shouted Ma Tian¡¯en. But no servant came. Well, all servants were warned by Ma Chaosheng to completely cooperate with Wu Zhong. Ma Tian¡¯en spun around in anger, but she had no idea because even the windows had been locked thoroughly.


    Ma Tian¡¯en shouted too much so that she was very thirsty. Fortunately, there was a pot of tea on the desk, she poured it into a cup and gulped it quickly. She found the tea smelled and tasted better than usual, but she discovered nothing special when she opened the teapot. Is the tea made by a scholar better?


    Ma Tian¡¯en gave up the idea of escaping from the study; instead, she started to read The Book of Rites left by Wu Zhong since she had nothing to do. Gee, it was so different from what he saw before! There were notes in small characters, clear explanation which was easy to understand, and some simple drawings, which looked very interesting. What¡¯s more, one or two little puzzles were presented in each page, which would be answered in the next page. It brought much fun.

 Chapter 5 - Both Tension and Relaxation Should Be Emphasized

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en decided to go out to play but was afraid of being stopped by Wu Zhong. Suddenly she came up with an idea and hurriedly called on a servant girl, ¡°Yanzi, come here.¡± Yanzi¡¯s mother is the steward of the kitchen and her father is in charge of some shopping of Ma family. She and Ma Tian¡¯en grew up together. Although she looks ugly and is all thumbs while running errands. But she has been serving Ma Tian¡¯en since she was a little girl. It was the arrangement of Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s father. Few people knew Ma Tian¡¯en is a girl, but Yanzi is an exception. According to Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s father, a servant girl doesn¡¯t need to be clever, which is better and safe for the whole family.


    As Yanzi hurriedly ran up and served Ma Tian¡¯en for dressing she was suddenly pulled by Ma Tian¡¯en. Hearing Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s whisper, Yanzi was so frightened that she shook her heads. Ma Tian¡¯en took her hands in pettish,¡± Yanzi, please help me this time. I am getting so bored. And I am losing weight and looks slim. For the sake of good sisterhood, please help me go out to play half a day and I will bring you some desserts from Rui Fangzhai. By the way, the Qianceng Cake I brought you the last time was shipped from Huazhou. Yesterday, the boat reached the port again. If I don¡¯t buy it this time, I must wait for a long time.¡±


    ¡°But, if Mr. Wu finds out, Master Ma must punish us.¡±


    ¡°Relax. He can¡¯t. How dare he lift my quilt?! You ask A¡¯shun to lie on my bed and say I feel uncomfortable. I will be back soon when I buy the desserts.¡±


    ¡°But, it is daytime. How can you go out without being stopped at the door?¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about this. I have my own way.¡±


    Of course, Yanzi couldn¡¯t withstand Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s pestering. She had no choice but to compromise. Then she called manservant A¡¯shun to come here, finally forcing him to lie on Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s bed by means of temptation and threatening, and then Ma Tian¡¯en sneaked out.


    It was just dawning. Ma Tian¡¯en escaped from the dog hole skillfully and went out to the street. Feeling a little hungry, she suddenly wanted to eat the old Chen¡¯s enema.


    Regarding the old Chen¡¯s enema, it can be regarded as the characteristic in the Second Dam. Although it is called enema, it is made up of parched flour and red yeast. ¡°Pig intestine and red powder is fried together for a while, and everyone says it is fresh with spicy garlic and salt.¡± It emphasizes the freshness. But this kind of freshness, not only means it is delicious, but refers to its color as well. Starch and red yeast are rolled into intestine-shaped and then steamed into a ¡°powder enema¡±. It looks like the real pig intestines but the price is much lower. The cutting skills of the Old Chen is unique. He does not put the enema on the cutting board. Instead, he takes the knife by one hand and takes the enema by another. The knife edge is from bottom to top, and cuts the enema into thin and thick pieces. One enema can be cut into exactly fifty pieces and then be fried; the thin ones are crispy while the thick ones are tender. A bowl of enema has two flavors. When you eat with some garlic sauce, it tastes oily but not greasy.


    Ma Tian¡¯en likes eating it. On the one hand, it is because of the desire for delicious food; on the other hand, it is because there are a lot of dock workers coming here. These people are good at telling funny stories and often tell all kind of stories they heard in different regions to Tian¡¯en.


    There is a saying called falling into a snare by oneself. Another goes, ¡°the heaven has a road, but you don¡¯t go; the hell has no door, but you break in.¡± Those sayings can specifically describe the current situation of Ma Tian¡¯en


    Ma Tian¡¯en sneaked out from the house like a thief. She couldn¡¯t have time to enjoy the scenery outside and ran to Old Chen¡¯s enema. But then, she was frozen.


    Who is that? A man is in blue gown, elegant and gentle. The first sunshine sprinkles on his face. It is unknown that whether it is the glory of the sun or his own glory. It has turned into a vivid painting even though he eats enema. Every move shows a sense of typical elegance that only scholars has.


    But this is not the point. The point is, that man is Wu Zhong, the man he painstakingly avoids after so many difficulties.


    Wu Zhong looked up and saw Ma Tian¡¯en running towards himself. She looked at him as if she was fixed. He naturally pointed at the seat in front of him and said, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en sat down with some guilt. Old Chen recognized Ma Tian¡¯en. Before she spoke, he said directly, ¡°Here comes Young Master Ma. Wait a minute; it will be ready for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­What a coincidence,¡± Ma Tian¡¯en had to start a talk.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t expect we have the same tastes. How early you came here to eat! Have you done your morning reading?¡± Wu Zhong put down the chopsticks and looked at Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I have read. In fact, I came across an unfamiliar word and came here for your answer. I am not intended for the enema.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en turned her mind and immediately got an idea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what words made you walk such a long way to ask me?¡±


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    ¡°There is a phrase in The Book of Rites: Both tension and Relaxation Should Be Emphasized. I don¡¯t know what it means, so I came to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that means you have been idle for too long. Now you need to be tense. How about dictating 100 words every day?¡±


    At this time, the old Chen served the enema with garlic juice. Looking at the food she usually likes, Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly felt that she has no appetite. She took a long sigh with the chopsticks in her hand. When picking another piece of enema, she sighed once again. Noticing Ma Tian¡¯en was frowned and sad, Wu Zhong suddenly felt that he was very cute. After all, it was his tricks to enter Ma¡¯s. Everyone is unique. You cannot expect everyone to be a scholar. Reading is more about knowing courtesy and others.


    ¡°Since you have read books for a while, I think it is better to change our class today. How about going to Jishuitan to see the lotus and make poems?¡± Wu Zhong said seriously. When Ma heard this, he shouted cheerfully, ¡°Good. Ah, I like poetry the most.¡± Then, he gobbled down the enema.

 Chapter 6 - Concubine Zhao

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Standing on the Yinding Bridge, one could only see one curved corner of Shichahai which seems like a part of a girl¡¯s sleeve, nifty and refreshing.


    Shichahaiin¡¯s morning is bustling with noise and excitement. Several old men are strolling with bird cages in hand; a few vendors are preparing to sell goods; and there are some young scholars who walk around, enjoying the beautiful scenery and discussing national affairs and people¡¯s livelihood.


    Walking down the Yinding bridge, Ma Tian¡¯en looks around as he walks and greets people now and then. Wu Zhong found Ma Tian¡¯en has a large circle of acquaintances: young masters, wharf boatmen, vendors and so on. No matter who they are, Ma Tian¡¯en greets them warmly with a broad grin.


    They keep walking for a while and the panorama of Shichahai slowly emerges. The sky is clear and bright in the summertime. Gilded with the rising sun, white clouds nestle sluggishly in the blue and bright sky. Boats loaded with food and various goods are coming and going.


    Seeing the passing boats, Ma Tian¡¯en sighs with depression. Wu Zhong stares at him in a confusion, wondering what Childe Ma is worrying about.


    ¡°I am afraid that you do not know. In the previous dynasty, the goods were shipped directly to Jishuitan Lake through the waterway. When it came to Ming dynasty, the Beijing city was reconstructed and rivers were rebuilt to be underground rivers. Thus, the goods were only shipped to water-gate and then handled manually and officials would charge for every sack of goods. The river was blocked and dredged over and over again but it was not fixed essentially. I guess someone does not want it to be fixed. Even if I had to fix it, I would have done it well. If only we had a complete waterway! It would save time and money as well as labor.¡± Wu Zhong felt a stab in his heart when he saw sadness and indignation on the face of Ma Tian¡¯en for the first time.


    ¡°Did you come up with those all by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course. My father thought I knew nothing about business on the wharf. I did know little about it, but talking with my various friends acquainted me with it unconsciously. You know, life is not easy for those who make a living on the wharf, including Ma family. You could tell it from gray hair on my father¡¯s head.


    ¡°Uh, how could I hear that Master Ma, the householder of Ma family, got annoyed by his idle son so much so that his hair turned grey?¡±


    ¡°How could it be possible! Only a rumor. Master, you are a sensible scholar and how could you believe those groundless suspicions?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en denied it rightfully.


    Unexpectedly, Wu Zhong redirected the topic, ¡°So, you want to be a hero to uphold justice?¡±


    ¡°Sure.I want to knock all those bad guys out here and the people in the Second Dam could live a better life then.¡±


    ¡°All right. Have you ever thought of that? You fight off those bad guys and a new bunch of greedy officials will emerge soon. How could you solve it essentially by fighting? The fundamental way as well as the only way to fight against corruption is to be an official in power supported by the emperor. But I think it is pretty good that you could come up with that.¡±


    ¡°Then if you become a high-ranking official one day, remember to fight against those greedy officials.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en stares at Wu Zhong adoringly. ¡°Sure enough, he is not the same as those former teachers. He did not scold me at all. Instead, he praised me!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en thought.


    ¡°Well, I will keep that in mind.¡± Wu Zhong nodded heavily as if he made a commitment. Naturally, he strokes the hair of Ma Tian¡¯en gently and then stepped forward.


    The lotuses in Shichahai are delicate and graceful, though not very large. The lotuses fling back their heads towards the pouring sunshine as if smiling brilliantly. Without the grandeur of endless stretch, they just thrive around the edge of Shichahai, embroidering green and red stripes around the blue sea suitably.


    The two chatted while walking. Wu Zhong told Ma Tian¡¯en some poems about lotus and listened to Ma talking about legends of Shichahai. They talked and laughed together in perfect harmony for the first time.


    They came back home after noon. At that time, Ma Tian¡¯en caught sight of Concubine Zhao. She came over with a snack box in her hand.


    ¡°Aunt, you¡¯ve brought delicious food for my dad again, right?Have you saved some for me?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en walked towards her smilingly.


    ¡°How could I forget you? The fresh-made plum cake will soon be sent to your room. Mr. Wu, would you like to taste some?¡±


    Concubine Zhao is a typical southern woman, petite, slim with fair skin. Her voice is not loud, but rather crisp and clear. Though in her thirties, she just looks like a girl in her twenties. Whenever she talks with people, she always wears a gentle, kind and warm smile. She is nothing like the grumpy mother of Ma Tian¡¯en who chastened Ma with a feather buster or punished him to kneel in the ancestral shrine. Thus, Ma was always around Concubine Zhao when he was young. Naturally, that was vehemently opposed by Ma¡¯s mother, afraid that he might be led astray. Being a typical southern woman, Concubine Zhao is good at making various pastries and cakes. She always makes delicious cakes for Master Ma. In the meantime, she would send some to Tian¡¯en secretly, afraid of being spotted by Ma¡¯s mother.


    Concubine Zhao turned around and walked away. Watching her back as she departed, Ma Tian¡¯en explained to Wu Zhong, ¡°She is the third concubine of my father. Maybe the surrounding environment of Ma family is favorable to the conception of girls. My mother bore four kids, three of them are girls except me. The other five concubines of my father bore three girls, too. Only concubine Zhao had a son before, but unfortunately, he died at birth. What a poor woman she is! She is awfully sweet and kind to me; even my mother cannot match. Maybe she thinks of her dead son whenever she sees me.¡±


    Wu Zhong has long known that Ma Tian¡¯en is the only son in Ma family and basks in myriad love from others. He saw before by accident that Ma Tian¡¯en rescued a girl and knew Ma was good by nature. That¡¯s the reason why he found a kid to act in coordination with him and served as the teacher of Ma. All that he did was aimed at avoiding man-made misfortunes.


    That day, an attendant of Tian Ronghua told him that Tian and other scholars invited him to watch lanterns on the river. Embarrassed to refuse the invitation, he followed the attendant and walked to the riverside. However, those scholars did not arrive as promised. Moreover, he was pulled down into the river by the attendant in his unwariness. When he was rescued, that attendant had already disappeared without any trace. Having no personal vendetta with Tian Ronghua, he could only think of Childe Hu as the plotter. In fact, he did not have any feud with Hu. Hu Chunqiu bore a grudge against him just because Scholar Qian thought highly of Wu¡¯s talent. Hu family was the rich and powerful in the local. How could he counter against Hu? The only way for him was to find a secure place to avoid Hu. Ma family was the only one who can compete with Hu family both in wealth and power. Therefore, he devised a plan to stay in Ma family.


    At that time, Yanzi ran over in a hurry. She was going to tell something to Ma Tian¡¯en and was stunned for a moment when she caught sight of Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Childe¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? is the house on fire?¡±


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    ¡°No. It is Madam, your mother. She went to your room. She thought you were ill. But you were not there. She was mad at your servant, A¡¯Shun. You¡¯d better run for it.¡±


    ¡°Why should I hide? I was out with my teacher to study poetry and I am going to recite the poem to my mother, right?¡± Ma answered while staring at Wu Zhong with a flattering smile. His smiling eyes were like the crescent moon.


    Wu Zhong thought his student had a lot of merits. Why not be a good teacher in that case?


    ¡°Well. You could tell Madam that Ma Tian¡¯en did go out with me and learns poetry composing. Tian¡¯en, since we have watched the lotuses, you edit the poems we composed and hand them over to me tomorrow. Remember, you have to write them neatly.¡± Then Wu Zhong strolled away, leaving a stunned Ma Tian¡¯en behind. In utter astonishment, Ma Tian¡¯en thought, ¡°How could you do that? We did not compose a poem at all!¡±

 Chapter 7 - Tough Madam Ma

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    As Ma Tian¡¯en approached the door, she stopped for a while. She patted her chest to calm down, then cautiously pushed the door open.


    A teacup was flung towards her, but Ma Tian¡¯en had prepared in advance to shun in other side and caught it.


    ¡°Mom, you¡¯d better not smash the teacup next time, hadn¡¯t you? It will cost our money again if you smash it into pieces.¡±


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en, how dare you play truant and come back!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en heard her mother¡¯s roar.


    ¡°Oh! you misunderstood me. You wronged me. Mother! I didn¡¯t escape from school today. It was my teacher who took me to Shichahai to see the lotus and taught me to write poems. When I came back with my teacher, Yanzi saw it. Yanzi, tell my mother, is it true?¡±


    ¡°What the master said is true. Madam, the master was back with the teacher just now.¡±


    ¡°Really? Did you two cheat me together?¡± Madam Ma looked at the two in front of her with aggressive look. Ma Tian¡¯en is likely to lie, but Yanzi should not dare to cheat her.


    ¡°Of course, it is true, it¡¯s truer than the jewelry my dad sent you.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en immediately walked forward and made a look of being serious: ¡°I have no courage to lie to my mother even if I cheat other people. Also, you can get the answer if you ask my teacher. He will definitely not collude with me.¡±


    ¡°Why does A¡¯shun say it is you who let him wear your clothes and disguise you in your room?¡± Madam Ma obviously did not believe her daughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that suit, so I gave it to him. It is a joke I played with him letting him disguise as me so as to see whether he is loyal to me. A¡¯shun, I am pleased with you, you can leave now.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en spoke carelessly and gave a leaving wink at A¡¯shun.


    A¡¯shun knelt on the ground. Looking at Madam Ma, he did not dare to move even if he wanted to stand up.


    ¡°Madam, the master did go out with the teacher. They have composed lotus poems today. I heard the teacher let her write them down tomorrow. When you see the poems, you will know the master didn¡¯t tell a lie.¡± Yanzi kindly came to the master¡¯s rescue and did not see the young master had changed her face when hearing the words of the lotus poems.


    ¡°Mr. Wu is really excellent. Few words as you could write before, it is amazing that you can make poems after a few days¡¯ learning. We have such a good fortune as all these will be handed over to you in the future. You can¡¯t always idle away, doing nothing decent. I will be unworthy heir of our ancestors, disappointing our posterity. You need to study hard from Mr. Wu.¡± Madam Ma waffled on something for a while. All these words are so familiar that Ma Tian¡¯en could recite them. But she still pretended to listen carefully.


    ¡°Mom, I know it. Take it easy, and how about coming out first in the palace examination and asking the Emperor to reward you as Imperial Madame Ma?¡±


    ¡°You? I will thank god if you won¡¯t make any trouble. I am afraid that someday I will die just because of your making too many troubles.¡± Madam Ma sighed.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t say that. You must live a long life. Actually, you look pretty, but you dress in old fashion. Concubine Zhao knows how to dress well. You two are almost at the same age, but you look much older than her.¡±


    ¡°You silly girl! I am the woman that you father married after a series of legal procedures. I was carried by the sedan with eight men when entering this house. How dare you compare me with those concubines! I think you need be taught a lesson!¡± Then, Madam Ma stood up and went to grab the feather duster in the bottle next to the table. The scared Ma Tian¡¯en quickly squatted on the ground and hugged Ma¡¯s leg. ¡°Mother, mother, you misunderstood. I mean you looks pretty, and if you care more about your dressing, you will be more beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Man should marry a wife from the perspective of her virtue while getting a   concubine because of her good-looking. It is the woman¡¯s duty to make sure her appearance and behavior to be formal and to look after her husband¡¯s parents.¡±  Saying these, Madam Ma stopped suddenly and said, ¡°alright, I need a rest.¡±


    Seeing her mother was about to get out of the door, Ma Tian¡¯en took a deep sigh. At this time, Madam Ma suddenly said, ¡°Tomorrow, you should send one copy of your lotus poems to me and your father.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s heart is crying. The sense of reverence for Wuzhong she just generated disappeared and only complaints remained.


    When Madame Ma returned to the room and saw Ma Chaosheng drinking tea. According to her understanding of him, he must be waiting for her and feet a little anxious. Indeed, when he saw her back, Ma Chaosheng put down the teacup in his hand and stood up.


    ¡°Madam, does Tian¡¯en come back? She is still a child. It¡¯s understandable for her to be playful. You should avoid being too strict with her. After all, it is impossible for us to ask her to join in the Imperial Competitive Examination. Know a few words and avoid making big mistakes. That¡¯s enough.¡± Before Madam Ma spoke, Ma Chaosheng already found excuses for Ma Tian¡¯en. There is an old saying, ¡°A kind mother makes a bad son.¡± But this saying is not suitable for Ma¡¯s family. Ma Chaosheng always feels sorry for his daughter. Such a good daughter is regarded as a boy because he followed his wife¡¯s advice and told others he had a son. He had thought that he had several concubines, and someone is sure to give birth to a son. When he has a real son, he will tell others Ma Tian¡¯en is actually a girl. Who knows that after so many years, he has no son at all. Ma Chaosheng also has a younger brother called Ma Chaoyang, but they do not get along well since he was a child. His brother is greedy and likes to benefit himself at other people¡¯s expense. He has two sons. Since Madam Ma gave birth to a girl, Ma Chaoyang was clamoring to pass on one to him, letting him inherit the business of the Ma family. As for his sons, the older is a yes man and is always obedient to his father. The smaller one has inherited his father¡¯s character. Ma Chaosheng decided to let Ma Tian¡¯en pretend to be a son, because he didn¡¯t want his brother or either of his sons to be the heir of the family. His lovely daughter, who should be coddled, but has to live like a man, especially the man of the Ma family who needs to learn how to live in the water from an early age. It was much harder for her. So Ma Tian¡¯en has been particularly spoiled by her father.


    Madam Ma was not born in an ordinary family. She was the only daughter of Li Dafu, the ringleader of Datongbang of Luo faction and definitely the apple of her family¡¯s eye. The ancestor of Luo faction, Luo Qing, was born in a military family. He was a soldier of transporting grain served in the Wei-so system (garrison) in Miyun of Beijing. One day, he suddenly comprehended something and converted to Buddhism. Then he preached among the boat people and had many believers. They were managed by different regions. The Datong River is governed by Li Dafu. Madam Ma is vigorous in nature, likes to play outside. Ma Tian¡¯en has the same character of Madam Ma. At that time, when Ma Chaosheng just took over the business of Ma family, he was marginalized by other gatekeepers, especially the Tian family. One day he went to a restaurant on business and came across the daughter of Li Dafu, who forgot to take money with her while eating outside. Ma Chaosheng helped her to pay the bill, and the girl fell in love with Ma Chaosheng at first sight. Finally, they got married. With the help of Li Dafu, his father-in-law, Ma Chaosheng overcame the difficulties at the very beginning, and the Ma family became the head of the five dams. Therefore, Ma Chaosheng always respects his wife. Although he has several concubines for wanting a son, he usually sleeps with Madam Ma. Over these years, he gives up the idea of having a son and seldom sleeps with other concubines except Concubine Zhao, who is gentle, and he occasionally stays overnight with her.


    Madam Ma was dissatisfied when she found that her husband was afraid of her being too mean for their daughter. ¡°In your heart, am I so terrible? You two all detest me. If you like gentle women, you should not marry me at first.¡±


    ¡°No, no, Madam is a real woman. The ordinary woman cannot be compared with you. It is my blessing to marry you.¡±


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    Madam Ma was a little embarrassed when her husband tried to cheer her up. She quickly changed the topic. ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en went out with Mr. Wu instead of playing truant. She said they went out to enjoy lotuses and make poems. Tomorrow she will show them to us.¡±


    ¡°Good, Mr. Wu is really brilliant. Only in a few days Tian¡¯en can write poetry. It seems that I need to increase his salary.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have talked about this with Tian¡¯en.¡±


    At present, Wuzhong, who is going to be paid higher, is now reading in the room. All of a sudden, he stopped and frowned in thought of what Ma Tian¡¯en said during the day: corrupted officials hindering the construction of the canal. He started to write something carefully with the book down and paper prepared.

 Chapter 8 - Two Tigers Cannot Live in the Same Mountain

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    It is a slightly warm morning with cool wind and rising sun. In the yard birds are twittering, and mixed fragrance of flowers and grass refreshes the mind and heart of people. Of course, Ma Tian¡¯en does not notice that.


    Ma Tian¡¯en has racked her brains all night to write only three lines of a poem, and she could not come up with the last line. She has no choice but to take her unfinished poem to the study with the thought of ¡°Early Depart, Early Revive¡±. However, she only went around a few times as she got to the study, daring not to get in. While the myna under the corridor shouted, ¡°The young lord is coming! The young lord is coming!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en tapped the myna on its head, and said angrily, ¡°Long-tongued¡±.


    Wu Zhong has been waiting for him with a book in his hand for reading. Seeing that Ma Tian¡¯en entered in self-distrust, and took her poem in hands folded behind the back, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°You finished the poem? Let me have a look.¡±


    ¡°Sort of finished,¡± Ma Tian¡¯en showed the paper hidden behind her back, but she was unwilling to hand it over to Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You haven¡¯t learned composing a poem before, so I will not blame for your bad writing. At least you had the courage to play a start, which is a good beginning,¡± Wu Zhong encouraged him. Actually Ma Tian¡¯en did not want to write a poem, but if he did so, his mother would blame him for skipping class again. Alas! What a mother good at nagging and fighting! He wondered why his father fell in love with her. Maybe he was forced to marry her.


    Ma Tian¡¯en went off into fancy for a while, and then bargained, ¡°I wrote one, but completed only three lines¡­ My mother asked me to show her my poem, and could you please say some good words for me?¡±


    Then Ma Tian¡¯en handed over the poem with her face full of smile. Wu Zhong actually had no expectation for his poem at all, but he found it composed of smooth lines, which was not a surprise but at least not a scare as he imagined. Though a little ugly, her handwriting was clear, which might be the result of efforts. Ma Tian¡¯en deserved to be called a smart student. After listening to my explanation of some poems of lotus, he was able to imitate some lines, which proved that he could be taught.


    On the paper is:


    Lucid is the water of the lake and red are the lotus,


    Wide are the lotus leaves and blocked are the fishermen.


    Better to be in the water than enjoy the flowers¡­


    Only three lines. Wu Thong guessed that Ma Tian¡¯en really could not get any other ideas. Wu raised his head to look at him, whose eyes show dark circles. He must have stayed up late. He has always heard that Ma Tian¡¯en is a toff, but after getting along with him, he found that he is a child who wants to be recognized by adults. He fakes being indifferent to everything all the time, but in fact he cares about others¡¯ thoughts in his mind. So much trouble he invited him actually arose from his desire to be praised by others.


    Thinking of that, Wu Thong laughed and said, ¡°It is OK¡±. Then he put the paper on the table, and imitated Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s handwriting to add a sentence behind. Finishing that, he handed it to her and said, ¡°Go and show it to Mrs. Ma.¡±


    Without any expectation that Wu Thong would add the last line for him, Ma Tian¡¯en was seized by happiness. The moment he got the paper, she ran away toward the room of his parents rather than checked it first.


    When Ma Tian¡¯en came running, the servants just finished clearing after Mr. and Mrs. Ma had breakfast. She narrowly bumped into the servants as she opened the door.


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Mrs. Ma couldn¡¯t help chattering. ¡°Please be cautious to avoid falling and bumping.¡±


    ¡°I came to show Dad and Mom my poem,¡± said Ma Tian¡¯en, and then he handed over the paper as if it was something treasured.


    The couple looked at each other, because they didn¡¯t expect that Ma Tian¡¯en would hand in his poem so quickly though they told him yesterday.


    Mrs. Ma was not literate, while Ma Chaosheng liked reading though he lived on water transport of grain to the capital. He took over the paper and read it out for Mrs. Ma.


    Lucid is the water of the lake and red are the lotus,


    Wide are the lotus leaves and blocked are the fishermen.


    Better to be in the water than enjoy the flowers,


    For lotus seeds as a gift for parents.


    ¡°My good baby! You wanted to pick up lotus seeds for us when you enjoy the beauty of lotus. The poem is good, and the handwriting is¡­not bad. It must be a revelation of our ancestors. You are enlightened at last,¡± Ma Chaosheng was gratified to look at his girl, while Mrs. Ma burst into tears.


    ¡°I have said my girl is no worse than those scholars. Look at the poem, what a masterpiece. Housekeeper, come and take it to be mounted and hung up.¡±


    ¡°It better not, because the last line was added by my teacher,¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was a little shy. He had been beaten and scolded since he was a child, so he was accustomed to being praised in such a sudden manner.


    ¡°The last line would not be produced without the first three lines. All lines are good. All! We Ma Family has a scholar,¡± Ma Chaosheng was so deep in high spirits that he sent the housekeeper to get it mounted in the best calligraphy and painting shop.


    While Ma Family was in great harmony, Tian Family was in violent storm.


    Tian Fugui was sneaking out to find Ma Tian¡¯en, while a cold sound came through as he got to the gate: ¡°Stop! Where are you going?¡±


    The moment Tian Fugui heard it he knew that was his older brother. Since he could not get out, he turned back without any hesitation and said ingratiatingly: ¡°I want to walk around and get familiar with the wharf to prepare myself for the future when I can help you, my bro!¡±


    ¡°Who is your brother?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course you. My bro, are you amnesic?¡±


    ¡°Damn it! I didn¡¯t think that you know I am your brother, because I thought you were a member of Ma Family. Just follow me.¡± Tian Ronghua said with anger and then he walked toward his room. Tian Fugui followed up quickly since he noticed that his brother was angry.


    ¡°My dear brother, why did you say that? You are my only older brother, and I am of course the member of Tian Family. Honestly, Tian¡¯en is a good person, but you have not known him well. So I want to ask him out for drinking with us, and then you will like him.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t like him so I prevent you from meeting him, right? So in your heart, I am a person who control my brother¡¯s making friends just out of my own feelings, right? You don¡¯t know your brother at all. I don¡¯t allow you to meet Ma Tian¡¯en just because he is surnamed Ma. Among all five dams, Ma Family is the only one who can contend with us. We have always been fighting with them secretly, but now the state is amidst the winds of change, so the water transport of grain to the capital is going to have changes, too. Then the fight between us and Ma Family may be open, and what are you going to do at that time?¡± Queried Tian Ronghua in a severe tone.


    Tian Fugui bent down his head and murmured, ¡°Why do we have to fight it out? Can¡¯t we just get along?¡±


    ¡°How stupid you are! Two tigers cannot live in the same mountain, which means that only one can govern all five dams, either us or Ma Family. Without Li Dafu of Luo faction, Ma Family had no chance to rise. Since there is chaos inside the Datong Gangs, Li Dafu may lose the leadership. As long as he falls from power, the open competition between us and Ma Family will officially start. You have been not that healthy since a little boy. It is my fault that I have taken care of you too much to let you know what the responsibility of our family is.¡± Seated in the chair, Tian Ronghua had a deep sigh after saying that.


    Tactful enough, Tian Fugui poured a cup of tea for his elder brother. ¡°My bro, I know you did everything because you thought it is good for me. Since the death of our father, it was you who supported the whole Tian Family, so I respected you from the bottom of my heart. I also know what you said to me, but I think Tian¡¯en¡¯s words are also reasonable. He often says that Datong River belongs to everyone, and we all are fed by the same source of water. So why not make money together?¡±


    ¡°What does he know? He is just a black sheep, who is arrogant basking in his parents¡¯ backing. One day, when his father dies, he will be eaten up by his own people even without our intervention. Speaking of Ma Tian¡¯en, I heard that you met Wu Zhong in street that day, and it was you who suggested him to invite Wu Zhong to be his master?You were so nice to him. You know Mr. Hu wants to cope with him, but you still helped Ma Tian¡¯en to get him into his family, what the hell did you think about?¡±


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t think too much. I just realized that since Mr. Hu feared Wu Zhong who must be of abundant knowledge, I just follow the words¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­I really don¡¯t know whether you are smart or stupid. Come on, family rules.¡± Hearing family rules, Tian Fugui¡¯s face turned pale. The family rules of Tian Family mean using a whip made of steel core. Once whipped, the skin would be red and swollen. The pain will be too unbearable for him to get out of bed.


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    Tian Fugui knelt down right away to hug his brother and cried,¡±Don¡¯t hit me. I am wrong and I will follow whatever you say from now on. I am not afraid of pain because I will say nothing if you want to beat me, but our mother is in poor health, so if I could not say hello and pay respect to her because of the pain, she would be sad. And if she knows that I get hurt, she will cry.¡±


    The unique skill of Tian Fugui is speaking of their mother, Mrs. Tian because Tian Ronghua is a dutiful son. Their father died early, and Tian Ronghua had to deal with the external business while Mrs. Tian had to cope with the internal affairs, so she suffered a lot. Therefore, Tian Ronghua is very filial to his mother, and Mrs. Tian dotes on Tian Fugui, her three-year-old little son who lost his father, so much that she would help him out each time when he got into trouble and freed him of punishment. In addition, it would be the birthday of Mrs. Tian several days later, so it would be better not to disturb her mood.


    Well, Ma Tian¡¯en was not the material for learning, so it would be useless to get Wu Zhong. And in the final analysis, Tian Family wanted to fight Wu Zhong just for the acquiantance with Mr. Hu, and they were not real enemies. Thinking about this, Tian Ronghua stared at the disappointing brother, ¡°I will let you off this time, but remember that if you break my business once again, I would whip you even harder.¡±


    Tian Fugui breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Take it easy, my bro, I will never let you worry anymore.¡± While in his heart, he added, ¡°as long as you don¡¯t hurt Ma Tian¡¯en.¡±

 Chapter 9 - Birthday Party of Mrs. Tian

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    There are five blessings. The first one is longevity, the second good fortune, the third health and peacefulness, the fourth kindness, and the fifth serene death. Longevity ranks first among the five blessings. It is a convention that all relatives and friends get together to pray for longevity of the elderly in celebration of the elderly¡¯s birthday.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was sent to Tian family in celebration of the birthday of Mrs. Tian. As the only son of Ma Chaosheng, Ma Tian¡¯en will be the man on behalf of Ma family no matter how unreliable he is. Moreover, he has made progress under the guidance of Wu Zhong, relieving Ma Chaosheng to some extent.


    Considering Ma Tian¡¯en tends to be a trouble maker, he was exhorted repeatedly to be submissive and courteous before leaving. After all, he is going to Tian family, the rich and influential clan at local. Having not seen Tian Fugui for a long time, Ma Tian¡¯en wants to know what happened to him. That¡¯s the reason why he is willing to go here.


    There has been a party atmosphere all through the Tian house. A troupe of performers of Chinese opera were invited to perform. All players are well-prepared, waiting for the starting time. The gate is busy with people streaming in. Some are intimate friends, some merchants in business and some are competitors like Ma family. At the gate are some servants distributing some snacks and cakes to passers-by in change of auspicious greetings.


    After his birthday presents were received by the steward of Tian family, Ma Tian¡¯en was led into the hall. Walking into the hall, he found it full of red scrolls with auspicious inscriptions. Right in the center of hall stands a golden folding screen with various calligraphic styles of ¡°longevity¡± whose number adds up to one hundred. Apart from any achievements in business, Mrs. Tian, the elderly lady is luckier than his father in terms of having sons, Ma Tian¡¯en thinks. At that moment, Ma made up his mind to please his father at his father¡¯s birthday with a gorgeous party and suitable presents. However, a pang of shame strikes him for he actually knows nothing concerning his father¡¯s liking. He has to consult his mother about this when he is back home.


    Sitting on the fine chair in the middle of the hall, Mrs. Tian, the elderly lady, receives the auspicious greetings and kowtows of junior generations. Though living in different dams of Datong River, they are all related to each other to some extent. As one of the younger generation, Ma Tian¡¯en kowtowed to the elderly lady for three times in respect and wished her good health and a long life. After he was bowed back by Tian Ronghua and Tian Fugui, Ma Tian¡¯en received a red packet from the elderly lady. Then Ma Tian¡¯en waited for other guests by the side.


    Afraid to make any sound audible to his brother, Tian Fugui winked at Ma Tian¡¯en as a sign for meeting afterwards. At that time, as soon as his brother went out, Tian Ronghua ran to Ma Tian¡¯en immediately. ¡°Boss, finally you came!I have been waiting for you all this morning.¡± He said cheerfully, beaming with joy.


    ¡°Why not come to me recently? You are locked up by your brother?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked with concern.


    ¡°Right. I have been locked in the study for a long time. If it were not my mother¡¯s birthday, I would still be in the tiny and depressing place,¡± Tian Fugui said fast and looked around with a guilty look on his face, afraid that his brother may appear suddenly.


    ¡°It seems that your brother gets quite well with Hu Chunqiu. I wonder what gifts he brought this time.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Who cares?¡±


    Hearing the name of Hu Chunqiu, Tian Fugui revealed a look of complete disdain. Ma grew up with Tian so he could tell at a glance that Hu Chunqiu must have pissed off Tian. As an elderly brother he should give him a hand.


    At that time, Hu Chunqiu came in, accompanied by Tian Ronghua. He bowed casually when he saw the elderly lady right in the center of hall. But Tian Ronghua bowed back in a hurry. Hu did not think it necessary to respect Tian family. Though a powerful family in Datong River, Tian family became rich by means of merchandise, which is inferior to officials. It is already a great favor for him to come here. What he thought in his mind is clear to Tian Ronghua. However, Tian Ronghua could not afford to offend Hu. By contrast, having had a bad impression of Hu previously, Tian Fugui hates Hu even more when he saw Hu¡¯s arrogance.


    Soon it was time for a feast. Accompanied by Tian Ronghua, Hu Chunqiu and other guests walked into the hall of the birthday party with Tian Fugui and Ma Tian¡¯en following behind. Ma Tian¡¯en whispered to Tian Fugui, ¡°Well, I found your face gloomy when I mentioned Hu Chunqiu. Has he irritated you?¡±


    On second thought, Tian Fugui said in an undertone, ¡°No, but he is not a good guy. He always incites my brother to be at strife with others. Moreover, he urged my brother to lock me up and prevented me from meeting you. And I heard that he spoke ill of your teacher. ¡±


    ¡°Teacher Wu? He knows Teacher Wu?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked in curiosity.


    The banquet is divided into VIP banquet and ordinary banquet. As a representative of the Second Dam, Ma Tian¡¯en was arranged to sit on the VIP banquet naturally. Tian Fugui talks with him while leading him to the banquet, ¡°Hu Chunqiu is full of sourness. Not having much talent himself, he is jealous of Wu Zhong. Once I heard what he talked about with my brother. He said he would be the Number One in the examination if Wu Zhong were not in the way. Stay away from him for some members of his family serve as officials in the imperial court.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en listened while thinking about tricks. ¡°Beyond doubt, Hu Chunqiu is the formidable enemy of my teacher. Why not give him a lesson? And let that be a gift for my beloved teacher.¡± He thought secretly.


    ¡°How about giving him a lesson?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en suggested.


    ¡°I am afraid it is not right. After all, it is right in my house. What if it is revealed? I would be beaten to death!¡±


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    ¡°Well, we would not let them know you do it. I will do it. Whoever they are, I am not scared. Just follow me and I would take the consequences.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said stoutly.


    They walked, discussing and soon they came to the VIP banquet.


    The VIP banquet is the most popular banquet¡ª¡°Five blessings banquet¡± which contains various hot and cold dishes that add up to fifty dishes. Five blessings are related to fortune, power, longevity, happiness and wealth. Among those dishes, five of them are famous¡ª-bird¡¯s nest in mild broth, braised bear¡¯s paw with soy sauce, roasted duck, steamed scallops and lotus seeds in honeydews. Many ordinary households have never seen those costly dishes, let alone eat them.


    However, Ma Tian¡¯en does not care about what to eat because all he wants is how to give Hu Chunqiua a big lesson. He originally planned to poison Hu, but in that case Tian Fugui would probably get involved. So he had to make a careful planning to get Hu suffer in silence.

 Chapter 10 - I Am a Miracle-working Doctor

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en stopped as he was about to enter the banquet hall, ¡°Shun, come here and listen to me.¡± He called over the servant Shun and whispered to him. Shun stared at Ma, hardly daring to move.


    ¡°Hurry up! I need it right now.¡± Then Ma Tian¡¯en poised himself to kick Shun. Seeing the resolute determination of Ma, Shun dare not say more and ran away immediately.


    Tian Fugui knew at a glance that Ma Tian¡¯en got an idea, ¡°What did you ask Shun to do? Just give me a buzz if you need anything. Did you plan to do something against Hu? Come on; let me give you a hand. I cannot wait to give him a lesson.¡± Tian asked in curiosity.


    ¡°Absolutely I need your help. But you do not have what I need now. Well, you need to¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en signaled for Tian to approach his ear and Tian did so.


    ¡°Oh, my god! Will it be life-threatening? Won¡¯t it be poison, right?¡± A look of terror was on the face of Tian Fugui.


    ¡°Take it easy. Nothing fatal. My life¡¯s worth a fortune to me. It is not worth paying for life with life. Just relax. I am sure he will end up thanking me.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en felt especially pleased with his wonderful plan.


    The banquet began and Ma Tian¡¯en sat beside Hu Chunqiu who was full of contempt towards him. Though Hu talked and drank with Tian without even looking at Ma, Ma did not care about Hu¡¯s rudeness. Ma ate and drank by himself and talked to others from time to time. For a moment, he sneaked out by the excuse of going to the toilet as soon as he saw the fleeting figure of Shun outside the door. He knew that Shun came back with what he needed.


    Shun delivered a vial to Ma Tian¡¯en with anxiety and nervousness and implored, ¡°Childe, please do not make it out of control. Master Ma will¡­.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en pushed him out before he finished speaking, ¡°You¡¯d better go back now. You are chased away and it has nothing to do with you.¡±


    How dare Shun go back on his own? He waited for Childe Ma outside the door obediently and quietly. Ma pretended to go to the toilet once before coming back to the banquet hall and sat beside Hu. At that time, all got a little tipsy. Ma Tian¡¯en tipped the wink on Tian Fugui, implying that he had already got the stuff.


    Tian Fugui complimented Hu, ¡°I have long heard about your amazing calligraphy attainments. Would you mind writing some for my mother? Not only can it be the celebration of my mother¡¯s birthday, but it will be a precious model for my calligraphy learning as well. Maybe I can write couplets for my mother¡¯s birthday by myself next year.¡± These simple words flattered Hu as well as expressed his filial piety. Having heard those compliments in tipsiness, Hu Chunqiu agreed without hesitation.


    Though he drank a lot, Tian Ronghua felt something wrong. He knew well that his younger brother was not a man who was willing to express outwardly. Besides, his brother got a bad impression of Hu. How could the little guy express admiration outwardly? He was sure that there must be something behind it and could do nothing but warn his brother with his eyes.


    Ignoring that glance, Tian Fugui arranged servants to prepare the desk. At the same time, he himself got paper and writing brush as well as grand ink for Hu. While all guests were gathering around Hu, Ma changed his wine cup with that of Hu without being noticed and then joined the assemble.


    Hu did have some proficiency in literary accomplishments. He won great acclaims from guests for his writing of a Chinese word ¡°longevity¡± on the paper, so he felt so delighted and had a few more cups.


    Having had a couple drinks, Hu felt the heat inside as if there were fire burning in his stomach and an impulse arose inside him. His instinct told him things just weren¡¯t right and now he found Ma began to toast him with flattery.


