Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy of Honor and Valor Chapter 113: Betrayal from Within

Although Gu Qinghan had married into the Qi family, the Gu residence still kept her courtyard. It was maintained as spotless as ever, and when Yang Ning entered, he found her waiting inside. The moment she saw him, she rose and hurried toward him.

Yang Ning was about to say a few words of consolation when Gu Qinghan raised her hand and struck him across the cheek. He could easily have dodged, but this time he did not. Her hand landed against his face with little force, and it did not hurt. Yang Ning gave a bitter smile, while Gu Qinghan, her face taut with anger, demanded, “Do you know why I hit you?”

“You blame me for leaving alone that day,” Yang Ning said with a soft sigh.

Her eyes reddened. “So you do know? Do you have any idea how I could have gone on living if something had happened to you?”

“Third Mother...” Moved, Yang Ning spoke gently. “You know that circumstances left me no choice that day. Otherwise, how could I ever have let you leave alone?”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Whatever happened, you should never have risked yourself. You know that an entire clan’s fate rests upon your shoulders. How could you endanger yourself for my sake? Thank heaven you came back safely. Otherwise...” She covered her trembling lips with one hand.

“Third Mother, we are both safe and sound now. Please, do not grieve any longer.”

“Then promise me you will not be so foolish again.” Her beautiful eyes were misty.

Yang Ning smiled. “I will not take risks lightly. But if the same circumstances arose again, I would still make the same choice.”

“You!” Enraged, Gu Qinghan raised her hand to strike him once more, but Yang Ning caught her smooth, delicate wrist.

“Third Mother, you were the one who said I had grown up. Since I am an adult now, I know what I must do. Would you rather I became a man without responsibility or backbone?”

“You... let go of me!” Her cheeks flushed as he held her hand. She struggled free, turned away, and sat down angrily. “Fine. Since you have grown up, I will stop meddling in your affairs. Do whatever you please. I cannot be bothered to worry about you anymore.”

Yang Ning walked behind her. Her shoulders were still trembling faintly, and he said softly, “If you stop looking after me, Third Mother, who else will? You cannot simply abandon me. If you refuse to keep an eye on me, I am afraid I may turn into a wicked man.”

Gu Qinghan turned her head and cast him a sidelong glance, her expression radiating endless charm. “Are you not already a lawless villain?”

“Am I a villain?” Yang Ning rubbed his nose. “Then tell me, Third Mother—what exactly have I done wrong?”

He had asked only in passing, but to Gu Qinghan his words sounded somewhat frivolous. The tips of her ears grew hot, yet she deliberately cooled her expression and changed the subject. “What happened at the old residence? Who sent those people?”

Yang Ning pulled over a chair and tried to sit nearer to her. Gu Qinghan gave him a warning look.

“Sit over there.”

Yang Ning paused helplessly, then sat opposite her. “The accountant, Zhao Yuan, is dead. The man posing as Qi Cheng was a fake as well, and he is dead too.”

“What?” Gu Qinghan exclaimed. “They...”

“For the past several years, they had controlled the old residence. The taxes were collected at a rate of forty percent, with half of the excess sent to the capital to keep those people there appeased. The rest of the money was apparently sent secretly to Bashu.” Yang Ning frowned. “Exactly where it went, however, is still unknown.”

“Bashu?” Gu Qinghan knitted her brows. “Was their purpose in controlling the old residence simply to obtain that extra money?”

Yang Ning shook his head. “It cannot be that simple. Before the fake Qi Cheng died, he confessed that they had an informant within our marquis’s household. They knew everything that happened there. I believe he was telling the truth. We hurried back to Jiangling day and night, and only a handful of people knew we were coming. Yet the old residence seemed to know everything in advance and had even prepared a trap. Unless someone had sent them word beforehand, they could never have made such thorough preparations in so little time.”

“You mean there is a traitor within the marquis’s household?” Gu Qinghan asked in shock.

“Exactly,” Yang Ning said. “This batch of tax silver was indeed sent to the capital, but it was not handed over to the marquis’s household. It was given to the Qi family instead.”

“How is that possible?” Gu Qinghan frowned. “We never saw a single coin of it.”

“It is all in the hands of the Third Granduncle.” Yang Ning let out a cold laugh. “He took the tax silver for himself. Yet even though he knew the marquis’s household was stretched to the breaking point, he never mentioned it.”

Gu Qinghan’s brows drew together more tightly. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Could the Third Granduncle be behind all this? Is he the traitor?”

Yang Ning shook his head. “The Third Granduncle is certainly involved, but he is not the informant mentioned by the fake Qi Cheng.” After a pause, he continued, “Third Mother, apart from those who traveled here with us, no more than four people in the marquis’s household knew we were coming to Jiangling. The Third Granduncle was not among them. Judging from how carefully the trap was arranged, someone must have sent word to Jiangling the moment we left the capital. It could not have been the Third Granduncle’s people.”

Gu Qinghan looked increasingly confused. “Ning’er, what is really going on? The more I hear, the less I understand.”

