The Heir

Сhарtеr 103: Recklеss Аudасitу

It was alreаdу Marсh, and with sevеrаl соnsесutive daуs of bright sunshine, the temperаturе had risеn quite а bit. Gе Dаnа, a tаll аnd rоbust mаn, hаd grown rаther plump аrоund the wаist over the уears оf living in comfоrt аnd еаsе, mаking him рarticulаrlу sensitivе tо hеat.

Тhus, evеn thоugh the nights in Mаrсh werе still slightly chilly fоr ordinary реоplе, requiring a thin quilt, Ge Dаnа, whо was рrоnе tо fееling hot, simрlу cоuldn’t beаr to cоver himsеlf—еsрeсiаllу tоday. Aftеr drinking a bit of wine and feеling somewhat аgitated, his tеmpеr flаred, mаking him even hotter. As soon as he lay down, he kicked off the quilt, tossing it onto the floor. He then sprawled on the bed, hands tucked behind his head, lost in thought.

"You old devil, if you don’t want to cover yourself, I do!" Cao Shi, lying beside him, was displeased. She got out of bed, picked up the quilt, and spread it over half the bed before snuggling under it and resting her head on Ge Dana’s shoulder. "What’s wrong? Still thinking about Qiu Jie?"

"Hmm, Qiu Jie can’t go to Huizhou with the Li family. Don’t be fooled by her fiery and spirited demeanor—it’s all just bluster. She doesn’t have an ounce of sense in her head. If she really goes to Huizhou, I won’t be able to protect her anymore. Li Zheng Ping was originally someone I schemed against—how could he possibly treat her well?" Ge Dana frowned.

"But once a daughter is married off, can you really bring her back home? Since ancient times, it’s been said: ‘Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.’ Bringing her back home just doesn’t seem right." Cao Shi was clearly unhappy about the idea.

Although she usually fawned over Ge Qiu Jie, Ge Qiu Jie had never paid her any mind. She had no desire to see Ge Qiu Jie return.

"What do you know? As long as she has a good dowry in hand, why worry about finding a good man? Speaking of which, wasn’t it you who insisted that Qiu Jie marry into the Li family so we could legitimately take over their assets? And now look what’s happened—we didn’t get the fish, but we’re left with the stink, and we even lost Qiu Jie’s dowry." Ge Dana glared at Cao Shi with annoyance.

"Ha! How can you blame me for this? It was you who kept obsessing over the Li family’s assets. I was just trying to help you come up with a plan. Back then, you even called it a brilliant scheme. Now that things haven’t gone as planned, suddenly it’s all my fault? That’s just unreasonable. Are you even a man?" Cao Shi fumed.

"I have both a son and a daughter—what do you think?" Ge Dana, irritated by Cao Shi’s tirade, shot back. Then, fixing his gaze on her, he added, "Don’t think I don’t know what’s on your mind. You may act nice to Qiu Jie on the surface, but deep down, you can’t stand her. Qiu Jie lost her mother at a young age, and I’m too rough around the edges. Without realizing it, I let you raise her into someone with a twisted temperament and a tarnished reputation. If it weren’t for that, why would I have agreed to marry her into the Li family in such a manner?"

As Ge Dana spoke, a chill crept into his voice.

Cao Shi felt a pang of unease.

Ge Dana continued, "Let me tell you this: Qiu Jie’s mother shared the hardships of life with me. Even if I never had a son in this lifetime, I would still protect this daughter of mine." His words only fueled his agitation. With that, he turned over, got out of bed, and began putting on his clothes.Back then, because of Qiu Jie's poor reputation, he had followed Cao Shi's plan, originally thinking about Qiu Jie and Li Zhengping's matter. Although he had used some tricks, Li Zhengping, despite his somewhat dull temperament, was still a decent man. As long as Qiu Jie lived well with him and had a child or two, by then, even if there were any entanglements between the two families, the Li family wouldn't treat Qiu Jie too poorly for the sake of the child. Additionally, he would help Qiu Jie take control of the Li family's property, so her life wouldn't be too bad.