    ¡°Childe Hu, you are really a genius of calligraphy! Would you come to my house and write some for me? I would keep it as a treasure and handle it down from father to son.¡± Compliment words were pouring down from Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Hu felt very dizzy and began to have an illusion of a beautiful lady standing before him. In the end, desire triumphed over reason and Hu came at the girl. Ma Tian¡¯en leaned forward as if he were going to help Hu up but actually bashed Hu with his knees. There was a loud sound and Hu plumped on the ground suddenly.


    However, Hu did not feel the pain for his mind had been blunted by the drug. He felt the urge to tear his clothes apart but his last reason stopped him from ruining his reputation. In that case, Hu decided to lie down on the ground to feign drunkenness, waiting for someone soon to send him to a room. He would find out the truth afterwards.


    At that time, people were gathering around. It was not a big deal to find scholars drunk, so someone suggested sending Hu to a room. Tian Ronghua hurried to arrange servants to do so.


    And there came a clear voice, ¡°Do not touch him. He was not drunk, but ill.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said. Then Ma leaned over and touched Hu¡¯s forehead with his hand. With the gentle touch the flame of desire in Hu¡¯s heart was about to blaze when he smelled the scent of Ma. He struggled to repress his inner desire for fear of losing control, curling up and quivering on the ground.


    Ma continued, ¡°His feverish head and quivering body indicated his illness. Better keep where he is. Please give me a basin of cold water.¡±


    ¡°Can you just stop with the nonsense? There is no time to fool around.¡± Tian Ronghua rushed to stop Ma¡¯s plan. In fact, he did not know what was wrong with Hu but he just followed his instinct to stop Ma. He knew well about food in party and Hu¡¯s drinking capacity, therefore, he was suspicious of Ma.


    ¡°I was trying to save his life instead of messing around. His illness was familiar to me and I do know how to cure him. If you do not believe in me, you could call a doctor. But I am afraid that Hu would be delirious when finally the doctor comes here. Believe me; I would cure him effectively. Will you stand here and leave him in the lurch?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en made himself profound on purpose.


    ¡°Childe Hu has already been delirious. Why not give him a chance? We could call a doctor at the same time. Wouldn¡¯t it be safer?¡± Tian Fugui made some inflammatory remarks. Those guests who did not know the truth all agreed with Tian Fugui.


    Tian Ronghua had no choice but to agree with Ma¡¯s try. He thought that may be the trap devised by Ma but it would not be life-threatening from what he knew about Ma. If it was Ma who did it, then only Ma could know how to cure Hu. After all, it would not be late to find out the truth when Hu recovers.


    Ma arranged people to bring sliver needles and a basin of water for him. Then pretending to be a highly-skilled doctor, Ma seized the hands of Hu and prodded needles into his hands. A sharp pain from his hands refreshed Hu¡¯s mind as well as his eyes. Hu screamed out and was prodded again before he knew it.


    ¡°It¡¯s working! It¡¯s working!¡± The crowd cheered.


    Ma Tian¡¯en shook his hands in modesty. Holding a basin of cold water in hand, Ma poured all the water over Hu. Hu shuddered and released his hold on the chair. Having taken out the silver needle, Ma leaned forward to prod Hu in his face. All fire of desire in Hu¡¯s heart has gone out and Hu jumped back in fear.


    ¡°How dare you? I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡± He pounced on Ma Tian¡¯en but was stopped by the guests, who all convinced him that Ma actually saved him.


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    Ma Tian¡¯en said in righteousness, ¡°I am a miracle-working doctor. You¡¯d better give up drinking and voluptuousness for your illness was induced by them. And remember to take a cold bath for six hours a day. You will recover a week later.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I am not sick at all. It must be your cunning plot!¡±


    ¡°How could you sling mud at me? I am your life saver. At least, you are a famous scholar. That¡¯s how you repay the favor?¡±


    ¡°My wine must have been drugged by you. Come and check the wine up and people who went out just now!¡± Hu Chunqiu bellowed with rage.

 Chapter 11 - There Is No Other Choice as a Man

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    We had to say that Hu Chunqiu was not that stupid. He immediately realized that he was drugged, and Ma Tian¡¯en was the first one to be suspected who pricked him with a needle just now. At that moment, he was seized by rage and had no other idea but to revenge himself on Ma Tian¡¯en without any consideration that he was at the birthday party of Mrs. Tian.


    Tian Ronghua came over and propitiated, ¡°Since it happened in our Tian Family, I have to take the responsibility for bad treat whatever the reasons. Hope for your forgiveness.¡± Then, he whispered to Hu Chunqiu: ¡°Mr. Hu, we¡¯d better not make it more serious, which may harm your fame.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Hu Chunqiu triumphantly, waiting for him to make a scene. He didn¡¯t worry at all because Tian Fugui had changed the cup when he took the rescue. If checked, no evidence would be found, and the drugs were already in the belly of Hu Chunqiu, who had no way to prove someone¡¯s crime even in the court. In addition, if it was circulated, Hu Chunqiu might be said immoral to take aphrodisiac.


    Thinking of that, Hu Chunqiu calmed down and found that the drug was still working, so if he continued to call to account, he would probably do something inappropriate. What¡¯s more, he knew that he could not find any evidence since Ma Tian¡¯en was certain about what to do. The most important was that though he could prove Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s behavior, he would not take other serious consequences except for apologizing to him for he was infamous all the time, but his own reputation would be destroyed. Therefore, the best way was to admit that he was uncomfortable.


    Therefore, Hu Chunqiu held back his anger and joined his hands to make an obeisance, ¡°I felt a little sick when I woke up, but didn¡¯t realize that it came on suddenly. Maybe I had caught a cold when I was reading last night, and I had drunk too much as I was happy today, so my body had a fever and my brain was dizzy. I¡¯d like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Ma for rescuing me.¡±


    Saying that, he turned back and left right away with the company of Tian Ronghua, who would arrange him to have a rest. Meanwhile, Tian Fugui was asked to greet all the guests.


    Though waiting for a while, people could continue with fresh dishes with the cold ones replaced. Without Hu Chunqiu and Tian Ronghua, the atmosphere was much warmer. Everyone ate and talked. Ma Tian¡¯en made people laugh by various jokes, as if the unhappy things had not happened.


    Tian Ronghua went back after all had eaten the birthday cake. He chatted with guests until they had to leave respectively as it was getting late.


    With pride from the bottom of heart and the drive of alcohol, Ma Tian¡¯en ran directly to the room of Wu Zhong as he got home. While he shouted ¡°teacher¡±, he pushed in to find Wu Zhong sitting at the table infront of the window, holding a book in his hand. In an indigo gown, he had his hair in a bun without kerchief. The setting sun sprinkled on him through the window, and he put down the book and turned around as he heard Ma Tian¡¯en. With gentle smile, his eyes were full of warm light. Ma Tian¡¯en felt that his mind seemed to stop thinking for a moment, and his heart jumped faster as if to jump out. Pinching his hot face, he thought that if she had taken the aphrodisiac too.


    ¡°Why are you running so urgently? Come and have a seat,¡± said Wu Zhong, and stood up to greet Ma Tian¡¯en. Feeling the smell of the alcohol in his body, he knitted his eyebrows. Then he put scented tea in a tea pot, then used the boiling water to brew it. Wu Zhong, with his slender fingers, adjusted the tea cream by a small amount of boiling water and then poured slowly while he tapped at the same time by a tea cage. After a while, the cup of tea was handed over to Ma Tian¡¯en until the pale yellow color appeared.


    ¡°You are too young to drink so much; just take a cup of tea to dispel the effect of alcohol.¡± Wu Zhong knew that Ma Tian¡¯en could not avoid social engagements as the inheritor of the Ma Family, but he still felt pity for him.


    ¡°Dear master, I¡¯m OK,¡± Ma Tian¡¯en took a sip and then he hurriedly asked him for a prize, ¡°I have taken revenge for you today.¡±


    ¡°Revenge? What¡¯s that for?¡± Wu Zhong looked at Ma Tian¡¯en with doubt, with a bad feeling arising in his heart.


    ¡°I took revenge on Hu Chunqiu. I heard that he didn¡¯t like you and wanted to bother you, so I have taught him a lesson for you today.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en explained what happened in that day quickly and summarized, ¡°I know that he dares not to make trouble, because he is a scholar like you, who will try to preserve the face and fame at all costs. You see, he was drugged, watered and pricked by me, but he had to thank me at last. You should have looked at his expression¡­¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was so excited but he found that his teacher was not that surprised as he expected. So he stopped with wonder, and asked with caution: ¡°Sir, am I in trouble?¡±


    Seeing that Ma Tian¡¯en got terrified from being excited, he could not be hard-hearted enough to scold him severely as he should do; instead, he touched his head gently and propitiated him: ¡°I am so gratified that Tian¡¯en has taken revenge for me. But you could have been less impulsive. Hu Chunqiu is a vile person, as you know, so he will definitely avenge himself on you since you have offended him. You¡¯d better stay at home to avoid coming up against him. Then it will be forgotten as tim


    ¡°I am not afraid of him. I will beat him dead if provoked.¡± said Ma Tian¡¯en indifferently.


    ¡°Be cautious to avoid your faults being found. I will protect you after I get the first place in the imperial competitive examination.¡± Thinking of someone trying to protect him, Wu Zhong felt warm and moved.


    ¡°OK! Since I am your student, I will be the little Number One Scholar then. ¡± Ma Tian¡¯en burst into laughter and his eyes were filled with brilliant respect.


    In Tian Family, what had happened at the birthday party was leaked out even though Tian Ronghua enjoined everyone not to tell other people, just as the saying goes, ¡°There is no such thing as an airtight wall.¡± But no one could tell what kind of drug Hu Chunqiu had taken, so it would not hurt his reputation, while the relationship between Hu Chunqiu and Ma Tian¡¯en worsened.


    Kneeling on the ground, Tian Fugui made up his mind to deny that he was involved. Tian Ronghua came over. Tian Fugui closed his eyes and thought: ¡°It was the birthday of our mother, so as my brother, he would not beat me dead no matter how angry he is.¡±


    To his surprise, Tian Ronghua didn¡¯t kick him. He just sighed and said: ¡°Get up.¡± Then Tian Fugui stood up timidly: ¡°Brother, it really had nothing to do with Tian¡¯en. Mr. Hu ate something unhygienic and felt it after he reached our house.¡±


    Tian Ronghua was so angry that he burst into smile: ¡°Do you think I am stupid or Mr. Hu is a fool? It must be done by Ma Tian¡¯en.¡±


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    ¡°Ah? Is it that obvious? No. Then why you stood up for him today to make Mr. Hu give up calling to account? It is not like your style!¡± Tian Fugui said without confidence, and his sound became lower and lower.


    ¡°In this world, there are no absolute friends or enemies. Only gains and loss last forever. Mr. Hu and I are friends, but the relationship is set upon our respective demands. He has no such prejudice against Ma Family, because he just hates Wu Zhong. But today, Ma Tian¡¯en infuriated him completely, so Ma Family became our common enemy. Considering it in terms of this, I think it¡¯s not bad for us. Though I held back his temper at that time, he would fly into a great rage as he went back home.¡± Tian Ronghua sat down and took s sip of tea.


    In Tian Fugui¡¯s mind, there was only one thought that Ma Tian¡¯en got into trouble since Hu Chunqiu would deal with him. No way. He had to remind him. Thinking of that, he shouted, ¡°Brother, I have something to cope with. Bye.¡± Then he ran away.


    Tian Ronghua sighed, looking at his younger brother¡¯s back. ¡°I know you do not agree with me, but it¡¯s OK. You will understand someday,¡± he murmured. ¡°A man will choose to be a saint if given a chance, but we have no other choice in many cases.¡±

 Chapter 12 - The Warehouse Is Haunted

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Because rice from the southeast cannot be transported directly into the city after arriving at Zhangjiawan through the waterway of the canal. It has to be carried by the workers at dark to Dayun warehouse in Tongzhou. There are four warehouses in imperial city, and 11 Beijing warehouses. The 11 Beijing warehouses have 52 sub-warehouses. When it is time to open the warehouses, rice needs to be transported from Tongzhou warehouse to Beijing warehouse by means of chariots and horses.


    Dayun Warehouse in Tongzhou can be divided into three warehouses: west, south and the middle, having 16 sub-warehouses in total. Among them, four are charged by Ma Family. They recruit workers to carry in or out grains, and meanwhile guard against fire and theft. Those keepers are mostly from Ma family or Datong faction, and they have Kongfu and courage, so some ordinary thieves dare not sneak into the warehouses and steal.


    One day, Ma Tian¡¯en took the new words she just wrote to show off in front of her father. Of course, it would be much better if her father rewarded her with some money.


    When reaching at the door of her father¡¯s study, she found that the door was closed and there stood a manservant. She could hear furious quarrels when approaching the door. The manservant noticed Ma Tian¡¯en and intended to greet. Ma Tian¡¯en made a sign of no speaking and walked close to the door. The manservant had to look ahead, pretending not to see her.


    ¡°Ghost? How could?¡±


    ¡°It is true. Many workers have seen it. Now everyone is frightened.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Why does the ghost go there? Is it a hungry ghost?¡±


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t believe, either. But everyone talks about and describes it vividly. They said it is a water ghost. Wherever it goes, it will leave water marks. Someone also said that the water ghost was probably¡­¡­killed by us Ma Family, so it ruins our warehouses and doesn¡¯t harass others. Several days ago, some of our keepers were scratched, and they said the ghost has long claws.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was so enchanted by their talking that her body leaned forward and then burst the slack door open. She rolled into the room.


    The people inside were frightened. Ma Tian¡¯en stood up, feeling a little embarrassed and smiled. Then she found the one who talked to dad was the charger of warehouses and she had met him before. He was also the clansman of Ma Family. Ma should call him uncle according to his position in the family hierarchy.


    ¡°Uncle, is it true? The ghost is male or female? Is it really terrifying?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked curiously.


    ¡°Um¡­..¡±


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, keep your nose out of this and we¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Dad immediately knew what she wanted to do and tried to stop her at once. Someone must plan it. Ma Tian¡¯en naturally likes to join in the fun. If she meddles in, it may cause more troubles.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you say that I need more practice? It is the best chance. How about handing it to me? I promise I will catch the ghost.¡±


    ¡°No way.What if something happens to you?¡± Dad refused.


    ¡°Dad, you shouldn¡¯t think like that. Other workers¡¯ lives are as valuable as mine! When I go to the warehouse, I promise I will follow my uncle¡¯s arrangement. What¡¯s your opinion?¡± When hearing the ghost, Ma Tian¡¯en cheered up suddenly and acted in a dignified way.


    Of course, her father knew she wanted to join in the fun. However, she is sure to take over the family¡¯s business. The ghost didn¡¯t hurt anyone, and what it wants is to trouble the Ma Family. So she might as well have a look. It is time to allow her to do something independently.


    Considering this, Dad said: ¡°Alright, but you should listen to your uncle. Otherwise, you will never be able to go out. And, it can¡¯t affect your study.¡±


    ¡°I promise it will not. Uncle, let¡¯s go and have a look. You tell me about that on the way to the warehouse.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked her uncle to leave the moment she got her father¡¯s agreement, because she was afraid that her father would go back on his word.


    Ashun followed her when Ma Tian¡¯en got out of the door. They sat in the carriage the uncle took. Ma Tian¡¯en couldn¡¯t help asking about the haunt. The uncle told her again in details. The night before, the keepers of the warehouse found a white shadow flashing by but couldn¡¯t find anyone. Only a water mark was left that smelled like aquatic plants. The next night, they added more keepers, and finally the shadow appeared again. They began to search and heard a scream. The crowd followed the sound and found a man on whose chest a deep wound was scratched. The flesh in the wound was turned out. The man murmured the ghost thing, twitching in fright. It seemed that he was shocked by the ghost.


    Then the news about the ghost in warehouse spread quickly. The workers were too scared to work, especially the keepers at night. They all claimed for stopping work, and some even asked for Taoist sacrificial ceremony. In this case, the uncle hurried to discuss with Master Ma on how to cope with it.


    ¡°Pretending to be a ghost and harassing our family business? I will teach you a lesson!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en often plays tricks, so she doesn¡¯t believe the ghost is true. She planned how to cope with the ghost, but the uncle warned her not to act on impulse and put safety in the first place.


    The haunted warehouses are large, and they include almost seventy or eighty granaries. Each warehouse can store about 2,500 Dans (dan: unit of measurement in ancient China). The upper of the warehouse has four spires, covered with yellow glazed tile and colored glaze roof crown of green side. The four corners are decorated with carved running beasts. The upper area can be used for drying grain and facilitating drainage.


    Arriving at the warehouse, they saw a group of workers gathering at the door and were not willing to enter. On the ground piled up many grains and some wooden cases for loading.


    The uncle signed, ¡°These workers believe that the ghost is still in the warehouse, so they are not willing to do the job, even if we pay them more money. I have no idea how to deal with it.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en jumped down from the carriage, clapping her chest and said, ¡°Relax, it is just a ghost. I will catch it and hang it on for several days. I am sure that I will turn the water ghost into dried fish.¡±


    With the arrival of Ma Tian¡¯en and the uncle, the noise died down for a while. When Ma was here, some workers who recognized her felt a little embarrassed; others even yelled at her: ¡°Master Ma, it is not because we don¡¯t want to work; the warehouse is haunted by the ghost. What if we are caught by the ghost? We all have parents and children, so we can¡¯t die.¡±


    When it comes to this kind of thing, if one talks about it, others naturally chime in with him. Instantly, the situation became noisier than before.


    ¡°Where did the ghost come from? Water ghost or hungry ghost? It seems that there¡¯s something wrong with your brains. We Ma Family is blessed by Dragon King, and no ghost dares to harass us!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en grew up to be very good at making troubles, so she could cope with this noisy environment. She thought there must be leaders. Looking around, she indeed found several workers who were active.


    ¡°Master Ma, to be honest, it is easy to be brave from a safe distance. You, a man of high status, can¡¯t understand our misery. If there is no ghost, how can¡¯t we earn that money? How about you talking to your father to invite a Taoist priest. After the ghost is caught, we will start to work.¡± One man said and others hurried to agree.


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    ¡°No, I can catch ghost. You stay here and I enter into the warehouse now. I¡¯ll be out this time tomorrow. If I am fine, it means that there is no ghost. If there is, you will be lucky enough to see the living ghost!¡± Then, Ma Tian¡¯en swaggered toward the warehouse.


    The uncle hurriedly stopped her, lowered his voice and said, ¡°Tian¡¯en, calm down, I will borrow some master hands from Datong faction to come with you.¡±


    ¡°No, I can deal with it myself. I am afraid the ghost does not dare to come out if there are many people.¡± Halfway, she suddenly turned her head and pointed to the man who had just taken the lead and said, ¡°How about you coming with me?¡± The man shook his head continuously and stepped back.


    Ma Tian¡¯en snorted, strode into the granary and slammed the door.

 Chapter 13 - The Ghost Was Spooked

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ashun, out of concern, as well as two Kongfu masters followed in. After all, they should guarantee that Ma Tian¡¯en, the lifeblood of Ma family, was safe, away from any danger.


    Entering into the granary, they split up to search every corner where the ghost could hide. Checking it out carefully, Ma found that the walls of the granary were more than three meters thick. The thick walls were to overcome the great tension that came from grain storage and to maintain constant temperature as well. It¡¯ s said that the open windows on all sides of the top of granary were designed to enable emperors of previous dynasties to see the harvest spectacle of pouring grains from windows to the granary, which was kept largely as a convention ever since.


    The grains and goods stored in the granary were in disorder for the granary was too large and had not been cleared up for a few days since it was haunted. They searched for quite a while without seeing anything special. It was already dark outside. With so many grains and boxes of goods, how could they find the ghost hiding there?


    ¡°Childe, what should we do now? How about going out and then checking them tomorrow? I heard ghosts would come out at night.¡± Ashun asked out of fear.


    ¡°Leave here right now? Do you remember for what we are here? For catching ghosts! You can leave here if you are scared. I won¡¯t.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en glanced at Ashun and thought Ashun was as timid as a rabbit.


    ¡°I am not scared! I am worried about you, Childe. If there were ghosts, I would catch them as your new ride.¡± Ashun changed his tone as soon as he got the point of his young lord.


    ¡°There are two possible results. The one is that someone dresses up as ghost and we could easily defeat him. The other one is that the ghost is a real one. If it is true, there is no need to be afraid at all. We may be beaten to death and turn to ghosts as well. Then we could beat those ghosts heavily until they regret to be ghosts! Anyway, stop searching now and we could just wait for the ghost to show up.¡±


    When she finished, Ma Tian¡¯en dragged a chair and sat down on it leisurely. She took a book, holding it half a foot away and read it, imitating his teacher Wu Zhong. After a while, he felt tired and put the book on the table with his hands holding her cheeks, staring at the book and listening to any sound around.


    The other three stared at him and looked around the quiet granary carefully as well.


    Except for some unknown words skipped, the reading sound, loud and clear, spread through the granary. It was so impressing. No fear. No sense of impending doom. But it was a pity that all lasted no longer before Ma began to drowse.


    In his drowsing, he heard the sound of wind. Where did it come from in the granary with such thick walls? Meanwhile, the sound of wind came along with some shivery wail. Was all that a dream? However, the sound was so real.


    Opening his eyes, Ma did hear the sound with some cold wind getting closer and closer, terrifying.


    ¡°Childe, a ghost! Really!¡± Shrinking back in fear, Ashun looked around carefully, shivering all over.


    Two Kongfu masters immediately stood before Ma Tian¡¯en to protect their young lord, getting ready to go into action.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know anything about ventriloquism? What a highly-skilled man! It sounds so real and I would like to have a try some day!¡± MaTian¡¯en felt excited rather than scared. Followed by Ashun and two masters, Ma walked towards the origin of the sound. Oddly enough, though the sound was not far away, they could not find where it was coming from no matter where they searched.


    The whole thing was really a little weird. And at that time, the sound disappeared suddenly.


    Maybe, the ghost was not willing to come out for fear of so many people here. Then for a moment, a fine idea came to Ma¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s split up. You check out those storerooms and I will stay here.¡±


    ¡°Childe, we¡¯d better not separate¡­¡± Ashun was scared and wanted to stay together with Ma.


    ¡°You say it as if you are my young lord. How dare you disobey me? We come here to catch the ghost rather than play hide-and-seek with it. Go right now!¡± Ma said resolutely. According to her experience, the ghost must be played by man, which aimed at attacking Ma family. From the perspective of the ghost, it was much easier to deal with one person than a group. Thus, as long as they separated, the ghost definitively would appear.


    The other three gave in and split up. When they were gone, Ma pretended to check boxes and sacks carefully. In fact, neither her eyes nor ears were focusing on goods, but she scanned the back with the afterlight of her eyes.


    As expected, the ghost fell for it! It was not long before Ma heard the faint rustle behind. When the ghost tiptoed nearby, Ma suddenly uttered a cry and fell on a sack of grain.


    With claws stretched out, the ghost had planned to fling himself on Ma. It never occurred to him that Ma would fall down by himself. He was so startled that he froze to the spot.


    The ghost was shrouded in a white cloth with face hidden except for his eyes. But from a distance, it seemed like he had no head. Beneath his feet were two blocks of wood-like stilts, creating a feeling that he was floating in the air.


    The ghost was confused about everything before him. He thought, ¡°How could the young man pass out? Maybe he was ill? Or was he dead? Okay, well, my work here is done. The boss should give me double pay for my excellent performance.¡±


    With high sense of responsibility and professionalism, the ghost came over, putting his hands out to check if Ma was still alive.


    As the ghost just leaned forward, Ma opened his eyes with a weird smile on his face and breathed a fire before the ghost touched his nose. So scared was the ghost that he fell to the ground with a cry: ¡°Oh, dear! A ghost!¡±


    Leaping upon the ghost, Ma Tian¡¯en beat him as he yelled out, ¡°How dare you play ghost with your crappy mouth skills? Well, do you really think you are floating in the air when walking on stilts? How about putting wings on you and see if you can fly in the sky?¡±


    Actually, the ghost was good at Kongfu. He was beaten just because of the unexpected attack of Ma and his limited movements owing to his tight clothes.


    The other three ran back when they heard the sound. Landing on top of the ghost, Ma beat him heavily. All of a sudden, the ghost rolled over, threw Ma out and jumped to run away. The two Kongfu masters had already been waiting by the door. How could they allow him to run away? The two blocked him on the way and fought with him.


    Ma got up from the ground and ran after the ghost. The three all beat the ghost heavily until he pleaded for mercy. Then Ashun grew braver and tore off the clothes of that ghost. A living man, actually a poor middle-aged man, appeared with scrapes and bruises on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯d better tell the truth. Save your silly lies, or I will kill you.¡± Ma was a little tired and the thoughtful Ashun brought him a chair to let him question the ghost on it.


    ¡°I will tell the truth. I will. I was just a man with some crappy mouth skills and plain fist-fighting and kicks. Someone gave me twenty taels for playing ghost in the granary for seven days. After that, I would receive another fifty taels. I did that out of avarice. I was so greedy and foolish. I am terribly sorry. I promise it won¡¯t happen¡ªPlease spare my life! Please! I still have family members, old and young, to feed. Please let me go!¡± Being a good performer, the man made all things clear in a speedy voice, shedding tears throughout his speech.


    ¡°Who put you up to it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know he is a middle-aged man. Nothing more. Well, you know, we have rules. I was not allowed to ask a little more. ¡±


    ¡°Oh? Rules? You, a liar, obeyed rules! Tell it to the Marines! How dare you play ghost with your crappy skills? ¡± Ashun scolded him seriously.


    All Ma could think was how to bring the man with him to play ghost. After all, the man was pretty good at ventriloquism. Sadly, he was a little timid.


    ¡°Put your hands out.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly thought that he had once heard about people scratched by ghosts. Ma wanted to check the man¡¯s hands.


    Uncomprehendingly, the man put his hands out, trembling with fear. Ma checked his hands carefully, but found his fingernails flat and blunt. Ma continued, ¡°Any weapons with you¡­ like, a talon of falcon?


    ¡°No, not at all. I did play ghost, but I never thought about hurting others. How could I hurt people just for twenty taels?¡± The man proclaimed his innocence assuredly.


    Indeed, he was too timid to hurt people.


    ¡°Do not dress in white when you play ghost next time. You got it?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en stepped into accepting the man as a disciple.


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    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. So what should I wear next time?¡± The man knew clearly whom he should rely on.


    ¡°Wear in red.¡± Ma replied.


    ¡°In red like that?¡± One of martial arts master pointed. All looked over to where he pointed. With his face hidden by his black hair, a man in red drifted away in a flash, leaving a strong smell of wet seaweeds.


    ¡°A ghost!¡±

 Chapter 14 - Treat the Master to Cao Duck

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Feeling burnt in her scalp, Ma Tian¡¯en chased along the direction where the ghost in red disappeared, but saw nothing. If it was a person, he must be some place near here. Thinking of that, Ma Tian¡¯en asked Ashun to get more people in, who could search these storerooms.


    As the door of granary opened, Uncle the Fifth at the door came up to see that Ashun rolled and crawled over with pale face, and said, ¡°The female ghost is coming out, everyone please follow me to catch it.¡± But over half of the people around him ran away as they heard what he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It must be someone pretending. Now, we have so many people that we cannot be afraid of a fake ghost. Those who are willing to go will get five taels.¡± Uncle the Fifth was worried about Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s safety, so he was hurried to get people in to help.


    To his surprise, someone refuted him immediately: ¡°What can I do with those taels if I lost my life!¡± And other people echoed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I have already caught a fake ghost played by a ventriloquist. This one is also definitely fake. Our master is there, so if it is a real ghost, he will come out much earlier.¡± Ashun also realized that he had a problem with his words, and added quickly.


    Uncle the Fifth also continued to persuade them. Then through the rewards and threats, about ten followed them into the granary. The moment they entered, everyone felt a blast of chilly air, which made the coward ones tremble and watch out. They planned to run away if there was something bad.


    Then they heard the sound of footsteps and running. Ashun shouted: ¡°Master, we are coming.¡± He led all and ran to see that Ma Tian¡¯en and others were searching the storerooms and flipping the boxes and sacks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find it together. I don¡¯t believe that she has wings.¡± Seeing more people around, Ma Tian¡¯en became more confident. Everyone came to help her, but they found nothing like the so-called ghost in red after a long time. ¡°The ghost!¡± shouted someone. Everyone was extremely nervous, and they looked at the direction to find a red shadow entering a storeroom. Then Ma Tian¡¯en took the lead in chasing it.


    They reached the storeroom soon because it was not far away. But they found nothing but many boxes in it. They had seen the female ghost go into the room, but could not see even a shadow. What the hell it was!


    ¡°Open all the boxes. I will not stop till I find it!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was really angry. The boxes were opened, and they found nothing but goods. At this time, Ma Tian¡¯en was also a little panicked, but she still believed in her heart that it must be a person, but how could a person disappear? But others could not be that calm. Disappearing under the eyes of all people, the woman in red must be a ghost.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away, life is more important!¡±


    ¡°Yes, if it weren¡¯t a ghost, how could it suddenly disappeared? I quit.¡±


    Someone was whispering to persuade each other to run away. ¡°What are you afraid of?! Even it is a real ghost, we have so many people that we can beat it.¡± Uncle the Fifth heard that and rebuked.


    Then, he whispered to Ma Tian¡¯en,¡±Shall we go out first to invite a Taoist priest tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°There is no ghost, so why shall we invite a Taoist priest!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en rejected firmly, because she thought that inviting a Taoist priest meant admitting the existence of a ghost. Then there came a sound of a woman crying outside the storeroom, which was very sad. All people were creepy. The ghost was inside the storeroom, but why the crying sound was outside? The timid ones fell directly on the ground, and bold ones went out of the storeroom, only to see a red shadow.


    Everyone could not calm down, for it must be a ghost!


    ¡°Ghost, don¡¯t catch me!¡±


    It was seen that a person ran away screaming. Taking him as an example, all followed him. They feared being caught by the ghost so much that they wanted more legs to run faster. Ma Tian¡¯en, dragged by Uncle the Fifth, ran unconsciously after them. Seeing a lot of people running out and some shouting that there was a ghost, the people at the door were so scared that they all ran away. As Ma Tian¡¯en calmed down, she looked around, only to find none in the place bustling with people just now.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, I do believe there is a ghost now. Would you like to go back and talk with your father for a Taoist priest. It may be a female ghost who died on a bad charge, so a ritual is needed.¡± Said Uncle Five when he was thinking about whether there were women who died because of Ma Family.


    ¡°Uncle the Fifth, I still do not believe it is a ghost. Well, could you please give me more days to find out who it is.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en had pretended to be a ghost for many times but she did not think there was a real ghost, so she believed that it was a person though she had not made clear why the person was not found yet. Turning around, she saw that the man who had just been caught as the ghost was still there, almost trembling on the ground.


    ¡°Hey, when you were inside, did you see the female ghost?¡±


    ¡°No, if I saw it, I would have run out earlier. I am afraid of it, too.¡± He was indeed honest.


    It seemed that nothing would be found out here, so Ma Tian¡¯en decided to go back first, with the fake ghost. But she had not expected that the fake ghost was a chatterbox, who told her nearly all about his family, of course including his name¡ªJia Shengping, called Mr. Jia by others.


    Mr. Jia was very curious about how Ma Tian¡¯en could spit fire, and after a long time of pestering, Ma Tian¡¯en could not help but say:¡± You say you are an experienced person of secular world, so you haven¡¯t seen jugglers? I put rosin powder in my mouth, and I lit it when I turned around, so I just sprayed it out naturally.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Master, you are really talented. I will follow you from now on.¡±


    It was not a wonderful feeling to be worshiped by such a swindler. Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly thought of something and she asked Uncle the Fifth not to go home but to the restaurant first. Uncle the Fifth held that she was scared to be hungry. Though he thought she was too young, he agreed with her.


    In the study, after getting the news that his student would rather go to catch ghosts than learn with him, Wu Zhong felt mixed. Well, he was also worried about her. After all, she was the his only student. He could do nothing but read a few volumes of sages to calm down, but he felt the door would be pushed open in the next moment all the time.


    Sure enough, if you think of something, it will happen. The door was opened at once, and a familiar figure came in with a food box.


    ¡°Sir, you see what I bring to you!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en walked in with a smile, making the room much brighter.


    Ma Tian¡¯en went to the desk of Wu Zhong holding a big food box, and then put it on the desk. The box was opened and appeared a delicious and appetite-stimulating roast duck with inviting color and taste.


    ¡°It is a real Cao Duck! It was roasted by the cook of Tianxiang Building just now. Sir, please have a taste to see if it presents you a taste of the Jiangnan cuisine.¡± Said Ma Tian¡¯en, with an ingratiating smile.


    At the initial stage of this dynasty, Jinling was the capital city. In the 18th year of Yongle, the Beijing Imperial Palace and Beijing City were completed. The newly-built Beijing City was constructed according to the form of the Rites of Zhou: Book of Diverse Crafts, so the Emperor Yongle issued an imperial edict to move the capital city to Beijing and changed the name to Jingshi. The population in Beijing was not that much, and the food there was also monotonous before. As it became the capital city, various styles of cooking were spread here from all parts of the country. As for Cao Duck, it was made by the ducks from the south of the country, which swam along the ships going to the capital city. The ducks were fed with what the people gave and the food in the water to grow bigger as they entered the capital, and then they were sold to those who would sell them to restaurants or rich families for making roasted ducks. It originated from the water transport of grain to the capital (which was called Cao Yun in Chinese), so it was called Cao Duck. It was far more delicious than those fed by local people. Wu Zhong came from Jiangnan, so he loved his local duck, while the price was so high that he had little chance to eat it.


    ¡°You want something from me, right? OK, first, you must read; second, you cannot ask me to do something evil; third¡­¡± Wu Zhong moved his sight from the duck to Ma Tian¡¯en and said seriously.


    ¡°Sir, I just want to give you a gift. How can you think of me like that! If you do not want to eat, I will take it away!¡± Said Ma Tian¡¯en, and she pretended to take the duck, while she looked at Wu Zhong with aggrieved expression as she touched the food box.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was so cute that Wu Zhong could not help knocking her head. She massaged her head and protested with dissatisfaction.


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    ¡°Just say, what has happened? Or never say it again.¡± Wu Zhong sat down with a smile.


    ¡°Trifles, just trifles. Sir, I just want you to do a thing with me!¡±


    ¡°Um, sure enough. But as your teacher, what can I do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to beg you to catch a ghost for me.¡±

 Chapter 15 - The Teacher Who Can’t Catch the Ghost Isn’t a Qualified Teacher

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    What surprised Wu Zhong was that Ma Tian¡¯en was so unreliable to ask him to catch a ghost. As a saying goes, when a man has too much idle time, he will have a lot of gossips. It seems that Ma Tian¡¯en needs more homework.


    Thinking of this, he pointed at the door and said, ¡°leave the roasted duck and you go. Remember to close the door. When you are back, write ten times what I have taught in class.¡±


    Of course, Ma Tian¡¯en was unwilling to go. When one has something in trouble, he naturally turns to his teacher. She will not give it up easily. Ma Tian¡¯en held the hands of the teacher and said: ¡°Teacher, it is not a prank. Our warehouse is haunted by the ghost. You have taught me that filial piety comes first. I also want to share my father¡¯s burdens, so I shoulder this thing.¡±


    ¡°Now that you shoulder it, go and catch the ghost. I am only a scholar, not Zhongkui (who can catch the ghost in folklore). Why do you turn to me?¡± Wu Zhong shook off his hands from Ma Tian¡¯en and didn¡¯t leave but sat back.


    ¡°I have gone. I originally thought that someone had played tricks. It was easy to go and catch it. You know, although my learning is not good, it is an easy task for me to catch thieves. Indeed, I caught a male ghost who was disguised by a ventriloquist. But surprisingly, there was another female ghost. And the female ghost was very frightening. I saw her enter a warehouse, but couldn¡¯t find her trace. Then outside the warehouse came a strange cry of the female ghost. When we ran out of the warehouse, she disappeared, too. It is so weird that I ask you for help.¡±


    Wu Zhong thought for a while and said, ¡°Do you think the ghost is true or disguised by someone?¡±


    ¡°I think it should be disguised by someone. Actually I don¡¯t believe there is ghost. Think of it, if a man who is incompetent when alive becomes powerful after being a ghost, the real world has already been occupied by ghosts. And if she was killed by someone, she should find the foe. What does she do in the warehouse? Her foe would not stay in the warehouse for her revenge. Teacher, do you think there is any ghost?¡±


    Wu Zhong kept silent for a while and thought of the woman who had saved his life¨Cthe woman called herself the daughter of the Dragon King. But he was drunk and didn¡¯t see her clearly. Thinking of this, a ray of warmth appeared on his face, ¡°If there is a ghost in the real world, there should be a fairy, too£¡¡±


    ¡°Fairy? Teacher, are you longing for love?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked solemnly.


    ¡°Bad words. It is not longing for love. Little child, you need a lesson. Let¡¯s continue to talk about the ghost. If someone plays a ghost, you should notify the local government. If it is a real ghost, you should find a Taoist priest. Do you want me to teach the ghost a lesson?¡±


    ¡°My teacher, I don¡¯t know whether it is true or not, so I ask for your help. You always say that the the book has its own gold house, and the book has everything. You have read many books, you can definitely tell it.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked as if he was going to depend on Wu Zhong anyway.


    Wu Zhong ate the roasted duck calmly and ignored Ma Tian¡¯en. Looking at Wu Zhong, Ma Tian¡¯en thought, ¡°A scholar looks elegant even when eating the duck.¡± After a while, Ma Tian¡¯en saw Wu Zhong put down the chopsticks and immediately handed the wet towel for him to wipe his hands.


    Looking at his ingratiation and her determination of ¡°you don¡¯t promise, I will stay here forever¡±, Wu Zhong thought his disciple rarely behaved obediently like this time, he might as well accompany him to have a look.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It is not easy to be your teacher.¡±


    ¡°I will achieve the first place in the imperial civil examination later, so you can ask for more money when teaching other students.¡±


    ¡°Forget about it, I might as well do it myself.¡±


    It was hilarious as the master and apprentice talked all the way.


    As Shun had already prepared for the carriage at the door. The uncle felt worried so he also came with them. On the way, Wu Zhong inquired about the thing that happened at the dock.


    ¡°Uncle the Fifth, is there anyone who is unscrupulous among these workers and behaved actively in this thing?


    ¡°The dock is large and there are many unscrupulous rogue men. But among these workers, Ma Lian behaves actively these days. Not long ago, I scorned him because he stole the rice.¡±


    ¡°Stealing the rice? In the warehouse?¡± Wu Zhong asked. If he stole the rice in the warehouse, it couldn¡¯t just be a few curses.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, Ma Lian was originally a little charger at the dock. We treat him well. But it is surprising that he thinks highly of the little profits and is very cunning. He sewed another layer in his sleeve and equipped a piece of iron pipe with a sharp point on top of it. When others do not pay attention, he pierced the bag of rice, so rice can follow the silver pipe into his sleeve. He stole a lot during the day, but one day was caught by me. I wanted to dismiss him, but he cried and begged. He has an old mother who was blind and needed to be taken care of. I let off him in a moment of mercy, but I don¡¯t expect him to be active this time. What a conscienceless man! I will dismiss him as soon as the matter is over.¡± Speaking of Ma Lian, the uncle became angry.


    ¡°The ghost can¡¯t come in without the domestic thief. If the ghost is disguised by the man, he must hide in boxes or sacks that were carried by workers.¡±


    Only talking half, Wu Zhong was interrupted by Ma Tian¡¯en: ¡°Teacher is indeed smart. Mr. Jia, the ghost I caught, said someone gave him money to hide in a box, and then was transported into the warehouse. I go to catch Ma Lian now and give him a beating, and then he will tell everything.¡±


    ¡°But we are not sure whether it is done by Ma Lian. It is better to let sleeping dogs lie, and there is the news of the ghost. The most important is to catch the ghost.¡± Actually, Wu Zhong knew who planned it. It might be Hu Chunqiu and Tian Ronghua who could organize these things for Ma Family. It was because of himself that Ma Tian¡¯en offended Hu Chunqiu. So he must help Ma Tian¡¯en to catch the ghost.


    Arriving at the warehouse, some bystanders gathered around, but kept a certain distance and didn¡¯t dare to stand close, as if they were afraid that the ghost could come out of the door.


    Two workers opened the door and shunned aside swiftly, afraid of being called to come in together with them. However, workers were surprised at the coming of Wu Zhong. The workers didn¡¯t know him. But he was more like a scholar than a Taoist priest, so they didn¡¯t understand why Ma Tia¡¯en invited him.


    Wu Zhong, Ma Tian¡¯en, Ashun and Uncle stepped into the warehouse. They felt a chill only approaching to the door. The uncle felt very scared. He brought many helpers lest anything should happen to these two men. Although he was afraid, he still walked in front of them for withstanding something unexpected.


    ¡°No need for panic, I guess the ghost would not come out now. Tian¡¯en, take me to the storeroom where the ghost disappeared.¡± Wu Zhong was calm. The ghost must appear when everyone is tired or nervous. They just entered, so the atmosphere was not due, and the ghost would not come out.


    ¡°OK.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en replied without ado. Although the warehouse has many storerooms, Ma Tian¡¯en had a good memory, so she soon found the storeroom with Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Teacher, that¡¯s it, the female ghost flew from the door of this storeroom. We were in this room at that time and watched her flying past.¡± After saying these, Ma Tian¡¯en felt chilly. Others became nervous, especially Ashun who was trembling.


    Wu Zhong stood at the door of the storeroom. According to the location where the ghost appeared, he carefully observed. According to what Ma Tian¡¯en said, the female ghost should float for a while at the door and flew away when they ran after it. If it was Qing Kung in Jianghu, she should not float for such a long time. So she must use other ways. In light of this, Wu Zhong touched along the outer wall of the warehouse. Indeed, on the outer wall, two meters away from the storeroom, there is a small hole, which looks like the scratch.


