Yang Ning stated with a smile, “It’s not something bad. Qi Yu should become a monk and change his temper.”

Duan Canghai and the others didn’t like Qi Yu, but after all, Qi Yu was Qi Jing’s son. Yang Ning could say that, while they didn’t dare to echo him.

“By the way, I almost forget it.” Yang Ning suddenly thought of Tang Nuo and asked, “Brother Duan, was there somebody who went to our mansion to see me when I was away these days?”

Duan Canghai patted his head. “Your Excellency, if you don’t remind me, I almost forget it, too.” He smiled faintly. “Do you mean the girl whose family name is Tang?”

“Right!” Yang Ning heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s Miss Tang. Has she arrived at the capital city? Where is she now?”

Duan Canghai smiled. “When Miss Tang came to the mansion, we were surprised. She said that she had an agreement with you yet didn’t say anything else. The third lady let her stay in the mansion temporarily and took good care of her. Don’t worry about her, Your Excellency.”

Qi Feng asked with a smile, “Your Excellency, how did you know that girl?”

“Do I need to explain to you?” Yang Ning leered at Qi Feng and thought that Tang Nuo kept her word and must have a good moral quality.

They didn’t delay and urged the fast horses, heading to the capital city.

The Temple of Great Light on Purple Mountain was located in the north of the capital city Jianye, not far away. They returned to the capital city before evening.

When they reached the mansion, Yang Ning directly entered. All people in the mansion were happy to see him return home. Somebody had reported to Gu Qinghan. Knowing that Yang Ning had come back, Gu Qinghan was happier. After seeing him, she asked him a lot of questions, and he had to say some things roughly, but he certainly couldn’t mention that he had defeated Bai Yuhe in the Temple of Great Light.

Duan Canghai told Gu Qinghan that there was no big problem with Yang Ning, so she finally sighed with relief and stopped worrying.

She knew that Yang Ning had stayed in the temple these days and perhaps ate coarse fare every day, so she had told the servants in advance to prepare a full table of rich food in the warm hall.

It was winter and the weather was cold. All people in the mansion had changed into winter clothes. Gu Qinghan wore a dark reddish purple long dress with peonies embroidered and a green silk tied on her waist, which revealed her plump and nice figure. She was dressed in a warm coat with fox fur as the upper outer garment. The snow-white fox fur didn’t suppress her fair skin but made her face more tender. Her skin was fine, smooth, delicate and charming. Two wisps of hair on her cheeks caressed her fair-skinned face, which added more charm to her.

Yang Ning was lucky in the Temple of Great Light and Zhenbi cooked for him in person for several days successively, so he had beautiful and delicious dishes with good smell to eat. After all, he didn’t eat meat or fish for a few days. At the moment, the table was full of delicacies with aroma. He didn’t hesitate and grabbed the chopsticks, preparing to eat, while Gu Qinghan raised her hand and patted him. “No hurry. Wait a moment.”

Yang Ning put down the chopsticks and asked, “Aunt, what’s wrong? Were the dishes made to be looked at?”

“Don’t be glib-tongued.” Gu Qinghan smiled. “Do you think that all the dishes are prepared for you? I cooked them in person. Wait for Miss Tang.”

“Oh!” Yang Ning laughed. “They are cooked by you, Aunt. It’s delicious at a glance.” He asked, “Have you sent somebody to call for her?”

Gu Qinghan answered, “Just wait.” She asked softly, “Ning, have you seen the Fourth Elder Lord?”

“The Fourth Elder Lord?” Yang Ning was stunned. He had never heard somebody mention this person in the past, so he asked in surprise, “Aunt, whom are you talking about?”

Gu Qinghan was astonished. “Haven’t you seen the Fourth Elder Lord? He is also in the Temple of Great Light. I thought that you would see him when you went there this time. I don’t know how he is now.”

Yang Ning scratched his head in a daze and asked, “Aunt, is the Fourth Elder Lord you mentioned our family?”

Gu Qinghan rolled her eyes at him. “Did you become muddle-headed again after staying in the temple for a few days? The Fourth Elder Lord is the old marquis’ brother. The old marquis was wounded seriously that year, and the eminent monks in the Temple of Great Light brought him back from death. According to the rules of the temple, the old marquis had to become a monk, and it was the Fourth Elder Lord who offered to become a monk for him. At that time, the old marquis was still young, and the Fourth Elder Lord was only seventeen or eighteen years old…” She added gloomily, “The situation was the same as this time.”

