During the Tongzhi period, the Ye family had not yet come to Shanghai, and the Ye family still settled in Yichang.
At that time, Ye Chongnian was in a transportation business and was responsible for helping people deliver goods. If the goods are delivered intact, you can get a sum of money.
Ye Chongnian has a good friend named Lin Zhaoan.
Lin Zhaoan knows some medical skills, but in order to earn more money, he and Ye Chongnian do transportation business together.
The sky dimmed, night fell, and Yichang entered the dark night.
Every family stopped the lights, the light died out, and they sank into silence.
At this time, a dull knock on the door sounded, breaking the silence of the night.
Ye Chongnian opened the door, and a stranger stood at the door.
Ye Chongnian asked, "You are..."
The man raised his eyes to look at him: "I have a shipment and want you to send it to the dock."
Behind him was the dark night, his face was hidden in the shadows, some indistinguishable.
Ye Chongnian: "What kind of product?"
The man's tone was calm: "You don't need to know this, you just have to deliver the goods to the dock tomorrow night."
That person promised that after the event was completed, he would give Ye Chongnian a very generous sum of money.
Ye Chongnian thought about it. After the goods were delivered to the dock, he could just come back directly. As for what the goods are, it doesn't matter.
Ye Chongnian responded and accepted the deposit.
At this time, the person's voice became a little heavier: "You should remember a little bit, you can't open the box."
There was a chill in his eyes: "If you violate this article, the transaction will be cancelled."
Ye Chongnian was startled.
Perhaps the cargo this person was carrying was extremely secretive, so he didn't want others to know about it.
Ye Chongnian nodded and agreed.
Ye Chongnian called Lin Zhaoan and put the goods into the warehouse with him.
The next night.
The sky became darker and darker, and thick black clouds spread out, obscuring the moon and stars.
The air was extremely dull and humid, filled with vapor, as if it was about to rain.
Ye Chongnian and Lin Zhaoan were ready, and there were two black boxes on the carriage.
When they were about to set off, a voice rang behind them.
"Ye Chongnian, your wife is going to give birth!"
Not long after Ye Chongnian left home, his wife suffered from abdominal pain. After Wen Po came, she realized that the attack had happened prematurely.
Ye Chongnian's movements were stagnant, and he turned his head to look at the man: "My wife is going to give birth?"
The doctor said that these few days are his wife's expected delivery date, but he didn't expect to give birth today.
This person here is Ye Chongnian's neighbor and has a good relationship with him.
The neighbor looked anxious: "Your wife's situation is a bit critical. I have already asked the wife to help."
Ye Chongnian paced anxiously, his wife is about to give birth, but he has to deliver goods tonight...
Lin Zhaoan heard this and had an idea in his heart.
He opened his mouth: "I'll send this shipment by myself."
Ye Chongnian was startled and looked up at him.
Lin Zhaoan went on to say: "I will be back when I deliver the goods. Go and stay with your wife."
Ye Chongnian said, "Thank you."
Then he added another sentence: "You must be careful."
Lin Zhaoan nodded.
Ye Chongnian and Lin Zhaoan separated, he walked to Ye's house, and Lin Zhaoan hurried to the dock.
The two turned around and went in two opposite directions, their figures hidden in the dark night.
A heavy haze shrouded the night sky, and at some point, it would be weighed down heavily on the ground.
At this time, it rained in the sky, the rain fell, and the cold wind poured into the carriage.
The carriage moved forward in silence, and it was very silent all around, and its horseshoes stomped on the damp ground.
The road became muddy, the rain penetrated in, and the chill was deep.
Time passed quietly, the carriage stopped, and the dock arrived.
Lin Zhaoan got out of the carriage and waited for the people who received the goods.
There was a depressive atmosphere in the dark rain curtain, and the pier was filled with deathly silence.
After a while, footsteps arrived in the damp rain.
The heavy footsteps broke the silence, and Lin Zhaoan looked over.
A group of people came on the pier.
The rain outlines these people.
They were dressed in official uniforms with icy knives around their waists, and they were awe-inspiring.
Lin Zhaoan was surprised that it was an officer and soldier.
Why did the officers and soldiers come to the dock
Lin Zhaoan suppressed the emotions in his heart and walked up: "The official."