    ¡°Look, what can cause this scratch? If it is true, there should be this kind of scratch on the same spot of the other side of the storeroom.¡± Wu Zhong asked the men of Datong faction.


    ¡°It really has!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en immediately ran to the wall of the other side of the storeroom and checked, she indeed found a hole of the same size.


    ¡°It might be grab lines. I have heard from the grand master before that there are master hands in Jianghu who can use grab lines and ropes to walk on the wall, as if waking on the ground. If there are grab lines on both side of the wall, she can float in the air for a while. If the rope is very thin, it is not easy to be noticed.¡± One man of Datong faction said.


    ¡°Yes. She wore the red clothes. People will pay more attention to her clothes,¡± Ma Tian¡¯en added.


    ¡°Bring me to the room where she disappeared,¡± Wu Zhong was relieved.


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    Ma Tian¡¯en hurriedly led Wu Zhong to the storeroom where the female disappeared. It was not far. While walking, Wu Zhong observed whether there is the same kind of hole on the outer wall of the passed storeroom.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. The female came in and then disappeared. After a while, we heard her crying outside. When chasing out, we saw a shadow and it disappeared again.¡± By this, Ma Tian¡¯en felt depressed. She disguised herself as a ghost every year, but this year, she was tricked by a ghost.


    Wu Zhong walked in. The storeroom was not large. Inside were sacks of grain, and boxes. Some of them had been opened which were ordered by Ma Tian¡¯en. There was no place where a person could hide.


    Wu Zhong turned around, looking up, staring for a while, and then he understood.

 Chapter 16 - Even Ghosts Have to Eat

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    ¡°Teacher, have you got something?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was quite observant. He knew it immediately as soon as he took a glance at Wu Zhong.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you outside,¡± Wu Zhong said as he walked out. Ma Tian¡¯en was curious about what Wu had found, but Wu Zhong refused to tell, so he stopped asking. Everyone went out together.


    Some people still scattered outside around the granary. Seeing them coming out, they all came and asked questions. Before their cascading questions, Wu Zhong said: ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry; we just went in and didn¡¯t see any ghosts. Maybe someone was so tired that he was hallucinated.¡±


    ¡°You are just a scholar. How could you understand those supernatural beings? I was not the only man who saw the ghost here. Could it be possible that we were all hallunicated at that time?¡± Someone questioned him right away.


    ¡°People just followed what others said. You know, when highly tense, people will be affected by others.¡±


    ¡°Why not stay in the granary for one night? Maybe ghosts would like to come out at night.¡± Someone in the crowd jeered.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. It sounds I am afraid to stay in the granary.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en thought his teacher was strange today. What he said even failed to convince himself. How could it fool everyone here? What he said today was too naive, unlike a shrewd and sophisticated teacher.


    ¡°Since everybody thought there were ghosts, I will go back to prepare a rite to drive them away three days later.You could just keep an eye on the granary. Do not go in until I come.¡± Wu Zhong behaved like a transcendent being who did know some magic arts.


    ¡°Teacher Wu, do you really know how to catch a ghost?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en lowered his voice and asked in doubt.


    ¡°Not very much. Only a little.¡± After he finished, Wu Zhong went his own way, leaving the crowd discussing.


    ¡°The scholar was probably a liar. Where did he come from?¡±


    ¡°At the very start, he said there are no ghosts at all, and soon he decided to prepare a rite. As I see, he gonna run away with money.¡±


    ¡°He seems to be the teacher of Childe Ma. I have ever seen him once in Ma family. I did not expect him to catch ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Catch ghosts? Brag and bounce! If he could catch ghosts, I would conjure up gods!¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en followed Wu Zhong to get on the carriage in confusion while Wu sat in repose with his eyes closed.


    Wu Zhong suddenly opened his eyes after the carriage drove for a while.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Wu Zhong said.


    ¡°Ah. Stop. Stop.¡± Somehow Ma Tian¡¯en was obedient to Wu.


    Wu Zhong got off the carriage, and Ma Tian¡¯en followed. Wu Zhong let Ma Tian¡¯en and several guards stay with him, but asked the coachman to drive the carriage back to Ma family.


    Wu Zhong took them quickly into a roadside store. Having ordered something to eat and drink, Wu Zhong started to talk slowly.


    ¡°There were no ghosts in the granary. Indeed, it is a human being and I know exactly where she is.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The others were all shocked.


    ¡°Where does she hide?¡± Ma asked in haste.


    ¡°Hide on the beam.¡± Wu Zhong pointed to the beam. ¡°Did you notice the beam in the granary? It was wide enough for one person to hide. The man is supposed to be sliding along the wall with a rope and a grip so there were no footprints on the ground. When you went in, she hid behind it and that¡¯s why you all thought she disappeared.¡±


    ¡°But why is there crying outside? She can¡¯t go outside from the beam.¡± Ma Tianen flattered Wu Zhong by filling water cup for Wu.


    ¡°That¡¯s easily done because there are actually two people there. Wearing the same red clothes, long hair with similar figure, they would definitely be seen as one person, let alone you were all nervous at that time.¡± Wu Zhong said with absolute certainty.


    ¡°Well, I see!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en muttered and did not expect it to be so easy.


    ¡°Since you know the truth already, why not go in and search them directly? ¡± the Uncle asked, still puzzled.


    ¡°New things will happen if we cannot figure out what¡¯s behind. Thieves are always here but can we catch them all? Tian¡¯en had already caught one ghosts. Did it work? It¡¯s no use catching two more. It cannot be so simple. They are meaner than we thought. If ghosts were played by men, we will find them out eventually. How could they be so stupid?¡± Though not very clear about the wharf, Wu Zhong intuitively thought it was not that simple.


    ¡°Teacher, what do you think we should do now?¡± Originally, Ma Tian¡¯en asked Wu Zhong to catch ghosts, which was just a try. If Wu did catch ghosts, it would be a great joy. If it didn¡¯t work, he could make fun of Teacher Wu later. He didn¡¯t expect that Wu Zhong found the flaws so quickly and her admiration for Wu Zhong increased.


    ¡°Just wait by the granary for them to turn up.¡±


    ¡°You mean that we will go back to the granary and wait for the ghost to show up?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s brain turned and immediately understood Wu¡¯s idea. He deliberately made a departure and then went back unexpectedly to catch them off guard. Such a good idea! No wonder he is called a scholar!¡±


    ¡°However, we will wait for people who feed ghosts rather than ghosts to turn up.¡± Wu Zhong took a sip of water and beckoned them to eat food. ¡°Eat more for we gonna get a lot of work to do.¡±


    ¡°I got it. You mean that if the ghost is a human being, he has to eat. We only need to wait and see who will give him food.¡±


    ¡°You are worth teaching.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who are worth all the praise.¡±


    It soon grew dark and all people left. There were still people who were responsible for guarding the warehouse. But the haunted warehouse frightened people a lot and even the men on watch tried to keep away from it.


    There was a figure sneaking around. Sneaking to the outer wall of the granary, he took out something from his arms, stuffed it in from the vent of the outer wall, and then quickly slid out along the wall.


    ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s you. Ma Lian.¡± He heard someone calling his name as soon as he slipped out. The first instinct was to turn tail and run. However, it was too late. Being pushed to the ground, he was stuffed in a sack, bound and gagged.


    When he was released, he was already on a small boat. When Ma Lian crept out of the sack, he saw a group of people staring at himself, among them the most familiar was Uncle the Fifth. Knowing that things were not good, Ma Lian kowtowed in a hurry.


    ¡°I was wrong. My mistake. I was greedy. I was cheated by others.   Childe, Uncle the Fifth, please forgive me. I am the backbone of my family. They cannot live without me. Please forgive me!¡± He knocked the ground heavily as he said.


    ¡°Such an ingrate. Forgive you? This will never happen.¡± Uncle the Fifth kicked Ma Lian down.


    ¡°Okay, say what¡¯s going on?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en came over and leaned forward, staring at Ma Lian.


    ¡°I will, I will tell you everything. I owe debt to Ruyifang¡ªthe casino. The butler of Tian family paid all my debt off. They asked me to help them so as to clear my debt off. What else can I do? So I had to agree. There is nothing I can do about it or they will chop my hands off.¡± Ma Lian sobbed on.


    ¡°Cut the crap. What did they ask you to do? How did you do?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said roughly.


    ¡°They asked me to send two packed cases with double-layer. The upper layer was full of rice and beneath the lower layer were¡­ were people. I was forced by them. Childe, Uncle the Fifth, I know what I did was wrong. I was wrong.¡± Everything is clear now. Ma Lian was addicted to gambling. Ruyifang was run by Tian family. He lost all his money in the casino as well as his own house. When his house was taken by the debtor, the butler of Tian family paid off his gambling debts and gave him ten taels on the condition that he must send two cases into the granary. The wharf was filled with loads, cases and people, so no one paid attention to these two identical cases mixed in the goods. In addition, Ma Lian was familiar with the man who was responsible for inspection so these two cases were allowed to pass through without thorough inspection. However, the granary was haunted the next day, which frightened him greatly. Then that butler came over again to ask him to stuff food in from the vent. He, beyond question, did not want to do that. But he threatened to rat him out if there was anything wrong. The very thought of his debt and being an accomplice eventually forced him to agree.


    ¡°They said one or two times is enough. So I, I agree temporarily.¡± Ma Lian begged for mercy.


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    ¡°Anything else?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said gently, ¡° Think it over.¡±


    ¡°Nothing else, Childe. No more. How dare I cheat you? I was just¡­¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en stood up as Ma Lian said no more.


    ¡°Stuff him in the sack. Throw it down.¡±

 Chapter 17 - Who Is the Chief Plotter

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Several guards put Ma Lian into a sack nimbly, pressed his head and then threw the tightened sack into the river no matter how he struggled.


    Wu Zhong was shocked and stunned. It took a while for him to recover. He ran over immediately to stop them, but Ma Lian was thrown into the river earlier. He didn¡¯t expect Ma Tian¡¯en was so vicious that she chose to abuse illegal punishment.


    ¡°Get him up right now. How dare you kill a person casually! We¡¯d better send him to the government, or we will be accused.¡± Wu Zhong cannot swim, so he did nothing but worry about it.


    While Ma Tian¡¯en burst out laughing when she saw Wu Zhong¡¯s anxiety. Then Wu Zhong noticed as she made a gesture that there was a rope in a guard¡¯s hand when Ma Lian was thrown into the water. Up the rope came the sack with Ma Lian in it after a moment. It turned out that a rope connected the seal of the sack and the hand of a guard.


    Ma Lian appeared wet all through as the sack was torn open. He was almost scared to death and flatted on the ground weak and limp. They all grew up by the water, so they were clear that he would be scared rather than drowned.


    Ma Tian¡¯en came over and kicked Ma Lian: ¡°Anything else? I don¡¯t like a dead dog. If you cannot think of anything, just go back into the water to calm down, and then something may come to your mind.¡±


    ¡°I recollect it! I remember it! Steward Tian asked me to make those people guarding the outer door drunk tomorrow night because he wanted to change a few boxes of goods.¡± Ma Lian revealed everything he knew, daring not to play tricks.


    The granary of Ma Family has two kind of doors: the outer door and the storeroom door. Uncle the Fifth and Ma Chaosheng keep the keys of the storeroom door while the outer door is guarded by people in turn. As usual, each time the goods arrive at the wharf, special people will check and accept them, and then those goods will be sent to the granary and classified into various storerooms. But the workers refused to send the goods to the storerooms after throwing them into the yard because of the haunting ghost. People were so anxious and worried that many goods had not been checked and sent to the storerooms. Considering that there were still several days before the delivery, Ma Family intended to check those goods after solving the issue of the haunting ghost. It seemed that the real goal of the ghosts was on the goods.


    ¡°Those goods are glutinous rice, which have been checked by me, but not been sent into the storerooms. It is not worth it that they have done so much just for a few boxes of rice.¡± Uncle the Fifth was confused. Though sold, that could not pay what they gave to Ma Lian, let alone ask someone to pretend a ghost.


    ¡°That depends on what they want to put in.¡± said Wu Zhong thoughtfully. With so many efforts for such arrangements, they must not end up stealing a few boxes of rice. It seems that the things they want to put in matter much.


    ¡°Yes, if they want to change a few boxes, they must put in some other things. They must want to frame Ma Family!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en also realized it.


    Wu Zhong nodded. It seems that they want to play a big game. First, they faked a ghost to sway the mind of people, and then they put in the things for framing. The next step should be reporting to the government.


    Now that we know their plan, it will be easier to solve the following issues. Ma Lian cannot be killed because he was needed to cooperate for the play tomorrow.


    ¡°Tomorrow, you just guide them to the inner yard as usual, which will make amends for your fault. Then I will not blame you for what you did before. But if you dare to play tricks, I will throw you into the river to feed the fish, do you understand?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en kicked Ma Lian with dislike, and Ma Lian said yes and yes.


    ¡°Should we tell Lord Ma?¡± Wu Zhong felt it better to inform Ma Chaosheng since such a serious thing happened.


    ¡°No, no need. We can tell him for a surprise after we deal with such a trifle.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en denied immediately as Wu Zhong proposed it. She thought it a rare chance to prove herself, but if she told her father, he would worry about her safety. Then she could do nothing but watch as his father would send people to tackle the accident, which will be disappointing.


    ¡°I also think that we should inform Lord Ma in case there are mistakes tomorrow.¡± said Uncle the Fifth without confidence.


    ¡°I have said, no need. There will not be too many people if they come to put in something, so we can just catch them. In our place, what is worth worrying? Just tell my father that nothing has been found as we go back later. It will be an honor to tell him after we catch the ghost tomorrow.¡± Said Ma Tian¡¯en without any care. Seeing that she insisted, Wu Zhong and Uncle the Fifth gave up the thought to persuade her. But what she said was reasonable. In Ma Family¡¯s place, no matter how bold they are, they can just do something furtively. As there will be no other trouble, it will be a good opportunity for Ma Tian¡¯en to improve her fame if she can solve it perfectly.


    The next night, Ma Lian took a jug of liquor and a roasted chicken to drink with two guards of the outer door in a small room.


    ¡°Ma Lian, why are you so generous to treat us to drink today?¡± Said Ma Da, one of the guards.


    ¡°I bought the liquor because I won some money. Thinking of that it has no fun to drink myself, I want to treat you two brothers for your care. You lent money to me, right, Ma Da?¡± Ma Lian had already compiled an excuse, so he answered smoothly.


    ¡°You can be called a man of conscience. Ah, I am worried all the time as I have been tossed by the haunting ghost. It¡¯s good to drink for courage.¡± As he said, Ma Da took over the cup from Ma Lian who quickly handed another cup to the other guard. The three drank together happily.


    After a few cups of liquor, Ma Da and the other guard fell in a faint and fell into sleep. Ma Lian couldn¡¯t help but feel that Master Ma really had talent in tricks. It took effect immediately as he put the knockout drops in the cup! Otherwise, it would be harder to make them drunk as he thought at the beginning.


    Seeing that the two fell down, Ma Lian got out of the room and found that it was a dark and quiet night, which was a good chance to do something bad. Ma Lian made some mews, and then a few people came out pushing a cart respectively with a box on it, who were followed by a person with nothing in hand. They walked towards Ma Lian.


    ¡°Hurry up! There is someone on duty in turns later. You must not be caught.¡± groaned Ma Lian.


    Ma Lian opened the outer door to let them push the carts into the yard. Those who followed them picked a few boxes in the yard, which were exchanged with the ones on the carts.


    Ma Lian could not recognize the two people, which was acceptable because Tian Family dared not to send local people to the place of Ma Family in case they confessed their identity as they were caught. Just as Wu Zhong thought, those people were brought out from the family by Hu Chunqiu, who are reliable because their families were controlled by Hu Chunqiu, so once they were caught, they could do nothing but bear the responsibility themselves without any possibility of betrayal.


    They left the granary pushing the carts as they finished changing what they wanted. Ma Tian¡¯en and several guards followed them to find out where they were going. Wu Zhong knows nothing about Kungfu, so he stayed at home tonight. But he enjoined Ma Tian¡¯en not to take risks, which was equal to asking a cat not to eat fish; in other words, it is useless.


    They followed them to find that those guys were going towards the head dam of Tian Family. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± Asked Uncle the Fifth in a whisper.


    ¡°Sure, look at where they put the things, and then we can go there to query why they have the mark of Ma Family printed on boxes. At that time, we can accuse Tian Family of stealing.¡±


    Each family has its own mark due to various wharves charged by different families. The boxes sent to the granary of Ma Family were imprinted the mark of Ma Family.


    Unconsciously, Ma Tian¡¯en followed them to a small forest. They seemed to be tired and stopped, so Ma Tian¡¯en and her guards also stopped. After crossing the woods, it is the head dam of Tian Family.


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    Ma Tian¡¯en dared not to follow them too close, so they just watched those people at some distance. Seeing that they were getting up after a short rest, Ma Tian¡¯en urged her guards to follow them.


    Then those people turned around and walked towards Ma Tian¡¯en. Ma Tian¡¯en was seized by a bad feeling as she thought that they should not be so bold to come back with just four people.


    Sure enough, a burst of laughter came.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en, it is time for you. How about my strategy to catch a rat in the hole? Wonderful, right?¡±

 Chapter 18 - The Older, the Wiser

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en saw there came a dozen people with sticks and lanterns in their hands. In the light, Hu Chunqiu walked toward her, smirked and stopped two meters away from Ma Tian¡¯en, looking at her as if she were a fish on the cutting board.


    ¡°These trifles shouldn¡¯t bother you, Master Hu. On such a dark night, aren¡¯t you afraid of something bad? No one knows if you slide into river.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked at her surroundings and tried to figure out where to escape. As there was a gang of people, it was impossible to fight with them directly. Now that Hu Chunqiu went out, he must take master hands. ¡®A wise man knows when to retreat.¡¯ It was better for her to run.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en. You have no way to escape. Don¡¯t you like to drug me? After I catch you, I will let you have enough drugs.¡± Hu Chunqiu gestured to a group of people behind him, and suddenly they all surrounded Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I should answer for what I have done. If you Childe Hu want to play, I would like to company you. But how about letting my followers go. It¡¯s none of their business.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I am a fool? Let them notify others? Today, no one can escape. When I get bored, I will throw you to feed the fish.¡± Hu Chunqiu said fiercely.


    Watching them get closer, the uncle walked forward and blocked Ma Tian¡¯en, ¡°Tian¡¯en, you go first; I will block them.¡±


    ¡°Now that you all come, then no one can leave. Hit them bitterly.¡± Hu Chunqiu seldom suffered losses during his life. Last time, he suffered such a big loss at the birthday banquet, so he was definitely unwilling to give up revenge. He spent much energy and effort in cheating her into coming here. He hired dozens of master hands and swore to punish her anyway.


    Ma Tian¡¯en knew she couldn¡¯t run away. Fight. Thinking of this, a few men rushed up. Ma Tian¡¯en was beaten by many master hands and bore more beats. Although she practiced some Kongfu, compared with these hired roughnecks, she was too weak. After several rounds, she was kicked out by a roughneck and fell down heavily onto the ground.


    The hired roughneck swooped down on Ma Tian¡¯en. At this time someone blocked him before Ma Tian¡¯en. The hired roughneck hit on that man who called out in pain but still protected Ma Tian¡¯en dearly.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Then there came a clear voice¡£


    The man who protected Ma Tian¡¯en was Ashun. He struggled to stand up when hearing the voice. Ma Tian¡¯en also stood up.


    At a sudden, thousands of torches lit up, illuminating the woods as bright as the daytime. Then there burst out shouts as birds flew away. Hundreds of unknown people surrounded Ma Tian¡¯en and Hu Chunqiu.


    In the fire light, one man who wore kerchief and scholar¡¯s robe with a white bridle in waist, walked ahead. He showed a warm smile and a kind of gentle air. It made people think he seemed to compose poetry in the moonlight and enjoy wine with the flowers around.


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en almost cried. He ran and jumped into Wu Zhong¡¯s arms, holding him tightly.


    ¡°Teacher, I know, you will save me. They bully me¡­¡­¡±


    Wu Zhong was reminded of the cat in his hometown when Ma Tian¡¯en held him. It usually jumped onto him at a sudden and messed his drawings sometimes, but he was reluctant when intending to beat it.


    ¡°Wu Zhong, what are you going to do? Are you in collusion with Ma Family and try to kill me?¡± Hu Chunqiu became nervous when seeing Wu Zhong lead so many people. But he soon calmed down. Either Wu Zhong or Ma family had no rights to punish him secretly. If he refused to acknowledge what he had done, they could do nothing with him even in the feudal government.


    ¡°Several days later, Mr. Hu has a stronger ability to call white black. Firstly, you hired man to pretend as ghosts and haunt the wharf; as a result, the goods of grain can¡¯t be transported into the warehouse. Then you changed the grain with illegal salt to frame up Ma Family. Now you are intended to kill Childe Ma. Do you want to take charge of grain transporting and illegal salt?¡± Wu Zhong directly regarded Hu¡¯s personal grievances as smuggling through grain transporting which was cardinal sin. Grain transporting was the foundation of the country, and once he was convicted, even his uncle would be sentenced to death.


    ¡°What is the evidence? I merely couldn¡¯t fall asleep that night and hung out for a while. I hate Ma Tian¡¯en. Now that I happened to come across him, so I beat him for revenge. I will apologize to him or give him some money. You framed me up without any evidence however; and I will sue you in the feudal government.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t, Governor Liu is here.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en saw Dad and officials come over; she couldn¡¯t help thinking: the older, the wiser!


    Ma Chaosheng didn¡¯t look at Ma Tian¡¯en and shunned aside, Governor Liu walked ahead. Liu Ping was Governor of Shuntian Prefecture. He got along well with those patriarchs nearby Datong River. When he heard that the Childe of Ma Family was coerced and someone sold illegal salt, he hurriedly came here overnight. He had thought it was not a big deal and only needed to catch some thieves, making a small contribution. Unexpectedly, he met Hu Chunqiu! Hu Chunqiu was ostentatious normally, so Liu Ping definitely knew about him. Moreover, he also knew that his uncle was in charge of Deputy Minister of transmission in the imperial court, also called the Silver Terrace which managed internal and external memorials and sealed petitions. As no officials were free from being sued and they were all afraid of being sued, so they naturally avoided offending the Office of Transmission. If he had known that Hu Chunqiu was involved in this thing, he would be sure not to come. The issue would be quieted down after they were back to the feudal government. Now it was hard to dismiss the issue as a distraction because there were so many witnesses around.


    With the attitude of reconciling differences regardless of principles, Liu Ping, being pushed ahead, spoke slowly, ¡°Childe Hu is a scholar who knew the doctrines of sages. We all know one another. Is there any misunderstanding? How about we discuss it after we go back to the feudal government?¡±


    Hearing Liu Ping¡¯s words, Hu Chunqiu understood he was going to help him, so he emboldened, ¡°There is no misunderstanding. They want to frame me up. The box is from Ma Family, not mine. They moved the box here overnight, so it is clear that they want to do something illegal. They said I planned the ghost at the wharf, but is there any evidence? They said the box was stolen from Ma Family by us, what¡¯s the evidence? Empty words; who can¡¯t make up some?¡±


    ¡°I think it is a mistake. Don¡¯t hurt our harmony. How about you make a compromise for the sake of me?¡± Looking at the arrogant attitude of Hu Chunqiu and thinking Ma Family having no evidence, Liu Ping thought it was good to dismiss the issue.


    ¡°The evidence is in your hands.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en pointed at the man who carried the box. Now they were standing beside Hu Chunqiu.


    ¡°Are you talking in your dream, Childe Ma? How can they give you evidence? Have you become stupid after learning from your teacher?¡± Hu Chunqiu and all his men burst into laughter.


    ¡°You will know the moment they raise their hands.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said in calm.


    These men raised their hands in doubt and then they found their hands were covered with ink.


    Ma Tian¡¯en and Wu Zhong had figured that those man couldn¡¯t admit the fact that they stole the box, so they smeared some ink on the box in the yard outside. When they carried the box, they didn¡¯t notice the ink on their hands because of darkness. Of course, the box with which they intended to frame Ma Family up had no ink, so it was clear that the box was not Ma Family¡¯s.


    Hu Chunqiu didn¡¯t think that they were so cunning. Looking at his men trying to wipe out the ink, he cursed, ¡°Stupid!¡±


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    ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected that my men do such evil things. I have rewarded you much money in daily life, and how can you do illegal things? I will not connive this kind of act. Governor Liu, you can take these men and punish them according to the law. I would like to apologize to Ma Family for my neglect of discipline. But the Ghosts¡¯ haunting is none of my business.¡± Hu Chunqiu said. He might as well blame these stupid men and would reward them more money in the future. It shouldn¡¯t be sentenced to death because of stealing. In light of this, Hu Chunqiu shouldered the guilt for disciplining his men less strictly.


    ¡°What a nerve£¡Shame on you!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en scorned at him.


    Wu Zhong extended respect to Liu Ping and looked at Hu Chunqiu. Being stared at, Hu Chunqiu became diffident. Each time he competed with Wu Zhong, he was always weighed down by Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Childe Hu, look, who are they?

 Chapter 19 - I Also Know How to Frame Someone

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Two people wrapped in black cloth were pushed out in the night. Torn off the black cloth, they were shrouded in red with long hair falling loosely¡ªthey were just the two female ghosts in the granary.


    ¡°Childe Hu, help us!¡± One of the ghosts shouted to Hu Chunqiu.


    ¡°Are you mad? I do not even know who you are.¡± Hu Chunqiu did not expect Wu Zhong could catch the two ghosts so quickly and brought them over here.


    ¡°Hu Chunqiu, do you wanna turn your back on us? Do not forget that we have your token.¡± Having already anticipated Hu¡¯s betrayal, the other ghost shouted angrily.


    Ma Tian¡¯en did not expect that Wu Zhong caught those two ghosts in such a big warehouse in such a short time. That was not the right time to ask him, however. He should set aside the interests and be patient to see what Wu would do. It became a matter of even greater urgency that Wu Zhong had to push Hu to admit the guilt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember the gold leaf? How about the gold leaf which was found on the ghost. It was the tribute that Burma paid to the Emperor if my memory does not fail me. You may get it from your uncle, right? Giving the royal gift away at will and using it to hire someone to disturb the water transport are really big crimes. Governor, please render fair judgment.¡±


    Hu did receive the gold leaf from his uncle. Once caught playing ghosts in the granary, the two martial arts masters would receive harsh punishment. They were not willing to take a risk. Thus Hu persuaded them by using the gold leaf as a guarantee. If something was wrong, his uncle would try to protect them since the gold leaf was royal gift. How could he expect Wu Zhong would find it out?


    Though the gold leaf was kept as evidence, it could not speak as human.


    ¡°This was the royal gift that my uncle kept in my house. It suddenly disappeared a while ago. You guys stole it! Governor Liu, I am innocent. The gold leaf has disappeared one month ago. It was stolen by them to frame me. Thank Heaven it is found now or I will be beaten to death by my uncle.¡± Hu Chunqiu was determined to deny everything, so he made a false countercharge.


    ¡°You are right. These two stole the gold leaf and then played ghosts to rattle people. Come on, take them¡­¡± Liu Ping was interrupted by Wu Zhong before he finished.


    ¡°Governor, I still have evidence.¡± Wu Zhong took out one piece of paper and spread it in front of people. It was clearly written on the paper that two men were hired to play ghosts with one hundred taels paid in advance and another one hundred taels after it was done. Hu Chunqiu¡¯s signature was clearly at the bottom.


    ¡°It is a forgery.¡± Hu Chunqiu jumped to snatch it but was interrupted.


    ¡°Just compare the handwriting of the paper with the handwriting of Childe Hu. We will know it in court tomorrow.¡± Wu Zhong said. He put away the paper rather than give it to Governor Liu.


    ¡°Governor, we already have human testimony and material evidence. I beg you to uphold the justice!¡± Then Wu Zhong bowed to Governor Liu respectfully.


    With so many witnesses and much evidence, Governor Liu could not cover up the evil deeds of Childe Hu.


    ¡°Get them! And take them to the government office!¡± Governor Liu gave orders that Hu Chunqiu and others be sent to the office at once.


    Hu Chunqiu was greatly mortified and wanted to fight against. Being a scholar, however, how could he free himself from strong government runner?


    ¡°Wu Zhong, you want to set me up. But you know, you¡¯ll pay a price!¡±


    Ignoring all Hu¡¯s complaints, Wu Zhong respectfully sent the Governor off and returned to Ma family.


    It was already at midnight but the lights in the study of Tian family were still on. Tian Ronghua drank tea absentmindedly with eyebrows furrowed. According to the plan, someone should have been sent by Hu Chunqiu to tell him good news. Even Ma Tian¡¯en escaped, and there should be some news. Maybe, something was going wrong.


    At that time, the door of study was pushed open and the housekeeper of Tian family rushed in, ¡°Master, Childe Hu got into trouble!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Tell me fast.¡± Tian Ronghua shot up like a spring and realized that something had gone wrong.


    ¡°We have been tipped off that Childe Hu and two men who played ghosts were all sent to the government office. It is said that Ma family has found the evidence to accuse Childe Hu of instigating two men to play ghosts. The two cases of smuggled salt that framed Ma¡¯s were also impounded. Master, will Childe Hu rat us out? I found Ma Lian and we gave them salt¡­¡± In the dim light stood the housekeeper, dripping with sweat. He ran back in a hurry for he was fearful. After all, Tian family had powerful relatives in office but Tian family was only influential in local. If anything was wrong, Tian family would take the blame.


    Tian Ronghua sighed deeply. In fact, he already thought about results of failure at the very start, so all people were found by Hu Chunqiu except Ma Lian who was arranged by the housekeeper. In case of trouble, the housekeeper would be the only one in Tian family to take the blame. However, the housekeeper knew a lot of Tian family for being here for quite a long time. Once he was caught, what he would say may get Tian family involved.


    ¡°Do not worry too much. Childe Hu is mostly responsible for that. We just help Ma Lian clear his debt off. They lack the evidence to accuse us. You are sweaty. Take a break.¡± Tian Ronghua gestured to let him sit down but the housekeeper refused in a hurry for fear of disregard to Tian.


    ¡°You have been here for over thirty years. We grew up together. I see you as my brother and you are my servant in name only. Take it easy; I will protect you as long as I am here. Actually, you just follow my order. If something went wrong, I will be the one to blame.¡± Picking up the teapot, Tian Ronghua poured out a cup of tea and gave it to the butler.


    ¡°Have some tea. It¡¯s getting late. You can go back after drinking. Tomorrow I will inquire about the details in the government office. We will give some money to Ma family if we have to.¡±


    Seeing Tian Ronghua so calm, the housekeeper felt comforted by his master¡¯s words, draining the cup quickly.


    ¡°Master, if Tian family gets involved, I will take all the blame without implicating you and the whole Tian family.¡±


    ¡°Do not say that. You are a part of our family. How could we abandon you? Just take a rest. Everything will be fine.¡± Tian Ronghua patted the housekeeper on the shoulder. Then the housekeeper left, greatly moved.


    After the housekeeper left and the door had been closed for a long time, Tian Ronghua stood there still, motionless.


    Having been on the go all night, everyone in Ma family was so exhausted that they all went back to take a rest. But Ma Tian¡¯en was so energized. Drawing Wu Zhong to his room, he asked him how he managed to catch those two ghosts.


    Wu Zhong did not beat about the bush and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s easy. I just wait for them to get out.¡±


    ¡°Ah, why are they so obedient?¡±


    In fact, Wu Zhong did not go to the granary with Ma Tian¡¯en. He felt uneasy, thinking about it over and over again. In the end, he told everything to Ma Chaosheng. The moment he heard it, Ma Chaosheng called together all people in Ma family and some from Datong gang. Li Dafu sent all people he could find to help Ma Tian¡¯en. Thus, over a hundred people were assembled to assist Ma family. Then, some followed Wu Zhong to find Ma Tian¡¯en. Meanwhile, Ma Chaosheng went to ask Governor Liu to come to the scene. As regards the two ghosts, Wu Zhong caught them by a trick. He opened the door and let some people kindle wet firewood. With burning firewood sending up clouds of smoke, the granary was full of people who ran around and screamed fire at the same time. The two ghosts believed. Since there were a lot of people in the granary, the two ghosts planned to get away while in a mess. No sooner had they got out of the granary than they were caught.


    Though Wu Zhong said all those things with understatement, Ma Tian¡¯en could feel how tense and anxious Wu was at that time. He felt so moved and said, ¡°Teacher, you are so kind to me.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en said so sincerely that it made Wu Zhong feel somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°Well, Teacher, why would Hu be so stupid to write a note?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wrote it.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, teacher, how could you imitate Hu Chunqiu¡¯s handwriting? That¡¯s not the point, right? The key point should be how I could frame others.¡± Wu Zhong began to doubt his instruction of Ma Tian¡¯en when he saw Ma stare at him with deep admiration.


    ¡°I have seen it and I remember it.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I will learn how to imitate handwriting of others, such as my father¡¯s. Then I could draw cash anytime!¡±


    ¡°Teacher, please do not go now¡­Wait¡­¡±

 Chapter 20 - Ruthlessness Is the Mark of a Truly Great Man

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    At night, it was not quiet in Tian Family. The lamp of Tian Ronghua¡¯s study stayed on all night, and on his desk were piles of account books.


    After going back to his room, the thirsty housekeeper poured a glass of water for himself, while he got unbearable abdominal pain before he tasted it. Beyond that, he felt his tongue was numb, his heartbeat was fierce and his head was a little dizzy, so he wanted to call someone for help, but his voice was low and hoarse because his lips were numb, too. How could that be? Sick, or¡­¡­


    A terrible thought came to the housekeeper¡¯s mind, but he didn¡¯t want to believe it because he thought that the lord had always regarded him as brother, who would never hurt him. Thinking of that, the housekeeper struggled towards outside, hoping to ask for help as he went out. His stomach was so painful that he could not stand up straight, instead, he could only bend his body to endure the pain, struggling towards the door. He almost knelt on the ground as he approached the door, but fortunately he touched the door. He wanted to push it, but the door was locked outside. The housekeeper continued to push hard and shouted, ¡°My lord, help me¡­..¡± until he used up the last strength and fell to the ground, and died with eyes open.


    The next morning, Tian Ronghua sat in the hall, whose face was pale. He waited for a while but the housekeeper was not seen coming, so he sent a young servant for a look. After a while, the servant ran and rolled in, shouting, ¡°My lord, something very bad happened, seriously.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so hurried?¡± Tian Ronghua looked at the servant and said with confusion and blame.


    ¡°The, the housekeeper, died.¡± Said the servant, pale and alarmed. ¡°I went to his room, only to find him lying on the ground after I pushed open the door. I checked him, and he, he was dead, with his eyes unclosed.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Hearing that, Tian Ronghua stood up and ran towards the room of the housekeeper. A group of servants followed him, so the Tian Family was in a mess.


    Running to the room of the housekeeper, he found that the door was open and the housekeeper was lying on the ground without any breath. Tian Ronghua bent down his body to see that the housekeeper¡¯s face was hideous, which showed that he must have been very painful and he didn¡¯t close his eyes.


    Tian Ronghua closed the housekeeper¡¯s eyes gently by his fingers. His eyes were finally closed. Then he held him up to the bed, with tears rolling down.


    ¡°Housekeeper.¡± Tian Fugui rushed in hurriedly, seeing that his brother was sitting at the bed and the housekeeper was lying on the bed.


    ¡°Brother, our housekeeper, is he¡­¡­ no, he was good yesterday and he talked to me.¡± Tian Fugui realized that the housekeeper was dead when he saw the scene, and he could do nothing but cry. The housekeeper and his elder brother were similar in age. During the childhood, his elder brother was so busy that he was cared by the housekeeper. Then when they grew older, the housekeeper often gave him food as he was punished to take absolute diet. In his heart, the housekeeper was like a kind eldership. How it came that he died suddenly.


    ¡°Call the government.¡± Said Tian Ronghua as he stood up.


    A servant ran to the government quickly as he heard it.


    ¡°Brother, we must make it clear why our housekeeper was dead. But, please do not be too sad. We need you to deal with so many issues at home.¡± Tian Fugui was sorry for the death of the housekeeper, while he also had a pity on his brother who was so haggard.


    ¡°I will deal with the issue of the housekeeper, and you just focus on yours.¡± Tian Ronghua neglected his own study for the whole family, so he hoped that his younger brother could be interested in learning and could eventually win an official rank, so as to bring glory to their ancestors.


    They two went back to the hall. They asked the servants whether there was something abnormal with the housekeeper; and meanwhile, they were waiting for people sent by the government.


    Inside the government, the Magistrate Liu kept turning around in the room with the handwritten paper sent by the TongPan (name of an official rank). He didn¡¯t expect that the Tong Pan came to know the case soon. Although the Tong Pan didn¡¯t ask him to release Hu Chunqiu directly, it was quite clear that he wanted Liu to cover up the whole issue. How could it be easy to cover up such a case with full evidence! Since the Ma Family was not ordinary, they would not let it go after being framed.


    The housekeeper asked Ma Lian to open the door of the storeroom privately, so as to let someone in for playing the ghost. Now the one had been caught, who had the golden leaves of Hu Chunqiu in his hand, and the written pledge by Hu Chunqiu. What¡¯s more, the boxes were carried out by servants of Hu Chunqiu from the Ma Family. So if not solved properly, it would be exploded at any time. Or Tian Family could be pushed out to take the blame, but how to explain that Hu Chunqiu appeared in the woods in the middle of the night? The most critical one was the handwritten paper by him.


    At this time, someone came to report that the housekeeper of Tian Family died.


    Liu Ping was stunned at first but realized quickly, ¡°It is good. A dead man can say nothing. Then everything can be imputed to him.¡±


    After about four hours, the government sent two officials and a post-mortem examiner. Tian Ronghua took them directly to the room of the housekeeper after greeting the runners who he knew before.


    The surname of the post-mortem examiner was Niu, who was a single with no wife and no kids, and his parents were dead early. In addition, his work was known as low and humble, so he rarely made contact with people. Seeing Tian Ronghua and other ones, he didn¡¯t greet anyone but went directly to check the body of the housekeeper.


    ¡°Who has ever moved the body? Where did he die?¡± The post-mortem examiner knew that someone must have moved the body as he saw that the housekeeper lay on the bed, with hideous facial expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. The housekeeper died at the door, and I moved him to the bed because I could not bear that scene. I am so sorry for being so reckless, which has brought trouble to you.¡± Tian Ronghua apologized sincerely.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s human nature. Mr. Niu is an expert in post-mortem examination, and the cause of death would be known right away.¡± One of the officials gave Tian Ronghua a step down.


    Mr. Niu didn¡¯t care about Tian Ronghua. He turned around to see the housekeeper, and muttered, ¡°People who die between 23:00-01:00, 11:00-13:00, 05:00-07:00 and 17:00-19:00 pinch the middle fingers; people who die in the period of 07:00-09:00, 11:00-13:00, 01:00-03:00 and 13:00-15:00 stretch the palms; and people who die in the period of 03:00-05:00, 15:00-17:00, 09:00-11:00 and 21:00-23:00 clench the fists. We can say that he died in the period of Yin (03:00-05:00) due to his clenched fists and stiffness.¡±


    Then he picked out a pinkie-sized thin silver plate and a small bottle. He rubbed the plate with a piece of cloth dipped in the Acacia juice in the bottle, and after a while, the plate was bright. He then pinched the chin of the housekeeper to open his mouth, and put the plate in it. Having done that, he closed the housekeeper¡¯s mouth and his own eyes.


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    The silence reigned in the room, and no one dared to talk. Tian Ronghua stared at Mr. Niu. He knew before that the post-mortem examiner was weird and competent, but it was the first time for him to see his work face to face. While the two runners had seen so many times that they asked what they were interested in during this period, so the room became noisy again.


    About one hour later, Mr. Niu took out the silver plate, which had become black.


    ¡°He was poisoned, but what the poison is shall be confirmed after detailed autopsy when I take him back.¡± All were shocked by what he said. Though they were startled by the death of the housekeeper, they were surprised to hear that he was poisoned. The housekeeper was good at making friends, and who would poison him?


    Tian Ronghua was even more angry, ¡°Please report to the magistrate as you go back, and find out the murderer. Then our Tian Family will appreciate it so much.¡±

 Chapter 21 - What Is Justice?

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    After Yamen runners left, Tian Ronghua ordered the servants not to talk of this thing before the final notice of the government. Then he stayed in his study and didn¡¯t come out even during the lunchtime. When Yamen runners came again, he was taken to see Officer Liu and came back at night.


    The death of the housekeeper was a big shock to Tian Fugui. All day, he was in a daze and couldn¡¯t figure out what happened to the housekeeper. When his big brother was back home, he hurriedly walked towards him: ¡°Brother, what¡¯s the news from the government? Is there any finding?¡±


    Tian Ronghua nodded and said ¡°The housekeeper¡­.¡± Tian Ronghua paused for a while, then continued: ¡°He committed suicide for fear of punishment.¡±


    ¡°For fear of punishment? What¡¯s the crime?¡± Tian Fugui thought he could be smarter to understand what crime could cause the housekeeper to commit suicide.


    ¡°Before long, the warehouse of Ma Family was haunted by the ghost.  It was the housekeeper who bribed a charger of the wharf to do it. Now the man who disguised the ghost was caught and the charger confessed everything about the housekeeper. After hearing the news, he committed suicide for fear of punishment.¡±


    ¡°How come? Why did he ask the disguised ghost to haunt Ma Family? There must be some misunderstanding. Even though he did it, he shouldn¡¯t be sentenced to death. Since Tian¡¯en and I have a good relationship, Tian¡¯en would definitely forgive him if I beg for his pardon. Why did he commit suicide?¡±


    ¡°Because Ma Tian¡¯en caught the disguised man, the housekeeper had to die. All he did was for us Tian Family. But he used the wrong way. Anyway, Ma Family should be blamed for his death. From now on, you are not allowed to play with Ma Tian¡¯en.¡± After saying this, Tian Ronghua returned to his study, leaving Tian Fugui confused, and thinking about what he said.


    ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t yet understand¡­¡± Tian Fugui ran after him but was shut outside the door.


    Next day, Ma Chaosheng was also taken to the government. He talked with Officer Liu for a long time and then he was allowed to go home.


    Ma Tian¡¯en stayed at home and anxiously waited for her father¡¯s coming back. When Ma Chaosheng returned to home, Ma Tian¡¯en ran towards him excitedly. But she noticed Ma Chaosheng wore a serious expression, as if he were thinking about something. How strange! The whole things came to be obvious, why did dad look unhappy?


    When he came to the hall, Ma Chaosheng sat down and a servant girl served him tea. Ma Chaosheng only took a sip and put it aside. Neither he drank the tea nor spoke.


    MaTian¡¯en sat aside, waiting for a while. Finally she couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°Dad, now the culprits were caught, what did the the government do to these men? As for Hu Chunqiu, was he punished? And Tian Family, they colluded with Hu Chunqiu, so they also need to be punished. In addition, as for the illegal salt, it is necessary to check out whether there is more illegal salt or not.¡±


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, you did well this time. I feel gratified. You can take some taels in the treasurer and buy something you like. This thing should be ended today.¡± Looking at Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s excitement, Ma Chaosheng was too awkward to say those words.


    ¡°What do you mean? That¡¯s it? Dad, as we gave the evidence to the government, how is the sentence?¡±


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, listen to me¡­¡­¡± Ma Chaosheng pointed the chair next to him, motioning her to sit down. But how could she sit in peace! She only sat at the edge of the chair, looking at her father anxiously. What she wanted to know is the result, so that she could tell her teacher that Hu Chunqiu who framed them up finally got his punishment.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, the housekeeper of Tian Family should be blamed for the whole thing. He made the decision himself, bribed Ma Lian and found the man to play the ghost, intending to frame us Ma Family up. Now the housekeeper has committed suicide, and the whole thing came to an end. Hu Chunqiu was coaxed by the housekeeper into blocking you with master-hands who were hired by the housekeeper in the woods for revenge. Luckily, it didn¡¯t cause any consequences. Later, Hu Family will keep him under control and he will not trouble you and Mr. Wu. You can be assured about it.¡± After saying these words, Ma Chaosheng sipped the tea, intending to avoid the eyesight of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°Dad, do you think I am a little child? If there is no one in the back of the plot, the housekeeper of Tian dare not do those things. Besides, we had the gold leaf of Hu Chunqiu presented by the Emperor. How could the housekeeper of Tian have it?¡±


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, forget about the gold leaf. It is because of the gold leaf that the thing was brought to an end like this.¡± Man can¡¯t use the word of right or wrong to summarize the evil of the world. Ma Chasheng had no other way but to look at the disgruntled Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why? Why did the housekeeper of Tian commit suicide? I thought they murdered him to prevent divulgence of their secrets.¡± In order to catch the man back in the plot, her teacher and she elaborated and paid much effort. Now the real murderer had been found, how did they let him go? And she never wanted the housekeeper of Tian to die. His crime couldn¡¯t be sentenced to death. How come did he die? These should be checked out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say like that. The government has made a decision on the verdict and the housekeeper has committed suicide for fear of punishment, so the case was settled. Tian¡¯en, I know you feel it is unfair, but ordinary people can¡¯t fight with officials. The uncle of Hu Chunqiu is the local magistrate. The Emperor presented him the gold leaf and then he gave it to Hu Chunqiu. Finally, Hu Chunqiu gave it to the man who played the ghost. If we continue to investigate the thing, magistrate Hu will definitely be involved in this thing. His adopted father is Liu Jin. Even though Hu Chunqiu would be punished, we Ma Family would probably be buried with him.¡±


    ¡°A eunuch, is he really horrible?¡± Talking of Liu Jin, Ma Tian¡¯en felt even more unfair. The eunuch took bribes everywhere. Whenever people referred to him, they cursed him.


    ¡°Shut up! You all get out!¡± Ma Chaosheng feared that Ma Tian¡¯en would say something wrong to bring trouble to his family, so he hurriedly asked servants to leave. The girl was spoiled by him. She would suffer a great deal if not being given a lesson.


    ¡°I spoil you and you dare to say everything. A eunuch? Do you know what others call him? ¡®Deputy Emperor¡¯. Now he helps the Emperor check many memorials. If someone messes with him, even the officers will suffer forfeiture of property and their family be exterminated, not to mention the little Ma Family. Now that we cannot afford to offend him, we might as well stay back.¡±


    ¡°I think you are timid and overcautious. We have evidence. Even the emperor come, he shouldn¡¯t be impartial. In my view, there must be justice in everything.¡±


    ¡°Justice? What is justice? I think all this is destiny. We cannot fight against destiny. As what I have said, this thing was brought to an end. Later, you are not allowed to mention it! As for losses we suffered these days, Officer Liu has adjudged Tian Family to make compensation. The man who died is a man of Tian Family and is none of our business. You¡¯d better stay at home these days and learn with your teacher.¡± Ma Chaosheng knew a lot about his child. He saw Ma Tian¡¯en was not convinced. If she went out now, it was easy for her to make trouble. She could be naughty, but must be sane. She must be accustomed to this world. Also, Ma Family didn¡¯t suffer great losses, he would just end on a good note.


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    ¡°Is it enough for compensation? Shouldn¡¯t the culprits be punished?¡±


    ¡°You are so stubborn. I have said, the whole thing was over. You need to pay more attention to your study.¡± Ma Chaosheng made up his mind to lock her up. Actually, what he did was for her safety.


    ¡°Dad, are you going to lock me up? It is not I who made mistakes. I think you just can¡¯t tell what is wrong and what is right. And then, what¡¯s the difference between you and Hu Chunqiu?¡± Hearing that she could not go out, Ma Tian¡¯en lost her temper. She toiled on so many things, but finally, they all ended doubtfully. And she was angry with being shut up.


    ¡°Right, I can¡¯t identify what is right, and I am a dotage. Come, someone should send the young master to his room. These days, he is forbidden to go out.¡± Facing Tian¡¯en¡¯s anger, Ma Chaosheng felt sorry for her, but he had no other choices. Ma Tian¡¯en didn¡¯t understand how complicated the world was. She was so simple and naive, and he could not be assured to entrust his property to her. Although Hu Family promised to control Hu Chunqiu, what if he asked for revenge because of unwillingness. In light of this, Ma Chaosheng had to shut her up for at least half a month.

 Chapter 22 - Do Not Look at What Is Contrary to Propriety

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Fortunately, Ma Tian¡¯en was forbidden to go out but was still able to wander in the courtyard, which did not arose anxiety in him. Moreover, Wu Zhong persuaded him that Master Ma did so out of concern. Master Ma was worried about Hu Chunqiu¡¯s revenge. As long as he behaved himself, Wu Zhong would talk to Master Ma over time. What¡¯s more, Wu Zhong ensured that he would let him come out before the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    Apart from two hours of learning every day, Ma Tian¡¯en had nothing to do but stay at home. Out of sheer boredom, he had to find something to kill his time such as listening to ventriloquism.


    It was so wise to take Mr. Jia back with him! Sitting in the rocking chair, Ma Tian¡¯en listened to Jia¡¯s ventriloquism leisurely. What Jia acted was one couple who went to go fishing in Yuquan Mountain. The sound of running water, birds singing, quarrels and laughter between the couple were all lifelike.


    ¡°The little crucian carp in Yuquan Mountain is really delicious and the fish soup in Wangdong Building is almost like the ethereal food. If we eat fish we catch by ourselves, it would be more delicious.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en began to wander in his mind while listening to it. ¡°The fish soup is my father¡¯s best. Why not catch some fish for him? He would be glad.¡± Soon, he found himself a good excuse to run out to play.


    Firmly determined, Ma Tian¡¯en sent Mr. Jia away. He went back to his room and found out a sack made of straw, which was bought when he caught fish with Tian Fugui. It could be used to pack stuff as well as catch fish. Putting the sack on the table proudly, Ma Tian¡¯en fished out a dagger, cleaned it and put it into the sack.


    As soon as it turned dark, Ma Tian¡¯en turned off the light and lay on the bed, pretending to be asleep. When it was quiet outside at midnight, he slipped off the bed. With the sack in his hand, he opened the door lightly, slowly closed it and then ran towards the garden as usual. Having run to one corner of the wall, he looked around to ensure nobody was there and then took the brick off the dog hole. Put the brick outside the wall, he crawled through the dog hole, put the brick back and then ran away.


    Yuquan Mountain was also known as the Jade Spring Mountain. The spring was famous for its pure cool water, which flowed in abundant supply from its underground source, spurting from the dragon-head-shaped stone fountainhead in a fine spray that resembles snowflakes. In the Qing Dynasty, the spring was praised as the ¡°Finest Spring under Heaven.¡± The fine water nurtured delicious fish. At the thought of brilliant fish, Tian¡¯en felt happy and all his unpleasantness was gone.


    ¡°Uncle, are you going to Yuquan Mountain to fetch water? Could you give me a lift? I am going to catch fish for my father.¡± Seeing the wagon, Ma Tian¡¯en said hello to the man on it quickly. The water in Yuquan Mountain was the most popular both with the royal court and the folks. Thus, some people would fetch spring water in the Yuquan Mountain to sell to restaurants or the rich.


    ¡°Okay. Come on.¡± People along the canal were also extraordinarily affable and they considered it natural to help others. The uncle beckoned Ma Tian¡¯en to the wagon, and when he heard that he was going to catch fish for his father, he became more enthusiastic. The two talked and laughed on the way and arrived at the foot of the mountain soon. At that time, the sun rose and gilded the verdant mountain. Ma Tian¡¯en hopped off, said goodbye to the uncle and ran joyfully up the mountain. Sunlight filtering through the trees was warm and itchy like a naughty little girl with feathers gently caressing people¡¯s faces.


    Spring water was seen everywhere. There were a lot of fish there, among them the little crucian carp was the most delicious. Though he was not good at reading, he was an expert at fishing. Crucian carps were typically omnivores. They ate meat in spring and autumn and ate vegetables in summer. So Ma Tian¡¯en chose ground shrimps as baits. Having selected a grassy place relatively close to the downstream, he spread out the net and ran to play. The mountain was awash with beautiful wild flowers and occasionally hares would run over. At the very start, he ran after rabbits, picked flowers and tasted wild fruits, all being in high spirits. However, maybe because of bad sleep last night, he felt tired just after playing for a moment. Sitting down under a big tree, he fell asleep, and the wild flower he picked fell down unconsciously.


    He slept for a while. With his body leaning over, he fell down to the ground and woke up.


    ¡°How could I fall asleep? Guess my fish should be already in the net now. I have to see it.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en jumped for joy and walked towards the net.


    Ma Tian¡¯en found the net, stepped onto the stone besides the grass and collected the net skillfully. ¡°Ah!¡± There were a lot of fish jumping in the net with water splashing onto the face of Ma Tian¡¯en and his clothes.


    ¡°I gonna cook you when I get home.¡± The sun had been up in the middle of sky, shining brightly and warmly. Seeing his hands full of splashed water and some water weeds, Ma Tian¡¯en found it early to go back and nobody around, so he decided to swim in the water.


    Once he got the idea, Ma Tian¡¯en carried the fish, and went deeper where the water was deep. Seeing a relatively deep water, he put the fish net besides a tree, took off his coat and worn hair down, only with tight clothes inside. Since he came to Yuquan Mountain, he had already prepared for a swimming. Jumping off into the water, he swam swiftly and happily as if he returned home. In addition, he began to catch the fish with bare hands. The fish was caught and then slid out from his hands and he swam swiftly between the water and grass just like the elf born in the water.


    ¡°I catch it!¡± With half of his body out of the water, he held a fish in his hand with sunshine all over his hair. His face was full of brilliant smile, and his eyes were like bright stars. This was what Wu Zhong saw when he stood by the riverside.


    ¡°Her body soars lightly like a startled swan, and gracefully, like a dragon in flight. It¡¯s the Sea Princess!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Teacher!¡± Unwarily, fish in his hands slipped into the water.


    ¡°You¡­go up at first.¡± Wu Zhong felt dizzy and his heart seemed to be hit heavily. The figure of the daughter of Sea King coincided with that of Ma Tian¡¯en. The one who saved him that day was just Ma Tian¡¯en right here. How could this happen?


    Turning around in a panic, Wu Zhong stepped on a stone and almost slipped with words in his mouth, ¡°Do not look at what is contrary to propriety.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en had not thought Wu Zhong would be here. He panicked and immediately regained his composure. It seemed that Teacher Wu had recognized that he was a woman. Otherwise, he would have directly scolded himself rather than suddenly turned around and let him go up first. Ma Tian¡¯en thought, ¡°So now it¡¯s time to tell the truth. Teacher Wu is kind. When he knew that I was forced to be dressed as a man, he must feel sorry for me. In the future, he may be more lenient with me. I have not finished my homework yet, so maybe he would not let me hand over it.¡±


    With his mind wandering wildly, Ma Tian¡¯en swam ashore, changed his clothes and then walked slowly towards Wu Zhong. With his face blushing scarlet, Wu Zhong did not dare to turn around when he heard his footsteps were approaching.


    ¡°Teacher Wu?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en called him. At that time, Wu Zhong began to turn around but he still dared not to look at Ma Tian¡¯en, which amused the latter instead. If he had known Teacher Wu was so afraid of women, he would better tell him all the truth at the beginning and maybe got less scolding.


    ¡°You¡­are a woman?¡±


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    ¡°Teacher, I am so miserable. I am a woman, but¡­ ¡±


    ¡°The daughter of Sea King?¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en was interrupted by Wu Zhong before he finished his words. The daughter of Sea King? What did he mean£¿Oh, I got it. On July 15th!


    Staring at Wu Zhong, Ma Tian¡¯en reached out and touched his face, ¡°Teacher, you are¡­that scholar?¡±

 Chapter 23 - Ma Chaosheng Had an Accident

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    All of a sudden, Wu Zhong stepped back to shun Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s hand, and bowed to her seriously, ¡°Thank you for your help. Wu Zhong has nothing to pay back, and I want¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°To marry me? Oh, it¡¯s a little inappropriate because I worry that my father does not agree. You can just reduce my study tasks.¡± Said Ma Tian¡¯en, grinning.


    ¡°Hardly¡­¡­can the nature be changed!¡± Wu Zhong breathed a sigh.


    ¡°I have decided that I will teach you two more hours each day to pay back to your saving me without extra payment.¡±


    ¡°Ah, your idea is not to pay back but revenge. No, I don¡¯t like it!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go down the mountain. Your father is worried that you are hurt by Hu Chunqiu, so he is looking for you. I came here to have a try because I heard from Shun that you want to eat the small carp in Yuquan River, but I didn¡¯t think that you would come for real. About half a day has passed by, and your family must be worried about you very much. So go back early to ease your parents¡¯ minds.¡± It turned out that Yanzi, a servant girl, finding that Ma Tian¡¯en was lost, shouted out this morning. As Ma Chaosheng knew it, he sent people to look for her right away. As a result, no one found him after they searched all places which Ma Tian¡¯en usually went to. Ma Chaosheng was worried that she was in danger, so he went out in person to look for her. Seeing this, Wu Zhong was worried too. He asked Shun for his abnormal behaviors. And he recalled for a long time to say that she wanted to eat the small carp in Yuquan Mountain. So Wu Zhong called a carriage hurriedly to have a look in Yuquan Mountain. To his surprise, he did not only find her, but also saw her real appearance in that condition.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. My father has been used to looking for me because I often ran out of home. Mr. Wu, just wait for me to take the fish.¡± As she said, she took the fish net and went off the carriage with Wu Zhong.


    On the way, hearing Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s words, Wu Zhong understood why she had to disguise herself as a man. The world is unfair to women, especially who in the Zha-keeper family. If a family has no boy in the next generation, it shall give all its business to the clan, though it can take in a son-in-law.


    ¡°Why not adopt a nephew of the clan?¡± Wu Zhong thought it better to adopt one than disguise a girl as a boy, which was too risky and might ruin the happiness of the daughter.


    ¡°Ah, because of my mother. When I was born, my mother said I was a boy and informed the clan. So all knew that my father had a son as he got back home. Then if the truth was told, my mother would be blamed or even punished, which my father did not want to see, so I was just raised as a boy. They thought another son would be born, and then my real gender could be revealed as something used to pray for a son. However, since then, my parents did not even have a daughter, let alone a son. So, I have become the only young master of the Ma Family who has blood ties. Though I have several cousins, they cannot live up to the expectations, so my father thought it more reliable to hand over the family business to me rather than to them.¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Zhong could not help but look at Ma Tian¡¯en, whose face was full of self-confidence. He did not know where the confidence came from.


    ¡°Mr. Wu, believe me, though I am not good at study, I am one of the best at water matters. I can know where the water comes from as I taste it. I can know when it will rain, how heavy it will be, how high the water will rise and how many flashboards shall be lifted as I look up at the sky. Even my father cannot do better than me, so I was not lying to you as I said I was the princess of the sea.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was a bit uncomfortable as she saw that Wu Zhong did not believe her. She was not a boy, but her ability was not fake.


    ¡°OK, well, it is my fault to look down upon you. I just think you are so hard and it is unfair to you.¡±


    ¡°Unfair? No. Our Ma Family lives on the Datong River. All people, no matter men or women, are fed by the same water, so we should do something to pay back for it. My father once said that it was the highest glory if a Zha-keeper died in Datong River.¡± As he said, Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s eyes glittered with firmness, which was holy and noble at that moment.


    But, just for a moment.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about me, because the Datong River is nice to me, which will never let me dead since it is waiting for me to fix it.¡±


    ¡°Fix? You want to fix the Datong River? Don¡¯t you know how many taels the government has spent on it?¡± Wu Zhong found that he did not understand his student. Behind her daily happy smile, there were actually many unexpected thoughts.


    ¡°It is really simple to do that, but they always make it too complicated. We can just find out the water source and bring the water down. If not, we can move the port to the north of Tongzhou City and change the earth dam into a stone one, then the water can be diverted from the Yuquan Mountain.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said it lightly while Wu Zhong heard it in amazement. Such a simple matter had been done for decades but no effects had been made, and even the dredged reaches had been blocked again. It was not a natural disaster but a man-made one.


    ¡°Am I so smart?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en stared at Wu Zhong with a look for praise, which made Wu Zhong recover from contemplation and smile at her.


    As the carriage reached the door of the home, Ma Tian¡¯en jumped down with the net on her back, and then rushed into the door. The moment she entered, she found it was in a mess at home. There were many people coming and going, which made her puzzled. At that time, Yanzi ran over and cried as she caught sight of Ma Tian¡¯en, ¡°Master, you are back at last. The lord had an accident.¡±


    ¡°What? What has happened to him?¡± Asked Ma Tian¡¯en, who threw away her net and grabbed Yanzi¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°The lord went out to look for you, but the carriage turned over. The lord was unconscious till now.¡± Said Yanzi, who was crying too much to speak.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en shouted and ran towards the bedroom of his dad.


    Wu Zhong got hold of Yanzi again and asked for the details, then he followed her.


    ¡°Dad, how are you doing?¡± Running into the room, Ma Tian¡¯en separated the crowd around Ma Chaosheng, and knelt down before the bed of her dad.


    Mrs. Ma, sitting by Ma Chaosheng¡¯s bed, raised her hand to beat Ma Tian¡¯en as she saw her.


    ¡°You unfilial son! The lord would not have been hurt if you had not run about. How dare you come back?!¡±


    A sound came to show agreement, ¡°Tian¡¯en, your behavior is really improper. Just think about it, you have invited so many disasters and all have been solved by your father since you were a child. At last, the catastrophe came. If my brother had unexpected misfortune or even death, the Ma Family would decline in your hands!¡± Said Ma Chaoyang, the uncle of Ma Tian¡¯en. He had long been dissatisfied with Ma Tian¡¯en, or to be more exact, his son could be adopted by Ma Chaosheng if Ma Tian¡¯en was not born, which would make it more convenient for him to have money.


    ¡°My dad will be fine. Mom, please first tell me how my father is and why he is still unconscious.¡± Ma Chaosheng¡¯s eyes were closed and his head was bound up where the blood could be seen.


    ¡°Your dad went out to look for you but the horse got mad suddenly, so the carriage turned over. Your dad was thrown out of the carriage and his head hit the stone. He was still in a coma though he was given a medical treatment. I would not be alive if your father were dead!¡± Saying this, Mrs.Ma could not help crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, my mistake, I¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en got into a coma before he finished his words.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    All people got panicked and lifted Ma Tian¡¯en hurriedly to the little room beside. Fortunately, the doctor who had not left, came to give her medical treatment.


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    With acupuncture and medicine, Ma Tian¡¯en recovered. In fact, she was too anxious just now. Seeing that Ma Tian¡¯en woke up, Mrs. Ma breathed a sigh of relief and dared not to blame her. On one hand, she cared about her child; on the other hand, she worried about Mr. Ma. Ma Tian¡¯en struggled to get up to see her dad the moment she woke up, but she was persuaded not to do so.


    ¡°My dear, just have a rest first. If your father woke up and saw you in such a condition, he would be sad. I am going to take care of your dad. Yanzi, look after the master, and if something happens, tell me immediately.¡± Seeing that Ma Tian¡¯en had nothing serious, Mrs. Ma arranged Yanzi to take care of her daughter as she could not help worrying about Ma Chaosheng. Then as she saw Wu Zhong, she stood up to give a salute, ¡°Sir, please look after Tian¡¯en.¡± Mrs.Ma was illiterate, but she respected and liked scholars all the time, or she would not have selected Ma Chaosheng before.


    ¡°My pleasure. Tian¡¯en is my student, and I will take care of him. You can trust me that Mr. Ma is a lucky man and he will be safe and sound.¡± He gave back a salute as he said.


    Mrs. Ma went to the room of Mr. Ma. Wu Zhong let others go and stood in a position not far away from the bed, saying, ¡°Tian¡¯en, I doubt that Mr. Ma was hurt by someone deliberately.¡±

 Chapter 24 - A Disaster Man-made, Not Natural

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Hearing that her father was harmed deliberately, Tian¡¯en sat up in excitement, feeling a little dazzled. Wu Zhong hurriedly walked forward to give her a hand. Suddenly, it occurred to him that she was a girl, so he didn¡¯t reach out his hand but to throw a pillow to let her lean on it.


    ¡°Relax. I have asked Ashun. He said that as everyone couldn¡¯t find you, Master Ma was so anxious that he wanted to look for you himself. Ashun witnessed Master Ma¡¯s leaving, he said the horse was normal. The horse suddenly got mad just not long after your father left. After the accident, the horse-keeper and the horse were locked in the stable. I have just asked Ashun to check the horse, and you can inquire the details. The horse can¡¯t get mad without any reason. Whether the horse or the horse-keeper should shoulder the responsibility, it will be clear after checking.¡±


    ¡°Right, just now, all the people cared about my dad and forgot to investigate the murderer. Come on, take the horse-keeper here!¡± At this time, Ma Tian¡¯en hit upon an idea: he must find and catch the man who hurt his father.


    In a few minutes, the horse-keeper was brought in front. His leg was bleeding, and it seemed that he was seriously injured. On seeing Ma Tian¡¯en, he knelt down and cried, ¡°Your master, I am innocent. I have worked in Ma Family for ten years. Master Ma treats me well, so why do I want to harm him?¡±


    Wu Zhong lifted him. Because he was injured, Wu Zhong helped him to sit down. The horse-keeper was too scared to sit on the chair. Ma Tian¡¯en felt poor for him and pointed to the chair, ¡°Sit down. You have worked in my family for many years, so how could you make such a mistake? How did the horse get mad as it was normal before?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. In the morning, we can¡¯t find you anywhere. Master Ma became anxious. He asked me to drive the carriage to find you with him. He was afraid that you went to Tian Family or rioted in Hu Family, so he asked me to Tian Family first. I didn¡¯t think that when we arrived at the stone bridge, the horse got mad and I couldn¡¯t control it.¡± The horse-keeper cried.


    ¡°Did you check the horse later?¡±


    ¡°I did. I suspected someone put some needles into the horse, but after examining carefully, I didn¡¯t find any injuries on the horse, even on its feet. Then, I was locked up. I don¡¯t know how the horse is going now.¡±


    ¡°Take me to have a look.¡± Then, Ma Tian¡¯en stood up. Wu Zhong called Yanzi to come in. They assisted Tian¡¯en to walk towards the stable with the horse-keeper.


    When they arrived at the stable, they found that the legs of the horse were tied tightly and its head was tied on a pillar. It lay on the ground motionlessly. Ma Tian¡¯en and Wu Zhong bent down and found the horse dead with its mouth and nose bleeding.


    ¡°Murdered the horse to hide the truth! It was done by either Tian Ronghua or Hu Chunqiu. I will fight with them.¡± After that, Ma Tian¡¯en stood up and wanted to dash out, but was caught by Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act on impulse.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, my dad was almost killed by them, how come you don¡¯t let me go?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en flew into rage. She intended to bite Wu Zhong, but she didn¡¯t think that Wu Zhong didn¡¯t dodge. He was bitten.


    ¡°Teacher, why didn¡¯t you dodge? I felt so sorry.¡± Looking at the scar on Wu Zhong¡¯s waist, she suddenly calmed down and then felt a little guilty.


    Only at this moment did Wu Zhong loosen the hands of Ma Tian¡¯en and patted her: ¡°I know you are sad, but you need calm down. It seems that the horse is poisoned. It is this morning that Master Ma decided to go out, so the man who poisoned the horse must know your leaving. He/she predicted that Master Ma was going to look for you, so he/she poisoned the horse. The poison can drive the horse crazy. Moreover, it must be done not long ago. If the horse had already been insane, Master Ma would never use it. This man must be in your family as he/she can control the time well. You need to have a check right now. If I am right, the man has already escaped during the chaos. Whoever is missing, he/she is the murderer.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, you are so clever. You can think about so many things in such a short time. Ashun, notify the charger of my family and ask everyone to gather in the yard except my mom. I wanna know who planned this, and I must put him to death. No matter how far the murderer goes, I¡¯ll catch him.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en really got angry. She didn¡¯t expect that the man who planned to kill her dad was in her family. Dad was kind to everyone. Who was the ungrateful man?


    In no time, all servants gathered in the yard, even a few concubines of Dad. Ma Tian¡¯en asked the charger to check the number of people. After counting, no one was missing. Ma Tian¡¯en was not assured, so she counted again. Everyone was here. Did the murderer stood among these people? She thought.


    ¡°Who are you with today? Do you have witness?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en inquired. Because they couldn¡¯t find Ma Tian¡¯en this morning, Lord Ma asked them to search for him, they could prove that they were together at that time. Even these concubines were accompanying Madam Ma at that moment.


    Ma Tian¡¯en looked around in a hurry. What the hell happened? Did the horse-keeper poison the horse? Ma Tian¡¯en looked at him.


    ¡°It is not me. I will die to prove my innocence.¡± After that, the horse-keeper was going to hit his head against the pillar, but was held by the surrounding people.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, did you bring a ventriloquist from the warehouse? Where is he?¡± Wu Zhong suddenly asked.


    ¡°Right, where is Mr. Jia?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en found Mr. Jia missing at this moment. When he counted people just now, he forgot him.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s no wonder that he mentioned crucian carp at Yuquan Mountain yesterday. He plotted to coax me to the mountain. But, why didn¡¯t he harm me but to frame my dad up!¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wants you to feel guilty. Sometimes, we will be tortured if our relatives are harmed because of us. So, you must cheer up. Before Lord Ma recovers, you should manage the business of Ma Family well.¡± Wu Zhong comforted her while he suspected that their greater conspiracy might be used to deal with Ma Family if their aim was Lord Ma. After all, if Lord Ma had any accident, Ma Tian¡¯en was hardly to shoulder all the responsibilities of Ma family. From this point, it might be planned by Tian Family. But it was not suitable to discourage her in such a terrible situation.


    ¡°Teacher, it¡¯s my fault. If I hadn¡¯t taken that cheater to my family, my dad would not have met the accident. I am a fool!¡± Regretted Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°Cut the legs of the horse, I will send them to Magistrate Hu.¡± Now that Magistrate Hu held office as a Magistrate, he should deal with suings of people. He would definitely know what these legs meant. If Ma Family continued to be threatened, they had to fight with their life. Recently, there appeared some delicate situations in court: Scholar Qian showed his dissatisfaction with Liu Jin, but Liu Jin was not investigated. It could be seen that Liu Jin was cautious recently, so he was not willing to make trouble. As his adopted son, of course, Magistrate Hu also did not want to make trouble at this time. After all, Ma Family could be counted as No.1 as regards all water transportation matters.


    ¡°Teacher, I must avenge my dad.¡± All of a sudden, Ma Tian¡¯en became mature. Only when she had power did she have the opportunity to revenge.


    ¡°Trust me. I will help you with the revenge.¡± Looking at the growing-up student, he felt both a little heartache and gratified.


    Ma Family stayed awake all night.


    Next day, at Hu Family


    Magistrate Hu dashed into the study of Hu Chunqiu with anger while Hu Chunqiu was reading but in a hazy and half-awake condition. When he noticed that his uncle came in, he walked towards him. But he didn¡¯t think that a slap came on his face when he just stood beside his uncle. He was slapped down to the dust.


    This slap really hurt him. Hu Chunqiu felt dizzy and didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Uncle, why did you slap me?¡±


    ¡°As the descendant of Hu Family, you make no attempt to make progress, but to stay with low and degrading people at the dock. Several days ago, you hired someone to play ghost. Now, you tried to kill Ma Chaosheng. Is it worthwhile to cost you such great efforts on that Ma Family? Don¡¯t you want to be an official in court? You might as well go to work at the dock!¡±


    ¡°Kill? I didn¡¯t. I have stayed at home these days. Who did I kill?¡± Hu Chunqiu was confused. He stayed at home but became a scapegoat.


    ¡°It¡¯s either you or your disreputable gang. Except you, who will kill Ma Chaosheng? You are not allowed to contact with them. Come on, your big Childe will be grounded from now on and I will let him out till next August examination.¡± After saying these, Magistrate Hu left angrily.


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    ¡°Is it Tian Ronghua who did this? If you want to, you should kill Ma Tian¡¯en, you idiot.¡±


    At Tian Family.


    Tian Ronghua was also confused. The news that Ma Chaosheng was harmed had already spread. Many people suspected he was the murderer. Although they had many fights, he would be sure not to take one¡¯s life directly. He knew, ¡°if you kill him today, next day you will be killed. If everyone feels insecure, how can they run business and make money? Besides, he already made compensation for the loss of Ma Family. But after that, Ma Family suffered this accident. Even a fool can guess it was done by him. It could be compared to a saying: a guilty person gives himself away by consciously protesting his innocence.¡±


    ¡°Big brother, didn¡¯t you really do it?¡± Tian Fuhui looked at his big brother in doubt. Tian Ronghua kept silent for a long time and uttered three words, ¡°Idiot, go away!¡±

 Chapter 25 - Water Lion Dance

    Chapter 25: Water Lion Dance


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Now, the house of Ma family was a busy place, with so many people coming and going. Ma Chaosheng, the man of the house, was very popular around. When there was something wrong with him, it would be natural that many people came to see him. Ma Chaosheng and his wife were really close. Since Ma Chaosheng had been unconscious, Madam Ma took care of her husband all by herself, without any time to deal with other things. The other concubines, as a matter of convention, could not go out to manage things, either. Thus, everything fell onto the shoulder of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Ma Tian¡¯en still made some mistakes though with the help of Wu Zhong and the housekeeper. There was just a lot going on right now. Ma Tian¡¯en, utterly exhausted, did not have time to catch Mr. Jia by himself, so he had to ask Uncle Wu to manage it. Several elder sisters of Ma Tian¡¯en all successively returned to Ma family to see their father. No matter who is the murderer, there is no denying that all started with Ma Tian¡¯en. But when they saw the haggardness of their younger brother, several elder sisters could not bring themselves to blame him. However, Ma Tian¡¯s two uncles accused Ma Tian¡¯en as an unfilial son all the time, which was nearly close to expelling him from the Ma family.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, look at you, how many troubles have you caused since your childhood? It was your father who cleaned up the mess for you. Now, you got your father lie down here. Such a big Ma family cannot live without its master. So your second uncle and I have no choice but run the house temporarily.¡± Ma Chaoyang, the third uncle of Ma Tian¡¯en, spoke slowly while sitting on the major chair in the hall with one cup of tea in his hand.


    ¡°I can manage the wharves and stores. Brother, you just have to deal with things inside the house.¡± Ma Chaorong, the second uncle of Ma Tian¡¯en, agreed with the suggestion of Ma Chaoyang and took charge of the two most profitable sectors to himself at the same time.


    ¡°Surely not. You do not have much experience to handle so many things at wharves and stores. How could you do it? At least, I know a little. So I¡¯d better run it.


    ¡°What if I run the wharves and you manage the stores?¡±


    Two men haggled over it, as if they were addressing the division of booty. If one had not known that they were timid and had no power, he would suspect they were the wire-pullers.


    Seeing his two uncles standing opposite to him, Ma Tian¡¯en felt his temper rise, ¡°My dear uncles, my father is lying there and you just could not wait to rob his money. Won¡¯t you have an attack of conscience?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Had it not been for your foolish act, our brother wouldn¡¯t have been framed by the enemy. You were really the black sheep of our family. I will teach you a lesson today for my brother! Come on! Pull him down and lock him up! Do not give anything to him to eat until my brother wakes up.¡± Ma Chaoyang said sharply. But the family did not dare to go forward, just watching from afar.


    ¡°Look, we cannot run the house without a head. You such lazy slaves, I¡¯m going to find someone to sell you all and then find some obedient ones.¡± Ma Chaoyang said in a terrible voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s our family affair. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was in a bad mood. Now his two uncles irritated him. Were they not seniors, he would have got them out.


    Jumping out of the chair, Ma Chaoyang walked to Ma Tian¡¯en and scolded Ma sharply with his face dark and angry, ¡°You, such an uppity boy, dare speak to me arrogantly! I will teach you a lesson today!¡± He raised his hands and posed to hit Ma Tian¡¯en. No matter how naughty Ma Tian¡¯en was, he would not dare to hit him back, just staring at his uncle.


    ¡°I will hit him by myself.¡± At that time, there came a woman¡¯s voice. Ma Tian¡¯en trembled with fear for his mother came.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, here you come. I am going to teach him a lesson. He was just so naughty.¡± In the past, when Madam Ma did not bear a son, she refused to accept the son of Ma Chaoyang as her foster son. Since then, Madam Ma had a shitty relationship with Ma Chaoyang. Moreover, Madam Ma was so tough that Ma Chaoyang was wary of her. Watching Madam Ma walking here with a feather duster in the hand, Ma Chaoyang felt a little creepy.


    Watching his mother walking towards him with a feather duster, Ma Tian¡¯en dare not run away at all. Mom and dad had been close. Moreover, the whole thing surely started with him so he was totally willing to be beaten.


    ¡°Mom, just beat me. Please do not beat me too hard or my father would be heartbroken.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en just closed his eyes. Then there came the sound of the feather duster as well as the cry of people. Why? Where did the cry come but he did not feel any pain


    When Ma Tian¡¯en opened his eyes, he saw his mother was running after his two uncles to hit them. She cursed them while hitting them, ¡°You are ingrates! You are planning to divide the property while your brother is still in a coma! How could you be so shameless!¡±


    ¡°You a harridan! I will let my brother divorce you and send you away!¡± Just now, Ma Chaoyang claimed him as the householder, but now he was so humiliated for he was chased around by the feather duster.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt at all, right? Bring me the whip.¡± Madam Ma was even more angry when she heard this. She dropped her feather duster and ordered the servant to bring her the whip.


    Ma Chaoyang and Ma Chaorong just realized that the sister-in-law standing in front of them was not a delicate beauty. Madam Ma, the daughter of Datong gang, grew up with those men who made a living wandering from place to place. Since she was married to Ma Chaosheng, she had never crossed any lines, so almost everyone forgot her hot temper. Ma Chaoyang turned around and fled away as he heard that Madam Ma was going to hit them by whip. It was known to all that one could be thrashed to death by Madam Ma. As Ma Chaorong saw his brother running away, he ran after him. Before he went out, he bowed deeply to Madam Ma, afraid of being stopped by her.


    Watching his two talky uncles flee away as quickly as they could, Ma Tina¡¯en felt a genuine admiration for his awesome mother.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Hardly had he thrown himself upon his mother¡¯s neck when he shouted it out and cried. All the pain and grievance these days and the panic, self-blame after his father¡¯s injury had become tears. His mother patted him on his back and pacified him. Madam Ma winked at servants and they all backed down.


    After a while, Ma Tian¡¯en regained his composure. He helped his mother sit on the chair and stood behind her.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, I know that you do not mean to hurt your father. Just an accident. You father would not blame you. Well, we can¡¯t undo what has already been done. We should think how to manage the whole family. As long as we live, there will be chance for us to revenge.¡± Madam Ma looked at her son. He was getting thinner every day. Since Master Ma was injured, affairs in Ma family got all messed up. It was time to revive everything.


    ¡°Well, I will try my best. But I do not have much experience, and I am counting on you to teach me.¡±


    ¡°You could consult the housekeeper if there is anything you do not know. As to the affairs of the wharf, just ask Uncle Wu. As for stores, I will get you familiar with those storekeepers. And¡­¡± Just a list of something had already confused Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I do not have to know everything. Maybe tomorrow my father would wake up.¡±


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    Madam Ma sighed, ¡°The doctor said that even if your father wakes up, there will be great trouble in the future. Your pitiable father has to suffer such pain in his old age. What a poor man!¡± Madam Ma could not stop crying when she told about her miserable husband.


    Seeing his mother sad, Ma Tian¡¯en was trying to change the subject, ¡°Mom, just tell me the most urgent thing. I will do it first. Let the storekeepers keep managing the stores at the wharf and I would meet them one by one when I am free.¡±


    ¡°Well, all right. Just take it slow. Now the most important thing is the Lion Dance competition on October 15th.¡±


    The lion dance in Datong river was different from that on land. The people of the lion dance were divided into two groups to act in the stakes settled in the river. To make the competition more interesting, the local government would put a traditional Chinese hydrangea (a ball made of strips of silk) on the big tray on top of the ladder. Anyone who took the hydrangea would be the lion king, who would receive an award from the local government. Of course, some people would take the opportunity to open a bet, which was pretty lively. The lion dance in Datong river was also known as ¡°water lion dance¡± for it was held on the water.


    Although there were five dams (Zha) in Datong river, the lion dance competition every year was held in the second dam, the Qingfeng Dam. While water in the other dams was calm and had no tides, the current in Qingfeng Dam was turbulent and fell or rose with a crash as loud as thunders. Lions jumped and rolled in the current in the lion dance, which was spectacular and impressive.

 Chapter 26 - I am the Head of the Dancing Lion

    Chapter 26: I am the Head of the Dancing Lion


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en was not a stranger to the competition of lion dance, because she would go to watch the game each year and practice with them for fun. Hearing from her mother that she would be responsible for the competition, she was relieved. She thought that it was easier for her to do such things than other ones, just doing like what she did in the last year. What¡¯s more, the players had been practicing for quite a while, who were of high proficiency and good teamwork, so they were likely to win.


    ¡°Mom, you can be at ease, because I will win back the award in competition for our Ma Family.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en made a firm promise to her mother.


    ¡°Your father had an accident, so many people are waiting to laugh at our family. If you can win this time, you can stand firm and people will recognize you from their heart as you have the potential. Either the people outside or members of our family, do not trust your strength now, but I, your mother, trust you. You can make it.¡± Mrs. Ma looked at Ma Tian¡¯en firmly, encouragingly.


    ¡°I did not expect that you are so optimistic about me, and I will definitely not let you down.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en felt ardour in her mind. She would prove to everyone that she was not the black sheep but the pride of Ma Family.


    Mrs. Ma nodded with relief and gratification. After saying some words of comfort to Ma Tian¡¯en, she got out of Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s room. While Ma Tian¡¯en, who stayed in room with great excitement, failed to see that her mother breathed a sigh as she went out, and patted her chest, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you will win the award or not; just don¡¯t get yourself into any trouble.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en, if she had nothing to do, she would go to revenge herself on Hu Family, but now the Ma Family was far behind the Hu Family. Her energy must be spread so that she would not get into any danger. Ah, Ma Family could not afford any storms.


    Ma Tian¡¯en put herself into the preparations for the competition of the lion dance, because she wanted to win the award to make her mother happy. And she hoped that her father could wake up earlier to see the glory she won back for Ma Family.


    Speaking of the lion dance, the cooperation between the head and the tail matters much. In the beginning of the practice, the two persons playing the head and the tail shall step on the side of a jar. The one playing the tail shall hold tightly the belt of the front one to pass the square matrix composed of scores of jars with their feet not landing on the earth and not stepping over the jars, or they shall start all over again. After that, they would practice directly on the plum-piles, so as to watch, stand, walk, run, jump, roll and sleep as a real lion. And they should be able to do jumps on or between the piles, and even back flips to go down the piles. The role of the person playing the head is especially critical. The head of a lion is about 4kg, with which a person shall move around flexibly and avoid being robbed by the opponent. What¡¯s more, the person shall not be too high, because the head should be small while the tail shall be high, so the person in charge of the head needs great skills and strength. In recent three years, the head of lion of Ma Family was played by Ma Laishun, a person at the dock, who would be given a lot of money by Ma Family. The training was quite smooth until something happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your legs?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Ma Laishun who was lying in bed and trying to struggle.


