Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 126 Secret

One hundred taels? Eighth Sister had never seen so much money before! Her face fell: "No, no, you can't deduct it..."

Nianyao said, "Then tell me, what should we do about this?"

Seeing that Ba Mei was in a dilemma, Qin Jiu suggested, "As an elder in the gang, I'll make the decision to let Hu Zi marry you. That way, no one will have anything to say, and Hu Zi won't have his pay docked. It's a win-win situation..."

Before Eighth Sister could react, her brothers responded in unison, "Ninth Uncle is right!"

Qin Jiu, as an elder in the gang? Nian Yao said, "...Uncle Jiu, please choose a date."

Qin Jiu said, "There's no better day than today. I think today is auspicious, with clear autumn skies and wild geese flying north and south. I'll officiate the wedding, with Brother Xu as the head. Xue Song will coordinate, and Jing Song will be in charge of the drum and gong team. Er Hu, take the unused wedding candles and cups from the last time the gang leader got married, as well as the red silk quilt given by the Zhang family, and give them to Hu Zi."

Big Bear and Little Bear, you two go to Wudong County and buy two sets of wedding clothes. Buy the other wedding candies and red lanterns as you see fit, and hire a wedding officiant while you're at it... Boss, there's still some left over from the tribute wine General Yuan sent last time, use that as wedding wine..."

Qin Jiu gave his orders methodically, and his brothers responded and left, leaving only Ba Mei and Hu Zi standing there, completely unsure how to react.

Nianyao asked Eighth Sister, "Do you have any other opinions?"

Eighth Sister blurted out, "Is there no bride price?"

No, no, that's not what she wanted to say. What she wanted to say was... Before Eighth Sister could figure it out, Nianyao asked, "How much is the bride price?"

Eighth Sister hesitated to speak, timidly extending one finger. Nianyao casually replied, "One thousand taels? The gang will cover it. Any questions?"

Eighth Sister's eyes widened, completely speechless. Nianyao said impatiently, "If there's nothing else, go and get ready. Take a shower and change into clean clothes... What are you standing there for? Go..."

Tiger tugged at Eighth Sister's clothes: "Let's go."

Eighth Sister, holding up one finger, followed Tiger blankly. Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze and cried, "Madam, I didn't mean..."

She didn't say one thousand taels, she said ten taels!

Qin Jiu interrupted her: "Alright, alright, hurry up and go, or the gang leader will be angry again if we miss the auspicious time."

Eighth Sister was pulled away by Tiger, staggering away.

Although time was short, everything that needed to be done was there: gongs and drums resounded, firecrackers crackled, the matchmaker led the way, and the three bows completed the ceremony... Tiger was popular, and Eighth Sister was diligent and capable. Everyone was so enthusiastic that the party didn't end until midnight.

Nianyao was wide awake. She grabbed a pot of wine and sat down by the river. The moonlight was beautiful. She remembered releasing sky lanterns with Luo An by the Lover's River in Bianjing: "I miss you so much after just one day apart! Luo An, where are you?"

The footsteps behind her were deliberately made louder. Nianyao saw Qin Jiu sitting next to her and said, "I don't even know what to call you anymore?"

Qin Jiu smiled: "When you're not with the young master, you can call me Uncle Jiu; when you are, you can call me Brother Jiu."

Nianyao spat and said, "Ninth Brother, how old are you exactly?"

Qin Jiu shushed him: "It's a secret..."

Nianyao said, "Your appearance is a secret? We've known each other for years, and I still don't know what you look like. If you shave your beard one day, I definitely won't recognize you."

Qin Jiu said, "It's only natural for people to come together and part ways. When that time comes, it will prove that our fate has run its course..."

Nianyao took a swig of wine: "Ninth Brother, what did you do to be kicked out of the family?"

Qin Jiu's voice was very soft: "When I was young, I fell in love with a girl, but she looked down on me because I was born of a concubine. She would rather be my father's concubine than marry me... The night she entered the house, I wanted to take her away. She shouted that I was going to rape her, and attracted the whole family over."

