Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 204

Hearing those words, Wuming was scared out of his wits. He knew the abbot’s character—if he found out about this, he would definitely hand Wuming over to the authorities! Even if the abbot were merciful, the people under Young Master Pei’s command would certainly not let him off.

He immediately fell to his knees, begging for mercy and promising to return all the silver and never steal again. To prove his sincerity, he even swore an oath. But despite his desperate pleas, the masked figure remained unmoved and even laughed aloud.

“Master Wuming, there’s no need to be nervous. You don’t need to return this silver. In fact, on top of it, I’ll give you an additional one thousand taels of silver—as long as you help me with one task.”

Wuming was delighted and he quickly asked, “What is it? If it’s something I can do, I’ll certainly do it!”

The man smiled and said, “It’s very simple. All you need to do is put something into the food of those people staying in the rear courtyard.”

“Poison? No, no, I won’t do something so immoral!” Wuming shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum. Greed was already a grave sin—if he committed murder, he was certain he’d end up in the eighteenth level of hell after death!

(Translator’s Notes: The “eighteenth level of hell” is a concept found in Chinese folk religion, influenced by Buddhist and Daoist beliefs. The 18th level is often depicted as the most severe, reserved for the most grievous sinners—those who have committed extreme offenses such as murder, treason, or betrayal. In some interpretations, it is where souls endure the worst and most torturous forms of punishment.)

The masked man scolded, “Fool! Who told you to poison them? This is just a powder that causes diarrhea. You can take it to an outside doctor to verify if you don’t believe me. As long as you add it to their food, the one thousand taels of silver will be yours.” Saying this, he tossed the powder to Wuming. “If you refuse, you’ll find yourself in prison tonight. And trust me, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of there.”

After the man left, Wuming finally relaxed. When he reached behind to touch his back, he realized his monk robes were soaked with cold sweat.

The next day, while accompanying the Pei family’s coachman down the mountain, he found an opportunity to visit a pharmacy. There, he consulted an elderly doctor. The doctor sniffed the powder, then dipped a finger into it and tasted it. He confidently told Wuming that it was croton powder, which could expel cold accumulation, clear passages, eliminate phlegm, and aid in water regulation—but must not be used excessively.

Wuming sighed in relief; as long as it wasn’t poisoning, a little croton powder wouldn’t kill anyone. Thinking of the thousand taels that the man had promised, Wuming gritted his teeth and decided to do as he was told.

However, the medicine was never administered because the food for the Pei family was prepared separately. The ingredients and water sources were specially managed, and even if he wanted to divert their attention, it was impossible.

That night, when the man in black came again, Wuming informed him of the situation. He no longer expected to receive the thousand taels; he only wanted to ask the man not to expose his embezzlement.

The man in black did not respond, only instructing him to keep a close watch on the Pei family’s movements before leaving.

The Pei family stayed in the rear courtyard, and due to Wuming’s position, he could not approach them. Fortunately, he had grown familiar with the Pei family’s carriage driver over the past few days. The driver was fond of alcohol, and when he drank, he would spill everything.

Wuming tried to find out the news of Pei’s family by indirect means, but he didn’t want to hear from the driver that someone bribed him to spread false news to trick his master to go back early. After he said that, the driver’s alcohol had gone away. If Wuming told others about his betrayal, would he have a good ending?

Wuming tried to subtly inquire about the Pei family’s affairs but was surprised to hear from the driver that someone had bribed him to send a false message, convincing the master to return home earlier than planned. Once the words were out, the driver’s drunkenness wore off, and the betrayal became known. If Wuming revealed this, could the driver still expect a good outcome?

Seeing the driver’s expression darken, Wuming decided to be bold and revealed his own embezzlement. That way, they would each have leverage over the other and wouldn’t need to fear being exposed.

Sure enough, after he spoke, the driver’s expression calmed down, and they began discussing the matter of money. Wuming then learned that the driver not only loved alcohol but also had a gambling problem.

When he was in Liangjing, he had lost a great deal of money and had to borrow to repay his debts. He had planned to have his wife sell a few items from the master’s house, but she refused, so he gave up on that idea.

This time at Ciji Temple, someone had bribed him with silver. He was now considering whether to go through with it. He wanted the money, but how could he dare betray his master?

Wuming passed this information along to the man in black, who thought for a long time before giving Wuming his instructions.

The next day, when Wuming and the driver went down the mountain to purchase supplies, Wuming suggested a plan where the driver could get the money without betraying his master.