    As she took over the affairs of lion dance, Ma Tian¡¯en went to the place where Ma Family trained the lion dance the next day, only to hear that Ma Laishun could not participate in the competition because of his injury. The person playing the head now was an alternative, whose strength was much poorer, and he had not trained seriously because he thought he had no chance to play, so he could not cooperate smoothly with the tail. It could be seen that they would not win the competition.


    ¡°Master, I was nearly bitten by a crazy dog which I didn¡¯t know where it came from on my way home after I finished my work at the dock, and then I fell down, and broke my left leg. The doctor in He¡¯ren Tang said that I could not walk in three months, so it was impossible for me to take part in the competition of lion dance, for which I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Ma Laishun said as he bowed his head.


    Looking at Ma Laishun, Ma Tian¡¯en sneered, ¡°I am curious to know what kind of crazy dog it was, which wanted to fight against me.¡± It was too coincidental that the head of lion had to be changed when the competition was about to start, which meant that they were very likely to lose. It was obviously aimed at her, but she didn¡¯t know whether it was internal or external.


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. My master, I¡¯m so sorry for that.¡± Said Ma Laishun with a little trembling voice.


    ¡°Forget it, you just heal your wounds.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en knew that it was of no use to say more, so she did not mind him anymore and turned around and went out.


    Looking at her back, Ma Laishun murmured, ¡°Master, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    As she went back home, Ma Tian¡¯en shut herself in the study. She refused to see anyone and refused to eat something. She cursed Shun away who he came over several times. She wanted to make the competition of lion dance a full success, but the head of lion had an accident before it started.


    ¡°I have said that no one¡­¡­¡± Said Ma Tian¡¯en as she heard the door rattle softly, who wanted to throw the book on the desk to the door since she thought it was Shun again.


    ¡°You want to bully your teacher?¡± Wu Zhong came in with peaceful steps. Wu Zhong should go to the Imperial College today and would not come back until the night.


    Seeing Wu Zhong, Ma Tian¡¯en was wronged and unwilling, ¡°Sir, I promised to my mother that I would be responsible for the affairs of the competition of lion dance and win back the award. But the leg of the person playing the head was broken. It is obvious that someone wants to do harm to us since it was strange that the accident occurred now. There are only a few days left, and where can I find a person to play the head?¡±


    ¡°As something has not happened, we should do our best to avoid it. But if it was already bad, we should face it calmly. Haven¡¯t you often gone to have training before? Then you can play the head.¡± Said Wu Zhong in calm voice.


    ¡°Me? Can I do it?¡±


    ¡°I think you can do it though you are not good at writing poems.¡±


    ¡°Uh. Sir, are you praising me?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en thought that they were not good words.


    ¡°Just sit down.¡± Wu Zhong sat and gestured to Ma Tian¡¯en, and then he said in detail.


    ¡°In fact, the most important thing in this competition is to prove that you are willing to take the responsibility of the family. So as long as you do it seriously to let everyone know your efforts, you will bring them confidence though you lose the competition. Since the person playing the head had an accident, it is good if you  take the place, since we may not win the competition anyway. Just show them the charm and the determination of the young master of Ma Family, and you may not lose.¡± Wu Zhong said in a gentle voice, just like flowing water, refreshing breeze and fine rain.


    Ma Tian¡¯en calmed down finally. Indeed, it was better to fight for it herself since others could not win for sure.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m really skillful at playing the lion dance since I used to train with them before. It is impossible to make me give up; hum, I am the lion head!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have the determination. Speaking of the lion dance, I have seen your training before. It is much different between the North and the South, but I think they can be combined.¡± Wu Zhong came from Jiangnan, where he watched the southern lion dance since he was a child, and then he went to Beijing, where he knew the lion dance there, which made him surprised as there were so many differences.


    ¡°The southern lion dance focuses on artistic conception, which mainly shows eight expressions of a lion, including joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, dynamic and static state, amazement and doubt. It prefers little steps in joy, distinguished air of elegance in anger, closed eyes in sadness and striding in happiness. While the northern lion dance focuses on skills, which is presented especially in the cooperation between the head and the tail. As the head moves, the tail moves, and as the head stops, the tail also stops. They move at the same tempo as they jump and roll, which shows coordinated dancing posture. So I think we can combine the two styles to integrate the artistic conception of the southern lion dance into the skills of the northern one.¡±


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    ¡°Sir, great idea! Well, sir, could you please go with me to the training ground to play the southern lion dance for me?¡±


    ¡°A gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to know the essence of something, you shall take practice as the knowledge got in book is shallow. Sir, you also taught me that, right?¡±


    ¡°How amazing it is that you have remembered it!¡±


    ¡°The teacher¡¯s credit. Sir, I want to watch the southern lion dance.¡±

 Chapter 27 - Learn from the Cat

    Chapter 27: Learn from the Cat


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    ¡°Hunni with fake expression and lion with fake face, all their heads were carved by wood and tails made by silk. Their eyes were plated by gold and teeth were made by silver. They show their ostentatious garment and ears.¡± This was the poem created by Po Chu-i (a poet in Tang Dynasty), which described the lion-dancing. There were no agreement on the origins of lion dancing. The popular opinion was that people tried to imitate their appearance and actions when a few live lions were brought in from the Westin Han Dynasty. It did not develop into lion-dancing until three Kingdoms Period and lion-dancing prospered in the Southern and Northern Dynasties as the rise of Buddhism.


    Wearing the head mask of lion, Ma Tian¡¯en stood in front of the crowd. The person who played the lion tail called Li Hui. He grasped the ribbon tied around Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s waist and wore lion¡¯s skin dotted by cow hair. Ahead of them stood a man leading the lion. He not only had a good-looking, but was heroic. He was one of the master-hands of Datong Gang, mastering great Kongfu. Holding a Hydrangea to tantalize the lion, sometimes he performed forward and backward somersault in the air, standing on the table, which arouse heated applause. Under his leading, the lion ran and rolled. Occasionally, Ma Tian¡¯en reacted slowly and the head was almost knocked down by the tail of lion. But this happened less often as the practice went on. On the whole, they cooperated quite well.


    After a long while, Ma Tian¡¯en felt a little tired and wanted to have a rest. When she took off the mask of lion, Ashun gave her a bowel of water. Ma Tian¡¯en drank it up.


    ¡°Master, you are so great. I thought you played much better than the former one. This time, we will definitely win the first place.¡± After saying this, Ashun gave her a towel to wipe her sweat.


    ¡°Of course, I know I am great.¡± Although Ma Tian¡¯en said this, she still knew that she could not compete with Ma Laishun when playing the lion¡¯s head. She just didn¡¯t want to dampen the morale..


    At this time, Wu Zhong came here, with a cat in his arms. At such an critical moment, how could he have the mood to play with cat? But to be honest, this cat was very cute.


    Ma Tian¡¯en walked towards him and took over the cat from Wu Zhong. She couldn¡¯t help touching the chin of the cat, and the cat extended lazily its chin to let Ma Tian¡¯en fondle.


    ¡°Master, are you going to relieve me from the tedium by this cat?¡±


    ¡°No, I take it here to teach you how to perform lion-dancing, and you should call it Mr. Cat from now on.¡± Wu Zhong said seriously.


    ¡°What? Master, don¡¯t tell jokes with me. It is a cat, not a lion, so what can it teach me?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said doubtfully and turned back to fondle the head of the cat. The cat felt impatient, jumped out of her arms, ran away and lay down under a tree lazily, lifting its claws to lick its skin.


    ¡°According to the records of The Book of Songs, there are tigers, bears, and cats. It suggests that cats can be compared with tigers while tigers can be compared with lions. These are all furious animals. Don¡¯t you want to learn southern lion-dancing? As I have said, southern lion-dancing emphasizes its spirit. Cats also have happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, movement, quietness, surprise and suspect. If you watch the actions of cats, you will feel the spirit of lion-dancing. Look, the cat is lying down under the tree quietly with its relaxed expression. It looks like the dance steps slow as drumbeat becomes gentle when playing the lion-dancing.¡± After saying this, Wu Zhong picked a small stone and threw it towards the cat. The cat was shocked, and it jumped up suddenly and ran away. After running for a little distance, it looked back to see whether it was really dangerous.


    ¡°Look, that was the surprise and suspicion of the cat. Lion-dancing should follow the quietness, slowness and swiftness of drumbeat and use different expressions, dance steps and spirits to make the audience feel the emotions of the lion. This is the essence of southern lion-dancing.¡± After saying this, Wu Zhong noticed that Ma Tian¡¯en was absorbed in what he has said, as if she was thinking about something. He smiled.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was clever. From the words of Wu Zhong, she understood the meaning. Combining the techniques of the North and the spirit of the South, in this way, she would enable people to watch a different and energetic lion-dancing. She could have more opportunity to win the competition.


    Ma Tian¡¯en looked at the cat carefully. Wu Zhong accompanied her and told her the character of southern lion-dancing. Ma Tian¡¯en rested for a moment and continued to practice with others. Wu Zhong didn¡¯t leave and stay aside to watch. Ma Tian¡¯en was more careful because Wu Zhong was here.


    The time went by fast and it was already noon time. Every noon, everyone ate something for lunch. Yanzi would bring lunch to Ma Tian¡¯en on time.


    In order to create a quiet place for practice, others were not allowed to come in. But the walls of the yard actually were not tall since there were no valuable things inside. When Yanzi brought lunch, she saw someone standing on some stones to look into the yard over the wall .


    Yanzi quietly approached. The man was absorbed in peeping and didn¡¯t notice. He just heard a scream: ¡°Tian Fugui, what are you doing here?¡±


    Tian Fugui was paying attention to staring at lion-dancing of Ma Tian¡¯en. He was scared and fell from the stones. Yanzi intended to give him a hand, but she held the food box in her arms. She hesitated for a while, and Tian Fugui fell down.


    ¡°You silly girl, don¡¯t you know that people will be scared to death by others?¡± Tian Fuhui found it was Yanzi, and he rubbed his waist with bad feelings and stood up.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to say. Why don¡¯t you come in? What are you looking at secretly? Do you want to learn the unique skills from our master stealthily?¡± Yanzi retorted.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come in directly?¡± Yanzi said confusedly.


    ¡°I am afraid¡­¡­¡± Saying this, Tian Fuhui sat on the stone from which he just fell down with a sad face. He was a little depressed.


    Yanzi felt more puzzled, looking at the hesitant Tian Fugui. She thought that Tian Fugui was always close to the master. But today, he did not dare to come in. It was really strange.


    ¡°Did you do something bad to our master? Aren¡¯t you friends? Our master is tolerant, and she will forgive you. Please come in with me.¡± Tian Fugui sat on the stone. He looked like a poor dog which was abandoned by its owner.


    ¡°How can I do something bad for my friends? You look down on me. It is because of the accident of Master Ma. Everyone said the accident was schemed by my big brother and Hu Chunqiu. I can¡¯t show any evidence to convince others that it was not done by my big brother. I am afraid that Ma Tian¡¯en is not willing to talk to me.¡±


    Yanzi understood what Tian Fugui was concerned about. But she was always simple. She didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. She comforted him and said: ¡°It is your big brother¡¯s business, not yours. Without the accident, our young master doesn¡¯t like your big brother at all and you always come to play with him as usual. But you haven¡¯t been around for quite a while, and our master thought you were shut down by your big brother.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to come in and play with my master? I need to go, or the food will get cold.¡± Although Tian Fuhui was pitiful, the food was more important.


    ¡°I¡­I have to go back. I am afraid my big brother will scorn me.¡± After saying this, Tian Fugui ran away. But he ran for a distance and went back, saying to Yanzi, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Tian¡¯en that I have come.¡±


    ¡°I never lie to my master.¡± Yanzi refused firmly.


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t want him to know. I want to find out who tried to kill old Master Ma. My big brother said it was not done by him. I felt that my big brother wouldn¡¯t lie to me. Promise me that you don¡¯t tell him. I will buy you delicious dessert next time.¡± Tian Fugui looked at Yanzi pitifully. Yanzi felt a little dizzy and she nodded.


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    Tian Fugui saw that Yanzi nodded, and then he ran away.


    Looking at the figure of Tian Fugui, Yanzi stuck out her tongue: ¡°I am not your servant. I will not listen to you.¡± Then she ran into the yard. She was a little surprised when seeing Wu Zhong was there, too.


    ¡°Mr. Wu is here. Sorry, I don¡¯t know. The food I bring is only enough for my master.¡± After saying this, she held the food box more tightly.


    ¡°Yanzi treats me the best, but I must honor my teacher as well. Master, you eat mine. I will eat with others.¡± While she was saying, Ma Tian¡¯en took the food box from Yanzi and put it into Wu Zhong¡¯s hands. Wu Zhong thought she was just trying to show courtesy, but he didn¡¯t expect that she really gave it to him and then went to eat pancakes and stews together with others. She laughed and talked with others while eating. It seemed that she never regarded herself as a girl.


    Wu Zhong took the dishes out of the food box and placed them together with others. In a few minutes, they were all eaten up. When Ma Tian¡¯en looked up unconsciously, she saw Wu Zhong eating the same food as others, but he was still so elegant. She could not help losing her mind. Ouch! She bit her tongue.

 Chapter 28 - Relieve Uneasiness of Mind

    Chapter 28: Relieve Uneasiness of Mind


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Although Ma Chaosheng woke up from coma, he could not speak yet, let alone get out of bed. Madam Ma always took care of her husband by herself. After feeding Ma Chaosheng, she sat beside her husband and talked to him about recent situations of Lion Dance competition. Though Ma Chaosheng could not speak, he tried to smile. Actually, they did not have too much time to spend together in the past. Now, there came the time for them.


    Ma Chaosheng was too weak to sit up for a long time, so Madam Ma let him lie down for a rest and walked out of the bedroom to the family hall for worshipping the Buddha. When she was young, she was not a Buddhist. Later, after she gave birth to several girls and was so eager to bear a boy, she began to rely all her hopes on Buddhism. In the end, she still did not have a son, but she was accustomed to reciting Buddhist scripture. Since so much happened these days, she wished she could pray to all gods. As long as her husband could recover and her son could deal with everything smoothly, she would rather cut short her own life.


    Madam Ma walked from the room to the Buddha hall through a small garden. She walked absent-mindedly on the way with one maid being silent along her side.


    Suddenly, she saw two people talking in the garden. One was the gardener, Ding Si, with a potted hibiscus on his hand. The hibiscus was fascinating, white and red in full bloom. The other was Concubine Zhao.


    While everything was in such a mess, how come Concubine Zhao was still admiring the beauty of flowers at leisure? Madam Ma was enraged. She hurried forward and reproached Concubine Zhao sharply, ¡°Master Ma has been good to you. Now he is lying on the bed. But you are admiring the beauty of the flowers in a carefree mood! If you are not to stay in our family, I will help you get out of here right away!¡±


    Seeing Madam Ma come here unexpectedly, Concubine Zhao and Ding Si were all startled, throwing themselves at her feet in a hurry.


    ¡°Madam, I was wronged. Recently I was worried about Master Ma, anxious day and night. These days I found it hard for me to fall asleep because of anxiety, so I let Ding Si find me a potted hibiscus to relieve uneasiness of mind. I was terribly sorry if I offended you.¡± Kneeling on the ground with her head down, Concubine Zhao spoke in a slow and reverent voice without any sense of fear.


    That was what Madam Ma hated her most. At first, Ma Chaosheng¡¯s mother wanted him to have concubines but he refused. However, things were different with Concubine Zhao. The father of Concubine Zhao was a doctor. He once treated a patient but that patient died. He was asked to compensate but he had not enough money. It happened that one distant cousin of Ma Chaosheng¡¯s mother was the neighbor of Concubine Zhao. He saw that her father had one daughter and four sons so he suggested him to sell his daughter to Ma family because maybe Concubine Zhao could bear a son for Ma family. This time Ma Chaosheng did not refuse. Moreover, he slept with Concubine Zhao several times. She was lucky to be pregnant and bore a son. But it was a pity that the little baby died when he was born. But Madam Ma still guarded against Concubine Zhao. Every time Master Ma went to the room of Concubine Zhao, she would be cold to Master Ma for a long time. Over time, Master Ma did not go there anymore. But he never treated Concubine Zhao unfairly in her normal spendings.


    Seeing her pitiable expression, Madam Ma was more than a little upset, unwilling to talk with her. Madam Ma took a look at the hibiscus in Ding Si¡¯s hands and ordered the maid, ¡°Take the flower to the Buddha hall.¡± The maid took the hibiscus quickly and followed Madam Ma to the Buddha hall.


    Seeing the figure of Madam Ma going afar, Ding Si stood up and kneaded his legs with a cry of thankfulness.


    ¡°I was almost scared to death.¡±


    However, Concubine Zhao stood up calmly. She bowed to Ding Si to apologize, ¡°I was terribly sorry for involving you.¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. You do not have to¡­¡± Before Ding Si finished his speaking, Concubine Zhao smiled at him, ¡°Well, I am going back.¡± Then she turned around and walked away.


    In the Buddha hall, Madam Ma was praying devoutly while kneeling on the cattail hassock. In lingering Buddhist incense was a potted hibiscus in bloom.


    Tian Fugui came back home with one box of pastry in his hand. He wanted to go to the study to meet his brother. However, before he was close to the study, he was intercepted by Tian Er, the servant of his brother.


    ¡°Master orders that no one be allowed to enter the room. When Master comes out, I would tell him. Now, you could go back to your room first.¡± Tian Er stood in front of Tian Fugui reverently, stopping him to walk forward.


    ¡°Do you know what I want to tell my brother? How could you prevent me from entering the room? Well, you won¡¯t tell me even if you know it. Just forget what I ask. Okay. Just give this box of pastry to my brother.¡± Tian Fugui passed the box to Tian Er, turned around and walked towards his own room.


    Tian Ronghua sat opposite to a young man in the study. The man seemed to be in his early twenties. He had an angular face and bright eyes, piercing and sharp. He was dressed as common people. But carefully observed, one would notice that there were cocoons as well as scars on his hands. Apparently the man had suffered a lot.


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    ¡°As you know Duke Wu has always shown care for the water transport. But he could not intervene in consideration of his identity and status. After all, there are many eyes staring at him. My master is the nephew of Duke Wu, who naturally represents the attitude of Duke Wu in terms of the water transport. I am coming here, on behalf of my master, to cooperate with Tian family. However, I could not expose the identity of Duke Wu, so I would just act as the housekeeper in Tian family. As for benefits, you are clear. It is known to all that officials and merchants are inseparable. Tian family, without any official background, could not win over Ma family even after ten or twenty years. We have hurt Li Dafu, which is the greeting gift for you. The leader of Datong gang now is Zheng Depiao, not Li Dafu anymore, so you do not have to be afraid of Datong gang. As Li Dafu still has some remaining prestige inside Datong gang, Datong gang could not help Tian family overtly. But for sure they will not assist Ma family hereafter. How about this greeting gift?¡± The man finished his speaking and just stared at Tian Ronghua sincerely. It seemed that he just wanted to receive some praise after giving a gift. However, under his understatement was a sense of surliness and murderous intention.


    ¡°Your suggestion is really good. But there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m not clear about. Since Ma Chaosheng was in trouble, it could be much easier to control Ma Tian¡¯en, young and inexperienced. Why not choose Ma family?¡± Everyone wanted money. But it made one feel uneasy and upset to take the money that someone just sent to the door. Tian Ronghua looked at the young man and felt like things were not so simple.


    ¡°You could ask me about this. It is proved that Master Tian is thoughtful. I do think we find the right man. In fact, you do not have to think too much. I do not choose Ma family is that I have a vendetta against Ma family. You do not have to know the details. You just have to know that we all want the same thing. When we win over Ma family, we both can  get what we want.¡± The young man spoke frankly.


    ¡°I still do not know your name yet.¡± Here is the thing. As long as there is great temptation, one would jump down even he knows it is a trap. Tian Ronghua knew clearly that there was something about the young man. But since it was beneficial to Tian family, nothing mattered. As for Ma family, he has long intended to compete with it. As long as he won over Ma family, Tian family would be prosperous.


    ¡°Guo Qi. Qi means the beautiful jade. But I choose the name for me. I was called Guo Yu before and Yu means superfluous and unnecessary.¡± He remained calm in his expression when he spoke, but his hands clenched involuntarily.

 Chapter 29 - The Competition of Lion Dance in the Water

    Chapter 29: The Competition of Lion Dance in the Water


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Since the death of the former housekeeper, there was no new housekeeper in Tian Family, and all said that Tian Ronghua valued the relationship. But Tian Ronghua needed someone to help him manage the affairs of Tian Family since the former housekeeper had been dead for several days. The new one was young and unknown in his origin, who did not attract much attention, but the people of Tian Family knew how resolute he was. He would temper justice with mercy, and for those who wanted to make trouble, he would suppress them quickly. However, as long as one did not take the initiative to provoke him, it was also very easy to get along with this new housekeeper. He would not punish someone deliberately to get authority provided everyone could do well what they need to do.


    Tian Fugui came to ask Tian Ronghua several times why he suddenly appointed a new man to be the housekeeper, and Tian Ronghua only said that he met when doing business with him before and thought it was suitable for him to be the housekeeper. But Tian Fugui was also warned to ask others for help instead of bothering the new housekeeper, which made him confused. He did not pay more attention to this because he would not continue to find the reason if he could not figure it out. What¡¯s more, the competition of lion dance was coming, he wondered about the performance of Ma Tian¡¯en. Anyway, the family was run by brother, so he could appoint whoever he wanted.


    Soon, it was time for the competition of lion dance. The two sides of the competition site had been full of noises: the hawking of petty dealers, the talk among the people, and even the sound from some teahouses and restaurants where temporary gambling points for betting on the winner had been set up.


    Five lion dance teams participated in the competition, and each team had 10 persons: a guide, a lion head, a lion tail, three substitutes, and four pickpockets and drummers. They were Tian Family from the first Zha, Ma Family from the second Zha, Liu Family from the third Zha, Zheng Family from the fourth Zha, and Gao Family from the fifth Zha. The five fixed plum piles connected a way to the high platform in the water, where a high ladder led to the hanging hydrangea and the gong. The one who was the first to get the Thread-woven Ball and ring the gong was the winner. The five families would decide which waterway of plum pile to go by drawing lots.


    The competition of lion dance was composed of three parts: Animating the Eyes of Lions; Dancing on the Plum Piles; and Competing for the Reward.


    It was the official of the government who was qualified to animate the eyes of lions, and Magistrate Liu was responsible for it this year. Magistrate Liu sat on the table in the venue of lion dance on the shore, with cinnabar, brush and other objects in front of the table. The second Zha was the winner of last year, so they came out first and other teams followed them. They came to the center of the platform and began the performance before animating the eyes of lions with the help of the guide.


    Tian Ronghua stood on the sideline, and the new housekeeper, Guo Qi, was next to him. The two were lost in their own thoughts, staring at the lions of the second Zha.


    They saw that the lion head played by Ma Tian¡¯en led the tail in turning over to show their lion while she failed to stand firmly and narrowly wobbled to fall. Then she went back to the right place and followed the guide to jump to the Magistrate Liu. In the midst oof the sound of gongs and drums, she restored herself to stability, and even showed several beautiful somersaults.


    A commotion burst out in the crowd, and the people who bet on the second Zha wanted to know if it was too late to change their decision. Guo Qi could not help but sneer. How could that be called a lion? It was just a female cat.


    Tian Ronghua also breathed a sign of relief because he knew that Ma Tian¡¯en was a good-for-nothing, and only his stupid brother believed that he was excellent. The skills of playing the head of lion could not be easily mastered. Ma Tian¡¯en was simply a toff, who was unable to make it.


    Wu Zhong, who looked at her not far away, was also surprised. Thinking of her usual performance, he wondered if Ma Tian¡¯en was nervous. But it was also a kind of growth to have lessons, so he calmed down as he thought of this.


    Though the name was animating the eyes, the part involved animating forehead and mouth, too. Only the lions that went through this part could be intelligent enough to integrate with the players.


    Magistrate Liu stood up, with a brush in his hand which was dipped in vermilion, and went to animate the lion eyes of Ma Family which arrived first: The first stroke was in the left eye which meant golden glittering. The second stroke was in the right eye which meant silver light. The third stroke was in the forehead which meant world reputation. The fourth stroke was in the mouth which meant the peace of the world.


    Magistrate animated the eyes of lion by vermilion while he was speaking the ritual words. Unlike the lion of the disconcerted Ma Tian¡¯en, the lion of Tian Family was mighty and powerful, which appeared in an imposing way. After a few nice rolls, it reached the front of Magistrate Liu, and waited for being animated.


    As the part ended, all families showed on the platform. With louder beat of gongs and drums, the dancing lions were standing, lying and rolling as their paces were more and more breathtaking. Compared with the majestic-looking lions of other Zhas, the lion of the second Zha was a little lazy, just like a sleepy cat.


    In the second part of Dancing on the Plum Piles, the players would jump upon and first performed on the piles. Then when hearing the order given in drumbeat, they should jump upon the high platform to begin the third part¡ªCompeting for the Award, and who gained the Thread-Woven Ball (An ancient weapon at the earliest. With the development of the society, this weapon used in hunting and war has gradually evolved into today¡¯s one, which is used to convey feelings and convey ideas, entertain the body and mind, and strengthen the body in competition.) was the winner. Of course, the one who fell in the second part would be knocked out and had no chance to participate in the third part.


    As the dancing lion of Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s team jumped upon the piles, the onlookers changed from betting on whether the second Zha could gain the first place to when they would fall into the water.


    The head of the lion jumped forward while the tail was slower in movement. Then Ma Tian¡¯en went back a little bit, narrowly falling into the water, but she jumped up after a turn-over just a few centimeters above the water.


    After that, she ran forward and then went back a few steps again, while as she just stood, she narrowly fell down. The head reached down and then bounced up again, which made spectators shake with fear.


    In contrast, other teams were more skillful, and showed a smooth feeling of flowing water as they ran fast, went back, turned over and jumped steadily through steady running, going back, turning over and jumping, and there was a tacit cooperation between the head and the tail of lion.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t fallen yet? I guess he will fall this time.¡±


    ¡°Jumping again.¡±


    ¡°Look, the lion seems to be fearful. Quick, look at it, its hair is blown up.¡±


    ¡°It is angry this time. The lion is just like a real one. It is even blinking and sticking tongue out.¡±


    With the discussion of the onlookers, Tian Ronghua felt a little bad because he noticed that they focused on that toff rather than on other better performance.


    ¡°Unexpectedly, Ma Tian¡¯en has got something. Well, it¡¯s too boring if he is that weak.¡± The insider knew the ropes, while the outsider just came along for the ride, so the insider like Guo Qi was quite clear about the knacks. At the beginning, he also thought that Ma Tian¡¯en was not good at lion dance, but after several times, he realized that he was playing the fool.


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    While Wu Zhong nodded from time to time, and he got it that his student was pretending as a pig but aimed at eating the tiger. At each dangerous moment when she was going to fall into the water, she could save the day. It must have been intentional for she had played like that for several times rather than just one time.


    Then, a drummer picked up the drumstick to beat the drum heavily, which was as powerful as inspecting soldiers in the battlefield.


    Those teams stopped performance and ran towards the platform like sharp arrows from the strings. Most of the players could play Kung Fu, so they fought with one another as they reached the platform. On one hand, they needed to climb up the ladder, on the other hand, they had to stop others from gaining the ball first. So it required more cooperation between two people and the proficiency of Kung Fu at this moment.


    The spectator did not pay attention to Ma Tian¡¯en probably because she played too bad just now. Especially at the beginning when other lions were fighting with one another, the lion of Ma Tian¡¯en wobbled around for a few times as if it had seasickness, and then it ran into the battlefield like a kitten, which was not of any lethality.


    The powerful lions were competing with one another with the loud drumbeats. The lions of the third and the fourth Zhas fell into the water one after another, leaving the first Zha-Tian Family, the fifth Zha-Gao Family, and a shivering Ma Family. Tian Family jumped up to the ladder at first but was pulled down by the following Gao Family. On the occasion of the battle between the lions of Tian Family and Zheng Family, all of a sudden, Ma Tian¡¯en jumped up toward the ladder with the lion¡¯s hair blown up and its roar into the air.

 Chapter 30 - Victory or Defeat

    Chapter 30: Victory or Defeat


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    ¡°Oh, god, the boy is going to grab the Thread-woven Ball!¡± At this time, Tian Ronghua knew that what Ma Tian¡¯en had done before was purposeful. Now he was intended to win the competition.


    The other two lions suddenly understood and made reactions. They ran to the high stairs to stop Ma Tian¡¯en. But the lion played by Ma Family looked like recovering from life. It leapt from here to there with fast speed, just like a loach that one can¡¯t catch. It took a few times for the lion to flee on the high stair. Ma Tian¡¯en held the Thread-woven Ball in one hand and with the other hand he grasped the drumstick to strike the brass gong. At this moment, however, the lion played by Tian Family just grasped the tail of the lion of Ma Family.


    Ma Tian¡¯en jumped from the high stair with the tail of the lion, and also turned a somersault in the air, landing firmly on the stage. Then she stood up, vacillated to the left and to the right with the Thread-woven Ball in her hand. Every movement and expression showed her joy and pride.


    Outside the competition court, the audience gave a big applause and cheer. The men who bet that Ma Tian¡¯en could win stared at her as if she were a Mammon (the Chinese god that is believed to bring one wealth). Someone in the crowd took the lead to call Ma Tian¡¯en, and the crowd echoed his call.


    The man who hadn¡¯t thought that Ma Tian¡¯en could win was Officer Liu. When Ma Tian¡¯en held the Thread-woven Ball and stood in front of him, he still couldn¡¯t believe it and stared at her for a long time. Last time, in the grove, he only felt that Ma Chaosheng plotted it carefully and didn¡¯t think that Ma Tian¡¯en was involved in that thing. But today, without Ma Chaosheng, this young man beat the great lion. It seemed that the future of the second zha was promising.


    In light of this, Officer Liu took the reward which was prepared by the office and gave it to Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°Since ancient times, the hero is always from the youth. It¡¯s great that you restrains yourself before rising, and have both courage and wisdom. You should be more diligent in the future and make contributions to our nation.¡± As a local officer, Officer Liu always balanced their relations when dealing with these local big families. He didn¡¯t want any of these big families to be the No.1. After Ma Chaosheng was injured, he was afraid that Tian Family could be so powerful that he couldn¡¯t take charge of him. Now, it seemed that Ma Tian¡¯en might be a surprise.


    Accepting the reward, Ma Tian¡¯en held it up. Her eyes shone like the stars in the sky. The audience gave a big applause immediately. The eyesight of Ma Tian¡¯en landed on the crowd, trying to find where Wu Zhong was. But suddenly, she felt uncomfortable, as if she were stuck by the needle. When she looked at the crowd again, she didn¡¯t find anything wrong.


    Ma Tian¡¯en ran towards Wu Zhong, but she didn¡¯t expect that the crowd who came to express their congratulations surrounded her. Ma Tian¡¯en gave her responses mindfully. It took much effort to come to Wu Zhong. Ma Tian¡¯en was very proud and she naturally held Wu Zhong¡¯s hands and shook them joyfully when she found that Wu Zhong looked at her with a big smile.


    ¡°Sir, did I do a good job?¡±


    ¡°Well done. Some of your servants returned to the family to deliver this good news. Mrs. Ma is making preparations to have a celebration now.¡± Wu Zhong said while he withdrew his hands hesitatingly. But in the meanwhile, he couldn¡¯t help taking out the handkerchief, wiping the sweat on the forehead of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s go home together. I want my mother to praise me. No, not only praise, I still want her to increase my monthly payment¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said happily while he called the men of Ma Family to come back home with her. On the way home, men came to congratulate him continuously. The scene could be compared as a No.1 scholar in Emperor Exam parading through the street. Ma Tian¡¯en was forthright by nature; in addition, because of the pride of youth, she walked while flaunting. It took two hours for her to come back home. As usual, it only took half an hour.


    Guo Qi always followed her in a certain distance. He despised her in his heart: she just won a small lion-dancing competition, and how could she beam with such joy? She couldn¡¯t deserve the title of the head of Ma Family.


    Upon approaching the door of Ma Family, Ma Tian¡¯en was welcomed by all the servants. The house of Ma Family was decorated with lanterns and streamers. It seemed that the family was going to have a big party.


    ¡°It¡¯s no need to celebrate so grandly. My dad is still ill.¡± Although Ma Tian¡¯en was happy, she felt a little guilty because of the splendid scene.


    ¡°It is because Mr. Ma is ill that the celebration should be grand. For one thing, it could show our power, telling others that Ma Family would be more prosperous instead of declining. For another thing, it could Chongxi (a Chinese custom which is intended to save a patient¡¯s life by giving him a wedding or a big celebration to counteract bad luck).¡± Wu Zhong said half seriously and half-jokingly. But he was indeed happy for Ma Tian¡¯en from the bottom of his heart. He totally understood the arrangement of Mrs. Ma. It was intended to frighten the man who wanted to frame their family up.


    ¡°Chongxi? Should I marry a girl? Sir, did you see it? Just now, many girls gave me perfume satchels and handkerchiefs. Even Zheng Mingwei, the daughter of Zheng Family also praised me. This girl liked to fight with me when we were little children. I always¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en paused before finishing her words.


    These children who grew up on the canal bank didn¡¯t have any consciousness of gender. They always played together. When Ma Tain¡¯en was a little child, her health was not in good condition and was not tall, so she was always bullied. However, she became clever later and learned some Kongfu. Although it was not skillful, it was enough for a playboy.


    But, the point was this student forgot she was a girl again. He thought of this and her holding his hand just now, and a little flush appeared on his face. He slowed down and then was stuck by the man behind him. He didn¡¯t stand firm and fell down onto Ma Tian¡¯en in front of him.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was proud at that moment and was bumped by Wu Zhong unprepared. She wobbled for a few steps before she could restore her balance. She also held Wu Zhong thoughtfully.


    Wu Zhong didn¡¯t think that he could strike on Ma Tian¡¯en. At first, it was just an accident. But he stayed so close to Ma Tian¡¯en and was held by her firmly. He was a little absent-minded at that moment, as if he had drunk three pods of wine fermented with osmanthus flowers, so he felt the beauty standing on the cloud.


    ¡°Sir, how are you?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en shook her hand in front of Wu Zhong and asked him with worry.


    ¡°Nothing, I didn¡¯t control the balance just now. Did I hurt you?¡± Wu Zhong then recovered from his thoughts. In order to cover up his strong heartbeats, he tried his best to calm down.


    ¡°Of course I am fine. Sir, you are so weak. How about me teaching you some Kongfu?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en imagined the feeling with which she could teach Wu Zhong immediately. She could be called as his teacher. If she was punished to transcribe book, she could punish him to do a martial-art squat. This feeling was great.


    ¡°Master, you must be hungry. This is the dessert I made, and please taste it.¡± Concubine Zhao carried a plate of dessert and stood in front of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I am really hungry. Aunt Zhao, thanks a lot.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en took a piece of dessert and gobbled it.


    ¡°No, spit it out.¡± At this time, the sharp voice of Mrs. Ma rang out.


    The dessert stuffed her mouth. Ma Tian¡¯en noticed that her mother came quickly. She knocked over the plate and caught Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s neck to let her spit it out. Ma Tian¡¯en had no preparations so that she was almost choked.


    Ma Tian¡¯en swallowed half and spat out half. She squatted on the ground and coughed because of choking. At this time, Ashun took some water hurriedly from the hall. Mrs. Ma was still angry.


    ¡°You stupid thing. I have told you many times that you should be careful when eating something. Why do you eat it? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being poisoned?¡±


    ¡°Mother, I am not. Aunt Zhao is not a stranger.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was not convinced.


    ¡°Idiot, she is a bitch servant, and you shouldn¡¯t call her aunt.¡± Mrs. Ma was angrier because Ma Tian¡¯en helped Concubine Zhao.


    ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s my fault. I thought the master might be tired and hungry after lion-dancing, so I made some dessert for him. All I did is for master, and I cared about her. The dessert was made by myself, how could it be poisonous?¡± Concubine Zhao cried poorly, kneeling on the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wear such a pitiful expression. The old master is still lying on the bed, and who will watch you crying? You said it has no poison, so you eat it now.¡± Seeing her pitiful expression, Mrs. Ma was furious. The old master was cheated by this disguised pitiful expression.


    ¡°Mom, the dessert was knocked down, and it can¡¯t be eaten. Come on, let¡¯s go to see my father. Dad will be happy to see me.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en drank some water and wanted to help Concubine Zhao. She didn¡¯t know that what offended her mother was his helping for Concubine Zhao. Her mother was madder after hearing that Ma Tian¡¯en asked her to let this thing go.


    Mrs. Ma picked some dessert from the ground and walked in front of Concubine Zhao. Holding her chin, she stuffed it into Concubine Zhao¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Suddenly, Ma Tian¡¯en felt her mother became scary. Although her mother had a bad temper before, today she was overdone.


    Ma Tian¡¯en still wanted to say something, but was held by Wu Zong. Because Wu Zhong knew that whatever she said was not helping, but made the thing more terrible.


    Concubine Zhao¡¯s mouth was stuffed with dessert. Her eyes were full of tears, but she didn¡¯t dare to cry. After putting all dessert into her mouth, Mrs. Ma felt a little satisfied.


    ¡°Now that you like making dessert, don¡¯t squander them. You are not allowed to go back to your room before eating all the dessert on the ground.¡± Mrs. Ma said without mercy.


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    ¡°Yes.¡± Concubine Zhao didn¡¯t dare to revolt but to nod. Ma Tian¡¯en couldn¡¯t stand it when she saw Concubine Zhao picked another piece of dessert and ate it. She rushed to Concubine Zhao, picking up a piece of dessert and putting it into her mouth.


    ¡°I company you. Should you eat them all? I will eat for you.¡± After saying this, she looked at Mrs. Ma defiantly.


    In a fit of anger, Mrs. Ma felt dazzled and fell down on the ground.


    ¡°Madam!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±

 Chapter 31 - Bygones

    Chapter 31: Bygones


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Fully frightened, Ma Tian¡¯en quickly stood up and ran to her mother, carrying her mother back to the room with servants.


    The servants put Madam Ma onto the bed. While crying, Ma Tian¡¯en blamed herself completely. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for me, nothing would happen to my father.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en thought. ¡°Moreover, my mother was angry and sick just because of me£¡¡±While thinking, she suddenly raised her hand and hit her own head, tears flowing down.


    ¡°Come on, Madam is probably too tired recently and she will wake up soon.¡± Seeing Ma Tian¡¯en looked so sad, Wu Zhong felt upset. She should have spent all her life with a bright smile. Why should she encounter so many twists and turns?


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. Mom, wake up, please! When will the doctor come? Hurry up and find a doctor!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en took her mother¡¯s hand, helpless and frightened.


    Suddenly Madam Ma woke up. Seeing Ma Tian¡¯en, she raised her hand to wipe Tian¡¯en¡¯stears. At this time, her mood was also stable. Seeing her daughter crying so sadly, she felt heartbroken.


    ¡°Do not cry, my son. I am fine. Maybe I did not sleep well these days. Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°Mom, it is all my fault. I am always a troublemaker. I want to make you and my father happy and proud of me today. I don¡¯t know how it goes like this.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said and she felt guilty for her mother.


    ¡°It is all because of that devious woman. There will be definitely nothing good wherever she appears. You shall stay away from her later on.¡± As soon as she mentioned Concubine Zhao, Madame Ma was getting a little agitated.


    ¡°Well, I will not talk to her any more. Mother, don¡¯t be angry.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en dared not to argue with her mother. Anyway, her own mother was always more important than the outsiders. Since she was not happy when she talked with Concubine Zhao, then she would just ignore her. However, why was her mother so hateful? A trace of doubt flashed through her mind.


    ¡°There are some things you don¡¯t know. Anyway, you have to know that I do all this for your good.¡± After saying these words, Madam Ma felt weak and leaned against the pillow.


    Just then the doctor arrived. The doctor was trustworthy and experienced, and he always came for treating minor diseases.


    ¡°Madam Ma fainted for tiredness coupled with emotional excitement. I prescribe some tranquilizing medicine for her. Madam Ma should take the medicine on time. But remember not to be agitated. Childe Ma, you have to follow the orders of your mother. Most diseases arise from mental disturbances.¡± On the way to Ma family, the doctor already knew that Mrs. Ma fainted for her son, and naturally he reminded Ma Tian¡¯en.


    ¡°I know. I will never do it again.¡±  Accepting the suggestion and sending the doctor away, Ma Tian¡¯en urged the maid to boil the herbal medicine for her mother. Madam Ma, still worried about her husband, refused to stay in bed. And she did not want her husband know about her fainting. She insisted on going to the room of Master Ma. When persuasion failed, Ma Tian¡¯en had no way but to go with her.


    For a while, one could hear the mirth coming from the room, and it seemed that they were sharing the victory of today¡¯s game with Master Ma. What a lovely family!


    Concubine Zhao stood under the osmanthus tree in the yard and looked far away at the room where Master Ma was in. It seemed as if she could see the scene inside through the wall. The osmanthus blossoms floated down and fell onto her hair and face, but she seemed to be ignorant of the surroundings, just standing there so quietly.


    After a while, Concubine Zhao saw Ma Tian¡¯en coming out of the room and walked towards her room joyfully. She suddenly put her hand onto her stomach and there was soft light on her face.


