Chapter 718: The Seller Seeking Glory

Some people were held captive at home under comfortable conditions of good food and service, while others were thrown into prison for the first time in their lives.
The interrogation facility under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Provincial Administration was originally located on Jinghe Street, founded by Cui Yan in the second year of the Hongwu era. It was not until the 26th year of Hongwu that it was moved to the left of the Yimen Gate of the Guangdong Provincial Administration. The front buildings were still fairly intact, but the prison behind them was in disrepair due to years of neglect. There were often two or three hundred prisoners there. Since Guangzhou was always hot, even the jailers preferred to stay outside rather than inside, guarding from the outside.
The ground was filthy mud, and the cells on either side were filled with listless prisoners. The stinky, damp air was unbearable, almost making people faint from the heat. Added to this were the coarse, inedible food, the sarcastic jailers, and the shackles on their hands and feet. Qin Yi felt like he was going crazy. Although he had been under government surveillance in Chengmai County and lived a simple life there, even declining families maintained some standards. Moreover, after following Qin Huaijin, he had enjoyed a life of luxury—how could he have ever endured such hardships?
After staying awake and fasting for a day and night, he was on the verge of collapse. At that moment, an old jailer slowly carried a wooden bucket along the cells, pouring thin porridge—almost like water—into the broken bowls passed through the wooden bars. When he reached Qin Yi’s single-cell prison, he saw a pair of hands suddenly reach out, shaking frantically. Startled, he stepped back quickly and was about to draw his whip when he heard a shrill cry.
“Hurry… go call someone! Tell them I have urgent matters to discuss with the officer in charge here—I want to confess!”
The old jailer, who had been in this line of work for decades, recognized Qin Yi as the prisoner personally delivered by Xiong Hao the previous day. Everyone from the prison warden to the jailers had received instructions about him. Hearing his words, he didn’t dare delay. Ignoring the other cells, he put down the bucket and rushed away.
His departure caused chaos in the subsequent cells. The prisoners in Qin Yi’s right-side cell, once listless, began cursing at him violently. A torrent of vulgar insults and spit rushed at him. He had never seen such behavior before and, in his panic, couldn’t even find his footing, struggling desperately.

Fortunately, this miserable situation didn’t last long. Soon, the old jailer brought the warden over. The warden, in his forties, opened the cell door without a word, stepped forward, pulled Qin Yi out of the room, and sized him up before scolding fiercely, “You’d better tell the truth. Otherwise, if higher authorities hold you accountable, I’ll make sure you suffer greatly! Judging from your delicate appearance, you surely can’t withstand even a few whips!”
Though filled with hatred, Qin Yi still remembered the saying that a fallen phoenix is no match for a chicken. He could only nod stiffly. Dragged outside, the bright sunlight blinded him, and soon tears streamed down his face. Though he had only been locked up for a day and night, it felt like an eternity to him.
The warden led him to the gate, then released him and handed him over to two officers waiting outside, bowing and flattering them. Seeing how filthy Qin Yi was, the officers stripped off his outer robe and threw on a blue cloth robe over him. After that, they carried him away, one on each side.
They passed through the inner gate and walked along a corridor. After a short distance, they reached the grand front hall of the interrogation room. But the two officers acted as if they didn’t see it and continued to carry him around the building. After wandering for what seemed like forever, they stopped in front of a plain-looking small room. One of them pulled back the bamboo curtain, and the two officers carried Qin Yi in, threw him onto the ground without care, bowed to those above, and then left silently.
Still bound, Qin Yi’s limbs hit the ground hard, causing intense pain all over his body. Though he cursed inwardly, he was in a life-or-death situation and didn’t want to endure such suffering again. He quickly endured the pain, struggled to kneel, and didn’t even dare lift his head.
“Since you claim to want to confess, then tell us everything you know.”
Hearing the young tone of voice and none of the usual promises of leniency, Qin Yi’s heart skipped a beat. When he looked up, he saw that it wasn’t the interrogator he had met before, but a young man in plain clothes, with a burly man standing beside him. Though he had only seen him once, from Qin Huaijin’s furious expression the previous night, he knew this must be Zhang Yue, the current Left Governor of Guangdong. He felt both envy and admiration.