One of the officers and soldiers in the lead glanced at him: "What are you doing at the dock?"
Lin Zhaoan said, "I'm here to deliver the goods."
The officers and soldiers glanced at the box behind him, their eyes were slightly deep, and then he withdrew his gaze.
The officers and soldiers asked again: "What kind of goods are you sending?"
Lin Zhaoan was startled: "I don't know."
The officers and soldiers sneered: "You are responsible for the delivery, so why don't you know what the goods are?"
Lin Zhaoan hurriedly said: "The delivery person said that the box cannot be opened, otherwise the transaction will be cancelled."
"So, I never opened the box."
The officers and soldiers obviously did not believe his words.
The officers and soldiers said blankly: "Open the box and I want to check it."
Lin Zhaoan hesitated for a while: "The official..."
The officers and soldiers stood beside him and said coldly: "You dare not open the box, so concealed, is there something wrong with this cargo?"
He drew the knife around his waist abruptly, and there was a murderous air on the cold blade.
The icy rain poured down, hitting the ground mercilessly, and the heavy rain covered the night.
Lin Zhaoan's heart was filled with fear, and his hands and feet trembled slightly.
He didn't dare to resist, and immediately said: "I'll just open the box."
He turned and walked towards the carriage and stepped into the mud, rain splashing on his clothes.
The box was opened, and the situation inside was clear.
Pieces of cloth were neatly placed in the box.
Lin Zhaoan breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be cloth.
Lin Zhaoan looked at the official: "Grant, look at..."
Since things are okay, he can leave.
The officers and soldiers frowned, and he strode forward and pushed Lin Zhaoan away.
He stretched his knife into the box and rummaged through it.
The cloth was opened and scattered in a mess in the box.
Pieces of cloth were removed, revealing a corner of black cloth.
For some reason, Lin Zhaoan was a little upset at this time.
His heart was always there, "dongdong" jumping, flustered emotions lingering in his heart.
He faintly has a bad premonition.
Several flashes of lightning flashed across the gloomy night sky, and the sky seemed to be torn apart.
The white light flashed by, and then fell into the darkness again.
The cloth continued to be removed, and the black area became larger and larger, and finally, the whole picture was revealed.
It was a thick and dark cloth.
Covered with black cloth, something seems to be placed underneath.
Lin Zhaoan's heart beat faster.
The officers and soldiers cut through the black cloth with their swords, revealing what was inside.
Under the cover of the black cloth, there were black lumps.
Lin Zhaoan's hands and feet suddenly became cold, and the box contained...
It was actually opium.
Lin Zhaoan's feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, as if they were pressed down by a heavy hammer.
The officers and soldiers said cruelly: "You actually traded in opium privately!"
The roar of thunder rolled in, resounding through the dark night sky.
The sound of thunder seemed to be close to the ear, and the oppression approached Lin Zhaoan.
Lin Zhaoan hurriedly explained: "Official man, I really don't know why there is opium in the box?"
If he knew that the box was filled with opium, how could he agree to deliver this shipment
The official didn't hear what he said: "This person is concealing evil intentions, arrest him!"
The cold voice fell in the rain, very clear.
One sentence confirmed Lin Zhaoan's charge.
The officers and soldiers had surrounded Lin Zhaoan long ago.
The white lightning flashed by, reflecting the indifferent expressions of the officers and soldiers, as well as the sharp blades in their hands.
The sound of wind and rain roared, and then came a deep chill.
The officers and soldiers stepped forward and covered Lin Zhaoan's hand with a cold lock, restricting his movement.
His mouth was also blocked, unable to make any sound.
The dark and cold night spread.
Lin Zhaoan was taken away, and the officer in the lead looked at him coldly, with a silent expression.
He has long received news that someone will be trading opium privately on the dock tonight.
The government sent people to follow the group of people who received the goods, all the way to the dock.
The group of people had been arrested, and now it was Lin Zhaoan's turn.
They have other uses for this batch of opium. Whether Lin Zhaoan knows it or not, he must die.
Lightning swept across, and the sound became more intense. The momentum of the thunder does not seem to stop, it is extremely bitter.