    When she went back to the room, her legs were numb because of long-time standing, but she didn¡¯t go to bed immediately. Instead, she took out a parcel from the cupboard and opened it. There were a few pieces of baby clothes. Taking the clothes from the package, she touched them gently, and then held them close to her face, as if there were some warmth on the clothes. After a while, she put the clothes back in the package and re-attached them.


    ¡°It has been twenty years. My son, I will never forget you. When I revenge you, I will go find you. My poor child, even if I have to lose my life, I will let those people get what they deserve. It won¡¯t be too long, my son.¡±


    Concubine Zhao muttered to herself, but shed no tears. For twenty years, she had already no tears to shed. Only hate grew stronger day by day.


    A lot of things happened today, but Wu Zhong always felt as if something were missing. He felt confused about Concubine Zhao. After all, she knew clearly that Madam Ma hated her being close to Ma Tian¡¯en, then why did she send a snack to Ma Tian¡¯en in public today? But if she was calculating, so what was she doing for? Every time she approached Ma Tian¡¯en, she would be punished by Mrs. Ma. Was it really just out of love for Ma Tian¡¯en? However, Concubine Zhao must not be that simple. On the surface, Madam Ma was at an absolute advantage. However, Concubine Zhao was just being scolded or got punished. Madam Ma, on the other hand, was seething with rage at Zhao¡¯s remarks and even fainted today. There must be something behind the surface victory and defeat.


    It seemed that there were still many unknown things in the Ma family. Ma Tian¡¯en was forthright in temperament. If I told her directly, she might run to ask Concubine Zhao. So I had better find a chance to remind her. However, in any case, Tian¡¯en was still doing very well today. Not only had she defended the honor of Ma family, but she had also demonstrated her strength. Thinking of this, Wu Zhong felt very pleased. Unconsciously it was late at night, so he put the book down, and went to bed.


    However, Madam Ma did not sleep. Having called the housekeeper¡¯s wife to her room, she looked at her in anxiety while all the other maidens were out. The wife of the housekeeper was originally the maid of Madam Ma when she was not married. Later, she followed Madam Ma to the Ma family. Madam Ma then married her to the housekeeper of Ma family and let her manage internal affairs inside Ma family.


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    ¡°Madam, you do not have to worry too much. I am the only one who knows those things that happened in the past. Suxin and her husband did not know it at all. Moreover, Concubine Zhao was unaware of it. Now it has been twenty years, so it is impossible for others to check it up. So you can get relieved and do not worry¡±. The wife of the housekeeper comforted Madam Ma. Seeing the once innocent and pure lady had become such an anxious and depressed lady, she felt heartbroken. Sometimes she even imagined that if Madam Ma did not meet Master Ma at the beginning, would she be living a happier life?


    ¡°A Qiao, I often have nightmares in these days and sometimes I even heard the cry of the baby. Now that there are so many things happening in the Ma family, I am really afraid that it is retribution. But I am the one who made the wrong thing. If there is retribution, I should be the one who bear it. As long as Master Ma and Childe Ma are safe and well, I do not care about what will happen to me.¡± Finishing her speaking, Madam Ma felt a pang of headache, and the wife of the housekeeper hurriedly stepped forward to give her a massage.


    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t think about it anymore. You gave them so much money that year, enough for them to live the whole life. It would be a pity if they are not content with it. If there is retribution, it should be the retribution for their greed. Don¡¯t think too much about it and now the Ma family still depends on you. ¡°Over the years, A Qiao became the wife of the housekeeper, and Miss Li became Madam Ma. But sometimes, A Qiao could not help but call her Miss. It was like going back to the carefree youth time again.


    There was still one person who could not fall asleep, and that was Ma Tian¡¯en. She couldn¡¯t understand why her mother was so nervous about Concubine Zhao. Actually, that feeling was not the simple dislike which derived from the family status. Her mother was nervous and on guard whenever she met Concubine Zhao. Moreover, she felt confused why Concubine was so kind to her. No matter how Madam Ma punished her, she still tried to be close to her. Suddenly a bold idea came to her mind. Could it be that she was the child of Concubine Zhao?


    Thinking of this, Ma Tian¡¯en felt that she must be very crazy. How could that be? Why not let it go and have a good sleep?

 Chapter 32 - Merchants

    Chapter 32: Merchants


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    After the lion dance competition, Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s prestige in Ma Family began to rise. Ma Chaosheng was also slowly recovering from the injury, but he was willing to cultivate Ma Tian¡¯en through this opportunity, so he was not eager to withdraw the authority; instead, he let Ma Tian¡¯en do whatever she wanted. And some business realted to the wharf and shops had gradually turned to Ma Tian¡¯en. Watching Ma Tian¡¯en matured day by day, Ma Chaosheng felt very pleased. He often told Mrs. Ma that it was a blessing in disguise.


    Though she was busy, Ma Tian¡¯en did not fall behind in learning, thanks to her good teacher, Wu Zhong. And Wu Zhong would tell her some skills of running business, like Shih Chi¡¤Biographies of Merchants which Ma Tian¡¯en was interested in.


    ¡°The world is bustling, all for profit. People will not know rites until all warehouses are full, and they will not know glory and shame until they have enough food and clothing. Therefore, it is not a shameful thing to do business; instead, it benefits the country and the people. Pursuing profits is not a matter of low moral character, but of human instinct. The point is where we can use it after we make profits. If it is used to build bridges and pave roads for the benefit of the countryside, it is naturally the best. If it is for self-indulgence, as long as it is obtained by normal means and is not harmful to others, there is no shame. But it is really an inferior act to pursue profits only for the sake of pursuing them and to be willing to do anything in the process of pursuing them even if it will definitely do harm to others.¡± Beijing was not prosperous in the past. After the imperial government moved the capital here, merchants transported many goods from the south, and built restaurants, shops and private banks, which made the city prosperous. If there were no merchants or water transport, people in the capital would have problems even in eating. So although Wu Zhong was a scholar, he did not despise businessmen at all, but respected them from his heart.


    Ma Tian¡¯en nodded. She didn¡¯t like to listen to the boring truth. But today, she thought Wu Zhong¡¯s words were right. Among scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, merchants are always the last one to be respected. All are inferior, and only scholars rank the highest. But must scholars and merchants be opposite? Like Fan Li, he is regarded as the ¡°sage of running business¡±. Isn¡¯t he also an excellent scholar? Since scholars can also be merchants, merchants can also be scholars, why do people in the world only despise merchants? She wanted to be a great scholar and an excellent merchant as well.


    ¡°Sir, if a businessman can insist on his own moral character and does not do things that are harmful to others because of pursuing profits, can he be respected by the world?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, but the world often misunderstands some people. When you do something good, others may not appreciate you, but you still have to do something good.¡±


    ¡°Why? If there is no return for good and no punishment for evil, why should we be good? ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s world is very simple. She thinks that if she does well, she should be praised while if she does badly, she should be punished. If you return good for evil, what should you do for good? If there is no distinction between good and evil in the world, why should we do well?


    ¡°Because you are a good man, and this is the best reward for doing well. The man of honor is broad and tolerant, while the flunky are worrying and misgiving. Do what you think is right from the heart and do not be sorry for anyone and the heaven, then you will have no trouble in eating and sleeping and also you will be peaceful. Though you have the most delicious food, what¡¯s the point of having no taste for it because you have done something bad, worrying about someone¡¯s revenge and about losing wealth every day? ¡±


    ¡°What about someone who has done something bad, but still eats and sleeps without any guilt?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­,¡± Wu Zhong paused and continued, ¡°there are eight kinds of virtue of human beings: filial piety, love for elder siblings, loyalty, faith, propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. Can such a person disregarding those eight kinds of virtue be called a human being? Since such a person is not a human being, you need not to compare with him. ¡±


    ¡°Forget the eight kinds of virtue (the pronunciation is similar to that of ¡°son of a bitch¡± in Chinese), uh¡­you swear, sir.¡±


    Wu Zhong knocked Ma Tian¡¯en on the head with a fan, ¡°Different people have different opinions. And if you are honest, you will never regard something evil. So what the hell are you thinking about? ¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I don¡¯t like to debate with you, and I can never win over you. By the way, sir, look at me. ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en said, standing on tiptoe and opening her eyes wide to get close to Wu Zhong and nearly touched his face, which scared him back.


    ¡°What are you looking at¡­?¡± Just now they were so close that he seemed to have smelt Ma Tianen¡¯s breath. Wu Zhong¡¯s face was hot again and wondered what was wrong with himself.


    ¡°Look at me¡­¡± Speaking in half, Ma Tian¡¯en looked around for a while to find no one else in the closed room. Then she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Do you think I look like my mother or Concubine Zhao?¡±


    Wu Zhong didn¡¯t react for a moment. Seeing Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s serious looking, he realized that she wasn¡¯t joking, but how could she have such a strange idea? She was clearly Ma¡¯s daughter, and how could she grow up like Concubine Zhao? Does it?


    Seeing Wu Zhong¡¯s expression, Ma Tian¡¯en was a little embarrassed. She retreated back and whispered, ¡°I know it¡¯s impossible, but I always think my mother is very strange to Concubine Zhao, and Concubine Zhao is also very strange to me. From childhood, my mother often scolded me, but Concubine Zhao was very good to me. She often gave me food. Even if she was scolded and beaten by my mother, she would still do so. You saw it that day when my mother saw Concubine Zhao give me something. My mother acted as if she saw poison. She was just a concubine, so how dare she poison me in public? It was clear that my mother was too nervous to see me and Concubine Zhao close to each other. But she is just a concubine of my father. What can she do if she pleases me? So I think it¡¯s strange. Am I the child of Concubine Zhao? My mother is afraid that I know the truth, so she doesn¡¯t want me to be close to Concubine Zhao? ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en thought it was reasonable as she said, but if it is true, what can she do? Thinking of it, she began to worry again, and then sat in the chair, dejectedly holding her cheeks.


    Wu Zhong couldn¡¯t help laughing at the fact that she was sure at one time and lost her mind at another.


    ¡°Sir, you are still smiling. Do you think what I said is reasonable?¡± Seeing Wu Zhong laughing, Ma Tian¡¯en felt more embarrassed and asked him.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Ah, why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. As you know, Concubine Zhao had a child before, but that child died when born. That child is four or five years older than you. Even if that child still lives, it can¡¯t be you. If she got pregnant again, there must be some rumors in the house. Your father was so eager for a son. If she did get pregnant again, she would be looked after well. And then if the child was born, it would be adopted by your mother because your mother is the only legal wife of your father, and Concubine Zhao has no threat to her. Moreover, if you were the child of Concubine Zhao, she would not have been giving you food all the time. ¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t understand. If I were her child, it is not strange for her to treat me well. Why won¡¯t she give me food?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Think what happened last time. If she was for your consideration, she shouldn¡¯t appear in front of you that day. You could accept the congratulations from all the people. If she was reluctant to give up, she could also secretly send you some food instead of doing so in front of all the people where Mrs. Ma would appear. It seems that she suffered a loss that day. In fact, she was only punished to kneel down and eat some snacks on the ground. But Mrs. Ma was so angry that she fainted and lay in bed for three days. And you didn¡¯t have a good celebration banquet, and was even regarded as the unfilial son who made your mother angry. For a lot of things, do not only look with your eyes, but also with your mind and emphasize on the results. ¡°In fact, Wu Zhong wanted to tell Ma Tian¡¯en about these words earlier, but he didn¡¯t say all the time because he was not that sure and was afraid of wronging Concubine Zhao. Today, seeing that Ma Tian¡¯en misunderstood the matter so much so that he felt compelled to tell her.


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    ¡°Sir, do you mean that Concubine Zhao deliberately angered my mother? I don¡¯t believe it. Why did she do this? My mother was angry and she would also be punished. ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en still felt that she could not understand how such a delicate Concubine Zhao could be such a scheming villain.


    ¡°You can disbelieve me right now, but you should not believe what you see with your eyes, either. In the end, there must be a result. You should learn to observe, so that you won¡¯t be hurt easily.¡±


    ¡°Sir, do you care about me?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en laughed again.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m your teacher, and naturally I care about you. If you do something wrong, someone will say that I am a useless teacher.¡± Wu Zhong said in a forthright voice.

 Chapter 33 - Potential Dangers

    Chapter 33: Potential Dangers


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Tian Ronghua felt anxious when he found that the Ma Family was recovering from recession step by step. If this situation continued, Ma Tian¡¯en would definitely become mature one day. At that time, even though Ma Chaosheng passed away, Ma Family could still shrive. However, the future of Tian Family was unknown because his young brother had no interest in water transportation and his two sons were still young. If he ran into some accidents just like Ma Chaosheng did some day, he was afraid that Tian Family would decline more quickly than Ma Family. Guo Qi had been here for several months, but he didn¡¯t take any actions against Ma Family; on the other hand, he became more skillful in handling the matters of Tian Family. Did he just regard himself as the true housekeeper of Tian Family?


    Early in the morning, Tian Ronghua called Guo Qi into his study, asking him what he was thinking about. Unexpectedly, Guo Qi just stood there and listened to him quietly, neither interrupting nor arguing.


    When Tian Ronghua finished his words about what he was worrying about, Guo Qi took out a pile of documents and handed them to Tian Ronghua.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Tian Ronghua picked up in bewilderment. After opening up, he found they were title deeds, and more surprisingly, they were title deeds whose taxes were already paid.


    ¡°Those are the lands which were not registered by the government during the reigns of Hongwu period in Ming Dynasty, so they can be dealt as wasteland. If people reclaim the wasteland, taxes and corv¨¦e of three years can be exempted.¡± The land around Beijing City is largely wasteland before, and later, in order to encourage farming, the imperial court decreed that anyone who reclaimed the wasteland could be exempted taxes for three years. The purpose was to enable farmers to reclaim the wasteland and give them time to recover from the losses.


    During Hongwu period, it made lots of registrations for the present land. However, at that time, the location of the capital was not here, and it was not restricted in measuring in Beijing City. Many pieces of land were not registered and treated as the wasteland. The officers turned blind eyes to this situation.


    Tian Ronghua was still confused. What was the relation between buying the land and coping with Ma Family?


    Guo Qi smiled and continued to explain, ¡°We and Ma Family, ultimately, both run businesses relying on water transport. As an old saying goes, ¡®without the skin, how can the hair/fur stand?¡¯ What the water business depends on is boatmen. The boatmen hired by each Zha are mostly farmers. They need farming besides boating. The reason why the boatmen of each Zha don¡¯t move is related to this. If we lend these lands to boatmen, they will get the title deeds as long as they work at Tian Family for three years. In this way, we can attract boatmen from Ma Family and ask them to work for us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. But what if Ma Family follows this practice and attracts our boatmen?¡± Tian Ronghua felt a little hesitant. Although there were always competitions between each Zha, it never happened as they tried to rob each other¡¯s boatmen apparently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can buy these lands mainly due to the fact that the officer has to pretend to be blind because we have the backing of Marquis of Wu Ding. It is not easy for Ma Family to buy these lands. If the lands are bought through legal procedures, it will cost much in terms of taxes. It will not have much attractions to those boatmen. If these are real wasteland, who will be willing to reclaim? So, don¡¯t worry, what I can do is what Ma Family can¡¯t do.¡± Guo Qi said proudly.


    ¡°Then just have a try.¡± Tian Ronghua felt uneasy but didn¡¯t know why. Guo Qi was more decisive than he thought. For such a big thing, he didn¡¯t mention it to him in advance. It was uneasy to ask a tiger for its skin!


    After Guo Qi went out for a while, Tian Ronghua still sat there, absorbed in his contemplation, and even didn¡¯t realize his brother, Tian Fuhui, was here for some time.


    ¡°Brother, I just came from mother¡¯s home. She said she would burn incense at the temple with sister-in-law. Will you go with them? I think Guo Qi is capable, you can ask him to do more, so that you can ease yourself.¡± Tian Fugui said directly, but there was much care in his words.


    ¡°Guo Qi is an outsider, so how can I hand him important things? You are not a young boy, and I want to assign you some business things. In several years to come, your two nephews will be grown-ups, and then, how will they think of you?¡± Tian Ronghua said anxiously, with a feeling of wishing iron to turn into a steel immediately. He felt there was one word unsuitable for him to say¡ªeven the playboy of Ma Family cheered up, how could you have a mood to play every day?


    ¡°That would be better. When my nephews grow up, you can entrust your business to them. I will stand by and give them some advice.¡± Tian Fugui said proudly without feeling shame. But after he observed the expression of his eldest brother, he thought: Not good! It was the sign of a storm. Then he quickly glanced at the room and tried to figure out some words.


    ¡°Brother, I remember there is a potted plant in your study, but where is it now? If you don¡¯t want it, you can give it to me. I think that blossoming is beautiful.¡±


    At first, Tian Fugui just tried to find something to talk to his brother, but after that, he found his brother didn¡¯t reply. Moreover, he stood from the seat, wearing a serious expression. Tian Fugui looked at Tian Ronghua in confusion, then he recovered from wandering, ¡°It is just a potted plant. Why don¡¯t you care about some business except this trifle? I threw it away. By the way, don¡¯t tell this thing to others, do you know?¡±


    ¡°Emmm¡­yes.¡± Actually, Tian Fugui still wanted to ask something, but when he saw the expression of his brother, he knew there must be something unusual. So he didn¡¯t dare to ask but to nod obediently.


    ¡°Alright, you can go, I need to deal with some things.¡± After that, Tian Ronghua sat on the seat again and looked through the account books on the desk.


    When Tian Fugui stepped out of the room of his brother, he felt uncomfortable but couldn¡¯t tell the reason. Just now, the expression of his brother was too strange. It was merely a potted plant, why couldn¡¯t he mention it to others? Here was an idea. Suddenly, Tian Fugui got a good idea. He could ask a gardener for the reason.


    In light of this, Tian Fugui found a gardener in his family immediately and asked him: ¡°I am tired of the original plants in my room, and I think the potted plant in my eldest brother¡¯s study is beautiful, so would you please get one for me?¡±


    ¡°There are many plants in master¡¯s study, could you tell me which one you just mentioned?¡±


    ¡°It is the plant with pink blossoms. I remember that it lies behind the collection of book of my eldest brother. The period of blossoming is very long. It flowers vigorously in summer. Don¡¯t you give it to my eldest brother?¡± Tian Fugui tried to describe specifically according to his memory.


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    The gardener thought for a while and suddenly got enlightened, ¡°Oh, what you mean is that potted oleander. Although its blossom is beautiful, it is poisonous. It is not displayed by me for the master; it is the master himself who brought it back. I also reminded the master of it. Later, the master listened to me and asked me to throw it away. I suggest you not have it. If you like blossoming plant, you can have Chinese rose, for it blossoms all year. That potted oleander came from the south. We northerners don¡¯t know about that. I learned it from a gardener from the south by accident. Once poisoned by oleander, people would die if they didn¡¯t receive treatment in time.¡±


    The old gardener chattered. Only one word occurred to Tian Fugui¡¯s mind: poisonous. Unconsciously, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reaction if people were poisoned by the oleander.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it. I only heard that people would feel abdomen pain and die of fast heartbeats.¡± The gardener said embarrassedly. All this is just what he heard from others and he didn¡¯t see it himself. But now that he knew it was poisonous, he might as well not grow it.


    In Tian Fugui¡¯s mind, he suddenly recalled one person that he couldn¡¯t forget but was not willing to think of at this moment¡ª the dead housekeeper. Now he remembered the time when that plant was thrown away; it was exactly soon after the housekeeper died. Surely it doesn¡¯t mean that¡­. When the thought occurred, Tian Fugui tried hard to suppress it. It¡¯s impossible. The housekeeper worked decades of years for my eldest brother and was trusted by my brother most. My brother wouldn¡¯t do that. It was just coincidence. The housekeeper took poisons himself. It had nothing to do with my brother.


    The gardener didn¡¯t know whether he said something wrong when he saw Tian Fugui walked away like a ghost. He paused for a short while and then continued to work slowly.

 Chapter 34 - Crisis

    Chapter 34: Crisis


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, Childe.¡± Uncle Wu hurried in. While talking with a few shopkeepers, Ma Tian¡¯en saw the anxiety of Wu Uncle, and let shopkeepers leave at once.


    ¡°Take it easy, Uncle Wu. Have a sip of water. Is the granary haunted again?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en joked.


    Uncle Wu wasn¡¯t in the mood for a joke. Running all the way, he said anxiously with sweat on the top of his head, ¡°A dozen of boatmen decided to quit today. Though there are a great number of boatmen at our wharf, it is not really a long list of qualified and experienced ones so far. Those experienced boatmen are in charge of boats. In the event of a sudden incident, the novice boatmen simply can¡¯t handle it. Moreover, they get everyone in a tizzy. I am afraid more would follow them and quit. They are so determined that I could not persuade them. I made a private inquiry and found that they would be boatmen in Tian family for it had given each of them a separate piece of land, free of taxes for three years. In this case, even if we give them higher wages, they would not stay.¡± Uncle Wu sighed and got a little intense, ¡°Tian family is rather vicious. Though in different dams, we all live by the river, how could they be so brutal? No such precedents happened before. Some of them are among Ma clan, so I am thinking if they won¡¯t come back, I would ask the leader of our clan to expel them from Ma clan.¡±


    ¡°This is no good. As the old saying goes, man struggles upwards. It is reasonable for them to choose an employer with better pay. If we reject them from Ma clan, more people would feel bitterly disappointed. What¡¯s more, not all boatmen are Ma clan.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en became mature after going through so much recently. Since Tian family decided to do it, they would not be afraid of disturbance. The bigger the trouble, the worse the effect on the Ma family. However, who had given them the courage to break the custom of not poaching each other? Suddenly, Ma Tian¡¯en remembered the hostile sight after the lion dance competition.


    ¡°Uncle Wu, is there a new butler lately? He is not from Tian family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. There is something about him. It is said that he managed everything tightly in Tian family in a short time. Do you suspect that new butler did all this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. We have been competing with Tian family for a long time. Tian Ronghua seems like the type who wouldn¡¯t get boatmen at the cost of land. We should first find out the details and seek corresponding approaches.¡± When they thought of the matter, the whole thing seemed weird indeed.


    Uncle Wu left. Ma Tian¡¯en couldn¡¯t help but go to Wu Zhong for help, but Wu Zhong went to the imperial college and had not come back yet. By evening, the informant came back and said the lands were bought by the butler of Tian family. Though they were fertile lands, they were not registered, so they were sold as barren lands. However, the country squires who sold the lands said they were forced to sell at a low price by the officers. If they did not agree to sell, all the lands would be confiscated or they need to pay back all the unpaid land taxes.


    It got even weirder. How did Tian family let officers buy lands for them? Is that Hu Chunqiu coming out again?


    Stranger still was the new butler. No one knew where he came from. No one had seen him even before that. It seemed like he was just falling down from the sky.


    It seemed that they should check on the butler of Tian family. Since a lot of things happened in Datong Gang these days, and Grandfather was injured and had not yet recovered, Ma Tian¡¯en would figure out what happened by himself. Thinking of it, Ma Tian¡¯en arranged some servants to send her grandfather a newly obtained ginseng of a hundred-year-old age to help him recover from injury.


    Ma Tian¡¯en told him about the boatmen¡¯s resignation as well as her own ideas after Wu Zhong came back. Wu Zhong was satisfied that Ma Tian¡¯en knew to investigate first rather than rush into anything.


    ¡°You did a good job. Tian family poached boatmen away on the surface, but behind the scenes lies something deeply rooted in Tian family. Even though we solve the problem of boatmen, there may be worse things. We need to dip a little deeper on the butler¡¯s antecedents. Maybe he is the one responsible for the problems. However, the only thing that counts right now is to solve the resignation of boatmen. What will you do?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Wu suggested that we give them a pay rise to keep them. But I am not going to do that. Since they would be allured by higher wages today, they will leave eventually if they are offered even higher wages someday. You can¡¯t promise that they will be loyal to Ma family. I would like to take this opportunity to nurture some boatmen with the fiercest loyalty to Ma family.¡±


    ¡°You do grow up. Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise. Replace those poorly managed boatmen with obedient ones, and then misfortune would be the truly blessing in the end. However, have you thought about the way of recruiting new boatmen?¡± Wu Zhong admired Ma Tian¡¯en for her fortitude. No matter what she encountered, she tackled it head on with strong will and resolve.


    ¡°That is why I am here to ask you for help. Though we have a large number of boatmen at the wharf, I am not sure who are qualified for the captains in charge of the boats.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the story of Mao Sui who recommends himself? The awl has to be in the bag to stand out, so it¡¯s the same with people. We can figure out a performance evaluation system just like examinations of scholars at different levels. What do you think of it?¡± The man in charge of one boat was called captain of the boats. Though not being a captain ever, Wu Zhong was familiar with it for he grew up by water. A qualified captain, besides excellence in swimming, sailing and management, should be remarkably good at business for sometimes captains need to decide the temporary shipment of goods except for the fixed goods to be transported.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. A man of ability shall be the one in charge regardless of seniority. I will discuss with Uncle Wu about the details.¡± Wu Zhong stopped him when Ma Tian¡¯en was about to leave.


    ¡°Why not discuss with Uncle Wu tomorrow? For one thing, it is late at night. For another, better not to make immediate decisions about important matters. New ideas will come up for one night. You just calm down and then decide the details tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en readily followed the good advice. All of a sudden, she turned around to hug Wu Zhong. With the whole body frozen, Wu Zhong was thunderstruck, feeling nowhere to put his hands. Ma Tian¡¯en said ¡°Thank you, teacher. I will ask my father to give you a higher wage when he recovers.¡± Finishing her talk, she released her hands and walked towards the door with a smile.


    Wu Zhong was confounded in an instant and then reacted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in charge now? Why not give me a raise now?¡±


    ¡°You know, I am not a generous one!¡±


    Early the next morning, Ma Tian¡¯en found Uncle Wu and told him his idea. Uncle Wu thought for a moment before he said, ¡°To guarantee that the people we choose are reliable, we used to select the captain of the boat from the Ma clan with family connection. The open recruitment could not be able to do that. We have no way to guarantee the boatmen we recruit publicly are reliable. What if something goes wrong?¡±


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    Ma Tian¡¯en said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Wu, among those who are poached by Tian family, how many are not the men of Man clan? Is there anyone we know little about their background? The more we are familiar with them, the harder it is for us to manage them. Why not implement fair competition and just let the fittest survive?¡±


    ¡°I feel terribly sorry for¡­ ¡± Uncle Wu felt embarrassed when he heard the words of Ma Tian¡¯en. After all, he had a good relationship with those boatmen ordinarily. However, they left regardless of kinship and acquaintance. It¡¯s natural for people to forsake thinner kinship for the sake of gold.


    ¡°I think that a set of rules shall be made. The captain of the boats should not be lifetime but time-limited. We could select new captains when it is due. Moreover, reserved captains should be selected in advance. If anything goes wrong with captains, there will be reserved ones to replace them. Uncle Wu, since you are experienced, you are the right one to lay down corresponding rules and regulations.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en knew that Uncle Wu felt a little ashamed, so he kept telling how good he was.


    ¡°Since Childe thinks highly of me, I will formulate the rules within three days. Then you can finalize details on the layout.¡± Uncle Wu admired Ma Tian¡¯en for her rigorous planning and meticulous mind. Last time when Ma Tian¡¯en caught the ¡°ghosts¡±, she was just driven by her own sheer force of will. But now she possessed the manner of being the master of the household.

 Chapter 35 - Vitality

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Maybe he was influenced by Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s enthusiasm, and it only took less three days before Uncle Five came at noon the next day. Ma Tian¡¯en thought a lot about it and at this moment, she finally understood the meaning of a sentence: It is when you are using what you have learned from books that you wish you had read more books than you have. She pestered Wu Zhong to tell her the system of official promotion and demotion and the system of the army to see what can be learned. She found that there were too many disadvantages in the way that the experienced people fought hard for position and oppressed the new people at the wharf, and once someone got the position of battalion commander, he would not be replaced as long as he made no big mistake.Therefore, many battalion commanders took their own ships and boats as their own small kingdoms, and only hired the people who obeyed them all the time. This time, the Tian Family poached more than a dozen people, and there were seven battalion commanders, and the others were old servants who used to work on the boats. For officials in the government, there are still changes of positions, and there are assessment criteria for promotion or demoting. However, the wharf has always been ruled by the same group of people. So if there is a problem with those people, things will not be able to be addressed.


    ¡°Uncle Five, you go first, please.¡±


    Uncle Five sorted out his thoughts again, and then said, ¡°I think we can conduct the primary election first, and let the servants who want to be the battalion commanders sign up by themselves on the condition that they are strong, have traveled with the ship more than five times, have no disease or disability, and have found more than ten servants who are willing to follow them. Then we are here to select them. Since we want to live on water, we need to be water dogs to win respect from others. We can hold a dragon boat race. The persons who want to be battalion commanders share the boat with the servants who are willing to follow them respectively. Let¡¯s set the route, and then put some duck signs on the boat. When they are near the end, they should put down the duck signs, and the persons who want to be battalion commanders fight for it. Those who can bring back the live duck can be battalion commanders. How do you think about it, master? ¡±


    ¡°Great! You really have a good plan, which can show that our Ma Family does not lack talents. I have another suggestion. In addition to the duck sign, let¡¯s put another fish sign. It¡¯s more difficult to catch fish than duck. Those who can catch the fish sign can be the general battalion commander, so how about it?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said happily.


    Uncle Five smiled: ¡°Master, it¡¯s you who want to catch fish, right? However, it is not enough for someone with the best water dog skills to become the general battalion commander; he should have someone rich experience and management ability as well. The fish sign can be put, and the catcher can be given silver as a bonus reward. ¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if I won back the reward myself?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said as she looked at Uncle Five; while seeing that Uncle Five just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything, she knew that he didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°Well, well, I¡¯m not going to catch the sign. I¡¯ll be on the sign boat and be responsible for setting the sign, ok?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my master. Otherwise, other people will not even have the idea of fighting when facing you, and the competition will be boring.¡± Uncle Five saw she finally gave up, and quickly praised her with a few words, giving her a step down.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. How lonely an adept is!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long before the event of the dragon boat race for election of battalion commanders to be held by the Ma Family spread among all Zhas. The selection was completely open and fair, and both Ma Family and Tian Family could participate in. One who gets the sign can be the battalion commander of Ma Family. And the Ma Family claims that the interests of the ship are shared with the battalion commanders. That is to say, the battalion commanders no longer take a certain amount of silver, but can get dividends according to the benefits the ship brings to the Ma Family. But also, there will be a bottom line. If the interests cannot reach the bottom line, the battalion commander must be replaced. This makes a lot of people with real skills eager to try. Of course, it also makes old battalion commanders who were not poached by Tian Family for their neglect of duty angry and dissatisfied, because Ma Tian¡¯en asked them to take part in the competition and regain their titles as battalion commanders.


    ¡°It¡¯s just ingratitude. We are the meritorious ones who chose to stay here this time. But they asked us to hand over the position of the battalion commander. No way. We have to go and ask for their explanations!¡± Several people made up their mind together. Originally, they were ready to take this opportunity to ask Ma Tian¡¯en to raise their salaries and improve their conditions because they didn¡¯t leave. Unexpectedly, Ma Tian¡¯en didn¡¯t take the initiative to ask for help from them and give them reward, but wanted to re-select. Crazy!


    Unfortunately, Ma Chaosheng was on Tian¡¯en¡¯s side this time. After hearing this, Ma Chaosheng¡¯s first reaction was that she was very good because she did what he wanted to do for so many years. Then he resolutely cooperated through feigning illness. He claimed that the injury was aggravated so that he could not speak and no one could see him. Even when Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s two uncles came to him, he pretended to be confused and laid on the bed without any words to whatever they say. At last, Mrs. Ma scared the two uncles away again.


    Wu Zhong was also very much in favor of this move, and he also detailed the plan for Ma Tian¡¯en. It has to be said that Ma Tian¡¯en has shocked Wu Zhong more and more, because she is smart, hard-working, and gets mature so fast, which makes him cherish and value her more..


    Ma Family¡¯s dragon boat race for election of battalion commanders began on the third day after the news. Due to the panic and chaos caused by Tiam Family, the ships and the wharves were in a mess without battalion commanders. Fortunately, it is early winter now, and there are not many ships to go out. If the Tian family did this in the peak season and made it last for a few days, the loss of the Ma Family would be immeasurable.


    The dragon boat race is usually held in May. But it¡¯s a must for the Ma Family to hold the race in the early winter. Fortunately, the river hasn¡¯t frozen, otherwise they have to compete by skating. But it¡¯s just because it¡¯s rare, people feel interested. More than a dozen of Ma Family¡¯s boats are ready for the competition. Because of the hurry, they haven¡¯t been decorated too much. The bow and the stern of the boat are still dragon heads and tails decorated during the Dragon Boat Festival whose color are getting a little dark. Some of the people who took part in the competition put on colorful clothes, and some of them wear the clothes used to enter the water at ordinary times. Instead, Ma Tian¡¯en is on the ¡°sign boat¡± in red colored clothes, holding the color bar with her hands. Ten standard ducks as well as a big turtle with color lines on legs are hung on the color bar, which shows the lively and festive atmosphere. There are more people watching the sign boat than those watching the competition.


    The traditional dragon boat race only has one living sign, but now there are more than ten and all of them are live. It must be very lively.


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    With the continuous firecrackers, more than a dozen boats, like flying fish, row into the water. Compared with the normal boats, the racing boats are narrower, which are specially made to increase the difficulty of the race for passing the narrow waters.


    ¡°The robes on both sides of the river are fragrant and the silver hairpin looks like a frost blade. With the beating of drums and the spreading of red flags two dragons leap out of the water. The paddle strokes are like ten thousand swords and the sound of drums is like one thousand thunders. The drum sound is approaching, and the two dragon¡¯s eyes are like a flash.¡± When Wu Zhong stood on the sign ship, he couldn¡¯t help chanting Zhang Jianfeng¡¯s ¡°Race Song¡±. In fact, it is not necessary for him to get on the sign ship. He now stands here to keep an eye on Ma Tian¡¯en for he is afraid that she can¡¯t help but jump into the water to catch the turtle. Originally, Ma Tian¡¯en wanted to put a fish sign, but he found that the fish was too slippery to be tied up by a ribbon as a sign. Without sign, the fish cannot be recognized in water. Finally she changed it into a turtle. Ma Tian¡¯en also tied a ribbon on the turtle¡¯s leg.


    People could see that there were two ships gradually leading, the first one was rowing towards the sign ship. Just as they were getting close to the sign ship, Ma Tian¡¯en untied the ¡°live signs¡± and threw them into the water one after another. As living things, they swam quickly as entering the water, especially the turtle. They just disappeared in the water without any trace.


    One person jumped from each of the two boats respectively. It was easier for the early-arrived persons to catch the signs because there were more left. Ma Family needed ten battalion commanders this time, so ten ducks weree prepared and the turtle could be a bonus. In a short time, a servant jumping into the water caught a duck. He raised it high and swam to the sign boat of Ma Tian¡¯en. He was a dark-skinned and thin young man with enthusiasm and vitality in his eyes. This young man, Ma Dacheng, was from the side branch of the Ma Family. He was a good water dog and gets along well with people. But because he was young and from the side branch, he had never been valued. Ma Tian¡¯en excitedly took over the duck and the person next to her wrote down his name. Then he dived into the water again to find the turtle.

 Chapter 36 - Tempting Heart

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Other boats rowed here gradually and people on the boat dived into water for bidding. It would be more difficult to find the bid as the competition went on, because the live bid could not stay in the same place. It became more difficult for the people who arrived late. When the seventh duck was caught, Ma Dacheng jumped half out of the water and held a big tortoise tied with a colored ribbon in his hand, swimming towards the bidding boat of Ma Tian¡¯en with a smile. Ma Tian¡¯en took the tortoise up happily. Ma Dacheng also climbed onto the bidding boat and stood in front of Ma Tian¡¯en in excitement.


    ¡°Here is your bonus.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en took a pouch of money and gave it to Ma Dacheng. Then he said: ¡°You excel in swimming. But you are not as good as me. If I were you, it would not take me that long time.¡±


    Someone who heard these words would praise Ma Tian¡¯en for a while, and then everything would be settled. After all, Ma Tian¡¯en was going to be the owner of Ma Family in the future. If he were narrow-minded, it was bad to annoy him with improper responses. But Ma Dacheng didn¡¯t follow the common rules. Instead, he challenged Tian¡¯an by saying, ¡°Let¡¯s have a competition.¡± Maybe it was just because he was so young, so energetic and he won the competition just now.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was stunned for a while, and then she threw the tortoise in her hand back into the water and claimed: ¡°go!¡± Then she jumped into the water. Wu Zhong didn¡¯t realize it. When he was intended to stop her, Ma Tian¡¯en was already under the water. Ma Dacheng was not timid; he jumped into the water after Ma Tian¡¯en.


    They all saw the tortoise in the water and swam towards it at the same time. In the water, they began to fight. Eventually, the tortoise swam away. Ma Tian¡¯en seldom met a person whose swimming skill was as good as hers. She became so excited that she ran after the tortoise deeper inside the water. Ma Dacheng hadn¡¯t known that the master swam that well. He had thought that it was just flattery to say he swam well before. At present, it seemed that he was wrong, Ma Tian¡¯en did do well in swimming. After the impulse of winning, he feared that Ma Tian¡¯en may have some accidents, so he swam slowly. Ma Tian¡¯en seemed to know what he was thinking about, and she turned around and showed a challenging sign to him. Then Ma Dacheng swam forward.


    They competed in the water for a long time. Finally, Ma Dacheng reached the tortoise because of his long arm. He could win if he swam to the boat. He didn¡¯t expect that Ma Tian¡¯en held his leg tightly. They stayed in the water for a long while. Ma Dacheng held the tortoise tightly, and Ma Tian¡¯en tried to prevent him from taking a breath. They got into a stalemate.


    After a long time, the people on the boat became anxious when they didn¡¯t come out. The men who were good at swimming began to search them. In addition, the ten ducks were caught. They all waited for Ma Tian¡¯en to announce the results. Wu Zhong stared at the water. Although he came from a region of rivers and lakes, he spent all his time in studying and couldn¡¯t swim. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t fall into the water and was saved by Ma Tian¡¯en.


    At this time, he saw a figure coming. Someone in the crowds shouted: ¡°it¡¯s Ma Dacheng¡­¡­¡± But where was Ma Tian¡¯en? Wu Zhong felt pain in his chest. Did he run into something unexpected? Thinking of this, Wu Zhong wanted to jump down but was pulled by the uncle.


    The bystanders were talking about it. Among them, several men even argued.


    ¡°The master of Ma Family didn¡¯t come out for such a long time. Did he drown himself? The youth shouldn¡¯t flaunt superiority.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Master Ma is good at swimming.¡±


    ¡°See, Ma Dacheng has already come out. Is he better than Ma Dacheng?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    At this moment, when Ma Dacheng was approaching the bidding boat, there came out a man in front of the boat suddenly, screaming: ¡°I win, I win!¡± If the man was not Ma Tian¡¯en, who could he be? Wu Zhong felt faint and almost fell down.


    Under the water, Ma Dacheng couldn¡¯t hold breath longer than Ma Tian¡¯en and needed to take breath. He had to let the tortoise go and swam to the surface. Ma Tian¡¯en got the tortoise and swam to the bidding boat. Surly, she beat Ma Dacheng.


    ¡°Sir, am I great?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en jumped to the boat, shaking the tortoise in front of Wu Zhong. Wu Zhong didn¡¯t talk to her. Then Ma Tian¡¯en realized that the teacher really got mad.


    The uncle hurriedly broke the embarrassment, asking Ma Tian¡¯en to announce the results. The ten men who caught the duck were designated as temporary chargers of dock (battalion commanders). Whether they could be permanent chargers or not would depend on their performance in leading the boats in the future.


    Everyone was amazed by Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s skills in swimming. This young master gave them, especially Ma Dacheng, so much surprise. He originally thought in terms of swimming no one from Er Zha could compete with him. Today, he lost against Ma Tian¡¯en and he thought Ma Tian¡¯en deserved it. Now his eyes were full of respect when looking at Ma Tian¡¯en.


    If she could forget Wu Zhong¡¯s angry face, today was truely a day that made Ma Tian¡¯en happy and proud. Back to Ma Family, she exhorted others not to tell her parents that she jumped into water and competed with others. She changed for dry clothes and then told her parents about choosing the chargers today.


    Ma Chaosheng felt so proud when looking at his daughter. He didn¡¯t expect that young as she was, she could shoulder the responsibility of Ma Family. Maybe the ancestors of Ma Family worked.


    ¡°Why is your hair wet?¡± Madam Ma noticed that the clothes on Ma Tian¡¯en were dry, but the hair was wet. Suddenly, it aroused her suspicion.


    ¡°I am very happy today, so I swam several rounds. Don¡¯t you know my swimming skill? Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said carelessly.


    ¡°Recently our family has experienced a lot. You should behave yourself. You are not allowed to swim recently.¡± Madam Ma said worriedly. She feared that if something happened to her daughter, the whole family would be broken.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t jump into the water, how can I be the master of Ma Family? Right, dad?¡±


    ¡°Emmm¡­there is exception!¡± Ma Chaosheng said with no confidence. The successive masters of Ma Family were all good at swimming skills, except for Ma Chaosheng.


    Ma Tian¡¯en hit her father¡¯s nerve, so she felt a little guilty: ¡°dad, I am not saying that you can¡¯t swim.¡±


    ¡°Emmm¡­¡± Ma Chaosheng had an urge to hit this naughty girl.


    ¡°Oh, dad, when do you recover? I see you are getting better, so how about you charging Ma Family and me studying with my teacher?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en suspected that her father pretended to be ill because of laziness. Ma Tian¡¯en found him talking and laughing with her mother just now. But when Ma Tian¡¯en came in, he leaned onto the pillow and pretended to be weak.


