Author: Yue Xia Die Ying

NOTES:

  1. Fǔ – household; official residence; mansion
  2. Hou Shizi – Viscount; Marquis’ heir
  3. Xiangjun (Country Lord) – Title given to wives or daughters of high ranking noblemen
  4. Gōng zǐ – title used for sons of officials or nobility (I’ve translated this as Lord)
  5. Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Book of Rites – These are all books that are part of the “Four Books” and “Five Classics” that were tested in Imperial Examinations
  6. Hating iron for not becoming steel – Disappointed in someone for not improving as expected

Chapter 5 (Part 2) – Hiding Silver

Ignoring Zhao Dongan ’s crumbling heart, Ban Heng recounted what happened in the afternoon and finally sighed, “When I thought that this person was injured and then taken away by unidentified people, my mind wasn’t at peace. Therefore I came to report this incident. I hope County Magistrate Zhao won’t blame me for making a fuss over a small thing.”

What could County Magistrate Zhao say? He could only respectfully send this person off from his office and praise him as a good citizen contributing to the Imperial cause.

“Lord County Magistrate, what should we do about this?” After Ban Heng left, the bailiff looked at Zhao Dongan awkwardly and asked, “Should we investigate this or not?”

“Jingting Hou Shizi personally came to report a crime. You tell me if we should investigate it or not?” Zhao Dongan sighed, “Not only must this be investigated but it must also be investigated with great fanfare. And we can’t just investigate this murder case, but it’s even more important to strengthen patrols in order to improve the law and order in Beijing.”

Although the bailiff didn’t clearly understand why so much needed to be done, he still arranged things according to the county officer’s intentions.

Zhao Dongan scratched his grizzled hair in distress, thinking that after tonight, he would have even more white hair on his head.

“Sister, I’ve handled this matter.” Ban Heng rushed into Ban Hua’s courtyard animatedly and felt content and satisfied after drinking two cups of tea. “The county magistrate praised me to the clouds. Even I myself blushed in shame when I heard how much he praised me. “

“Relax, when you are not a Hou Shizi anymore, no one will praise you against your conscience.” Ban Hua reclined on a couch motionless as a maidservant dyed her nails, “There are still people who are willing to praise you, so enjoy it well for now.”

“You are my most intimate sister.” Ban Heng leaned towards Ban Hua, staring at Ban Hua’s hand for a while. Suddenly he said, “Sister, I found that your hands are very pretty.”

“Well, I feel the same way. Congratulations. You’ve lived with me for fifteen years and finally found out this fact.” Ban Hua lifted her chin, “There are a few silver banknotes in that bookcase over there. You can take them to spend.”

 “Sister, I knew from the start that you are the one who treats me the best in this whole house.” Ban Heng happily found the silver banknotes and stuffed them into his bosom. “How did you know that I was short of money?”

“When are you not short of money?” Ban Hua’s beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised. “You can take this silver and go cock fighting and cricket fighting. However, you can’t step foot into those places where you shouldn’t go. If you dare to violate this, even before father and mother come to discipline you, I’ll beat you up first.”

Ban Heng remembered that his sister had followed  their grandfather to learn martial arts and immediately vowed unconditionally that he would never go to the red light area or the casinos.

His grandfather, when he was alive, had been the Commander in Chief who had led generals to the battlefield to kill the enemy. The previous emperor had once boasted that his grandfather was “first among all the generals of the nation”. Unfortunately, his grandfather had injured his arm on the battlefield and had become unable to go to the frontier again.

It is said that when his grandfather was alive, he had liked his sister very much. From an early age, he had treated her like the apple of his eye and showered her with gold, jewels and silver money, so that his sister had developed her current character.

One day at the end of September, Ban Huai went out early in the morning and didn’t return to the house until nightfall. The other three members of the family saw that his clothes were still stained with dirt and that he had a mysterious look on his face. They were a little curious about what he’d done.

“I buried two pots of silver in our country manor” Ban Huai said softly, “Not even the closest servants know that I went to bury something today.” 

To this, Yin-shi couldn’t help saying: “What’s the use of burying it in the country manor? When the new Emperor confiscates our wealth, can we still go to the country manor? “

Ban Huai was taken aback for a moment. He had thought that the Hou Fu would be confiscated, but had forgotten that the country manor probably would not belong to him after the incident. Thinking of this, his excitement was completely dragged down that he’d spent the entire day in vain.

However, this inspired Ban Hua. She could not bury silver in the country manor, but she could still bury it in some sparsely populated forests. She and Ban Heng would wander around tomorrow to see if they could find a suitable place and in the future, when their house was searched and possessions confiscated, the silver could be dug out from where they hid it. And if they buried silver in multiple places, even if some were to be discovered by others, there should always be some which were overlooked.

Early the next morning, the elder sister and younger brother of the Ban family left the city with a few guards. Then, in the name of training her younger brother’s physical strength, Ban Hua asked Ban Heng to carry two bags of sand up the mountain by himself without the help of the guards.

“The martial arts left behind by grandfather can’t be shown to you,” Today, Ban Hua specifically wore a suit of clothing that was convenient to move and ride in and said to the guard behind her, “You go and guard outside.” 

 The guards thought that the Xiangjun wanted to teach the Shizi the secret fighting techniques of the family and so they all discreetly retreated to the periphery.

If they were caught stealing a family’s special techniques, it was indeed a big crime. They were happy working in the Houfu and didn’t want to bring trouble upon themselves.

“What are you doing still gaping distractedly? Quickly dig!” Ban Hua took out a shovel hidden in the bag and knelt on the ground to dig.

“Sister, my hand is about to break” Ban Heng shook his aching arm with a bitter face, squatting down to dig up the earth and occasionally making furious training sounds to avoid suspicion.

The sister and the brother dug furiously with their hands and feet, but they did not know that someone had come and was watching them from the side.

“What are you doing?”

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TL’s Meanderings:

This chapter is hilarious! Poor Zhao Dongan is losing hair over a possible homicide and the two Ban siblings are off in the mountains burying treasure. LMAO at the mental picture of Ban Heng making kung-fu noises while digging furiously.