The night wind engulfed the severe cold, blowing through the gaps of the leaves, and hunting.
At the other end, Ye Chongnian walked into Ye's house quickly.
Ye Chongnian saw a servant and asked eagerly: "How is my wife's situation?"
The next person hesitated and said: "Madam is still producing..."
Then he said with difficulty: "It seems to be a dystocia."
Ye Chongnian only felt that his eyes were dark, and he almost fell to the ground.
The servant held Ye Chongnian and comforted: "Master, Madam will be fine."
Ye Chongnian tried his best to suppress the flustered mood.
He looked towards his wife's room, the black door was closed tightly, and there was a sound in it.
Wen Po's anxious voice and his wife's painful voice were all blocked inside.
The door opened, and the servant brought out a basin of blood, and then took a new basin and towel in.
The door opened and closed, and closed again.
Even through the door, Ye Chongnian seemed to be able to clearly perceive his wife's pain at this time.
The sky was extremely dark, the rain was extremely harsh, and the eyes were full of white water vapor.
The shadows of the trees swayed, and the deep branches and leaves swayed, revealing a weird silence.
From time to time, the wife's cry came from the room, as if it were getting weaker and weaker.
Ye Chongnian clenched his fists, and his heart became more disturbed.
I don't know how long it has passed, the sky is getting brighter, and the rain is gradually resting.
The door opened.
Po Wen walked out with joy on her face: "Congratulations, Master Ye, mother and son are safe."
Ye Chongnian's heart was completely let go.
Po Wen went on to say: "Your wife gave birth to a boy."
Ye Chongnian entered the house and held the child in his hands.
This is his first child, he is a treasure.
Ye Chongnian looked at his wife, who was extremely pale with a smile on her mouth.
Ye Chongnian was still immersed in the joy of the birth of the child. When he was about to tell Lin Zhaoan the good news, he realized something was wrong.
Lin Zhaoan did not return overnight.
It's just a delivery, why didn't Lin Zhaoan go home
Ye Chongnian dared not think about it anymore, and hurried to the dock immediately.
Although the rain stopped, the haze did not dissipate, and the sky was still gray.
There was no one on the pier, and there was no sign of Lin Zhaoan.
Ye Chongnian was extremely worried, could something happen to the goods? Where did Lin Zhaoan go
For the next few days, Lin Zhaoan never showed up. Ye Chongnian looked for him everywhere, but he could not be found.
One day, officers and soldiers came to the street and posted a notice on the wall.
The notice reads that Lin Zhaoan is a reactionary and has now been in prison.
Ye Chongnian was extremely shocked.
Lin Zhaoan is his own good friend, and he would never do such a thing.
Ye Chongnian thought about it carefully, and felt cold.
Could Lin Zhaoan's accident have something to do with the box of goods
Lin Zhaoan went to the dock to deliver the goods and was missing. After that, news came out that he was arrested and imprisoned.
Until now, Ye Chongnian didn't know that the boxes were filled with opium.
Ye Chongnian sorted out his thoughts and went to the government.
Lin Zhaoan is innocent.
He took this order, and even if there was a problem with that box of goods, Lin Zhaoan shouldn't bear it alone.
When he arrived at the official mansion, Ye Chongnian saw an officer and soldier and expressed his intention.
Unexpectedly, when the officers and soldiers heard Lin Zhaoan's name, their expressions changed.
The officers and soldiers were not prepared to listen to him at all, and they just said, "Lin Zhaoan is a reactionary, and the evidence for this matter is solid."
An order was given to suppress this matter, and no matter who brought it up, the person was driven away.
Ye Chongnian wanted to admit that it was his fault, but he was ignored.
The officers and soldiers drew their swords at him, threatening extremely strongly.
Later, Ye Chongnian came several times, but was driven away by the officers and soldiers.
Ye Chongnian didn't even know that this incident was a conspiracy of the government.
During the late Qing Dynasty, opium smuggling was rampant. The government is corrupt and wants to embezzle this box of opium.
Lin Zhaoan has been involved in this matter, even if he is innocent, he is destined to not get out of prison.
The government has ordered Lin Zhaoan to be executed secretly.
When Ye Chongnian returned home, his steps trembled a little.
