Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 164 Renting a Haunted House
Tan Huaike's expression hardened: "So you suspect that the Grand Minister of Works is plotting to assassinate the King of Qin..."

Xu Guanbai said, "Qi Zhengchu intends to support the Fifth Prince and has always wanted to weaken the power of the Eastern Palace. It is not entirely impossible for him to make such an arrangement at the critical moment of the marriage alliance between the two countries."

"He wanted to stop the marriage alliance..." Tan Huaike suddenly realized something, "Then the assassination in the valley... the deaths of Princess Alan and my father and brothers, were they all related to him?"

"Don't jump to conclusions." Xu Guanbai took her hand. "Do you think the assassins in the valley are the same people who participated in the year-end sacrifice?"

“I… I don’t remember very well…” Tan Huaike tried hard to recall. “It doesn’t seem like it… The weapons they used were different. The assassins in the valley used arrows and scimitars, and during the year-end sacrifice, those people seemed to use swords… The accents they spoke were also different. I have never heard a similar accent to the people in the valley who spoke Da Xuan dialect.”

“If that’s the case, then there’s no concrete evidence,” Xu Guanbai said. “But we still need to be careful. Now that the King of Qin is in power, it’s said that he will soon set off for his fiefdom. I’m afraid the Grand Minister of Works has other plans.”

"Looking at Lady Bai, you still can't forget the King of Qin." Coming out of his reverie, Tan Huaike grasped her hand and spoke intimately, "You came here today not only to tell me, but also to have me convey your message to the King of Qin, right? Why don't you tell him yourself? Princess Mohe is dead; you and he could easily rekindle your romance..."

"Past fate?" Xu Guanbai smiled sadly. "What past fate is there? It's just wishful thinking on my part. Now that you've joined the Guangli Chamber of Commerce, when the trade route to the west opens up, you'll definitely be heading to Hexi. I imagine that if you travel with him, you can look after each other, and I can feel more at ease."

"Aren't you going back with us?"

“I am a lady-in-waiting in the Empress’s palace, and I am very busy and cannot spare any time.”

"Ok."

"Madam Shentu," Xu Guanbai said as he left, turning back to offer his blessings, "I hope you can achieve your wish and avenge your enemies soon."
-
Ever since Shen Tu Zhuo learned that his grandfather had five scrolls of bamboo slips missing, he had been secretly searching for them.

However, after searching through the entire office of the Grand Herald and reviewing all the files, he still found nothing. In desperation, he remembered his family's former residence in Andu.

When his father was convicted and demoted, the house was searched several times by the Imperial Guard. After that, his mother took all the valuables in the house and sold the house to pay for her travel expenses.

He remembered that the house had been sold to a wealthy merchant surnamed Li, but when he went to see it again, he found it empty and overgrown with weeds, clearly uninhabited for a long time. He had asked the broker, who said that shortly after the wealthy merchant moved in, several family members fell ill frequently, several relatives died in succession, and his business plummeted, almost bankrupting him. After that, the merchant dared not stay any longer and mortgaged the house to the brokerage.

The house suffered two terrible misfortunes in succession, one being convicted and demoted, and the other losing his family and his life. No one dared to live there anymore. Then, for some reason, rumors of it being haunted spread, and it was left completely abandoned.

After hearing Shen Tu Zhuo's explanation, Tan Huai Ke's eyes lit up: "A haunted house? Doesn't that mean we can get it at a huge discount?"

Shen Tu Zhuo: "...Is that the point?"

“That’s your home. Don’t you want to go back? Aren’t you looking for that Jian Ce? Maybe your grandfather hid him somewhere in that house and he hasn’t been found yet?” Tan Huai Ke suggested. “Now that we have enough money, we can use the excuse of it being a haunted house to lower the price and buy it back for you.”

"I'm wondering why that wealthy merchant family surnamed Li has been plagued by misfortune ever since they moved in? Is it really just bad luck?"

