A Clash of Gods - Chapter 116

Chapter 116 Sound out
Steward Qiu trembled and smiled in embarrassment. “Your Excellency, please stop joking. I wished every day and night that you and the third lady could return to the mansion earlier.” He shook his head and sighed. “Tell you something that I shouldn’t say. If you and the third lady don’t come back, with Lady Qiong here, the mansion wouldn’t be tranquil.”

Yang Ning asked, “Steward Qiu, I heard that you took over the position from your father, and he was the steward in the mansion in the past.”

“Yes, my father and I worked for the mansion all the time.” Steward Qiu sighed with emotion. “The old marquis and General were our benefactors, and I can hardly repay their kindness to us.”

Yang Ning asked with a smile, “Steward Qiu, do you think who is more suitable to inherit the marquis’ title, me or Qi Yu?”

Steward Qiu was stunned and then replied at once, “How can Qi Yu compare with you? You are the inheritor chosen by General, and logically, you should inherit the title.”

“Steward Qiu, you didn’t speak sincerely, right?” Yang Ning laughed. “I ask you, do you know Zhao Yuan?”

“Zhao Yuan?” Steward Qiu quivered. “Your Excellency, I…have never heard about this person.”

“Zhao Yuan is the accountant in the old house, and you contacted the people there all the time. You don’t even know the accountant?” Gu Qinghan finally asked coldly.

Steward Qiu heard that and patted his head. “Right, My Lady, as you reminded me, I remember him. There is such a person seemingly. It’s my negligence. I just know there is a Mr. Zhao, and I never asked about his name.”

Yang Ning expressed, “Since you know Zhao Yuan, of course you must know Qi Cheng, too. Steward Qiu, I heard that the old chief steward Qi Hong had a stroke three years ago and was sent to Jingzhou City to recuperate. Now the one who manages the old house is Qi Hong’s son Qi Cheng. You should have known that, right?”

Steward Qiu frowned. “Really?” He explained, “Your Excellency, My Lady, the people in the old house sent the tax silver every year, and I would check it in person, but I never heard that the old chief steward had a stroke.”

Yang Ning asked casually, “You don’t know Qi Cheng. How did you know Zhao Yuan? Don’t you know that Zhao Yuan was hired by Qi Cheng?”

“I really don’t know that. It’s just that they sent the tax silver, and I checked the accounts with them. They mentioned that the accounts in the old house were handled by a Mr. Zhao.” Steward Qiu’s expression didn’t change. “My Lady, there were many jobs in the mansion, and I neglected something in the old house. It’s my fault. Please punish me, Your Excellency, My Lady.”

Yang Ning sneered and suddenly roared, “Steward Qiu, you still don’t tell the truth?”

His voice was forceful and shocking, and Steward Qiu was frightened and knelt on the floor. “Your Excellency, I have been working dutifully in the mansion for many years and didn’t lie to you.” Then he turned to Gu Qinghan and added, “My Lady, you know my loyalty to the mansion these years. If I did something wrong, please punish me, but…”

At this time, Qi Feng came in and reported, “Your Excellency, My Lady, Lady Qiong and Young Master went out.”

Yang Ning asked, “They left? Didn’t they go to see the Dowager?”

Qi Feng answered, “No, and they didn’t take anything. I followed them for a while and they seemed to go to Third Elder Lord.”

“It turns out that they went to ask for help.” Yang Ning laughed. “It’s fine. I want to see him. If he comes personally, I don’t need to go to him.” Then he ordered, “Take good care of the man we brought.”

Qi Feng was astonished and then responded in a hurry, “Your Excellency, please rest assured. I have…”

Before Qi Feng finished his words, Yang Ning waved his hand to hint him to go away. After Qi Feng left, Yang Ning asked Steward Qiu, “Steward Qiu, do you know who I told Qi Feng to take care of?”

“I…don’t know!”

Yang Ning chuckled and said slowly, “You haven’t seen Zhao Yuan, right? This time I brought him, and you can get to know each other.”

Gu Qinghan was astonished, but she was smart and soon understood Yang Ning’s intention.

Yang Ning told Qi Feng to take care of the ugly man with the black cloak, but he told Steward Qiu that he had brought Zhao Yuan in order to sound out Steward Qiu.

As expected, Steward Qiu turned pale but still forced a smile. “Your Excellency, you brought Mr. Zhao…back?”

Yang Ning stated, “But Zhao Yuan confessed that he knew you. By the way, I forgot to tell you. I was in an accident in Jiangling and almost died there. Fortunately, God helped me and let me out of danger. Do you know who wanted to harm me?”

“No…I don’t know.” The corners of Steward Qiu’s eyes twitched. “Your Excellency, you are lucky and God helps you. You wouldn’t…be in trouble.”

Yang Ning laughed. “You know what? Something strange happened in the old house. The old chief steward’s son, right, Qi Cheng, is an imposter unexpectedly, and it turns out that Mr. Zhao, Zhao Yuan is behind the scenes. I escaped from the disaster and asked the governor in Jiangling to transfer soldiers and capture all the traitors.” He leaned forward with a cold smile. “Under the interrogation with torture, Zhao Yuan confessed a lot honestly. Do you know that they kept it from our mansion and collected forty percent of grains as the tax in the fiefdom, but in order not to make the people in the mansion suspect, they gave us the exact amount of the tax silver these years?”

