A Clash of Gods - Chapter 49
Chapter 49 The Villa
If that eunuch was in a bowing position like others, Yang Ning would never notice him. However, his eyes were scanning Yang Ning’s face, so Yang Ning looked back at him and saw that eunuch was pale with no beard, but his eyes were fierce. He looked familiar at the first sight. When Yang Ning got to see clearly, he immediately recognized that the eunuch looked almost the same with the old man in gray robe, who he had met in the tavern.
On that day, Yang Ning was escaping from the tavern with Xiao Guang, while that older in gray robe was trapped by the Mysterious Flying Cicada Ninjas. After that day, Yang Ning had thought about that man. He didn’t know for sure whether he was still alive or not, but he had a feeling that the old man was unlikely to survive.
Trying to make a living in the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor for these days, Yang Ning almost forgot about the old man in gray robe, so he really didn’t expect to see him in such an occasion.
Comparing with the old man in gray robe, the eunuch had no beard and was in a totally different outfit, but Yang Ning was certain that the eunuch was that old man in gray robe.
If it was just the similarity of appearance, Yang Ning wouldn’t be so sure about it, since he had experienced something much more wired–him looking exactly the same with the son of the Marquis of Honor.
However, seeing that man’s eyes, Yang Ning was convinced.
The old man in gray robe had very distinctive eyes, so solemn and so fierce, and the eunuch standing right in front of Yang Ning had the same eyes.
Though Yang Ning was shocked, he kept his countenance.
Staying calm and collected in extremely dangerous situation was one of the most important items Yang Ning had been trained for. Thanks to the long-term training, he was able to stay cool in such a situation.
Even though he looked calm, Yang Ning was extremely anxious right now.
He really couldn’t figure out why that man would be here as a eunuch. The last time they met was in that tavern. He was wearing a robe with a long beard, looking like a refined literate, but today he suddenly showed up as a pale and beardless eunuch. Such a change of identity had thrown Yang Ning totally off guard.
He didn’t know for sure till this moment, whether this man was using a fake identity as a eunuch or he was a real eunuch.
“Your Excellency. Your Excellency?” Hearing Steward Qiu’s voice, Yang Ning suddenly got his wits back, and answered “ah”. But Eunuch Fan said, “I shall not stay too long, since I have to go back to the palace reporting on my task!” Nodding slightly to Yang Ning, Eunuch Fan turned and left. Yang Ning raised his hands, then darted another look at the old man in gray robe, who seemed to be a eunuch now. That man had already turned and left, following Eunuch Fan, without looking back.
Yang Ning was a little bit relieved.
The thing he worried most was that man would reveal his identity. If that thing had happened, Yang Ning couldn’t image the consequences.
That man had scanned Yang Ning’s face for several times. Apparently, he was also trying to figure out the identity of Yang Ning, but Yang Ning had no idea whether the old man in gray robe had recognized him.
Yang Ning remembered that it was rainy that day, and it was gloomy in that tavern. He remembered that man’s face, but he was not sure if his face was kept in that man’s mind.
That man scanned Yang Ning’s face today, maybe just because he thought Yang Ning looked familiar to him. After all, Yang Ning was now regarded as the son of the Marquis of Honor. If that man had no firm evidence, he dared not to expose Yang Ning so easily.
Thinking about this, Yang Ning felt cold in the back, while he thought to himself that faking as the earl was a little bit risky now. That man seemed to be someone from the palace. Though he was not sure about Yang Ning being a fake earl, he became suspicious about it. Therefore, Yang Ning was now in a very dangerous situation.
Due to the death of Qi Jing, the family of the Marquis of Honor was rapidly going down, facing enemies from outside and inside. Now, since that man had shown up, Yang Ning started to think about whether he should find a chance and leave.
“Your Excellency, we shall get going!” Yang Ning’s chain of thought was interrupted by Steward Qiu on the side, “It would take a whole day to walk form home to the Loyalty Cemetery, and we shall not be held up on the way since we have to get there before the sunset, because we don’t want to miss the right time.”
Yang Ning knew that there were many rules for the weddings for the funerals of noble families, so he nodded, and the cortege got out of the city. But due to the curfew in the capital, those citizens following the cortege couldn’t get out of the city along with the cortege. Xue Lingfeng, as well as some soldiers followed the cortege for yet another li, and watched the cortege leaving, then they went back to the capital and closed the gate.
All the way, the sound of gongs and drums had never stopped, as the white flags flapping and Joss paper flying. When it got dark, the cortege successfully got to the foot of Mount Zhong.
The Loyalty Cemetery was within ten li of Mount Zhong. At the foot of Mount Zhong, the government had specially built a villa for the repose of coffins. For every burial in the Loyalty Cemetery, the cortege would stay in the villa for the night before the burial. On the one hand, this would be an embodiment of infinite royal graciousness, on the other hand, this could be an opportunity for the cortege to take a break and make adjustments.
The coffin was settled in the main hall of the main courtyard, and there were officials from the Ministry of Rites taking care of everything. Only a few people in the cortege were allowed to enter the villa under normal circumstances.
Since Third Elder Lord and Yang Ning were members of the Qi Family and directly related to Qi Jing, they were qualified of entering without any doubt. Steward Qiu was the chief of staff in the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor, so he was also qualified of entering. Besides, Qi Yu also came with the cortege, but he was a baseborn son with little power, so he could only stay in the cortege keeping a low profile.
