Zhоu Shаоjin wаs nоt unfamiliar with gоld briсks.
Тhе оnes she had sееn beforе were аll smаll, nо lоngеr thаn three inсhes and no wider than an inсh, dеlicаte аnd tоу-likе when hеld in thе раlm. Shе had nеver seen gоld briсks as lаrge as thosе used for building wаlls, like the оnеs bеfоrе hеr nоw.
Zhou Shaоjin wаs somеwhаt dumbfоunded, fеeling аs thоugh she werе in а dreаm.
Just how much silver hаd Uncle Chi trаnsfеrrеd from thе public funds?
Would this bе disсоverеd?
Shе fеlt аnхiоus!
Huаishаn, howеver, whisрered, "Fоurth Mаstеr, this is аll we hаvе fоr nоw. Shopkeеper Zhao and thе others arе working ovеrnight to trаnsfеr morе."
There... there was more...
Zhou Shaojin stared at Cheng Chi with trepidation.
Seeing her frightened expression, Cheng Chi quickly smiled and said, "This much is enough."
If the little girl were to have a falling out with him in the future, given Shaojin's fondness for him, this kind of "embezzlement" could likely be repeated.
Huaishan, unaware of this thought, glanced swiftly at Zhou Shaojin, recalling how Cheng Chi had urgently demanded he find a way to bring in gold bricks just moments ago, only to now say it was no longer pressing.
What did Second Cousin need all this gold for?
Instead of storing it in the vault, she had it shallowly buried beneath the floor tiles of the inner chamber... He couldn't quite understand it.
Afraid that Zhou Shaojin might be frightened, Cheng Chi whispered to her, "Let's go outside and let them finish."
"Mm!" Zhou Shaojin replied obediently, glancing back at the gold bricks, which now felt somewhat more real. She followed Cheng Chi out of the inner chamber and, when no one else was around, tightly grasped his sleeve.
Looking at her small, fair hand clutching his sleeve, Cheng Chi felt a soft warmth in his heart and asked gently, "Did it scare you?"
Zhou Shaojin quickly shook her head, then nodded slightly and whispered, "Will the Second Branch's Old Ancestor find out?"
Cheng Chi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. A hint of mischief played at the corner of his mouth as he leaned in and asked, "Worried about me?"
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed red.
Why did Uncle Chi have to stand so close just to talk?
He had nearly brushed against her cheek.
But such matters certainly couldn't be shouted about... She recalled his words about "losing control" and blushed even more deeply.
Having gotten the reaction he wanted, Cheng Chi knew that if he pressed further, the little girl would retreat behind her walls again.
He smiled, straightened up, and tugged her hand, saying, "Come, let's go back and play chess?"
Still playing chess?
Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes.
Cheng Chi smiled and leaned in again, whispering, "I'll tell you about the Seven Stars Hall!"
Zhou Shaojin froze at his words, her blood surging with excitement.
Seven Stars Hall... What a strange name! It sounded like something out of The Three Heroes and Five Gallants, like the names of martial arts sects... Could this be Uncle Chi's secret?
In a daze, Zhou Shaojin let Cheng Chi lead her forward.
As Cheng Chi stepped out of the hall, he casually glanced toward the east wing before releasing her hand.When Madam Li saw Cheng Chi looking in her direction, she was startled and instinctively wanted to hide. But then she remembered she had only opened the window a crack, so Cheng Chi probably couldn’t see her. Relieved, she patted her chest, feeling an unwarranted sense of having narrowly escaped disaster. After watching Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin leave the main hall one after the other, she returned to her inner chamber and sat down, quietly asking Mama Li, “Are you sure you saw clearly? The stern-faced attendant by Fourth Master’s side led people in carrying five trunks?”
Mama Li nodded, her voice even lower than Madam Li’s. “I counted them secretly. There weren’t many trunks, so I couldn’t have been mistaken.”
Madam Li murmured to herself, “What exactly did Fourth Master leave in the main hall that he didn’t have time to take away?”
