Chapter 111 Old Friends and Old Grudges
The main street was bustling with activity. Qin Qinian walked in the middle, with Qin Yanzhou on his left and Shi Rongyue on his right.
The boy found this interesting and that novel. The scenes were clearly ordinary, but strolling around with Qin Yanzhou and his little cousin, who rarely visited Yuyang, made it feel different.
"Rongrong, just tell me what you like. It's rare for you to come all the way to Yuyang, so I must do my best to be a good host." Qin Qinian was as generous as ever.
Shi Rongyue glanced at him.
She and Qin Qinian were the same age. Although they were from different counties, they weren't really strangers.
When the Qin family suffered a misfortune, Qin Hongying, who had already married into the Shi family, returned to Yuyang with her daughter, who was still unable to leave home. During her short stay in Yuyang, Shi Rongyue was raised together with Qin Qinian.
After the turmoil subsided, Qin Hongying would bring her daughter back for a short stay every year for the next few years. This was both to maintain her relationship with her second brother and to keep some of the restless members of the collateral branches in check, so that they would know that the direct line was not without capable people.
The Shi family had no objection to this; in fact, they were extremely pleased.
After all, it's obvious that the Qin family is on the rise, and having a deep relationship with the Qin family heir is entirely beneficial.
And so, Shi Rongyue would return to Yuyang with her mother every year, and the two cousins would meet every year. When Qin Qinian was little, he would even take Shi Rongyue to climb trees together.
“I have money, little cousin, you should keep your money safe. Otherwise, next time you go out with your cousins from the Wei family, you might get tricked into spending all your money on drinks and end up having to borrow from your eldest cousin when you get home.”
Shi Rongyue's voice was soft and sweet, but what she said almost made Qin Qinian jump up.
"That was an accident! The main reason was that the shopkeeper said that after buying the wine, I could admire the legendary sword that was supposedly the personal sword of the famous general Guan Xin of the previous dynasty, and I was tempted. But who knew that the so-called sword was just a gimmick, completely fake, just for showing off."
After Qin Qinian finished explaining to Shi Rongyue, he looked at Qin Yanzhou for approval, "Qin Yanzhou, you also like weapons, so you can definitely understand me back then."
"No." The young man coldly uttered two words.
Qin Qinian was shocked. "There's no reason for this. Last time I said I had a good knife and asked if you wanted to see it, and you said you did."
“Even if they get the best weapons, they can’t keep them to themselves in places like restaurants and taverns. How can they be compared to private collectors?” Qin Yanzhou said.
Shi Rongyue nodded repeatedly. "Second Uncle is the only Marquis in the North, and he has always loved collecting treasures. How could a small merchant have treasures that even he doesn't have? Little cousin, you mustn't let Second Uncle know about this, or you'll break two wolf-hair brushes from copying books again."
Qin Qinian: "..."
Thanks for reminding me, but it's too late; I've already copied the book.
An invisible dark cloud drifted in and loomed over Qin Qinian's head, and then it started to rain heavily.
Seeing his dejected expression, Shi Rongyue spotted a familiar noodle stall. The stall owner was the same old man she knew. She was both surprised and comforted, saying, "That noodle stall is still there! Old Man He's cooking is better than the others. How about we go there for noodles, little cousin..."
At this point, Shi Rongyue quickened her pace slightly, passing Qin Qinian in the middle, and looked at the young man in white robes on the other side, "Young Master Qin, how about I treat you to some soup noodles?"
"No need."
Which noodle stall should we go to?
The stall wasn't big, consisting of just a cart and a few wooden tables set up. Compared to those multi-story eateries with spacious storefronts, its scale was insignificant.
However, the wooden tables and chairs at the stall were all very clean, and some of the chairs had a shiny, smooth surface from being wiped so often.
It was early afternoon, not mealtime, but half of the tables and chairs at the stall were already occupied by customers.
"Young lady." The maid who followed Shi Rongyue called to her in a low voice, clearly disapproving of her eating at such a roadside stall.
“What’s there to worry about? I’ve eaten here before when I came to Yuyang. Besides, few noble ladies in Yuyang know me, so I won’t embarrass myself.” Shi Rongyue muttered.
The common people are not as particular as the nobles. The nobles eat separately, but the common people all sit at one table.
The three sat at the same table. After ordering, Shi Rongyue looked up and could see the faces of the two people opposite her. Her younger cousin was talking to Qin Xiaolangjun. The latter tilted his head slightly, listening attentively, occasionally replying with a word or two. The lines from his forehead to his jaw were extremely clear and smooth, like the most meticulous stroke of a master calligrapher.