They were about the same age. One rose from a noble family, living in luxury and eventually becoming a high-ranking official; the other came from a declining family, serving eunuchs, and ended up as a prisoner. Why was the world so unjust?

Though filled with rage, knowing this was his last chance, he quickly bowed his head and said respectfully, “I have important matters to report to your Excellency. Please ask everyone to leave so that no secrets are revealed.”

Zhang Yue handed over Qin Huaijin’s valuable information to Li Long, the military commander eager for credit, and Yu Liang, the inspector, while keeping Qin Yi for himself, hoping to uncover more—after all, just from extorting money from the Maritime Trade Office, Qin Huaijin couldn’t have amassed so much wealth. So when the people sent by the Investigation Bureau reported it, he came here without delay. Hearing what Qin Yi said now, he grew stern and said, “What this office hates most are those who play tricks. Speak plainly. We don’t have time to waste on your nonsense!”

“Yes, yes,” Qin Yi replied hastily, filled with resentment, and dared not say anything more off-topic. “I only know half of what happened regarding my foster father. Since he was caught red-handed, there’s no need to elaborate. But I still have some hidden details to report. Although I’m called Qin Yi now, I wasn’t named that before. Even becoming Qin Gonggong’s foster son was arranged secretly by others. I was merely a puppet, following their lead.”

Though he expected some revelations, Qin Yi’s confession surprised Zhang Yue greatly. Leaning back in his chair, he sat up straight and asked word by word, “Then what was your real surname and name?”

“My real name is Qiu Changxin, and my ancestor was Qiu Fu.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but glance at Peng Shisan beside him. Seeing that Peng Shisan was also looking at him, he knew well that Peng Shisan was equally shocked. If he hadn’t come in person this time, such words falling into other ears could have caused quite a stir. Qiu Fu, the former Duke of Qi, was firmly loyal to the Han King. Only because the Qiu family had fled to Hainan did Zhu Zhanji manage to secure his throne without punishing them. If he had known the Qiu family was still plotting behind the scenes, the young emperor would never have shown mercy.

Hearing no response from above, Qin Yi mistakenly thought Zhang Yue did not believe her words. She quickly detailed all the plans and schemes she had at home, and at the end, she kowtowed and said, “I am well aware of my grave sins and am willing to atone for them. If my lord would spare my life, I am willing to reveal everything about the Qiu family’s properties and locations in Guangzhou. With this leverage, the entire Qiu family will surely obey my lord’s orders, and from then on, you can do as you please with them…”

Below, Qin Yi spoke incessantly and with great earnestness, even providing a detailed account of the Qiu family’s assets and key figures, including their weaknesses. Yet Zhang Yue’s expression grew increasingly dark, while Peng Shisan beside him unconsciously clenched his fists. One valued family ties above all, the other valued loyalty and hierarchy. Faced with someone willing to betray his entire family to save himself, both of them despised him deeply. After a long while, Zhang Yue exhaled deeply, as if trying to get rid of all the disdain he felt, before coldly interrupting the man’s endless displays of loyalty.

“I ask you, the day you went to the dock with Qin Huaijin, were you planning to flee abroad?”
“That’s right. Qin Huaijin had previously delivered goods to Eunuch Wang of the Imperial Supervision Bureau but forgot about Eunuch Liu of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, his benefactor. As a result, he was rejected by Eunuch Wang, and Eunuch Liu must harbor resentment toward him. Realizing that losing his position as head of the Maritime Trade Bureau would mean a miserable fate, he decided to flee with his wealth.” Qin Yi, thinking Zhang Yue had been persuaded, stopped using respectful titles like “foster father” or “Eunuch Qin” and began addressing him by name. She continued earnestly, “Since he still wanted to keep a backdoor in Guangzhou, he left two properties here—both large mansions in prime locations in the busy streets. He also hadn’t had time to retrieve some gold and silver stored in several businesses. I can help my lord…”

At this moment, Zhang Yue interrupted Qin Yi again and asked calmly, “Then let me ask you: You planned all this for Qin Huaijin, and the night before last, you were clearly on the ship with him. Didn’t you think of the Qiu family at that time? Or rather, since you already knew Qin Huaijin was in trouble, didn’t you think of informing your family? If you join my bureau, the entire Qiu family will never recover. Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to return to your roots in the future?”
“What’s the use of recognizing a shameful ancestor?”

