Zhou Shaojin said hesitantly, “Is it about the Old Ancestor of the First Branch…”
Cheng Chi nodded and said in a grave voice, “At that time, the Old Ancestor of our First Branch was still in swaddling clothes, and the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch was nothing more than an ignorant child. After Duke Zhi of the First Branch and Duke Lie of the Second Branch went south with Emperor Lie, the Cheng family was managed by Cheng Ze of the Third Branch, and all the family’s assets were also controlled by Cheng Ze of the Third Branch.
“At that time, war raged everywhere. The grandfather and father of Steward Qin escorted the Old Ancestor of the First Branch all the way back to Jinling City. They originally planned to leave the Old Ancestor there and then return to their hometown of Meizhou in Sichuan—they still had clan members and relatives back in their Meizhou hometown in Sichuan.
“Who knew that upon arriving in Jinling, they discovered that Cheng Ze, having heard that both Duke Zhi of the First Branch and Duke Lie of the Second Branch had died, seeing the Fourth Branch weakened and the Fifth Branch feeble, actually developed a greedy heart. He wanted to claim the Cheng family’s estate as his own. Using the excuse that Duke Zhi had entrusted the Cheng family to his management before leaving home, he not only monopolized control of the public affairs, dominating everything alone and withholding the Fourth and Fifth Branches’ shares of the public revenue, but he also poisoned the food of the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch.
“The very moment Steward Qin’s grandfather and father left, he tried to smother the Old Ancestor of the First Branch to death with bedding…”
Zhou Shaojin’s face turned pale with fright as she exclaimed, “How could this happen?”
Cheng Chi’s smile was somewhat bitter as he said in a low voice, “Duke Zhi and Duke Lie were legitimate sons, while Cheng Ze of the Third Branch was born of a concubine. He always felt that his failure to pass the provincial examination wasn’t due to his own lack of ability, but rather that the Grand Madam was biased and unwilling to hire renowned scholars to privately tutor him. He also felt that his birth mother’s death from illness was due to the Grand Madam’s delay in seeking medical treatment. As Duke Zhi’s reputation grew outside, people in Jinling City would call him ‘Third Master’ and gave him preferential treatment in business dealings. He inevitably became somewhat carried away and lost sense of propriety, and his resentment grew even deeper.
“It’s just that Duke Zhi had already gone south with Emperor Lie at that time, with great prestige and momentum. Although Cheng Ze harbored dissatisfaction in his heart, he dared not show it.
“When he received news of the deaths of Duke Zhi and Duke Lie, he felt this was heaven’s will, that his opportunity had come. Moreover, it was a time of war and chaos—Jinling City was massacred twice. If the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch hadn’t received protection from his maternal family, he probably would have perished long ago.
“That’s when his evil intentions arose!”
One could see how the human heart had deteriorated!
Zhou Shaojin was silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, “What happened afterward? Who saved the Old Ancestor of the First Branch?”
“It was Steward Qin’s grandfather,” Cheng Chi said. “When the old man handed the child over to the Third Branch, he went to pay respects to the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch. The child was nearly two years old but couldn’t even walk. At the time, Steward Qin’s grandfather hadn’t at all imagined that the Old Ancestor of the Third Branch harbored such vicious thoughts—he simply felt this child was far too frail and probably wouldn’t live long.
“Steward Qin’s grandfather still had a hundred-year-old ginseng root in his pocket.
“That was originally given to him by Duke Zhi to save his own mother.
“But Steward Qin’s grandfather, thinking of Duke Zhi’s kindness to him and the appearance of the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch, couldn’t get past that obstacle in his heart. Halfway down the road, he turned back, thinking it would be better to give half of that hundred-year-old ginseng root to the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch. It would fulfill his loyalty and righteousness…” At this point, Cheng Chi smiled coldly. “It was also the Cheng family’s fate not to be extinguished. When Steward Qin’s grandfather returned, he happened upon the wet nurse that Cheng Ze had newly assigned to the Old Ancestor of the First Branch firmly pressing bedding over the Old Ancestor of the First Branch…”
Thinking of the danger at that moment, Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but shudder.