“Third Mother, Zhao Yuan must have had dealings with the Third Granduncle, and perhaps even with Qi Yu. They must have reached some sort of secret agreement. But the informant within the household is someone else.” Yang Ning leaned forward slightly. “At the very least, Zhao Yuan was secretly connected to two factions within the Qi family. One was the Third Granduncle and Qi Yu. The other was that informant.”

“The Third Granduncle has always wanted Qi Yu to inherit the title,” Gu Qinghan said. “By secretly conspiring with the people at the old residence, they hoped to control the household’s income. In the end, their purpose was simply to make trouble for us.”

Yang Ning hesitated before saying, “According to the fake Qi Cheng’s confession, they set the trap so that the two of us would...” He faltered. “They wanted to use the matter to blackmail me and place me under their control...”

At that, he remembered Gu Qinghan’s intoxicating moans and the breathless sounds that had seemed to echo beside his ear that day. His heartbeat quickened involuntarily. Gu Qinghan had been watching him with a solemn expression, but when she heard this, she turned her head away. A blush spread across her cheeks, her bosom rising and falling, and she too became visibly uneasy.

The room fell silent for a while. Feeling awkward, Yang Ning broke the silence. “I believe they wanted to control me through this matter, perhaps even control you. Their purpose was certainly not merely to help Qi Yu seize the title. Zhao Yuan did not truly care about Qi Yu; Qi Yu was only a pawn for him to use. Zhao Yuan would not have gone to such lengths simply to help Qi Yu inherit the title. He cannot have been acting out of kindness.”

Gu Qinghan pondered this. “Ning’er, is it possible that they never expected to control you directly at first? Perhaps they secretly allied themselves with Qi Yu because, once he inherited the title, they intended to use him for something else. Only after we came to Jiangling did they decide to take direct control of you?”

Yang Ning nodded. “That is certainly possible. But whether they intend to control Qi Yu or me, they only want to turn us into their pawns. There must be an even more astonishing plot behind it all. What exactly are they planning?”

Then, as another thought occurred to him, he asked, “Third Mother, Zhao Yuan himself did not possess such power. With only those few men, he could never have dared move against the Brocade-Clad Marquis’s household. I have learned that the mastermind behind them is someone called the Ninefold Netherworld Earth Treasury. This person seems to harbor some grudge against our Qi family. Have you ever heard of him?”

“The Ninefold Netherworld Earth Treasury?” Gu Qinghan stared blankly for a moment, then shook her head. “I have never heard of such a person. What grievance could he possibly have against us?”

“I do not know either.” Yang Ning gave a wry smile. “The enemy is hidden while we remain exposed. Although the matter at the old residence has been dealt with, I doubt the Ninefold Netherworld Earth Treasury will let things end there. This time he merely sent a minor underling like Zhao Yuan to stir up trouble and did not appear in person. He probably does not yet have the time to devote all his attention to us. I am worried that if he comes after us himself, we will find ourselves in serious difficulty.”

A trace of concern appeared in Gu Qinghan’s eyes, but she soon gave a cold laugh. “I have always shown forbearance toward Qi Yu and his mother. Though I knew they meant us no good, they were still members of the Qi family, and so I chose to overlook many things. But this time they betrayed their own house for outsiders. They must not be spared lightly.”

“There is one more thing you may not know, Third Mother.” Yang Ning’s expression turned grave. “The Emperor is dead.”

“What?” Gu Qinghan was stunned. “How... how did you learn that?”

“It is absolutely true.” Yang Ning said, “That is why we must return to the capital as quickly as possible. The capital must already be in chaos. With neither of us there, I fear that those among the Qi family who harbor ulterior motives may drag the entire family into disaster. If we are not there to control the situation at the marquis’s household, someone will certainly seize the opportunity to create trouble.”

Gu Qinghan’s expression grew even more solemn, and she nodded. “You are right, Ning’er. At a time like this, every step is crucial. One wrong move, and we could be utterly destroyed.” She rose. “Let us make preparations and return to the capital as soon as possible.”

Then she thought of something and hesitated before saying, “Ning’er, the capital is in such turmoil. Why do you not... why do you not remain here in Jiangling while I return alone?”

Yang Ning understood that she was worried he might become entangled in the struggle if he returned at such a dangerous time. She wanted him to stay in Jiangling and avoid the coming chaos.

In truth, even now Yang Ning felt little affection for the Qi family, much less any sense of responsibility toward them. Yet if the Qi family stumbled into disgrace and punishment, the Gu family, as their in-laws, would inevitably be dragged down with them, and Gu Qinghan would certainly suffer. If he could help, he would. Besides, he was a man who clearly remembered both kindness and enmity. Those who had shown him kindness would receive his gratitude, but toward those who had wronged him, he would never show mercy.

He had nearly lost his life in Jiangling this time, and Qi Yu and the Third Granduncle were deeply implicated. More importantly, the informant within the marquis’s household had yet to be exposed.

No matter what it took, Yang Ning had to drag that traitor into the light.