The Heir

Chарtеr 217: А Мess of Chiсkеn Feathеrs

Night fell.

Zhen Niаng sаt in thе соurtуard twisting lamр wicks, chatting idly with Chou Ро abоut the Wаng fаmilу’s аffairs. Тhеsе раst few dаys, the Wang fаmilу’s troublеs had stirred up quitе a cоmmotion. Оriginаllу, thе Li fаmilу hаd plannеd tо return tо Нuizhоu in a fеw daуs, but givеn the currеnt situаtion, it wаsn’t apprоpriate fоr thеm tо leаve immediatеlу. Тheу hаd tо stау аnd seе hоw things unfoldеd.

Just then, thаt rascаl Er Gоu wаs snеaking оut with а shiftу lоok on his faсe. Meanwhile, Нua’er was аpprоaсhing with а plаte of watermelon slices. Spotting Er Gou trying to slip away from afar, she spat out a sharp call: “Brother Er Gou, where are you going?”

Hearing Hua’er’s shout, Er Gou retracted the leg he had already stretched out and replied with an annoyed expression, “What? What? A little girl like you, poking your nose into everything! It’s because of the trouble at Sifang Bank—Manager Luo hasn’t been seen for the past couple of days. I’m going to gather some news.”

“Alright then, I’ll go with you.” Hua’er put down the watermelon, grinned at Er Gou, and scampered after him.

“Do you have to be like this?” Er Gou rubbed his nose and looked up at the sky.

“Of course I do. I’m going to gather news for my cousin.” Hua’er used Zhen Niang as her excuse.

“Let’s go then.” Er Gou muttered under his breath, though the gleeful look on his face made it clear he was secretly enjoying this.

Zhen Niang watched from the side, also amused. Ever since the New Year, she had realized that Hua’er and Er Gou had taken a liking to each other.

Moreover, Er Gou had a glib tongue, so Hua’er naturally kept a close eye on him. Scenes like this often played out at the Li family’s Ink Manor.

Even Chou Po couldn’t resist teasing them: “Don’t worry, Hua’er. That boy has the heart of a thief but not the courage.”

“Chou Po…” Hua’er stamped her foot, her face flushing red. “You’re making fun of me.” Then she turned and ran off after Er Gou, disappearing from sight.

“When you return to Huizhou in a few days, I’ll go with you. Then, I’ll have to ask someone to go to your Uncle Jingming’s house to propose marriage on Er Gou’s behalf,” Chou Po said as she watched the two leave. She had raised Er Gou since he was a child, and he was practically like a grandson to her.

“Yes. Don’t worry, Auntie. Wenqian has already discussed it with me. He’ll be the one to propose when the time comes,” Zhen Niang replied. Because of Chou Po’s connection, Luo Wenqian and Er Gou had sworn brotherhood. As a result, Luo Wenqian naturally had to help with Er Gou’s affairs.

As for Li Jingming and his wife, although they had initially looked down on Er Gou’s background, he was quite capable. At the Li family, he was not only the master craftsman of the smoke generation workshop but also managed the shipping operations, making him highly valued by the family.

Of course, the most important thing was that Hua’er and Er Gou were truly fond of each other. Thus, Aunt Jingming had tacitly accepted the situation, waiting only for someone to come and propose on Er Gou’s behalf.

Just then, a clamor erupted from the official street outside.

“Luo, don’t think we don’t know what you’re up to! You’re just trying to take advantage of the situation, aren’t you? No way! If you don’t give us an explanation today, we won’t let you off. At worst, we’ll just raid Yi Hou Sheng and see how you handle that!” Another round of shouting came from the street outside the gate.

“What’s going on?” Zhen Niang frowned, then turned to Chou Po. “Auntie, I’ll go take a look.”

With that, Zhen Niang headed out the door.At this moment, both sides of the official street were brightly lit, especially in front of the Yi Hou Sheng Bank, which was surrounded by a crowd. Among them were several young men who looked like spoiled dandies, accompanied by their servants, shouting provocatively at the entrance of Yi Hou Sheng.

