Chapter 712: Acting as a Tool for the Villain—Deeply Distressed

Late at night. The Xu Family Inn in the southwest of Huangpu Town.
Due to its unfavorable location, business here was much worse than that of other inns in the town. Yet that night, for the first time, red lanterns signifying full occupancy were hung. All the doors of the inn had been closed, and at the guests’ orders, the innkeeper had already retreated inside. Only a few young and old staff members were still working as instructed. In the main hall and the east and west courtyards, a dozen or so strong and capable guards stood around. Under the dim light of oil lamps, their knives at their left waists could be clearly seen.

In the main room of the east courtyard, a copper water dropper in the shape of an eight-petaled lotus was faithfully doing its job, with drops of water falling into the copper basin, creating ripples. The room, which had originally been simply furnished, was now equipped with brand-new sets of decorations. The ordinary firwood furniture was covered with various gorgeous cloth and silk covers, making it look clean and tidy. Behind deep red curtains, Qin Huaijin was leaning back in an armchair, propping his head with one hand, in a drowsy state. Suddenly, without even lifting his head, he asked,
“Why haven’t they returned yet?”

Although there were two people serving him, none dared to speak. Just as Qin Huaijin suddenly opened his eyes, ready to scold them, the main door was abruptly pushed open. A young man dressed in a rose-purple silk robe with large floral patterns rushed in. As he approached, he hurriedly bowed and then said in a low voice, “Father, everything has been taken care of!”

Qin Huaijin let out a long sigh and waved his hand to tell the two servants to leave. Only after the door was completely closed did he sit up straight and ask seriously, “Are you sure you’ve checked thoroughly and there are no mistakes?”

“Father, rest assured. Isn’t this the first time I’ve handled matters for you? Have I ever failed?” Qin Huaijin’s adopted son, Qin Yi, stepped forward and stood beside him, then bent down and lowered his voice, “The Dragon Boat Race during the Dragon Boat Festival is a major event in Guangzhou Prefecture, and the gambling among the people is even more intense. For this reason, I even placed a huge bet of a thousand guan of green silk coins. If I win, it will be five thousand guan. Rumors spread quickly among the people, and by then, everyone will think you’re trying to make a quick profit.”

Hearing this, Qin Huaijin immediately frowned. His adopted son’s plan took advantage of his reputation for being obsessed with wealth, so he was naturally displeased. Yet, compared to his own safety, those mere thousand strings of coins were unimportant. Thus, he ultimately nodded and said, “Alright, it’s better to spend a bit more money to avoid trouble—as long as things are taken care of properly. By the way, what exactly is the situation with those Li people?”
“They’re just a few insignificant figures sent to die; Father needn’t worry about them.”
Qin Yi laughed it off and explained that tomorrow was a critical day, urging Qin Huaijin to go to bed early. After personally making the bed and tucking him in, he pulled back the curtain, quickly left the room, and instructed the two servants to attend to him. Once back in his own room in the western courtyard, he dismissed the drowsy servant at the door and entered alone. Closing the door behind him, he took a few steps forward before taking a deep breath and smiling triumphantly.
“Fifth Young Master.”
Lost in his fantasies, Qin Yi suddenly opened his eyes upon hearing this familiar yet strange address. A man dressed like a servant appeared by the bed, and he immediately scowled and snapped, “Lao An, in the middle of the night—who gave you permission to come see me like this?”
“There are too many guards outside. I was afraid of alerting them, so I had no choice but to disguise myself as a servant and hide here. I beg for your forgiveness, Fifth Young Master.” Seeing that Qin Yi lit the lamp without even glancing at him, Lao An knelt down and kowtowed. “Fifth Young Master, it was the family head who sent me to speak with you. You’ve been under Qin Huaijin’s care for many years now. With the new emperor ascending and policies changing drastically, we fear there might be developments above. Please plan carefully and remember your identity.”
Qin Yi walked to the bed, holding the candleholder in one hand. Upon hearing the last sentence, his expression changed drastically. He turned to look at Lao An, who remained kneeling without looking up. Then he set down the candleholder and lazily stretched. “I’m aware of this matter. Go back and tell my second uncle that I’ll do my best. I’ve waited all these years; I can afford to wait a little longer. He needs to be patient. Qin Huaijin is a old fox. I never dared bring up these matters these years, but now that I’ve done many things for him, I’m confident I can persuade him to open channels to the palace. The officials in the palace may have changed, but he’s also made great efforts to secure his own position.”