Yang Ning finally knew that the Fourth Elder Lord from the Qi family was in the Temple of Great Light. Judging from his age, the Fourth Elder Lord must be a monk with the word Qing in his name in the temple, but Yang Ning didn’t know what his Buddhist name was. He didn’t know such a person in the past, and he didn’t pay attention unexpectedly.

“Aunt, what is the Buddhist name of the Fourth Elder Lord?” Yang Ning asked in a hurry. “Anyway, the people in the Temple of Great Light promised that I can go to the temple at any time in the future. I will go to see him then.”

Gu Qinghan smiled. “I remember that the Buddhist name of the Fourth Elder Lord is Jingchun after he became a monk. He had been in the temple for decades. The old marquis went to the temple to see him for a few times later, but the Fourth Elder Lord didn’t see him. I heard that when he went to the temple, he said that the old marquis was on the battlefield all year round and had killed a lot of people and owed many people lives although he had outstanding military exploit. So the Fourth Elder Lord became a monk for the old marquis to relieve his bad karma.”

Yang Ning was startled. “It’s Jingchun?” He thought, “Jingchun turns out to be the Fourth Elder Lord from the Qi family. He brought me to Tianbao Peak to recuperate for a reason.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t see Jingchun in the temple.

He suddenly wondered if Jingchun had selfish motives as he told Zhenming to teach him Purity Scripture and prevent outsiders from knowing it.

Seeing that Yang Ning was so shocked, Gu Qinghan asked in a hurry, “You have seen him?”

Yang Ning replied, “No. The Fourth Elder Lord is in the imperial palace now. I have heard that a Shui Lu Rite would be held for His Majesty in the imperial palace and the Temple of Great Light has sent many monks to come, including the Fourth Elder Lord.”

Gu Qinghan nodded slightly. “It turns out that the Fourth Elder Lord has also entered the imperial palace. I have heard that dozens of monks from the Temple of Great Light came to the city.”

Yang Ning sighed. “The Fourth Elder Lord and the old marquis loved each other, but our second young master Qi Yu is greatly different. Aunt, I heard that Qi Yu agreed to go to the temple only after Dowager persuaded him. Is it right?”

“Ning, no matter what Qi Yu did in the past, if he didn’t go to the temple this time, you must be still trapped there.” Gu Qinghan sighed. “The Dowager said since he is willing to become a monk for you, he is still a descendant of the Qi family, and we should take good care of Lady Qiong.”

Yang Ning asked with a frown, “Has Lady Qiong come back?”

Gu Qinghan expressed, “You have expelled her. Without your permission, the Dowager won’t let her come back. The Dowager told us to buy Lady Qiong a small house and two maids to serve her. In the future we will give her a sum of money every year to live on. The Dowager just considers your dignity.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly and asked, “Has the tax silver been got back?”

Gu Qinghan frowned. “Canghai led his people to bring some back, yet they said that they would never return us the tax silver paid by the five hundred families. The Third Elder Lord said that it is a rule made by the old marquis when he was alive and you can’t decide. Not only this time, but in the future, the tax silver from the five hundred families in the fiefdom should also be given to them every year as usual, and we can’t cut down one cent.”

“This old man is really thick-skinned.” Yang Ning sneered. “We have nothing to do with the Qi clan. Why does he qualify to enjoy the tax from the fiefdom of the Marquis of Honor? No, even if it is the tax from only one family, I will get it back, let alone five hundred families.”

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment and then suggested, “Ning, although we have broken up the family, we are still related by blood. Don’t embarrass them too much. Otherwise…”

Yang Ning stated, “Aunt, I have said that you are too soft-hearted. Don’t you know how he treated us? They have been in the capital city for many years and gained a lot of profits because of the Marquis of Honor in the past. In early days, they knew that our family are short of money, while he hid the tax silver and didn’t say anything. He just has evil intentions. You can’t be soft-hearted to such a person.”

Gu Qinghan sighed gloomily. “Anyway, you are the family master in the marquis’ mansion. Just do what you say.”

Yang Ning responded in a hurry, “Aunt, don’t say that. I am just the family master in name. How can you not help manage the mansion? I just thought so, but if you don’t think that it is proper, just do as you like.”

