kvmb Chapter 367 Tuogu
Chapter 367 Tuogu
Nianyao carefully removed the seal and placed it aside. Upon opening the box, she saw a silver note with a face value of one thousand taels.
Nianyao sighed, "Ninth Brother always has a backup plan no matter what he does. I thought he had taken out all his private savings and distributed them. I was so naive."
Luo An picked up the silver notes; underneath them were more, ten in total. After taking all the notes, a letter was revealed, sealed with wax, and neatly addressed to: "To Chief Xue Nianyao!"
This is Qin Jiu's suicide note. Qin Jiu was so cautious that he had two people open it: Was the contents of the letter too important, or did Qin Jiu not even dare to trust the two of them?
Nianyao stared at the letter for a long time, then pushed it in front of Luo An, her tone domineering: "I'll open the box, you open the letter. Read it to me."
Luo An sensed the timidity beneath Nian Yao's domineering demeanor. He silently opened the letter and read aloud:
"Guild Leader: "
Seeing your letter is like seeing you in person.
I entrusted Shunchang Escort Agency to deliver the box to Xi Zhai and personally hand it over to the young master a month after my death.
The dead cannot be brought back to life; only by accepting this loss can one move on. I hope that by the time the leader sees this letter, he will have accepted the reality that Qin Jiu can no longer accompany him on his final journey.
I am fortunate to have been appreciated by the old gang leader and to have spent several years on Chongming Island, which is truly a great joy in my life. Now that Chongming Island has peacefully transformed, the brothers of the Great River Gang have all found their own paths, and the gang leader has the Heaven and Earth Club to rely on. I can say that I have fulfilled my mission.
Looking back on my life, my mother died young, my wife became estranged, and my only concern is my youngest son, Buzhi. Buzhi has never been well-liked in the Duke's mansion. After my death, my wife will remarry and have another child. I dare not imagine how miserable she will be.
My only wish is that the gang leader send Buzhi to Heaven and Earth. Ten thousand taels of silver will be paid as a settlement fee for Buzhi at Heaven and Earth, so that Buzhi can grow up safely there.
I do not wish for my youngest son to be rich or noble, whether in life or death; I only hope for his peace and well-being. If I did not know that he could be a young apprentice pharmacist and grow up to be an old pharmacist, I could die with a smile on my face.
Kneel down and thank you!
Qin Jiu's final words!
The sixth day of the ninth month of the Bingchen year!
The dead cannot be brought back to life; only by accepting the loss can one adapt to the change. These words of comfort were actually spoken by the deceased himself.
Judging by the timeline, this letter was written last year after Qin Jiu returned to Bianjing with her. Qin Jiu didn't mention any hatred, only that she was concerned about the unloved child.
Nianyao grew increasingly distressed, her voice low and choked with sobs: "Has Ninth Brother gone mad? If he could foresee his own death, why did he insist on coming to his death?"
If he's truly worried about Buzhi, he can ask me to take Buzhi to Chongming Island. Liang Qingcheng won't try to take the child from him, and the Duke's mansion would be more than happy to send the child away. What is he really thinking?
Nianyao took the letter from Luo An and read it again: "If Ninth Brother wants to send Buzhi to Heaven and Earth, shouldn't he write to you directly?"
Does he think I'm more trustworthy than you? Or does he think you'll reject him but not me? That's impossible!
If they didn't trust Luo An, why would they have entrusted Shunchang Escort Agency to deliver the box to Xi Zhai? Delivering it to Luo An at Xi Zhai would ensure its safety.
Xu Sheng poked his head in through the window: "If you hadn't brought Qin Jiu back with you, none of this would have happened. That's definitely why Qin Jiu resents you and doesn't want to write to you."
Nianyao's expression changed instantly. She walked over and slammed the window shut. She turned around and used her back to block Xu Sheng from pushing her away: "Luo An, don't listen to his nonsense. Ninth Brother isn't that kind of person."
