Chapter 19: The Knock
Qi Changgui’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with hatred. Upon hearing that all their family assets were to be returned to the Lu family, he nearly ran headlong into a wall. He stubbornly refused to come, but if he didn’t, his son would be tortured to death.
“Young Master, here are forty-three thousand silver notes. Please count them!” Qi Changgui, servile and trembling, held up a sandalwood box.
Lu Lan instructed Zhong Bo to accept the silver notes.
“And this…” Qi Changgui looked at his son, Qi Cong, with a heart full of pain.
“Get lost!”
Gritting his teeth, Qi Changgui led them away.
As the father and son stepped out of the Duke of Yuguo’s mansion gate, the more than three hundred people inside the main courtyard all felt a chill run down their spines.
Was it their turn next?
All the household’s provisions and expenses were managed by others, and inevitably, there was some skimming off the top. This was not unique to the Duke of Yuguo’s mansion; throughout the land, there was no such thing as absolute purity.
The servants reasoned that surviving on a meager salary each month was impossible, so some extra earnings would not be harshly judged by their masters.
It was only a matter of degree, as long as it was not excessive.
If the Young Master was going to audit the accounts, this matter would be laid bare. Not only would they lose their illicit gains going forward, but they might also be forced to return what they had already taken.
Yet Lu Lan remained silent for a long time; the atmosphere was oppressively still.
Finally, with a grand gesture:
“Dismiss everyone, go back to your own affairs.”
“Yes, sir!”
The crowd looked around, puzzled but relieved as their tense hearts finally eased.
Lu Lan’s intention was clear: minor embezzlement by servants was tolerable. Most of these people were born into the household, their families tied to the Duke of Yuguo’s mansion for generations, the most reliable among them.
He could not simply drive out every servant who had pocketed some money.
Too much purity breeds no fish.
After this upheaval, they would be warned not to go too far in the future—to take just enough to survive, no gluttony or greed.
Lu Lan then resolved to cut off the Qi family completely. He called Zhong Bo over:
“Zhong Bo, from now on, no Qi family members are allowed to interfere in any business of the household. Immediately halt all ongoing sales of their properties.”
“Yes, sir!”
He then turned and called out to Xianyu:
“Gather the men and come with me.”
…
On the carriage ride back, Qi Changgui muttered curses, his heart full of resentment.
“All these years of hard work, and that bastard Lu Lan reaps the rewards. I hate it to my core!”
Qi Changgui pounded his chest in frustration, while Qi Cong lay in the carriage like a dead dog.
“Your sister is no better either. You’ve been beaten like this, Lu Lan has trampled all over the Qi family, even left a mess, and she still won’t step forward. What does she mean? Does she not consider you human?”
“She hides away in the back courtyard, shirking all the hard work and leaving it to the two of us. How did I give birth to such a cold-hearted, heartless creature?”
Qi Cong, barely able to speak, whispered, “Father, don’t blame sister. If she were to come forward, the Qi family would be finished.”
Qi Changgui understood the reasoning.
“But… she can’t just hide and refuse to show herself! She takes the lion’s share of the money we earn.”
“Father, wait. When Zhong Wang passes the imperial exams, Lu Lan’s good days will be over.”
The two sat in gloom when suddenly the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from outside the carriage.
A few swift horses thundered past, startling the Qi family’s horses.
At this late hour, during curfew, the coachman hadn’t expected fast horses to suddenly appear.
The carriage jolted violently, nearly overturning. Qi Changgui stuck his head out the window, cursing:
“Who is this, racing horses through the streets at night? Are they rushing to their death?”
“Lawless bunch, just like that bastard Lu Lan,” muttered the coachman nervously.
Swallowing hard, he said, “Master, don’t curse. The leader of that group is the Young Master.”
Lu Lan’s garments were extravagantly fine, crafted from the finest Shu embroidery—tribute-level fabric that shimmered faintly in the firelight. Amid the crowd, his identity was unmistakable.
Lu Lan?
Qi Changgui shrank back inside the carriage, muttering under his breath, “That short-lived ghost, where is he off gallivanting at this hour?”