12dz Chapter 275 Rich Neighbor
Chapter 275 Rich Neighbor
This gift is obviously very appropriate.
A red gold Ruyi is very auspicious and presentable, yet not too extravagant, befitting Yang Silang's status as a martial arts scholar.
He scratched his head and could only manage an awkward laugh.
"My wife is so thoughtful."
Hu Jiaoniang stood up and shook her sleeves.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
She applied a smear of makeup to her face, and her eyes lost nine-tenths of their sparkle, even her skin turned slightly yellow.
Her eyebrows and eyes were still the same, but her light blue eyes had turned black and no longer attracted attention.
Although she is still a beauty, her skin and facial features have been subtly altered, and she is no longer the stunning beauty she once was.
Fu Hongying was clearly used to her master's wife's disguise.
The three of them went out together, turned left, and arrived at their neighbor's house.
A new black hardwood plaque has been hung up, bearing the two large characters "Palace".
Two rows of servants in blue robes stood on either side. The two leading servants were old and strong, with thick knuckles and a well-developed aura, suggesting they were at least at the Steel-Dirty Realm level.
Yang Silang glanced at them, but his keen senses detected a bloodthirsty and ferocious aura emanating from the two old servants.
Hmm, if these two are wearing armor and carrying weapons, they don't look like servants, they look more like military generals.
The wealthy man was standing outside the door.
This was an elderly gentleman, who appeared to be about seventy or eighty years old. His hair and beard were completely white, a grayish-white color. He wore a straight robe with coin patterns, a square headscarf, and leaned on a copper cane.
His eyes were cloudy, but his skin was still relatively rosy. However, his eye bags were swollen, making him look tired.
His face was full of smiles, and as the corners of his mouth twitched, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth that looked quite good.
How to describe that smile?
Yang Silang suddenly felt that it was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
It's that kind of fake smile that looks like a forced smile, but it's so convincing that you can't find fault with it, and it has a mysterious and unfathomable quality.
He had his head drooping, his back slightly hunched, his waist slumped, and his eyes habitually fixed on three inches in front of him.
The wealthy man also had fluctuations in his qi and blood, but they weren't particularly advanced; he was probably at the Steel-Dirty Grand Martial Master level.
But that's normal. If someone from out of town can afford to buy such a large house, they must have some background or resources.
Yang Silang stepped forward and said some polite words.
"Congratulations on your new home, sir! May your new residence bring you good fortune and your family good health."
"I live next door. My name is Yang Silang, and this is my wife and my young apprentice."
"We should keep in touch more often and look out for each other."
The palace official looked up at Yang Silang, his eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, then returned to their cloudy state.
"So it's Mr. and Mrs. Yang. No problem, no problem..."
"I moved here from another place, and I will need your help in the future..."
"Please come in quickly..."
Yang Silang, Hu Jiaoniang, and Fu Hongying entered through the gate.
The first thing you see is a large screen wall. After going around it, the front yard is extremely spacious, almost twice the size of Yang Silang's front yard.
Upon entering through the second gate, the main hall's doors were wide open, revealing several round tables inside, where neighbors had already arrived.
Yang Silang and Hu Jiaoniang chose an inconspicuous corner to sit down, while Fu Hongying stood behind them with her hands at her sides.
This area is mostly inhabited by officials and wealthy merchants, who often bring their wives with them.
This world values martial arts and has an open atmosphere. There are no rules that forbid women from going out and showing their faces in public, especially for the wealthy.
When Yang Silang moved in, he also hosted guests. He wasn't very familiar with these neighbors; they were just nodding acquaintances.
After the two were seated...
Hu Jiaoniang transmitted her voice to him through her soul.
"Look at this Master Gong, doesn't he remind you of someone?"
Yang Silang replied in his spirit.
"It does feel somewhat familiar, but I don't know where this feeling of familiarity comes from."
Hu Jiaoniang smiled.
"Do you think he looks like Grandpa Chun?"
Yang Silang suddenly realized why the palace official looked so familiar.
If this man's copper cane were replaced with a copper whisk, his coin-patterned robe with a palace robe, and his square turban with a three-peaked hat, wouldn't he be exactly like Eunuch Chun?
The head eunuch served the emperor closely, and everything he saw and heard was confidential.
Therefore, they are accustomed to greeting people with a fake smile, being polite yet distant.
Moreover, eunuchs learn from childhood the skill of bowing their heads, hunching their shoulders, and stooping their backs in front of their masters in the palace; in short, they cannot stand up straight and look directly at the nobles.
A servant should act like a servant, treating himself as a talking, breathing object, and never letting his master see him as a human being.
He lowered his gaze slightly to look at the distance of three inches in front of him, which, including the length of his foot, was exactly the distance of a palace brick, and stared at the gap between the bricks.
These are all skills that eunuchs practice from childhood. Even if they rise to the position of chief eunuch or become the emperor's confidant, they can never change these habits; they are ingrained in their very bones.