Seeing Lao An stand up by moving his legs, yet still having no intention of leaving, he said irritably, “What are you still standing there for? Go away quickly! If someone sees you, how can I continue performing in the future?”
Compared to Qin Yi, who was dressed in decent clothes, Lao An wore rough cloth garments and had a clean, soft cloth hanging around his neck. With the pitiful expression on his face, he clearly looked like a veteran servant used to running errands. At this moment, seeing Qin Yi turn away and ignore him, a hint of hesitation flashed across his face, but ultimately he mustered up the courage to ask, “Young Master Wu, I dare to ask—why did you make us go through so much trouble to bring these Li people here?”
“When has it been your place to interfere in my affairs?”
Qin Yi flew into a rage, turned around, and strode over before slapping Lao An in the face. Then he said viciously, “Remember this—it’s me who decides everything here. You’re just a servant in the family; you have no right to give orders! If you still want to help your second uncle or keep your family safe, then shut your mouth! If you do this again, it won’t be just a slap—remember that!”
Wiping his painfully swollen cheek, Lao An didn’t dare say another word. After bowing, he hurriedly left. Seeing him go, Qin Yi sneered coldly before returning to the bed and collapsing. Leaning on his hands and gazing at the mosquito net above, he gradually recalled the years that had passed. His family had gone to great lengths to send him to this eunuch as a foster son, and he, having no roots of his own, had done everything possible to curry favor with the old man to avoid returning to a miserable life. When he learned that Qin Huaijin was inevitably going to fall, he thought only of himself, not the family.
He absolutely didn’t want to go back to those miserable days. As long as he could help Qin Huaijin get through this crisis, he could completely break free from those constraints. In the future… perhaps not even waiting until then, wouldn’t his foster father’s possessions still belong to him?
Thinking of this, he sneered coldly, “If you don’t act for yourself, heaven and earth will punish you!”
Since there was no curfew, even though it was already the fourth watch of the night, there were still people walking on the streets of Huangpu Town, most of them in a hurry. But Lao An, who had left Xu’s Inn, walked unsteadily. It wasn’t so much the physical exhaustion from the day’s work, but rather the mental strain. At the street corner, he couldn’t help but lean on the wall of a nearby house and stop to catch his breath.

Seeing Fifth Young Master’s demeanor, it seems he has some plans in mind. I just hope he won’t ruin the family’s long-term plans!
“An… Uncle?”
Hearing this hesitant voice, Old An immediately became alert and stood up straight. Seeing a girl with a somewhat familiar face in front of him, he blinked hard before finally recognizing her. Surprised and delighted, he said, “Jiuniang? How did you end up here… You really should have told someone if you were dissatisfied with your uncle and aunt’s decision instead of just leaving without a word!”
Jiuniang carried a large food box in both hands and studied Old An from head to toe for a while before blinking and smiling. “Rather than marry an old scoundrel, I might as well take a chance outside. Although it’s tough being alone now, life is much more enjoyable than back there. And though there are dangers, they’re behind us now…” She hesitated for a moment but didn’t mention the kind person who had helped her. Instead, she asked, “Uncle An, how did you get here?”
Old An couldn’t answer this question, so he made up a random excuse to cover it up. Seeing the food box, he immediately realized Jiuniang inherited her mother’s skills. Though he felt pity for her, he knew the family’s affairs were still in disarray, and he couldn’t help her at all. He gave her a few warnings. Seeing her nod obediently, he planned to leave. Just then, a carriage stopped beside them.
“Isn’t that the girl who sells snacks?”
A fat man poked his head out of the carriage and greeted Jiuniang with a smile. Her clothes were luxurious, and she didn’t seem like an ordinary street vendor. Although Jiuniang didn’t know her, she still nodded. Old An hid behind Jiuniang, keeping a close eye on the woman. In just a moment, he recognized her as Fat Chu, who dealt in jewelry. Though he wasn’t sure if she recognized him, it was better to be cautious.
“I bought a few of your snacks when I was at the night market earlier. I just had them served to others, and they all said they were delicious. Guangzhou is so big, and there aren’t many who can make northern-style snacks. If you’d like, you can try them at Caiyun Building at the east end of the town. Just say it’s my recommendation, Fat Chu, and they’ll at least give me face.”

