Zhou Shaojin was extremely angry when she heard this. Thinking that these people were Cheng Chi's elders, she was so angry that she held it in for a long time before she uttered the words "the cuckoo has taken over the magpie's nest".
Cheng Chi couldn't help but smile after hearing this, touched her head, and continued: "Our ancestor didn't know what the Seven Stars Hall was doing at all, not to mention that it was the decision of the elders, so he nodded repeatedly. But the grandfather of General Manager Qin breathed a sigh of relief and praised our ancestor for doing the right thing.
“Not long after, Liegong passed away.
"The following year, Manager Qin's grandfather also passed away, and Manager Qin's father became the manager of Jiuru Lane.
"Another year, my ancestor passed the imperial examination and became a scholar.
"Our ancestor didn't care about material possessions. He never asked about the family's income. The eldest branch got as much as the second branch got.
"At that time, the ancestor of the second branch took my ancestor to serve as an official outside. My father and my second uncle studied hard at home and taught the children to read and write in their spare time. Uncle Li was in charge of the family affairs and the business was booming. The two branches were like one. They lived a happy and prosperous life. It seemed that restoring the family reputation was just around the corner."
Cheng Chi said, curling his lips: "Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long! In the summer of the year of Ren Zi, which was the sixth year of Jianlong, the eldest master of the second house, Cheng Yi, had just celebrated his third birthday. Uncle Li went to Huai'an to get a salt permit. Because he was carrying private salt, the boat was heavy. When he passed by the Huai'an Inspection Office, he was interrupted by the Cao Gang. The two sides had a dispute, and he was killed by the Cao Gang during the fight."
Zhou Chujin's mouth twitched, not knowing what to say.
When Cheng Chi mentioned that Cheng Lie asked Cheng Li to take over Qixingtang, she had a hunch that Cheng Li's death might be related to the disputes in the martial arts world.
As the Buddha said, you reap what you sow.
Cheng Li’s death was caused by Cheng Lie’s greed.
And now, the one in charge of the Seven Stars Hall should be Uncle Chi!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared in the post station in a suit, otherwise, he wouldn't have been as fast as a shooting star, otherwise, he wouldn't have met Xiao Zhenhai...
But the Uncle Chi she knew was a man who could judge the situation and make decisive choices. How could he be attached to these material possessions that were not even worth a chicken to him
Is this the reason why he ran away from home in his previous life
Zhou Shaojin felt heartbroken when he thought about it.
Her hand couldn't help but gently cover his hand.
Chi Cheng smiled at her, held her hand in his palm, and said softly: "The people in the Jianghu value loyalty and inheritance, but it is also a place where fists speak. The ancestor of the second house realized that if he wanted to be in charge of the Seven Stars Hall, he not only had to have a good background, but also had to have fists.
“But he found out too late.
"I lost my only son's life."
In that case, why not take the opportunity to disband the Seven Stars Hall
Zhou Shaojin pondered in his heart, and felt that things might not be as simple as he thought, so he thought he should listen to what Cheng Chi had to say.
"The old ancestor of the second branch of the family, with white hair, sent off the young brother Yi, and the old ancestor of the second branch of the family was so sad that he could not control himself.
“Our ancestor was simple-minded. He thought that no matter how good the business was, it was not as valuable as human life. He advised the ancestor of the second branch to end the business of Qixingtang.
“The second branch’s ancestor disagrees.
“The two parted unhappily over this.
"It was only after our ancestor got a tip from Chief Steward Qin's father that he realized that the Seven Stars Hall could bring considerable income to the Cheng family every year. The reason why the ancestor of the second branch was able to gain a foothold in the court so quickly was not only because of his reputation, but also because he had money to bribe people."
“At that time, my ancestor was an official in the imperial court. The third branch had a grudge against the first and second branches. The fourth branch was a sickly child. The fifth branch was unruly. My father and uncle were already young scholars and had never practiced martial arts. My second uncle’s cousin Fen was still in his infancy, and I was not even born yet… After all the calculations, there was actually no one in the Cheng family who could take over the Seven Stars Hall.” He said sarcastically, “Of course, even if someone in the Cheng family could take over the Seven Stars Hall, if the ancestor of the second branch was not satisfied with this person, I’m afraid there would still be no one in the Cheng family who could take over the Seven Stars Hall!”
Zhou Shaojin didn't say anything.
Uncle Chi must have a lot of complaints in his heart, but he can't express them out loud.
I wonder if this kind of pain will often eat away at his heart!
Zhou Shaojin sat obediently beside him and let him hold his hand.
"So when the Second House's ancestors decided to let Chief Steward Qin's father temporarily take over the Seven Stars Hall on behalf of the Cheng family, our ancestors remained silent."
Having said that, Cheng Chi's expression suddenly turned stern.
Zhou Shaojin's heart also began to tighten.
"The ancestor of the second branch forgot that the martial arts world is about fists last time, and this time he forgot that the martial arts world is about inheritance. Although the father of Qin Zongguan is a martial arts expert, he is nominally just a servant of the Cheng family. Who would obey the control of a servant?"
"What happened?" Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but blurt out.
Cheng Chi glanced at her, with faint bloodshot eyes.
He said in a deep voice: "In June of the sixteenth year of Jianlong, which was the tenth year after Uncle Li's death, when the Seven Stars Hall was worshipping Master Zhi at Yashan, the Guangdong Hua family was the first to make trouble, questioning the qualifications of Qin Zongguan's father. They felt that the Cheng family's sending Qin Zongguan's father to manage the Seven Stars Hall was an insult to them, the elders of the Seven Stars Hall, and demanded that the Cheng family's heir come forward to explain.