If Qin Jiu didn't hold a grudge against Luo An, why didn't he mention him directly in the letter, and why did he even seem to deliberately avoid him? Putting aside everything else, just considering their three years of chess friendship, if Qin Jiu wanted to put Bu Zhi in a brothel, he could have simply told him directly, why did he need to ask Nian Yao for help?
The Duke's mansion had never liked Bu Zhi. Before Liang Qingcheng was alive, they had some consideration for Bu Zhi, after all, he was their own child. Now that Liang Qingcheng is dead, Bu Zhi's situation is predictable.
Even if Qin Jiu hadn't said anything, Luo An had already planned to bring Bu Zhi to Heaven and Earth. However, he'd been too busy lately and hadn't had time to go to the Duke's mansion to bring Bu Zhi out.
The letter was written in a humble tone, but the handwriting was clearly Qin Jiu's, unlike any other imitation. The words conveyed a detached acceptance of life and death, and the anticipation of the unknown was also in line with Qin Jiu's style.
But Luo An just felt something was wrong, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
When Xiaoman returned to Xizhai and saw Dongzhi, her face immediately fell: "She ran away! She actually ran away! I clearly saw her jump over the wall, but when I chased after her, she was gone."
Dongzhi comforted her, "It's alright, young master is fine. That person was probably just eavesdropping, not someone who came to kill or commit arson."
Xiaoman was still frustrated: "This is the first time I've failed in my pursuit of someone; I've never done it before."
Xu Sheng corrected her: "What you did was a slip, not a mistake!"
Conch chuckled when she heard Xu Sheng's earnest tone, as if he were a teacher correcting a student.
Xiaoman said in a sinister tone, "Your Highness is so learned, you must know how to slip up."
Xu Sheng glanced at the tightly closed window, then at Xiao Man's face, which looked like that of the King of Hell, and sighed, "Truly, a tiger fallen into the plains!"
Just as Xiaoman was about to rush up and kick Xu Sheng, a pleasant female voice rang out: "Who is Your Highness calling a dog?"
Nan Hua slowly walked forward, followed by two palace maids, and behind the palace maids were several guards, each pair of guards carrying a large box.
Guan Xin followed behind the guard, her head throbbing. She could barely stand, supporting herself against the wall with one hand, and dared not leave.
The eldest sister led Guan Xin around in the carriage, dropped her off at the entrance of Xi Zhai, and left, reminding her again to take care of herself and get some rest before leaving.
Guan Xin nodded blankly, staring blankly in the direction the carriage had disappeared. When Guan Xin finally came to his senses, he turned around and saw Nan Hua standing beside him with a group of people.
Everyone stared at her, as if they had been waiting for a long time. Guan Xin was so frightened that she almost lost her soul, and in her panic, she didn't know whether to bow or greet the guests.
Nan Hua smiled and said there was nothing wrong, so he came in. The palace maids and guards followed Nan Hua in, and no one paid any attention to Guan Xin.
Guan Xin wasn't feeling well and couldn't walk fast, so she had to lag behind. She had a feeling something big was about to happen, and it wasn't good news. After all, no one seemed happy as people came and went.
Luo An put the silver notes back into the box one by one, got up to go to the Duke's mansion, and heard footsteps outside, followed by Nan Hua's voice.
Nianyao slammed the window open and saw Nanhua and a group of people behind him, as well as Xu Sheng pulling Hailuo back three steps.
Although Xu Sheng's actions were timid, he replied, "The Crown Princess is here to give me a gift. We're all family, so don't be shy."
Luo An tossed the box to Nian Yao. Nian Yao caught it and placed it on the antique shelf next to her, just as Nan Hua entered.
The guards carried the large box in and put it down, then left in an orderly fashion, demonstrating their excellent training.
It's impossible for Nan Hua to give Xu Sheng a gift, so what's in that big box? Nian Yao looked at Luo An, thinking that Luo An had made arrangements.
Luo An was clearly unaware of this either: "What is this?"
Nan Hua's tone was slightly indifferent: "The ledgers of Heaven and Earth!"