A few days later, the birthday banquet would likely be when the buyer delivered the final payment.
Paying at that time wouldn’t draw attention.
The coffin was worth a fortune, and in an age when gold was scarce, most commoners used copper coins. Such a precious item would likely be exchanged for silver or rare valuables. Silver bills were even less common, and the wealthy didn’t always fully trust them.
Thousands of taels of silver would stand out, so it had to be concealed carefully.
Li Shu had only been guessing. Now, seeing the Qian family’s reaction, it confirmed that the innkeeper and the hunter had spoken with hidden meaning. She truly was clever.
Soon, the elderly Qian appeared, hurrying so much Li Shu worried he might fall.
The old man was thin, his cloudy eyes scanning Li Shu before glancing at his son and daughter-in-law—half suspecting they’d been fooled by a little girl.
This girl was young, her appearance unclear, skin color suggested youth, dressed neither as a nun nor a Taoist, yet she claimed to see impending disaster.
“Little miss, you mentioned our town treasure—do you have your eye on it?” the old man chuckled. “It’s not unsellable, but the price is high, beyond ordinary means.”
Li Shu’s tone was calm. “A high-ranking military officer has passed, yes? Whoever can afford purple-gold nanmu wood must be of that rank…”
“Nonsense! That’s not true!” Qian Shouyi shouted, then quickly lowered his voice. “Be careful, such talk brings trouble!”
Military matters were beyond the reach of small folk.
Li Shu wisely kept silent. “Do you believe me now?”
The old man nodded cautiously. “Miss, please speak plainly. I won’t tell anyone you warned us.”
The girl had entered crying, likely to avoid being noticed.
Such theatrics suggested she knew secrets but dared not provoke danger.
Li Shu paused, then whispered: “I only recently arrived here, unfamiliar with the area. But yesterday, I happened to overhear someone discussing secrets.”
The old man’s eyes widened; the young couple looked at him with newfound respect.
“I saw a young man speaking with a… hunter, though not truly a hunter. The hunter said that in a few days, during the birthday banquet, they’d come to the Qian house for a swift operation. The boy should appear amidst the chaos, making a show. This way, their people can infiltrate the authorities,” Li Shu said, drawing her hand back slightly, as if fearful.
“I risked everything to inform you…”
The old man’s body shivered, his gaze attentive.
He immediately handed over a silver ingot: “Miss, don’t think it small. Take these twenty taels now. Once our house is safe, I will gladly offer two hundred taels more, in gratitude for your timely warning.”
It wasn’t stinginess—they didn’t yet know if her information was true. They needed time to prepare and place people in the authorities.
Twenty taels wasn’t little; enough for her to get by for a while.
Li Shu accepted it readily, having said little and gained much.
“Do you know who the young man is?” Qian Shouyi asked.
“I just arrived, don’t know him,” Li Shu replied. “Only that he’s strong, rough-spoken. Keep an eye on him yourself. And to avoid being noticed, pretend I came to buy a thin coffin…”
“Understood!” the old man replied, anxious. “And your name?”
“I’m Shu… Shu Ahli, Li of the Pear Blossom,” she said seriously. “Also, act discreetly. If they change plans, danger may be unforeseen.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful. Thank you, Miss Shu,” the old man said, tense.
After sending her off, Qian Shouyi immediately set to work.
Li Shu left the main hall appearing sad again. Before departing, she reminded Qian Dailang: “I’ll come for my father’s coffin in a few days. Don’t forget.”
The man nodded solemnly, understanding that “the coffin” meant the two hundred taels of silver.
After leaving, Li Shu wandered the town, stopping at a tailor to buy several outfits—male and female styles—for potential disguises in the future. The total cost was only one to two taels. She left the remaining silver untouched.
By evening, she finally set out to return to the Li household.