Steward Qiu was nervous. “Those people…are really hateful and should…be killed.”

Yang Ning expressed with a smile, “No. If they were all killed, we can’t know the truth. They told me that the tax silver this year was sent to the capital and the Qi family, but they didn’t give it to our mansion.”

Steward Qiu asked, “Did, did…”

“What?” Yang Ning gazed at Steward Qiu.

Steward Qiu asked hurriedly. “Nothing. Your Excellency, where is the tax silver now?”

Yang Ning replied, “Don’t worry. I will get all the silver back, but they are just kept somewhere else temporarily. By the way, Zhao Yuan talked about you…”

Steward Qiu turned pale all of a sudden and stated involuntarily, “Your Excellency, don’t believe his words. He framed the good people. I didn’t…contact him in private. Your Excellency, this kind of people should be killed and you can’t keep him alive.”

“Frame the good people?” Gu Qinghan sneered. “Steward Qiu, you don’t know what he said. How did you know he would frame you? What do you think he would say?”

Steward Qiu was stunned and opened his mouth, but he didn’t make a sound.

Gu Qinghan sighed in a low voice. “It turns out to be you. It turns out that Zhao Yuan’s spy in our mansion is you?” She stood up abruptly and continued angrily, “Qiu Yi, the people in our mansion never treated you unfairly. Only you manage the mansion besides me, and you and your father both worked for the mansion. Both the old marquis and General were never unfair to you. Why did you live on us while helping others secretly and hook up with those people?”

Yang Ning sounded him out. Although Steward Qiu hadn’t admitted it, Gu Qinghan confirmed that he was the spy who hooked up with Zhao Yuan in secret.

This time they had suffered from a disaster in Jiangling, and Steward Qiu did something secretly, which made Gu Qinghan furious.

Steward Qiu said in a hurry, “My Lady, I…didn’t contact Zhao Yuan in private. I just think that those people are heartless and would surely…defame me.”

Yang Ning sighed. “Steward Qiu, would you confess only after I bring Zhao Yuan to you? Anyway, you have been in the mansion for many years. Not to mention that you have worked for the mansion for so long, we would try not to deal with this matter in a big way for the sake of your father. If you confess now, I promise that I won’t hurt you, but if Zhao Yuan comes to confront you, I will have to leave you two to the government.”

Steward Qiu lowered his head in silence. Yang Ning shook his head and shouted, “Somebody, tell Qi Feng to bring that man…”

“Your Excellency, wait a moment.” Steward Qiu raised his head all of a sudden and looked scared, adding in a trembling voice, “I…don’t dare to keep it from you. In fact…it’s…the third elder lord who ordered me behind it. I…was forced by him and could do nothing. Please spare me.”

“The third elder lord?” Gu Qinghan’s eyes widened. “Qiu Yi, don’t frame others randomly.”

Qiu Yi replied, “My Lady, it’s really the third elder lord’s order.” He added anxiously, “The third elder lord wants Qi Yu to inherit the title, so…he always aims at His Excellency. I do know Zhao Yuan and knew that Qi Cheng managed the old house, but I really don’t know they raised the tax without permission.”

“Why does the third elder lord want Qi Yu to replace me?” Yang Ning’s smile faded and he asked coldly, “Is there any deal behind it?”

Qiu Yi answered, “Yes. Qi Yu…and Lady Qiong promised to the third elder lord that as long as he inherits the title, he would give a half of the tax from the fiefdom to the third elder lord. The third elder lord has only the tax from five hundred families but would have one thousand five hundred families to pay the tax after Qi Yu inherits the title. Moreover, Qi Yu would give half of the farmland in Jiangling to the third elder lord.”

Gu Qinghan was so angry that she breathed quickly and her chest went up and down. She asked in a rage, “Did you lie to us?”

“I don’t dare to lie.” Qiu Yi showed a sad face. “Lady Qiong promised to give me two hundred families in the fiefdom and eight hundred mu of farmland. I…was tempted and dragged into the mire by them.”

“You discussed everything after General passed away?” Gu Qinghan frowned. “Otherwise, when General was alive, even if you played tricks, Qi Yu couldn’t inherit the title, but you have privately contacted the people in the old house for three years, so you couldn’t have discussed recently.”

Qiu Yi responded, “My Lady, you are smart. It was the third elder lord. Three years ago, when the soldiers from the Northern Han State came to attack and General resisted the enemies on the battlefield, the third elder lord said that General had injuries all over his body and might stay alive after recuperating for several years, but he was in the war. Even if he didn’t die on the battlefield, he wouldn’t live long when he worked tiredly every day and night.” He paused for a while and wanted to speak but stopped himself.

“What else? Why not speak out now?”

Qiu Yi responded hurriedly, “The third elder lord said that although General was the commander in the Qinhuai Army of the Chu State, he was not irresistible. Most of the generals and soldiers were in awe of him, but… some people might be critical of him. After General went to the battlefield, he might not return, so since the day when General left, the third elder lord prepared to let Qi Yu replace His Excellency.”