He knew that by now, Lin Zhaoan had been accused of a reactionary, and he was most likely to have encountered an accident.
Lin Zhaoan has a young son, Lin Qin, and his wife has died young and has no one to take care of the child.
Ye Chongnian and his wife felt guilty and decided to raise Lin Qin as their own child.
Yichang shouldn't stay for a long time, a few people left here.
Later they settled down elsewhere, but Lin Qin left home when he was a teenager.
He learned that his father's imprisonment was related to Ye Chongnian. He hated the Ye family very much, so he determined to stay away from them.
Since then, Ye Chongnian has been looking for Lin Qin, but there is no news of Lin Qin.
Ye Chongnian didn't know, but Lin Qin changed his name later.
His current name is.
Dong Hongchang.
Those secrets back then were all hidden on that stormy night.
The heavy rain buried the painful past, everything sank in the endless rain curtain, no one knew the truth.
…
During the Republic of China.
The ancestral hall of the Ye Family Mansion.
Outside is the torrential rain of midsummer, and thunder is rolling. Moist vapor filled the room.
In the silent ancestral hall, the air was heavily compressed.
The old lady Ye began to tell the story of the year.
The matter had been hidden for many years, but her voice was unusually calm.
Every Ye family can hear it clearly.
During the Tongzhi period, her husband, Ye Chongnian, partnered with a friend to do business.
On the night she gave birth to her eldest son, Lin Zhaonian was arrested because of that business.
Old lady Ye only knew that Lin Zhaonian had been taken away by officials, but she didn't know why.
Ye Chongnian did not investigate the truth.
The two of them did not know that the opium trade was rampant in the late Qing Dynasty and the government was corrupt.
In order to seize huge profits, the officials in the late Qing Dynasty disregarded human life, and Lin Zhaoan was just a poor person involved in it.
"Chongnian and I left there, looking for Lin Zhaoan's son everywhere."
"Later, we settled in Shanghai and started a jewelry business."
"So many years have passed," Mrs. Ye shook her head, "I haven't found the whereabouts of the Lin family's son."
The heavy rain outside the window still didn't stop, Ye Chu's thoughts were sinking.
According to grandmother's words, the Ye family came to Shanghai from another place.
Ye Chu remembered that when Mo Qinghan came to Ye's family as Rong Mu, he had tentatively asked Su Lan about the Ye family's past.
She knew it was no coincidence.
Ye Chu recalled his previous life, the Ye family's defeat step by step, and his family members died one after another.
That person targeted the Ye family everywhere, trying to make them have nowhere to go.
But in her memory, among those familiar with her previous life, there was not a man surnamed Lin.
She had another guess.
Ye Chu said, "Grandma, do you remember Lin Zhaoan's wife's surname?"
Mrs. Ye was very impressed with what happened back then, and she blurted out soon.
"Her surname is Dong."
At the moment the sound rang, a flash of lightning passed quickly.
Bright lightning split the sky instantly!
It was so dark just now, but at this time the ancestral hall was illuminated like daylight.
Ye Chu was shocked.
She suddenly felt cold in her hands and feet, and her back was covered with cold sweat.
After Lin Zhaoan's son left his hometown, he changed his name to prevent the Ye family from finding him.
That person is Dong Hongchang.
Over the years, Dong Hongchang has won power, but he has never forgotten what the Ye family did.
But over the years, he has been blinded by power.
Dong Hongchang has been fighting with Lu Zongting for many years in order to get Shanghai, and even now he has not given up.
Fu Congzhen, Lu Huai's mother, died because of this, and the innocent people in Shanghai were involved in a chronic poison case...
Grandfather Ye Chongnian was stopped by the government. What is the secret of that box of goods? What is the conspiracy in it
Why did Dong Hongchang's father Lin Zhaoan die
They can no longer trace the truth back then, but now the situation is irreversible.
In the previous life, the Ye family fell, and Lu Zongting was assassinated by Dong Hongchang.
Ye Chu's gaze seemed to plunge into the endless dark night outside.
In the dark night, the rain hit the ground and the wind was violent.
The shadows of the gloomy trees overlap, like ghosts and charms.
Throughout the long night, the storm did not stop.
And this disaster, can they escape