Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Blood on the Brocade Robe Chapter 142: Madame Three of the Eight Trigrams

Yang Ning smiled and said, "This is hardly a bad thing. Someone like Qi Yu truly ought to become a monk to mend his ways."

Although Duan Canghai and the others held no fondness for Qi Yu either, Qi Yu was, after all, of Qi Jing's bloodline. While Yang Ning could easily utter such words, the others found it awkward to respond.

"Right, I almost forgot," Yang Ning said, suddenly thinking of Tang Luo as he asked, "Second Brother Duan, during the few days I was away, did anyone come to the Marquis's Mansion looking for me?"

Duan Canghai slapped his forehead and said, "If the Heir hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten indeed." A half-smile played on his lips as he asked, "Heir, are you referring to the young lady surnamed Tang?"

"Precisely!" Yang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. "It is Miss Tang. Has she arrived in the capital? Where is she now?"

Duan Canghai smiled. "When Miss Tang came looking for the Marquis's Mansion, we were quite puzzled. She merely stated she had an appointment with the Heir and said nothing else. Third Madam has temporarily arranged for her to stay within the mansion, and she is being very well cared for, so the Heir need not worry."

Qi Feng smiled warmly and asked, "Heir, how did you come to make the acquaintance of that young lady?"

"Must I explain that to you?" Yang Ning glanced sideways at Qi Feng, thinking that Tang Luo had indeed kept her promise and possessed quite a respectable character.

The group did not delay and galloped all the way toward the capital.

The Great Brightness Temple on Purple Gold Mountain was located north of the Jianye capital and was not actually very far away. Before dusk, they had already returned to the city.

Upon reaching the Marquis's Mansion, Yang Ning walked straight inside. The members of the household were overjoyed to see him return, and someone had already gone to inform Gu Qinghan. Upon hearing the news, Gu Qinghan was even more delighted. When she saw him, she showered him with questions about his well-being. Yang Ning could only give a generalized account, naturally omitting his defeat of Bai Yuhe at the Great Brightness Temple.

Only after Duan Canghai assured her that Yang Ning had completely recovered did Gu Qinghan finally breathe a sigh of relief and set her mind at ease.

Knowing that Yang Ning had likely subsisted on plain tea and vegetarian fare during his stay at the temple, she had long since instructed the servants to prepare a sumptuous feast in the warm parlor.

Winter had already set in, and the weather was bitter. Everyone in the Marquis's Mansion had changed into winter garments. Gu Qinghan wore a deep purple long dress embroidered with auspicious peonies, a water-green silk ribbon loosely tied around her slender waist, perfectly accentuating her full and flawless figure. Over her upper body, she wore a fox-fur warm mantle. The snow-white fox fur did nothing to diminish her rosy complexion; instead, it made her face appear even more tender and dewy. Her skin was fine and delicate, glowing as if it could drip water, and a few strands of hair brushing against her snowy cheeks added an extra touch of alluring charm.

Though Yang Ning had enjoyed fine food at the Great Brightness Temple—where Monk Zhenbi had personally cooked meals for him over several consecutive days, complete with color, aroma, and flavor—he had, after all, abstained from meat for days. Now faced with a table full of delicacies and mouth-watering aromas, he stood on no ceremony, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared to dig in. Gu Qinghan, however, gently patted his hand and said, "What is the rush? Wait a moment!"

Yang Ning put down his chopsticks and asked, "Third Madam, what is it? Surely this table of food isn't just meant for looking at?"

"Don't be so glib-tongued," Gu Qinghan said with a smile. "Did you think this entire table of dishes was prepared just for you? I cooked this myself. Wait a little for Miss Tang."

"Ah, I see!" Yang Ning smiled. "The dishes Third Madam makes always look appetizing." He then asked, "Has someone already gone to call her?"

"Just wait a moment," Gu Qinghan replied softly, then asked, "Ninger, did you see the Fourth Granduncle?"

"The Fourth Granduncle?" Yang Ning was startled. No one had ever mentioned any Fourth Granduncle to him before, and he asked in surprise, "Third Madam, of whom are you speaking?"

