Chapter 1
The sudden storm and downpour in the afternoon blew away the summer heat and also overturned the mourning shed outside the funeral hall,
soaking the monks and Taoists chanting funeral scriptures under it into drenched chickens.
The person in charge of the funeral for the Song family shouted loudly, at one moment ordering a servant to clean the east wing room to accommodate the monks and Taoists,
the next moment ordering another servant to buy new monk robes and Taoist robes for the clerics to change into,
and then instructing the rough maids to boil ginger tea and prepare snacks, as well as hiring craftsmen to rebuild the mourning shed.
The courtyard was noisy and bustling with human voices.
In contrast, the study of the late Second Master Song next door was eerily quiet, possibly because its owner had passed away.
The small courtyard was unguarded, and the once lush and verdant garden had lost its former glory, leaving it desolate and particularly serene.
Song Jiyun lowered her gaze and stood in the middle of the courtyard for a while before slowly pushing open the black lacquered door with the longevity pattern and stepping inside.
The study was still as it had been before.
The large desk made of yellow pear wood, the lacquered black inlaid curio shelf, the screen depicting “wealth and honor” with blue-and-white porcelain, and the celadon Ru kiln vase with crackled glaze containing a purple sandalwood horsetail whisk—all were there.
But a thin layer of dust had settled over everything.
Song Jiyun brushed her fingertips across the surface, leaving a clear trail.
In her ears echoed the gentle and kind voice of her father.
“Little Cloud, come here. Let Daddy show you how to hold a brush. You will be a painter in the future, painting dragons on giant porcelain jars!”
“Little Cloud, you can’t be distracted when learning to use the abacus. If your abacus skills are poor, how will you calculate accounts? How will you understand the ledger? How will you help Daddy manage the shops and estates?”
“Little Cloud, cheer up! If you help Daddy finish this small hand cup, I’ll put it in the kiln to fire it. Then it will be Daddy’s birthday gift. How about that?”
Song Jiyun covered her mouth and cried heartbreakingly.
She was reborn as the eldest daughter of this family with memories of her previous life.
Before this, she had just gone through a massive, prolonged family inheritance dispute involving enormous sums.
Although she emerged as the ultimate winner, the ugly faces of her father, uncles, siblings, relatives, and friends—turning against each other for their own interests, betraying and repaying kindness with ingratitude—were deeply imprinted in her mind.
She did not want to live another life.
She resisted starting over.
But the father of this life used his love, warmth, tolerance, and kindness to gradually melt her frozen heart.
He helped her integrate into this family and into her new life.
And then her father suddenly passed away.
He died on the way home after checking the accounts.
When the carriage reached the house, the steward traveling with him discovered it.
There were no loved ones to send him off, no final words left behind.
No one even knew the exact time of his death.
She cried uncontrollably.
A hesitant knock came from outside the door.
Song Jiyun wiped her tears, straightened her posture like a pine tree, and calmly said, “Come in.”
Her foster brother, Zheng Quan, walked in and bowed respectfully. “Big Miss, you called for me. Do you have any instructions?”
Song Jiyun sat in the grand teacher’s chair where her father used to meet his subordinates.
She took off the silver ring inlaid with turquoise from her index finger, handed it to Zheng Quan, and said in a low voice,
“Take this ring and set off immediately for the boat dock at Poyang Lake to find the chief manager of the Suzhou main store. Retrieve a sunflower-patterned lacquer box from him. Inside, there should be eighty thousand taels of silver notes.”
“Ah!” Zheng Quan exclaimed in astonishment, looking at her with disbelief in his eyes.
Since she needed his help, Song Jiyun had no intention of hiding the truth from him. She explained,
“I used the time before Father’s death became public to entrust the chief manager of the Suzhou store to sell off Father’s businesses in Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou.”
“I estimate the total to be around one hundred thousand taels.”
“But we can’t have the horse run without feeding it. Just retrieve eighty thousand taels. The rest can be considered compensation for the chief manager and his team for their hard work.”
“After this, the chief manager will also go into hiding and will not appear in the Suzhou-Hangzhou region again.”
After finishing, she further instructed Zheng Quan, “If the amount is incorrect, do not argue with him. Simply tell him, ‘Green hills will not change; we shall meet again someday.’
“If the amount is correct, tell him I remember his kindness. If he ever needs the Song family to vouch for him, I will not hesitate to do so.
“If the amount exceeds eighty thousand taels, return the extra to the chief manager. Tell him that profound gratitude does not require thanks, and as long as I, Song Jiyun, am alive, he will be safe.”
“But if you cannot find him,” Song Jiyun said thoughtfully, pushing a scroll and a name card toward Zheng Quan, “take this name card and portrait to the authorities and report that he absconded with the master’s assets. Tell them exactly how much he took.”
At that point, they would both suffer, and neither would come out unscathed.
Zheng Quan broke out into a cold sweat as he listened.
He repeated her instructions twice to ensure he remembered them correctly, and only then exhaled deeply in relief.
Song Jiyun said,
“Go quickly and return soon. I’ve also prepared to convert Father’s land in Nanchang and Shangrao into silver. You might need to travel to those places afterward.”
Zheng Quan’s head was already spinning.
Dealing with the private businesses of the Second Master was one thing, but what about the land that couldn’t be carried away or hidden?
He scratched his head in confusion.
Song Jiyun said, “We’ll talk about it when you get back. The key is for you to hurry. The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for us.”
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of a branch snapping outside the study broke the silence.
Song Jiyun and Zheng Quan’s expressions changed.
Before she could stand, Zheng Quan dashed out like a gust of wind.
Outside, the sounds of a scuffle and fighting could be heard.
Song Jiyun frowned.
Zheng Quan was her father’s chosen companion for her. Even as a child, he possessed incredible strength, which was why her father sent him to the Tianyi Sect at Mount Longhu to learn martial arts.
When he returned, his master had been reluctant to part with him, claiming he was a natural talent for martial arts and it was a waste to make him a servant.
The Song family had saved Zheng Quan’s life, so he naturally refused.
Her father had given her Zheng Quan’s indenture contract, instructing her to one day release him as a gesture of gratitude to the Zheng family, thereby securing her own interests.
Song Jiyun was well aware of Zheng Quan’s martial prowess.
Anyone capable of exchanging blows with him wouldn’t be an ordinary opponent.
Song Jiyun stepped outside.
Under the wisteria trellis, a young man dressed in a navy-blue Taoist robe and wearing a mesh cap faced off against Zheng Quan.
The man appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, standing about the same height as Zheng Quan, who was over eight feet tall.
His face was pale and smooth like jade, with thin lips and an aquiline nose.
He had slightly upturned phoenix eyes that shone with a piercing brightness, making him strikingly handsome.
However, his sharp gaze revealed he was not someone easy to deal with.
A gust of wind blew through the trellis, scattering wisteria blossoms across his shoulder.
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