She blamed my mother for not raising her son properly and forced her to kneel on the ground and apologize. My mother actually knelt down and apologized, then went back to her room and hanged herself. Jingzhao Villa is so large that a lively wedding could be held on one side while a somber funeral was held on the other, without them interfering with each other…

My mother was unassuming and kind to the servants, and she held considerable influence in the manor. At that time, I didn't understand the thoughts of a young woman, but my wet nurse told me that she deliberately made my mother kneel down and apologize to establish her authority and let everyone know that the manor lord favored her.

Even after my mother gave birth to a son, she couldn't gain a foothold at Jingzhao Manor. She was spoiled and arrogant, and cunning; the following year she gave birth to a daughter… In short, she quickly fell out of favor. When her daughter was just learning to walk, she somehow fell into the lake and drowned, and my mother went insane…”

Nian Yao coldly said, "As expected, a slut will be punished by heaven!"

Qin Jiu sighed: "Men are heartless, and women are pitiful. My mother felt she was the one who killed her; the real culprit was the manor lord. When I went back to pay my respects to my mother, I saw her kneeling before my mother's grave, disheveled, covered in filth, and infested with lice and fleas..."

I couldn't bear it, so I took her to the Heaven on Earth for treatment. As a result, she suffered a mental breakdown and, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, ran to the forbidden area behind the Heaven on Earth, accidentally triggered a trap, and was shot and killed, also injuring others in the process!

The events, pieced together, somehow became the version of events: Qin Chuan, the ninth son of Jingzhao Manor, raped his concubine and drove his mother to her death; the concubine went insane after giving birth to a daughter. Qin Chuan then took his concubine and left the manor to live in seclusion, disappearing without a trace…

This is probably what Nanfei meant by: absolutely wonderful and never gets old.

Nianyao asked in confusion, "Why haven't I heard Luo An mention such an important matter?"

Qin Jiu said, "Rumors in the martial arts world say that the forbidden area behind the Heaven and Earth Palace hides a miraculous medicine that can bring the dead back to life. There are always fearless people who want to break in and see it. Such incidents happen several times a year. What we consider a big deal is nothing out of the ordinary in your eyes, young master."

Nianyao thought for a moment: "So, you and Luo An knew each other before?"

Qin Jiu shook his head: "I don't know him! There are so many patients in the Heaven and Earth Palace. Patients who need his personal treatment must go through three medical departments for diagnosis. When she accidentally wandered into the back mountain, it just so happened that the young master was not in the manor."

Nianyao asked, "Once bitten by a snake... Ninth Brother, are you planning to keep suffering like this?"

Qin Jiu said, "I've felt happy and at ease here during my years with the Great River Gang. I like it here, and I like the people here. Gang leader, in the future, the brothers will live and work here in peace and self-sufficiency, so we probably won't need an accountant. Why don't I set up a school here and teach the children to read, play chess, and learn martial arts..."

Nianyao hesitated for a moment: "Then what should I do?"

Qin Jiu said, "Of course you'll be the wife of the doctor."

Nianyao chuckled: "That's good, that's good..."

Xu Sheng, who was temporarily requisitioning a private residence, was standing by the courtyard, deep in thought. Hearing footsteps, he unfolded his folding fan and smiled, "You're here."

His tone was as warm and natural as that of a long-lost friend. Luo An handed him the throwing knife: "Here you go."

Xu Sheng held the throwing knife in his hand and said to Yan Zeyu, "General Yan of the Right Dragon Martial Army of the Northern Army of Dongyang, I have long admired you!"

Yan Zeyu suppressed his shock: "Your Highness, I've heard so much about you!"

Xue Yunting took Yan Zeyu away. Luo An stared at him: "Is there anything in the world that can be hidden from you?"

Xu Sheng laughed: "Yes, your father kept my true parentage a secret..."

Luo An said, "I've heard that there's a Guanyin Pavilion in Yingzhou that can gather any information. Are you the legendary master of the Guanyin Pavilion?"

Xu Sheng said nonchalantly, "You've been wandering the martial world for years and earned the title of Divine Physician; if I've been wandering the martial world for years and haven't earned the title of Pavilion Master, wouldn't I be unworthy of you..."