But he never expected the Li family's main branch to suddenly intervene, first ruining his plans. Now, Li Jingming's family was returning to Huizhou, and Qiu Jie was someone who appeared strong on the outside but was weak inside, unable to endure hardship. Given this, if Qiu Jie went to Huizhou, she would definitely not have a good life. Therefore, he had to think carefully about what to do. No matter what, he couldn't let Qiu Jie suffer.

Thinking this, he walked outside.

"Where are you going?" Cao Shi asked anxiously.

"Annoyed, going for a drink," Ge Dana replied without looking back.

Watching Ge Dana's retreating figure, Cao Shi angrily clutched the thin quilt, twisting it until it was as wrinkled as a mop.

"Damn him, I hope he never comes back," Cao Shi muttered bitterly. Going for a drink at this hour meant only one place—the brothels along the ten-mile Qinhuai River. How could she not be angry?

Just then, there was another knock at the courtyard gate. Thinking Ge Dana had returned, Cao Shi didn't bother waking the maid to open the door. Without even throwing on a robe, she rushed to the gate in her undergarments.

"Oh, it's Brother Huang Lang," she said, recognizing the man standing outside under the light of the lantern as Huang Lang, not Ge Dana. Instinctively, she tried to slam the door shut.

But her strength was no match for Huang Lang's. With sharp eyes, Huang Lang caught a glimpse of the pale, smooth skin beneath Cao Shi's neck in the moonlight, and his face lit up with desire.

Truth be told, he had been the first to get his hands on Cao Shi back then. Later, to curry favor with Ge Dana, he had given her to him. Usually, there was some flirtation between the two, but out of fear of Ge Dana, they never dared to take it further.

But now, in the middle of the night, with Cao Shi dressed only in her undergarments and looking so enticing, Huang Lang could no longer restrain himself.

Pushing against the door with force, Huang Lang whispered, "Sister-in-law, wait a moment. I'm looking for Big Brother."

"He's out, not here. Come back when he returns," Cao Shi replied, flustered.

Huang Lang's words were merely a test. Upon hearing that Ge Dana wasn't home, his lustful courage surged. He forcefully embraced Cao Shi, closed the door behind them, and headed straight for the main room, familiar with the way.

Cao Shi was startled, never imagining Huang Lang would be so bold. She wanted to scream but ended up covering her own mouth—she couldn't let the maid hear, or she'd never be able to explain herself.

"Damn you, are you trying to get us killed? Let me go, leave quickly, don't ruin me," Cao Shi said once they were inside, pushing Huang Lang away and urging him to leave.

"It's fine, I know Big Brother's temper. If he went out at this hour, he definitely won't be back tonight," Huang Lang said with a greedy grin. Without another word, he picked Cao Shi up, tossed her onto the bed, blew out the lamp, and pounced on her.Cao Shi never expected him to be so bold, yet she dared not truly cry out. Coupled with her existing fondness for him, she half-heartedly resisted before letting him have his way.

Truly, lust emboldens the heart, and Ge Dana's hat turned a shade of green.

A fleeting indulgence in pleasure.

...

The weather was rather warm, so Zhen Niang moved a small wooden table and sat on the second-floor veranda. Holding a brush, she focused intently on writing invitations. The Ink Manor was about to open, and it was necessary to invite some people to lend their support.

Most were merchants who had dealings with the Li family in the past, along with several ladies she had met while out with her aunt last time. Her aunt had already made arrangements, and a few had agreed to come, so invitations naturally had to be sent from her side as well. Of course, on such occasions, it was not appropriate to invite only the ladies alone. Therefore, these invitations were meant for both husband and wife.

She just wondered how many would show their faces. Given the shallow nature of the relationships, Zhen Niang didn’t hold much hope. If they came, it would be a good thing. If not, there was no need to take it too much to heart.