Cheng Chi said, “Regardless of anything else, this was after all the Cheng family’s domestic affair. Cheng Ze was ultimately a Cheng family descendant, the younger brother of Duke Zhi and Duke Lie, and the uncle of the two Old Ancestors. If any scandal were to break out, it wouldn’t just be the Cheng family of Nine-Blessings Lane in Jinling losing face. Cultivating oneself, managing the family, and governing the realm—how would the scholarly community view the First and Second Branches? How would posterity evaluate Duke Zhi, who died for his country?
“So Steward Qin’s grandfather merely taught Cheng Ze a lesson and didn’t take his life.
“But this meant the two Old Ancestors definitely couldn’t be left in his care to raise.
“Steward Qin’s grandfather had no choice but to publicly claim to be ‘Qin Da,’ Duke Zhi’s attendant, and stayed on.
“Steward Qin’s father then rushed back to Meizhou carrying half of the hundred-year-old ginseng root.
“But they had delayed too long in Jinling. Their relatives back in Meizhou’s hometown had died or scattered. They only found Steward Qin, who was barely clinging to life at the time, and three nephews at the bottom of a dried-up well.
“Steward Qin’s father brought Steward Qin back with him, and from then on settled down in the Cheng family, taking on the responsibility of raising the two Old Ancestors. Besides carefully looking after the two Old Ancestors, he also taught them the Qin family’s ancestral martial arts techniques, which were passed down to males but not females.”
No wonder that day Uncle Chi wore fitted martial attire with arrows like shooting stars!
Zhou Shaojin’s face immediately showed alarm as she said, “Don’t tell me the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch also knows martial arts?”
Wouldn’t that make Uncle Chi very dangerous?
“How could that be!” Cheng Chi said. “If he had learned the Qin family’s martial arts, the First Branch by now would probably have to swallow broken teeth along with the blood!”
Zhou Shaojin breathed a long sigh of relief and repeatedly asked Cheng Chi what had happened.
Cheng Chi said, “The Old Ancestor of the Second Branch had damaged his foundation and was no longer suited to learning the Qin family’s martial arts. Moreover, the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch was someone with his own opinions from childhood. He felt that the Third Branch dared to plot against the First and Second Branches simply because they bullied the First and Second Branches for being incompetent. After the realm had just been settled, there would surely be an era of great peace. Martial arts would no longer have much use—it would be better to devote this energy to studying, obtaining official positions through examinations, bringing glory to the ancestors, and recreating the Cheng family’s former splendor from the previous dynasty.
“Steward Qin’s father had always respected the Cheng family as a scholarly family and very much agreed with the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch’s thinking, so he only taught him a set of exercises for maintaining health.
“As for the Old Ancestor of the First Branch, having nearly been smothered to death in swaddling clothes, although he was saved afterward, his responses were very slow. Whether in studying or practicing martial arts, he didn’t make much progress.
“At that time, the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch was older than our family’s Old Ancestor, so the two branches coexisted peacefully.”
When Cheng Chi reached this point, he frowned, clearly having thought of something unpleasant.
Zhou Shaojin quickly and obediently brewed a cup of tea for Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi picked up the tea cup and played with it in his palm for a while, then pulled the topic back, saying, “After two or three years like this, when it came time for the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch to begin his education, Duke Lie of the Second Branch suddenly returned!”
“Ah?!” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened.
No matter how naive she was, she knew what it meant for someone who had already died for his country and been recorded in history to suddenly return alive!
She jumped to her feet at once, twisting her fingers together as she said, “Then, then what happened?”
Cheng Chi looked at her small face flushed bright red like a blooming red lotus, and suddenly felt something loosen in his heart, feeling that those shameful past events didn’t seem quite so obscure anymore.
“At the time, everyone was dumbfounded,” he said in a low voice. “When he saw Steward Qin’s father and the others, he wasn’t surprised. Instead, he patted Steward Qin’s grandfather on the shoulder and praised him saying ‘You did well,’ then took up his sword and went to the Third Branch. He killed Cheng Ze…”
Zhou Shaojin’s lips turned pale.