Qin Yi blurted out those words without thinking, then immediately realized they were inappropriate and hurriedly explained, “The Qiu family doesn’t know what’s good for them; they’re obsessed with restoring their past glory, which is an utterly foolish idea. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be tied to a sinking ship. If you don’t trust me, I’m willing to sign a contract to serve you as my master and change my surname to Zhang…”

This time, he didn’t finish speaking. Peng Shisan stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and gave him a heavy slap. Still not satisfied, he slapped him several more times until two bloodied teeth fell to the ground. Only then did he angrily throw him to the ground and curse furiously.

“The people I hate the most in this life are those like you! Wanting to change your surname to Zhang… How could the Zhang family tolerate such an animal?”

Qin Yi never expected that by showing such submission and offering such heavy concessions, not only would it fail, but he would also suffer such brutal beating and insults. As soon as he hit the ground, he saw stars and soon lost consciousness. Seeing this, Peng Shisan kicked him hard. When he saw the man was motionless and unresponsive, he returned to Zhang Yue’s side in anger.

“With such a traitor emerging, the Qiu family is beyond redemption! Young master, I really couldn’t hold back just now. If I ruined your plans…”

“What plans could be ruined? Giving him such a punishment is still too mild. This is the first time I’ve seen someone so shameless! Listening to him talk was even more disgusting than being doused in filth! Compared to those who sell themselves for favor, such animals who sell their masters are even more detestable! People like him… must be eliminated!”

Zhang Yue, filled with murderous intent, paused for a moment before ordering Peng Shisan, “Give him another hit to ensure he doesn’t wake up for a day or two. Then have him taken back to the prison. Put him in solitary confinement first; I’ll deal with him when I return! With Qiu Changtian ahead and Qiu Changxin behind, how can the Qiu family be full of such scum? You heard what he said just now. Go see that Qiu family leader who went through so much trouble only to put on such a pathetic show!”

As a newly appointed official, Zhang Yue often had to attend banquets and social events with subordinates and colleagues. Du Wan also had many officials’ wives to deal with, so the back courtyard of the administrative office was constantly busy with people coming and going, with carriages lining up at the back entrance. Although she preferred to stay in her room teaching her sons and daughters, she had to waste a lot of energy on these hypocritical pleasantries.

That evening, after seeing the last lady off, she finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling extremely hot all over. Just as she was about to ask her maid to fetch water to wash her face, she felt someone pulling at her sleeve. Looking down, she saw Jingguan holding a soft towel and staring at her eagerly.
“Mother, the second madam said you’ve been busy all day, so she asked me to bring you a towel!”
Seeing Qiuhen’s previously smiling face turn helpless, Du Wan couldn’t help but laugh softly. She took the towel and gave her son a gentle nod. The towel, soaked in well water, was cool and comfortable against her face. It took her a while before she removed it and tossed it into the copper basin nearby. In just that short time, she noticed someone else beside her.
“Huh, you’re back so early today?”
As soon as Zhang Yue entered the room, he took off his coat. After sitting down, he pulled his daughter Sansan over and gently pinched her delicate cheeks twice. Hearing Du Wan’s words, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “You think it’s too early? I feel time is moving too slowly, not to mention I was given a dose of poison today! Lao Peng left in a fury to handle some matters. I couldn’t focus on anything sitting there, so I came back to keep an eye on you and feel a bit less anxious. As the saying goes, children don’t mind their mother’s ugliness, and dogs don’t mind their family’s poverty. Those who can’t accept this just should give up and stop trying to seek glory through selling themselves—it’s infuriating just to think about it!”
When Huobo pulled back the curtain and entered, she happened to see Zhang Yue growing angrier by the moment. Having followed him for many years, she rarely saw him speak so harshly, and she couldn’t help but feel puzzled—what could possibly be the matter?