If it were a wealthy family looking for a cook, Jiu Niang would still hesitate, but upon hearing that it was the famous Caiyunlou in Huangpu Town, she was overjoyed and quickly thanked them before agreeing. When the carriage passed by, she couldn’t help but turn around and smile at Lao An: “Uncle An, it’s really lucky to meet you tonight. I’ll definitely go try it tomorrow.”

Lao An smiled awkwardly, comforted Jiu Niang a few more times, then parted ways with her. On his way, he was filled with doubts. Chu Pangzi had a decent reputation among merchants, but he wasn’t someone impulsive—doing such a favor just for some good pastries seemed strange. But Jiu Niang wasn’t closely connected to her family, so she shouldn’t be a target for manipulation… As he thought about it, he put the matter aside and focused on Qin Yi’s behavior earlier.

That fifth young master spent most of his time away, accompanied by such a powerful eunuch. If he wasn’t truly working for the family’s benefit, wouldn’t the elders in charge have wasted their efforts? Over the six or seven years since the family head took control, they had been trying to leave Hainan. Although the nobles provided support, they refused to help with anything else. Forced to act, the family head turned to the palace eunuchs, having already given them countless sums of money without daring to reveal the true situation. Now, with the Imperial Stable Eunuch Liu Yongcheng growing dissatisfied, any further mishaps on Qin Huaijin’s end could cut off the family’s financial sources.

After passing through several main streets and walking a long way along a dark alley, Lao An finally stopped in front of an unassuming courtyard. After knocking on the door and entering, he headed straight to the room in the north as if he knew the way well. Pulling back the bamboo curtain and stepping inside, he saw an old man dozing in an armchair. He quickly approached.

“Second Master.”

“Hm…” The old man suddenly woke up. Seeing Lao An bowing before him, he immediately became alert and asked in a deep voice, “What did Changxin say?”

In front of the old man, Lao An didn’t dare mention Qin Yi’s rude and arrogant attitude earlier and had to give a favorable explanation. Yet even though he kept his head down, the old man still saw half of his swollen cheek. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the armrest and sharply interrupted Lao An: “Stop hiding it! Tell me the truth—what exactly is his attitude?”

Seeing the old man staring at him intently, although Lao An really didn’t want to talk, he couldn’t withstand that piercing gaze and eventually recounted everything that had happened. Seeing the old man trembling with anger, he hurriedly tried to persuade him, “Second Master, perhaps Fifth Young Master was offended by that eunuch, which is why he’s been neglecting family affairs. But after all, he won’t forget his own surname…”
“I think he’s completely forgotten his own surname. He thinks his real surname is Qin!”
The old man picked up a teacup from the side table and tried to smash it, but after raising it high, he slowly put it down, unaware that the water spilling from the cup had soaked his sleeve. After a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh, his aged face filled with frustration.
“Since our family suffered such a great disaster overnight—not only did the sky seem to collapse, but all the wealth and glory we had painstakingly acquired were also lost. The whole family was even forced to move to this remote place. Everyone in the family has been striving to break free from this oppression so that future generations can have a chance to succeed. For this reason, my elder brother, despite opposition, secretly sent servants to do business, bowing and scraping before those foreign and Cantonese merchants to finally secure a share of the profits. After I took over, I used the money accumulated over the years to connect with high-ranking officials. Yet, these younger generations are all worthless! Changtian claims to be dead, but in reality, he’s just run away. Changxin is the same—clearly unwilling to take responsibility. The rest of the younger ones are also cowardly and incompetent… In the entire Qiu family, there isn’t a single person who can take responsibility!”
Seeing the old man slump back in the armchair, Lao An was speechless and could only sigh in sympathy. His own generation of servants could still remain loyal, but who among the next generation would be willing to serve a declining family?