As for the Huizhou Merchants Guild, regardless of whether there was any personal connection, it was customary for someone to come and offer congratulations when the Li family opened their business.

Thus, counting them all, there were quite a few who could attend. It seemed unlikely the event would be too quiet. If they could start off like this, it would actually be quite good.

“So this is the Assorted Ink Collection made from Han Xizai’s Night Revels. It’s truly excellent, crafted with great care. Hmm, displaying it on the day will surely impress everyone. It’s just a pity that the original painting is too precious. Otherwise, borrowing it to hang for a few days alongside this Assorted Ink Collection would surely cause a stir,” Old Madam Li remarked as she carefully examined the freshly produced Han Xizai’s Night Revels Collection Ink.

In the blink of an eye, the old madam had already been in Nanjing for over half a month, waiting only for the Ink Manor to open before returning to Huizhou.

“Seventh Old Madam is being greedy. For such a treasure, being able to borrow it for a viewing is already quite fortunate. If we really borrowed it to hang in the Ink Manor, I’m afraid we wouldn’t sleep at night, worrying about thieves,” Zhen Niang teased with a laugh as she turned her head.

“Hmm, that’s a fair point. Indeed, this old woman was being greedy,” Old Madam Li chuckled in agreement.

“What kind of sin have I committed? They say sons and daughters are all debts, and those words are indeed true. Fine, fine, I’m too lazy to bother with you all. Do as you please,” Madam Fang’s angry shouts suddenly came from the front courtyard.

Old Madam Li frowned. Zhen Niang raised an eyebrow.

“They always say our Huizhou is a small place, but from what I’ve seen, although it’s small, we rarely have such unruly and undisciplined people there,” Ma Sao said as she entered, looking thoroughly displeased.

“What happened?” Zhen Niang asked casually.

“It’s that Madam Ge again. Uncle Jingming and his family are returning to Huizhou, yet as a daughter-in-law, she dares to complain and even declares she’ll never go back to Huizhou. Is that something a proper daughter-in-law should say? I heard she’s even threatening to divorce Zhengping, claiming that Jingming’s wife deceived her into the marriage,” Ma Sao explained. As a distant relative of Seventh Old Madam, it was appropriate for her to refer to Li Jingming and his wife as brother and sister-in-law.

“Deceived into marriage? What deception? I think they’re the ones who deceived us,” Old Madam Li said with a stern face. In her view, a daughter-in-law like Madam Ge deserved to be divorced.

“Don’t be upset, Seventh Old Madam. Uncle Jingming can handle such matters,” Zhen Niang reassured her."I'm not angry at all," Old Madam Li said, though her tone clearly still held some resentment. The old and the young are alike—their tempers always run a bit hotter.

Ma Sao also fell silent.

"Alright, the invitations are written. I'll deliver them myself," Zhen Niang said, putting away her brush and tidying the invitations as she addressed Old Madam Li.

"Mm, go ahead. All proper courtesies must be observed," Old Madam Li reminded her.

"I understand," Zhen Niang nodded, then took Xiao Ya with her and left the inner courtyard. Just as she reached the front yard, she saw Li Jingming also preparing to go out.

"Uncle Jingming, heading out?" Zhen Niang greeted him.

"Yes, Ge Dana has arranged to meet me to discuss the matter between your brother Zhengping and Madam Ge," Li Jingming didn't hide it from Zhen Niang and spoke directly.

"Uncle Jingming, wait a moment," Zhen Niang said, then turned and hurried back to her room in small steps. She took out a few sheets of paper—the contents were copied from the private ledger Uncle Jingming had handed over.

"Uncle Jingming, take these. If Ge Dana tries to make things difficult for you, show him this," Zhen Niang returned to the front yard and handed the two sheets to Li Jingming.

Previously, some transactions between Madam Fang and Ge Dana must have involved tax evasion. Without this evidence, Ge Dana might try to use those matters to threaten Li Jingming, so it was better to be prepared.

Better safe than sorry.