Gu Qinghan leered at Yang Ning and smiled gently. “I have been managing the mansion these years and become an old lady. I will let you manage everything in the future. If you don’t want to deal with it, you can find somebody to help you. I can’t work tiredly all the time. You should let me, an old lady have a rest.”

“Old lady?” Yang Ning laughed. “Aunt, anybody would laugh his head off if he hears your words.”

“Laugh?” Gu Qinghan’s face fell, and she glared at Yang Ning. “Why would they laugh?”

Yang Ning expressed seriously, “If you are an old lady, there is no young girl in the world. Look into the mirror and check. You are twenty years old at most. Where is there such a young and beautiful old lady? Wouldn’t others laugh after hearing that?”

Gu Qinghan didn’t get angry this time and merely stated, “You said that just to make me help you do more jobs. Don’t think that I know nothing when you coax me.”

Yang Ning retorted, “By heaven and hell, Aunt, I didn’t coax you, really. You look so young. If you don’t believe me, let’s go out and ask somebody else.”

“I am not joking with you.” Gu Qinghan smiled. “Ning, have you heard what I said? I told you to find a person to help you manage the mansion.”

Yang Ning replied, “Where can I find such a smart person like you? Even if I can, I don’t want anybody. You are the best, Aunt.”

“Alas, why don’t you understand?” Gu Qinghan was anxious. “I told you to hurry up to find a wife and get married. Then she can help you, right?” She moved closer to him unexpectedly and asked with a faint smile, “Ning, Miss Tang said that you met by chance and made an appointment to see each other in the capital city. She didn’t make it clear, and I couldn’t ask more. Come on. Tell Aunt what has happened.”

She had a bright smile like a beautiful flower and looked curious.

Yang Ning understood immediately and explained in haste, “Aunt, don’t make blind conjectures. Nothing happened between me and Miss Tang. We are friends at most. I think she is capable, so I prepare to help her develop the career. And earlier I planned to ask her to heal my wounds.”

“Why are you nervous?” Gu Qinghan laughed. “I didn’t say anything. Did you confess without torture? Ning, what can’t you talk about with me? Come on. I ask you. Do you love her?”

She asked curiously and looked lovely. A young beautiful lady with charm in this condition made him excited.

Yang Ning felt itchy and asked in reply, “Aunt, tell me. What makes you think that I love her?”

“Do you think that I am a child?” Gu Qinghan chuckled. “If you just met by chance, why did a girl come to the capital city and wait for you in our mansion?” She added with confidence, “She didn’t say anything, which means there are secrets. Ning, don’t be afraid. Even if you really love Miss Tang, I won’t say more. It’s wonderful news.”

“Wonderful news?” Yang Ning asked solemnly, “Why did you say so?”

Gu Qinghan smiled and looked gorgeous, saying in a soft voice, “I know that you have grown up. If Su Zhen didn’t cancel the engagement, I would be preparing for your wedding. You are the heir of the Marquis of Honor. If there is no accident, after the new emperor takes the throne, you will get the title of nobility. You are not young now, and it’s time for you to get married. The Dowager doesn’t care about anything, and our family has broken up with the Qi clan now, so your marriage should be handled by me.”

“Aunt, you are so anxious to get me married?” Yang Ning sighed. Of course, he was not interested in this topic. After all, he was uncertain how long he could disguise as the heir of the Marquis of Honor. Perhaps he would disappear suddenly someday. If he got married, he couldn’t leave at will.

Gu Qinghan furrowed her brows and got serious. “What? I am anxious to get you married? You are the heir of the Marquis of Honor and it’s your responsibility to have descendants for the Qi family to inherit the title of nobility. It’s not up to you. Ning, I can allow you to do anything else, but as for this matter, you must listen to me.”

“Okay. Aunt, you tell me to get married. Are you going to let me marry Miss Tang?” Yang Ning was helpless. “You don’t know anything about her and our relationship, yet you want to plan a marriage randomly?”

Gu Qinghan pondered for a moment and then advised, “In fact, if you really want to marry Miss Tang, the Dowager may not agree as the girl doesn’t have a good family background, but… If you really love her, I will convince the Dowager to let Miss Tang be your concubine first. What do you think?”

Yang Ning thought that the people in this era had different ideas from the posterity as expected. As Gu Qinghan said that, obviously, she thought it was common for a man to have more than one wife.

“Aunt, not to mention whether I love Miss Tang, I ask you, what if Miss Tang doesn’t want to be a concubine or even marry into our mansion?” Yang Ning laughed. “Can you tie her up and force her to marry me?”