This was the Cheng family’s true secret!
Cheng Chi gripped her hand tightly and said gently, “Did I frighten you?”
Zhou Shaojin shook her head and said resolutely, “I’m not afraid.”
Uncle Chi was telling her these things, which surely meant he found her trustworthy. How could she flee in panic just because she was frightened!
A trace of warmth flashed in Cheng Chi’s eyes.
He adjusted the candlelight on the tea table and had Zhou Shaojin sit beside him before continuing, “After Cheng Ze was dealt with by Steward Qin’s grandfather, he coughed up blood every few days. Everyone in Jinling City knew his health had deteriorated. So his death didn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion.
“As for the matter of Duke Lie’s return, no one in the family dared make it public.
“He instructed Steward Qin’s grandfather to purchase the neighboring residence. There, he undertook major construction and built another estate—what is now the Cheng Family Garden. The place where Duke Lie originally went into seclusion is the Hanbei Mountain Lodge where my mother now lives.”
Zhou Shaojin also found the answer to why that bamboo grove would cause people to lose their way.
Cheng Chi said, “The Four Seasons Tower was also built under Duke Lie’s direction. The rule forbidding lamps to be hung under the eaves of Hanbei Mountain Lodge after nightfall was also a regulation Duke Lie established at that time.
“He lived in Hanbei Mountain Lodge. Sometimes he wouldn’t be seen for half a year, while other times he would wander around the courtyard in the middle of the night for several consecutive days. His temperament was very strange. But considering he had experienced so many things, a drastic change in personality was possible.
“The people in the family all tried to act as if they hadn’t seen anything.
“But Steward Qin’s grandfather was nervous. He would always intentionally or unintentionally prevent our family’s Old Ancestor from approaching Duke Lie.
“Our family’s Old Ancestor had always respected Steward Qin’s grandfather. Moreover, he had always maintained a childlike innocent heart. Since Steward Qin’s grandfather didn’t let him approach Duke Lie, he wouldn’t approach Duke Lie. However, Uncle Li of the Second Branch was often sent for by Duke Lie to play in Hanbei Mountain Lodge.
“Enjoying one’s grandchildren—everyone thought this was natural.
“It wasn’t until the Old Ancestor grew to adulthood, married and had children, that Duke Lie fell gravely ill and summoned both our family’s Old Ancestor and the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch to Hanbei Mountain Lodge. Only then did he tell the two Old Ancestors that when Duke Zhi had gone south with Emperor Lie years ago, he had already predicted the imminent fall of the nation. The Seven Stars Hall was full of unruly desperados who had only been brought together under the banner of great righteousness like the nation and society. Once the court changed hands, those people would surely take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, and only the common people would suffer. He had entrusted the command token of the Seven Stars Hall to Duke Lie and asked him to find a way to destroy the Seven Stars Hall.
“But Duke Lie was unwilling to simply destroy the Seven Stars Hall that Duke Zhi had worked so hard to establish, and even more unwilling to just return to Jinling City to maintain the family business.
“After Duke Zhi died for his country, not only did he not destroy the Seven Stars Hall, he also acted in Duke Zhi’s name to execute a group of people who wanted to leave the Seven Stars Hall. He reset the reward and punishment regulations and firmly grasped control of the Seven Stars Hall before quietly returning to Jinling City.”
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but mutter quietly, “I think it’s not that he couldn’t bear to destroy the Seven Stars Hall that Duke Zhi had built, but rather that the previous dynasty had fallen and he was unwilling to return to Jinling City as a remnant of the old regime to be a powerless commoner. And he acted in Duke Zhi’s name—wasn’t he ashamed?”
Cheng Chi sighed.
Even a young girl who hadn’t yet had her coming-of-age ceremony could see it clearly—how could others not see it clearly?
He gently hugged Zhou Shaojin for a moment, then quickly released her, saying, “At that time, the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch had already passed the imperial examinations, entered the Hanlin Academy, and was serving as a Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Justice.
“Uncle Li was twenty years old and had just gotten married.
“Duke Lie proposed letting Uncle Li take charge of the Seven Stars Hall!”