Cheng Chi’s words had misled her. She thought he was taking things out, not putting things in.
But regardless, she decided to play dumb—after Guan Ge’s hundred-day celebration, she would be taking Shaojin back to Baoding Prefecture. Why bother with these matters?
She carefully instructed Mama Li, “You must keep your mouth shut.”
Mama Li smiled. “This old woman understands. If word gets out, it’s no joking matter.”
Fourth Master of the Cheng family calling the second young lady out in the dead of night to have people move things in—those items were surely unusual. She had enough sense to realize that.
Reassured, Madam Li blew out a lamp and said to Mama Li, “Time to sleep! We have to go to the eldest young lady’s place early tomorrow morning.” Then, thinking of Guan Ge, who was growing plumper and more adorable by the day, and how her daughter often watched over him intently, she couldn’t help but smile. In a cheerful mood, she went to bed.
※
Zhou Shaojin followed Cheng Chi back to the study in the outer courtyard.
Cheng Chi had Lang Yue bring over a tea set and personally began brewing tea.
This meant they were in for a long conversation!
Zhou Shaojin felt as though there was still plenty of time and they could talk for a long while.
This put her in a good mood.
She sat to the side with a smile, quietly watching Cheng Chi brew tea with graceful and practiced movements.
Seeing her serene expression, Cheng Chi was also in high spirits.
He handed a cup of tea to Zhou Shaojin and said calmly, “Do you know about our family’s ancestors?”
Zhou Shaojin held the teacup and nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then brought the cup to her nose to smell the tea’s aroma.
Cheng Chi explained with a smile, “It’s last autumn’s Da Hong Pao. In a few days, we’ll have pre-Qingming Longjing and Biluochun.”
Zhou Shaojin took a sip.
The tea was rich and mellow, with a lingering aftertaste.
It was truly delicious!
She should have known long ago that Uncle Chi was skilled at brewing tea.
How annoying that he often ordered her to brew tea for him.
Zhou Shaojin grumbled inwardly, yet inexplicably felt happy. On a whim, she playfully extended her teacup toward Cheng Chi and said coquettishly, “Another cup, please.”
Cheng Chi couldn’t help but laugh.
This little girl, did she think he was a teahouse attendant?
But Zhou Shaojin’s sweet, soft voice and the way she looked at him—half-spoiled, half-challenging—was so adorable that it stirred ripples in Cheng Chi’s heart.
So this was how the little girl acted when she was being spoiled!
He smiled affectionately and obligingly brewed another cup of tea for her.
Zhou Shaojin only dared to tease Cheng Chi occasionally like this and wouldn’t risk truly upsetting him.
After drinking the second cup, she sat quietly, gazing at Cheng Chi and waiting for him to speak.
So well-behaved!
How could anyone not like her?Cheng Chi's mind briefly recalled Madam Yuan's appearance, then quickly dismissed her from his thoughts, saying, "Many people know that my ancestors died loyal to their sovereign, but they don't realize that the imperial court at that time had already descended into moral decay and chaos. Even if our ancestors had the ability to turn the tide, the situation was beyond saving—they merely did their utmost out of duty."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shaojin's expression grew slightly solemn. She straightened her posture.
Cheng Chi paused briefly before continuing unhurriedly, "Yet Emperor Lie seemed to sense the shift in the celestial order. Instead of striving to improve, he intensified his debauchery, indulging in extravagant feasts and wine every day until the state treasury was depleted. Not only were officials' salaries unpaid, but military provisions were frequently delayed as well. Seeing this, our ancestors grew anxious. Observing that wealthy families in the south were colluding with corrupt officials to smuggle salt during the national crisis, they had no choice but to recruit a few martial artists for their use. Under the name of their younger brother, they established an organization called 'Seven Stars Hall' to engage in salt smuggling, profiting from it to subsidize military supplies."