“I knew that you love her. Haven’t you admitted it now?” Gu Qinghan giggled. “Aren’t you just afraid that Miss Tang is unwilling to marry you? I don’t think so. You are handsome, smart and good-tempered, and you are the heir of the Marquis of Honor. Many girls want to marry you but can’t, and Miss Tang won’t be unwilling to.”

“I am handsome, smart and good-tempered… Aunt, it appears that you think highly of me.” Yang Ning laughed loudly. “Do you think that all women love me?”

Gu Qinghan answered at once, “Of course. If a girl doesn’t love you, she must have no sharp eyes.”

Yang Ning stared at Gu Qinghan’s face which was as beautiful as jade, and her bright and clear eyes rolled slightly with cleverness, looking charming yet uncommon. He blurted out, “Aunt, do you like me, too?”

Gu Qinghan was excited originally. Hearing Yang Ning’s words, she was stunned and then frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about? If you bullshit again, I will punish you according to the family rules.” She picked up a chopstick and raised her hand to beat Yang Ning’s arm gently. Then she rebuked, “I am serious. Don’t interrupt me.”

Yang Ning knew that it was fine if he said something randomly, yet he couldn’t cross the line, so he had to say, “Aunt, when I should get married, I will let you prepare for it. Forget Miss Tang. I tell you once more. She is my friend at most and may not take me as her friend… Since you said that you want to talk business, I have something important to ask you.”

“What?” Gu Qinghan saw that Yang Ning was solemn, so she asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

Yang Ning responded, “The silver. Is the tax silver brought back enough to pay the expenses in the mansion? So many shops were burnt because of us, and we need a lot of silver to make compensation.”

Gu Qinghan furrowed her brows. “Speaking of which, I almost forget to tell you.” She paused for a while and then asked, “Ning, do you remember last time you said that you found oil stains in the pawnshop which was burnt?”

Yang Ning nodded. “Right. So there must be spies in the pawnshop. I prepared to find out the spies, but later so many things happened, and it delayed.”

“Don’t need to look for them. We have found him out.” Gu Qinghan’s pretty face was cold. “After you reminded me last time, I also think that there is something wrong, so I told Zhao Wushang to investigate it all the time.”

“Have you got the result?”

“He carefully investigated all people working in the pawnshop and found nothing unusual. Only Qiu Yi went to the pawnshop and entered the warehouse on the day when there was a fire.” Gu Qinghan sneered. “In the end, Zhao Wushang targeted Qiu Yi and interrogated him again. In the beginning, Qiu Yi didn’t admit it. After Zhao Wushang frightened him, he told the truth.”

Yang Ning frowned. “Is the Third Elder Lord, that old man’s idea?” He shook his head. “No. Dou Lianzhong got involved in this matter, so he must have something to do with it.”

Gu Qinghan stated, “Right. The fire in the pawnshop had nothing to do with the Third Elder Lord. It’s Dou Lianzhong who is behind the scenes.”

Yang Ning clenched his fists. “It’s that son of bitch as expected. I won’t let him go.”

“Do you know Dou Lianzhong’s purpose?” Gu Qinghan asked.

Yang Ning answered, “I heard that the minister of the Ministry of Revenue Dou Kui was at feud with our family. Dou Lianzhong wanted to take the opportunity to avenge his father?”

Gu Qinghan responded, “This is one of the reasons. His target is our pharmacy.”

“The pharmacy?” Yang Ning was astonished. “Aunt, the Dou family must not be short of money. Why would they covet our pharmacy?”

Gu Qinghan sighed gently. “You know what? When our family were short of money last time, I told Qiu Yi to borrow some money from a private bank. We got the tax silver back the other day, so I sent somebody to return money. After inquiring, Canghai learnt that the private bank’s owner is Dou Lianzhong. He is the son of the minister of the Ministry of Revenue and couldn’t show up, so few people know that the private bank is his property.”

Yang Ning understood in an instant. “I see. Qiu Yi and Dou Lianzhong conspired to borrow money from the private bank of the Dou family. They planned it earlier and knew that we couldn’t repay the loan on time, so they can force us to pay the debt with the pharmacy then.”

“It’s their plot.” Gu Qinghan thought about it and felt scared after the event. She raised her hand and patted her chest. “They took actions repeatedly and just want our family to fall into hopeless straits and then be at their mercy.” She added resentfully, “Qiu Yi is brutal and cold-blooded. He not only joined hands with the Third Elder Lord to harm us but also became a lackey of the Dou family and plotted against us in secret.”