Upon closer inspection, one is struck by the fact that his eyelashes are exceptionally long, thick and black, resembling those of Lady Dai.
Shi Rongyue couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, silently reminding herself many times that she was already engaged and shouldn't let her mind wander, before she finally calmed herself down.
The noodle soup was served quickly.
Traditionally, the noodle soup is served in the form of flatbread, with large pieces of flatbread soaking in the bone broth. Although the noodle stall is small, the bone broth is made with great care and generous with the seasonings, making it much richer and more fragrant than other stalls.
Of the three, Qin Qinian had his back to the street the most, while Qin Yanzhou and Shi Rongyue had it less often.
When Qin Yanzhou had eaten about half of his soup noodles, a casual glance upwards made him freeze in place.
Shi Rongyue noticed something was off about him and followed his gaze. She saw a pretty young woman in a light blue dress and a jade hairpin shaped like a butterfly with twisted gold threads not far away.
The young woman had fair skin, dressed in rich attire, and was petite; she didn't look like someone from the north.
When Shi Rongyue's eyes met the other person's, she suddenly felt a chill, as if she were being stared at by a snake with a scarlet forked tongue.
Shi Rongyue was certain that she saw hatred in the young woman's eyes.
Just hate her?
Why hate her? They are not related and have never met before.
Qin Yanzhou narrowed his eyes.
Although some time had passed and the streets were bustling with people, he was certain he hadn't mistaken her for someone else; both her face and her clothing were unmistakably Fan Ba Xiao Niangzi.
After Fan's defeat in Yanzhou, all the male members of the Fan family were wiped out by Marquis Wu'an. Logically, these eight young ladies should have returned to the Ji family with their mother, Lady Ji, instead of appearing in Yuyang, Youzhou, a thousand miles away.
The Ji family wouldn't have brought her here, and it's impossible for a young woman like her to come to Youzhou alone; someone must have helped her.
The Green Lotus Sect!
The young man in white suddenly put down his bowl and chopsticks, took out a handful of silver coins from his sleeve pocket, put them on the table, and then quickly stood up.
"Hey, Qin Yanzhou, where are you going?" Qin Qinian was shocked.
Qin Yanzhou simply said, "A target has been found."
A few days ago, they wandered around the city aimlessly together. Now, Qin Qinian understood immediately upon hearing this and put down his chopsticks. "Where is he? For you to say such a thing, this person must be extraordinary. Let's go and catch him together!"
As Qin Qinian caught up with Qin Yanzhou, he remembered that his little cousin was still there and was about to tell her to go back first.
When he turned around, he found that Shi Rongyue had appeared beside him at some point, her round little face full of excitement. "Go catch them!"
Qin Qinian: "..."
How could he forget that his little cousin had never been a quiet person since she was a child? When he was a kid, he would climb trees to pick fruit, while she would be the one below using a bamboo pole to knock the fruit down.
Qin Yanzhou frowned, but saw that Fan Muqi had disappeared from sight, obviously turning into an alley. He couldn't bother persuading the two to stay where they were, and hurriedly chased after them.
As Qin Qinian walked, he turned back to a servant and said, "Go back and find Hu Bao to bring men here."
Neither he nor Qin Yanzhou were high-profile individuals, and given that the investigation needed to be conducted in secret, they usually went out without anyone by their side. Today, however, they went out with Shi Rongyue, and considering the young lady's presence, they brought only one servant.
Including the maid who accompanied Shi Rongyue, the group actually only brought two servants.
The servant hurriedly asked, "Third Young Master, where should I look for you then?"
Qin Qinian hesitated, and in just a short while, he saw that Qin Yanzhou and Shi Rongyue had put some distance between them and him. He immediately waved his hand, "Go north from here to search, and have Hu Bao act according to the situation."
The attendant sensed something was wrong and offered a few words of advice.
Qin Qinian abandoned him, saying, "Don't worry, everyone in Yuyang recognizes my face. And with Qin Yanzhou and my skills, if something really happens, we'll join forces and who can do anything to us?"
After saying that, Qin Qinian ran away.
Despite being a young girl with a chubby face, Shi Rongyue has been following Qin Qinian around since she was little, so her stamina is not bad at all.
At least as they ran, Shi Rongyue's maid gradually fell behind, while she was still able to keep up with Qin Qinian.
The group ran across three streets and through two alleys.