Gu Qinghan looked somewhat surprised and said, "Did you not meet the Fourth Granduncle? He was also at the Great Brightness Temple. I assumed you would see him during your trip there, and I wonder how his old self is doing now."

Yang Ning scratched his head, feeling rather bewildered, and asked, "Third Madam, is this Fourth Granduncle a member of our family?"

Gu Qinghan gave him a sideways glance and scolded, "Have you grown muddled again after living in a temple for a few days? The Fourth Granduncle is the blood brother of the old Marquis. Back when the old Marquis was heavily wounded, it was an eminent monk of the Great Brightness Temple who brought him back from the brink of death. According to the temple rules, the old Marquis was required to become a monk. It was the Fourth Granduncle who voluntarily offered to take the old Marquis's place in monkhood. At that time, the old Marquis was still young, and the Fourth Granduncle was only around seventeen or eighteen..." She sighed softly, "The situation back then was just like this recent one."

Only then did Yang Ning learn that the Qi family actually had a Fourth Granduncle residing at the Great Brightness Temple. Given his age, the Fourth Granduncle should belong to the 'Qing' generation of monks at the temple, though he wondered what his Buddhist name was. Since he had previously been unaware of this person's existence, he had naturally paid no attention.

"Third Madam, what is the Fourth Granduncle's Buddhist name?" Yang Ning hurriedly asked. "In any case, the Great Brightness Temple has agreed that I can go up the mountain whenever I please. When the time comes, I can simply go look for the Fourth Granduncle."

Gu Qinghan smiled and said, "I recall that the Buddhist name he took upon becoming a monk was Jingchun. He went up the mountain several decades ago. Although the old Marquis went up the mountain to see him several times thereafter, the Fourth Granduncle refused to meet him. I heard that when the Fourth Granduncle originally went up the mountain, he said the old Marquis had spent years fighting on battlefields and, although he achieved great military merits, he had also committed countless killings and incurred many human lives' debts. Thus, taking his place in monkhood was also a way to lighten the old Marquis's karmic burden of killing."

Yang Ning was startled. "Jingchun?" He thought to himself that Jingchun turned out to be the Fourth Granduncle of the Qi family. The fact that Jingchun had brought him to the Tianbao Mountain peak to recuperate turned out to be a matter of deep karmic affinity.

It was only a pity that he had not seen Jingchun while on the mountain.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: had Jingchun instructed the young novice monk Zhenming to teach him the *Qing Scripture*—and forbidden him from letting outsiders know—out of some private partiality as well?

Seeing the look of astonishment on Yang Ning's face, Gu Qinghan hurriedly asked, "Have you met him?"

"I haven't met him; the Fourth Granduncle is currently in the imperial palace," Yang Ning said. "I heard the palace is holding a grand water-and-land dharma service for the Emperor, and the Great Brightness Temple has dispatched quite a few monks to attend. The Fourth Granduncle is among them."

Gu Qinghan nodded slightly. "So the Fourth Granduncle has also entered the palace. I heard that several dozen monks came from the Great Brightness Temple."

Yang Ning sighed. "The Fourth Granduncle shows such deep brotherly affection, but our Second Young Master Qi Yu is vastly different. Third Madam, I heard it was the Dowager who persuaded Qi Yu before he was willing to go up the mountain?"

"Ninger, regardless of what Qi Yu has done in the past, if not for him going up the mountain this time, you would likely still be trapped in the temple," Gu Qinghan sighed softly. "The Dowager said that since he is willing to become a monk in your stead, he is still considered a descendant of the Qi family, and we must take good care of Concubine Qiong as well."

Yang Ning frowned and asked, "Has Concubine Qiong returned?"

Gu Qinghan replied, "You banished her yourself; without your consent, the Dowager would not have allowed her to return. The Dowager had a small courtyard purchased separately for her by the mansion, along with two maidservants to wait upon her, and she will be provided with a yearly allowance for living expenses. After all, she is still preserving your face."

Yang Ning nodded slightly and asked, "Has our tax silver been retrieved?"