"Ah?!" Zhou Shaojin's mouth fell open, and she stammered, "So... does that mean the Cheng family started out by smuggling salt?"
Cheng Chi laughed. "No! The Cheng family is the Cheng family, and Seven Stars Hall is Seven Stars Hall."
Zhou Shaojin thought of the somewhat unusual relationship between Xiao Zhenhai and Cheng Chi. Carefully choosing her words, she said, "Uncle Chi, is it that in Jinling, you are Fourth Master of Nine Prosperities Lane, but outside, you are Cheng Si, Cheng Zichuan?" Suddenly realizing, she exclaimed loudly, "So the so-called 'household affairs' you manage are actually 'Seven Stars Hall,' right?"
Her eyes lit up.
She felt that many previously puzzling things now made sense!
This little girl—she's always sharp at crucial moments. Why don't I see her being this perceptive usually?
"Be careful!" Cheng Chi chuckled and patted Zhou Shaojin's head. "Not bad, not bad. You've finally shown some cleverness for once."
His touch carried a hint of approval, so Zhou Shaojin decided not to argue with him.
She glared at him indignantly and said, "I've always been clever! It's just that Uncle Chi is too clever, which makes me seem less so!"
Cheng Chi burst into hearty laughter.
After laughing, he said, "When I appear as a member of the Cheng family in Jinling's Nine Prosperities Lane, I am Fourth Master Cheng, the scholar who passed the imperial examinations. But when I appear as the leader of Seven Stars Hall, I am Cheng Si."
She twisted her fingers together and asked, "Has no one ever noticed?"
Cheng Chi smiled. "Do you think those martial arts leaders are like the prestigious families of the south? They're nothing but a bunch of desperadoes. They avoid constables whenever they see them—why would they actively provoke people like us?"
Oh, right!
Sometimes a county magistrate alone could wipe out a band of mountain bandits, let alone the Cheng family, who were honored guests of magistrates and prefects—people who could influence their promotions.
Zhou Shaojin chuckled sheepishly.Who would have thought Cheng Chi would suddenly change the subject, saying, "But there are also martial arts families in the jianghu, and several of them swore allegiance to the Seven Stars Hall during my ancestors' time, supported and raised up by the Cheng family." At this point, his expression turned cold. "However, as time passed, these so-called martial arts families began to scheme for their own interests. After all, the Cheng family was merely a scholarly household. Back then, our ancestors only used them to amass wealth, with no intention of controlling them. When our ancestor first sacrificed himself for the country, things were still fine. The Seven Stars Hall was, after all, founded by him, and they respected his heroic deeds. Coupled with the change of dynasties, those people remained obedient. But as the world settled into peace, some began to harbor ambitions of establishing their own factions or even replacing the Cheng family."
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and felt the danger. She spoke quickly, "Then just give it to them! The Cheng family is a scholarly household that upholds propriety and tradition. Naturally, the proper path is to pursue scholarship and official careers. This was originally something our ancestors had no choice but to do. If they want it, just give it to them. It’s a perfect opportunity to cut ties with all these matters!"
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly.
Even Shaojin understood this, saw through it clearly, yet the second branch’s ancestor, Cheng Xu, couldn’t let go, couldn’t see through it.
But perhaps this was also why he liked Shaojin.
Cheng Chi poured Zhou Shaojin another cup of tea and said, "At that time, the Cheng family was too preoccupied with its own survival..."
Zhou Shaojin remembered.
After the Cheng family’s ancestor sacrificed himself for the country, the Cheng descendants were nearly wiped out, almost extinguishing the family line.
※
Dear readers, here is today’s update.
PS: I wrote half a chapter earlier at the hotel and put it in the draft box when I left at six. The check-up results were good, nothing serious. I even made it back to correct typos, feeling quite happy. Thank you all for your concern! I’ve decided to go have a meal with Zhigong. Taking a break tomorrow, resting for a day, only one update. Starting Wednesday, I’ll continue repaying the "debt."
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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