The idea was for the driver to follow the man’s instructions and leave in two days. However, instead of taking the agreed route, he would take the road through the back mountain. If anyone asked, the driver should say that the master had changed his mind at the last minute. This way, no one would suspect him.

Upon hearing this, the driver thought it was a good plan. He immediately asked Wuming for more details about the situation of the road behind the mountain.

The night before they were supposed to depart, Wuming got the thousand taels of silver he had hoped for. Holding the light, fluttering banknote, Wuming felt a heaviness in his heart. He asked the man in black, “You’re not going to harm Master Pei and the others, are you?”

“Don’t worry, it was just a false alarm,” the man reassured him.

With the assurance, Wuming felt relieved, and the weight in his heart lessened. 

However, the following evening, he heard that a carriage traveling to Shuibo County had fallen off a cliff, and all the passengers had died, including the driver.

After hearing the news, Wuming trembled uncontrollably. The man in black had deceived him, and now he was the only one who knew the truth. Would the man let him go?

Thinking of this, Wuming just wanted to pack up and escape immediately. But for the past few days, it seemed there had always been people investigating this matter nearby, so he didn’t dare act recklessly. Although he couldn’t escape, there was one piece of good news: the man in black had not appeared again since that day.

After months of unease, Wuming gradually stopped worrying. He felt that the matter would not implicate him anymore. As everyone had said, it was just an accident.

As it turned out, he could not escape what was coming. One day, as Wuming went to Shuibo County to buy supplies and was heading back to the temple, two men in black suddenly rushed down the mountain and attacked him. Wuming dodged in panic, but he was still struck by a sword and immediately began bleeding profusely.

Knowing he was no match for them, Wuming held his breath and pretended to be dead. He had grown up by the river and had excellent control over his breath. The men tested him twice and found no sign of life. One of them said, “Master, he’s really dead.”

“Good. As long as he’s dead, this matter will never be known.”

“Yes, if someone hadn’t been watching this place all the time, he would have died long ago. Master Officer, what do you think, should we just push him off the cliff…?”

“Thud!” Wuming, still pretending to be dead, heard the sound of a blade piercing his abdomen. The speaker fell silent after that.

“This matter only needs to be known by me.”

A cold voice came from nearby. The man was about to move his body to the roadside and push him off the cliff, but just then, voices approached from ahead. It sounded like there were a lot of people. In a hurry, the man hid his body behind a tree and covered him with grass before quickly leaving.

Wuming waited until there was no sound around him and then got up. He wanted to escape directly but feared that the man would return and find his body missing, sending people to hunt him down. So, he tore his own clothes and cut some flesh off of the other dead men to create the appearance of wild animal bites.

After dragging the dead man to the other side, he pushed him down a mountain valley, and then, under the cover of night, sneaked back to the temple. He took the more than a thousand taels of silver and the medicine for his injuries, leaving without a second glance.

Over the years, he had lived in fear, avoiding larger places and staying hidden at home. He dared not marry or have children, locking himself in the Buddha hall every day, living like an ascetic monk.

A few years ago, he wasn’t sure how, but he found out about Zhi. With a cold heart, he thought about silencing him, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he only chopped off Zhi’s leg, ensuring that he could never descend the mountain again.

Unexpectedly, that one moment of hesitation led to his own downfall. What he regretted most was that same moment of hesitation years ago when he hid the two taels of silver. If he hadn’t done that, nothing would have happened.

…

“I vaguely remember pushing the body down right here.” Wuming is brought to the mountain road leading to Ciji Temple, where he is made to follow the traces from that time to find the body.

From their few words, Pei Che gathers that these two men are definitely connected to the government, as ordinary people wouldn’t refer to someone as ‘Master Officer.’ He believes that by finding the body and examining the tokens it carries, they can uncover some clues.

Pei Che and Jiang Miao wait above for a while, and then a voice comes from below: “Master, we’ve found it!”

What is found is not just a skeleton but also a waist plaque, a matching sword, and a few taels of silver. Everything else has decayed over the years due to time.

“The inscriptions on this copper waist plaque have been corroded by rust and are no longer legible. But from its design, it appears to be a waist plaque for the Imperial Guards. In other words, this person was a member of the Imperial Guards!”

Pei Che stares at the waist badge, his eyes burning with anger. Apart from the emperor, the only ones who can use the Imperial Guards to kill and silence people are, of course, the princes!