"You mean... someone deliberately framed them? What was their motive?"

"Could it be that they found clues in the house that could be harmful to someone, which led to them being watched?" Shen Tu Zhuo speculated. "We left in a hurry, did Grandpa leave something behind in the house?"

"There's no use thinking about it. Why don't we go and see for ourselves?" Tan Huai Ke patted Shen Tu Zhuo's chest and said generously, "Uncle, don't worry. I, Boss Tan, can afford to buy a mere haunted house."

"Really? Are you sure?" Shen Tu Zhuo said jokingly.

Inside the brokerage, Tan Huaike's eyes widened: "What? Haunted houses are this expensive? Are they trying to rip us off? The house we live in now is much cheaper than this!"

The broker who negotiated with her said, "Even in Andu, it depends on the location. Houses near the city outskirts are naturally much cheaper. This house used to be an official's residence, a high-ranking family, so its location is top-notch. Even if it's a haunted house with a bad reputation, its price has increased a lot in recent years."

"What's the point of raising prices? We still won't be able to sell them. They'll just be stuck with us." Tan Huai Ke still wanted to lower the price. "Oh well, that's the price anyway. We brokers can't afford to lose money, can we?"

Tan Huai Ke gritted his teeth, about to cut his losses and pay, when Shen Tu Zhuo said, "Then can we rent it instead of buying it?"

The broker said, "It is possible, but this house cannot be rented for short periods; it can only be rented for a long period, at least a year."

Tan Huaike dared not underestimate the land prices in Andu any longer and asked how much the rent would be. The broker quoted a number, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was still quite expensive, it was at least acceptable and wouldn't break her heart.

The broker was quite happy to have made the deal. There are very few customers willing to rent old houses like this. They have a bad reputation and require a lot of effort to clean and maintain. If they can rent one out for a year, they're considered to have made a lot of money.

After completing the rental procedures, Tan Huaike prepared to take his uncle inside to search for clues.

However, Shentu Zhuo stopped her: "No rush, let's go tonight."

Tan Huaike asked, puzzled, "Why would we sneak off at night when we've rented this place openly and honestly?"

Shen Tu Zhuo refused to explain: "Never mind that, just go tonight."

As night fell, looking at the dark, eerie courtyard before him, Tan Huaike was devastated: "Did we have to come at night? Wasn't it supposed to be haunted? Aren't you afraid of running into something unclean?"

Shentu Zhuo held the lantern down to his face and deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, "I just want to... meet those unclean things..."

Tan Huai Ke kicked him angrily: "Don't scare me! You go ahead and scout the way!"

Even though she was dumped, Shen Tu Zhuo chuckled to himself and led her inside.

This was his former home. Even though it was completely unrecognizable and overgrown with weeds, he could still find his way around with ease. He knew exactly where the main house was and where the side rooms were.

Tan Huaike still felt a chill run down his spine, holding his lantern in one hand and tightly gripping Shen Tu Zhuo's belt with the other.

Rustling!

Something suddenly darted out of the bushes, startling her so much that she screamed. She quickly grabbed her lantern and shone it on them, revealing two round, green eyes staring intently at them.

Shentu Zhuo Anfu said, "Don't be afraid, it's just a weasel."

With tears in his eyes, Tan Huaike said, "I must have been crazy to come with you tonight."

After walking for a while, they arrived near the study. Shen Tu Zhuo stopped and looked around.

Tan Huaike also used a lantern to light his way: "Shall we go in and take a look?"

Shen Tu Zhuo did not respond immediately.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and suddenly, beyond the glow of the lanterns, in the shadows behind the pillars, she seemed to see a black figure standing motionless.

Tan Huaike tugged at Shen Tuzhuo and said in a trembling voice, "You...you look, isn't there someone over there?"

Shen Tu Zhuo looked over: "Where's anyone?"
-
Next chapter: Where do you think it will be?