The guards of Yi Hou Sheng Bank stood firmly at the door, glaring at the group.

"What are you all staring at? Are you fools? Who are you supposed to be? Protectors of the bank! Now that someone is causing trouble at the bank's entrance, you just stand there and stare? Beat them! If you can't disperse them, arrest them! Send them to the magistrate's office, and charge them with attempting to rob the bank!" At that moment, Luo Wenqian rushed over from the backyard. Shedding his usual gentle demeanor, he glared fiercely at the guards stationed at the door.

The guards had long been infuriated by this group of dandies, but because they were from the Wang and Hu families—relatives of the Luo family—they dared not take action. Now, with Luo Wenqian's orders, they immediately charged into the crowd, swinging their clubs relentlessly.

"Luo, how dare you?" The young men from the Wang and Hu families were startled by the ferocity of the guards. They fled while shouting.

"What do I have to fear? It's you who are trying to rob my Yi Hou Sheng. Even if I take this to the magistrate's office, you'll only end up in prison." Luo Wenqian leaned against the doorframe, a mocking expression on his face that made the young men from the Hu and Wang families grit their teeth in anger.

However, after being beaten by the Yi Hou Sheng guards, the arrogance of the Hu and Wang families' young men was suppressed. Cowardly and afraid of death, they each threw out a fierce threat—"A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years"—before scattering in all directions.

Only then did Luo Wenqian call for Luo Ping An and Wu Zi and hurriedly left. This fellow had been so busy these past few days that Zhen Niang could hardly catch a glimpse of him.

"Auntie Ping An, what was all that about just now?" Zhen Niang entered the backyard of Yi Hou Sheng and asked Auntie Ping An.

"Those were people from the Hu family and the Wang family of Huizhou. They're all heartless scoundrels. I heard from Wu Zi's father that the Hu family arrived a few days ago, and yesterday, the Wang family from Huizhou also arrived. They came in a hurry, demanding to withdraw their shares from Sifang Bank. But Sifang Bank is already sealed—how can they withdraw shares now? The Hu and Wang families are no easy opponents. When they couldn't get their money back from the bank, they turned their attention to Chairman Wang's house. In just one night, over a dozen antiques went missing from Chairman Wang's home. Wenqian was furious. He directly led people to seal the doors and searched those individuals, recovering the stolen items. The Hu and Wang families couldn't bear the shame, so they came here to cause trouble, falsely accusing our Ninth Uncle of taking advantage of the situation. To be honest, Sifang Bank is now a huge pit, and our Yi Hou Sheng truly doesn't have any interest in it. It's only because Ninth Uncle encountered trouble in Shizhou back then, and Chairman Wang of Sifang helped Yi Hou Sheng. Otherwise, Ninth Uncle wouldn't have bothered with any of this." Auntie Ping An rattled off the whole story, her face filled with indignation.

So that's what happened—a classic case of kicking someone when they're down. Zhen Niang snorted coldly.

"Cousin, cousin, Auntie Wang is here to see you!" At that moment, Hua'er, who had returned unnoticed, found her way to Yi Hou Sheng.

"Auntie is here? Let's go." Zhen Niang immediately left Yi Hou Sheng to return home. After all, this Aunt Wang was Luo Wenqian's elder, and it wouldn't be proper to keep her waiting. She just wondered what Auntie Wang wanted with her at this time.Upon entering Li's Ink Manor, Zhen Niang saw Aunt Wang sitting on a rattan chair in the backyard tea room, sipping tea lightly. It had been some time since she last saw Aunt Wang, and now she appeared much older, clearly lacking in energy, with eyes that seemed clouded and unfocused.

As for Chou Po, she was sitting on the corridor nearby, seemingly ignoring Aunt Wang as she busied herself with her own tasks.

Aunt Wang didn’t mind this either. The longstanding feud between the two families was well-known. Although the two had once been close friends, their current situation felt like they had drifted apart, each living their own separate lives.

