Chapter 12: Concubine Qi’s Younger Brother

The Minister of Rites’ manor and the Gu family had a complete falling out.

"My son is a provincial examination top scholar and the son of a high-ranking minister. That he even condescended to look at a concubine-born daughter from a minor official like your Court of Imperial Sacrifices official is already a blessing from your ancestors. Where do you get the nerve to break off the engagement?"

Gu Zhijing and Madame Song felt as if they had been stabbed in the heart, yet they dared not utter a word in rebuttal.

*Yes, yes, you are right to scold us.*

"I’ll state this clearly: my son is guaranteed to win the top rank in next spring’s imperial examination. When that day comes, don't even think about clinging to that glory, no matter how hard you try to crawl toward it."

Another stab.

"And what kind of good-for-nothing is that Lu Lan? Just a dissipated rake who knows only how to gamble and chase dogs. Can he even compare to my son? I will watch how your Gu daughter struggles in that pit of fire. Tell Gu Xingwan to prepare for a lifetime of regret!"

Three stabs.

Each one left Gu Zhijing and Madame Song bleeding internally.

The engagement was ultimately broken. On the way back, the two of them wept incessantly. The Minister’s wife had been far too cruel; never in their lives had they suffered such humiliation.

When the news reached Gu Xingwan’s ears, she couldn’t be bothered to care about her parents’ plight. Compared to her previous life—where she was pregnant in the dead of winter and cast out of the house—this was nothing more than a minor irritation. They had sought to break the engagement purely for long-term gain, never out of any genuine familial affection.

***

Lu Lan arrived at the manor’s storehouse to audit the accounts.

The moment he stepped through the door, he startled Old Zhong, the chief steward. Every time the young master visited, the household suffered a financial hemorrhage. The cash reserves were barely enough to cover year-end expenses; there was truly no extra silver left for the young master to squander.

"Young Master, what are your instructions?" Old Zhong asked, bowing low and speaking in a hushed tone.

Lu Lan sat by the desk, pushed the abacus aside, and said with a calm tone: "Old Zhong, my mother asked me to come and audit the accounts. Go and bring all the ledgers of the manor here."

Old Zhong’s eyes went wide with astonishment. What was up with the young master today? Why was he auditing the accounts? In the past, he would just demand money and leave without even sitting down.

He glanced up at Xianyu, his attendant, who also shook his head, equally baffled.

"Yes, sir!"

Old Zhong was a trusted aide of Yan Shiyue and had been with the Lu family for over a decade. Soon, two servants brought over a massive chest, weighing over two hundred pounds, and opened it before Lu Lan. It was packed with blue-bound, white-papered volumes—over two hundred in total, sorted by category.

"Young Master, all the manor's accounts are here. The ones on top are the income and expenditures for the last few months, and the ones below are from before that. You see..."

Lu Lan stared at them. "Bring me the ledgers for the most recent months first."

Although Lu Lan knew who was hollowing out the Duke of Yu’s estate, he didn't know exactly how much had been taken. Old Zhong handed him the August accounts, and Lu Lan flipped through them carefully.

"August 3rd: Young Master redeemed Little Ah Qiao at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, costing 8,000 taels of silver."

"August 9th: Young Master redeemed Liu Xiexie at the Baoyue Tower, costing 9,500 taels of silver."

*Pfft!*

Lu Lan felt a sharp pang of pain; these "gold-plated" women were expensive.

"August 15th: Young Master caused a disturbance while drinking at the Baoyue Tower and smashed a rare antique, paying 7,300 taels in compensation..."

*Great.* He’d been fleeced again; that piece of junk wasn't worth more than five taels at most.

"Injured seven people, paid a total of 2,000 taels for medical expenses and settlements."

And these were only the accounts for August. He didn't even dare look at the earlier ones. Nothing in life is more painful than reviewing one’s own past mistakes. Had he done even one fewer of these stupid things written in the books, he wouldn't be short on money.

Seeing Lu Lan’s expression darken, Old Zhong hurriedly shifted the blame: "Young Master, it... it was the Madam who ordered the accounts to be kept in such detail."

"Old Zhong, you did the right thing."

Lu Lan didn't blame him. After reading through, he wanted to slap himself twice; he had truly been a piece of work. Fortunately, after an hour of reading, it wasn't without harvest—he had actually found concrete evidence.

"Old Zhong, summon the broker who handles the sale of the manor’s ancestral property."

The manor sold off a portion of its inferior ancestral assets every year and purchased new ones when the times were good. It was supposed to be a normal cycle of property management. But Old Zhong suddenly shrank into a ball, terrified.

"Young Master, why are you looking for the broker?"

Lu Lan watched his embarrassed demeanor. "What? Don't tell me you don't know who the broker is?"

Old Zhong: "..."

Old Zhong swallowed hard. Of course he knew, he just didn't dare say it.

Lu Lan handed him the ledger, which clearly stated the broker’s name: Qi Cong.

Qi Cong was no stranger; he was the younger brother of Qi Xuefu. He specialized in real estate flipping in the capital, buying properties from one party and selling them to another to profit from the price difference.

Old Zhong kept his head down, not daring to speak. He was just a servant; how could he dare offend the masters? In this house, even a distant relative who had nothing to do with the family could order them around.

"Young Master, Master Qi lives in the Jiapigou Alley in the east of the city. His shop is called Qingfengyuan Brokerage. I will send someone to invite him over right now."

Lu Lan was not so easily fooled. Invite him over?

"Stop!"

He didn't let Old Zhong handle it. He signaled for Xianyu to come closer. "Do you know what to do?"

Xianyu was sharp. "East of the city, Jiapigou Alley, Qingfengyuan Brokerage. I will bring the man back, and he will not be allowed to contact anyone on the way."

That wasn't enough. Lu Lan whispered into his ear: "..."

Xianyu smirked and gave a thumbs up. "The Young Master is thoughtful."

"Go!"

Old Zhong sensed that something bad was about to happen and sighed in despair. He knew that Qi Cong would get into trouble sooner or later.