“Chief Steward Qin’s father knew that they were just using this as an excuse to rebel against the Seven Hall Stars.
"At this time, only fists are reasonable.
"He brought his two nephews and six great nephews to fight those people for a whole day and night. Although he finally suppressed those people from the Seven Stars Hall, two nephews and four great nephews died."
Those people are Qin Ziping and Qin Zian’s uncles and brothers!
Zhou Shaojin was about to cry when she thought of the kind and friendly Qin Ziping and the cold-faced but warm-hearted Qin Zian.
Cheng Chi said: "After that, Manager Qin's father managed to hold on for more than ten years, but eventually died from his old illness.
“In the past decade or so, the Seven Stars Hall has been plagued by internal strife and has fallen from being the undisputed overlord of the martial arts world to being ranked among the top five martial arts sects.
"Until the seventh year of Zhide, when I was fourteen years old, I took charge of the Qixing Hall..."
Zhou Shaojin's face turned red for no apparent reason when he heard this.
In the seventh year of Zhide, she was only one year old, but Uncle Chi had already started to take charge of the family business...
She thought of Nanping's fiancé, Qin Ziping and Qin Zian's brother, and couldn't help but say, "Then Qin Zining..."
Cheng Chi's expression darkened, and he whispered, "Although the incident at Yashan ended with the victory of the Cheng family, the Cheng family was also seriously injured and unable to suppress the elders of the Seven Stars Hall. By the time I took charge of the Seven Stars Hall, the so-called big bosses of the Seven Stars Hall had become giants with influence in one area. How could they listen to my instructions? Although I learned a set of martial arts from someone I don't know where, I had little experience in battle. When Panyu was besieged, Qin Zining covered my retreat and lost his life." He paused for a moment and said, "He is the eldest grandson of General Manager Qin!"
Uncle Chi must have been very sad at that time.
Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi tenderly and comforted him softly: "It will be fine, everything will be fine."
Cheng Chi suddenly couldn't help but feel his eyes moist.
After so many years, he never mentioned Qin Zining, and even let Nanping stay in his room like this, as if Qin Zining was not dead, but just went out to help him with something, and would be back soon... It turned out that the unspeakable pain had already scabbed and rotted in his heart...
He pursed his lips and said nothing.
However, Zhou Shaojin felt the stiffness of his body.
She really wanted to stand up and hug Uncle Chi to give him some comfort.
But I was very shy in my heart, thinking that this was too bold and I was afraid that Cheng Chi would be disgusted...
After some hesitation, Cheng Chi regained his composure.
He smiled gently and said, "I'm fine! Everything will be fine just like you said."
Cheng Chi decided to go back to Jinling City in a few days and take Nanping to pay tribute to Qin Zining. He would tell Qin Zining what he had kept in his heart. He and Nanping would say goodbye to the past and start a new life.
He said to Zhou Shaojin: "I will accompany you to celebrate the Buddha's Bathing Festival, and then I will go back to Jinling City."
Zhou Shaojin guessed that he was going to pay tribute to Qin Zining.
She said gently, "Do you want to bring Nanping over? Will she feel better if we change her place?"
No wonder others say that daughters are little cotton-padded jackets.
Shao Jin is not only gentle, but also very sensible.
Cheng Chi gently squeezed Zhou Shaojin's hand and said softly, "I'll ask her then. If she's willing to come, I'll bring her here to keep you company. If she's not willing to come, let her live in the Qin family. Since she misses the Qin family, let her do as she pleases. People live in this world for only a few decades, and it's fleeting. So, try to live as happily as possible!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
Then will Uncle Chi and I be able to live a happy, peaceful and smooth life
She was a little afraid to think about it.
He quickly changed his mind and asked curiously, "Uncle Chi, did the ancestor of the second branch choose you to take charge of the Seven Stars Hall? Why did they choose you? Why did the old master and the old lady agree? People in Jiuru Lane said that you grew up in the capital when you were a child. Did you secretly learn martial arts from someone in the capital?"
Even if one is a natural genius, one can only learn martial arts faster than others, but not overnight. Otherwise, the Qin family would not have helped the Cheng family manage the Seven Stars Hall for more than 20 years.
Sometimes, what binds two people together is not only interests, but also secrets.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "It is not a glorious thing to use the money from selling salt illegally to replenish the national treasury. The establishment of the Seven Stars Hall by Lord Zhi was a temporary and helpless move, so how could it be publicized? When Lord Lie took charge of the Seven Stars Hall, everything changed. In order to avoid being attacked by these people, he not only killed several elders who knew the relationship between the Seven Stars Hall and Lord Zhi, but also interacted with people in the name of the head of the Seven Stars Hall when he was traveling outside. His behavior was faintly exposed in the boldness of the north. Many people in the world knew that the Seven Stars Hall was from the Cheng family, but few people knew that the Cheng family was one family with the Cheng family of Jiuru Lane in Jinling.
"After the Yashan incident, the old ancestor of the second branch and the father of Qin Zongguan felt that the situation was not favorable for the Cheng family. They were afraid that they would come to the Cheng family after knowing the details of the Cheng family, and even use the power of the court to retaliate against the Cheng family. My second uncle moved from Xinglin Hutong to Shuangyu Hutong, and the father of Qin Zongguan also faked his death in Jinling City and settled in the capital. One of them taught me to read and write, and the other taught me internal skills and martial arts. It is true that I grew up in the capital. At least I stayed in the capital until I was fourteen."
※
Sisters and brothers, today’s extra update!
O(∩_∩)O~
The update is scheduled for around midnight.
※(To be continued)