Gu Qinghan frowned slightly. "Canghai took men and brought some back, but they declared that the tax silver for five hundred households will absolute not be returned. The Third Granduncle's stance is that this was a rule established while the old Marquis was still alive, and it is not your place to overrule it. Not only this time, but in all future years as well, the fief stipend for those five hundred households must follow past precedent and cannot be short by a single cash."

"That old fellow certainly has a thick skin," Yang Ning sneered. "We have already severed ties with the Qi clan; what qualification does he have to continue enjoying the tax revenues of the Marquis of Brocade? No, let alone five hundred households, I will take back even if it's just one."

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ninger, although we have parted ways, bones are still connected by tendons; there is no need to make things overly embarrassing for them. How about..."

"Third Madam, I have said it before, you are simply too soft-hearted," Yang Ning interrupted. "Do you not remember how they treated us? Having spent many years in the capital, they previously borrowed the prestige of the Marquis of Brocade to reap countless benefits. Knowing full well that the Marquis's Mansion was financially strapped recently, he kept the tax silver hidden in his own hands without uttering a single peep. That was harboring malicious intentions all along. Toward such people, one truly cannot afford to be soft-hearted."

Gu Qinghan sighed softly, "Since you are the head of the house and manage the Marquis's Mansion, do as you see fit."

Yang Ning hurriedly said, "Third Madam, don't say it like that. I am merely a nominal head; if this mansion is to be truly managed, how could it do without you? I was only thinking out loud. If you feel it is inappropriate, we shall handle it according to your wishes."

Gu Qinghan glanced at Yang Ning and gave a gentle smile. "I have managed the Marquis's Mansion all these years and have practically turned into an old woman. From now on, you should handle it. If you truly wish to have nothing to do with it, finding someone else to help manage it is fine as well. I cannot labor forever; it is time for this old woman to rest."

"An old woman?" Yang Ning laughed heartily. "Third Madam, if anyone else heard you say that, they would laugh their teeth off!"

"What are they laughing at?" Gu Qinghan's face darkened as she glared at Yang Ning. "What would they laugh at?"

Yang Ning adopted a completely serious expression. "If you are an old woman, would there not be any young maidens left in this world? Look at yourself in the mirror—left, right, top, bottom—you look at most twenty years old! Where in the world is there such a young and beautiful old woman? If others heard you, would they not ridicule you?"

This time, Gu Qinghan did not get angry. Instead, she merely said, "You saying all this is simply to get me to help you do more work. Do not think that just because you flatter me, I am unaware."

"Heaven and earth bear witness!" Yang Ning protested. "Third Madam, I am truly not flattering you. You genuinely look exceptionally young. If you don't believe me, let's go outside and ask someone!"

"I won't babble with you anymore," Gu Qinghan smiled. "Ninger, did you hear what I said? I told you to find someone to help you manage the Marquis's Mansion."

Yang Ning replied, "Where could I possibly find someone as sagacious as Third Madam? Even if I could find one, I wouldn't want them. Third Madam is the best."

"Aiya, why won't you understand?" Gu Qinghan said, growing somewhat anxious. "I am telling you to hurry and find a wife to marry so she can help you then!" She leaned in slightly, a half-smile playing on her lips as she asked, "Ninger, that Miss Tang said you met by chance and arranged to meet in the capital, but she didn't explain clearly, and it wasn't convenient for me to press her. Come, tell Third Madam, what on earth is going on between you two?"

She smiled brightly, as pretty as a flower, wearing an expression full of playful gossip.

Yang Ning understood immediately and hurriedly said, "Third Madam, you must not let your imagination run wild. Miss Tang and I have nothing going on. At most, we are friends. I saw that she possesses great skill, so I intend to help her develop her career, and previously I also had the intention of having her help me heal my injuries."

"Why are you in such a rush?" Gu Qinghan chuckled. "I didn't say anything yet. Is this what they call a confession without being pressed? Ninger, is there anything you cannot tell Third Madam? Come, let Third Madam ask you: do you like her?"

Her gossipy demeanor made her appear somewhat willful and endearing. The combination of such behavior with the mature, alluring charm of a beautiful young matron was truly enough to set anyone's heart fluttering.