After missing three women dressed exactly like Fan Muqi and with similar builds, Qin Yanzhou finally confirmed that the woman getting off the donkey cart ahead was indeed Fan Muqi.
Fan Muqi stood in front of a small house. She was not in a hurry to go inside, nor was she afraid of being caught up.
She watched the white-robed youth rushing towards her, a flurry of emotions flashing across her face for a fleeting moment, but ultimately all were replaced by hatred.
Without further hesitation, she turned and went into the small house.
A moment later, Qin Yanzhou arrived at the front of the house.
The stall where they ate soup dumplings was on the edge of the bustling city. Now, after running a while, they arrived at another area, which is on the edge of a residential area where ordinary people from the lower class gather.
The small house in front of Qin Yanzhou was not large; it looked like a two-courtyard house.
The door, riddled with holes from insects, was half-open, allowing a glimpse into the small courtyard. The courtyard was eerily quiet; not a soul was in sight, not even a bird.
Qin Yanzhou reached out and pushed open the door.
The wooden axle turned, emitting a screeching sound as it struggled under the weight. And with the half-open wooden door, more of the courtyard's interior was revealed.
This includes Fan Muqi, who was standing in the small hall in front.
Qin Yanzhou strode inside, his gaze quickly sweeping across the surroundings. Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard and the front hall except for Fan Muqi, he asked, "Who from the Qinglian Sect has come to Yuyang, and where are they now?"
His voice was like a frozen lake in winter, calm and still.
"Inu-ga-shi!" Fan Muqi gritted his teeth in hatred, "Don't you have anything else to say to me?"
Qin Yanzhou stepped forward, still asking, "Where are the other members of the Green Lotus Sect?"
As he stepped forward, Fan Muqi retreated, his eyes bloodshot. "Seven years! My Fan family raised you for seven years! And what did you do? Not only were you ungrateful, but you also conspired with outsiders to harm my Fan family, causing my father's defeat and the killing of all my brothers! Quan Jie, you have committed such an ungrateful act. When you wake up in the middle of the night, don't you feel the wailing of wronged spirits in your ears, making it hard for you to eat or sleep?"
Qin Qinian and Shi Rongyue, who arrived later, heard that passage as soon as they entered the small house.
Both of them were taken aback.
Fan Muqi's eyes were bloodshot: "My Fan family raised you for seven years, sent people to teach you martial arts, and nurtured you with all our heart. Is that not enough to compensate for the small favors and kindnesses that Marquis Wu'an has shown you? What makes you so willing to do anything for him, to be his pawn, even if your legs are broken and you are thrown at the gate of my Fan mansion, you still have to serve him like a dog?"
Qin Yanzhou's brow twitched slightly. "I have never been a spy for Marquis Wu'an. I entered the Fan family as an inside agent on the orders of the Six Paths of the Green Lotus Sect."
Author's note: Actually, before the last chapter was published, I had a feeling there would be criticism.
Yes, indeed, there are more than I expected.
But there's no way around it; that's just the kind of person Qin is. He emerged from bloodshed and infighting to become the head of a major clan, and such a person can't possibly be completely upright.
He was particularly obsessed with Dai Li, to the point of being somewhat fanatical.
He was determined to marry her by any means necessary and keep her by his side, and the methods he used were certainly not honorable. After all, if he had acted in a conventional way, Dai Li would never have agreed to his proposal.
The first step, of course, is to marry her; we can deal with the rest later.
As for Zhouzhou, I don't know if you noticed when you were reading the story, but when Lao Qin and Nangong first discussed "Quan Jie", he really felt that it didn't matter to him where "Quan Jie" died.
Later, he helped Zhouzhou handle everything, resolved his enemies, facilitated his apprenticeship, and even arranged official positions and antidotes in the army, all for one reason: he was Dai Li's son.
Zhouzhou's feelings are unimportant to Lao Qin [now]. In his view, Zhouzhou is more like a rope that can tie Daili down.
Of course, Lao Qin knew that forcing Dai Li would definitely make her angry, so he gave the younger generation time to get to know each other and didn't specify anything when talking to his sister.
"It may not be a prayer for a good harvest" is equivalent to "It could also be a prayer for a good harvest".
If you can't advance, you can still retreat.
Actually, I didn't want to say so much, I always felt the characters should be left to the readers. But yesterday I glanced at the comments section, and some people were saying I was going to ruin the ending =.=
Well, I'll just write this for now, and I might delete it later.
My tenosynovitis has flared up again, and my hand is in terrible pain. Future updates will be random; if you don't like what you see, you can save the article.
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