    ¡°Coughing¡­¡± Ma Chaosheng began to cough. Then Madam Ma delivered him water sweetly and drove Ma Tian¡¯en out.


    ¡°Your dad is tired, you should go.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I will go and don¡¯t bother you.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en walked out of her parents¡¯ room and sighed greatly. This trouble had been solved with her parents. However, the teacher got a cold face all day. She needed to cheer him up!


    Ma Tian¡¯en took a bottle of liquor to the study room of Wu Zhong, but didn¡¯t find him. How strange! The teacher didn¡¯t study.


    Ma Tian¡¯en walked towards the garden. It was early winter, so the flowers in the garden had withered. The trees and the leaves were rustling; only a bright moon hung in the sky. A scholar in a dark-blue robe walked around with his hands at the back, absorbed in wandering and meditating.


    ¡°Sir!¡± A joyful voice broke the silence. Wu Zhong turned round and saw Ma Tian¡¯en running to him with a big smile. That smile seemed to warm the cold winter and lighten the dark night.


    ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you have liquor against such a bright moon? I would like to be totally drunk with you.¡±


    ¡°Do you recite the book? Do you practice handwriting?¡±


    ¡°Sir, sir¡­¡­¡±


    In Tian Family, Tian Ronghua ran to the room of the housekeeper angrily, but found him drinking leisurely.


    ¡°You are still in a relaxed mood. Today, Ma Tian¡¯en enjoyed great popularity. People all said that we buy the workers that Ma Family doesn¡¯t want. Now Ma Family selected the qualified workers. Mr. Guo, what do you think?¡±


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    Tain Ronghua felt down in the dumps; of course, his mood didn¡¯t show any kindness. However, Guo Qi, standing opposite him, was not anxious at all. He poured another cup of liquor for himself and then stood up. He greeted Tian Ronghua to sit down, then prepared him a cup of liquor, too.


    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en was indeed smarter than I imagined. But because of it, the game is more interesting. Or if the rival were so weak that he fell down easily, we have no opportunity to play later.¡±


    ¡°Game? Your game is at the cost of real money.¡± Tian Ronghua said angrily. He didn¡¯t know what feud Guo Qi had with Ma Family. He was almost driven insane. What Tian Ronghua wanted was money, but Guo Qi seemed to risk his life to fight with Ma Family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ma Family will pay back double the amount of our losses soon.¡± In the light, Guo Qi took the cup and drank the liquor up. The tension of killing suddenly arose.

 Chapter 37 - Zhuanghua Satin

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Zhuanghua weaving originates in Nanjing. It refers to those woven fabrics such as satins, silks and yarns on which the technique of ¡°Wahua¡± (swiveling) is specially applied to output colorful paintings. Those patterns, mostly large ones of full composition, are elaborately woven and arranged with rich and contrasting colors and fringed with golden or silver threads. Different colors are tinged with one another or isolated by white outline. Weavers commonly swivel a small loom shuttle equipped with a quill to create gorgeous and chromatic textiles which could be made into various kinds of clothes, dresses or even imperial robes.


    Zhuanghua Satin was valuable and precious at that period, and ordinary families could not afford it. Most of them were sent to the royal palace while the rest were kept by officials and local plutocrats, so usually one couldn¡¯t get a piece in the market even if with sufficient money.


    At the moment, in the hands of Ma Tian¡¯en was a handkerchief made of Zhuanghua Satin.


    ¡°Are you sure that this is made of Zhuanghua satin?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked the shopkeeper of the Silks and Satins shop, one of the biggest shops selling fabrics in the name of Ma family. The shopkeeper, being experienced in silks, could not be wrong. But he was still confused why such precious Zhuanghua Satin was sold to Ma family at a modest price.


    ¡°Absolutely. Though Zhuanghua Satin is rare, I have seen small pieces for many times. I recognized it the moment I saw it. Actually, it is a blessing for Ma family. The goods were originally ordered by Dexiangmao satin shop in Wangfu Street and shipped by the boats of Ma family. Even the deposit had been paid. However, something was wrong when they made dresses for a noble man. The noble man was so angry that he almost broke the satin shop. Moreover, the shopkeeper was detained. They cannot pay the retainage but only have to break the contract. The textile plant in Nanjing has been trusting Ma family for they transport goods by boats of Ma family for years. So they want to sell it to us at a lower price and went back quickly. After all, they have charged the deposit from Dexiangmao shop. I have already checked them carefully and they are all Zhuanghua Satin of high quality. At least ten times as much as the cost we can earn if we sell them as ready-made clothes to the rich.¡±


    ¡°Really? We¡¯ll get a good price?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was delighted. The business in water would become harder when winter came. If a big profit was made this time, they could have a happy new year.


    ¡°Surely it will be. That¡¯s why I came here early in the morning. However, there is a requirement that the bills shall be cleared the moment the goods are delivered. We have to withdraw some from the bank for not having enough cash taels in the satin shop. Certainly, you do not have to worry, Childe, for we will get the money back soon.¡± The shopkeeper assured Ma Tian¡¯en that it was perfectly safe. Seeing the Childe still hesitating, he added, ¡°Childe, this is what heaven bestows on us. Why not receive it? If you cannot make a decision, I could ask Master Ma and certainly he will agree.¡±


    ¡°I am in charge now. Surely I can make the decision. However, it is not a small amount of money. You can come here tomorrow and I will tell you my decision then.¡± The shopkeeper felt disappointed when he heard what Childe answered. It was known to all that you needed to take risks so as to make money. But young master was too cautious. He could not persuade him at the moment but only left.


    As soon as the shopkeeper left, Ma Tian¡¯en arranged A¡¯Shun to inquire about the details to confirm whether the truth was what had been shown. It was essential to decide whether heaven sent them a blessing or a curse.


    Madam Ma had been in a good mood recently. Ma Chaosheng was getting better. Ma Tian¡¯en was more reliable. She accompanied Ma Chaosheng to stroll around garden and talked with him, feeling so content that she even seldom went to the family hall to worship Buddha.


    She felt more pleasant when she saw the fancy handkerchief that Ma Tian¡¯en gave to her. The more she appreciated the handkerchief, the more she liked it. She found that it was actually made of Zhuanghua Satin!


    ¡°Why do you buy the handkerchief of Zhuanghua Satin for me? Have you done something wrong?¡± Madam Ma stared at Ma Tian¡¯en in doubt who was smiling at her.


    ¡°Mom, how do you know it is Zhuanghua Satin?¡±


    ¡°Just look at the pattern¡ª the five-heddle satin woven with golden and silvery threads. How beautiful it is! It can be used to wrap the Buddhist Scriptures.¡± The Zhuanghua Satin was more exquisite than normal ones and Madam Ma liked it very much.


    ¡°Since you like it, I could get you a winter dress made of Zhuanghua Satin. It will look good on you. You will be like Guanyin bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said with a smile. In fact, she just wanted to make sure. She had already asked a few people but she wouldn¡¯t feel completely reassured until she got a ¡°yes¡± from her mother. She was not intended to tell her father right now. She wanted to surprise her father later, so she just came for her mother when her father was not there.


    ¡°It seems that my son made a lot of money. The spirit of our ancestors has worked. I will light incense to give thanks to our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you only light incense whenever you encounter something. Are you sure it will work?¡±


    ¡°You¡­get out of here now!¡±


    ¡°Mom, do not beat me!¡±


    Soon Ma Tian¡¯en ran out of the room while rubbing her shoulders.


    Not long after that, those who were sent to inquire about Dexiangmao came back. Everything was just like what the shopkeeper said. Dexiangmao was closed and it was said to have offended a noble man.


    The people on the wharf also checked the shipping list. The goods were indeed shipped from Nanjing to Dexiangmao. Since Dexiangmao was unable to buy the goods they wanted to sell them out soon and went back.


    Ma Tian¡¯en did not expect that it was the pie in the sky. She began to admire herself for having such an unbelievable amount of luck. Opportunity knocked once. Certainly she would grab the opportunity or she was a fool.


    Life always went like this: Something had to be sacrificed to get other things you want. It was not easy to raise enough taels to buy the goods for Zhuanghua Satin was known to be very expensive. Moreover, the batch of goods contained a large number of Zhuanghua Satin. Fortunately, Ma family possessed the largest bank of five Dams¡ª Datong Bank which was also the main business of Ma family. It was Madam Ma who used her dowry to help build the bank. Whenever Ma family encountered cash flow difficulties, taels would be borrowed from Datong Bank to get business run smoothly. It was also a way to keep the goodies within the family.


    Ma Chaosheng¡¯s seal was required if taels had to be borrowed from Datong Bank. But now the business of Ma family was basically in the charge of Ma Tian¡¯en. To facilitate his management, the seal was also given to him. When Ma Tian¡¯en came with the seal, the head of Datong Bank informed Ma Chaosheng right away.


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    ¡°Childe, please wait a moment. It will take a while to prepare enough money for you. Have some tea first. I¡¯ll get it ready for you later.¡± Although Ma Tian¡¯en behaved like a reliable master recently, the head of the bank decided to ask Master Ma to confirm the whole thing in consideration of the bad reputation of Ma Tian¡¯en in the past.


    Ma Tian¡¯en did not think further about the answer of the head of the bank and believed what he said to her. All she could think about was how delighted her father would be if she made the deal.


    Actually, Ma Chaosheng already knew everything about Zhuanghua Satin. He had talked with the shopkeeper of Satins and Silks about the whole thing. The shopkeeper, as well as the shareholder of the shop, would not be easily bribed to damage the interests of Ma family. After all, his own interests was closely tied with that of Ma family.


    Though the whole thing just went eerily smoothly, no obvious problems could be found for now. Therefore, Ma Chaosheng decided to let Ma Tian¡¯en do whatever she was going to do.

 Chapter 38 - Appearance

    Chapter 38: Appearance


    Translator: Zhou Yang


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Tian Fugui had a feeling that the new housekeeper was strange. He was good to Tian Fugui and his elder brother, but he was always polite and alienated. Tian Fugui didn¡¯t know why his elder brother found such a man to be the housekeeper. In his heart, the old housekeeper was like a relative while this new one is like a guest. Since he knew that his elder brother might be the murderer who killed the old housekeeper, he felt like his heart was weighted with a stone. If it was something else, he could talk to Ma Tian¡¯en. But he didn¡¯t want anyone to know about it. He wanted to ask his elder brother about it several times, but he didn¡¯t know how to begin. If it wasn¡¯t done by his elder brother, he would be very sad when asked about that. But he hadn¡¯t thought that if it was done by Tian Ronghua, the latter would not admit it, either. Tian Fugui, being bored, had not been out of the house recently. Sometimes he played with his two little nephews, and sometimes he read a few books. Compared with the days when he often wandered around and made troubles, he seemed more mature.


    One day, Tian Fugui came out of the room. He wanted to go out for a walk as he saw several people going to his brother¡¯s study following the housekeeper. Looking at their very excited expressions, Tian Fugui vaguely felt that it was like his expression after he and Ma Tian¡¯en had done something bad together. He couldn¡¯t help following up, but found that they closed the door tightly after they had entered the study. Tian Fugui wanted to come closer to listen, but he saw a man coming out of the study who was his elder brother¡¯s footboy, and the latter stood at the door. Fugui could not get closer. Were they going to target Ma Tian¡¯en again?


    Tian Fugui thought it was necessary to remind Ma Tian¡¯en of that so as to save her from losses. Thinking of this, he hurried to the Ma Family. Unexpectedly, Ma Tian¡¯en was not there, and it was said that she had gone to the wharf. Tian Fugui ran to the wharf again, and saw that Ma Tian¡¯en was chatting with several managers of the wharf and she looked very well. Tian Fugui admired Ma Tian¡¯en from the bottom of his heart. No matter what she did, she was full of enthusiasm.


    Seeing Tian Fugui coming, Ma Tian¡¯en was also glad and greeted him warmly. As she came to Tian Fugui, she just punched him and said, ¡°You boy finally come to me, and you don¡¯t take me as a brother, right? These days you do not come out. Do you want to take the examination of top scholars?¡± Then she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Zuixiang Restaurant has a new kind of liquor. If you invite me to a drink, I will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Zuixiang Restaurant owned by your family? Shall we pay for that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. My father said that we must draw a distinction between public and private affairs. ¡±


    With that, both of them laughed. Tian Fugui felt much more comfortable. He suddenly remembered his intention and looked around, saying to Ma Tian¡¯en: ¡°We have a new housekeeper, you know? I think this man is very strange, and I don¡¯t know his origin. I have asked my brother, but he didn¡¯t tell me. He often talks with my brother in a closed room, and I am even kept away when they are together. You should be careful. ¡°Tian Fugui¡¯s words are full of concern.


    ¡°I also think the housekeeper is very strange. I¡¯ve checked before, but I haven¡¯t found anything. Anyway, your brother likes to target our Ma Family, and come what may, I¡¯ll handle it, and I¡¯m not afraid of him. But if it¡¯s convenient for you, please help me to watch out the housekeeper, can you?¡±


    Looking at the candid Ma Tian¡¯en, Tian Fugui suddenly stopped talking, though he was still about to say something. Ma Tian¡¯en punched him again and said: ¡°Out with it. Don¡¯t be bashful.¡±


    Tian Fugui plucked up his courage and said, ¡°It is you who asked me to say. I think you look a little like that housekeeper¡­¡­oh no, I should say that he looks a little like your father.¡±


    ¡°Poof¡­ What do you say? You mean he is my father¡¯s illegitimate son? ¡±


    ¡°No, no, I just feel they look a little bit like each other. Maybe he¡¯s your relative.¡±


    ¡°Why does my relative work for you Tian Family? But I can go back and ask my father if he had any love debts when he was young.¡± However, if this was true, her mother would¡­¡­ At the thought of her mother¡¯s angry appearance, Ma Tian¡¯en felt her back chilly.


    Tian Fugui chatted with Ma Tian¡¯en for another while, and then left in a hurry, for fear that Tian Ronghua would know that he came to see Ma Tian¡¯en again and get angry. Just walking a few steps away, he ran back again, and said to Ma Tian¡¯en without a clue: ¡°Are there any flowers in your room? Some of them are beautiful, but they are poisonous. You can¡¯t put them around. You have to ask the gardener before


    Looking at Tian Fugui¡¯s serious face, Ma Tian¡¯en felt inexplicable, but in order to live up to his concern, she nodded, and then Tian Fugui ran away at ease.


    Seeing Tian Fugui running away, Ma Tian¡¯en sat alone on a stone and thought about it. But she didn¡¯t have any clue about the origin of the housekeeper.


    ¡°What are you thinking about, young master?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked up, finding it was the new battalion commander and the winner of the dragon boat race, Ma Dacheng. Both of them felt a sense match towards each other and then became friends. Ma Dacheng was really a good man. In a short time, he had managed the fleet¡¯s affairs smoothly and won everyone¡¯s respect.


    ¡°Just tell me, how can you find out a person¡¯s details? Here is a man, but I don¡¯t know where he comes from. I know he is going to plot against our Ma Family, but I just can¡¯t find out his real identity.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en saw the housekeeper several times on different occasions after the dragon boat race. Every time, the man smiled and saluted him, but the smile was just like that when the fisherman saw the fish or the chef saw the chopping board, which made her very uncomfortable. And recently, some of Ma Family¡¯s business had been robbed by Tian family. If the guess was correct, it was all Guo Qi¡¯s idea. Tian Ronghua didn¡¯t have so many tricks before. With Tian Fugui¡¯s words, she really wanted to know who this Guo Qi was. Know yourself and know your enemy, so that you can come up with your countermeasures. Now the feeling of being like a headless fly was really unpleasant.


    ¡°As long as things are done, there will be traces left. And so will people. If you can¡¯t find out his identity, you can check the people around him. Just look for people who contact him, because he cannot do everything himself. Just follow him, stay with him, and check the people who help him, sooner or later you can find out.¡± Although Ma Dacheng was not very old, he was a man of rich experience. At Ma¡¯s words, he volunteered: ¡°Young master, who do you want to check, and I can help you. Anyway, we can¡¯t do business recently because it gets cold.¡±


    ¡°Good. I want to check the new housekeeper of Tian Family. I don¡¯t think this man is simple, and it seems that he hates our Ma Family more than Tian Ronghua. Since he went to Tian Family, much of our business has been robbed, and¡­ ¡°After that, Ma Tian¡¯en beckoned Ma Dacheng and whispered in his ear, ¡°Help me check if my father had any lovers when he was young, and if he had illegitimate children.¡±


    Ma Dacheng made a sound, and Ma Tian¡¯en hurriedly signaled him not to scream. ¡°Don¡¯t shout, you want everyone to hear that? You can check it, but don¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do it. But if I find out that Master Ma has any illegitimate children, do you want me to¡­¡± When it comes to this, Ma Dacheng makes a killing move.


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    ¡°Ah, why!¡± Now, it was Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s turn to be surprised.


    ¡°To prevent him from sharing your big fortune.¡± Ma Dacheng looked at Ma Tian¡¯en like looking at an idiot. Well, what were you looking for? Share the money?


    ¡°Forget it, you¡¯d better not inquire about it. I don¡¯t think my father dares to, so you just help me to inquire about Guo Qi.¡±


    ¡°Ok, you can wait for my good news.¡±


    Seeing Ma Dacheng running away excitedly, Ma Tian¡¯en wiped the sweat on her forehead. How could he be so violent?

 Chapter 39 - Packaging Box for Books

    Chapter 39: Packaging Box for Books


    Translator: Liu Yanyan


    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    The weather was getting colder and colder. Lying on the bed, Guo Qi felt an ache in his right leg. It was frostbite when he slept in the wood shed when he was a little child. Now no matter how he received treatment and nursing, it couldn¡¯t be cured. Some pain, once you got, it would never get better. It was just like man¡¯s heart, and it would never become warm after getting cold little by little. Each time, when he saw some children running around joyfully with their parents standing behind them, reminding them not to fall down, Guo Qi would show great admiration. Happiness didn¡¯t seem to belong to him. Since he could remember, his memory was filled with working, starvation and beating. Beating never needed any reason. As long as he was unpleasant to his father¡¯s eyes, he would take things around him and beat him. Especially when his father was drunk, he was beat greatly. He would curse him while beating, like a bastard, son of a bitch. At this time, his mother would fall upon him and protected him. Then, his father would be more resentful, beating his mother and him together. He could clearly remember that time when the New Year was around the corner, and his mother bought an ice-sugar gourd for him secretly. He only ate little when his father came back home. Then came a furious beating from his father. Finally, his father crushed the ice-sugar gourd by feet and forced him to eat it.


    Recalling this, Guo Qi rolled over and got up. He went to the courtyard, boxing for a while, fully and delightfully. After boxing, sweat trickled down his forehead. He couldn¡¯t help calling out: ¡°man in this world should live a life of pleasure and vengeance. What you owe to me, I will get back all one by one. Mother, you will not wait long in the dwelling place of the dead, I will ask that ungrateful man to accompany you sooner or later.¡± After that, he bailed out some water, pouring it over his head. Water ran down his face, wetting his clothes and dropping on the ground.


    After taking over these batches of Zhuanghua Satin, Ma Tian¡¯en was in a good mood. She prepared to ask workers from silks and satins shop to find some rich families and manufactured them into snowsuits. It was the right time that Ma Family could make a big profit. But Ma would definitely share it with the teacher if she had something rare, although this patch of Zhuanghua Satin was too flamboyant to tailor clothes for the teacher. But it was more suitable to decorate the packaging box. The packaging, as the name suggested, was a box with brocade as its surface, paperboard as its structure and velvet as its lining. Ox bone prod was placed on the cover of the box as the buckle. It looked like a comfortable room to protect the inside of the books from abrasion. The teacher treasured his books. He must be happy if she made this packaging box for him. Ma Tian¡¯en selected a piece of Zhuanghua Satin herself and then selected a high-quality nanmu. Then she found a craftsman to make them into a packaging box which was used for packing books and sent to Wu Zhong.


    When Ma Tian¡¯en held the packaging box and delivered it to Wu Zhong, he got a fright. Wu Zhong was from the south of the Yangtze River, so he was more familiar with Zhuanghua Satin than the people from the north, and of course, he knew the value of Zhuanghua Satin.


    ¡°Do you want to bribe me? Is it because that you don¡¯t want to recite books and practice handwriting?¡± Wu Zhong said half in jest and half in earnest.


    ¡°Sir, you are so mean. I present it to you totally out of kindness, but you misunderstand me. I will not give you.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en pretended to be angry, taking the packaging box, about to leave.


    ¡°Now that it is your sincerity, I might as well accept it. But, later, this kind of luxurious things are not allowed. It is easy for people to be accustomed to luxury from thrift while it is not easy from luxury to thrift. Today, I get the packaging box made from Zhuanghua Satin; tomorrow, I will want writing brush produced in Huzhou; the day after tomorrow, maybe I want Hui ink-stick and rice paper. The gentleman should work all day long, even at night, because he should constantly be vigilant. In this way, there will be no fault.¡±


    ¡°What do you say? Sir, please talk normally, I can¡¯t understand.¡± Although she didn¡¯t understand, from the teacher¡¯s expression, she knew that he was talking some big thing. It was unusual for her to present gift but was taught big things. However, if he wanted to talk, let him talk. But he should not say anything that she didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°It means that a man with good virtue should be self-disciplined all day. At night, he should be on the alert as if he were in danger. There will be no fault and disaster if he doesn¡¯t slack off. On the contrary, for these things which can arouse men¡¯s temptation, he should keep away from them. Man is born to fight with temptation. The more self- discipline he has, the farther he will go. We stay away from the temptation of delicious food, money and attractive woman¡­¡± Before Wu Zhong finished his words, he was interrupted by Ma Tian¡¯en. ¡°If so, our business will not go on. Sir, I don¡¯t agree with you. Man is born to pursue temptations. Otherwise, the life will be colorless. Please think about it: a flying moth darts into the fire, and a mayfly is born in the morning and dies at night, isn¡¯t it because of the temptation? Without temptation, a man doesn¡¯t need to live in this world. What does he live for?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Wu Zhong seriously and continued: ¡°today you have packaging box, tomorrow you want Hu writing brush. It is nice. When you pass the examination, you will have them all. I don¡¯t think the temptation is terrible. Man should live with temptation, otherwise, it shouldn¡¯t be a man.¡± After saying this, she looked at Wu Zhong playfully. On her face, it wrote: ¡°please praise me.¡±


    ¡°Good, you have learned to be lost in thought. I¡¯m just being a little more pedantic. How about you sending me a suit of Hu writing brush tomorrow?¡± Actually, Wu Zhong was joking with Ma Tian¡¯en just now. She usually sent him valuable things, and what surprised him today was that she delivered such a long speech. That was a huge surprise. One would not lose his way when he understood what the temptation in the way was.


    ¡°No problem, when you become Jinshi, I will send you Hu writing brush.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en put down the packaging box with a smile. Then she searched Wu Zhong¡¯s books and put them into the packaging box. After arranging several books, she checked it out with satisfaction before covering up the box and buttoning the Ox bone prod up


    ¡°These patches of Zhuanghua Satin were bought by me at a cheap cost. I am going to manufacture them into snowsuits for rich family. This time, I am lucky. Before long, Tian Family stole much of business from us and our financial security was almost risky. Luckily, at this time, the business knocked our door at such a low price. It seems that I am in the situation that a just cause enjoys abundant support.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said proudly.


    Actually, Wu Zhong seldom asked about Ma Family¡¯s business. Looking at Ma¡¯s happy face, he asked more this time, giving her a chance to show herself.


    Ma Tian¡¯en told Wu Zhong about the matter in detail from the beginning to the end with excitement, then she added joyfully: ¡°sir, isn¡¯t it wonderful? It is exactly because they had an accident, then these patches of goods were delivered by our boats, so they turned to Ma Family firstly. If Tian Family knows this business, they will definitely steal it. The new steward of Tian Family is strange. He can think everything ahead of me. Much of our business was stolen by him. After selling these patches of Zhuanghua Satin, I will reckon with him.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en said with joy while Wu Zhong became more and more serious. Ma Tian¡¯en talked much but didn¡¯t receive many reactions from Wu Zhong. Also, his expression was very strange. So she asked: ¡°Sir, what¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s good. Why do you have such a strange expression?¡±


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    At this moment, Wu Zhong replied: ¡°I think it is so coincident that the whole thing seems to have been arranged by someone.¡±


    ¡°What£¿are you kidding? Who can help Ma Family?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid it is not help, although I am not clear where the problem lies. I just think it is too smooth.¡± Although Wu Zhong didn¡¯t do any business, he read many books and thought much. On the surface, these things went smoothly and had no problems, but it was strange when they were considered together.


    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t suffer from imaginary fears. Please wait, I will make profits.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en thought Wu Zhong was too careful.


    ¡°Hope it is not what I am thinking about.¡± Wu Zhong felt that there was something that should be tangible but it was missed.

 Chapter 40 - A Bank Run

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Datong Bank was the largest one in the Dams along Donghui River, with three yards and nine gates, as a token of thriving and prosperous business. The gate was covered with iron sheets, nailed with rivets, and there were staggered gate slots on both sides. After the door was closed, even a blade could not be inserted through its crack.


    Unlike restaurants, the bank was not so lively every day. People who came in generally kept a low profile. However, the people who came today were not low-keyed at all. A dozen people came together, yelling while holding the bank notes to withdraw.


    The clerk knew at a glance that something was amiss, and he quickly called out the head of the bank. These people all came to the bank to deposit taels some time ago. A lot of money was deposited in the bank on and off. However, no one knew why they tried to withdraw their bank deposits simultaneously. The moment the head of the bank came out, he knew that it was going to cause great trouble for most of the taels available to the bank were used to buy Zhuanghua Satin by Ma Tian¡¯en. He quickly arranged a clerk to find Ma Tian¡¯en, and he tried to calm the crowd.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was still discussing with the shopkeeper of satin about how many floral dresses and python robes they were going to make when the clerk hurried in, yelling that something was amiss.


    Hearing the bank run, Ma Tian¡¯en immediately realized that things were no good. If only a few people came to withdraw deposits, it would be fine. If numerous bank customers tried to withdraw their bank deposits simultaneously, things seemed not that good. Thinking of this, Ma Tian¡¯en quickly left all the things right there and rushed to the bank accompanied by the clerk.


    Before arriving at the bank, Ma Tian¡¯en found many people jamming in front of the bank. A keen-eyed person who saw Ma Tian¡¯en shouted, ¡°Childe Ma is coming. Ask him for money!¡± A group of people rushed up and surrounded Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Guo Qi and Tian Ronghua, in a restaurant not far away, stood beside the window on the second floor and looked at the confounded Ma Tianen, smiling at each other.


    ¡°A fantastic plan, brother Guo.¡± When there was no one around, they would call each other brothers. As the old saying goes, a gatekeeper of a prime minister¡¯s house has equivalent power as an official in the court. Guo Qi was a member of Wudinghou House. Even if he was only a subordinate, no one could afford to offend him, not to mention that Guo Qi was shrewd and sophisticated.


    ¡°This is human nature. Seeing that there are benefits, one will take risk even if he knows it may be a trap. I just do that according to human nature.¡± Guo Qi said indifferently with eyes staring at Ma Tian¡¯en. Ma Tian¡¯en was the young childe who grew up in the honeypot. Even if he was a little smart, how could he know the sinister world? Unlike Ma Tian¡¯en, he himself suffered numerous hardships to survive in this sinister world. Was there fairness in this world? Some could just eat, drink and play all their lives while others did their best to keep body and soul together. Since the world was unfair, let him act for heaven.


    ¡°But how can you get those Zhaunghua Satin at such a low price? Although they suffered the bank run today, won¡¯t they earn it again when all Zhuanghua Satin are made into winter clothes and sold out?¡± Tian Ronghua asked in puzzlement. Guo Qi asked him for taels, got Zhuanghua Satin at a very low price, and found someone to sell it to Ma Tian¡¯en. Not only did his money come back, but he made a small profit as well.


    ¡°God¡¯s design must not be revealed to mortal ears. How can he get my money so easily?¡± Guo Qi said fiercely.


    The two remained silent and continued to watch the show. Suddenly, Tian Ronghua opened his eyes and yelled, ¡°That little son of a bitch!¡±


    Guo Qi was puzzled and looked at the direction Tian Ronghua was pointing to.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was surrounded by the crowd. No matter how he tried to explain, the crowd just wanted to get money immediately. He made great efforts to squeeze into the bank, but it was still jammed with people. The leaders of the crowd were even more clamoring. If the Ma family did not take out taels today, they would sue the bank. Banks did business by reputation. When their fame was ruined, nothing was left.


    Ma Tian¡¯en jumped directly onto the counter for he was too anxious, ¡°To be honest, do Ma family owe everyone a penny? We own a restaurant, a silk shop, a wharf. Will we be short of money? ¡±


    ¡°Then give us money!¡±


    ¡°I heard that Master Ma was seriously injured, so who knows where the money is. Maybe all the money has been squandered by you, a black sheep of Ma family!¡±


    ¡°Give us three days and I will give you all the taels.¡±


    ¡°We need the money right now.¡± Several people in the crowd heckled, and then the others took up the chant, completely drowning the speech of Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Just then, someone outside the bank shouted, ¡°I will deposit money!¡± At that moment, the crowd became silent all at once.


    Tian Ronghua saw from afar his stupid brother holding a heavy package, shouting that he wanted to deposit money. Then he squeezed into the bank of Ma family.


    Hearing that a fool wanted to deposit money, everyone made a way. Tian Fugui squeezed into the bank with sweat, put the heavy parcel on the counter and opened it. There were actually dozens of silver ingots of various sizes. Perhaps, he has got here all the financial reserves of the Tian family?


    Tian Fugui said while waving his chubby hand, ¡±Have you never seen anyone deposit money in the bank? I will deposit money. You guys know who I am? I¡¯m the second master of Tian family in the first Dam. I have come to Datong Bank to deposit money. Honestly, I do not know why you fear that Ma family will not give back your money. ¡±


    Interestingly, the crowd became quiet. Then some people who had been following suit began to hesitate. If there was a problem, could the second master of Tian family come to deposit money?


    At this moment, Tian Ronghua didn¡¯t even care about losing face. He ran downstairs and took a broom.


    Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Tian Fugui gratefully. Before she was able to say something, Ma Tian¡¯en saw Tian Ronghua squeezed out of the crowd, holding a broom in his hand while cursing: ¡°I will kill you, the little son of bitch who favors the Ma family! ¡±


    At that time, no one asked for withdrawal. They all watched Tian Ronghua chasing after Tian Fugui. The latter did not dare to fight back, so he ran while shouting: ¡°Quickly deposit money for me.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en knew clearly about the whole thing. Tian Fugui stole the money from his family just to help her off the hook. She was touched.  Re-wrapping the parcel, she shouted: ¡°Master Tian, take away those taels. We are not short of taels. I count to three, and I will deposit it if you don¡¯t take the money, one ¡­¡±


    After hearing her shout, Tian Ronghua immediately stopped chasing Tian Fugui and ran back to grab the package from Ma Tian¡¯en. At this moment, Tian Fugui also came over and wanted to grab the money back from his brother, but he did not dare to.


    ¡°Fugui, I appreciate your kindness. Just go back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of money. We have plenty of money.¡± At this time, a loud voice came. Ma Chaosheng and the well-dressed Madam Ma walked towards the bank, followed by a group of maid servants holding heavy boxes.


    Everyone stepped aside when they saw Master Ma coming over. The head of the bank quickly moved out a chair. Master Ma first looked at Ma Tian¡¯en with soothing eyes and then sat on the chair.


    ¡°Our Ma family have always been kind to you, you ¡­¡± He pointed to a man in the crowd. ¡°Zhao Shun, you lost money in your business last year. It is me who lent you money and you ¡­ Master Ma pointed and counted people in the crowd and those whose names were mentioned all lowered their heads in shame.


    ¡°Have Ma family treated any of you badly? Today, I brought taels here. Whoever wants to withdraw can get money immediately. However, if you get your money back today, our Ma family will never have any dealings with you, whether it involves banks or businesses.¡± While talking, he ordered the maids and servants to open the boxes one by one. Some contained silver, some copper coins, and some treasures of Ming dynasty.


    ¡°If it is not enough, just come to Datong Group to get it.¡± Madam Ma added and her eyes looked like a knife.


    ¡°Master Ma, I still have something to do, and I¡¯ll explain it another day.¡± After a moment of silence, one man said this, and then ran away. Others who enjoyed watching the bustling scene also followed the man and ran away. Master Ma and Madam Ma were no milksop. It was okay to stir up trouble with Ma Tian¡¯en, but they could not afford to offend Master Ma. After all, they were still living here.


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    The leaders of the noisy crowd who came to make trouble were trembling with fear when they withdrew money. As soon as they got the money, they ran away immediately, as if they were afraid of being beaten.


    The crowd finally cleared off. The moment Ma Chaosheng appeared, Tian Ronghua knew that it was all over and done with. He pulled Tian Fugui and left the bank.


    ¡°Dad, you are incredible! You have already recovered!¡± Ma Tian¡¯en jumped happily and wanted to pull his father up from the chair.


    However, Ma Chaosheng screwed up his face and coughed violently. Madam Ma quickly leaned forward and handed in a handkerchief. Ma Chaosheng lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.

 Chapter 41 - Recurrence of Old Wound

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en was stunned as she saw her father spit blood. She stood in the same place, only to see the red before her. At this time, the crowd gathered around, and Ma Chaosheng signaled to close the door, fearing that someone would see it. At this time, the waiter ran to close the door.


    It was until then that Ma Tian¡¯en came back to herself, knelt down in front of his father, took Ma Chaosheng¡¯s hand and said incoherently, ¡°Dad, aren¡¯t you all right? How did you spit blood again? What¡¯s the matter with you, dad? Hope nothing wrong happens to you. ¡°She said tearfully.


    Ma Chaosheng tried to raise his other hand and stroked Ma Tianen¡¯s hair: ¡°Dad is OK. Don¡¯t be afraid. We are your parents, and we won¡¯t let anyone hurt you. ¡±


    Mrs. Ma could not help but cry. Ma Chaosheng was getting better recently. As soon as he heard that something happened to the bank, he was afraid that Ma Tian¡¯en could not deal with it. When he got out of bed, he fainted and would not rest when he woke up. He took out all the silver in his family and rushed to help Ma Tian¡¯en. What¡¯s more, he spoke so much just now, which hurt his freshly restored vitality a lot.


    Ma Chaosheng insisted that the doctor not come to the bank, for fear that someone would take this opportunity to make a trouble again. After a rest, he came back home with others. As soon as he got home, he could no longer support himself. Everyone quickly put him on the bed, and then a familiar doctor was invited to examine him.


    ¡°How is my father, doctor?¡± Ma Chaosheng¡¯s illness had always been treated by Dr. Chen. Looking at his heavy expression, Ma Tian¡¯en was more worried.


    ¡°Master Ma was too furious. I¡¯ll give a prescription first of all. Don¡¯t be angry or overworked and take good care of him. ¡°The doctor instructed something more, and then went for the prescription.


    Ma Tian¡¯en knelt on the bed, reaching out her hand to touch her father¡¯s face, but was stopped by Ma Chaosheng. Mrs. Ma motioned everyone to leave the room, and then she sat beside the bed to wipe Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s tears with her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom and dad. It¡¯s me that made you worry. If it weren¡¯t for me, my father wouldn¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m such an unfilial son.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was full of guilt. If she didn¡¯t move the money of the bank, her father would not have rushed to rescue her, which caused his old wound to relapse.


    ¡°One is sure to suffer losses in business, and you¡¯ll gain wisdom after a fall. Now there are people who target our Ma Family, and what we can do is to be more careful. It¡¯s OK. All grow up like this. When I was at your age, I was not as good as you. ¡°Ma Chaosheng spoke with difficulty, comforting his daughter.


    ¡°Master, save your strength and stop talking. Tian¡¯en, don¡¯t take it to heart. We know you want to do well. It doesn¡¯t matter. Our Ma Family can win and also can afford to lose. Just go. ¡°Mrs. Ma said gently and firmly.


    Finding that her parents didn¡¯t blame her, but encouraged her, Ma Tian¡¯en vowed that she would continue to revitalize Ma Family and never lose the strength as long as she takes charge of Ma Family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom and dad. I won¡¯t let you down. Keeping Ma Family is the best reward.¡±


    After talking for a while, Ma Tian¡¯en was afraid to disturb her father¡¯s rest, so she went out of the room. She was still very depressed, and she always felt that it was not over. Although it was not clear who manipulated the thing that happened today, Ma Tian¡¯en had a premonition that it must be related to Tian Family, and to be exact, it must be related to Guo Qi, the housekeeper of Tian Family. Thinking of that man, Ma Tian¡¯en felt cold. He was like a poisonous snake hiding in the grass and you don¡¯t know when he would come out and bite you.


    As she was walked along, she thought about that. When she came to her room, she saw a man standing in front of it, who was Mr. Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you go in?¡± It was very cold and she didn¡¯t know how long Wu Zhong had been waiting at the door.


    Wu Zhong didn¡¯t know she was a girl before, but now he knew it, so he felt it improper to enter her room when she was away, especially in the evening. So if there was no particularly important thing, he wouldn¡¯t come to her room to find her, instead, he would talk to her in the study. Of course, Ma Tian¡¯en didn¡¯t know this gentleman¡¯s inner thoughts.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, I have an important thing to tell you, please follow me.¡± Wu Zhong took Ma Tian¡¯en towards the study. On the way, Wu Zhong asked about Master Ma¡¯s illness, and then he always wanted to say something, but said nothing. The more he did like this, the more Ma Tian¡¯en felt that there would be a big event. Good or bad, what should come will come. So it is better to say it out directly.


    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t you have any disease?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked tentatively.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Well, are going back to your hometown and want to say goodbye to me, sir?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t guess. It¡¯s about Zhuanghua Satin.¡± Wu Zhong wanted to say it out after they reached the study, but her guess was more and more ridiculous.


    ¡°Ah, what happened to Zhuanghua Satin?¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en felt panicked and held Wu Zhong¡¯s hand. Wu Zhong hesitated for a moment and didn¡¯t pull it out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I doubt the Zhuanghua Satin is fake.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Hearing this, Ma Tian¡¯en was dizzy and almost fell down. Wu Zhong stretched out his hand to pull her, only to find that they almost stuck together. He wanted to push her away, but thinking of Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s body, he held her shoulders by his hands, and then said very seriously: ¡°Tian¡¯en, I know you have experienced a lot of things today, and suffered a lot of blows, but you must be firm, because this is your responsibility and you are the future owner of Ma family. You have to bear all this and no one can be your substitute, so you must stand firm now and not fall down. Do you understand? ¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en came to herself and nodded heavily: ¡°Sir, I see. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m ok. Why do you say that Zhuanghua Satin is fake? The boss and master of the silk and satin villa have made identification. ¡±


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Wu Zhong took Ma Tianen back to the study. Pushing open the door, there was a box on the table that Ma Tian¡¯en sent to Wu Zhong.


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    Wu Zhong took the fine iron hook on the table and made the light on. Ma Tian¡¯en saw that there was a piece of Zhuanghua Satin of the box missing, which was on the table.


    Ma Tian¡¯en picked up this piece of satin and looked at it carefully under the lamp. The work was exquisite and the color was bright. The pattern was also a typical one of Zhuanghua Satin. How could it be a fake?


    Wu Zhong took it from her hand and tore it hard with his hands, and the brocade was torn into two pieces. Then he said gently, ¡°The real Zhuanghua Satin won¡¯t break so easily, you know? In fact, it can¡¯t be said as fake, but I suddenly remember that I heard something when I was in the south of the Yangtze River. A young lady of an official family went to the temple and wore a dress made of Zhuanghua Satin, which was broken by a branch of a tree. The young lady felt that she had lost her reputation and wanted to die. Later, she knew that the Zhuanghua Satin bought by the silk and satin shop was fake. In fact, they could not be said to be totally fake but the gold thread was fake. The thread was not good but cheap, and the pattern was also made through quantity production, so the cost was much lower. If you look at the appearance, it¡¯s hard to see the difference, but this kind of Zhuanghua Satin is easy to tear¡­ ¡±


    At his words, Ma Tian¡¯en suddenly understood that this was the real killing move. Those who could afford to wear Zhuanghua Satin were all noble people. If the clothes worn by noble people were torn in public, Ma Family could not even afford a case. What a vicious ruse!

 Chapter 42 - The Daughter of Sea Dragon King Returns

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Ma Tian¡¯en felt very frustrated, and she fell onto the chair. Wu Zhong knew she was sad, but he could do nothing but serve her a cup of water. Ma Tian¡¯en took a sip, feeling a little warm.


    ¡°Sir, we always compete with Tian Family, but neither of us try to kill each other. However, since the new charger of Tian family came, Everything that he has done aims at Ma Family. Moreover, I have met him for several times, and his sinister eyes made me very uncomfortable. He must feel hostile towards Ma Family. He may be only a few years older than I, and I have no idea of when Ma Family has wronged him.¡± At this time, Ma Tina¡¯en paused for a while, wishing to say something but stopped on a second thought.


    ¡°Have you thought of anything?¡± Wu Zhong knew from her look that she must have remembered something. He would not ask her at other times, but at this critical moment, one word would work in providing the answer to the problem.


    ¡°A few days ago, Tian Fugui told me unconsciously that the new charger of his family looked like my dad.¡±


    Actually, Wu Zhong felt a sense of familiarity when he saw Guo Qi, but he couldn¡¯t tell clearly whom he took after. Now, hearing what Ma Tian¡¯en had said, he also thought so. Maybe Ma Tian¡¯en looked more like Madam Ma in that they both had round faces. Guo Qi and Master Ma had long faces; especially their eyes and foreheads looked very similar. One would not find anything special if he didn¡¯t observe carefully, but when one did, he would find that even their figures looked very similar.