However, when they arrived at the Loyalty Cemetery, Qi Yu, though being a baseborn son, was also allowed to enter the villa. After all, he was a son of Qi Jing.
As to the villa of the Loyalty Cemetery, people from the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor knew about its usage, of course, and they also knew that only a few of them were qualified of entering, so they had prepared a lot. Most people in the cortege would rest in the tents they had put up outside the villa. As to the many grave goods, staff were arranged to guard them.
Duan Canghai and Qi Feng were leading the guards of the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor dealing with the security issue.
Having a long day, Yang Ning was exhausted. Since he was regarded as the Marquis of Honor’s heir, he was arranged in a private room on the east side. Though settled in the villa, Yang Ning couldn’t relax at all.
From the moment he stepped in the villa, Yang Ning began to have an extremely strange feeling. He felt that someone in the dark was staring at him.
This feeling was really strange.
Actually, Yang Ning had always been a sharp-witted guy, but sharp-witted was not the same as oversensitive. Every time he was faced with danger, Yang Ning would have a feeling which could not be described. He had this kind of feeling before the time travel, but it was not clear at that time. However, after the time travel, Yang Ning seemed to have his sixth sense activated, and that kind of feeling had gotten much stronger.
However, after observing carefully, he found no one around staring at him.
It had gotten dark quite a while before. As the coffin was settled in the villa, it was extremely quiet, of course. Yang Ning thought maybe it was because he saw the old man disguised as a eunuch. That’s why he would be unsettled and suspicious.
As that weird eunuch came into his mind, Yang Ning frowned immediately.
That weird eunuch had just gazed him for several times, without saying a word, but that’s why Yang Ning was so nervous now.
Now he was regarded as the earl by people from the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor. Even people like Duan Canghai were totally faithful to him. However, Yang Ning knew that if his real identity was exposed, he would become the sworn enemy of the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor. They would want to track down the real earl. Since there was no eye witness, the one who was faking himself as the earl would be the strongest suspect.
Though the family of the Marquis of Honor seemed to be going down due to the death of Qi Jing, the Marquis of Honor, after all, was one of the four great hereditary marquises in the Southern Chu State. Facing this kind of power, Yang Ning would never get the upper hand if he became the enemy of that family. All he could do was running for his life till the end of the world.
If being a hunted outlaw was the only consequence, Yang Ning would not be so scared. However, Xiaodie, the woman he was most concerned about, had never been seen, and no one knew where she was. This was the thing he kept thinking about.
The most suspected would be the Rising Sun Escort Agency, and Yang Ning even thought about Xiaodie being rescued by someone, but these were only speculations Yang Ning made on his own. As to the actual situation, there was no evidence showing that Xiaodie was safe. Yang Ning could not leave Xiaodie behind, until he was sure about her being safe.
It was quiet at night. As Yang Ning was thinking over stuffs, someone knocked on the door and a voice came from the outside, “Your Excellency, they have prepared some dissert and tea, and I am serving it for you!”
“Come on in!”
The bolt was not drawn. A servant in black came in with a tray, on which there were two dishes of dessert, a tea pot and a tea cup.
There were servants specially arranged in the villa of the Loyalty Cemetery. Before Yang Ning got into this villa, he had seen more than ten villa servants dressing like this.
Seeing the dessert at this point, Yang Ning actually felt hungry, so he came up to the table. The servant in black sat down the tray, and reverently said while bowing and looking down, “Your Excellency, if you need anything else, just order. There are varieties of food and household goods in the villa.”
Yang Ning said with a smile, “Thanks!”
The servant in black picked up the pot and poured Yang Ning a cup of tea. He sat the tea in front of Yang Ning and said, “Your Excellency, please have some tea, and I shall withdraw!” Without saying anything else, he turned and was about to leave.
Yang Ning picked up the tea cup, and was about to drink it all. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Wait a minute!”
The servant in black had already gotten to the door. He stopped and turned, asking, “What else do you need, Your Excellency?”
“How many years have you spent here?” Yang Ning asked, “Who was taking care of this villa?”
The servant in black explained, “The villa of the Loyalty Cemetery is subordinate to the Ministry of Rites. I work for the Ministry of Rites, and I have been here for five or six years. Every year, the Ministry of Revenue would allocate special funds for maintaining the villa.”
“All these years, you have been here serving tea?” Yang Ning smiled and said, “Have you ever thought about changing your job?” He waved and said, “Come here. It’s going be a long night, and I am very bored, so I want you to talk with me. If you are clever, I can offer you some help and find you a better job.”
The servant in black exultingly said, “Thank you. Thank you very much, Your Excellency!” He stepped forward and said, “My job here is just providing tea services. If luckily, I could get the attention of Your Excellency, I would go through fire and water for you, without any hesitation.”
Yang Ning said with a smile, “Go through fire and water? Have you practiced martial arts?”
“Martial arts?” The servant in black shook his head and said, “I work for the Ministry of Rites, and I am a civil servant, knowing nothing about martial arts. I have only read some books, knowing how to read, and that’s all.”
Yang Ning sat the tea cup down and reached over to grab the hand of the servant in black. He said with a smile, “Now that you are a civil servant, how come you have calluses on the sides of your thumb and index finger?” Yang Ning’s face turned cold, “This is not a tea-serving hand.”