Gao Yiye heard this, her small face slightly flushed: “Huh? The Deity’s master’s wife? I… I… this… I, little girl, what ability do I have?”
Thirty-Two said anxiously: “Why are you blushing? Can you grasp the main point? I am asking you to act as Madam Li, not as the Deity’s wife. This Lord Li here will be a fictional character, one that doesn’t exist at all.”
Gao Yiye said: “That is still the Deity’s incarnation.”
Thirty-Two: “…”
He dared not mock this sentence.
He could only say with a mix of amusent and helplessness: “Miss Yiye, in any case, just observe more and speak less. Leave the situation to to handle. If the Deity has any instructions, you can say them quietly, and I will adapt accordingly.”
Gao Yiye wasn’t sure whether to agree, as this matter hadn’t been approved by the Deity—wasn’t it too shaless? Her small face flushed red all over again.
Just then, she heard the Deity’s gentle voice ring out from the sky: “Quite interesting, go and give it a try.”
“Ah?” Gao Yiye jerked her head upward: “Deity, this… this kind of thing… You… really permit it?”
Li Daoxuan’s voice drifted down: “Permission granted.”
Gao Yiye’s face flushed so red it seed about to drip blood. She lowered her head and whispered softly: “I, little girl, obey… the command…”
Li Daoxuan shut the lid of the scenic box with a snap, hiding himself from Gao Yiye’s view, then chuckled delightedly: “That little girl is still shy, amusing, truly amusing.”
Thirty-Two heard the Deity had approved, rushing with pride. Actually, ever since Cheng Xu inquired about the origin of Gaojia Fortress, he had been pondering this question. Such a large fortress, with its nine-ter-high fortress wall taller than many county town walls, was impossible to avoid attracting official attention. Finding a way to explain its origin took much ntal effort.
Not explain it? Kill anyone who ca? That certainly wouldn’t do! That was demonic cultivation, not heavenly cultivation, and the Deity would never allow it.
Lately, he had spent considerable ti devising a complete explanation.
Now it was ti to test whether this explanation could pass muster.
He hurriedly had Gao Yiye put on the outfit given to her by Third Lady, the finest clothes in the whole village, applied the most beautiful makeup in the village, and assud the most dignified posture in the village. Indeed, as long as she didn’t speak, she did bear a slight resemblance to a master’s wife.
…
Liang Shixian and his group soon arrived before Gaojia Fortress.
The ten yan runners and thirty assistants were newly appointed and hadn’t yet developed arrogant traits. For now, they remained orderly, with no wicked or unruly behavior, following Liang Shixian obediently.
Liang Shixian’s eyes kept darting around.
The commoners of this village showed no signs of sallow, thin faces. Every one appeared robust and full of vitality; so even looked slightly plump. What kind of bizarre situation was this?
He had just been penning a tearful petition lanting the wretched state of the people in Chengcheng County, yet this village had fat people?
The secretary whispered beside him: “This village is extrely affluent.”
Liang Shixian nodded: “That is actually good. It gives more confidence to seek so assistance here.”
As he spoke, the doors of Gaojia Fortress opened. Thirty-Two erged, dressed in a long robe, wearing a smug grin and stepping forward with full confidence: “County Lord visiting brings great honor to our humble ho.”
Liang Shixian wore official garnts, so it wasn’t odd that he was instantly recognized as the newly appointed county magistrate. He cupped his hands: “Your family here is?”
Thirty-Two smiled: “This place is called Gaojia Village, and this mansion belongs to Lord Li of Gaojia Village. I am the Steward of the Li Family, surnad San with the given na Twelve.”
Liang Shixian had only taken office a few days earlier and didn’t know all the local gentry in Chengcheng County. So he didn’t doubt it, but upon raising his head to gaze at the ten-ter-high fortress wall, he lowered his voice involuntarily: “Your Li Family’s foundations are rather substantial.”
Thirty-Two chuckled, his face brimming with pride: “Of course, naturally. Our Lord Li is no ordinary man. Hehehe, the Li Family has been established here for over a thousand years…”
Liang Shixian had prepared himself ntally when he saw the mansion, expecting a big backer, one large beyond belief. But hearing of over a millennia of inheritance still shocked him imnsely.
A thousand years? Going back a thousand years? That would be the Tang Dynasty era.
A great family clan that rose in the Tang Dynasty? Surnad Li? And this was Shaanxi?
Connecting these key points startled Liang Shixian to his core. Just who on earth was this? Could they be descendants of the Tang Dynasty royal house?
Thirty-Two clasped fists: “County Lord, our master is away on divine travels and not at ho now. Thus, I, the Steward, must be the one to welco you. Please forgive any neglect.”
Liang Shixian was thoroughly intimidated, so of course he forgave it. But he didn’t want to leave empty-handed: “Is there anyone in the mansion who can make decisions?”
Thirty-Two said: “Our master’s wife stays behind in the mansion and did not accompany our master on his divine travels.”
Liang Shixian thought: Excellent. Getting so disaster relief silver from his wife should be possible. He said: “Then please do us the favor of an introduction, Steward Thirty-Two.”
Thirty-Two said: “County Lord, please follow .”
He led the way, and Liang Shixian’s group followed.
The path they took was exactly what Zheng Yanfu and Zhuang Guangdao had used when they attacked Gaojia Fortress. The narrow passage, lined by smooth walls, combined with the recent rain, gave Gaojia Village a chilly feel.
In such conditions, walking through this passage brought a slight sense of pressure.
Liang Shixian was fine, but his yan runners and assistants behind him held their breath in fear. Strolling through this wealthy mansion, they dreaded saying the wrong word and being executed.
After turning past several halls and courtyards, the group arrived before the watchtower.
The third floor of the watchtower housed Gao Yiye, the second floor was entirely used as storage for supplies, and the first floor was ant to be the family’s ancestral hall.
This should have held “spirit tablets of the family elders,” but Gaojia Fortress wasn’t a landlord’s residence—it had no illustrious forebears to worship. So Thirty-Two had the sculptor recreate a Deity’s statue instead and placed it in the hall.
When Liang Shixian’s group walked in, they saw the statue of Li Daoxuan seated solemnly inside the hall. Beside it hung a couplet: the upper line “Thousand-year incense endures through heaven and earth,” the lower line “Ten thousand generations of smoke glow as long as sun and moon.” In the center stood a plaque reading: “Devoted to the Divine Position of Our Ancestor Dao Xuan Deity.”
Liang Shixian understood instantly: this place should have been a hall for worshiping Li Family ancestors, but instead, they enshrined a deity position. That ant it was a household deity.
The na of this household deity was “Dao Xuan,” surna “Li,” together forming “Li Daoxuan.”
Ti to think carefully!
The one knowledgeable in many matters, Liang Shixian, imdiately launched a ntal search mode. All the knowledge he’d acquired, all the history books he’d read, transford into vast characters flashing through his mind like lantern lights before stopping with a “ding” on one particular page.
Li Daoxuan: Tang Dynasty royal descendant, one of the Eight Pillar Generals of Western Wei and Northern Zhou, a cousin of Tang King Gaozu Li Yuan.
Liang Shixian exclaid inwardly: Wow, my goodness, such a noble origin.
Thirty-Two saw his expression and knew he was intimidated. He stifled a chuckle: “County Lord, please follow upstairs. The master’s wife lives on the third floor.”
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