    ¡°You mean, Guo Qi may be your big brother?¡± Wu Zhong asked doubtfully. If it did, it could make sense. As the illegitimate child of Master Ma, he must be resentful for not coming back to Ma Family. However, Ma Tian¡¯en was a girl. If Master Ma knew he had an illegitimate son, he might be willing to accept him as a member of the family.Why did he crack down on Ma Family?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Actually, I want to ask my dad at a right time. But you know, today my father vomited blood; I am afraid of irritating him.¡±  Ma Tian¡¯en said with perplexity.


    ¡°However, there are lots of people who look alike in this world, and you can¡¯t draw a conclusion hastily. The most important thing is to deal with these patches of Zhuanghua. They couldn¡¯t be manufactured into winter clothes. However, these patches of Zhuanghua were made according to the style of clothes. If they were changed into another style, prices might be different. Besides, such valuable things could only be sold to the rich.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en couldn¡¯t come up with any good idea but only sighed: ¡°even fairies can¡¯t help me this time. It¡¯s time to return money to Yinhao ( private bank in ancient China), but Zhuanghua can¡¯t be sold. Oh!¡±


    ¡°Fairies¡­¡± Wu Zhong was lost in contemplation after hearing Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s complaints. Suddenly, Wu Zhong got an idea. He sat down with a smile, pointing at the cup on the table and said:¡°pour a cup of tea and I would like to drop you some hints.¡±


    Looking at Wu Zhong¡¯s expression, Ma Tian¡¯en jumped down from the chair immediately and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Filling the cup, she asked thoughtfully, ¡°should I try the temperature of water for you?¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en pretended to try but was stopped by Wu Zhong, ¡°please put it down, I seldom meet girls like you¡­¡± Saying this, Wu Zhong remembered that this student was educated as a boy from childhood. The concept that man and woman should have a boundary in communication was meaningless for her.


    Of course, Ma Tian¡¯en wouldn¡¯t try. Then she delivered the cup to Wu Zhong happily, ¡°what can I do for you, sir?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Wu Zhong refused decisively. He knew this naughty student would do any astonishing thing. It was better not to bother her.


    ¡°You just mentioned fairies. I think it is great. Do you remember when we first met, you cheated me that you were the daughter of Sea Dragon King£¿People just believed you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. At that time, I just did it for fun. I didn¡¯t think you all believe it.¡± Thinking of that day, Ma Tian¡¯en thought it were a coincidence. She saved a man accidentally, but what surprised her was she saved a teacher for herself.


    ¡°These patches of Zhuanghua are easy to break. Besides, the experts can definitely tell they are made of inferior materials, so we can¡¯t sell them to the rich as before. But we manufacture these Zhuanghua into shawls, waiting for people to buy them. Shawl doesn¡¯t belong to clothes, and even they break occasionally, it will not make big differences. In addition, before selling, we can tell them to be careful when they wear because they are easy to break. .¡± Wu Zhong said joyfully, and Ma Tian¡¯en looked at him as if observing a fool.


    ¡°Sir, are you a fool? Firstly, how come so many people buy our shawls? Secondly, if we tell them they easily break before selling, then why do they buy?¡±


    ¡°Yes,we should not only tell them they easily break, but also let them know there is only a patch left.¡± Wu Zhong added.


    Ma Tian¡¯en wanted to touch the forehead of Wu Zhong. Wu Zhong dodged a little, avoiding her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do things which do not conform to the rites!¡±


    ¡°I want to see whether you get fever and talk gibberish. How do you know they will buy these shawls? Hasten them to send money to Ma Family?¡±


    ¡°Ummm, it¡¯s because of you!¡±


    ¡°Me? Why?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was confused.


    ¡°Come, I will tell you¡­¡± Wu Zhong asked Ma Tian¡¯en to get closer, telling her his ideas.


    In Tian Family, Tian Fugui was punished to kneel down in the front of the ancestral hall after being taken home by Tian Ronghua; moreover, he was not allowed to eat anything. This time, Tian Ronghua really got angry. This bloke rummaged his room, found all tael and rescued Ma Family from a siege. If he was not taught a lesson, he would become the son of Ma Family.


    Scolding, beating, punishing still couldn¡¯t relieve Tian Ronghua¡¯s anger, and he ended up drinking liquor alone in his room.


    At this time, Guo Qi came. Tian Ronghua didn¡¯t greet him as he was in a bad mood. However, Guo Qi sat directly in front of Tian Ronghua, and served himself a cup of liquor.


    ¡°Such a deliberate plan! I didn¡¯t expect that Ma Family could excape this trap. When Ma Chaosheng showed up, every problem was solved. He is a shrewd man! In a few days, when they sell out all the Zhuanghua, their cash flows smoothly again. What do we do for?¡± Tian Ronghua became angrier, thinking of this.


    ¡°You are wrong. It¡¯s not the end; the game is just beginning.¡± Guo Qi said confidently.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tian Tonghua didn¡¯t know where his confidence came from. Bu he really looked like that cunning Master in spirit.


    ¡°They are not genuine Zhuanghua. If they were manufactured into winter clothes, they would easily break. When these clothes were sold to the rich, that would be the climax of the game.¡± Saying this, Guo Qi drained his wine.


    ¡°Great!¡± Tian Ronghua felt good now, and he also considered himself lucky because he was not the aim of Guo Qi.


    The legend told that Sea Dragon King was proud that rivers could flow into sea with the construction of Datong River. . So he often took his five daughters swimming across this river to Wengshan Lake. Pingjin Zha and Er Zha were his favorite places, so many legends about the Sea Dragon and his five daughters had been spread out around these two places. This was also the reason why the news that Ma Tian¡¯en simulated the daughter of Sea Dragon King could spread swiftly.


    Legends were legends. Except that time, no one had ever seen Dragon King¡¯s five daughters.


    Although Winter Solstice Festival was coming, the river was not frozen yet. Peddlers and pedestrians on streets were not as many as in summer, but they came and went, making the streets busy as usual.


    Suddenly, one spot on the river gave out a beautiful yellow radiance. Some curious men looked over and found that there stood a fairy in white in radiance, wearing a shinning shawl. Her face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly among the light and mist.


    ¡°The daughter of Sea Dragon King is coming again!¡± Someone called out. Some busybodies ran to the river, and the rest ran after them. People in other places all flocked here, calling and claiming all along the streets.


    As they approached the radiance, a fragrance wafted. Looking at people coming around, the fairy stood calm and serious. A man ran fast to the fairy, but others didn¡¯t dare to go too close. The man was so audacious that he even reached his hand out to the fairy. The fairy turned back. At this time, the celestial song rang, and the fairy walked towards the river. The man pulled down a piece of shawl which was as beautiful as glittering flowers. Suddenly, the shawl was on fire. Half of it fell down onto the ground, with its beautiful patterns clear and distinguishable.


    At this time, the fairy walked on the surface of the river as easily as walking on earth. In the middle of the river, she jumped into the river and disappeared.


    The celestial song and radiance almost disappeared simultaneously. The man who pulled down the shawl from the fairy picked up the left piece and shouted, ¡°I got the shawls of the fairy!¡±

 Chapter 43 - The Same Style of Shawl as Sea Princess

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    The re-emergence of the sea princess soon spread along the Datong River. Since it was usually dull and boring in winter, such gossips spread faster. Furthermore, some people did see the magic light of the sea princess and the elegant demeanour while she was walking on the water. The scene, plus some vivid descriptions, was even more enchanting. Meanwhile, the glittering shawl which the sea princess wore also gained great popularity.


    The one who picked up the shawl was quite business-minded and he sold the half of the broken piece to the Silk and Satin Shop of Ma family who found exactly the same satin and made up the shawl of the same style as that of the sea princess. Experts of silk and satin all said that shawls of Ma family were made up of Zhuanghua Satin, but Ma family insisted that the material of the cloak was actually not as strong as the Zhuanghua Satin and easy to break. After all, if the cloak of the goddess was not broken, how could it be picked up by mortals? As long as the glittering shawl was the same as that of the sea princess, the crowd all desired to buy one, taking no account of the actual material of those shawls. Moreover, Ma family sold the shawl much cheaper than the real Zhuanghua Satin.


    The shawl of the sea princess became popular not only in places near the Datong River, but also in the capital. Fortunately, it was easy to make those shawls. Soon, those shawls made by Ma family were sold out. Those who snagged the shawls cherished them, let alone deliberately break them. Those who did not get shawls naturally felt regrettable. They might get similar ones from other shops, but they were still suspicious that the shawls were not so authentic as those from Ma family¡¯s.


    ¡°Ha! Ha! Sir, I didn¡¯t expect you to lie and I didn¡¯t know scholars are best at cheating people until today.¡± Sitting around a blazing fire, Ma Tian¡¯en and Wu Zhong ate and drank together and the bright smile of Ma Tian¡¯en was warm like the sun in winter.


    ¡°You are so savvy about playing tricks. I just mentioned it, and it is you who comes up with the idea of taking some rosin in hand and pretending to be a sea princess walking on the piles hidden below the water.¡± Wu Zhong did not want to take credit for it. It was much better to give the credit to this little liar.


    ¡°Ma Dacheng did a really good job and it was done perfectly. The man he found was really a great actor. He called me sea princess while plucking at my skirt and even I myself almost believed it.¡± Recently, Ma Tianen was getting close with Ma Dacheng, which was also a good thing for her to develop her own influence.


    ¡°However, Sir, there is one thing I don¡¯t understand. Since shawls are sold very well, why not buy another batch of Zhuanghua Satin for more shawls?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en asked in puzzlement. Wu Zhong specially asked them not to sell more shawls, and she chose to obey his advice.


    ¡°Because the fake is fake.¡± Wu Zhong suddenly said gravely. ¡°This time we made a pretence of the sea princess as the last resort so as to take the opportunity to solve this batch of Zhuanghua Satin. In fact, there are still many flaws that cannot withstand scrutiny. If we continue to sell them, I am afraid that the truth will be revealed one day. We might as well stop while we are still not revealed. The so-called rumors are passed in a gust of wind. When something new comes, everyone will forget the old one, and we will be safe. The key point, the most important one as well, is that you can¡¯t make tricks in business. You can¡¯t develop a habit just because you make tricks once, which will really ruin Ma family. You have to remember that although the trick helps us to retrieve the loss this time, it does not mean that we act in the right way. This is only an expedient solution that rarely solves long-term problems.¡±


    Ma Tian¡¯en understood that Wu Zhong did that for his own good. Actually, he thought about the teacher¡¯s advice and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Sir, I understand. I assure you that I will run business of Ma family wholeheartedly without bringing any shame on you. ¡±


    ¡°You are clever and worth teaching. It occurred to me that I should get a cut of the profits, right?¡±


    ¡°Sir, you are a noble scholar. We should not talk about money now. Let¡¯s drink tea and talk about learning.¡±


    In contrast with the celebration in Ma family, it was quiet and deserted


    in Tian family. All kinds of calculations of Guo Qi helped Ma family profit from the business. Standing in the courtyard with a thin shirt, Guo Qi punched the tree in the courtyard. While he felt the pain of his hands, it could not compared with the pain of his heart. He had the whole thing planned, but the Princess of the Dragon King coming out of nowhere messed up the plan. Alas, it was obviously a trick of Ma family. However, so many people believed such a stupid trick! Originally, he wanted to bring down Ma family with the aid of government officials by claiming that Ma family employed tricks to deceive people deliberately. However, Master Guo refused his plan. It was an auspicious sign to see the sea princess descending to the earth, which would delight the emperor. To make a big deal about it may bring a blessing rather than a disaster to Ma family. In addition, numerous nobles also bought such shawls. If he claimed Ma family was a liar, then he was ridiculing that the nobles were stupid to be cheated by Ma family. It was not worth the risk. They might as well bring down Ma family step by step, taking advantage of Tian family. Liu Jin, the second most powerful man, was suspicious of power struggles. Therefore, even if Duke Wuding wanted to control the water transport system, he would not dare to do it too obviously. It was such a good opportunity to bring down Ma family, but Ma family was so lucky to escape successfully


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t win over Ma Tian¡¯en. Let him be perky for a while. One day, I will even ask for profit from him! ¡±


    Instead, Tian Ronghua calmed down for he had already been used to Ma family¡¯ heading off the dangers every time. Moreover, Tian family and Ma family had old grudge since the previous generation. It had been decades. There was a long way to go and it did not matter concerning the gain and loss at the moment. The New Year was coming soon and he remembered his brother again, who had knelt before the shrine for two days, but still refused to admit his fault. His silly brother had obviously troubled in some way and how he wished his brother could be more mature and considerate in the new year .


    But his silly brother was still in a good mood. Actually, he was laughing in the room because he heard that Ma family had made a lot of money from the shawls of the sea princess. Others might not know the truth, but he was certain that it was Ma Tian¡¯en who dressed up as the sea princess. As a close friend of Ma Tian¡¯en, he knew when Ma Tian¡¯en wore women¡¯ s clothes, he was practically a beautiful lady. At the thought of Ma Tian¡¯en dressing up as the sea princess, he could not help laughing. He never knew so many people would believe it. Since Ma Tian¡¯en successfully made it through, he might take him out to dinner. Although he did not help him a lot, his legs were swollen after kneeling before the shrine for two days. However, his elder brother had kept a close eye on him; otherwise, he had already fled out to find Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Suddenly, Tian Fugui heard someone knocking on the window. Although the sound was very low, he heard it all at once. Would it be Ma Tian¡¯en? Jumping forward a few steps, Tian Fugui ran to the window, opened it, and saw a face popping out.


    ¡°Ah, Yan Zi!¡±


    ¡°Shh! Quiet!¡± Yan Zi outside the window looked left and right to confirm that no one was around, then handed the food container up.


    ¡°Catch it! I got into this place with the old man who brought vegetables to your family today. It is our Childe who let me give you desserts and the roast chicken. By the way, he said you should not be so silly next time. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very kind of you to think about me. All these days my elder brother gave me vegetarian food every day, and asked me to reflect what I had done. Moreover, all the desserts were taken away. They said that there was no money for me to eat desserts!¡± At the thought of his miserable experience, Tian Fugui felt aggrieved and mistreated.


    ¡°You¡¯re too plump. It¡¯s a good time for you to lose some weight.


    What¡¯s more, you can run faster if your brother tries to beat you next ¡°Yan Zi, you just come here to annoy me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too heavy, so pick it up right now.¡± Yan Zi only spoke politely with Ma Tian¡¯en. She would not be polite to others.


    Tian Fugui took the food container and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pull you in, and you sit in my room for a while before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Well, why should I, a girl, go to your room at this time of night? What if you attempt to do bad things?¡± Yan Ziyi said seriously.


    ¡°Just you ¡­ do you think I¡¯m blind?¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Yan Zi was about to beat him.


    ¡°Someone is coming.¡± Tian Fugui shouted when he saw someone


    walking this way.


    As soon as he finished all this, Yan Zi turned around and ran away,


    nowhere to be seen.


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    Taking the food container, Tian Fugui watched where she left and said, ¡°She runs so fast. Would it be possible that she was a rabbit in the previous life?¡±


    He took the food container to the room and opened it. It was all his favorite desserts. Moreover, a silver ingot stood in the middle of several desserts. Ma Tian¡¯en was a good brother. He knew that Tian Fugui was short of money. Actually, since Tian Fugui was caught back by his elder brother, even his coppers were confiscated.


    Tian Fugui, greatly moved, picked up the silver ingot, and suddenly found that a note was still under it. And this was definitely the handwriting of Ma Tian¡¯en. It said, ¡°The silver ingot is to attract your attention. Please return it to me next time. Remember to put a soft cloth under your knees when you kneel before the shrine next time! ¡±


    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± Tian Fugui could imagine the perky Ma Tian¡¯en who was pointing at himself and saying, ¡°You, such a fool!¡± However, as long as everyone was fine, he did not care about being a fool. Of course, he would spend the silver ingot. The one who returned it would be a fool indeed.

 Chapter 44 - The New Years Eve

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    As for the origin of the New Year¡¯s Eve, there are many kinds of stories. A popular story among people is that Nian (Chinese expression of year), or Xi, was a kind of monster that would harm the world on New Year¡¯s Eve. People naturally wanted to fight against it, but they were not capable of beating the monster. Knowing that the monster was afraid of fire and thunder, they thought of a way: they were dressed in red clothes and set off firecrackers. Before firecrackers were invented, they burnt bamboo and made use of the popping sound of bamboo burning. When the beast Xi came to see that the world was full of fire and thunder, it would run away, so this day is also called New Year¡¯s Eve.


    Different from the folk tale, there is also a record in the book that the New Year¡¯s Eve came from the custom of ¡°Da Nuo¡± (In Qin and Han dynasties, hundreds of boys were gathered to be dressed up as twelve animals to drive away evil spirits.) People were often helpless in the face of epidemics, so they had to imagine that the epidemics were caused by ghosts, and hoped that superstitious rituals could bring peace. In Nuo sacrifice, people would wear strange masks, dance a specific Nuo dance, and strive to drive away the imaginary God of plague. ¡°On the day just before new year, fireworks, gate gods carved from peach wood, nooses and cypresses are placed in front of the door, and the blood of a killed chicken is on the door, so as to exorcise epidemic diseases.¡± In the morning of the day just before new year, making fireworks and gate gods carved from peach wood are made by all the descendants of Nuo, aiming to ¡°exorcise¡±. Of course, later, people didn¡¯t want to kill chickens and make gate gods, so they directly hung peach branches and peach boards. In fact, no matter which way, the purpose is to pray for blessings and do exorcism.


    In a flash, it was New Year¡¯s Eve. The members of Ma Family sat together. It¡¯s the so-called New Year¡¯s Eve when people sit around the stove without sleeping until they reach the end of the day, which is called guarding the year. After eating dumplings and chatting about the family routine, Ma Chaosheng went to take a rest because he could not stay up too late as he was not in good health this year..


    Wu Zhong did not return to Jiangnan and could not stay up for New Year¡¯s Eve with Ma Family, so he was still reading in his room in the small courtyard.


    The sound of firecrackers outside was incessant, and the fireworks illuminated the sky. The more lively, the more lonely. Thinking about the period of studying in the capital, it was surprising that so many things had happened. Wu Zhong thought that when he was in Jiangnan, if it was New Year¡¯s Eve, the whole family would also sit around and have dinner together. Spring Festival couplets at home were always  written by himself. Since he was not at home, his father had to write them by himself. Thinking about it, he put down the book unconsciously. It seemed that he still could not keep his mind still.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m in.¡± With a crisp voice, Ma Tian¡¯en pushed the door open with a food box.


    ¡°Tian¡¯en, why are you here?¡± Wu Zhong was both pleased and surprised.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here to accompany you. Look, what did I bring for you?¡± In the opened food box, there were all southern dishes, and two small bowls of Tangyuan, sweet round-shaped dumplings made of glutinous rice flour. Ma Tian¡¯en looked at Wu Zhong proudly and put the food on the table. Of course, there was also liquor.


    Wu Zhong, who was always eloquent, didn¡¯t know what to say. His eyes were still wet. After a while he calmed down, and said, ¡°Tian¡¯en, you are so considerate.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. By the way, these were prepared by Concubine Zhao. She also came from Jiangnan. I think you should have similar taste, so I turned to her. ¡±


    ¡°Well, Mrs. Ma doesn¡¯t want you to contact Concubine Zhao, right?¡± Wu Zhong failed to know why he didn¡¯t want Ma Tian¡¯en to be too close to Concubine Zhao, either. He thought that Concubine Zhao had something strange.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid? I will not let my mother know. Concubine Zhao won¡¯t hurt me. You think too much. I tell you that I have a talent that as long as someone approaches me, I will know whether he is good or bad to me as I smell. Concubine Zhao doesn¡¯t mean anything bad to me. I can feel it. Look at Guo Qi¡­¡­ Bah, don¡¯t mention him on New Year¡¯s Eve. Come on, have a taste. ¡± Ma Tian¡¯en poured a glass of liquor for Wu Zhong. Of course, she also poured one for herself, because she was not allowed to drink in front of Wu Zhong, especially after Wu Zhong knew that she was a woman. In fact, what was the difference between men and women? She failed to understand.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say anything unhappy today.¡± Wu Zhong held up his glass, and Ma Tian¡¯en took the opportunity to hold hers and smiled at Wu Zhong.


    ¡°Wish you all the best next year.¡±


    ¡°Then I wish you get the first place in the three-year examination and be famous all over the world!¡± The Ma Tian¡¯en drank it all at once after saying that.


    ¡°Sir, if you become an official, what kind of official do you want to be?¡± She didn¡¯t know what kind of official her teacher would be if he became an official one day.


    ¡°What kinds of officials are there?¡± In fact, Ma Tian¡¯en was still confused about being an official. She knew few officials, most of whom were high-ranking. They talked the same nonsense as if they didn¡¯t say anything while those words still sounded very dignified. Especially last time the affair with Hu Chunqiu left her bad impressions on the government officials.


    ¡°The emperor values the heroes, and reading teaches you how to win the favor of the emperor. One farmer in the morning can become an official at night. The most difficult thing for a scholar who has read for many years to keep in office still remains true to his heart. There are three kinds of officials: honest ones, mediocre ones and corrupted ones. It¡¯s the easiest to be a mediocre official. You can get salary and follow the crowd. When you see something, you hide. You don¡¯t do anything and don¡¯t make any mistakes, either. To be a corrupted official, you can exchange official positions for wealth, bribe your superiors, collude with people from all walks of life, and earn a lot of money. All you should notice is not to be caught in this life. As for the next life, it does not matter when you are scolded. The most difficult is to be an honest official. The salary of our Dynasty is meager. If you are only a pure official, you may just barely make ends meet and you have no money to dredge up the superior and make friends with other officials. In addition, you have to be not afraid of power because you want to be a pure official, and you may be wronged when you speak out directly. Therefore, it is the easiest to be a mediocre official, the most enjoyable to be a corrupted official, and the most difficult to be a pure and honest official. What kind of official do you want me to be? ¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems that corrupted officials are more comfortable. But I still hope that you can be a honest official who will consider and make decisions for the people. Think, although corrupted officials can make much money, they will be scolded for hundreds and thousands of years by later generations. While honest officials can be praised for their steadfast life. As a student of an honest official, I have honor. Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you have money because I have and I can raise you. If you lack money, you can ask me for it. I will make a lot of money. ¡± After drinking a few glasses of liquor, Ma Tian¡¯en said more. Her face was a little red, and her eyes were bright, as if she had taken some of the stars from the sky.


    ¡°Will you support me?¡± Wu Zhong suddenly wanted to reach out to touch Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s face, but he remembered that she was a girl, so his hand retracted back.


    ¡°Yes, of course, I want to support you, sir, and what you need to do is to study hard.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en said, and blinked at Wu Zhong.


    Wu Zhong took another sip of liquor. Why was today¡¯s liquor so strong and intoxicating?!


    Then fireworks and firecrackers outside sounded again. Ma Tian¡¯en pushed open the window and saw fireworks flying in the sky, some being like blooming flowers, some like meteors passing by, and some like immortals floating. Ma Tian¡¯en could not help shouting excitedly.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m going to set off fireworks!¡±


    There are hundreds of varieties of fireworks in the capital. The ones wrapped in mud are called ¡°casseroles¡±; the ones wrapped in paper are called ¡°flower tubes¡±; the ones wrapped in baskets are called ¡°flowerpots¡±; the ones that only make a sound are called ¡°loud guns¡±; the ones that can fly up to the sky are called ¡°fire¡±; the ones that make a sound after flying up to the sky are called ¡°three-level waves¡±; the ones that rotate on the ground are called ¡°ground mice¡±. Some powerful families invite craftsmen to make all kinds of fireworks every year. They set off fireworks all night on New Year¡¯s Eve. It costs hundreds of taels to set off fireworks in a year alone. This time, the Ma Family spent thousands of taels just to seek auspiciousness and show their strength.


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    Looking at Ma Tian¡¯en, Wu Zhong suddenly realized what happiness was like.


    Concubines were servants, and they could not stay up together with the master and his wife. Concubine Zhao¡¯s courtyard was particularly deserted. The master didn¡¯t come and his wife didn¡¯t pay attention to her. There were two servant girls who were perfunctory. Fortunately, Concubine Zhao had a good disposition and no one would be particularly embarrassing her. It¡¯s only when Ma Tian¡¯en came that the courtyard got a little more lively.


    Although Ma Tian¡¯en just asked Concubine Zhao to make a table of food and then packed it and went away, she did bring some window flowers and spring rolls of venison for Concubine Zhao. She also pasted the window flowers on the door and the window for Concubine Zhao, which was quite lively. When Concubine Zhao was cooking in the small kitchen, she was asking Concubine Zhao how the southerners celebrated the new year and what was the difference from the north. Concubine Zhao liked Ma Tian¡¯en doing such things. Every time she saw her, she looked like a swallow in spring, a flower in summer, a red fruit in autumn and a warm sun in winter.  She knew that she was the ¡°son¡± of Mrs. Ma, and that if she hurt her, Mrs. Ma would be in despair more than if she hurt Mrs. Ma herself, and that the woman killed her son, and that an eye for an eye was the best revenge, she knew that¡­¡­ But, she didn¡¯t want to and she couldn¡¯t. Seeing Ma Tian¡¯en calling her aunt with a smile, she would think that if her son didn¡¯t die, what he would become and how he would think, and he would be just as good as Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Concubine Zhao stroked the baby clothes out of the package again and again.

 Chapter 45 - New Year’s Day

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Yuan means the beginning of the year. The word ancient New Year¡¯s Day was firstly used in the Book of Jin. Since Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, New Year¡¯s Day was officially the first day of lunar January. Afterwards, every dynasty followed the practice.


    Early in the morning of the New Year¡¯s Day, Ma Chaosheng took Ma Tian¡¯en and other clansmen to worship heaven and earth and memorial tablets of ancestors. Ma Family was very influential with many clansmen. They all followed Ma Chaosheng, walking into the ancestral hall of Ma Family and kneeling down in turns .


    Altar and censer had been prepared. Ma Family¡¯s family tree, family rules and memorial tablets were enshrined in the hall. The joss paper and other offerings were enshrined in the front of the memorial tablets of ancestors and gods. The offerings of ancestors¡¯ memorial tablets were cooked meat of cows, sheep and pigs and the joss paper would be burned in three days. In front of god was fruit and vegetable and the joss paper would be burned after the Lantern Festival.


    Kneeling down in the front of the ancestral hall, Ma Chaosheng meditated: ¡°Dear gods and ancestors, unfilial Ma Chaosheng disguised his daughter as his son, cheating ancestors. I dare not defend myself but to accept the punishment of ancestors. I will have no complaints even though I were struck by lightning and split into halves. But my daughter is kind and innocent. I would like to use all my fortune to exchange for her life-time peace and safety.¡± Then he kowtowed reverently.


    Looking at the unfamiliar memorial tablets, Ma Tian¡¯en thought that if she died one day, whether she would be enshrined here. But if they knew she was a woman, they would criticize her. To avoid being cursed by a group of old codgers, she thought that she might as well not be placed here.


    When they returned to Ma family after the worship, the younger generations expressed their blessings to the elders. Then the whole family made dumplings together. Of course, if they played outside, the younger generations should salute the elders when they came across them on the roads.


    Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s heart was not here. She wished everything to be over quickly so that she could play outside with her teacher and introduced him how they celebrated the Spring Festival in the capital of the country. Ma Chaosheng knew she liked playing by nature, so he didn¡¯t want to restraint her on this occasion. After her kowtowing, he gave her some orders, together with lucky money threaded on a red string, and allowed her to go outside.


    In this dynasty, it was no need to pay New Year¡¯s visit to the elder¡¯s on Spring Festival but to send New Year¡¯s cards which were also called flying posts. There must be a red pocket on each families¡¯ door which read: receiving blessings. It was used for placing flying posts. When Spring Festival was coming, red pockets of each family must be full, especially rich families like Ma Family.


    The flying post was a card made by plum blossom paper, usually two inches wide and three inches long, on which there were names, addresses and blessings of receivers. People used it to replace New Year¡¯s visit. Of course, the families who received flying posts would record names, generations, official positions and detailed addresses of the senders and reply accordingly. It was called courtesy needed for reciprocity.


    Although Wu Zhong couldn¡¯t worship his ancestors, he got up early. He paid a visit to master Ma and wished him a happy new year, then returned to his room and continued to read. He had thought that Ma Tian¡¯en would play with her clansmen and wouldn¡¯t come. Not for a while, he heard her call at the door.


    Wu Zhong asked her to come in. Looking at Ma Tian¡¯en wearing a smile with her hands behind her back, Wu Zhong knew that she must have thought of something new and was going to show it off.


    ¡°Sir, do I look pretty today?¡± Ma Tian¡¯en stared at Wu Zhong and shook her head. Wu Zhong noticed that she wore a butterfly made of gold foil paper. The butterfly moved with her head shaking. It was so lively.


    ¡°The butterfly is nice. It suits you.¡±


    ¡°You have, too!¡± At this time, Ma Tian¡¯en reached out her hand. In her hand, there was a big butterfly which was also made of gold foil paper. She gave it to Wu Zhong.


    Wu Zhong accepted the butterfly with hesitation. Did he need to wear it? What custom was it?


    ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t know, it is called ¡®making some noise¡¯. Besides butterflies, there are many other shapes, such as moths and locusts. Some are small; some are as big as my hand. I wear one on festive occasions while others will wear a lot. For example, Tian Fugui often wears five or six, which dazzles me. Sir, please wear it and then go to see lashing the cow.¡±


    ¡°Lashing the cow?¡± Wu Zhong looked at Ma Tian¡¯en, puzzled.


    ¡°Yes, it is today. You can see it in front of the government office. The officers will line up according to their official positions, then lash the cow made by clay. When the last lash is finished, the clay cow will be smashed into pieces. Then we can grab the pieces of the clay cow and throw it into our own lands. This practice blesses us with good weather and bumper harvest for the whole year.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en was glad to explain this to Wu Zhong, because there was finally something that the teacher didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°By the way, there is another custom, which is called ¡®walking on top of the city wall to get rid of all deceases¡¯. This custom is for women. In Spring Festival, women can walk on top of the city wall. It is said that women will not fall ill this year if they do so. Actually, it offers an opportunity for women to have fun, as women usually stay at home. This society is unfair for women.¡± Talking of this, Ma Tian¡¯en felt rather emotional. She couldn¡¯t be cultivated as a man if the society was fair for women.


    ¡°We also have this custom. But we walk on bridges instead of walking the top of the city wall. Moreover, both men and women can walk together across the bridge, which is also said to bring us a good year with no disease or disaster. From this point, many customs are similar.¡± Looking at Ma Tian¡¯en, who looked a little sad, Wu Zhong changed the topic kindly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go hurriedly. Even soil residue would not be got if we were late.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en became happy again and took Wu Zhong out of the house.


    ËäÊǺ®À䣬½ÖÉÏÈ´ÈÈÄַdz£¡£º¢×ÓÃÇÅÜÀ´ÅÜÈ¥£¬¼ûÈËÎʹýÄêºÃ¡£»¹ÓÐһЩµ±½ÖÓöÉϳ¤±²¾ÍߵͷÎʺõġ£»¹ÓÐһЩСÉÌС··ÔÚÂô×ÅһЩСÍæÒ⣬ÄàÈË¡¢ÌÇÈË£¬»¹ÓÐÂô¸É¹ûµãÐĵģ¬Ò»±ß×ß×ÅÒ»±ßߺºÈ¡£ÂíÌì¶÷¼ûʲô¾ÍÒª¿´Ò»»á¶ù£¬Ò»±ß×ßÒ»±ß³Ô¡£¿´×ÅËý±Ä±ÄÌøÌø¿ªÐĵÄÑù×Ó£¬ÎâÖÙÓÐÖÖÏ£Íûʱ¼äÁôסµÄ¸Ð¾õ£¬ÈÃËý¿ÉÒÔÒ»Ö±ÕâôÎÞÓÇÎÞÂÇ£¬¿ìÀÖÎÞÉË¡£


    Although it was winter, the street was noisy. Children ran around and greeted people they met. Some street-hawkers sold gadgets, such as clay figurines, sugar-men, dried fruits and cakes, calling out while walking. Ma Tian¡¯en would stop to watch for a while whatever she saw, eating snacks while walking on the street. Wu Zhong wished to stop the time when he saw Tian¡¯en¡¯s happiness so that she could live without any sorrow or anxiety.


    Not far away, a man stared at Ma Tian¡¯en. Coldness could be noted in his gaze. That man was Guo Qi.


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    ¡°Ma Tian¡¯en, your happiness won¡¯t be long.¡± Guo Qi recalled that he once had gone to the doorway of Ma Family after innumerable hardships. Before coming in, he saw the door open. Master Ma and Ma Tian¡¯en walked out of the gate. Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s skin was as smooth as silk and as white as white jade. Ma Chaosheng kept on calling with smile: ¡°slow down, be careful.¡± Looking at himself, however, he could only see that his hands were full of scars and his knees got bruised. Who cared his feeling?


    He pulled up his socks and ran towards Ma Chaosheng, stopping him with his hands. However, Ma Chaosheng¡¯s eyes were still on Ma Tian¡¯en. He threw him several coins from his pocket and went after Ma Tian¡¯en.


    Who was rubbish? Who was the apple of his eye? The man who was heartless and silly must be punished.


    Guo Qi reached out his hand, and several coins lay in his palm.

 Chapter 46 - Proposing Marriage

    Proofread by Fu Tianying


    Happy days always went so fast. After enjoying festive lanterns and fireworks, people had a good time for the whole night. Moreover, all the people could enjoy the festival for another three days. As soon as the eighteenth day of lunar January came, which was called Shou Hun Festival (day of collecting the souls), the performance stage was taken apart and the lanterns were all packed up. The farmers began to do their farm work and the students went back to school while the businessmen started to sell their products again. Everyone lived a busy and stressful life for a start afresh.


    For Chinese, they neither held a weeding in the first month nor got engaged in the last month of the lunar year. However, after eighteen days of the first month, it was acceptable for a man to propose marriage to a girl.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was totally shocked that someone came to propose marriage to her. When she was young, she thought she was a boy and she would marry a beautiful girl some day until her mother told her that she was a girl indeed and it was impossible for her to marry a girl. The sudden news startled Ma Tian¡¯en who had hidden a lot of money for his beautiful wife in the future since she was young. However, nowadays she was told that she was actually a girl who was supposed to be married with a man as her elder sisters. But how could she get married? After all, she was seen as a man actually.


    Ma Tian¡¯en was troubled by the unexpected truth for a long time. In the end, she figured it out that she would rather enjoy every day at present. For that reason, she had long been considered as a chairwarmer.


    The bad reputation as well as the fairly young age of Ma Tian¡¯en discouraged people from proposing marriage to him. Moreover, the family of girls would not take the initiative to propose marriage generally. That was why they were not wrestling with something like this. But it was difficult for them to get rid of the luck of love when it came uninvited.


    But it could not be seen as a formal proposition of marriage. Marital matters emphasized a formal wedding while everything went as planned in six steps: proposing marriage, asking each other for birthdates, proposing marriage formally, presenting a gift to the girl, asking for the date of wedding, and holding the wedding. Marriage was for good relationship between two families, not for creating bitterness. So matchmakers would come to these two families asking them for their opinions before proposing marriage. If both two families agreed, the father of the boy would come to propose marriage accompanied by the matchmaker. If the family of the girl also agreed, these two families would exchange the birthdates of the two youngsters. Then they would find the fortune teller to predict whether the marriage was a blessing or not. When the fortune teller said that the two would have a happy life in the future, they would propose formally and the family of the boy would present a gift to the girl¡¯s. After that, the boy¡¯s family would decide on two dates for the wedding and gave them to the girl¡¯s family to choose one after they accepted the gifts. In the end, the whole finished with a grand wedding.


    Since Ma Tian¡¯en¡¯s father was not in good health, Madam Ma came out to meet Matchmaker Zheng, one of the best matchmakers in the Datong River, who was also called Hua Grandma. Madam Ma was glad that someone should be interested in Ma Tian¡¯en; meanwhile, she was worried about how two girls got married. Actually, though she and her husband tried not to think about it, the marriage of Ma Tian¡¯en had been nagging at the back of their minds. However, now the problem already approached since the matchmaker came here.


    ¡°Madam Ma, Childe Ma will be seventeen after the New Year Festive? He is young, capable and handsome and actually few youngsters could compare with him along the Datong River. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a grown man should be supposed to marry a grown woman. Besides, a good fortune of Ma family would be inherited by the grandsons after Childe Ma gets married. Wouldn¡¯t it perfect?¡± The matchmaker was eloquent and Madam Ma could not do nothing but nod repeatedly.


    Without getting the clear answer, the matchmaker Zheng went on. She said, ¡°Madam Ma, what is your standard for your future daughter-in-law? I know all the girls along the river and I promise that I could find a satisfactory girl for you. ¡±


    Madam Ma knew well that matchmaker Zheng was entrusted to come here. In this case, she should ask clearly which family entrusted matchmaker Zheng. But Ma Tian¡¯en was a girl, too. Madam Ma had nothing to do but play dumb.


    Madam Ma did not follow the rules, which confused the matchmaker Zheng. However, since she was entrusted to propose marriage, she had to force herself to go on and accomplish her mission.


    ¡°I have been a matchmaker for a long time and I never failed. Every couple matched by me lives a happy life. As a matchmaker, I know the core point of well-matched marriage; that is, the equal social status and economic power. The Ma family is one of the most powerful and prosperous families along the river and there are numerous girls who want to marry into Ma family. But only a few of them are suitable for Childe Ma in consideration of social status and economic power of the family. Among those suitable girls is this young lady, the second daughter of Liu family. By the way, she played together with Childe Ma when they were young. Do you still remember her?¡±


    It turned out that Miss Liu was the girl behind the scenes. Madam Ma thought about it and a girl like a pepper came to her mind. The girl was about the same age as Ma Tian¡¯en but taller and stronger than her son. The little girl always chased her son all around the yard when two kids were young. But she had no idea what the girl looked like now.


    With a glance of Madam Ma¡¯s expression, matchmaker Zheng knew that madam Ma still remembered her and she added, ¡°Miss Liu has grown up now. She is just as beautiful as a pretty flower. Clever and deft with a gentle personality, she is good at dealing with the problems in family and maintaining family peace, a perfect wife for Childe Ma.¡±


    ¡°It seems that she did change a lot. I remember that she was rather vibrant when she was young.¡± Madam Ma tried not to make her words  so direct or rude.


    ¡°Now she has grown up. Liu family and Ma family are equal in economic and social positions. Besides, if related by marriage, the two families can help each other in many ways.¡± In fact, what the matchmaker said was reasonable. But in order to avoid arousing suspicion, the families lived near the dam wouldn¡¯t be related by marriage in general.


    ¡°The families of five dams have an unwritten rule¡ªnot related by marriage normally. But today Liu family takes the initiative to propose marriage. What good qualities does Ma Tian¡¯en have? How did Miss Liu fall in love with my son? ¡±At the thought of this, Madam Ma had misgivings in her mind.


    The matchmaker Zheng knew what Madam Ma was thinking about. So she said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Liu watched the Lion Dance Competition and the selection of the captains in charge of the boats of Ma family among which Childe Ma was awesome and impressive and she fell in love with Ma Tian¡¯en at first sight. It is well known that Miss Liu is the favorite daughter of Master Liu. The marriage with Lu family is never lost. If Ma Tian¡¯en gets married with miss Liu, it means childe Ma would win the support of two powerful families, which is a great thing indeed.¡±


    Madam Ma finally realized that it was a good thing that her son got some admirers eventually. One boy marrying with a girl would be a good thing but one girl marrying with another girl would create bitterness. However, Liu family had already intended to propose marriage, it was impolite to refuse them blindly. It was really tough to react.


    ¡°That is good news. But, you know, my husband isn¡¯t well these days. Could we put it off until my husband feels better?¡± Madam Ma answered.


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t you hear that a good thing could drive away a bad one? What¡¯s more, a wedding is required if any one feels a little under the weather. In this way, the bad things would go away and happy things would come. Listen to me, the situation requires that the wedding should be done immediately. Just get engaged in the second month and choose a good day to hold the wedding for this couple. Master Ma will be healthy again without any doubts.¡± The matchmaker Zheng said.


    ¡°Please¡­ allow me to discuss with my husband. And my son is independent and disobedient. I am afraid that Miss Liu will regret afterwards. ¡±


    Although madam Ma didn¡¯t refuse directly, it was obvious that she came up with an excuse to make a dodge. The matchmaker Zheng had no idea so she had to leave and said she would come a few days later.


    Madam Ma came to find her husband after the matchmaker left for she did not know what to do. By accident, Ma Tian¡¯en was there, too. After hearing that someone came to propose marriage, she was a little excited. But when she knew that it was Miss Liu, a plump girl, who chased and beat him up, came to her mind vividly.


    ¡°No way. No way! She is tough and rude. I don¡¯t want to marry her.¡± Ma Tian¡¯en opposed while shaking her head determinedly.


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    ¡°That was not the key of the matter. We can refuse Liu family and they won¡¯t harm us. But there will be other families coming to propose marriage. You cannot be single forever. ¡± When it came to this topic, Madam Ma heaved a sigh. After all he was the sole person who was responsible for this.


    Master Ma sat there with a gloomy look on his face. At first, they thought it was easy to give birth to a son, but until today they didn¡¯t give birth to a child, let alone a boy. Now they were between a rock and a hard place. Master Ma was not in good health and they were badly in need of Ma Tian¡¯en to support Ma family as a son. So this secret could not be revealed.


    ¡°Hey, why not make an excuse for his being unable to get married recently? Ma Tian¡¯en is sick and for that he cannot get married?¡±


    ¡°I am not sick at all!¡±