"Auntie, you must take care of your health," Zhen Niang said with concern as she took a seat in a lower position, noticing how pale Aunt Wang looked.

"Zhen Niang, I’ve come this time to ask for your help," Aunt Wang said straightforwardly.

"What kind of help? Please tell me, Auntie," Zhen Niang asked.

"I’d like to ask you to go to Wenqian’s uncle’s house and help manage things for a while. To put it plainly, I want you to assist Wenqian’s aunt in overseeing the household for a period of time," Aunt Wang explained.

"Is that appropriate?" Zhen Niang was taken aback by this unexpected request.

"It’s not appropriate. The Luo and Wang families are sworn enemies. Wenqian stepped in because Wang Sifang is his maternal uncle—some familial affection must still be acknowledged. Besides, Wang Sifang is a member of the Huizhou Merchants Guild, and Sifang Bank is crucial to the development of all Huizhou merchants. Much of the money in the bank belongs to various Huizhou merchant families, which is why Wenqian intervened to help stabilize the situation at Sifang Bank. That was a decision made by the Huizhou Merchants Guild. As for Zhen Niang, there’s no need for her to wade into these troubled waters," Chou Po interjected coldly from the side.

Sifang Bank now involves the Wang family of Huizhou, the Hu family of Nanjing, and various other Huizhou merchant families. Needless to say, Wang Sifang’s household must be in utter chaos. No matter how capable Zhen Niang is, she is still just a young woman. Helping Wenqian’s uncle manage the household in such a situation would be incredibly difficult, so Chou Po naturally wanted to prevent it.

She couldn’t help but add a sarcastic remark: "What’s the matter? With you, an aunt, unable to handle things, you’re asking a younger generation to step in?"

"Mengzhen, there’s no need for such harsh words. I wouldn’t have swallowed my pride to make this request if it weren’t absolutely necessary. The Wang family’s situation is as bad as it can get. Sifang is still unconscious, and Wenqian’s aunt, Hu Shi, held on for a few days but has now fallen ill herself, barely coherent. I’m left with Wang Wan’er to manage everything at home. But Wan’er has never lifted a finger for household chores, and on top of that, she has to care for her younger brother Qingguan and attend to her parents. The poor girl has had a tough time these past few days. Now, with members of the Hu and Wang families causing trouble at home every day, she simply can’t handle it. As for me, I am, after all, a woman of the Wang family, and the Hu family refuses to listen to me. Only Zhen Niang can help. Wenqian and Hu Zonglin have now largely taken control of the bank’s affairs, so she carries some authority. I believe Zhen Niang would be much better at managing the household. Besides, Zhen Niang is still a retainer of the Princess’s residence, which should help keep things in order," Auntie Wang explained.

Hearing this, Chou Po glanced at Zhen Niang, surprised to learn that the Wang family’s situation had deteriorated to such an extent. She exchanged a look with Zhen Niang.

Zhen Niang now understood that Aunt Wang’s request was not one she could easily refuse. She nodded and said, "Auntie, I’ll go.""Zhen Niang, I beg of you." Hearing Zhen Niang agree, Auntie Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Sifang and Wenqian's mother had been raised by her since childhood, so her feelings for them were naturally different from those for other Wang family descendants.

"Auntie, I dare not accept such words." Zhen Niang quickly replied.

Zhen Niang agreed not entirely because of Aunt Wang's plea; more importantly, the earlier incident where the Hu and Wang families had caused a huge commotion at the Yi Hou Sheng money exchange had truly angered her. At this time, she naturally wanted to help Brother Luo share some of the burden.

"However, Auntie, when necessary, you'll still need to back me up from behind the scenes," Zhen Niang said. Aunt Wang, primarily due to her status as a member of the Wang family, would easily draw attacks if she directly took charge. But her seniority was undeniable—Wang Sifang and Hu Shi had always treated her like a mother, often staying with her for periods of time—so with her standing, supporting Zhen Niang would not be a problem.

"Since this old woman has come to ask you, I certainly won't just wash my hands of it. You can rest assured," Aunt Wang nodded.