Yang Ning also felt a chill down his spine.

The people who gave them a fatal blow were not the enemies in the front but the servants standing behind them. If Yang Ning didn’t find the evidence against Dou Lianzhong and suppress him with a colored glaze horse, the marquis’ family would face a more difficult situation this time.

Gu Qinghan stated as expected, “Ning, if you didn’t figure out a way, even after we bring the tax silver back, perhaps it would be of no use. Fortunately, you found the evidence against Dou Lianzhong and the people in the private bank were clear about it, so later they didn’t come to ask us to repay. They are afraid that they would irritate us and get themselves into trouble.”

“Right. What is it going on now?”

Gu Qinghan replied, “The pawnshop suffered great losses as much pawned stuff was ruined and we should make compensation double the price. Although the people in the private bank didn’t come, we need to pay every penny that we should.”

“How long can our remaining silver sustain us?” Yang Ning was clear that it would cost a lot of money to buy the food for all people in the mansion every day even if they didn’t buy anything else.

Not to mention anything else, only Qi Jing’s funeral and the compensation after the pawnshop was burnt needed a large sum of money. Without the pawnshop, the marquis’ family would lose a major source of income. Although they had gone through the hardships currently, they might be in straitened circumstances in the following days.

“I have checked the account these two days. If there is no accident, the remaining silver would sustain us for less than two months according to our usual expenses.” Gu Qinghan smiled bitterly. “Originally, the tax silver would sustain us for half a year, yet now we would be in the red for a few months.” She shook her head. “I can do nothing but figure out other ways.”

“What solution do you have?”

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment and then answered, “At the worst, we can send people to Jiangling to ask the Gu family…”

Yang Ning asked at once, “Aunt, do you plan to borrow money from your parents’ family?”

Gu Qinghan explained helplessly, “I have no other choice for now. All people in the mansion need to eat and drink, and there may be other things. Without money, we can do nothing.”

Yang Ning expressed seriously, “No, you can’t. Aunt, you want to borrow money from the Gu family, and this is easy to say but it’s unpleasant to hear. If the outsiders know it, what would they think about the marquis’ family? And what would the Gu family think about you? Moreover, we can’t only depend on borrowing money. We must figure out how to make money.”

“I have no choice.” Gu Qinghan showed a bitter smile. “I also know we should make more and spend less money. It’s fine to spend less, while it’s difficult to make money.”

Yang Ning stated, “I will figure out a way to get money. Since Grandma left the mansion to me, it’s my duty to ensure that all people in the mansion can eat enough food.” At the same time, he thought that one of the important jobs next was to use his advantage to get money. “By the way, how did you deal with Qiu Yi? Is he still locked up in the mansion?”

“Canghai and the others wanted to send Qiu Yi to the government, but I thought that he and his father worked in the mansion for many years and if we really sent him to the Capital Bureau, he might be in prison for a lifetime.” Gu Qinghan was restless and stared at Yang Ning with her beautiful eyes. “I wanted to talk about it after you come back, yet I know well about you. You would probably send him into the prison after you come back, so…so I made an arbitrary decision and expelled him from the mansion, but…in order to save his life, he gave out the houses he had bought with the money he grafted from our family. Ning, will…you blame me?”

Yang Ning sighed. “Aunt, you are kind-hearted. How would I blame you? Since he has been expelled, I will spare him once more. As long as he doesn’t offend us in the future, I will think that he is not alive.”

Gu Qinghan heaved a sigh of relief and smiled charmingly. “I knew that you wouldn’t bother about it.” She was like a beautiful peach welcoming the spring wind with a smile.

At the moment, a voice came from outside. “My Lady, Miss Tang has arrived.”

Gu Qinghan answered and Yang Ning got up. The room door was pushed open. He saw a girl dressed in a rose-colored brocade coat with golden threads and a blossoming ice lotus embroidered on the collar. She wore a rose purple long dress with a row of peacock blue satin and flower patterns around the lower hem. Her hands were crossed naturally and put in front of her belly, as she walked briskly into the room.

Yang Ning was stunned for a while and checked carefully before recognizing that it was Tang Nuo. However, she was dressed up in a greatly different style from the last time he saw her, so he couldn’t recognize her at a glance.