"But this Master Gong has a beard..." Yang Silang asked in surprise.
"There are plenty of techniques and treasures that can make you grow a beard," Hu Jiaoniang said dismissively.
She was a favored concubine in the palace, although this favored concubine title was fake. However, the eunuchs and palace maids had known her for ten years, so they immediately recognized her upon seeing the palace official.
"You mean, this Master Gong is a eunuch?"
"Call me 'wife'..."
"My lady..." Yang Silang said helplessly, "Please enlighten me."
"My nine-tailed fox clan has a supernatural sense of smell. The reason I was able to keep up with that stupid cat is because of my extraordinary sense of smell."
"This wealthy man has a sandalwood scent on him, the kind of refreshing fragrance that the palace eunuchs like to use. He also has a faint, unpleasant odor, hmm, you know..."
Yang Silang nodded slightly.
No matter how high-ranking the eunuch was, he couldn't escape that knife once he entered the palace.
So, is the real identity of this Gong Tianbao, a wealthy man, actually that of a eunuch? And of a fairly high rank?
"Uh, is there any skill that can regenerate severed limbs?" Yang Silang wondered.
Hu Jiaoniang rolled her eyes at him.
"Is your body even normal?"
"Strictly speaking, yes, but that's a realm above Martial Saint."
Yang Silang asked with great curiosity what realm it was.
Hu Jiaoniang stopped talking, which made him anxious and restless.
This woman is no good; she's deliberately keeping him in suspense.
By this time, all the neighbors had arrived, and the room was almost full.
Master Gong also took his seat in the main seat. Beside him was a man in his fifties, his only son, named Gong Baiwan, a rather vulgar name.
Gong Baiwan stood behind his father, head bowed, shoulders hunched, back stooped, eyes looking down, without uttering a word.
Perhaps due to prejudice, Yang Silang also saw him as a eunuch.
Behind the father and son was a table laden with gifts from their neighbors, creating a festive atmosphere.
The old gentleman chuckled and raised his glass first.
"Dear neighbors, let me first offer you a toast."
"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to visit my humble abode."
"As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. I come from the Han Kingdom and have settled here. I hope you will all take good care of me in the future..."
"I will first drink this cup to the brim to express my gratitude."
The palace official spoke eloquently.
Everyone naturally raised their glasses in response, saying many nice things, creating a very lively atmosphere.
The palace official clapped his hands.
More than ten maids served the dishes outside. In no time, the round table was filled with more than twenty dishes, starting with meat and then vegetables, and starting with cold dishes and then hot dishes.
The vessels were mostly made of gold, silver, and jade, as well as agate, enamel, and official kiln porcelain.
As for the dishes, they are all from land and sea, with large meats including bear paw, camel hump, deer tendon, silver fish, roast goose, and even precious ingredients.
Simultaneously.
The window was opened, and a silver charcoal tray was placed inside.
A troupe of opera performers appeared in the courtyard and began to sing in a melodious voice.
So you can eat and watch at the same time.
Sometimes a dish is removed and replaced with a new one after everyone has only taken a bite.
A maid stood beside each table, responsible for pouring wine and even serving food to everyone.
Yang Silang noticed that the maidservant beside his table was the same little maidservant with double-looped hair who had peeked over the wall to watch him practice martial arts that day.
Up close, the little girl has an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, a delicate nose and red lips, two dimples on her cheeks, and eyes like a deer's. Although she is still young, she is already a beauty in the making.
The maid recognized Yang Silang. When she saw him looking at her, she stuck out her tongue, blushed, and lowered her head.
Thus, the dinner took about an hour from start to finish, and Yang Silang roughly estimated that there were a hundred dishes on the table from beginning to end.
Only then did the palace official personally see the neighbors off at the gate.
After Yang Silang and the other two returned home, they spoke to Hu Jiaoniang in a low voice.
"This Master Gong is truly wealthy."
"But it is unwise for outsiders to flaunt their wealth like this."
Hu Jiaoniang didn't take it to heart.
"What's this?"
"This is the kind of extravagance a chief eunuch in the palace would have for a meal."
"His display of such extravagance is not merely a display of luxury and waste; it is also a way of demonstrating his strength and hoping that his neighbors will look up to him and avoid being humiliated."
Yang Silang thought about it and realized it made sense. By making their presence known, most people wouldn't dare to mess with them.
The two returned to the house, where She Nu prepared a hangover soup and then quickly laid out the bedding on the floor.
Yang Silang frowned and said with dissatisfaction.
"What kind of wife lets her husband sleep on the floor?"
Hu Jiaoniang chuckled and patted the person beside her, her eyes alluring, and beckoned her with her hand.
"My lord, come up here..."
Yang Silang felt a chill on his neck and chuckled.
"Actually, the ground is quite nice too..."