tallest building

Chapter 354 Messenger

In August, the weather gets chilly at dusk, so you have to wear a light jacket.

The Dong family occupied the entire Sanhuai Street. Although they were no longer as powerful as before, they still retained some of their influence. The imposing beast-head gate was tightly closed, while the west corner gate was half open.

Two gatekeepers were resting and chatting idly by the door.

"It's getting colder these past two days. The west wind blows hard as soon as the sun sets. It blows right up to the back of your neck, making your head feel tight."

"We're not young anymore, we need to be careful. Why are you still wearing only one layer?"

"It's all because of my spendthrift wife. A few days ago, her poor relatives from her family came to our door to ask for money, and what did she do? She just took my old padded jacket and gave it away."

"Even the Emperor has three poor relatives. Everyone has their difficult times, so giving is giving."

"That's easy for you to say, but things are different now. In the past, the tips that visitors would casually give us were enough to support several families."

And what about all the things sent from other places? We always managed to share a little bit with them. But now, how much profit is left?

I only got two baskets of tangerines the day before yesterday, and a few boxes of donkey-hide gelatin, so I didn't leave empty-handed.

"That's true! Things are really different now. Back then, this job was the most lucrative position, but now it's like a fish that's been fished out of the river, its mouth agape but it can't even get a fart."

In the past, the gate of the Dong Mansion was always crowded with carriages and horses, and countless people came to visit. The gatekeeper received hundreds of visiting cards every day.

As the saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings. If these people want to see the Dong family's master, they have no choice but to feed these watchdogs some sweet treats.

The gatekeepers were used to taking more than their share, and now that there's not much profit to be made, they're naturally resentful.

"That's why I said we have to be more frugal and can't be as extravagant as before. But this woman is used to being generous. It was fine before, but now she wants to put on a show of wealth."

Just then, two people walked over. They weren't leading horses, and each of them carried a bundle on their back.

"They look like they came from afar, but they don't even have a horse, so they're probably penniless."

"Not necessarily. Coming so late must mean something important, and maybe they don't want to be seen."

The two men approached, cupped their hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please go in and inform them. We are from the eldest young master's place, carrying a letter from home."

Upon hearing this, the two gatekeepers knew there was no money to be made.

These two people were delivering a message to Dong Gang; it was a matter for the Dong family.

Dong Sicheng was not home today, so the gatekeeper led the two people to Wang's place.

"Gang'er wrote a letter?" Madam Wang was overjoyed to hear this. She had been thinking about her son day and night.

"The master wrote two letters. This one is for you, Madam, and the other is for the Grand Tutor. He wants us to present them to him in person." The two men looked travel-worn, clearly having traveled day and night.

After reading her son's letter, Wang read that Dong Gang said he was doing well, but the weather was getting cold, and asked his family to prepare more winter clothes for him and send him some money.

Even if he were exiled, he wouldn't be beaten, scolded, or forced to do hard labor like ordinary people.

Even in the places of exile, they were treated to the finest food and drink and waited on hand and foot.

However, the place of exile was ultimately desolate and remote, unlike the bustling capital city.

“You’ve all worked hard. The Grand Tutor is having dinner right now! Even if you go there now, you won’t be able to see him. How about this, I’ll have someone prepare a table of dinner for you. You can eat first and then go see the Grand Tutor,” said Madam Wang.

"Thank you very much, Madam." The two men were indeed starving. After having dinner in the guest room, the steward led them to the Grand Tutor's room.

Grand Tutor Dong was almost eighty years old, yet he was neither deaf nor blind.

However, in the past two years, my health has deteriorated significantly.

When the two men came in, Grand Tutor Dong was washing his feet.

A beautiful young girl with her hair in two buns knelt on the ground rubbing his feet, while two older maids served him from the side.

"Where is Gang'er's letter?" Grand Tutor Dong asked, glancing at the two men.

"Here, please take a look, Grand Tutor." One of them took out a letter from his bundle and handed it over with both hands.

A maidservant from Grand Tutor Dong's side came over, opened the envelope, took out the folded letter inside, and handed it to Grand Tutor Dong.

Grand Tutor Dong slowly opened it, only to find that it was just a blank sheet of paper with not a single word on it.

But he didn't say anything; he just raised his old eyes and looked at the two messengers.

"Grand Tutor, I have something urgent to report, which cannot be written down," said the messenger.

"You may all leave now!" Grand Tutor Dong showed no surprise whatsoever, simply raising his hand and waving it away.

The three maids then respectfully withdrew.

"Grand Tutor!" The two men knelt down the instant the door closed. "We have a huge secret to tell you."

"Whose people are you?" Grand Tutor Dong asked them coldly.

"We dare not deceive you; we are actually Consort Hui's men." The two men lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Consort Hui has committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Now people no longer refer to her by her given name, but simply as Lady Chen.

"The entire Chen family was slaughtered. Since you are members of the Chen clan, why don't you hide your identities and go into hiding?" Grand Tutor Dong asked. "What secret makes you willing to take such a great risk to come to me?"

“Your Highness Consort Hui… Lady Chen is innocent! We cannot bear to see her die unjustly. Moreover, the matter she asked us to investigate is of utmost importance; it is closely related to you, Grand Tutor, the Dong family, and Her Majesty the Empress.”

They certainly knew that the Chen family had been convicted and that Chen himself had committed suicide.

Logically speaking, they were the ones who slipped through the net and should have disappeared without a trace, vanishing into obscurity.

But while this might save their lives, they could only eke out a living by sneaking around.

They lived in constant fear, like stray dogs.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to sell the secrets they know for a good price. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, and given their current situation, they have no choice but to take risks if they want to turn their lives around.

"What exactly is it? Tell me. If it is as you say, I will certainly not treat you unfairly." Grand Tutor Dong was an old and shrewd man, and he felt that what these two men were saying did not seem to be a lie.

"That's how it happened. It was back in May when Consort Hui... oh, no, I mean Lady Chen. At that time, she and the eldest princess were performing a ritual at the Yuzhen Temple to pray for blessings."

"It was Steward Hu who found us and asked us to go to Shuangxi to investigate some things..." the man said hurriedly.

"Don't panic, sit down and have some tea." Grand Tutor Dong said gently, "You must have had a very tiring and frightening journey. Now that you're here, just relax and tell me slowly."